Bangladeshi dies of Swine Flu in Mexico

A Bangladeshi national was one of eight foreign national who died of swine flu in Mexico, Health Minister A F M Ruhul Haque said yesterday quoting an AFP journalist.
“I heard the news (of death of a Bangladeshi) from an AFP journalist,” the Minister told newsmen.
Mexico’s National Epidemiological Center on Wednesday confirmed that the only foreign national among the dead was a Bangladeshi man who had been in the country just six months working as a street vendor, AFP reported.
Mexican health officials suspect that the swine flu outbreak has caused more than 159 deaths and roughly 2,500 illnesses.
The World Health Organisation says at least 105 cases have been confirmed worldwide, including 64 in the United States; 26 in Mexico; six in Canada; three in New Zealand; and two each in Spain, the United Kingdom and Israel. WHO has confirmed deaths only in Mexico, where seven people have died from swine flu.
The swine flu outbreak could be especially dangerous for millions of people already battling other infections, such as HIV or tuberculosis, health experts said.
Ruhul Haque told AFP news agency that Bangladeshi officials were working closely with the World Health Organization (WHO) as officials in Mexico work to pin down the origin of the H1N1 swine flu.
“We are trying to confirm it with the WHO and other sources. We’re monitoring this very seriously and preparing ourselves to tackle this all the way,” Haque said, adding Bangladesh had a good stock of flu medicine.
The minister said Bangladesh was prepared for a possible swine flu outbreak because of its experience with the H5N1 bird flu virus in February 2007 when more than one million birds were slaughtered.
The WHO has raised its flu alert to phase five out of six, signalling that a pandemic is “imminent” following the swine flu outbreak.
Miguel Angel Lezana, director of Mexico’s National Epidemiological Center, said the background of the Bangladeshi man who died was being looked at for clues as to the path of the virus.
“A short time before becoming ill, he met one of his brothers who had come from Bangladesh or Pakistan — we haven’t confirmed which yet — and who spent a few days here before leaving the country,” Lezana said.
He was not able to say when that occurred, but added a search had been mounted for the brother who was suspected of being sick.
Prof Mahmudur Rahman, the Bangladesh government spokesman for swine flu issues, did not agree, however.
Rahman, also director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research said swine flu virus is not there in Bangladesh.
Bangladeshi national may die abroad but that does not mean he carried the virus from Bangladesh, he added.
“We know what are the virus circulating in this country,” Rahman said.
Mexican president Felipe Calderon has ordered government offices and private businesses not crucial to the economy to stop work to avoid further infections from the new virus that is now spreading around the world.
Mexican health authorities have dispatched portable clinics, known as Health Caravans, around Mexico City to offer medical advice on swine flu.
The flu has spread to countries as far afield as New Zealand and Spain and the World Health Organisation has raised the alert to level five – a strong signal a pandemic is imminent.
Meanwhile in Egypt, the government plans to cull its pig population, amid swine flu pandemic fears. Pig farmers are to be compensated following the cull.

Courtesy of The New Nation