Tuvalu records first swine flu cases

[Sally Furniss]

Tuvalu records first swine flu cases

Posted at 07:14 on 13 August, 2009 UTC
Tuvalu has recorded its first cases of H1N1 flu.
Radio Tuvalu says the infections are believed to have been from people who have travelled recently.
The Assistant Health Secretary, Dr Stephen Homasi, says of the confirmed cases, five are children and one is an adult.
He says the confirmation came after specimens were sent to a laboratory in Fiji.
Tuvalu?s health department has a stockpile of Tamiflu drugs for treatment of people affected by swine flu.


http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=48421

 

[Laidback Al]

Re: Tuvalu records first swine flu cases

Depending on the size of the Tamiflu stockpile (and assuming H1N1 does not become Tamiflu resistant too quickly), small island nations in the Pacific such as Tuvalu would not be bad places to ride out a severe pandemic (assuming island self-sufficiency).

Tuvalu ( /tuːˈvɑːluː/ <small class="metadata">(help?info)</small> or /ˈtuːvəluː/), formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian island nation located in the Pacific Ocean midway between Hawaii and Australia. Its nearest neighbours are Kiribati, Samoa and Fiji. It comprises four reef islands and five true atolls. Its population of 11,992 makes it the third-least-populated independent country in the world, with only Vatican City and Nauru having fewer inhabitants.. . .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuvalu