Gert van der Hoek
In Memoriam - Editor, Senior Moderator
Swine flu expected to come to Italy
First suspected case reported in Venice
(ANSA) - Rome, April 27 - A leading Italian expert said on Monday that it was inevitable that swine flu would sooner or later spread to Italy but added that there was no risk of a pandemic.
Genoa University virologist Pietro Crovari explained that ''there will not be a crisis because this is a 'normal' strain of the flu virus and different from the bird flu strain. Of course, the later it arrives the better''.
Crovari made his observations at the same time that Europe's first case of swine flu was confirmed in Spain, where there are 17 other suspected cases.
Italy currently has one suspected case, a 31-year-old woman from the Veneto region, who has been placed in quarantine in a Venice hospital but is said to be in good condition.
The woman had returned from San Diego, in southern California near the Mexican border, with a high fever and was hospitalised as a precaution.
A sample of her blood has been sent for testing at Padua University, which hosts Italy's top center for infectious diseases.
Italy, like many advanced countries, is at an advantage because many people are still protected by the general flu vaccine they took for the winter flu season.
The outbreak of swine flu began in Mexico where 103 people have died so far and there are another 1,614 suspected cases.
The flu quickly spread to the United States, where there are some 20 suspected cases.
European Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou has called for an emergency meeting of European Union health ministers to monitor the situation and the Czech Republic, which holds the EU rotating presidency, has scheduled a meeting for Thursday.
Vassiliou said on Monday that the EU was ready to take ''appropriate action'' to avoid teh spread of the flu.
According to Crovari, the virus in Mexico ''appears to have mutated by 60-70% but this is nothing new. This virus is an evolution of the H1N12 virus which was isolated in 1933''.
The fact that the virus has infected for the most part young adults, he observed, could be explained by the fact that the very young and the elderly are those most likely to have been vaccinated for the winter flu season.
''However, it is still too early to confirm this for sure,'' he added.
The Italian health ministry has set up a crisis coordination center and is said to be its examining a vaccination strategy.
On a European level, checks on arriving passengers have been stepped up at airports to identify anyone with flu symptoms, while EU health ministries are pooling information on suspected cases and vaccine stocks.
Europeans have also been advised to avoid travelling to areas where swine flu has been reported.
Elsewhere in Europe, four suspected cases in France and one in Britain have proved negative.
http://www.ansa.it/site/notizie/awnplus/english/news/2009-04-27_127353838.html
First suspected case reported in Venice
(ANSA) - Rome, April 27 - A leading Italian expert said on Monday that it was inevitable that swine flu would sooner or later spread to Italy but added that there was no risk of a pandemic.
Genoa University virologist Pietro Crovari explained that ''there will not be a crisis because this is a 'normal' strain of the flu virus and different from the bird flu strain. Of course, the later it arrives the better''.
Crovari made his observations at the same time that Europe's first case of swine flu was confirmed in Spain, where there are 17 other suspected cases.
Italy currently has one suspected case, a 31-year-old woman from the Veneto region, who has been placed in quarantine in a Venice hospital but is said to be in good condition.
The woman had returned from San Diego, in southern California near the Mexican border, with a high fever and was hospitalised as a precaution.
A sample of her blood has been sent for testing at Padua University, which hosts Italy's top center for infectious diseases.
Italy, like many advanced countries, is at an advantage because many people are still protected by the general flu vaccine they took for the winter flu season.
The outbreak of swine flu began in Mexico where 103 people have died so far and there are another 1,614 suspected cases.
The flu quickly spread to the United States, where there are some 20 suspected cases.
European Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou has called for an emergency meeting of European Union health ministers to monitor the situation and the Czech Republic, which holds the EU rotating presidency, has scheduled a meeting for Thursday.
Vassiliou said on Monday that the EU was ready to take ''appropriate action'' to avoid teh spread of the flu.
According to Crovari, the virus in Mexico ''appears to have mutated by 60-70% but this is nothing new. This virus is an evolution of the H1N12 virus which was isolated in 1933''.
The fact that the virus has infected for the most part young adults, he observed, could be explained by the fact that the very young and the elderly are those most likely to have been vaccinated for the winter flu season.
''However, it is still too early to confirm this for sure,'' he added.
The Italian health ministry has set up a crisis coordination center and is said to be its examining a vaccination strategy.
On a European level, checks on arriving passengers have been stepped up at airports to identify anyone with flu symptoms, while EU health ministries are pooling information on suspected cases and vaccine stocks.
Europeans have also been advised to avoid travelling to areas where swine flu has been reported.
Elsewhere in Europe, four suspected cases in France and one in Britain have proved negative.
http://www.ansa.it/site/notizie/awnplus/english/news/2009-04-27_127353838.html