WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Just how bad is this new flu strain, how far will it go and how long will the outbreak last?
Here are some questions and answers about the outbreak:
HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE DIED? HOW MANY ARE INFECTED?
All deaths so far have been in Mexico, where 20 of the 149 reported fatalities have been confirmed to be from the H1N1 swine flu virus. There are 1,600 suspected cases in Mexico and 64 confirmed cases in the United States, and a few cases in Canada, New Zealand, Britain, Spain and Israel.
WHY ARE THERE ONLY DEATHS IN MEXICO?
No one is sure. It is important to remember that health officials are now taking a snapshot of the past -- they are not reporting on new infections at this point, just tracking down old infections and they are only finding them where they are looking. The Mexican authorities looked in hospitals, where serious cases will, of course, be found. U.S. health officials found their cases during routine screening of people with flu-like symptoms, most in walk-in clinics, so they have naturally found milder cases.
Influenza experts say they fully expect to find deaths in other places, including the United States and elsewhere, as the search goes on. One problem is that people die of respiratory diseases regularly and the cause is often not determined.
WHY WOULD IT KILL SOME AND NOT OTHERS?
Seasonal influenza kills 250,000 to 500,000 people every year in a normal year and all sorts of factors determine who dies. Elderly people often die but sometimes perfectly healthy adults and children die. Sometimes flu makes people susceptible to bacterial infections, called secondary infections, and if the virus and the bacteria are circulating at the same time in the same place there can be clusters of deaths.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
China takes US chicken ban to the WTO
A World Trade Organisation dispute has erupted over the US ban on imports of Chinese chicken.
The countries banned each other's chicken meat imports after the outbreak of bird flu in China in 2004.
China has since lifted the ban, and now imports millions of tonnes of American product, such as chicken feet.
In a submission to the WTO, the Chinese Government says the US is violating the basic commerce rules.
China's trade challenge starts a 60-day period of consultation, and then it can ask the WTO to begin a formal investigation.
The countries banned each other's chicken meat imports after the outbreak of bird flu in China in 2004.
China has since lifted the ban, and now imports millions of tonnes of American product, such as chicken feet.
In a submission to the WTO, the Chinese Government says the US is violating the basic commerce rules.
China's trade challenge starts a 60-day period of consultation, and then it can ask the WTO to begin a formal investigation.
Iran Orders ’Quick and Fair’ Appeal for Jailed US Journalist
The head of Iran’s judiciary has ordered a "quick" and "fair" appeal for jailed Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi.
A judiciary statement Monday said that Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahrudi issued the decree to Tehran’s court system two days after Saberi was sentenced to eight years in prison.
Sunday Iran’s president called on the judiciary to ensure that the journalist will be allowed a full defense during the appeal process.
Iranian state media say President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent a letter to Tehran’s chief prosecutor instructing him to guarantee that Saberi will be able to defend herself to the full extent of the law.
Mr. Ahmadinejad made the request amid mounting international criticism of a one-day trial of Saberi on charges of espionage. The trial was held Saturday behind closed doors.
U.S. President Barack Obama expressed grave concern about Saberi’s safety and well being. He said Sunday that Washington is working to make sure she is properly treated.
Saberi’s case comes at a time when Mr. Obama is seeking a dialogue with Iran to ease decades of mistrust between the two countries.
President Ahmadinejad’s letter also called for full legal rights to be granted to detained Iranian-Canadian blogger Hossein Derakhshan. Derakhshan was detained in Iran last November on charges of insulting religious figures. He is known as the "father" of the Iranian blogging revolution for posting instructions on how to create online journals.
Saberi worked as a freelance journalist in Iran for several U.S. and British news outlets. She was arrested in late January for allegedly working in the country without valid press credentials. Her father says she was tricked into making incriminating statements by Iranian officials who told her that doing so would enable her release.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
A judiciary statement Monday said that Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahrudi issued the decree to Tehran’s court system two days after Saberi was sentenced to eight years in prison.
Sunday Iran’s president called on the judiciary to ensure that the journalist will be allowed a full defense during the appeal process.
Iranian state media say President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sent a letter to Tehran’s chief prosecutor instructing him to guarantee that Saberi will be able to defend herself to the full extent of the law.
Mr. Ahmadinejad made the request amid mounting international criticism of a one-day trial of Saberi on charges of espionage. The trial was held Saturday behind closed doors.
U.S. President Barack Obama expressed grave concern about Saberi’s safety and well being. He said Sunday that Washington is working to make sure she is properly treated.
Saberi’s case comes at a time when Mr. Obama is seeking a dialogue with Iran to ease decades of mistrust between the two countries.
President Ahmadinejad’s letter also called for full legal rights to be granted to detained Iranian-Canadian blogger Hossein Derakhshan. Derakhshan was detained in Iran last November on charges of insulting religious figures. He is known as the "father" of the Iranian blogging revolution for posting instructions on how to create online journals.
Saberi worked as a freelance journalist in Iran for several U.S. and British news outlets. She was arrested in late January for allegedly working in the country without valid press credentials. Her father says she was tricked into making incriminating statements by Iranian officials who told her that doing so would enable her release.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Assembly Committee to Vote on KORUS FTA Motion Wednesday
A governing Grand National Party (GNP) floor leader said Monday that the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Trade Committee would vote on a motion to forward a free trade pact signed with the U.S. government to the full Assembly for ratification.
GNP lawmakers are going to vote on the motion, April 22, as agreed upon by negotiators of the ruling and opposition parties in January,’’ said floor leader Rep. Hong Joon-pyo during a meeting of the party’s Supreme Council.
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) will not participate in the vote as its members oppose ratification before the U.S. government makes clear its posture. The minor opposition Liberty Forward Party also opposes ratification.
Negotiators of the GNP and the DP reached an agreement on voting on the motion during inter-party talks in January after U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration took office.
Obama called the KORUS FTA ``badly flawed’’ during the U.S. presidential campaign.
According to the presidential office, President Lee Myung-bak and Obama reached a consensus on the need for cooperation to move the trade pact forward during the G20 financial summit. But Obama has not elaborated if that means his genuine support for the trade pact without modification.
The GNP contends that the Korean legislature’s approval would play a role in pressing the U.S. Congress to ratify the agreement.
But the DP expressed skepticism, saying Korea’s ratification of the motion would not have a profound effect on ratification by the U.S. side.
The GNP has 17 members in the 29-member committee, enough to pass the motion on its own.
If approved, the motion will be submitted to a plenary session where a final vote will take place. The GNP has 170 seats in the 299-member legislature, while the DP has 83.
GNP lawmakers are going to vote on the motion, April 22, as agreed upon by negotiators of the ruling and opposition parties in January,’’ said floor leader Rep. Hong Joon-pyo during a meeting of the party’s Supreme Council.
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) will not participate in the vote as its members oppose ratification before the U.S. government makes clear its posture. The minor opposition Liberty Forward Party also opposes ratification.
Negotiators of the GNP and the DP reached an agreement on voting on the motion during inter-party talks in January after U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration took office.
Obama called the KORUS FTA ``badly flawed’’ during the U.S. presidential campaign.
According to the presidential office, President Lee Myung-bak and Obama reached a consensus on the need for cooperation to move the trade pact forward during the G20 financial summit. But Obama has not elaborated if that means his genuine support for the trade pact without modification.
The GNP contends that the Korean legislature’s approval would play a role in pressing the U.S. Congress to ratify the agreement.
But the DP expressed skepticism, saying Korea’s ratification of the motion would not have a profound effect on ratification by the U.S. side.
The GNP has 17 members in the 29-member committee, enough to pass the motion on its own.
If approved, the motion will be submitted to a plenary session where a final vote will take place. The GNP has 170 seats in the 299-member legislature, while the DP has 83.
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