Another case of influenza A(H1N1) in the Republic of Korea

For global developments

MANILA, 8 May 2009, 1600 hrs-- The Republic of Korea has reported its third confirmed case of influenza A(H1N1). The patient, a 62-year-old woman, had been in Tucson, Arizona. She flew back to Seoul on 26 April on the same flight as the country's first case, a 51-year-old woman.

The Republic of Korea's second confirmed case was a 44-year-old woman with no history of travel but contact with the first case.

The total number of confirmed cases in the Western Pacific Region now stands at nine.

Meanwhile, WHO reiterated its position that influenza viruses are not known to be transmissible to people through eating processed pork or other food products derived from pigs. Heat commonly used in cooking meat (e.g. 70°C/158°F core temperature) will readily inactivate any viruses potentially present in raw meat products.

WHO said authorities and consumers should ensure that meat from sick pigs or pigs found dead is not processed or used for human consumption under any circumstances.

What’s new in the Western Pacific Region

There now are nine confirmed cases of influenza A(H1N1) in the Western Pacific Region, one up from 6 May:

  • 3 in the Republic of Korea, reported 2 May, 5 May and 7 May;
  • 1 in Hong Kong (China), reported 1 May; and
  • 5 in New Zealand (3 reported April 28, 1 reported 1 May, and 1 reported 4 May).

Global case count

As of 18:00 GMT, 7 May 2009, 24 countries have officially reported 2371 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection.

Mexico has reported 1112 laboratory-confirmed human cases of infection, including 42 deaths. The United States of America has reported 896 laboratory-confirmed human cases, including two deaths.

The following countries have reported laboratory-confirmed cases with no deaths: Austria (1); Canada (201); Colombia (1); Costa Rica (1); Denmark (1); El Salvador (2); France (5); Germany (10); Guatemala (1); Hong Kong (China) (1); Ireland (1); Israel (6); Italy (5); Netherlands (2); New Zealand (5); Poland (1); Portugal (1); Republic of Korea (3); Spain (81); Sweden (1); Switzerland (1); and the United Kingdom (32).

[read more on Influenza A(H1N1)]

 

WHO escalates the battle against malaria as a new threat emerges

MANILA, 24 April—World experts have pledged to intensify the battle against malaria amid growing signs that the disease is developing greater resistance to commonly used drugs, endangering efforts to control and eliminate it.

In the Mekong region on the Thai-Cambodian border, health workers are struggling to contain a strain of malaria that is becoming increasingly resistant to artemisinin, the most effective drug available to fight the disease. If these efforts fail, experts at the World Health Organization (WHO) fear, plans to eliminate deaths globally from malaria could be put at risk.

Further jeopardizing ambitions to end the malaria threat, says the WHO, is the wide availability of low-quality and counterfeit drugs in some countries of the Mekong region and the improper use of medicines, such as antibiotics and antimalarials, including artemisinin.

In response to the threat, WHO in conjunction with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other donors has undertaken efforts to contain artemisinin-resistant malaria on the Thai-Cambodia border.

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