Will global flu pandemic cost the stock-market to crash?

[soikee]

Global influenza pandemic similar to the deadly Spanish Flu is spreading out of control



11:50am UK, Sunday April 26, 2009

A deadly strain of swine flu has sparked concerns of a worldwide pandemic after suspected cases have been reported in the United States, Mexico, New Zealand and Israel.

More than 90 people have died from flu-related pneumonia in Mexico - where the virus originated.

Over 1,300 people are now thought to have contracted the virulent H1N1 swine influenza after it mutated into a form that spreads from human to human.

The disease has already spread to the United States, where 18 cases have been confirmed in Texas, California and Kansas.

A group of 100 school children from New York is also undergoing tests, where a further eight are suspected to have contracted the virus, health officials said.

Another group of 10 school children in New Zealand have tested positive for influenza after returning from Mexico, which the health minister there has said is "likely" to be the H1N1 strain.

A 26-year-old Israeli man has also been admitted to hospital after returning from a trip to Mexico with flu-like symptoms.

The UK is on alert after the global health watchdog warned countries to look out for unusual flu cases, especially among passengers returning from affected areas.

Yesterday a British Airways cabin crew member was taken to hospital with flu-like symptoms after returning from Mexico City.

But a spokesman for Northwick Park Hospital in London said tests confirmed he did not have the deadly strain.

World Health Organisation director-general Margaret Chan said the outbreak constituted a "public health emergency of international concern."

It means nations will be expected to step up reporting and surveillance of the contagious respiratory disease, which she said had "pandemic potential".

Mexico's health minister Jose Angel Cordova said all schools have been shut in Mexico City, the surrounding area and the central state of San Luis Potosi until May 6.

The UK Health Protection Agency called the outbreak unusual and called for further investigation and vigilance among all countries involved.

The Agency said those with flu-like symptoms who have recently returned from the affected areas should stay at home to limit contact with others and seek medical advice from a local health professional or NHS Direct.

But an HPA spokesman added: "No cases of swine flu have been identified in the UK or anywhere in Europe."

"The HPA and the NHS have systems in place, which will alert public health authorities of any unusual strain circulating in the UK."

Britons are not currently being advised to avoid travelling to affected areas of Mexico and the US.

The H1N1 strain of swine flu is usually only seen in pigs - but in humans can cause serious symptoms including fever and fatigue.

 

[soikee]

Australian GPs warned as swine flu spreads from Mexico


The Herald Sun
April 27, 2009

AUSTRALIA is on red alert for people with symptoms of an animal virus with the potential to become a global threat.

A human strain of swine influenza, a rare flu originating in pigs, has erupted in Mexico, killing at least 81 people and affecting another 1300.

Sunday night, New Zealand health authorities said 10 high school students could be infected and were in quarantine after returning from the Mexican capital.

Samples from the students will be tested at the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Centre at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

The World Health Organisation Sunday warned the outbreak could become pandemic.

"The current situation constitutes a public health emergency of international concern," a WHO statement said.

The Federal Department of Health and Ageing said it was monitoring the outbreaks.

Dr Rosana Capolingua, federal president of the Australian Medical Association, said the Chief Medical Officer of Australia, Professor Jim Bishop, had contacted her twice over the weekend to discuss the virus and people should not panic.

"Australian GPs will receive an email this morning warning them to contact state health authorities if they treat patients with flu-like symptoms who had recently travelled to Mexico and some parts of the US," Dr Capolingua said.

The cough, fever and headache symptoms are identical to seasonal flus.

But, unlike seasonal strains, which badly affect the elderly and people with weak immune systems, the swine flu is infecting and killing healthy young people.

 

[singveld]

fxxking mexican, after they screw up the world economic by buying property in USA that they never can afford.

they try to kill the world with pig disease, and keep quiet for months.

only now that 80 die, that they tell us the bad news, it is too late, it seem to spread around the world.

 

[dysentry]

US travel affected, airlines up lorry loh

 

[SamuelStalin]

fxxking mexican, after they screw up the world economic by buying property in USA that they never can afford.

they try to kill the world with pig disease, and keep quiet for months.

only now that 80 die, that they tell us the bad news, it is too late, it seem to spread around the world.

Muslim countries will not be affected because they don't eat pork.

 

[neilgoose]

Some reminiscience of the SARS outbreak and what it did for the stock mkt: http://www.lastdone.com/

 

[chewed]

and when that happens, you"re happy?

 

[Art Lim]

Some reminiscience of the SARS outbreak and what it did for the stock mkt: http://www.lastdone.com/

Though swine flu will have a short term negative impact on the share market, it will be a shallow one if swine flu can be contained. On the other hand, it is more virulent, then we can face SARS' scenario or even worse.

It is too early to tell, and it is not wise to jump the gun. http://deltafund.blogspot.com seeks to offer a more in-depth coverage.

 

[annexa]

Muslim countries will not be affected because they don't eat pork.

Don't tell me they don't touch ang mo girls.

 

[tima81]

Don't tell me they don't touch ang mo girls.

they rape ang mo girls

 

[Merl Haggard]

Latest death toll in Mexico from Swine flu stands at 86 and counting.

The pandemic Swine flu has spread to US, Canada, NZ, Aust, Spain, Israel and Scotland.

In NY a hundred students are infected after touring Mexico.

It's only a matter of time it'll spread to Singapore and HK.

 

[Merl Haggard]

Global influenza pandemic similar to the deadly Spanish Flu is spreading out of control



Share price of SIA plunges by more than 50c and the STI has collapsed below the 1800 level.

Property counters are also plunging and all those heroes who recently purchased properties are very worried.

 

[Merl Haggard]

BBC
27th April 2009



Governments around the world have been hurrying to contain the spread of a new swine flu virus after outbreaks were reported in Mexico, the US and Canada.

At least 103 people have died of the disease in Mexico.

The UN has warned the disease has the potential to become a pandemic, but said the world is better prepared than ever to deal with the threat.

Stocks of anti-viral medicines are being readied and travellers are being screened at some airports for symptoms.

Mexican Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova said suspected swine flu cases in his country had risen to 1,614 including 103 deaths.

The US, where 120 people are confirmed to have caught the virus, has declared a public health emergency.

There are also confirmed cases in Canada, and investigations are being carried out on suspected cases in Spain, Israel and New Zealand.

In most cases outside Mexico, people have been only mildly ill and have made a full recovery.

The World Health Organization (WHO), the UN's health agency, has said the swine flu virus could be capable of mutating into a more dangerous strain.

But officials say they need more information on the virus before deciding whether to raise the global pandemic alert phase.

The WHO is advising all countries to be vigilant for seasonally unusual flu or pneumonia-like symptoms among their populations - particularly among young healthy adults, a characteristic of past pandemics.

Only a handful of the Mexican cases have so far been laboratory-confirmed as swine flu, while in the US confirmed cases had only mild symptoms.

Health experts want to know why some people become so seriously ill, while others just develop a cold, the BBC's Imogen Foulkes reports from Switzerland.

Dr Keiji Fukuda, WHO's assistant director-general in charge of health security, said all countries were "looking at the situation seriously" but that a true picture of the extent of the virus was still emerging.

It is spread mainly through coughs and sneezes.

Officials said most of those killed so far in Mexico were young adults - rather than more vulnerable children and the elderly.

There is currently no vaccine for the new strain of flu but severe cases can be treated with antiviral medication.

It is unclear how effective currently available flu vaccines would be at offering protection against the new strain, as it is genetically distinct from other flu strains.

WHO experts will meet again in Geneva on Tuesday to discuss whether to raise the pandemic alert phase.

In the US, eighty cases have been confirmed among New York students, seven in California, two in Texas, two in Kansas and one in Ohio.

"I do fear that we will have deaths," Dr Anne Schuchat of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told reporters.

The Canadian cases were recorded at opposite ends of the country: two in British Columbia in the west, and four in the Atlantic province of Nova Scotia.

Several countries in Asia and Latin America have begun screening airport passengers for symptoms.

Suspected cases have been detected beyond Mexico, the US and Canada:

In New Zealand, two school groups that recently visited Mexico have reported illnesses - ten students from one school tested positive for Influenza A, making it "likely" they are infected with swine flu, and three in the other school were being tested.

France and Spain have both reported cases of people becoming ill after returning from Mexico and are carrying out tests.

In Israel, medics are testing a 26-year-old man who has been taken to hospital with flu-like symptoms after returning from a trip to Mexico.

Two people in Queensland, Australia, are being tested after developing flu-like symptoms on returning from Mexico.

The Brazilian authorities say one man was taken into hospital as a precaution after he became ill following a visit to Mexico.

Economic worries

With Mexico City apparently the centre of infection, many people are choosing to leave the city, the BBC's Stephen Gibbs reports.

Schools, universities and even most bars and restaurants will remain closed for several days and though Sunday church services went ahead, priests were asked to place Communion wafers in people's hands rather than on their tongues.

Some people are beginning to worry about the effects swine flu is having on their livelihoods and the Mexican economy in general, our correspondent says.

Not knowing exactly how the virus works and how it can be killed off creates a horrible uncertainty.

The World Bank is providing Mexico with more than $200m in loans to help it deal with the outbreak.

Fear of the virus is expected to lead to many tourists cancelling their holidays and Mexican exports are already beginning to be affected.

Russia has banned imports of raw pork and pork products from Mexico and the US states of California, Texas and Kansas until further notice as a precaution.

Dr Fukuda said on Sunday there was no proof that eating pork would lead to infection.

"Right now we have no evidence to suggest that people are getting exposed, or getting infected, from exposure to pork or to pigs, and so right now we have zero evidence to suspect that exposure to meat leads to infections," he said.


___________________________________________________________



1918: The Spanish flu pandemic remains the most devastating outbreak of modern times - infecting up to 40% of the world's population and killing more than 50m people, with young adults particularly badly affected


1957: Asian flu killed two million people. Caused by a human form of the virus, H2N2, combining with a mutated strain found in wild ducks. The elderly were particularly vulnerable


1968: An outbreak first detected in Hong Kong, and caused by a strain known as H3N2, killed up to one million people globally, with those over 65 most likely to die

 

[Watchman]

Later this Pig of a flu will bind with mutant HIV from Mexico !

 

[Watchman]

US travel affected, airlines up lorry loh

Let see SIA suffer for mistreating decades of flight crew, ground crew and pilots .

Even asking the Singapore's PM to mediate by intimidating !

Retribution time. Profits but never reward staff !

 

[numero uno]

Global influenza pandemic similar to the deadly Spanish Flu is spreading out of control



Share price of SIA plunges by more than 50c and the STI has collapsed below the 1800 level.

Property counters are also plunging and all those heroes who recently purchased properties are very worried.

Hooray!!! History repeats itself. just a few years ago you have 911(sept 11 , 2001), property drop but then some idiots says property would go up, then suddenly SARS struck. Same now. you have financial crises in 2008, property drop and same idiots say property would go up, then suddenly Swine Flu struck. except worse as now global recession originally would last for 3-4 year(MM said so) and now seem even world bank said might last 10 years!!!!! hooray. this is too teach all those idiots developers/ property agents for always talking c@ck and trying to talk up the markets and idiots who are stupid enough to believe them. remember SARS when property drop 40-50%. in dubai property have already drop 70%

 

[jimmyfallon]

Ouch. Which airline to short? They are already quite beaten down

 

[Art Lim]

Bloomberg reported:
...The increased threat level “signifies that we have taken a step closer” to pandemic, Fukuda (WHO's asst. director-general) said on a conference call with reporters yesterday. “It is also possible that as the situation evolves over the next few days we could move into Stage 5.”...

We only heard of swine flu over the weekend, then it is at Stage 3, Monday, it was Stage 4. Now, they are already talking possibility of Stage 5. Swine flu is already spreading globally, though outside Mexico, none are fatal YET. If it does, then the financial market reaction will be severely negative.

Nevertheless, as more New Yorkers getting the direct 'hit' (more and more
cases are reported in NY), I think that they will be nervous.
Wall Street Journal reported that BoA and Citibank will need to top up
their asset by billions after the FED stress test result. Actual amount
unknown, but S&P futures already reacted negatively.

 

[Art Lim]

World Health Organisation, WHO chief has just declared the current swine flu to be Stage 5 (1 to 6, most severe stage for pandemic) a while ago, after consulting flu experts around the world, reported by Reuters http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090429/ts_nm/us_flu

Interestingly, there are few new confirmed deaths reported and no large increase in number of swine flu cases around the world , and yet WHO raised their alert level so quickly. Either they are too kia see or there are things that they know which we are not aware off?

 

[halsey02]

Latest death toll in Mexico from Swine flu stands at 86 and counting.

The pandemic Swine flu has spread to US, Canada, NZ, Aust, Spain, Israel and Scotland.

In NY a hundred students are infected after touring Mexico.

It's only a matter of time it'll spread to Singapore and HK.

Oh dear!, we have to avoid a 'kiwi', 'man or woman from down under', spainard, a jew, a scot...ahh! yes!, a MEXICAN..who else?...then we are all alone!

On glring trait about this Swine flu for it affects fair skin, brown skin, yellow skin...and not the dark skinned? like the Indians , Bangladeshiies or the Africaans?.....other than one single Jew...the non-pork eating world!..strange isn't it?