homa ya mafua ya kitimoto(taadhari kwa walaji wa kitimoto)

Castle

Senior Member
Jul 25, 2008
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MEXICO CITY – The cardinal said Mass in a shuttered cathedral. Soccer teams played to empty stadiums. A televised variety show filled its seats with cardboard cutouts. Mexico's overcrowded capital locked itself indoors Sunday, terrified by a new strain of swine flu that was spreading around the world.

Mexico City residents — chilangos, they're called — are accustomed to living in public view. They eat greasy tacos at stands along smog-choked avenues, play pickup soccer games on potholed streets and snuggle with sweethearts on benches in tree-lined parks.

But on Sunday even the enormous Zocalo plaza, where throngs of families congregate for street performances and open-air concerts, was all but empty. A handful of women wearing surgical masks knelt on the plaza's stones and prayed, their arms reaching upward in a lonely vigil.

Soldiers in surgical masks shooed away the faithful at the cathedral, pointing to a board with pieces of paper.

"There are no baptisms," one read.

"No confirmations," read another.

"No Masses," said a third.

Inside, Cardinal Norberto Rivera delivered a sermon to nearly empty pews, his pleas for divine intervention relayed over television and radio.

"Grant us the prudence and serenity to act with responsibility and to avoid being infected or to infect others," he appealed to the Virgin of Guadalupe, Mexico's patron saint. "Give help to health workers, keep vigil for the recovery of the sick and console those in mourning."

For the first time in 300 years, the cathedral also removed from storage an icon of the Lord of Health, which was placed on the principal altar by a procession of worshippers, Mexico's government news agency Notimex reported.

The Rev. Cuauhtemoc Islas said the icon would remain on the Altar of Forgiveness until the medical emergency is over.

To the south of the city, the Pumas soccer team took on the Chivas at the picturesque Olympic Stadium, decorated by muralist Diego Rivera, but its sold-out volcanic-rock bleachers were empty. They tied 1-1 as fans followed from home on television.

The television variety show "Make Me Laugh" filled its seats with cardboard cutouts bearing broad smiles on their faces. Somehow the jokes were still greeted with laughter and applause.

The streets were largely deserted. The city canceled its weekly cycling day, in which major boulevards are closed to cars. The city's two main chains of movie theaters both announced they were closing temporarily. Restaurants and bars were empty.

"We normally get 200 diners over the course of the day," said waiter Eduardo Garcia, wearing a surgical mask as he presided over empty tables of an Italianni's restaurant in the Zona Rosa neighborhood. "Today's pretty bad. Nobody's coming out of their houses."

Schools have been canceled in the capital and the states of Mexico and San Luis Potosi until May 6. Hundreds of public events including concerts and sports matches have been called off to keep people spreading the virus in crowds. Zoos were closed and visits to juvenile correction centers were suspended.

Twenty people have been sickened in the United States and six in Canada, and suspected cases were being reported as far away as Israel and New Zealand. The U.S. declared a public health emergency, providing for easier access to flu tests and medications, and enhanced surveillance along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Mexico's health secretary reported the number of suspected swine flu cases had climbed to 1,614 late Sunday, including 103 deaths. Only 22 deaths have been confirmed.

Most of those who died sought medical help only after the disease was well advanced, Mexico City Health Secretary Armando Ahued said. By Sunday, throngs of Mexicans were rushing to hospitals, some with just a fever.

"We don't know if it's the flu or not, but we're very worried," said Sergio Zunun, a 59-year-old merchant, waiting outside the Obregon Hospital for his brother, a police officer, who complained of a respiratory infection.

Others complained they had symptoms but couldn't find a doctor to see them. Jose Isaac Cepeda, who has had fever, diarrhea and joint pains since Friday, said he was turned away from two hospitals — the first because he isn't registered in the public health system, and the second "because they say they're too busy."

"No one anywhere is helping us," lamented his wife, Maria del Mar Perez. "What can we do? We don't have insurance. We don't have money to go to a private hospital."

And while most people stayed home, others had no choice. Daniela Briseno, 31, swept a gutter with a broom made of twigs, wearing a jumpsuit and two dirty blue surgical masks she says she found.

"I should be at home," she said, "but I have a family to support."
 
Sio tahadhari kwa wala kitimoto bali ni tahadhari kwa watu wote. Kumbuka ugonjwa unaenezwa kwa man to man contact. Initial contact na kitimoto ilishatendeka na sasa virus wapo kwa binadamu. Na kwa taarifa yako ni kuwa tayari baadhi ya miji ya US kama NY umeshatinga. Labda story hapo chini inaweza kutupatia uelewa.

Sources: BBC NEWS | Health | Q&A: Swine flu

Q&A: Swine flu



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Swine flu causes regular outbreaks in pigs

Infection control experts are scrambling to respond to outbreaks of swine flu in Mexico and the US, and suspected cases elsewhere.
What is swine flu?
Swine flu is a respiratory disease, caused by influenza type A which infects pigs.
There are many types, and the infection is constantly changing.
Until now it has not normally infected humans, but the latest form clearly does, and can be spread from person to person - probably through coughing and sneezing.
What is new about this type of swine flu?
The World Health Organization has confirmed that at least some of the human cases are a never-before-seen version of the H1N1 strain of influenza type A.
H1N1 is the same strain which causes seasonal outbreaks of flu in humans on a regular basis.
But this latest version of H1N1 is different: it contains genetic material that is typically found in strains of the virus that affect humans, birds and swine.
Flu viruses have the ability to swap genetic components with each other, and it seems likely that the new version of H1N1 resulted from a mixing of different versions of the virus, which may usually affect different species, in the same animal host.
How dangerous is it?
Symptoms of swine flu in humans appear to be similar to those produced by standard, seasonal flu.
These include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, chills and fatigue.
Most cases so far reported around the world appear to be mild, but in Mexico lives have been lost.
How worried should people be?
When any new strain of flu emerges that acquires the ability to pass from person to person, it is monitored very closely in case it has the potential to spark a pandemic.

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FLU PANDEMICS
1918: The Spanish flu pandemic remains the most devastating outbreak of modern times. Caused by a form of the H1N1 strain of flu, it is estimated that up to 40% of the world's population were infected, and more than 50 million people died, with young adults particularly badly affected



1957: Asian flu killed two million people. Caused by a human form of the virus, H2N2, combining with a mutated strain found in wild ducks. The impact of the pandemic was minimised by rapid action by health authorities, who identified the virus, and made vaccine available speedily. The elderly were particularly vulnerable



1968: An outbreak first detected in Hong Kong, and caused by a strain known as H3N2, killed up to one million people globally, with those over 65 most likely to die

The World Health Organization has warned that taken together the Mexican and US cases could potentially trigger a global pandemic, and stress that the situation is serious.
However, experts say it is still too early to accurately assess the situation fully.
Currently, they say the world is closer to a flu pandemic than at any point since 1968 - rating the threat at three on a six-point scale.
Nobody knows the full potential impact of a pandemic, but experts have warned that it could cost millions of lives worldwide. The Spanish flu pandemic, which began in 1918, and was also caused by an H1N1 strain, killed millions of people.
The fact that all the cases in the US have so far produced mild symptoms is encouraging. It suggests that the severity of the Mexican outbreak may be due to an unusual geographically-specific factor - possibly a second unrelated virus circulating in the community - which would be unlikely to come into play in the rest of the world.
Alternatively, people infected in Mexico may have sought treatment at much later stage than those in other countries.
It may also be the case that the form of the virus circulating in Mexico is subtly different to that elsewhere - although that will only be confirmed by laboratory analysis.
There is also hope that, as humans are often exposed to forms of H1N1 through seasonal flu, our immune systems may have something of a head start in fighting infection.
However, the fact that many of the victims are young does point to something unusual. Normal, seasonal flu tends to affect the elderly disproportionately.
Can the virus be contained?
The virus appears already to have started to spread around the world, and most experts believe that containment of the virus in the era of readily available air travel will be extremely difficult.
Can it be treated?
The US authorities say that two drugs commonly used to treat flu, Tamiflu and Relenza, seem to be effective at treating cases that have occurred there so far. However, the drugs must be administered at an early stage to be effective.
Use of these drugs may also make it less likely that infected people will pass the virus on to others.
The UK Government already has a stockpile of Tamiflu, ordered as a precaution against a pandemic.
It is unclear how effective currently available flu vaccines would be at offering protection against the new strain, as it is genetically distinct from other flu strains.
US scientists are already developing a bespoke new vaccine, but it may take some time to perfect it, and manufacture enough supplies to meet what could be huge demand.
What should I do to stay safe?
Anyone with flu-like symptoms who might have been in contact with the swine virus - such as those living or travelling in the areas of Mexico that have been affected - should seek medical advice.
But patients are being asked not to go into doctors surgeries in order to minimise the risk of spreading the disease to others. Instead, they should stay at home and call their healthcare provider for advice.
Although the Foreign and Commonwealth Office sys people "should be aware" of the outbreak, it is not currently advising people against travelling to affected areas of Mexico and the US.
Is it safe to eat pig meat?
Yes. There is no evidence that swine flu can be transmitted through eating meat from infected animals.
However, it is essential to cook meat properly. A temperature of 70C (158F) would be sure to kill the virus.
What about bird flu?
The strain of bird flu which has caused scores of human deaths in South East Asia in recent years is a different strain to that responsible for the current outbreak of swine flu.
The latest form of swine flu is a new type of the H1N1 strain, while bird, or avian flu, is H5N1.
Experts fear H5N1 hold the potential to trigger a pandemic because of its ability to mutate rapidly.
However, up until now it has remained very much a disease of birds.
Those humans who have been infected have, without exception, worked closely with birds, and cases of human-to-human transmission are extremely rare - there is no suggestion that H5N1 has gained the ability to pass easily from person to person.
Where can I get further advice?
You can find more information and advice on swine flu at the websites of the World Health Organization and the UK's Health Protection Agency.
 
kwa kweli naona haya magonjwa sasa yanatufuata na kuangukia kila sehemu tamu. Cheki HIV inapoishi, sasa SWINE Flu, why?
 
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