Japan may relax flu checks
TOKYO: The spread of the H1N1 virus in Asia showed no signs of slowing yesterday as the Philippines recorded its first case and new infections were confirmed here, in Taiwan and in Beijing.
In the United States, health authorities reported the country’s ninth death from the virus, that of a 13 year old boy in Arizona who was “medically compromised”
Most of the deaths have been in Mexico. But while it has killed nobody so far in Asia, its grip appeared to tighten on a region that has battled the H5N1 bird flu virus and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome over the past 10 years.
The number of cases in Japan rose to 272 yesterday, including a 16 year old female high school student here, who had recently returned from New York.
The Philippines has confirmed its first case of H1N1 in 10 year old a girl who had travelled to the United States and Canada.
In China, authorities confirmed a second case of H1N1 in Beijing, a 21 year old Chinese-Canadian student. This case is the fifth nationwide.
Taiwan confirms its second and third H1N1 cases, two students who returned from the United States.
There was also a jump in infections in Australia, which confirmed its sixth case, involving a Mexican woman who tested positive for the virus while visiting the country.
Elsewhere, Chile has become one of the most affected countries in South America. Sixteen people had tested positive to the H1N1 virus, Health Minister Alvaro Erazo said on Wednesday.
However, this novel virus appears to be mild so far. Japanese Health Minister Yoichi Masuzoe said on Wednesday a study on 43 cases in Kobe City suggested it was behaving like seasonal flu and not everyone with the new flu needed hospitalisation.
Japan is also considering drawing up new plans to deal with the disease, including winding down strict health checks at international airports at the end of the week, which had been imposed to try to buy time before an outbreak in the country.
But that is not a stance other places in Asia would readily adopt. Last week, Hong Kong’s health secretary York Chow asked the United Statesto screen outgoing air travellers to stop the spread of the virus abroad. Hong Kong has had three cases of H1N1 so far.
But for the poorest of countries, there is hardly any protection to speak of. In Afghanistan, a medical centre has been set up at Kabul airport to deal with possible cases, but the country cannot afford temperature screening aquipment.
-Agencies
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