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 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
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
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