Swine Flu Data ‘Very Consistent’ With Early Stages Of A Pandemic
Swine Flu Data ‘Very Consistent’ With Early Stages Of A Pandemic
ScienceDaily — Early findings about the emerging pandemic of a new strain of influenza A (H1N1) in Mexico are published in the journal Science.
- Researchers from the MRC Centre for Outbreak Analysis and Modelling at Imperial College London, working in collaboration with the World Health Organisation and public health agencies in Mexico, have assessed the epidemic using data to the end of April. Their key findings are as follows:
- The data so far is very consistent with what researchers would expect to find in the early stages of a pandemic.
- The researchers’ best estimate is that in Mexico, influenza A (H1N1) is fatal in around 4 in 1,000 cases, which would make this strain of influenza as lethal as the one found in the 1957 pandemic. The researchers stress that healthcare has greatly improved in most countries since 1957 and the world is now better prepared.
- The epidemic of influenza A (H1N1) is thought to have started in Mexico on 15 February 2009. The data suggests that by the end of April, around 23,000 people were infected with the virus in Mexico and 91 of these died as a result of infection. However, the figures are uncertain – for example, some mild cases may have gone unreported. The numbers infected could be as low as 6,000 people or as high as 32,000 people.
Sumber : Science Daily
Informasi lengkap dapat diakses di:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090511151620.htm
Photo : Swine flu data so far is very consistent with what researchers would expect to find in the early stages of a pandemic. (Credit: iStockphoto/Henrik Jonsson)