Health protection agency monitoring swine flu virus
No travel restrictions are in place for those wishing to visit affected parts of Mexico and the US
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Sunday, 26, Apr 2009 09:34
The UK's health protection agency has said that it is monitoring the spread of Mexican swine flu which has killed over 80 people.
Yesterday, the World Health Organisation's director general Margaret Chan warned that the disease constituted "a public health emergency of international concern" and urged countries around the world to coordinate their response to the threat.
In a statement, the watchdog said: "No cases of swine flu have been identified in the UK or anywhere in Europe."
It added: "The HPA is monitoring this situation closely and is working with the UK government to review the current incident and any threat it poses to UK public health."
The HPA stated that the NHS had systems in place to alert public health authorities of unusual strains of the virus in the UK, adding that two antiviral drugs oseltamavir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza) could help treat the illness.
No travel restrictions have been put in place on those planning to visit Mexico or the United States.
In Mexico, schools and buildings have been closed in a bid to control the spread of the virus. Authorities have confirmed that the strain of the virus affecting people in the US is identical to that in Mexico.
A total of 11 cases have been detected around the US, but no deaths have been reported.