Swine Flu Still On The Rampage In Japan

Japan has reported 178 swine flu infections on Tuesday and closed more than 4,043 schools, colleges and kindergartens for the rest of the week to slow the spread of the virus, officials said. With the reported figure, Japan is now in the number 4 slot globally in terms of infections count.

The impromptu school break has caused karaoke clubs fill up with students and their friends as schools remain shut.

In Osaka and Hyogo prefectures, firms with infected staff told workers to stay home.

The biggest threat, experts warned is when the infections get to other regions including the capital Tokyo, which with almost 36 million people is the world's most populous urban area and the heart of the Japanese economy.

New H1N1 Cases Causes 3 Schools 5 Days Closure In New York

Five new cases of the H1N1 virus in New York City schools has forced two intermediate schools and one primary school in Queens area to close for a week to slow transmission, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a news conference on Thursday evening. The three schools have a combined student population of 4000.


Photo credit:China Daily


In one school, four students and the assistant principal have the virus and are critically ill, whereas fifty students at that school have been sent home with flu-like symptoms since May 6.

The primary school reported 29 students suffering from flu-like symptoms. The other intermediate school had 241 students absent with illness on Thursday.

According to the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of Thursday night 7,412 (4,298 in US & 244 in New York only) cases of H1N1 flu have been confirmed worldwide and 63 deaths attributed to the virus have been confirmed worldwide.

The WHO estimates that up to 2 billion people could be infected with the virus if the current outbreak turns into a pandemic lasting two years.

Meanwhile, experts are studying the possibility of the less lethal, highly contagious swine flu mixing with the highly lethal less contagious H5N1 bird flu to form a new bug that is both highly contagious and lethal and can spread around the world.