UK airline cabin crew member does not have swine flu
LONDON (Reuters) - Tests on a British Airways cabin crew member taken to a London hospital suffering flu-like symptoms have shown he does not have swine flu which has killed up to 81 in Mexico, the hospital said on Sunday.
The man was taken to Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow, northwest London, on Saturday afternoon as a precautionary measure after his flight from Mexico City touched down at Heathrow.
Tests proved negative for the new type of swine flu.
A spokesman for the hospital said doctors believed the crew member could be suffering some kind of travel illness, and will remain in hospital.
Countries around the world have imposed health checks at airports as the World Health Organization warned the new flu strain, a mixture of various swine, bird and human viruses, had the potential to become a pandemic. Already several people have been infected in the United States.
The cabin crew member was the first such reported precautionary measure in Britain.
A Health Protection Agency (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.
It advised anyone who has recently traveled to the affected areas and is experiencing influenza like symptoms to stay at home to limit contact with others, and seek medical advice from a local health professional.