Swine flu spreads worldwide

H1N1 flu spreads, Egypt starts pig cull

Article published on the 2009-05-02 Latest update 2009-05-02 10:46 TU

Passengers at Toncontin airport in Tegucigalpa are scanned for alterations in body temperatures to check against influenza A (H1N1)
(Photo: Reuters)

Israel has reported a third case of H1N1 influenza, known as swine flu, after Italy reported its first case, which is in the central region of Tuscany. Egypt has started slaughtering pigs, although world health officials say the virus is not transferred from them.

Egypt is to step up the slaughter of the country's 250,000 pigs, although the World Health Organisation says there is no evidence that the animals are transmitting the virus to humans.

Pigs in Egypt are mainly kept by the Coptic Christian minority and are reared by rubbish collectors in Cairo's shantytowns

Correspondent Alexander Bucciante says that the cull is the result of religious belief and political pressure by the opposition Muslim Brothers.

"In fact, the government is under pressure from public opinion," he reports. "Public opinion that has been pushed against pigs by the Muslim Brothers but also by religion. The pig is an impure animal in Islam and you had plenty of TV programmes saying this is the opportunity to get rid of the pig in Egypt."

In Iraq, three wild pigs in Baghdad zoo have been slaughtered, on orders of a committee of representatives of several minstries. The decision to cull the boars came a day after the health ministry recommended that the pigs not be killed.

In the United States scientists have reported that the strain is less virulent than a previous strain in 1918.

"We do not see the markers for virulence that were seen in the 1918 virus," said Nancy Cox of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But Cox added that scientists still do not understand "a great deal" about the 1918 outbreak, which killed as many as 50 million people.

US President Barack Obama declared himself "optimistic" that the outbreak can be handled. But he told the nation in his weekly broadcast that he prefers to do more rather than less to guard against it spreading.

"The good news is that the current strain of H1N1 can be defeated by a course of antiviral treatment that we already have on hand," Obama said. The virus has affected people in 19 states but has proved less deadly than in Mexico.

Obama has asked Congress for 1.5 billion dollars (1.1 billion euros) to buy additional antivirals and emergency equipment and fund vaccine development. Millions of antiviral treatments have already been purchased and vaccines have been delivered to states to treat those infected with the virus.

Thailand on Saturday moved to maximum alert, installing scanners in airports to stop the virus's spread. South Korea reported its first case, a 51-year-old woman who recently visited Mexico. India and Japan have also reported suspected cases.

Hong Kong confirmed that its first case is a 25-year-old Mexican who arrived in the city from Shanghai. The hotel where he stayed has been put under quarantine and the authorities are looking for other guests who have stayed there.

Authorities in China are trying to track down passngers who travelled on the same plane as the man. Officials in Guangdong say they are still looking for 11 of them, after finding 30, according to Xinhua news agency.

Taiwan is trying to track down seven people who were on the same flight as the Mexican.

New Zealand now claims that it has no cases, after four suspected cases were reported among a school party which had visited Mexico.