UK crew member in hospital after Mexico flight
(updates with details)
By Avril Ormsby
LONDON, April 25 (Reuters) - A British Airways cabin crew member was taken to a London hospital as a precaution after developing flu-like symptoms on a flight from Mexico City, the airline said on Saturday.
It was the first such reported precautionary measure in Britain since the emergence of a new flu strain that has killed up to 68 people in Mexico. It has also infected at least 11 people in the United States. The man has undergone tests, but the results are not expected back until at least Sunday. No other crew members or passengers on the BA242 flight into Heathrow airport were detained.
"He has flu-like symptoms and is responding well to treatment," a hospital spokesman said in a statement.
"The patient was admitted directly to a side room and the hospital is scrupulously following infection control procedures to ensure there is no risk to any other individual in the hospital."
A Health Protection Agency (HPA) spokesman said in a statement: "We are aware of a patient admitted to a London hospital with reported travel history to Mexico.
"As a precautionary measure the patient is being tested for a range of respiratory and other illnesses in line with UK health guidance.
"At present there have been no confirmed cases of human swine flu in the UK or anywhere in Europe."
The new flu strain -- a mixture of swine, human and avian flu viruses -- is still poorly understood and the situation is evolving quickly, the World Health Organisation said.
The HPA said it was working with the British government to review the situation in Mexico and any threat it may pose to public health in Britain.
"There is currently a very low level of flu activity in the UK," it said on its Web site.
"The HPA and the NHS (National Health Service) have systems in place, which will alert public health authorities of any unusual strain circulating in the UK."
There was currently no travel restrictions on those planning to visit the affected areas of Mexico or the United States, it said.
(Reporting by Avril Ormsby; Editing by Ralph Boulton and Maggie Fox)
By Avril Ormsby
LONDON, April 25 (Reuters) - A British Airways cabin crew member was taken to a London hospital as a precaution after developing flu-like symptoms on a flight from Mexico City, the airline said on Saturday.
It was the first such reported precautionary measure in Britain since the emergence of a new flu strain that has killed up to 68 people in Mexico. It has also infected at least 11 people in the United States. The man has undergone tests, but the results are not expected back until at least Sunday. No other crew members or passengers on the BA242 flight into Heathrow airport were detained.
"He has flu-like symptoms and is responding well to treatment," a hospital spokesman said in a statement.
"The patient was admitted directly to a side room and the hospital is scrupulously following infection control procedures to ensure there is no risk to any other individual in the hospital."
A Health Protection Agency (HPA) spokesman said in a statement: "We are aware of a patient admitted to a London hospital with reported travel history to Mexico.
"As a precautionary measure the patient is being tested for a range of respiratory and other illnesses in line with UK health guidance.
"At present there have been no confirmed cases of human swine flu in the UK or anywhere in Europe."
The new flu strain -- a mixture of swine, human and avian flu viruses -- is still poorly understood and the situation is evolving quickly, the World Health Organisation said.
The HPA said it was working with the British government to review the situation in Mexico and any threat it may pose to public health in Britain.
"There is currently a very low level of flu activity in the UK," it said on its Web site.
"The HPA and the NHS (National Health Service) have systems in place, which will alert public health authorities of any unusual strain circulating in the UK."
There was currently no travel restrictions on those planning to visit the affected areas of Mexico or the United States, it said.
(Reporting by Avril Ormsby; Editing by Ralph Boulton and Maggie Fox)
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