MANILA, 7 May 2009, 1800 hrs—Hong Kong (China) has released a group of people who travelled from Shanghai on the same plane as a Mexican citizen who was later found to be infected with the influenza A(H1N1) virus. The group, including a taxi driver who drove the man from the airport, were declared free of the virus. Another group held in quarantine in a hotel where the case stayed briefly are scheduled for release tomorrow, health checks permitting.
The total number of confirmed cases in the Western Pacific Region has not increased since yesterday and stands at eight: five in New Zealand, one in Hong King (China) and two in the Republic of Korea.
Despite the fact that the total number of cases in the Western Pacific Region has not risen over the past 24 hours, the virus has continued to spread internationally and has now affected 23 countries.
The developing situation prompted the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to convene a high-level meeting to determine what actions need to be taken by the group and its Member States. The ASEAN + 3 Health Ministers’ Special Meeting on Influenza A(H1N1) is to be held on 8 May in Bangkok. The non-ASEAN countries attending are China, Japan and the Republic of Korea.
WHO’s Western Pacific Regional Director Dr Shin Young-soo will be representing both the Western Pacific and the South-East Asia regions at the meeting.
What’s new in the Western Pacific Region
- There are still 8 confirmed cases of influenza A(H1N1) in the Western Pacific Region, no change from 6 May
- 2 in the Republic of Korea, reported 2 May and 5 May
- 1 in Hong Kong (China), reported 1 May
- 5 in New Zealand (3 reported April 28, 1 reported 1 May, and 1 reported 4 May)
Global case count
As of 16:00 GMT, 6 May 2009, 23 countries have officially reported 1893 cases of influenza A (H1N1) infection.
Mexico has reported 942 laboratory confirmed human cases of infection, including 29 deaths. The United States has reported 642 laboratory confirmed human cases, including two deaths.
The following countries have reported laboratory confirmed cases with no deaths - Austria (1), Canada (165), China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (1), Colombia (1), Costa Rica (1), Denmark (1), El Salvador (2), France (5), Germany (9), Guatemala (1), Ireland (1), Israel (4), Italy (5), Netherlands (1), New Zealand (5), Portugal (1), Republic of Korea (2), Spain (73), Sweden (1), Switzerland (1) and the United Kingdom (28).
Where to get more information
During public health emergencies, it is important to seek accurate information about the situation. For official information on this evolving situation and for technical and communication guidance for health administrators, health professionals and the general public, please click on the following links:
World Health Organization
US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
France – Institut de Veille Sanitaire
Some Frequently Asked Questions
For a more exhaustive list
How can I protect myself from influenza A(H1N1)?
Practice general preventive measures for influenza:
- Avoid close contact with people who appear unwell and have fever and cough.
- Wash your hands with soap and water thoroughly and often.
- Practice good health habits including adequate sleep, eating nutritious food, and keeping physically active.
What are the recommendations for face masks?
- If you are not sick, you do not have to wear a mask.
- You should wear a mask if you are sick, or when you are caring for a sick person.
- If you do wear a mask, make sure you wear it and dispose of it properly.
- Place mask carefully to cover mouth and nose and tie securely to minimize any gaps between the face and the mask.
- While in use, avoid touching the mask.
- Whenever you touch a used mask, for example when removing or washing, clean hands by washing with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand rub.
- Replace masks with a new clean, dry mask as soon as they become damp/humid.
- Do not reuse single-use masks; discard them after each use and dispose of them immediately upon removing.
- All home-made masks should be cleaned regularly.
What should I do if I think I have the illness?
If you have not travelled to an affected area and you feel unwell, have high fever, cough or sore throat:
- Stay at home and keep away from work, school or crowds.
- Rest and take plenty of fluids.
- Cover your mouth and nose with disposable tissues when coughing and sneezing, and dispose of the used tissues properly.
- Wash your hands with soap and water often and thoroughly, especially after coughing or sneezing.
- Inform family and friends about your illness and try to avoid contact with people.
- Do not travel.
If you have travelled to an affected area and you feel unwell, have high fever, cough or sore throat:
- Seek medical attention.
- Contact your doctor or health care provider before travelling to a health facility, and report your symptoms. Explain why you think you have Influenza A(H1N1), for example, if you have recently travelled to a country where there is an outbreak in humans. Follow the advice given to you.
- If it is not possible to contact your health care provider in advance, communicate your suspicion of infection as soon as you arrive at the facility.
- Cover your nose and mouth during travel.
How do I care for an ill person at home?
- Separate the ill person from others, at least 1 meter in distance from others.
- Cover your mouth and nose when caring for the ill person. Either commercial or home-made materials are fine, as long as they are disposed of or cleaned properly after use.
- Wash your hands with soap and water thoroughly after each contact with the ill person.
- Improve the air flow where the ill person is staying. Use doors and windows to take advantage of breezes.
- Keep the environment clean with readily available household cleaning agents.
- If you are living in a country where influenza A(H1N1) infections have been reported, follow additional advice from your national and local health authorities.
Are some people more at risk?
- More study is needed to determine if some populations (i.e. younger or older people, or people with other medical conditions) could be affected by the outbreak, of if they are at higher risk for severe illness.
- WHO recommends that everyone take precautions to prevent the spread of infection.
Is an effective vaccine already available against the recently identified Influenza A(H1N1) virus?
- No, but work is already under way to develop such a vaccine.
- Influenza vaccines generally contain a dead or weakened form of a circulating virus. The vaccine prepares the body’s immune system to defend against a true infection. For the vaccine to offer the highest level of protection, the virus in it should match the circulating “wild-type” virus as closely as possible.
- Since this A(H1N1) virus has not been identified before, there is no vaccine currently available made with this particular virus.
- Making a completely new influenza vaccine can take five to six months.
Will currently available seasonal vaccine confer protection against the recently identified Influenza A(H1N1)?
The best scientific evidence available today is incomplete but suggests that seasonal vaccines will confer little or no protection against the recently identified Influenza A(H1N1) virus.
How quickly will vaccines against the recently identified Influenza A(H1N1) virus be available?
The first doses of Influenza A(H1N1) vaccine against this 2009 strain could be available in five to six months from identification of the pandemic strain. The regulatory approval will be conducted in parallel with the manufacturing process. Regulatory authorities have put into place expedited processes that do not compromise on the quality and safety of the vaccine. Delays in production could result from poor growth of the virus strain used to make the vaccine.
Will vaccines against the recently identified Influenza A(H1N1) virus be effective in all population groups?
There are not data on this but there also is no reason to expect that they would not, given current information.
Will the vaccines against the recently identified Influenza A(H1N1) virus be safe?
Licensed vaccines are held to a very high standard of safety. All possible precautions will be taken to ensure safety and new Influenza A(H1N1) vaccines.
Will there be enough vaccine against the recently identified Influenza A(H1N1) 2009 virus for everyone?
The estimated time to make enough vaccine to vaccinate the world's population against pandemic influenza will not be known until vaccine manufacturers will have been able to determine how much active ingredient (antigen) is needed to make one dose of effective Influenza A(H1N1) vaccine.
In the past two years, influenza vaccine production capacity has increased sharply due to expansion of production facilities as well as advances in research, including the discovery and use of adjuvants. Adjuvants are substances added to a vaccine to make it more effective, thus reducing the amount of active ingredient (antigen) required and allowing more vaccine doses to be produced than before, while using the same amount of antigen.
Under what circumstances should antiviral drugs be administered?
Antiviral drugs are to be used according to national pandemic influenza preparedness plans. Public health authorities in some countries have decided to treat patients likely to have this disease as a part of public health measures.
Where antiviral drugs are available for treatment, clinicians should make decisions based on assessment of the individual patient's risk. Risks versus benefits should also be evaluated on a case by case basis.
What is WHO doing about getting antiviral drugs to countries as preparation for a pandemic?
WHO’s first priority is to provide an emergency stock of antiviral drugs to countries that have no or insufficient stock of the drugs and lack the capacity to procure these drugs themselves.
WHO is also working with Member States, donors and other groups that have stockpiles and are willing to share these with WHO for distribution to countries in need.
Which drug will be provided, and how much of it does WHO have available?
WHO had a global stockpile of approximately 5 million adult treatment courses of oseltamivir. Part of this stockpile has already been distributed through the WHO Regional Offices, which are handling allocation and distribution. WHO is currently distributing the remaining 3 million adult treatment courses of this stockpile to developing countries in need.
WHO continues to assess needs and to work with manufacturers to secure more donations of antivirals. More antiviral drugs will be distributed once these donations are received.
Which countries will receive the drug, and how will they be selected?
WHO has arranged the first deployment of antiviral drugs from the WHO stockpile to 72 countries. Priority was given to vulnerable countries, taking into consideration national manufacturing and procurement capacity. As necessary, other countries will be supported through regional office stockpiles.
For more information on influenza A(H1N1)