News

It will be a while until the persistent swine flu virus finally will be conquered, while the epidemic keeps on spreading worldwide. In some countries, up to 70% percent of the flu viruses being sampled contain the virus.
Although most people recover from the illness without needing medical treatment, officials stay concerned about the patterns they see. The Ukraine for example has reported more than 250,000 cases and 70 deaths of people with flu-like illness in recent weeks.
Dr. Keiji Fukuda, WHO''s flu chief, said the agency was also monitoring the impact of the virus on particularly susceptible populations, like the Yanomami Indians and the Aboriginials, as they seem more vulnerable to the virus’ impact.
With swine flu vaccination programs now under way in more than 20 countries, no rare or dangerous side effects have been reported so far, and the agency is convinced the vaccine is "highly safe."
Fukuda said WHO had been surprised that the vaccine appeared to work after just one dose, but was happy about it because that mean the world''s vaccine supplies could be stretched.