SWINE FLU OUTBREAK TIMELINE SCHEDULE OF APRIL

April 1: US collected a nasopharyngeal swab from a ten-year-old male patient in San Diego County, later confirmed as containing the virus.

April 2: A 4-year-old boy Edgar Hernandez, was suffering from this virus, in Veracruz state, Mexico, the Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova confirmed. This community is has been protesting pollution from a large pig farm, since long.

April 6: Local health officials declare a health alert, because of a respiratory disease outbreak in the Mexican town of La Gloria in Veracruz state. Sources recorded 400 cases of people having medical treatment in the previous week in the town. About 60 percent of the town of 3,000 were affected.

April 17: CDC found that two children in adjacent counties in southern California were suffering from the illnesses caused by infection with swine flu. Both became sick in late March.

April 22: CDC confirmed three more cases of swine flu in California and two in Texas, near San Antonio.

April 23: The Oaxaca Health Department reported 16 employees at the Hospital Civil Aurelio, Valdivieso to be contracted by this respiratory disease.

April 24: Mexico’s Minister of Health confirmed 20 deaths from swine flu, but 40 other were being probed and at least 943 nationwide were sick from the suspected flu. Mexico City closed the schools, museums, libraries and state-run theaters across the capital.

April 26: In US, the number of confirmed cases, had gone to 20 in five states. Mexico reported that the suspected clinical cases were reported in 19 of the country’s 32 states. Canada confirmed six cases.

April 27: The WHO declared a pandemic alert status to Phase 4, that is man-to-man transmission of the virus has caused outbreaks in at least one country. Suspected death toll in Mexico had gone to 149. The number of confirmed cases in the U.S. reached 48 in 5 states. Spain reported its first confirmed swine flu case.

April 28: WHO confirmed the spread in four of six WHO regions. First case was confirmed in Israel, and was the third region to be affected. New Zealand declared first three confirmed cases, and was the fourth region to be affected. Canada confirmed two cases and another four in Alberta and Ontario, respectively. Spain confirmed second case in Valencia.

April 29: WHO declared its pandemic alert level from Phase 4 to Phase 5, the second highest. Nine countries officially reported 148 cases of swine influenza A. EU Foreign Relations Commissioner announced halt of all travel to Mexico and disinfection of all airports due to the global flu outbreak. Germany, confirmed its first three confirmed cases, two in Bavaria and one in Hamburg. Austria confirmed the first case. US, declared the first death caused by the swine flu, a 23-month old Mexican child hospitalized in Texas. 91 cases were confirmed worldwide till date. Spain confirmed total ten cases, including the first human-to-human intergenerational transmission. Canada confirmed 19 more cases. UK confirmed 3 more cases of swine flu, giving a total of five confirmed cases.

April 30: Netherlands confirmed its first confirmed case, a three-year-old child. He returned from Mexico to the Netherlands on April 27, 2009. The parents test negative for A(H1N1). Switzerland declared its first confirmed case. Ireland confirmed its first case. US confirmed its four cases in an outbreak at the University of Delaware; another 12 cases were “probable”. Canada confirmed, one more case in Toronto, and eight more cases in Nova Scotia, and Alberta bringing total to 28. UK confirmed a total of eight more cases.