Swine Flu Threatens Peak European Travel Season
Confirmed Cases in UK, Spain; Suspected Cases in Three Other Nations
Apr 27, 2009
Monday, a couple in Scotland who recently returned from Mexico became the first two confirmed cases of swine flu in the United Kingdom. Earlier in the day, Spain’s health ministry confirmed that a 23-year-old man who returned from Mexico last week was Europe’s first known case of the virus. Suspected cases of swine flu also have been reported in France, Denmark, and Sweden.
Also Monday, the World Health Organization raised the alert level for swine flu from phase three to four, just two steps from proclaiming a full pandemic. The WHO sought to stave off pandemic panic by noting that raising the level a phase does not mean a pandemic is inevitable. However, the ability of the virus to spread from human to human and cause “community-level” outbreaks of swine flu has increased the likelihood of a pandemic.
WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan said there was no need to close borders or restrict international travel at this time. However, the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta Monday encouraged Americans to put off all “nonessential travel” to Mexico. European Union Health Commissioner Androulla Vasilliou has advised residents of EU countries not to travel to Mexico unless it is “very urgent” that they do so. He is expected to call for an urgent meeting of EU health ministers to address the outbreak.
With more than 1,600 suspected cases of swine flu and 149 deaths attributed to it, Mexico remains the epicenter of the outbreak. If the virus continues to spread in Europe, though, the summer travel season there could be significantly impacted.
France Prepared for Flu Pandemic
Four suspected cases of swine flu were reported in northern France Sunday. French Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin said France was ready in the event of a pandemic.
“Our country is particularly well prepared with very large stocks of masks and antiviral products,” she said.
There is no vaccine for swine flu, but the EU has large stockpiles of drugs designed to combat bird flu, which could be used to also fight swine fly.
Travel Stocks Fall
Shares of airline and cruise stocks plummeted Monday, as investors worried that international travel would be curtailed sharply as a result of the spread of swine flu. Worst hit was Continental Airlines. Its stock lost 16 percent of its value Monday. Lufthansa shares fell 11.9 percent and Air France nosedived more than nine percent. British Airways stock lost 7.7 percent of its value and cruise operator Carnival saw its shares drop 6.8 percent.
For more information on the swine flu's impact on travel to Mexico, click here.
To read my opinion piece on the response to the swine flu outbreak, click here.
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