May 18, 2009. CDC and US State Department Lift Travel Alert After H1N1 Outbreak
| SOURCE: | Air Security International |
On 15 May 2009 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Department of State lifted a travel alert that advised U.S. citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Mexico due to the outbreak of the A/H1N1 virus (see Government Warning below). Several European countries, including the United Kingdom, have lifted similar advisories. While non-essential travel to Mexico can resume, travelers to all international destinations should continue to exercise caution and monitor developments related to the outbreak. Travelers should employ preventive measures, including proper hand washing techniques, to reduce the risk of infection. The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported 8,480 confirmed cases of A/H1N1 influenza worldwide, including 2,895 in Mexico, which has reported 66 deaths. The WHO is holding the World Health Assembly in Geneva during the week of 18 May and plans to release vaccine recommendations to governments and pharmaceutical companies soon.
In Japan, more than 125 confirmed cases of infection with A/H1N1 have been reported as of 18 May. The number of those infected has increased significantly in the western prefectures of Osaka and Hyogo over the course of four days. Japan is on high alert due to the increase in the number of cases; authorities have shut down more than 1,000 schools for the remainder of the week in order to prevent the spread of the virus. Despite the outbreak, there have been no reported deaths in relation to the A/H1N1 virus. There are concerns that due to the sudden outbreak of disease the WHO will raise its pandemic alert level to 6, the highest level; however, WHO officials have given no indications that such an escalation is imminent.
On 17 May the Panamanian health ministry announced 11 new confirmed cases of the A/H1N1 virus, raising to 54 the total number of infected persons in the country. Authorities report that approximately 70 percent of those infected had direct contact with Panama’s first confirmed cases, decreasing concerns of a widespread outbreak.
Meanwhile, on 17 May medical authorities confirmed the second case of the A/H1N1 virus in Peru. The patient, a U.S. national, traveled from the United States to the southern city of Arequipa, where he resides, after a short layover in Lima. Authorities have quarantined the patient in his home but announced that he is responding favorably to antiviral drugs.
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