UK is in the limelight right now with the current global fight against the spread of the Influenza A (H1N1) virus, formerly known as swine flu. Experts have noticed that the country’s anti-flu tactics are far from commendable. Authorities even suspect that the country ‘may be hiding a much larger outbreak.’ Rumors have it that the UK’s ‘caseload is far higher than officials are admitting.’ Experts said that the UK’s ‘attempt to squash swine flu might also be masking the true size of the outbreak.’
The suspicion stems from the aggressive strategy of the British government to ‘snuff out the virus before it spreads’ by administering suspected flu cases and their contacts with the anti-flu medication Tamiflu. Experts see this as wastage of valuable medicine. “Containment using Tamiflu is a flawed concept,” said Michael Osterholm, a flu expert at the University of Minnesota. “It’s like trying to maintain the integrity of your submarine with screen doors.” The ‘swine flu virus travels too fast to stop it with Tamiflu.’ Similar containment efforts were attempted in the U.S, Canada, and Japan. These countries, however, abandoned the outbreak containment tactic.
UK has the largest number of confirmed swine flu cases in Europe. The spread of the virus in the country is also the informal gauge of the World Health Organization (WHO) in its decision to raise its flu alert to the highest level as a global epidemic. The situation in the UK is said to be able to influence the WHO decision.
According to the latest WHO update on the state of Influenza A (H1N1) virus spread as of 29 May 2009, 53 countries have officially reported 15,510 cases of infection, including 99 deaths.
Via Yahoo! News
