Sunday, May 24, 2009

2nd case of swine flu found in the Philippines

In the Philippines, a 50-year-old woman from Chicago tested positive for the virus over the weekend, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III told a news conference. She arrived from the United States Wednesday and went to a hospital the next day, complaining of a headache and mild fever.

It was not clear from Duque's comments whether the woman was a Filipino or a naturalized American.

The woman was treated with the antiviral drug Tamiflu and was rapidly recovering in a hospital, he said. Eleven relatives, whom she visited in the Philippines, have been advised to stay at home for 10 days to see if they develop flu symptoms.

All those she came in contact with during her flight to Manila were being traced, he said.

"We're stepping up our preparedness. We have been working around the clock," said Duque, who arrived Sunday from Geneva where he attended a World Health Organization meeting on ways to contain the spread of swine flu.

The World Health Organization says over 12,000 cases of swine flu and 86 deaths have been reported in 42 countries. More than half of those cases have been reported in the United States, while most of the deaths occurred in Mexico. The virus was first detected last month.


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