SWINE FLU HITS EUROPE

Germany and Austria confirmed cases of swine flu Wednesday, becoming the third and fourth European countries hit by the disease. As the United States reported the first swine flu death outside of Mexico, the World Health Organization called an emergency meeting to consider its pandemic alert level.
Germany confirmed three swine flu cases and Austria one, while the number of confirmed cases rose to four in Spain and five in Britain.
Swine flu is suspected of killing more than 150 people in Mexico and sickening over 2,400 there. WHO has confirmed at least 105 cases in seven countries. Over half of those _ 66 _ are in the United States and U.S. health officials reported Wednesday that 23-month-old child in Texas has died from the disease.
In Geneva, WHO was convening its emergency committee Wednesday to discuss, among other things, the current pandemic alert level. It now stands at phase 4, two levels below the threshold for a full pandemic outbreak.
WHO spokesman Dick Thompson said the agency's director-general Margaret Chan "has seen a jump in cases and she wants to have that evaluated by the outside experts."
He says that does not automatically mean there will be a change in the pandemic alert level.
This comes in addition to a WHO scientific review meeting Wednesday to determine exactly what is known about how the disease spreads, how it affects human health and how it can be treated. Experts will take part via telephone from the United States, Mexico and other affected countries.
Dr. Nikki Shindo, a WHO flu expert, said the review will focus particularly on a large trove of data coming from Mexico, believed to be the epicenter of the virus, and from a school in New York City that has been hard-hit by the outbreak.

Germany's national disease control center, the Robert Koch Institute, said the country's three cases include a 22-year-old woman hospitalized in Hamburg, a man in his late 30s being treated at a hospital in Regensburg, north of Munich, and a 37-year-old woman from another Bavarian town. All three had recently returned from Mexico.
Austria's health ministry said a 28-year-old woman who recently returned from a month-long trip to Guatemala via Mexico City and Miami has the virus but is recovering.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said health officials were ordering extra medicine and "several million more" face masks to deal with the virus.
"We've decided to build stocks of anti-virals, from 35 million to 50 million," Brown said, adding that the government had put in enhanced airport checks and was preparing to mail swine flu information leaflets to every household in Britain.
In addition to a couple in Scotland who got swine flu on their honeymoon in Mexico, new British cases confirmed Wednesday included a 12-year-old girl in the southwest English town of Torbay. Brown said her school had been closed as a precaution.
He said the other two cases were adults in London and in the English city of Birmingham. All three had visited Mexico, were receiving anti-viral drugs and were responding well to treatment, Brown said.
Media report said the U.K. was seeking up to 32 million extra masks.
In France, President Nicolas Sarkozy met with Cabinet ministers to discuss swine flu and Minister of Health Roselyne Bachelot said France will ask the European Union to suspend flights to Mexico. She said flights from Mexico can continue.
The U.S., the European Union, and other countries have discouraged nonessential travel to Mexico, Cuba has banned flights to and from Mexico and Argentina has suspended flights arriving from Mexico.
New Zealand's number of cases rose to 14, 13 of whom were among a school group that recently returned from Mexico. Officials say the swine flu strain infecting the students is the same as that in Mexico. All were responding well to treatment with antiviral drugs and in voluntary quarantine at home.
New Zealand has 44 other possible cases, with tests under way.
Mexico was taking drastic measures to fight the outbreak. It has closed all archaeological sites and allowed restaurants in the capital to only serve take-out food in an aggressive bid to stop gatherings where the virus can spread. Schools remained closed until at least May 6.
A regional beach soccer championship in Mexico was postponed and all Mexican first-division soccer games this weekend will be played behind closed doors.
Cruise lines were avoiding Mexican ports and holiday tour groups are canceling holiday charter flights there.
WHO, however, has not called for travel restrictions or border closures.
Philippine Health Secretary Francisco Duque III appealed to dozens of Filipino legislators to abandon plans to visit Las Vegas to cheer for boxing idol Manny Pacquiao.
"My personal advice to our congressmen is to postpone their trip until the situation becomes clearer and avoid visiting places close to Mexico," he said.
Las Vegas is over 300 miles from the Mexican border.
In Australia, officials were testing more than 100 people with flu symptoms for the virus.
Health Minister Nicola Roxon told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio that the government had granted health authorities wider powers to contain contagious diseases.
Those powers ranged from "using disinfectants on planes or at ports through to the far more extreme ... making sure that people are isolated and perhaps detained if they don't cooperate and are showing symptoms," she said.
No cases of swine flu have been confirmed in Asia, where governments were taking strict precautions with travelers at airports

swine flu kills in America

A 23-month-old child from Texas has become the first person to die of swine flu outside of Mexico.
At least five other people across the United States were also taken to hospital on Wednesday after falling ill from the virus.
"We're going to find more severe cases and I expect that we'll continue to see additional deaths," Dr Richard Besser, the acting head of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told NBC's Today show.
Reports of the death came hours after Germany's national disease centre said three people there had the flu strain and Austria confirmed its first case of the virus.
The flu strain has also been confirmed in Canada, New Zealand, Israel, Britain and Spain.
Fears of a pandemic have led to flight cancellations, tourism industry losses and bans on pork imports around the world.
"On top of a synchronised global financial and economic crisis, an outbreak of swine fever is the last thing we need just now," Neil MacKinnon, a chief economist at London-based ECU Group, said.
Mexico City has estimated the outbreak is costing companies in the Mexican capital at least $57m a day and contributing to a 36 per cent loss in tourism revenue.
'Economic crisis'
Its finance ministry has established a $450m fund to fight the virus, after health authorities said up to 159 people may have died from the new strain of H1N1 virus.
Barack Obama, the US president, has asked Congress for $1.5bn to respond to swine flu, over fears that the virus could further affect the global financial crisis.
The US centre for disease control and prevention on Tuesday raised the number of cases in the US to 64. One other case was reported in the US state of Indiana.
Several international companies have prevented or limited their employees travelling to their operations in Mexico, including Honda, Xerox, Dupont and Adidas.
Ten countries have banned pork imports from some US states, including China - the second biggest buyer of US pork, despite assurances that the contagious disease cannot be transmitted in meat.
Dave Warner, from the US pork producers' council, said: "I think the economics right now is being driven by fear of what could happen, rather that what really is happening."
Epidemic threat

The Mexican cabinet said it will suspend all flights from Mexico City to prevent the threat of the epidemic.

Cuba has banned all flights to its neighbour and Argentina announced Tuesday a five-day ban on flights arriving from Mexico.
Royal Caribbean Cruises suspended stops at Mexican ports indefinitely and Norwegian Cruise Line said its schedules will not include any other ports in Mexico until the end of September 2009.
Health ministers from the Gulf countries are to hold an emergency meeting on Saturday to discuss the threat of a swine flu pandemic to the region.
The World Health Organization (WHO) was set to hold a "scientific review" of the outbreak to collect what was known about how the disease spreads, how it affects human health and how it can be treated.
Jose Cordova, Mexico's health minister, said that 2,498 suspected cases of swine flu had been reported in the country.
Franc Contreras, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Mexico City, said: "People are feeling confusion because of different flu figures coming from the federal government on the one hand, and the city government on the other.
"And if you listen to government figures, they say the number of cases are begining to level off.
"But health officials across Mexico will tell you they're swamped and that their own teams have begun to get sick now."
Paul Garwood, a WHO spokesman in Geneva, told Al Jazeera that while there was no vaccine for the new virus, it could be treated with drugs.
"It's new, it's causing severe illnesses in Mexico and people should be aware of this.
"At the same time we know that this illness can be treated with drugs that are on the market and that symptons are mild and they are recovering."

flu pandemic'

The evolution of the swine flu virus into a pandemic is not inevitable but countries should prepare for the worst, the World Health Organisation has said.
Mexico remains the epicentre of the crisis, with 26 confirmed deaths.
At least 123 more were suspected to have died and around 2,000 suspected to have fallen ill from the flu, health authorities said.
"Countries should take the opportunity to prepare for a pandemic," Keiji Fukuda, acting assistant director-general of the Geneva-based WHO, said on Tuesday.
The news comes as the WHO also said that some students in New York among those infected with swine flu had not travelled to Mexico and must have contracted the disease from classmates.
The development suggests the disease is now being passed among people who had never left the US.
In other US developments on Tuesday Barack Obama, the US president, has asked congress for $1.5bn to fight the outbreak to build drug stockpiles and monitor future cases.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, governor of the US state of California where at least 13 cases have been confirmed, has declared a state of emergency to tackle the crisis.
And in Cuba authorities have barred flights to and from Mexico for 48 hours in a bid to prevent the spread of swine flu to the country.

Confirmed deaths

The WHO says 26 deaths in Mexico have been confirmed to be from the disease.

Mexican authorities have put the nation's capital on high alert, ordered restaurants to serve only takeaway food and closed schools until May.
In addition, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday raised the number of cases in the US to 64, saying the new count includes a number of "hospitalisations".
One other case was reported in the US state of Indiana.
Others have been confirmed in Canada, Israel, the UK, New Zealand and Spain, while there are also suspected cases in South Korea, Brazil, Guatemala, Peru and Australia.
Authorities and health experts say it is still not clear why deaths have only occurred in Mexico.

Travel concerns

The WHO said on Tuesday that it was not recommending travel restrictions or border closures to fight the spread of swine flu, despite more nations confirming cases of the virus.
The US government has already declared a public health emergency and is advising against non-essential travel to Mexico where the outbreak started.
Gregory Hartl, a WHO spokesman, said in Geneva on Tuesday: "Border controls don't work. Screening doesn't work."
He said infected people may not show symptoms at the airport or when they reach a border crossing.

'Ineffective' measures

Travel limitations such as those imposed during the Sars (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak in 2003, which killed nearly 800 people, Hartl said, were therefore ineffective.

"Certainly if you feel that you are ill, you should not travel, in any case, to anywhere," he said.
However, Androulla Vassiliou, the European Union's health chief, said on Tuesday: "I don't see any point of restricting travelling."
She had said on Monday she was personally in favour of avoiding non-essential travel to affected areas.
The WHO also confirmed on Tuesday that transmission of the virus was human-to-human and not from animal or other contact.
"There is no danger form eating pork," Hartl said. "If you cook pork well, if you cook all meat well, it kills all virus."
The WHO's emergency committee decided not to meet later on Tuesday to review the pandemic alert level, which was raised on Monday evening to level four from three, on a one-to-six scale.
"If the virus is an efficient virus, if it spreads easily from human to human, it will probably continue to spread," Hartl, the WHO spokesman, said.
"We are still at phase four because we do not have incontrovertible evidence this is an efficient spreader."
Trying to allay fears of a pandemic on Monday, Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, said: "We don't know yet which way it will go, but we are concerned that in Mexico most of those who died were young and healthy adults."

High fatality rates

Most of the swine flu fatalities were aged between 20 and 50. A hallmark of past pandemics has been the high rate of fatalities among young adults.
Richard Fielding, a clinical psychologist in public health at the University of Hong Kong, told Al Jazeera: "Concern is warranted at this stage but panic is not.
"The media have a role. One sees it [swine flu] described as a 'deadly influenza epidemic'. I think balanced reporting is important."
Worldwide, seasonal flu kills between 250,000 and 500,000 people in an average year. The new strain is worrying as it spreads rapidly between humans and there is no vaccine for it.

40 Swine Flu Cases Now Reported in U.S.

The number of confirmed cases of swine flu in the United States has doubled to 40, with all the new cases coming from a New York City high school that had previously reported eight cases of the infectious disease, U.S. health officials said Monday.
The officials also said they were tightening their travel advisory to Mexico — believed to be the source of the outbreak that continues to reach around the world — recommending that all nonessential travel to that country be avoided.
“This situation is evolving very quickly, it is changing quickly,” Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said during an afternoon teleconference. “We are officially reporting 40 confirmed cases in the United States. The only change from yesterday is 20 confirmed cases in New York City. These are associated with the same school outbreak and really represent additional testing in that group and not an ongoing spread.”
All 40 U.S. patients — 28 in New York, seven in California, two in Texas, two in Kansas and one in Ohio — have either recovered or had mild infections, Besser said.
“Later today, we will be releasing a new travel advisory for Mexico,” he added. “This is out of an abundance of caution, and we will be recommending that nonessential travel to Mexico be avoided.”
Mexico is reporting as many as 1,900 possible swine flu infections and as many as 149 deaths.
Earlier Monday, President Barack Obama said the threat posed by the swine flu outbreak was a cause for concern but “not a cause for alarm.”
“The Department of Health and Human Services has declared a public health emergency as a precautionary tool to ensure that we have the resources we need at our disposal to respond quickly and effectively,” Obama told a gathering of scientists at the National Academy of Sciences, amid increasing worries worldwide about a possible pandemic, the Associated Press reported.
Besser said that he “expects that we will see [swine flu] cases in other parts of the country, and I would fully expect that we will see a broader range in terms of the severity of infection. Thankfully, so far we have not seen severe disease in this country as has been reported in Mexico.
Besser said the United States will step up checks of people entering the country by air, land and sea, looking for signs of infection, and the CDC will begin distributing “yellow cards at ports of entry.”
“These will provide information on swine flu, so that people coming into the United States will have information about this outbreak — what to do if they become sick, what things they can do to prevent the likelihood that they will become sick,” he said.
He also said U.S. officials were questioning border visitors about their health, looking for signs of possible infection.
The fast-unfolding events in the United States — where all 40 cases have been relatively mild and there have been no deaths — came in response to some 1,900 swine flu infections and as many as 149 deaths in neighboring Mexico.
Officials in other nations around the globe responded to the threat of a possible pandemic. China, Taiwan and Russia considered quarantines, and several Asian countries scrutinized visitors arriving at their airports, the AP reported.
The European Union on Monday advised against nonessential travel to the United States and Mexico. Early Monday, Spain confirmed that a man hospitalized in the eastern part of the country had tested positive for swine flu, in what’s believed to be Europe’s first case of the disease. Health authorities were also testing 17 other possible cases in Spain, a major travel link between Mexico and Europe, The New York Times reported.
Responding Monday to the EU’s travel advisory, the CDC’s Besser said, “Based on the situation in the United States right now, I think it is premature to put travel restrictions on people coming to the United States. As the situation changes, that needs to be evaluated by different countries.”
On Sunday, U.S. health officials declared a public health emergency in response to the swine flu outbreak.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said the declaration was a precautionary measure and did not mean that the threat posed by the outbreak was worsening. But, the move allows federal and state governments easier access to flu tests and medications, she said.
Napolitano said the federal government had 50 million doses of the antiviral flu medication Tamiflu, and a quarter of those doses were being released to states, if needed, “particularly prioritizing the states where we already have confirmed incidence of the flu.”
Napolitano also said Sunday that the Department of Homeland Security had started “passive surveillance protocols to screen people coming into the country.”
“All persons entering the United States from a location of human infection of swine flu will be processed by appropriate CDC protocols,” she said. “Right now, these are passive. They are looking for people and asking about: ‘Are you sick? Have you been sick?’ and the like. And if so, they can be referred over for further examination. Travelers who do present with symptoms will be isolated.”
Speaking at a Sunday press conference, Dr. Anne Schuchat, the CDC’s Interim Deputy Director for Science and Public Health Program, said that U.S. health officials had numerous tools to fight the illness’ spread and protect the health of Americans. The swine flu viruses found in the United States are resistant to two antiviral medications — amantadine and rimantadine — but are susceptible to the antivirals oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza), Schuchat said.
Schuchat said steps were already being taken to devise a vaccine against this strain of swine flu, although the process takes time. “We are taking the initial steps in terms of preparing the seed virus to hand off to the industry partners, to produce large quantities. But you know it takes months to produce a vaccine,” she said.
Besser said there are steps people can take to help prevent catching and spreading the flu, including frequent hand-washing. “If you are sick, it is very important that people stay at home. If your children are sick, have a fever and flu-like illness, they shouldn’t go to school. And if you are ill, you shouldn’t get on an airplane or another public transport. Those things are part of personal responsibility in trying to reduce the impact,” he said.
Meanwhile, in Mexico, authorities continued to take dramatic steps — including suspending school and public gatherings — to try to contain the outbreak that officials say has killed as many as 149 people, and sickened more than 1,900 others in that country.
Some of the U.S. cases involved people who had recently returned from trips to Mexico, Schuchat said Sunday. The two cases reported in Kansas involved a husband and wife who had recently been to that country, she said. And The New York Times reported that some of the students at St. Francis Preparatory School, in Queens, had recently come back from Mexico as well.
Also on Sunday, Canadian officials confirmed four “very mild” cases of swine flu at a school in Nova Scotia, and two other cases in British Columbia. According to the AP, a provincial health official said that the infection that sickened the students in Nova Scotia “was acquired in Mexico, brought home and spread.”
Swine flu is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza. Swine flu does not normally infect humans. However, human infections do occur, usually after exposure to pigs. Symptoms resemble those of the regular flu, including sore throat, coughing and fever.

14 Ways to Avoid Colds and Flu

Are you avoiding your co-worker with that hacking cough, cold, or flu in the cubicle next to you? Do you draw your hand back from every doorknob? Have cold-and-flu phobia? Get a grip before the grippe gets you. We’ve consulted dozens of medical experts to bring you 14 ways to avoid colds and flu this season.
Every time you shake someone’s hand, wash yours
But don’t stop there. Wash them as much as possible, says Mark Mengel, MD, chair of community and family medicine at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. Running lots of water over your hands will dilute any germs and send them down the drain.
Keep your hands off
Touching your nose and your eyes may hurt you, Mengel says. Those are the most common places for germs to get in.
Go to bed
As if getting enough sleep on a normal basis isn’t hard enough, you need more z’s when you’re feeling under the weather. When you’re tired, your body isn’t fighting as hard, so Mengel suggests getting 8 to 10 hours a night.
Get your shot
Last year’s flu-shot shortages are, well, last year’s shortages, says Jeff Robertson, MD, and chief medical officer for health insurer Regence. Finding flu shots should be easier this year, but you should get one early.
Build up with healthy food
You may think it’s hard to eat healthily on a regular basis, but eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables supports your immune system, Robertson says. And that’s a lot easier than fighting off the flu.
Work outGet
those sweats on and exercise, says Ann G. Kulze, MD, CEO and founder of Dr. Ann and Just Wellness. Working out regularly enhances immune function, she explains.
Stay away
Keep your distance from people displaying symptoms like sneezing and coughing. While that strategy may seem obvious, it applies to more than just strangers and colleagues. Stay away
from sick friends and family when possible, Robertson says.
Sanitize yourself
Keep sanitizing gel or alcohol-based hand wipes on you at all times. But read the label before you buy, says Robertson: Some wipes are not alcohol-based and won’t be as effective.
Another reason

to quitSmoking increases the risk of infections by making structural changes in the respiratory tract and decreasing immune response, according to a study of smokers and infection published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in 2004. In particular, Mengel says, smoking destroys cilia, the little hairlike fibers inside our noses; this can help increase infection risks.

Did you just double dip that chip?

Beware of the dip. It may be harboring more than savory salsa. Double-dippers may be passing germs to those who eat after them, Mengel says.

Another reason to shop

Our purses pick up germs like we do, according to Joseph Brasco, MD, author of The Great Physician’s Rx for Colds and Flu, so you could be re-infecting yourself every time you pick up your handbag. His suggestion: Put away your cloth purse during the winter months and carry one made of easier-to-wipe-down vinyl or leather. Of course, you could always just buy more purses.

I hear your mother calling

Biting your nails may be hurting you, Brasco says. Germs get under your nails and nibbling is a fast way to ingest them.

Try to smile

New research has found that happiness may help you. Carl Charnetski, MD, professor of psychology at Wilkes University, found that sex, positive thinking, playing with a pet, and other pleasurable behaviors will boost your immune system.

You want me to sneeze where?

It may sound strange, but when you have to cough and sneeze, do so into the crook of your elbow, not into your hands. Since your hands are a common source of germs, doing that will prevent them from spreading, Kulze says.

Already sick?

Here are four things you can do to get better, according to Jeff Robertson, MD, and chief medical officer for health insurer Regence.

Take some alone time

This is the when you’ll want to shy away from company. Stay home and take care of yourself.

Watch your symptoms

If it goes from simple sniffles to raging sickness, contact your doctor. Your cold may have escalated to the flu.

Drink, drink, drink

Dehydration can easily occur (especially if you are running a fever or vomiting). If you’re unable to keep fluids down, contact your physician.

Now’s not the time to save up

Dispose of all used tissues. As easy as it is to grab whatever is on the nightstand (including crumpled Kleenex), don’t! You may be furthering the cold.

Deadly swine flu hits Mexico

An outbreak of swine flu in Mexico has killed 20 people and sickened more than 1,000 others, the country's health minister has said.
Jose Angel Cordova told a news conference on Friday that the rate of deaths appeared to be slowing and there were no plans to seal the country's borders, although schools, libraries, museums, theatres were closed in a bid to contain the disease.
Meanwhile, US public health officials on Thursday said that eight people had been diagnosed with swine flu in the states of California and Texas.

Tests on Friday by the World Health Organisation (WHO) showed the virus from 12 of the Mexican patients was the same genetically as a new strain of swine flu, designated H1N1, seen in the US patients, AFP reported.
Initial reports from the WHO said that up to 60 people had died in Mexico from the disease, and Cordova said 40 deaths were being "analysed" for the disease.
US officials said the White House was closely following the outbreak in the United States and Barack Obama, the president, has been informed.
The officials said the virus in the United States was a never-before-seen mixture of viruses typical among pigs, birds and humans.
Armando Ahued, Mexico City's health minister, said a massive vaccination campaign was being launched against the illness.
Al Jazeera's Franc Contreras in Mexico City said the authorities had advised people not to go outside unless necessary and that many residents had bought surgical masks in attempt to avoid the disease.

Pandemic fears

The WHO, which has identified swine influenza as a potential source of a human flu pandemic, said it had activated its global epidemic operations centre, which oversees acute public health events in response to the crisis.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said the A/H1N1 influenza identified in at least two of the recent cases by US counterparts could develop into a pandemic-type virus.
Human outbreaks of H1N1 swine influenza virus were recorded in the US in 1976 and 1988, when two deaths were recorded, and also in 1986, while in 1988 a pregnant woman died after contact with sick pigs, the WHO said.
In recent years the global focus for a possible pandemic has shifted to the H5N1 bird flu virus, which has spread from poultry to humans and killed 257 of the 421 people infected by the virus since 2003.

Q&A: What is swine flu?

Several countries, including Mexico and the United States, have reported outbreaks of swine flu, sparking fears of what some disease experts say could become a pandemic.
Here are some facts about swine flu:
What is swine flu?

The World Health organisation says swine influenza, or "swine flu" is a highly contagious acute respiratory disease typically found in pigs. It spreads through tiny particles in the air or by direct contact.
The virus tends to infect large numbers of a given pig population, killing between one and four per cent of those affected, the WHO says. Not every animal infected displays symptoms.

How do humans contract the virus?

Swine flu normally only infects pigs, but the virus can cross the species barrier and infect humans, the WHO says.

People can catch the virus through contact with infected pigs, though there have been limited instances of human-to-human transmission.

What are the symptoms of swine flu in humans?

Symptoms are similar to those of human strains of the seasonal influenza virus, including fever, cough sore throat and body aches.
mptoms can also include severe pneumonia that can result in death, the WHO says.

Where do outbreaks occur?

Swine flu is considered endemic in the United States, though outbreaks in pigs have also been reported elsewhere in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and in parts of eastern Asia.

How high is the risk of a pandemic?

If the virus establishes efficient human-to-human transmission, it can cause a pandemic, the WHO says.
Health officials say the swine flu might develop into a form easily spread among humans by combining with a human flu virus or mutate on its own into a transmissible form.
But Dr Laurence Gerlis, an expert on infectious diseases, told Al Jazeera it is too early to call the outbreak a pandemic.
"If you have got an epidemic that affects several countries in the world then it becomes a pandemic.
"But at the moment it is a problem in Mexico and people who have travelled to Mexico have carried it elsewhere. We have to assess it on an hour-by-hour basis."

Is it safe to eat pork products?

Properly handled and prepared pork products are safe to eat, according to the WHO. The swine flu virus is killed when cooked at temperatures of 160 F/70 C or higher.
Does a vaccine exist?

There are no vaccines to protect humans from the current swine flu virus.
The flu virus evolves quickly, meaning that vaccines are soon obsolete.
Health officials say there is no evidence to suggest that the vaccine prepared for seasonal flu will protect against swine flu.
Are there any other treatments?
The swine flu virus detected in Mexico and the United States appears to respond to treatment with oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza).

What can be done to stop the spread of the disease?

Most of the cases have been detected by chance through seasonal influenza surveillance.
But Dr Gerlis told Al Jazeera that "anyone travelling out of Mexico could be potentially carrying the virus and would have no symptoms at all."
Health officials say maintaining good hygiene, including regular hand-washing and staying a safe distance from those infected, may help in preventing the spread of the virus.

Fears grow as swine flu spreads

Outbreaks of swine flu, suspected to have killed up to 81 people in Mexico, are being reported in other countries amid growing fears of a pandemic.
Canada has joined the US in reporting flu cases while Spain said it had also detected more suspected cases of the influenza.
Canadian health officials confirmed four cases of swine flu in Nova Scotia, on Canada's east coast.
Officials in Spain's northeast Catalonia region said they detected three new suspected cases, bringing to six the number of suspected swine flu cases in the country.

The US declared a public health emergency on Sunday, after confirming 20 cases of swine flu across five states.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the new H1N1 swine flu virus - apparently a mix of human, pig and bird viruses - could become a pandemic.
New Zealand has also reported that 10 students who had travelled to Mexico had tested positive for influenza and were "likely" to have contracted swine flu.
Suspected cases are also being investigated in the Middle East and elsewhere in Asia.

Health emergency

In the US, Richard Besser, the acting head of the Centres for Disease Control (CDC), told a White House press conference that there were eight confirmed cases of swine flu in New York City, seven in California, two in Texas, two in Kansas and one in Ohio.
"As we look for cases of swine flu, we are seeing more cases of swine flu. We expect to see more cases of swine flu," he said.
"We're responding aggressively to try and learn more about this outbreak."
Janet Napolitano, the US homeland security secretary, said that the emergency declaration was "standard operating procedure".
She said the declaration "allows us to use medication and diagnostic tests that we might not otherwise be able to use, particularly on very young children, and it releases funds for the acquisitions of additional anti-virals".
"All persons entering the United States from a location of human infection of swine flu will be processed through all appropriate CDC protocols," she added.
Mexico has already issued an emergency decree, giving the government the powers to isolate sick people, enter homes or workplaces and regulate air, sea and land transportation to try to stop further infection.
'Pandemic potential'

Margaret Chan, the WHO chief, warned on Saturday that the "virus has clearly a pandemic potential".
Later, Keiji Fukuda, acting WHO assistant-general for health, security and the environment, said the virus could mutate into a "more dangerous strain".

But Fukuda said that if there is such an escalation, the world is better prepared now than it has been in the past.
Following the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) in 2003, which killed nearly 800 people, and amid regular reported bird flu cases, countries have stepped up preparations against a pandemic.
This include national strategies to deal with any outbreak, as well as stockpiles of anti-viral drugs.
The WHO itself holds a stockpile of about five million treatment courses of the anti-viral drug Tamiflu, Fukuda told journalists.
Dr John Simon, a consultant in infectious diseases and tropical medicine in Hong Kong, told Al Jazeera that anti-viral drugs could be used to combat the virus.
"It is an H1N1 virus and that is easy to treat with anti-viral drugs - I am not saying it is going to be easily containable, but it should be quite responsive to treatment," he said

Correa 'wins' Ecuador polls

Ecuador's president has coasted to a strong win in national elections, with a lead of more than 20 per cent over his nearest rival, a quick count authorised by electoral authorities indicated.
Rafael Correa declared victory after he got more than half the vote in an eight-candidate field on Sunday, according to three separate exit polls.
That would make him the first president elected without a run-off vote in Ecuador in 30 years.
Correa danced, sang his party anthem and pumped fists with his close political advisers in his home city of Guayaquil.
"We will never defraud the Ecuadorean people," he told cheering supporters. "I think that's why we received such immense support. We've made history in a nation that between 1996 and 2006 never saw a democratic government complete its term."
Lucio Gutierrez, a former president, was in second place in the polls.
The country also held assembly and municipal votes, but with about 6000 seats at stake, the results were not expected on Sunday.
International observers from the European Union and the Organisation of American States reported no serious irregularities in the voting.
Since winning the presidency in November 2006, Correa has won three national votes, including a referendum that ushered in Ecuador's 20th constitution since its founding in 1830.

News Europe

UK cuts economic growth forecast
Alistair Darling, Britain's finance minister, has announced in his budget statement that the country's economy will shrink by 3.5 per cent in 2009, the biggest contraction since the second world war.
Darling also revealed the nation's budget deficit will nearly double this year to $253bn.
The revised Gross Domestic Product (GDP) forecast of -3.5 per cent was a sharp revision from the government's pre-budget prediction in November of a drop of no more than 1.25 per cent.
Darling said a series of further large deficits would boost the national debt to 79 per cent of GDP by 2013-14.
He forecast that the economy would begin to pick up by the end of 2009, with growth of 1.25 per cent next year.
"Because of our underlying strength, the measures we are taking, domestically and internationally, I expect to see growth resume towards the end of the year," Darling said.
He also announced a new top rate for taxation of 50 per cent for people with incomes of more than $217,000 from April next year.
In a bid to revive Britain's depressed motor industry, the minister also announced a scrappage policy which would pay owners of cars over 10-years old up to $2,900 towards the purchase of a new vehicle.

'Staggering' figures

Responding to the budget statement, David Cameron, the leader of the opposition Conservative party, said: "The figures are staggering ... the price will be paid by families and businesses up and down the country."
Cameron said the figures revealed the "utter mess" that Gordon Brown, the British prime minister, had made of the economy.
Darling's speech came on a day of more bad economic news for the UK as the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that unemployment in Britain had risen to 6.7 per cent in the three months ending in February.
This was up from 6.1 per cent in the previous quarter.
The ONS said that the number of people counted as unemployed rose by 177,000 to 2.1 million between December and February.
With regard to wages, the office said annual earnings growth was just 0.1 per cent.
The number of people employed in manufacturing jobs fell to a record low of 2.75 million, while the number of people with full time jobs dropped to 21.74 million.
Official figures also revealed that public borrowing hit a record $130bn in the last financial year, much higher than the $113bn prediction by Darling in November

Thursday, April 23, 2009

News Africa

Early lead for ANC in S Africa vote
South Africa's ruling ANC party has taken the early lead in the country's general election that is expected to make its leader, Jacob Zuma, president.
Preliminary results from 2.8 million ballots, or 15 per cent, counted early on Thursday after Wednesday's elections, showed the African National Congress (ANC) with about 63 per cent of the vote.
The main opposition Democratic Alliance trailed with 20.7 per cent while the new Congress of the People (Cope), formed late last year by an ANC splinter group loyal to Thabo Mbeki, the former president, had 7.6 per cent in the early count.
Official final results are expected on Saturday.

High turnout

The voter turnout was estimated at 80 per cent – the highest since South Africa's first multiracial election 15 years ago.
Queues snaked outside polling stations across the country from before dawn until past dusk on Wednesday.

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) admitted that there was a shortage of ballots for voters in several areas and many centres had to allow people to vote beyond the 9pm (19:00 GMT) cut-off.

"The response is absolutely overwhelming all over the country," Brigalia Bam, the IEC chairwoman, said.

Voter frustrations

Many analysts believe the ANC, whose anti-apartheid credentials make it the choice for millions of black voters, will win the elections.
But many voters are also frustrated about corruption, poverty and crime and that, they believe, might cause the party's majority to drop from the nearly 70 per cent it achieved in 2004, to below the two-thirds mark that gives it the right to change the constitution at will.

Margaret Nkoane, 57, said in Soweto, a Johannesburg township that symbolised the anti-apartheid struggle, said she "voted for the ANC out of loyalty because my father was active in the struggle".
"But I'm not satisfied with what they've done. People expected jobs but they are still living in shacks."
Still, the ANC is expected to capture enough votes for Zuma, 67, to become president.
If he does win, the son of a housekeeper who spent a decade jailed alongside Nelson Mandela, the country's democracy icon and first black president, would take charge as Africa's biggest economy teeters on the brink of its first recession in 17 years.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

News CENTRAL/S. ASIA

UN urges Tamil Tigers to surrender
The UN Security Council has demanded that Tamil separatists holding out against the Sri Lankan military surrender and allow civilians trapped in the war zone to leave.
Wednesday's call by Claude Heller, the council's rotating president, came as rights groups pressed the UN to do more, warning that tens of thousands of civilians remain stuck in "catastrophic" conditions.
Heller said: "We demand that the LTTE [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam] immediately lay down arms, renounce terrorism, allow a UN-assisted evacuation of the remaining civilians in the conflict area, and join the political process."
'Human shields'
Diplomats told reporters after the closed session that the security council "strongly condemned" the Tigers and accused them of using civilians trapped in a small strip of land as human shields.
The security council also expressed its "deep concern" about the worsening humanitarian situation, but so far has not taken any action.
Rights groups are calling for a two-week ceasefire to let civilians out.
Anna Neistat, of Human Rights Watch, said: "We do have numerous civilian casualties, but we are not yet at the stage where a bloodbath is going on full scale. It is a matter of days if not hours."
The Sri Lankan military says it has "rescued" 80,000 Tamils over the past three days. The government ordered the Tigers to surrender on Tuesday, saying the military was about to start its final assault.
Catherine Bragg, the UN deputy humanitarian affairs chief, said the UN had not yet received permission to enter the conflict zone or to monitor the screening of civilians who manage to escape the fighting, a claim disputed by the Sri Lankan government.
The Sri Lankan government was also criticised for not providing full assistance to all civilians fleeing the Tiger-held zone.
'Human sandbags'
David Chater, Al Jazeera's correspondent in the northeastern Trincomalee, said: "[The government] sfay that it is the Tamil Tigers who are holding the Tamil civilians there, using civilians as human sandbags. I've certainly talked to many people and they've told me that is correct.
I think perhaps the Sri Lankan government could be held responsible for some of the injuries if they are being caused by indirect fire - that is shelling, bombing, mortars," he said.
"But they made it very clear to me that they say they are using minimum force, these are their fellow civilians they do not want to harm them, their target is the Tamil Tigers."
Chater said that many of the refugees said that they were bitter about the way the LTTE had treated them.
"There seems to have been a sea change in the opinion of the Tamil civilians about the Tamil Tiger leadership.
"[After] seeing the men that were supposed to be protecting them, fighting for their own homeland, exploiting them, shooting at them when they tried to escape, stealing the humanitarian food supplies.
Chater said that this that has had eroded support for the LTTE which could hamper any guerrilla force operating after the conventional military war is over.
Susan Rice, the US ambassador, suggested that both sides might be guilty of violating international law.
"The fact that both sides have been shooting at civilians as they leave the safe zone is one gross manifestation of the apparent violation of international humanitarian law," she said.
In remarks to the US congress on Wednesday, Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, said "the Sri Lankan government knows that the entire world is very disappointed" at the "untold suffering" being brought by its offensive against the Tigers".
She added that "there seems to be very little openness on the part of the Tamil Tiger leadership to cease their efforts so that we could try to get in and help the people".
Prominent Tigers 'surrender'
China and Russia are among some countries which have opposed the idea of a formal security council discussion of the conflict, which has spanned 26 years, saying it is an internal matter for the Sri Lankans.
The UN estimates that more than 4,500 civilians have been killed in the past three months and the International Committee of the Red Cross says up to 50,000 people remain trapped in the less than 20sq km area still held by the Tigers.
The Sri Lankan military said on Thursday that the group's former media spokesman and an interpreter who both played prominent roles in dealing with the media, had surrendered.
The Tigers have been fighting for an autonomous homeland for ethnic Tamils in the north of the country, arguing that they are marginalised by the majority Sinhalese government.
A Norway-brokered ceasefire fell apart during 2007 and the government said it would "wipe out" the Tigers by the end of 2008.
Thursday, April 23, 2009

The U.S. 7th Fleet.

YOKOSUKA, Japan (April 21, 2009) --USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) Flight Deck Fire Party conducts helicopter crash and salvage training in preparation for upcoming flight deck certification. Blue Ridge is commanded by Capt. Thom W. Burke and serves under Commander, Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 7/Task Force (CTF) 76, the Navy's only forward deployed amphibious force. Blue Ridge is the flagship for Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet. Task Force 76 is headquartered at White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa, Japan, with an operating detachment in Sasebo, Japan.

The U.S.7th Fleet’s

The Asia-Pacific region is of immense and growing importance to the world and U.S. interests. For a century and a half, the U.S. Navy has maintained a presence in the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean to promote peace, regional cooperation and stability.
The 7th Fleet’s Area of Responsibility encompasses more than 48 million square miles -- from the Kuril Islands in the north to the Antarctic in the south, and from the International Date Line to the 68th meridian east, which runs down from the India-Pakistan border. The area includes 39 coastal countries and the world’s five largest foreign armed forces -- People’s Republic of China, Russia, India, North Korea and Republic of Korea. Five of the seven U.S. Mutual Defense Treaties are with countries in the area -- Republic of the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Japan, and Thailand.
Our presence in the region is more important than ever. U.S. naval forces help encourage dialogue, promote growth and ensure the free flow of trade, of which the oceans have increased importance. Ninety percent of the world’s commerce travels by sea; the vast majority of the world’s population lives within a few hundred miles of the oceans; and nearly three quarters of the planet is covered by water. Half of the world’s population lives within the 7th Fleet Area of Responsibility.
The Asia-Pacific region is one of the most dynamic areas of our rapidly-changing world. The fleet has to be flexible and responsive to address a range of activities that are particularly important in the region. It can take more than two weeks for a ship to get from San Diego to the eastern boundary of the Area of Responsibility, and a similar amount of time to the western boundary from Norfolk, Va. The presence of 7th Fleet’s forward-deployed forces facilitates rapid response to natural and manmade crises in the region.
At any given time, there are 60-70 ships, 200-300 aircraft and 40,000 Navy and Marine Corps personnel assigned to the fleet. This includes forces operating from bases in Japan and Guam and rotationally-deployed forces based in the United States. Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet (C7F), is embarked aboard USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19), forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan. The flagship commands and controls the fleet, and fosters military-to-military relationships through scheduled port visits and military exercises.
U.S. 7th Fleet units take part in as many as 100 bilateral and multilateral exercises each year. In addition to these exercises, ships deployed to the 7th Fleet conduct more than 250 port visits every year.
The presence of the U.S. 7th Fleet helps ensure the security and stability of this key region.

U.S. Seventh Fleet

QINGDAO, People's Republic of China (April 21, 2009) - The U.S. 7th Fleet Dixie Land Band plays to hundreds of Chinese during a joint concert that showcased bands from many of nations participating in the 60th anniversary celebration of the founding of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy. The forward-deployed USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) is in Qingdao to participate in the International Fleet Review along with approximately 20 other nations from all around the world.

News Americas

Bush officials blamed over torture Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Senior US officials in the Bush administration were involved in the approval of the use of torture on so-called terror detainees by CIA employees, a US senate report has said.
The use of torture against detainees also led to the brutal mistreatment of terror suspects and prisoners in places such as Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison, the senate armed services committe report said.
"The fact is that senior officials in the US government solicited information on how to use aggressive techniques, redefined the law to create the appearance oftheir legality, and authorised their use against detainees," the report said on Tuesday.
The report also dismissed claims by Bush aides that abuse of detainees in US military facilities in places such as Guantanamo Bay, Iraq and Afghanistan were the "unauthorised acts of a 'few bad apples" as "simply false".
"Authorisations of aggressive interrogation techniques by senior officials resulted in abuse and conveyed the message that physical pressures and degradation were appropriate treatment for detainees in US military custody," Carl Levin, a Democratic senator and head of the committee, said in a statement.
"[The report is] a condemnation of both the Bush administration's interrogation policies and of senior administration officials who attempted to shift the blame for abuse ... to low-ranking soldiers."
The investigation into US treatment of "war on terror" detainees, exerpts of which were published in December, is likely to increase debate over US use of torture.
It also follows the release last week by the administration of Barack Obama, the US president, of several justice department memos dating from the presidency of George Bush, Obama's predecessor, which approved the CIA's use of "waterboarding", which simulates the sensation of drowning, and other methods.

'Possible prosecutions'

The report says the Bush administration began preparing for what came to be known as "enhanced interrogation" techniques just a few months after the September 11, 2001, attacks and before the development of the memos approving such practises.
It also details warnings from experts warning that such methods was likely to yield "less reliable" results than less aggressive methods.
According to a memo obtained by the Associated Press news agency, Dennis Blair, Obama's national intelligence director, said on Tuesday that "high value information'' had been obtained in harsh interrogations approved by the Bush administration.
However, a statement issued later in the day inBlair's name said there was "no way of knowing whether the same information could have been obtained through other means".
Obama banned the use of waterboarding and other methods used under the Bush administration shortly after entering office in January, saying that the US must stick to the army's field manual guidelines on the treatment of detainees.
He also on Tuesday left open the possibility of prosecuting officials over the memos released last week.
Obama reiterated his belief that US intelligence agents and interrogators who took part in waterboarding and other interrogation methods after acting on advice from superiors who defined such practices as legal should not face prosecution.
But Obama said it was up to Eric Holder, the US attorney-general, whether to prosecute Bush-era lawyers who wrote the memos approving the tactics.
Holder said in his confirmation hearings last year that he considered waterboarding to be torture.
Obama also said that he would support a congressional investigation over the issue if it were conducted in a bipartisan manner.
"That would probably be a more sensible approach to take," he said.

Cheney criticism

In another development, Dick Cheney, the former US vice-president under Bush, criticised the decision by the Obama adminstration to release the documents.
Cheney told Fox News that the US had obtained valuable information from using such methods on so-called terror suspects following the September 11 attacks in 2001.
"One of the things that I find a little bit disturbing about this recent disclosure is they put out the legal memos, the memos that the CIA got from the Office of Legal Counsel, but they didn't put out the memos that showed the success of the effort," he told the channel on Monday.
"I know specifically of reports that I read, that I saw, that lay out what we learned through the interrogation process and what the consequences were for the country."

News Middle East

Israel defends army's Gaza conduct

An internal Israeli investigation has concluded that the country's military acted in accordance with international law during the recent war in Gaza.
Reporting its findings on Wednesday, the military rejected allegations of war crimes from human rights groups and some UN officials.
The groups had criticised the Israeli army's conduct during the three-week offensive.
The army "maintained a high professional and moral level while facing an enemy that aimed to terrorise Israeli civilians", the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), as the military in Israel is called, said in a statement.
It said it conducted five separate investigations into some of its actions during the war, including attacks on and near UN and international facilities and the use in densely populated areas of white phosphorous, a chemical agent that causes severe burns.

The enemy booby-trapped its houses with explosives, fired from the schools attended by its own children and used its own people as human shields while cynically abusing the IDF legal and ethical commitment to avoid injuring uninvolved civilians," the Israeli military said.
The military said its investigations "revealed a very small number of incidents in which intelligence or operational errors took place during the fighting".

'Unavoidable' errors

Major-General Dan Harel, the army's deputy chief of staff, said among these incidents was an attack on a residence in the southern Gaza City neighbourhood of Zeitun, in which 21 people were killed.
"These unfortunate incidents were unavoidable and occur in all combat situations," the military said.
But human-rights groups renewed their calls for an independent inquiry.
Al Jazeera's Jacky Rowland, reporting from Jerusalem, said both Israeli and international human rights groups have criticised the internal investigation.
"They said a couple of weeks ago that it was completely inappropriate that an army should be investigating itself," she said.

The other question is how these findings will be received by the Israeli public ... and they as a whole have been lulled into this narrative according to which the Israeli army is the most moral army in the world. "So in a way, this report will be falling on very willing ears - it will be telling the Israeli public a version of events that they want to hear."
Up to 1,300 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed during the 22-day assault on the Gaza Strip.
Thirteen Israelis, 10 of them soldiers, were killed during the same period

High-level talks

The Israeli investigation's findings were published in advance of a planned meeting between Ehud Barak, Israel's defense minister, and Omar Suleiman, Egypt's chief of intelligence, on Wednesday in Tel Aviv.
The meeting will mark the first high-level talks between an Egyptian official and members of the new Israeli government.
Suleiman's meeting with Barak was expected to focus on Egyptian-Israeli policy on the two countries' border with Gaza.
Suleiman was also expected to hold talks with Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, and Shimon Peres, the Israeli president.
Israeli officials have not given any firm indication that Suleiman will meet Avigdor Lieberman, the country's foreign minister.

News Americas Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Profits rise at Bank of America

Bank of America, the US's largest bank, has posted a significant profit in the first financial quarter of 2009, in a boost to the US's ailing financial markets.
The bank said on Monday it earned $4.2bn in the first three months of 2009, compared to a $1.02bn profit in the same period a year ago.
Earnings were boosted by profits from the company's acquisition of investment firm Merrill Lynch and Countrywide mortgage company, it said.
But the bank said it had also set aside $13.4bn to cover its losses, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average index slumped 289.44 points (3.56 per cent) to 7,841.89 at the end of Monday's trading as fears over US banks grew.
The news comes as business software giant Oracle said on Monday it would buy technology firm Sun Microsystems for $7.4bn.

Executive pressure

Business analysts say Bank of America's better than expected results could take some pressure off Ken Lewis, the firm's chief executive, who has faced calls from some shareholders to either give up his job as chairman or be removed.
Lewis was criticised this year over the purchase of investment banking firm Merrill Lynch, which closed on January 1, after shareholders approved the deal only to learn later it had suffered huge losses that prompted a government bailout.
"We understand that we continue to face extremely difficult challenges," he said in a statement after the release of the results.
Bank of America's improved profit is the latest in a string of bank earnings that have beaten expectations, including JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup.
The firm received $45bn in government funds as part of the US treasury department's $700bn financial bailout package last year.

Job concerns

Oracle's bid to buy Sun Microsystems, which comes after Sun reportedly rejected a takeover bid from computer giant IBM, will boost Oracle, the number two software firm, by giving it Sun's popular Java programming language and Solaris operating software for computer servers.
Sun's board of directors have unanimously approved the deal which is expected to close this year depending on approval from the company's stockholders and US federal regulators.
Oracle did not say whether the acquisition would lead to job losses - the firm currently employs about 86,000 people worldwide while Sun has about 33,000 employees.

News Americas Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Obama to invite Middle East leaders
The leaders of Israel, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority will visit the White House in the near future, according to a US official.
Binyamin Netanyahu, Hosni Mubarak and Mahmoud Abbas will visit Washington before Barack Obama, the US president, leaves to visit Normandy, France, in June.
The announcement by Robert Gibbs, the White House press spokesman, on Tuesday in Washington came after a meeting between Obama and Jordan's King Abdullah II.
This was the first visit to the White House by an Arab leader since Obama took office in January.
Gibbs said Obama has "invited other key partners in the effort to achieve a comprehensive peace in the Middle East to the White House in the coming weeks".
He said the White House is actively working to finalise dates for the visits.
"With each of them the president will discuss ways the US can strengthen and deepen our partnerships with them, as well as the steps all parties must take to achieve peace between Israel and the Palestinians and Israel and the Arab states," Gibbs said.

'Step back from abyss'

Obama reassured Abdullah of his commitment to a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict, even as he urged Israel and the Palestinians to "step back from the abyss".
"I am a strong supporter of a two-state solution. I have articulated that publicly, and I will articulate that privately," Obama said.

"And I think that there are a lot of Israelis who also believe in a two-state solution."
Obama's Middle East diplomacy has been complicated by the emergence of a coalition comprising ultranationalists led by Netanyahu, who since coming to power last month has avoided recognising the Palestinians' right to an independent state.
Obama took care not to confront Netanyahu head-on but made clear his administration hoped to coax him into accepting the principle of a two-state solution, which has been the basis of US policy for years.
"I agree that we can't talk forever, that at some point steps have to be taken so that people can see progress on the ground," he said. "And that will be something that we will expect to take place in the coming months."

Stalled road map

In recent weeks, Obama has made it clear to Israel that he believes the path to peace lies in already agreed frameworks made in the stalled road map plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace and the Annapolis agreement.
In an address to Turkey's parliament last month, Obama said "the United States strongly supports the goal of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security".Obama met both Netanyahu, who was then in opposition, and Abdullah during a visit to their two countries last year while he was still a senator.
Abdullah and Obama reportedly appeared to get along well, with Abdullah taking the unusual step of personally driving Obama to the Amman airport.

for your health;5 Simple Things That Could Cut Your Breast Cancer Risk

1. Limit yourself to zero alcoholic drinks a week
Alcohol, consumed even in small amounts, is believed to increase the risk of breast cancer. Most doctors recommend cutting back on wine, beer, and hard liquor.
A recent study showed the link between drinking and breast cancer was especially strong in the 70% of tumors known as hormone-sensitive.
By Lorie Parch

2. Exercise at least three times a week (more often is even better)
And when you do exercise, work to keep your heart rate above its baseline level for a minimum of 20 continuous minutes. Long walks are nice too, but it's the more vigorous exercise (expect to sweat!) that really helps your heart and

3.Maintain your body weight.or lose weight if you're overweight
Research shows that being overweight or obese (especially if you're past menopause) increases your risk, especially if you put on the weight as an adult. And a study released in March 2008 by researchers at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston showed that obese and overweight women also had lower breast cancer survival rates and a greater chance of more aggressive disease than average-weight or underweight women.

4. Do a monthly breast self-exam
Be sure to get proper instruction from your doctor and have your technique reviewed regularly. You might catch a lump before a mammogram does, and it's a good idea to follow changes in your body.

5. Have a mammogram once a year after 40
Catching a tumor early boosts the chance of survival significantly: The five-year survival rate can be as high as 98% for the earliest stage localized disease, but hovers around 27% for distant-stage, or metastatic, disease.

HAELTH/Dense Breasts Complicate Testing and Treatment

For years, researchers have known that breast density is almost as important as age in predicting who will develop breast cancer.
But now they’re discovering how the density of a woman’s breast tissue can also predict how she will respond to cancer treatment and whether her cancer will recur.
The denser a woman’s breasts, the less fat they have, explained Diana Buist, an epidemiologist at Group Health Center for Health Studies in Seattle. “If you have a dense breast, it’s harder to see breast tumors on a mammogram.”
Women with dense breasts are more likely to have abnormal mammograms, Buist added. “Density on a mammogram is white, cancer on a mammogram is white,” she said, so that makes it more difficult to detect signs of cancer and can prompt reports of possible abnormalities.
About 10 percent to 15 percent of women have low-density breasts, another 10 percent to 15 percent have very dense breasts, and the rest have breasts with a density somewhere in the middle, said Dr. Karla Kerlikowske, a professor of medicine, epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco.
But the average woman may not have a clue whether her breasts are dense, she added.
For one thing, Kerlikowske said, it’s not as easy to measure density as it is to measure cholesterol, for instance. “In the last 10 years, a lot of researchers have focused on how to measure it better, and what does it mean to have that density,” she said.
Kerlikowske was part of a research team that discovered that high breast density predicts local, but not distant, recurrence of cancer after a lumpectomy and radiation for invasive breast cancer. The finding was published in the January issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics.
Another group of researchers found that changes in breast density during treatment with tamoxifen, a drug used to lower breast cancer risk, help predict how well the drug is working. Their research was presented in December at a breast cancer symposium in San Antonio, Texas.
Just how much high-density boosts breast cancer risk, though, is something that experts can only roughly estimate, Kerlikowske said. She said that women with very high-density breasts have about a fourfold increase in risk compared with women who have very low-density breasts.
And though density often decreases with age, especially after menopause, it remains a risk factor — and one women can’t do much about, Kerlikowske said.
Some experts have suggested that women with high-density breasts might consider a more frequent surveillance schedule. But she said there’s not sufficient evidence to suggest, at least yet, that that would be a good idea. “We are trying to study that now,” she said.
Women with dense breasts who are younger than 50 and premenopausal, though, might benefit from having digital rather than traditional mammograms, Kerlikowske said. “We are looking at different ways to measure breast density other than mammograms,” she said, because “you can’t keep having [frequent] mammograms,” for safety reasons.
Buist said that older women who don’t want to increase the density of their breasts could opt not to take combined hormone therapy, noting that “most women get an increase in density with that.”
But beyond that, the two agreed, there’s little additional advice doctors can offer women with dense breasts at this time.

HEALTH;Basic Dental Care

Overview
Is this topic for you?

This topic provides information on basic dental care. If you are looking for information on tooth decay or cavities, see the topic Tooth Decay. If you are looking for information on gum disease (periodontal disease), see the topic Gum Disease.
What is basic This topic provides information on basic dental care. If you are looking for information on tooth decay or cavities, see the topic Tooth Decay. If you are looking for information on gum disease (periodontal disease), see the topic Gum Disease.
What is basic dental care?
Basic dental care involves brushing and flossing your teeth regularly, seeing your dentist and/or dental hygienist for regular checkups and cleanings, and eating a mouth-healthy diet, which means foods high in whole grains, vegetables and fruits, and dairy products.
Why is basic dental care important?
Practicing basic dental care:
-Prevents tooth decay.
-Prevents gum (periodontal) disease , which can damage gum tissue and the bones that support teeth , and in the long term can lead to the loss of teeth.
-Shortens time with the dentist and dental hygienist, and makes the trip more pleasant.
-Saves money. By preventing tooth decay and gum disease, you can reduce the need for fillings and other costly procedures.
-Helps prevent bad breath. Brushing and flossing rid your mouth of the bacteria that cause bad breath.
-Helps keep teeth white by preventing staining from food, drinks, and tobacco.
-Improves overall health.
-Makes it possible for your teeth to last a lifetime.
Are there ways to avoid dental problems?
Keeping your teeth and gums healthy requires good nutrition and regular brushing and flossing.
-Brush your teeth twice a day—in the morning and before bed—and floss once a day. This removes plaque, which can lead to damaged teeth, gums, and surrounding bone.
-Use a toothpaste that contains fluoride, which helps prevent tooth decay and cavities. Ask your dentist if you need a mouthwash that contains fluoride or one with ingredients that fight plaque. Look for toothpastes that have been approved by the American Dental Association.
-Avoid foods that contain a lot of sugar. Sugar helps plaque grow.
-Avoid using tobacco products, which can cause gum disease and oral cancer. Exposure to tobacco smoke (secondhand smoke) also may cause gum disease, as well as other health problems.
-Practice tongue cleaning. You can use a tongue cleaner or a soft-bristle toothbrush, stroking in a back-to-front direction. Tongue cleaning is particularly important for people who smoke or whose tongues are coated or deeply grooved.
-Schedule regular trips to the dentist based on how often you need exams and cleaning.
When should my child start seeing a dentist?
By the time your child is 6 months of age, your doctor should assess the likelihood of your child having future dental problems. If he or she thinks your child will have dental problems, be sure your child sees a dentist before his or her first birthday or 6 months after the first primary teeth appear , whichever comes first. After your first visit, schedule regular visits every 6 months or as your dentist recommends.
Experts recommend that your child's dental care start at 12 months of age. If your baby has dental problems caused by injury, disease, or a developmental problem, see your pediatric dentist right away.

How to Beat Allergies and More on Your Next Run

Running is no fun when you’re plagued by these common health complaints. Talk to your doctor about the best treatment options (and to get the all clear to exercise), then try these do-it-yourself strategies.

Allergies

Run between 5 and 9 a.m., when allergens are at their lowest, and choose the route with the fewest trees. Slowing your pace and breathing in through just your nose can help, too. Post-run, shower and wash your hair. If this move doesn’t help, hit the treadmill on high-pollen days. Check pollen counts in your area.
Asthma

Add an extended warm-up: Walk slowly for 10 minutes, then gradually increase your speed. Breathe in through your nose, not your mouth. If you’re new to running, start slowly, mixing walking with running at a moderate pace (one that allows you to hold a conversation). Also, relax your shoulders and arms as you run—you’ll open your lungs and breathe more easily.

Tummy troubles

You can thank the up-and-down motion and the fact that blood is being diverted away from digestion to your heart and muscles. The remedy: Don’t eat foods high in fat or fiber several hours before running, and give yourself two to four hours to digest a meal before you head out. Running at a different time of day may also help.

HEALTH ;Can't Stop Coughing? 8 Causes of Chronic Cough

You've been coughing for weeks. How do you know if it's just a hard-to-shake cold or something more serious? A chronic cough, defined as lasting more than eight weeks, is not uncommon. Up to 40% of nonsmokers in the United States and Europe have reported a chronic cough at some point, and coughing is one of the five most common reasons for a doctor's visit.Only a doctor can tell for sure what's behind your endless hacking. However, in a 2006 study of women with an average age of 48 who had a cough lasting for six months, 39% were found to have asthma, 9% had chronic upper airway cough syndrome (commonly known as postnasal drip), and 9% had gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).In addition, another 11% had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a serious, progressive disease that includes both emphysema and bronchitis. While not all people who develop COPD are smokers, people who smoke are at higher risk. Overall, 24 million Americans—about 1 in 12 people—have COPD, although half don't know they have the disease.Read more about COPD and some common (and relatively uncommon) culprits in chronic cough.

Asthma and allergies


Asthma is a chronic lung disease in which the airways in the lungs are prone to inflammation and swelling. Along with chest tightness, shortness of breath, and wheezing, coughing is a characteristic symptom of asthma, one which tends to intensify at night or in the early morning. When the symptoms of asthma flare up suddenly, it’s known as an asthma attack.Although it can begin at any age, asthma usually develops in childhood. Asthma triggers are different for everyone, and they can include exercise, colds, cigarette smoke and other airborne irritants, and certain foods. Asthmatics usually also have allergies.Even in people without asthma, inhaling pollen, dust, pet dander, and other airborne irritants can trigger allergic rhinitis, an allergic reaction that can cause coughing, along with symptoms such as stuffy nose and sneezing.You may be able to determine whether your cough is caused by allergies by keeping track of whether it comes and goes in certain situations. If your coughing magically stops when you step into an air-conditioned room on a dry, pollen-heavy day, or if gets worse every time you pet Mittens, you probably have allergies. If you’re not sure what’s triggering your allergic cough, your doctor can give you a skin test or blood test to pinpoint the allergy.


Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease


One condition that can cause a nagging cough is COPD, a lung condition that includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema.COPD occurs when the airways and air sacs in the lungs become inflamed or damaged, most often due to smoking, and is more common after age 45. In COPD, the lungs produce excess mucus, which the body reflexively tries to clear by coughing. COPD-related tissue damage can also make it particularly difficult to expel air from the lungs, which can make you feel short of breath.Your doctor may check you for COPD (particularly if you have risk factors, such as smoking), after ruling out other common causes of cough. To determine if you have COPD, your doctor is likely to conduct some tests, including spirometry, which involves inhaling as deeply as you can and then exhaling into a tube.


Gastroesophageal reflux disease


GERD is an ailment of the stomach and esophagus that occurs when stomach acid backs up into the esophagus due to a weak valve. The main symptoms? Killer heartburn. But coughing is another common symptom of GERD, along with chest pain and wheezing. In fact, GERD is a fairly common, and unrecognized, cause of a chronic cough.


Respiratory tract infection


Coughing is one of the most common symptoms of colds and flu and other respiratory tract infections. The other symptoms that accompany colds and flu, such as stuffy nose and a fever, are telltale signs that a viral infection is causing your cough.However, a cough can outlast all those other symptoms, perhaps because the air passages in your lungs remain sensitive and inflamed.When this occurs, it's called chronic upper airway cough syndrome (or postnasal drip).A more serious respiratory tract infection is pneumonia, which can be caused by bacteria or viruses. A cough, often producing a greenish or rust-colored mucus, is one of the characteristic symptoms of the illness, along with fever, chills, chest pain, weakness, fatigue, and nausea. These symptoms may present differently depending on your age; older adults may not experience a fever, for instance, or they may have a cough but no mucus.Pneumonia is treated with antibiotics and generally clears up within two or three weeks. As with the cold and flu, however, the cough can linger for much longer.A form of pneumonia known as mycoplasma, or walking pneumonia, shares the symptoms of pneumonia (including cough) and is more common in people under the age of 40.People who have COPD can be more susceptible to such respiratory tract infections, and may experience exacerbations—episodes of potentially life-threatening shortness of breath—when they catch a cold or breath in air pollution or other irritants.


Air pollution


Various pollutants and irritants in the air can cause a persistent cough. Even short-term exposure to fumes (such as diesel exhaust) can result in cough, phlegm, and lung irritation, for instance. Fumes can also exacerbate the symptoms of allergies or asthma.Similarly, mold spores found in and around homes can cause wheezing and coughing when inhaled. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans reported a sudden spike in persistent cough complaints among returning residents. This so-called Katrina cough was believed to stem from the mold caused by the flooding, as well as by dry weather and the construction dust that was then ubiquitous in the city.


Acute bronchitis


If you’re on the verge of recovering from a cold and suddenly develop a hacking, mucus-y cough, you probably have acute bronchitis, a condition in which the passageways in your lungs become infected and inflamed.In addition to coughing and chest congestion, bronchitis can produce fever, chills, aches, sore throat, and other flu-like symptoms. These symptoms usually disappear within a few days, but the cough can persist for weeks.If your cough doesn’t go away, or if you develop acute bronchitis frequently, it may be a sign of a more serious condition. Acute bronchitis—acute means short-term—is different from chronic bronchitis. Chronic bronchitis is a condition in which the lungs produce excess mucus due to ongoing irritation, and is considered a form of COPD.


ACE inhibitors


ACE inhibitors are a type of medication used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure. (Check out this list of common brand-name and generic drugs that are ACE inhibitors.) About 42 million prescriptions for ACE inhibitors are written each year, and about 1 in 5 people who take the drugs develop a dry cough. In some people, the cough can persist for weeks after they stop taking the medication; women, African Americans, and Asians may be at greater risk of developing an ACE inhibitor cough than other people.You should never stop taking a prescribed medication without consulting with your doctor, and ACE inhibitors are important medications for lowering blood pressure (a more serious condition than a cough.) Consult your doctor if you think your cough is related to a medication.


Pertussis


Also known as whooping cough, pertussis is a bacterial disease with symptoms that include a slight fever, a runny nose, and, most notably, a violent cough that can make breathing difficult. Attempting to inhale air into the lungs between coughs can produce a distinctive, high-pitched whooping sound. After the initial stage, many people do not have a fever, but the chronic cough that accompanies pertussis can last for many weeks.Most infants receive a pertussis vaccine, but its effectiveness subsides after about 10 years. Inadequate vaccination for pertussis (which is the “P” in the DPT shot) is one reason why the bacteria are making a comeback. Once a very rare cause of chronic cough, the number of pertussis cases in the United States has risen alarmingly in recent years, especially among adolescents and adults. However, pertussis is still a relatively uncommon cause of chronic cough.