First U.S. citizen dies from swine flu
The first death in the U.S. from swine flu was a Mexican toddler whose family was visiting in Texas. Now the disease has claimed the life of a U.S. citizen as well, that of 33-year-old teacher Judy Trunnell of Cameron County, Texas. Cameron County is on the Mexico border. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, Trunnell suffered from “chronic underlying health conditions.” The 22-month-old Mexican child was similarly reported to be suffering from health complications.
The Centers for Disease Control reported Wednesday that the U.S. has 642 confirmed cases of flu resulting from the H1N1 virus, commonly referred to as swine flu. So far, however, the only known cases of the swine flu in pigs occurred in Canada, where they were infected by a worker returning from a vacation in Mexico. The World Health Organization and other agencies have stressed repeatedly that eating pork that has been handled and prepared properly will not result in infection by the H1N1 virus. To date, WHO said, there is no evidence that the virus is transmitted by food.
As of Wednesday, 23 countries have officially reported 1893 cases of influenza H1N1 infection, according to WHO, which said in a statement that it “is not recommending travel restrictions related to the outbreak of the influenza A(H1N1) virus.”
The Mexican death toll from the disease is currently reported at 29 out of 642 laboratory-confirmed cases. Canada has reported 164 cases, with no deaths.
Separately, WHO reported a new confirmed case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus, resulting in the death of a 23-year-old woman from Quan Hoa District, Thanh Hoa Province in Viet Nam. She developed symptoms on April 16, was hospitalized on April 21 and died on April 22. Of the 111 H5N1 cases confirmed to date in Viet Nam, WHO reports that 56 have been fatal. The H5N1 virus is commonly referred to as avian flu.
According to MSNBC news, The World Health Organization said it was shipping 2.4 million treatments of anti-flu drugs to 72 countries “most in need,” and France sent 100,000 doses worth $1.7 million to Mexico.
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