Chinese authorities quarantined dozens more British students on Monday as the government in London tried to allay mounting fears over the swine flu crisis and the dangers facing pregnant women.
Chinese authorities quarantined dozens more British students on Monday as the government in London tried to allay mounting fears over the swine flu crisis and the dangers facing pregnant women.
The worldwide death toll from the pandemic gathered pace with Ecuador announcing seven new fatalities and Australia reporting three new swine flu-related deaths.
British Student Group Quarantined By Chinese Authorities Over Swine Flu
A teacher said members of a British student group quarantined by Chinese authorities over swine flu were shocked by their detention but were being treated well.
A teacher said members of a British student group quarantined by Chinese authorities over swine flu were shocked by their detention but were being treated well.
And Russia, which had restricted the number of cases to single figures, warned the virus was spreading to all parts of Europe's largest country.
With China desperate to contain the virus, a total of 85 British students and teachers have been quarantined in a hotel in Beijing over swine flu fears while a further eight are being treated in hospital after displaying symptoms.
British Airlines Ban Swine Flu Carriers
British airlines on Sunday stepped up restrictions on suspected swine flu carriers, as a report said four more British students quarantined in China have had infections confirmed.
British airlines on Sunday stepped up restrictions on suspected swine flu carriers, as a report said four more British students quarantined in China have had infections confirmed.
"We can confirm that a group of over 85 British schoolchildren and teachers are being held in quarantine in a hotel in Beijing," the British embassy in Beijing said in a statement that also indicated the figure could grow further.
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Swine Flu Spreads Internationally With 'Unprecedented Speed,' Says WHO
The World Health Organization has said that Swine flu has swept the globe at unprecedented speed, as a study warned the pandemic could tip the world into deflation and delay the economic recovery.
The World Health Organization has said that Swine flu has swept the globe at unprecedented speed, as a study warned the pandemic could tip the world into deflation and delay the economic recovery.
There have been around 1,500 positive cases of the virus in China, the health ministry has said, but no deaths have been reported.
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Swine Flu Could Kill 65,000 Britons, Experts Warn
Medical experts have warned that swine flu could claim 65,000 lives in Britain unless the epidemic is stopped.
Medical experts have warned that swine flu could claim 65,000 lives in Britain unless the epidemic is stopped.
US authorities said last week that 263 people had died there of the virus and deaths are now being reported in every corner of the globe.
Speaking ahead of a statement on the pandemic to parliament, British Health Secretary Andy Burnham said people should go about their daily lives, but take precautions such as washing their hands regularly and said pregnant women should consider steering clear of crowds.
Over the weekend there had been reported suggestions that women should consider not getting pregnant, but the minister denied this.
"There isn't conflicting advice. The advice has been clear all along that women who are pregnant should take extra precautions as they would anyway," he told GMTV.
"They should really follow the advice about hand hygiene, they should consider about avoiding crowded places."
Britain is already the worst-hit country in Europe, with estimates of 55,000 new cases of the A(H1N1) virus last week.
And England's chief medical officer Liam Donaldson has said that in a worst case scenario, around a third of Britain's population could be infected and 65,000 killed.
A similarly grim prediction came Monday from Israel where around 890 people have so far contracted A(H1N1).
"We estimate that about a quarter of the Israeli population could be affected by this flu epidemic in the coming months," Itamar Groto, the head of the ministry's public health department, told army radio.
But he added: "In 99.99 percent of cases, the sick will be up and about within two or three days."
Israel's neighbour Egypt reported its first death linked to swine flu after a 25-year-old woman coming back from a pilgrimage to the Muslim holy places in Saudi Arabia died in hospital over the weekend.
Russia has so far only confirmed nine cases but its public health chief warned that the virus was fanning out across the country.
"I think that by the end of the day we will have reported around at least five or six more (people) whom we have confirmed as sick" with the A(H1N1) virus, Gennady Onishchenko said.
"We have registered an increase, a sharp increase in the number of individuals whom we... certify as sick," he said at a news conference.
"The virus is now not just Moscow's property but also that of the regions."
Source-AFP
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