Japan Tests Four-Month-Old US Baby For Swine Flu

Officials said that a four-month-old US baby girl was undergoing tests for swine flu in Japan, the country's latest suspected case of the virus.

The baby had tested positive for type-A flu strain in a preliminary examination shortly after she arrived at Tokyo's US Yokota Air Base from the United States with her family on Friday, the foreign ministry said.

Cybercriminals Take Advantage of Swine Flu Buzz, Sell Fake Drugs
Cybercriminals are taking advantage of the swine flu buzz to sell counterfeit drugs and steal credit card details, Internet security experts have warned.

Samples from the baby were sent to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Tokyo, and "they are now under examination to judge if they are the new flu virus," said foreign ministry official Toshiyuki Maeda.

It was not known when the results would be ready.

The baby, being treated in an isolated bedroom at the base, still has a temperature but other passengers, including her mother, had tested negative, officials and news reports said.

Airline Passengers Screened For Swine Flu Across India
Over 17,000 airline passengers have been screened at various airports around the country for swine flu in the wake of the Indian Government ordering a health screening of all passengers.

The plane, chartered by the US military, was en route from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, with 260 to 270 military personnel and others aboard, Kyodo News reported.

The US side would also examine samples and it was expected to take five to eight days before the results were available, Kyodo said, quoting US military officials.

Personal Hygiene Can Help Ward Off Swine Flu: Indian Experts
Doctors representing various professional organisations and systems of medicine on Friday spelt out the preparedness to deal with the outbreak of the H1N1 virus.

No confirmed cases of the new A(H1N1) flu virus have yet been reported in Japan.

On Friday, Japan reacted with relief to news that the country's first suspected case of swine flu, a 17-year-old high school student who recently visited Canada, had tested negative.

The alerts have come as Japan starts one of the busiest travel periods of the year, the "Golden Week" of public holidays when tens of millions of people crowd trains and airports to visit family and friends.

Source-AFP
ARU