Total Confirmed Deaths from Swine Flu in Question
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Related subjects: Americas, Diplomacy & Politics, Health Science, Healthcare Policy, Travel, U.S. news Comments Off
The World Health Organization has questioned the global tally for confirmed deaths from the H1N1 “swine flu” outbreak, saying only 7 deaths from the virus have been confirmed, not the 149 to 159 previously reported. All 7 deaths took place in Mexico. The WHO, which yesterday raised its pandemic alert level to Phase 5 for the outbreak, says it has confirmed only 40 cases in the Americas, 26 in Mexico, resulting in 7 deaths.
Only 79 cases around the world had been positively identified as infection from the H1N1 flu virus, according to a spokesperson for the UN agency. But the WHO reported also that the majority of cases reported so far were “probable” cases of H1N1 infection. Mexico Tuesday revised down its total confirmed deaths, from 20 to 7, but raised the total number of “probable” deaths to 159.
As of today, Thursday, 30 April 2009, the WHO website’s daily update for the international outbreak of Influenza A (H1N1) reports:
The situation continues to evolve rapidly. As of 17:00 GMT, 30 April 2009, 11 countries have officially reported 257 cases of influenza A (H1N1) infection.
The United States Government has reported 109 laboratory confirmed human cases, including one death. Mexico has reported 97 confirmed human cases of infection, including seven deaths.
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The following countries have reported laboratory confirmed cases with no deaths – Austria (1), Canada (19), Germany (3), Israel (2), Netherlands (1), New Zealand (3), Spain (13), Switzerland (1) and the United Kingdom (8).
Further information on the situation will be available on the WHO website on a regular basis.
WHO advises no restriction of regular travel or closure of borders. It is considered prudent for people who are ill to delay international travel and for people developing symptoms following international travel to seek medical attention, in line with guidance from national authorities.
There is also no risk of infection from this virus from consumption of well-cooked pork and pork products. Individuals are advised to wash hands thoroughly with soap and water on a regular basis and should seek medical attention if they develop any symptoms of influenza-like illness.
It is possible the earlier figures are accurate, but the WHO stressed it seeks to work from confirmed evidence and to not speculate before it has verified information. The Phase 5 alert status warns governments to take precautionary public health actions designed to prevent the spread of what could become a global pandemic, but the agency’s findings at present do not show a full-blown pandemic as yet.
The United States’ federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in their most recent daily update, this morning, that they had confirmed 109 cases of H1N1 human infection across 11 states. 50 cases have been confirmed in New York, and only one case has resulted in death, in a small child in Texas; the child was reported to have an underlying condition that may have diminished normal immune response.
There is a need in news reporting and in the comments made by public officials to distinguish clearly between the number of suspected or “probable” cases and the number of scientifically verified and “confirmed” cases. The same needs to be done with the number of hospitalizations and deaths linked to the outbreak, both to avoid public panic, and to facilitate accurate analysis of the epidemiology.
- Daily updates from the World Health Organization on the H1N1 flu outbreak
- Daily updates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the H1N1 flu outbreak
- Café Sentido’s ongoing coverage of the H1N1 flu outbreak
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