The Ministry of Health is in continuous contact with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the European Commission and the World Health Organisation, following the swine influenza outbreak in Mexico and the US and is promoting proper prevention measures.

The Ministry has announced prevention measures which people who plan to travel to the affected areas should take. Measures aim to help diagnose promptly and handle a possible case in persons who return from these areas and inform staff at airports on how to deal with passengers in the aforementioned areas.

The Ministry has announced that in its most recent communication on April 25, the United States CDC in Atlanta, confirmed eight cases of an infection with a novel swine influenza A(H1N1) virus in two US states (California and Texas).

Parallel to this there is an ongoing outbreak in Mexico with a considerable number of cases and deaths and preliminary laboratory investigations have shown that viruses from patients with respiratory symptoms were similar to viruses in the US.

The European Commission is working closely together with the member states addressing all risk management issues within the Early Warning and Response System (EWRS). The Health Security Committee is also meeting to discuss the situation; the Global Health Security Initiative is exchanging information on the current status of the situation and counter-measures.

According to the ECDC the human swine influenza A(H1N1) is an acute viral infection of the respiratory tract in pigs caused by type A influenza virus. The mortality rate is low in pigs and recovery usually occurs within 7-10 days. Swine origin influenza viruses also occur in wild birds, poultry, horses and humans, but interspecies transmission is considered a rare event. So far three influenza type A virus subtypes: H1N1, H1N2 and H3N2 have been found in pigs.

Human infections with swine influenza have been detected occasionally since the late 1950s usually in persons with direct exposure to pigs (e.g. people working in pig farms, etc.). In Europe, since 1958 a total of 17 cases have been reported.

A link to pigs was presumed but never discovered. Instead there was extensive human to human transmission, with over 200 infections resulting in 12 hospitalisations and one death.

The ECDC says that most commonly, swine influenza is transmitted through direct contact or close proximity with pigs. This virus is not transmitted from eating pork or pork products.

There is a vaccine available for pigs against swine influenza, but there is no vaccine to protect humans from swine influenza.

The ECDC said the novel swine influenza virus that has now been found in the two US states California and Texas and in Mexico contains pig, bird and human genes, in a combination that has never been observed before anywhere in the world. In addition there is every indication that this virus has been transmitting from human to human and the resulting illnesses have been severe in a substantial number of cases in Mexico.

The ECDC says there is no statement from the World Health Organisation (WHO) or the US CDC concerning any travel restriction to the affected regions in Mexico, California or Texas. Persons who intend to travel to Mexico, California or Texas are advised to consult the WHO website and websites of their ministries of foreign affairs or national public health institutes.

All travelers are advised to follow some general hygienic measures which include, avoiding close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too, staying home from work, school, and errands when you are sick, covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, washing your hands often will help protect you from germs.

The ECDC also said that travelers returning from affected areas in Mexico and the US (California, Texas) should observe their personal health and if within seven days after return experience one or more of the symptoms listed below should immediately contact a physician: fever, respiratory symptoms such as cough or runny nose, sore throat, possibly other symptoms such a body aches, headache, chills, fatigue, vomiting or diarrhea.