Cathay Pacific Asia Miles - H1N1 cases: On CX flights/destinations etc

Link (in Chinese)

http://www.881903.com/page/zh-tw/newsdetail.aspx?ItemId=120542

Well, over at South China Morning Post, it's more like suspected case rather then confirmed. So better wait this one out.



Another suspected swine flu case reported in HK

2:30pm Another suspected case of swine flu has been detected in Hong Kong, Health Secretary York Chow Yat-ngok said on Wednesday.


Cheers,
Joe

Here you go, confirmed case:

http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/news.htm?hightlight&20090513&56&581307

HK confirms second swine flu case

13-05-2009


Hong Kong has confirmed its second case of swine flu. Health officials said the patient was a local man who returned from the United States on Monday evening. The 24-year-old student is being held in isolation in hospital. The mainland has also reported a second confirmed case of the disease involving a man in Shandong province who had just travelled back from Canada. The controller of the Centre for Health Protection in Hong Kong, Thomas Tsang, said that a further six people who sat near the man on his flight from San Francisco were also being held in quarantine, along with the man's family members who met him at the airport. A further 45 people who sat near him on his journey had already left Hong Kong. The positive test comes almost two weeks after the first confirmed case of the virus, a Mexican man, arrived in the city. He was held in quarantine for seven days, and around 350 guests and staff at the hotel where he briefly stayed were also detained. The latest case was discovered after the man approached health officials at the airport after arriving on a Cathay Pacific flight. "He consulted a clinic at the airport and was taken to hospital. This patient did not enter the city," said Mr Tsang. The man is in a stable condition

hope this does not happen again when I am taking it later

Seems not much people listen to the HK Govt's advice to those sick student not to come back earlier .... sick people on plane cause the most trouble in terms of quaratine I guess ....

I hope this won't affect my favorite airline:(Way to go CX:D Keep it up!!

Be aware that if you were on that plane (or happen to have been in the same building as anyone subsequently found to have this flu) then the HK Government has declared that it will require you to take medication (Tamiflu), whether you want to or not.

This is not the act of a civilised society, so you may wish to reconsider your plans to get on any plane to HK.

This is not the act of a civilised society, so you may wish to reconsider your plans to get on any plane to HK.
Well HK got pretty burnt in SARS so the overreaction may be ridiculous, but understandable. I will be on a CX flight from ICN in mid-June, although my wife will be arriving the same evening on a NW flight after connecting in NRT. Is there scrutiny of all planes coming into HK or just the ones directly from the US?

No - SARS did not kill any otherwise healthy people in Hong Kong. It finished off a couple of hundred people who were chronically ill, and that was just normal - the number of pneumonia deaths in 2003 was not significantly different from that in any other year (about 3000 / year); the only difference in those chronically ill patients was that the pneumonia they died of had a different label. SARS was just 6% of pneumonia deaths in HK in that year and the total of all pneumonias was within the normal range.

There were about 50-60 otherwise healthy people who, at the public admission of the head of microbiology at HK Uni (very eminent in this field), were killed by the panicked "treatment" (Source: South China Morning Post, 9 May 2003). There were several hundred more who were crippled for life by the "treatment", many of whom did not even test positive for SARS. The HK Government has so far given HK$150M to these people, in part as "hush money".

The funadamental problem in HK (in fact in Greater China generally) is that its response to an unknown respiratory virus is "medicate fast and medicate hard" whereas in many other environments the response is "fresh air, exercise, eat healthy". The latter approach tends to have far fewer unfortunate consequences such as the manslaughter of those otherwise healthy people during the time of SARS.

Regrettably, the establishment does not seem to be learning from its mistakes, and the proposal now to forcibly medicate anyone who happens to have been in proximity to someone with a touch of the flu sounds like the same thing all over again. Tamiflu has been blamed for a number of deaths in Japan (another "medicate hard, medicate often" society) and elsewhere, and in any case the incidence of minor side effects (nausea, abdominal pains, etc) is not much different from the relatively minor benefits (shortening symptoms by a few hours on average), so the net benefit is close to zero.

Is there scrutiny of all planes coming into HK or just the ones directly from the US?All planes. The screening stations are in the concourse just prior to immigration.

No - SARS did not kill any otherwise healthy people in Hong Kong. It finished off a couple of hundred people who were chronically ill, and that was just normal...

I will dispute that. Take Amoy Gardens. 42 people died in that complex, including I believe 22 from Block E.

Or how about the health-care workers that died from SARS. I don't have the exact toll, but I know at least 8 in Hong Kong alone.

I will dispute that. Take Amoy Gardens. 42 people died in that complex, including I believe 22 from Block E.

Or how about the health-care workers that died from SARS. I don't have the exact toll, but I know at least 8 in Hong Kong alone.Please take the time to read again what I wrote. I'm not disputing that people died, I am simply reminding people (who may not have been aware) of why they died.

The health workers (and any young, healthy people from Amoy Gardens, although frankly I don't think there were many in that category) were killed by the treatment. That's not my opinion, it is the opinion of Professor KY Yuen, Head of Microbiology at HKU and one of HK's leading "experts" in the field. From the SCMP of 9 May 2003:He {Professor Yuen} said most Sars patients died because of the serious side-effects of the steroids. High doses of steroids suppress patients’ immunity, making them more susceptible to infection by other bacteria.

Here's some analysis I did at the time, including a lot more data and links to the sources: http://smogsblog.wordpress.com/2003/06/23/some-statistics-relative-risk-analysis-on-sars/

And go here for some analysis of the drug that you you be forced to take if you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time in Hong Kong: http://smogsblog.wordpress.com/2008/03/10/yet-more-tamiflu-hype-from-the-hk-medical-establishment/

Oh dear, i hope there wont be any cases on my flight soon to come less than 10 days :(

Oh dear, i hope there wont be any cases on my flight soon to come less than 10 days :(

What does this discussion have to do with Cathay Pacific? Why not swine flu on Mexicana, American Airlines, Singapore Airlines etc.?

Oh dear, i hope there wont be any cases on my flight soon to come less than 10 days :(

No offence son, but if you are travelling in what is essentially a sealed tube with people in close contact and some re-circulation of air, then it tends to not help. If you have to, travel, if you are really worried, then re-assess. At present, cases from planes are a small percentage of actual flights, but anything is possible.

Wrong post

Thats right Dad.

OT, but that one actually made me LOL. :D


Cheers

What does this discussion have to do with Cathay Pacific? Why not swine flu on Mexicana, American Airlines, Singapore Airlines etc.?

Maybe because the most recent case happened on Cathay Pacific

The guy flew on CX831 on 5/15 and sat on row 60. Passengers on row 57-63 should contact the HK health department via 2125 1111

What does everyone think of the practice of the cabin crew wearing facemasks? I've had 4 CX flights in the last 2 weeks and on 2 of them the entire cabin crew were wearing masks, on one no-one was and on the other there was a bit of a mix. IMO - and I admit it's a pretty small sample - the service level where the crew wear masks is noticably worse. In most cases, I couldn't hear what they were saying to me and I just felt it put a big barrier between the crew and their fare-paying customers. I wouldn't mind so much but the scientific evidence is that facemasks make zero difference to the transmission of this virus.

One of my relatives was on a Cathay SYD - HKG flight on Friday and the entire crew was wearing protective gloves and facemasks. The above mentioned relative is a health care professional so I think this could be a fairly accurate description.

What does everyone think of the practice of the cabin crew wearing facemasks? I've had 4 CX flights in the last 2 weeks and on 2 of them the entire cabin crew were wearing masks, on one no-one was and on the other there was a bit of a mix. IMO - and I admit it's a pretty small sample - the service level where the crew wear masks is noticably worse. In most cases, I couldn't hear what they were saying to me and I just felt it put a big barrier between the crew and their fare-paying customers. I wouldn't mind so much but the scientific evidence is that facemasks make zero difference to the transmission of this virus.

This is also a way to protect the customers too. If the crew member is carrying a virus, she might accidentally spread it through her saliva when she talks to the passengers.

We cannot start a new thread whenever there is a new case of H1N1 flu. So I'll be merging this into the existing re-titled thread.

Please post here only when infected persons travelled on CX.

Thank you

Guy Betsy
Cathay Pacific Asiamiles forum moderator

This is also a way to protect the customers too. If the crew member is carrying a virus, she might accidentally spread it through her saliva when she talks to the passengers.

if the crew member is carrying a virus he/she should be at home recovering not risking spreading it to passengers or other crew, and to my original point the scientific evidence is that face masks are at best a placebo - they do not prevent transmission of the virus either in or out

if the crew member is carrying a virus he/she should be at home recovering not risking spreading it to passengers or other crew, and to my original point the scientific evidence is that face masks are at best a placebo - they do not prevent transmission of the virus either in or out

They might not know they are carrying the virus until a few days later. There could be no symptoms at all. I don't know about transmission of the virus "in" but wearing a face mask definitely helps preventing transmitting the virus out. It just like covering your mouth when you sneeze and cough.

The guy flew on CX831 on 5/15 and sat on row 60. Passengers on row 57-63 should contact the HK health department via 2125 1111Or not, depending on whether you believe in freedom or authoritarianism. And not only would you be quarantined, you would be subjected to forced medication - a step down the road towards the likes of Mengele and Unit 731.

I wouldn't mind so much but the scientific evidence is that facemasks make zero difference to the transmission of this virus.I actually haven't seen research results similar to this, saying that facemasks make zero difference in the transmission of this virus (or any other flu)...care to share ?

I think right now the choice is up to the FA or maybe the ISM. I think a couple of weeks ago when it first started, CX didn't allow their FAs to wear it at all. but then the union complained strongly and so CX eventually let their FAs to decide individually. afterall, if any of the FAs eventually catches this virus while working inflight (no matter what probability level this might be), I think CX doesn't want to take the potential legal risk...

.....

haha , im just a kid ( 14 years old ) :p:p:p

Honestly, I'd figured.. :cool:

Honestly, I'd figured.. :cool:

hahaha
hehehe
hohoho
:D:p;):)

I'll tell you what we learn in medical school. I'm about to enter my 4th year here at a research medical school in the US. Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) or Zanamivir (Relenza) are the drugs of choice that the CDC and WHO recommend to treat cases of A:H1N1 Flu. What I've learned about that drug though, and pretty much any anti-viral, is that unlike antibiotics (which work only against bacteria), anti-virals rarely cure anything. If given within 48 hours of influenza symptom onset, you might shorten the duration of the illness by 1-2 days. That in itself though may swing the battle with the virus in the infected person's favor and lead to recovery. Overall treatment though, is still supportive. As always, if you use an anti-microbial drug, you have to worry about resistance. With the way the influenza virus rapidly mutates, overuse of the drug will most likely lead to new resistance.

As for facemasks, it's pretty much like covering your mouth when you sneeze. Little bits will still get through, but not as much. If you really want to optimize, you should wear the N95 respirator masks. It's what the CDC recommends us to wear when going into a room of someone with TB and now H1N1. Those are expensive though.

According to the news I read, the guy had flu symptoms before he got on the plane. IMHO, he is just a selfish *******. He should see a doctor first. Now thanks to his selfishness, 60 something people have to be quarantined for 7 days:mad:

I actually haven't seen research results similar to this, saying that facemasks make zero difference in the transmission of this virus (or any other flu)...care to share ?

There's loads of stuff that I've read on-line via many news and government sources. I read an interview with the UK's CMO who said they were not effective and I've seen other bits of research saying pretty much the same. As G-man82 says the N95 respirator masks do seem to offer protection but as I understand it they have to be fitted tight to the face and they are expensive. The things that most people wear on the streets here are not those and thus offer no more protection than covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze.

According to the news I read, the guy had flu symptoms before he got on the plane. IMHO, he is just a selfish *******. He should see a doctor first. Now thanks to his selfishness, 60 something people have to be quarantined for 7 days:mad:

Well three things broke down here...

1) The guy decided to board the plane even though he was sick.
2) There is no exit body temperature check at the departing airport to stop passengers with a fever from boarding a plane.
3) Perhaps the guy thought of not boarding but as a student he probably bought a very cheap ticket which wouldn't allow him to change date ? Perhaps he didn't think of contacting CX to ask to have date changed ? Perhaps he did and CX refused ? Maybe airlines should be more flexible about changing dates now given the circumstances, and actually advertise this, to avoid 2) from happening.

I am typing this at home in TPE, I flew back on 17th instead of 18th so I shouldn't be nervous about the situation, but i am just interested in what's the news update in HKG regarding this case?

In Taiwan, they announced this as "520 news" today and has been on every single TV channel every hour. I understand why taiwanese are so nervous, but I am just wondering if the crew on CX831 or CX468 had spot any symptoms of the passenger. Probably the best solution is check temperature before boarding or allow sick passenger's ticket become "flexible"? And why it takes so long for TPE Health department to decide to announce that after 2 days? Are they chasing all of the affected?

Any comments? Thank you all for sharing :)

"Cathay Pacific Airways was notified by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Taiwan today (Wednesday, 20 May) that a non-Chinese male passenger on CX831 from New York to Hong Kong (17 May departure) with a connecting flight on CX468 from Hong Kong to Taipei (18 May departure) has since tested positive for Influenza A (H1N1).

CX831 arrived at Hong Kong International Airport at 6:40 pm on 18 May while CX468 arrived at Taoyuan International Airport in Taipei at 9:30 pm the same day.

The passenger was seated in seat 41H in the Economy Class cabin on CX831. There were 57 passengers in the same cabin zone, i.e. the same row and the three rows in front and three rows behind him. Twenty-eight of these 57 passengers ended their journey in Hong Kong while the remaining 29 have since left for other destinations including Manila (8), Cebu (2), Taipei (5), Hangzhou (1), Dhaka (9), Delhi (1), Guangzhou (2) and Kaohsiung (1).

On flight CX468, the passenger concerned was seated in 62K. There were 61 passengers in the same cabin zone, all of whom ended their journey in Taipei.

Of all the 300 passengers on CX831, 20 of them took connecting flights to Taipei, including 18 on CX468 and two on CX464."

Full Press at
http://www.cathaypacific.com/cpa/en_TW/aboutus/pressroomdetails?refID=ade6a2420bc51210VgnVCM62000 007d21c39____

There's the 4th confirmed case in Hong Kong. The 19 year old girl sat in row 43 on CX831 on May 18. while the confirmed case in Taiwan sat in row 41 on the same flight!

this is getting worse, hope people will be more considerate whe boarding the plane. If they know they are sick, change flight or at least use some protective measure to prevent it to spread around.

Not just in a plane mind you, anywhere....

People should be considerate... but at the same time if you are just getting a sniffle or two, you wouldn't think twice about it....

You'd think that you just HAVE to take that flight, you have important things to do, you have deadlines...

Its the same situation... people think about everything except their health. Or others. I go to college to take seminars sometimes in England, and I can tell you that people still come to lectures sniffing, coughing, hacking cough etc. Even with the massive Vitamin Cs I take at these seminars, I still end up with a slight cold by the end of the week. I wish these colleges will just ban these people from coming!

So unless CX or any airline can insist on preventing someone from boarding, there isn't much anyone can do about it.

Not just in a plane mind you, anywhere....

People should be considerate... but at the same time if you are just getting a sniffle or two, you wouldn't think twice about it....

You'd think that you just HAVE to take that flight, you have important things to do, you have deadlines...

Its the same situation... people think about everything except their health. Or others. I go to college to take seminars sometimes in England, and I can tell you that people still come to lectures sniffing, coughing, hacking cough etc. Even with the massive Vitamin Cs I take at these seminars, I still end up with a slight cold by the end of the week. I wish these colleges will just ban these people from coming!

So unless CX or any airline can insist on preventing someone from boarding, there isn't much anyone can do about it.

doubt airlines would do anything about it, since the economy is bad already, they cannot afford to lose more pax
secondly, if they insist on that, they may break the law of discrimination (if there is one for being sick)

secondly, if they insist on that, they may break the law of discrimination (if there is one for being sick)

I doubt if there is such a law. In fact, people with certain sickness, e.g. XDR-TB, are not supposed to fly anyway.

The strategy of the HK authorities is becoming clearer now according to reports in today's SCMP. They have finally realised that this virus will become widespread throughout the population, and that it's just a matter of when - their strategy is to try to keep it under control until the school summer holidays begin and then let it rip at a time when it will be less disruptive.

Which does seem to me to be about the first sensible thing I have heard from the HK authorities on this.

They are still trying to force people to take medication though, which in my opinion is a Very Bad Thing indeed.

Two more today. A 20 year old girl sitting at 31K on CX831 and a 53 year old man on UA869 at 50H. Good that both passengers wear mask during the entire flight. At least this helps a little bit

The confirmed case is a 21 month old baby girl. She took CX841 (JFK-HKG) and arrived HKG on May 19. Then connected to KA662 to mainland China.

Update: Sorry case not confirmed yet. Initial testing is positive though

oh, is this CX841/KA662 case indeed confirmed already now too ? I thought it was just a suspected case at least as of a couple of hours ago...

oh, is this CX841/KA662 case indeed confirmed already now too ? I thought it was just a suspected case at least as of a couple of hours ago...

Oosp my bad. Looks like it's not confirmed yet but initial testing is positive :p

What I don't understand, is that there are so many flights in and out of HK. But I kept hearing the sick people are from CXflights, mostly from US. It's just strange to me. Even though there are more CX flights in / out of HK, I didn't hear the same in other Asian countries like Singapore or Taiwan.

Can't be good for CX.

What I don't understand, is that there are so many flights in and out of HK. But I kept hearing the sick people are from CXflights, mostly from US. It's just strange to me. Even though there are more CX flights in / out of HK, I didn't hear the same in other Asian countries like Singapore or Taiwan.

Can't be good for CX.

thats because US is one of the more serious area outside of mexico, and that people who take CX around this time are mostly students who have finished their academic year and returning home for holiday, which most are from HK.

and also i think, there is a few places around who see hygene more important than in HK...

Oosp my bad. Looks like it's not confirmed yet but initial testing is positive :pit's confirmed now

Just out of curiosity, will this stop being "news" when we get to 100 cases? 1000? 10,000? When will you just accept that it's just the flu, pretty much like any other year (when flu kills many hundreds of people in Hong Kong alone)?

thats because US is one of the more serious area outside of mexico, and that people who take CX around this time are mostly students who have finished their academic year and returning home for holiday, which most are from HK.

The same would apply to other airlines.

By the way there's one case on KE today arriving HKG and a probable one on CA...I guess it's not just CX...My guess is when more students going home in the coming months we will see more of these cases reported on different airlines.

The same would apply to other airlines.

By the way there's one case on KE today arriving HKG and a probable one on CA...I guess it's not just CX...My guess is when more students going home in the coming months we will see more of these cases reported on different airlines.

Most probably

but I think CX would have the higher possibilty, since most US students would prefer to take CX rather than UA, unless CX does not fly to that destination eg. Chicago

and the case on KE, where did the pax originate from?

Most probably

but I think CX would have the higher possibilty, since most US students would prefer to take CX rather than UA, unless CX does not fly to that destination eg. Chicago

and the case on KE, where did the pax originate from?

NYC again. That passenger took KE and connect at Seoul. It's the 7th confirmed case in HK

NYC again. That passenger took KE and connect at Seoul. It's the 7th confirmed case in HK

again? So there was one before? I thought it was from San Francisco

again? So there was one before? I thought it was from San Francisco

Yes yesterday's CX case was on the SFO flight. But the one on UA was from JFK. The confirmed case on CX831 on 5/15 was also from JFK.

Yes yesterday's CX case was on the SFO flight. But the one on UA was from JFK. The confirmed case on CX831 on 5/15 was also from JFK.

UA from JFK? I thought that route does not exist anymore

I think it's the other way round, for the 2 cases yesterday - CX from JFK and UA from SFO.

I think it's the other way round, for the 2 cases yesterday - CX from JFK and UA from SFO.

Yea it should be CX831 and UA869 :p.

Just out of curiosity, will this stop being "news" when we get to 100 cases? 1000? 10,000? When will you just accept that it's just the flu, pretty much like any other year (when flu kills many hundreds of people in Hong Kong alone)?

what and deprive the general public of the opportunity to indulge in some ill-informed paranoia? :eek:

again? So there was one before? I thought it was from San Francisco

And there're TWO more on CX's JFK flight today. CX841 on May 23. The patients are a 4 year old boy and a 6 month old baby girl. It's weird that all the recent confirmed cases on CX are from JFK flights :confused:

The 10th confirmed case in HK is a 56 year old lady flying on CX873 (SFO-HKG) on May 23. Looks like this is becoming a daily CX update :(

And there're TWO more on CX's JFK flight today. CX841 on May 23. The patients are a 4 year old boy and a 6 month old baby girl. It's weird that all the recent confirmed cases on CX are from JFK flights :confused:

Local outbreak in NYC. And the local government, like the Chinese government on SARS, refuses to admit this nor do things to stop it.

Local outbreak in NYC. And the local government, like the Chinese government on SARS, refuses to admit this nor do things to stop it.

dont think any government would like to admit that they are suffering from big spread of disease, especially this may push away the investors going to NY to do business

The 10th confirmed case in HK is a 56 year old lady flying on CX873 (SFO-HKG) on May 23. Looks like this is becoming a daily CX update :(

Good news is that they are reporting loads on the flights as part of the fearmongering :D 380 pax on the SFO-HKG flight looks pretty good if accurate.

Good news is that they are reporting loads on the flights as part of the fearmongering :D 380 pax on the SFO-HKG flight looks pretty good if accurate.

Wow that's REALLY good. That's almost a FULL flight.

Good news is that they are reporting loads on the flights as part of the fearmongering :D 380 pax on the SFO-HKG flight looks pretty good if accurate.
It's the "Back to HK" season for those studying oversea.... If flight is not full CX is in even deeper trouble

Wow that's REALLY good. That's almost a FULL flight.

Indeed if there are almost 380 people onboard since there are only 379 seats in 74A.They cut one flight to LHR until June.This means that they didn't expect to have full flights at this time.Good news.Can't believe they have full J and even full F

Indeed if there are almost 380 people onboard since there are only 379 seats in 74A.They cut one flight to LHR until June.This means that they didn't expect to have full flights at this time.Good news.Can't believe they have full J and even full F

I wonder how many of those are op up :D

And there're TWO more on CX's JFK flight today. CX841 on May 23. The patients are a 4 year old boy and a 6 month old baby girl. It's weird that all the recent confirmed cases on CX are from JFK flights :confused:

Now the mom of the two kids is confirmed too :(

The 10th confirmed case in HK is a 56 year old lady flying on CX873 (SFO-HKG) on May 23. Looks like this is becoming a daily CX update :(

Yup. Press Release From Cathay. CX873 (22 May) - Cathay Pacific cooperates with health authorities on confirmed case of Influenza A (H1N1)
26 May 2009


Cathay Pacific Airways was notified by Hong Kong health authorities today (26 May) that a passenger on CX873 who arrived at Hong Kong International Airport at 6:15am HK time on Saturday 23 May from San Francisco (departure date Friday 22 May) has since tested positive for Influenza A (H1N1).



The passenger was seated in the Economy Class section in row 51. There were 56 passengers in the same cabin zone. Those passengers were seated in the same row, the three rows in front and three rows behind.



According to Cathay Pacific records, twenty-two of those ended their journey in Hong Kong while the remaining 34 were transit passengers to Cebu (10), Mumbai (6), Manila (12), Taipei (2), Jakarta (1), Fuzhou (1), Delhi (1) and Kuala Lumpur (1).



A total of 380 passengers, four cockpit crew and 16 cabin crew were on board the flight.



Cathay Pacific will comply with requests fromHong Kong health authorities to provide details of the passengers and the operation crew manifest to determine if medical follow-up is necessary.

One thing that really suprises me about all this is the amount of data CX is releasing about passenger destinations - this must be quite sensitive commercial information.

One thing that really suprises me about all this is the amount of data CX is releasing about passenger destinations - this must be quite sensitive commercial information.

it might be that they have to report it out so pax on the same flight would know whether they could have been affected or not

it might be that they have to report it out so pax on the same flight would know whether they could have been affected or not

yeah. Especially that the info is on their front page!

The 10th confirmed case in HK is a 56 year old lady flying on CX873 (SFO-HKG) on May 23. Looks like this is becoming a daily CX update :(

CX881/AA6119 Los Angeles 28/5/2009

Confirmed.
:(

THere are nearly 10,000 confirmed cases in the US and probably many tens of thousands more unreported. It's just the flu. It happens every year. Get over it and move on guys!

THere are nearly 10,000 confirmed cases in the US and probably many tens of thousands more unreported. It's just the flu. It happens every year. Get over it and move on guys!

But a flu with deaths....think thats bit more serious

But a flu with deaths....think thats bit more seriousNope - all flu causes deaths: around 250,000 in a normal year. This one is actually less fatal than normal.

Nope - all flu causes deaths: around 250,000 in a normal year. This one is actually less fatal than normal.

Indeed, the paranoia being stoked by (giving them the benefit of the doubt) well-intentioned government officials and (giving no benefit of the doubt) by sensationalist hacks in the media is ridiculous. How about some stories and concern on deaths from malaria, diarrhea and the like.

Are the similar threads on the other airline boards? Not that people get the image CX would be the only airline with swine flu cases.

Indeed, the paranoia being stoked by (giving them the benefit of the doubt) well-intentioned government officials and (giving no benefit of the doubt) by sensationalist hacks in the media is ridiculous. How about some stories and concern on deaths from malaria, diarrhea and the like.

malaria...news coming saying a new type of malaria is developing and if not taken caution early, it will lead to another big outbreak. All news these days are just so negative