Suspected swine flu cases double in Belize

So far, there have been confirmed cases in 12 countries – Mexico, the United States, Austria, Canada, Costa Rica, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Israel, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Twelve deaths have been confirmed in Mexico, where

BELMOPAN, Belize, May 1, 2009 – The number of suspected cases of the swine flu, which the World Health Organisation (WHO) is now referring to simply as the influenza A (H1N1), has more than doubled in Belize in the past two days.

Health authorities there say that there are now nine cases, up from the four announced on Wednesday, in the country that shares a border with Mexico, the epicentre of the virus.

“They are under investigation. We need to be extremely careful when we say that. We would like the media to understand that we have the heightened surveillance and when we find that something is fitting the bill we will take off a sample and send it to CAREC (the Caribbean Epidemiological Centre),” said the country’s Director for the Central Health Region, Dr Paul Edwards.

Along with Belize, Barbados, Bahamas and Grenada have reported suspected cases of swine flu.

In its latest update issued yesterday, CAREC’s website indicated that while specimens are being received from possible suspected cases, “thus far all tests have been negative for influenza”.

But CAREC cannot currently test for swine flu and only carries out preliminary tests before sending samples off to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“We are taking about a type A influenza. We are aware that there are different types of influenza: A, B and C. So they will screen initially for a type A. After that is confirmed now, they will screen for the seasonal influenza. Two results from there: it can be positive for that, that’s a testing of exclusion, positive for that, that is fine. If it is negative then that sample will be sent to CDC. Right now, only CDC and a laboratory in Canada have the capability to do two specific tests,” Dr Edwards explained.

In Barbados, Chief Medical Officer Dr Joy St John explained that CAREC had been making efforts to get hold of those confirmatory tests. In the meantime, they are passing on specimens to the CDC which, she said, has promised to return the test results within one day of receiving them.

So far, there have been confirmed cases in 12 countries – Mexico, the United States, Austria, Canada, Costa Rica, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Israel, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Twelve deaths have been confirmed in Mexico, where the virus is suspected of causing 168 deaths, while the other was recorded in the US.

Mexico has started a five-day shutdown of parts of its economy in a bid to slow the spread of the virus. Non-essential government services will stop, while businesses like cinemas and restaurants will be shut and traditional May Day rallies have been cancelled.