More than two dozen Canadian students have apparently been quarantined in China over flu fears.
According to a published report, about 25 students, most of them from Quebec universities, were met by health officials when they got off their plane in the northern city of Changchun. They were then brought to a room at the airport and had their temperatures taken.
And though no one in the group was running a fever, a student says they were told they'd be subject to a seven-day quarantine anyway. The source suggests the Canadians are the only guests at a hotel, and that they're undergoing daily medical exams. They apparently have five more days to go in the week-long quarantine.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has no immediate plans to raise its flu alert to the top level of six and declare a pandemic following the outbreak of the H1N1 virus, despite recent reports suggesting the contrary.
United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon said on Monday that the agency wouldn't bump up the alert level if the outbreak continues as is.
There was positive news to start the week as Mexico's health secretary said the outbreak was waning in that country. Jose Cordova suggested most businesses could resume operations Wednesday following a five-day closure aimed at stopping the spread of the virus.
However Margaret Chan, WHO's director-general, warned that countries should remain vigilant regardless.
Before issuing a Level 6 alert the organization would have to see the strain spreading through Asia or Europe.
Last week, the United Nations agency raised its alert level twice, from 3 to 4, and then to 5, where it currently sits.
If a full pandemic is declared, governments around the world would enact their pandemic response plans, which could affect hospitals, schools, and other facilities, as well as public events. Developing nations would be given additional support to help with testing, drugs, and staff. WHO has said the flu could be especially dangerous for people who have HIV/AIDS.
"It sounds scary," admits
CityNews Medical Specialist Dr. Karl Kabasele. "You know, we're creeping up this ladder, up to six, which is a full blown worldwide pandemic, but that number just basically speaks to the geography and it speaks to the transmissibility, so how easy is it for it to pass from person-to-person within a community.
"It doesn't speak to the severity of the actual illness caused by the virus. So you can have a mild pandemic and you know, you may have very few deaths or comparable deaths to what we usually get from the flu. And let's make no mistake, regular flu, during flu season, is deadly for a lot of people."
WHO would also play a role in determining the production of pandemic flu vaccines, directing which manufacturers should switch from making seasonal flu vaccines to pandemic-specific ones.
In an interview, Chan noted that weather plays a part in how the flu spreads - seasonal flu cases generally increase in winter, and that's the season the southern hemisphere is about to enter.
The WHO chief said it was too early to know how many people might become infected with the new strain.
For more on the WHO pandemic levels and what they mean,
click here.
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