News on East Asia

Flu viruses rode on pig imports into southern China: study

2011-05-25T10:30:19Z

HONG KONG (Reuters) - China may have unwittingly introduced swine flu viruses when it imported pigs from Europe and North America for breeding over the past few decades, researchers said.

Three virus families are endemic in pigs in south...

WHO Stays the Course as Japan Grapples With Swine Flu

2010-11-29T14:48:05Z

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Latest Swine Flu News: Cases in Hong Kong & South Korea: Yahoo!

2010-11-03T09:35:31Z

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SCMP Issues & Implications: August 21, 2009

2010-11-03T09:35:31Z

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SCMP Issues & Implications: June 18, 2009

2010-11-02T22:08:59Z

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Preventing and Treating the Swine Flu

2010-11-02T21:28:55Z

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SCMP Issues & Implications: May 14-15, 2009

2010-11-02T22:08:59Z

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SCMP Issues & Implications: July 11-12, 2009

2010-11-02T23:56:45Z

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SCMP Issues & Implications: May 4, 2009

2010-11-02T22:09:17Z

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H1N1 Rocks Japan, But WHO Says It's Still No Pandemic

2010-11-02T14:03:36Z

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SARS Sleuth Tracks Swine Flu, Attacks WHO

2010-11-02T14:02:56Z

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China issues swine flu travel warning for Lunar New Year

2010-04-16T07:38:35Z

China's health ministry has urged vulnerable groups to get swine flu vaccinations or limit travel during the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year holiday due to the spread of the A(H1N1) virus.

"Pregnant women, children, the elderly, obese people and those with chronic diseases should avoid public travel during the peak period of Spring Festival travel," the ministry said in a statement posted on its website late Wednesday.

Such vulnerable...

China records 659 swine flu deaths in 2009

2010-04-16T07:56:05Z

China said Monday it had recorded 659 swine flu deaths in 2009, nearly all of them in the last two months of the year, and warned that the danger of mass outbreaks still existed in certain areas.

The health ministry said in a statement that the total number of A(H1N1) infections recorded since the virus was first detected last year stood at 120,940.

At the end of October, the reported death toll stood at just six. The number of record...

China warns of possible new swine flu outbreaks

2010-04-16T07:57:20Z

China is warning officials to brace for a possible new wave of swine flu infections as the country enters the busy Lunar New Year travel period.

Tens of millions of Chinese take to the rails, roads and air during the most important holiday of the traditional calendar, creating crowded conditions ideal for the spread of the virus. The holiday period this year runs from late January into February.

"During the 2010 New Year and Lunar New...

Seoul to spend 15 million dollars on flu aid to N.Korea

2010-06-12T15:36:48Z

South Korea is preparing to ship medical supplies worth more than 15 million dollars to help North Korea fight an outbreak of swine flu, officials said Monday.

The unification ministry, which handles cross-border ties, said the shipment would include antiviral drugs for 500,000 patients -- Tamiflu for 400,000 and South Korea is preparing to ship medical supplies worth more than 15 million dollars to help North Korea fight an outbreak of swine flu, officials said Monday.

The unification ministry, which handles cross-border ties, said the shipment would include antiviral drugs for 500,000 patients -- Tamiflu for 400,000 and China's Health Ministry warned Friday that the swine flu outbreak in the country could peak over the next several months, especially as hundreds of millions of people return home for the traditional Chinese New Year.

"Large numbers of travelers during the Lunar New Year period in late January and February may hamper our efforts to control the spread of the flu," ministry spokesman China's official swine flu death toll has hit 200 with almost all of the deaths recorded in November, the health ministry announced.

A statement posted on the ministry's website Friday said 194 of the deaths from the influenza A(H1N1) virus had been reported last month. A ministry official quoted Saturday by the Beijing News said cold weather was behind the rapid rise in fatalities.

A tota...

Dogs diagnosed with swine flu in China: report

2010-04-16T08:49:14Z

Two dogs in Beijing have tested positive for swine flu in the second case of animals catching the disease in China along with pigs in the northeast, Chinese media said Sunday.

The A(H1N1) virus detected in the dogs was 99 percent identical to the one circulating in humans, the state-run Beijing Times reported, quoting China's agri...

WHO says probing reports of mutating swine flu virus

2010-04-16T08:51:48Z

The World Health Organisation said Thursday that it is investigating reports of mutations in the swine flu virus, after half-a-dozen countries recorded cases in which the virus was transforming.

"The question is whether these mutations again suggest that there is a fundamental change going on in viruses out there -- whether there's a turn for the worse in terms of severity," said BEIJING (Reuters) - The price of garlic in China has nearly quadrupled since March, propelled by its very pungency to rank ahead of gold and stocks as the country's best-performing asset this year.

The trigger for the bull run may have been the idea that the potent bulb can ward off H1N1 swine flu, China has discovered eight people with mutated versions of swine flu but drugs are still effective against the new strains, a senior health official told the official Xinhua news agency.

Shu Yuelong, director of the Chinese National Influenza Centre, said the first mutated stra...

China reports 8 cases of mutated swine flu virus

2010-04-16T08:53:40Z

China reports 8 cases of mutated swine flu virus; says drugs, vaccine still effective

China has detected eight people infected with mutated forms of the swine flu virus, a health official said Wednesday, but flu drugs and vaccines still work against it.

Flu viruses mutate easily, and scientists have been closing watching for signs that the swine flu virus is changing, which could make it more dangerous or more infect...

China reports 8 cases of swine flu mutation

2010-04-16T08:53:31Z

China reports 8 cases of swine flu virus mutation; says drugs, vaccine still effective

China has detected eight cases of swine flu mutation, a health official said Wednesday, amid longstanding concerns among scientists that the virus could change into a more dangerous form.

Last week, the World Health Organization said it was investigat...

China moves to protect pandas from swine flu

2010-04-16T08:55:17Z

China closes research base as a precaution to protect pandas from swine flu

A panda research center in northwestern China has been closed to visitors as a precaution to protect the endangered species from catching swine flu, state media reported on Tuesday.

It is not known if pandas can catch swine flu, but there have been reports from veterinary and federal officials in the China has ordered more accurate reporting of swine flu deaths after a doctor renowned for helping expose the scale of the 2003 SARS outbreak claimed the true number of fatalities was being covered up.

The health ministry "reaffirms that health authorities at all levels must conscientiously perform A(H1N1) prevention and control reporting work," according to a statement posted on its website late Thursday.

China to punish those concealing swine flu info

2010-04-16T09:00:06Z

China to punish those concealing swine flu cases, while doctor warns of cover-up

China's health ministry said it will punish officials who underreport cases of swine flu after a doctor famous for exposing the extent of the 2003 SARS epidemic said he believes the true number of swine flu deaths is being covered up.

China's official count of swine flu cases is nearly 70,000 reported illnesses and 53 deaths, although ev...

Experts say radical measures won't stop swine flu

2010-04-16T09:02:26Z

Experts: Radical swine flu measures in China, elsewhere, won't stop outbreaks

Health experts say extraordinary measures against swine flu — most notably quarantines imposed by China, where entire planeloads of passengers were isolated if one traveler had symptoms — have failed to contain the disease.

Despite initially declaring success, Beijing now acknowledges its swine ...

Flu fails to halt South Korea's crucial college exam

2010-04-16T09:13:06Z

SEOUL (Reuters Life!) - Not even the H1N1 flu, which has paralyzed many parts of the globe, could stop South Korean teens from taking the national college entrance exam, a test many feel will set the course for their future.

The flu has hit school-age children particularly hard, adding another element of anxiety for the test, which was held on Thursday and for which students ...

China In The Shadow Of Swine Flu

2010-10-22T14:26:14Z

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First foreigner dies from swine flu in China

2010-04-16T09:28:17Z

State media say a 32-year-old Russian man has become the first foreigner to die from swine flu in mainland China.

The official Xinhua News Agency says the man was suffering from shortness of breath and a high fever and was admitted to a hospital Monday where he tested positive for the H1N1 flu virus and died later in the day.

His name was not released.

China has...

China reports 2 deaths from swine flu

2010-04-16T09:37:21Z

China's Health Ministry says two more people have died of swine flu on the mainland, bringing its death toll to six.

The ministry said late Friday that China had reported 2,972 confirmed cases of H1N1 virus in 48 hours ending Friday afternoon.

No more details were available of the two deaths.

The agency says there are 82 serious cases of swine fl...

China warns of 'grim' swine flu battle, 4th death reported

2010-04-16T09:33:03Z

China has warned the country's battle against swine flu is "extremely grim" after infection levels spiked in some areas and a Beijing university student became the fourth person here to die of the virus.

"There is a surge in patients in many parts of China, some schools have experienced clusters of cases, and some areas have entered the flu season," China gives swine flu vaccines to thousands of Muslims making pilgrimage to Mecca

China will give swine flu vaccinations to thousands of Muslims about to make the annual pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, state media said, as authorities reported the mainland's third death from the illness.

Concerns over the hajj, which attract...

China reports 3rd confirmed swine flu death

2010-04-16T09:37:21Z

China reports 3rd confirmed swine flu death; vaccinates 2,000 Muslims making pilgrimage

Chinese officials moved to give swine flu vaccinations to thousands of Muslims making a pilgrimage to Mecca in the coming days as health authorities reported the mainland's third death from the illness.

China has acted aggressively to detect and contain swine flu cases after being accused ...

New Oriental drops as swine flu hits enrollments

2010-04-16T09:44:45Z

New Oriental shares fall as quarterly results show swine flu hitting enrollments

Shares of Chinese education services provider New Oriental Education and Technology Group Inc. tumbled Tuesday after its quarterly results came in short of analysts' expectations because of the negative impact of the swine flu on enrollments.

Shares d...

China reports second swine flu death

2010-04-16T09:47:57Z

China has reported its second swine flu death after a patient in the northwestern province of Qinghai died of the disease.

The health ministry gave no details on the patient in a brief statement posted on its website late Friday.

China has confirmed a total of 26,348 cases since the (A)H1N1 virus first emerged, including 13 people who remained in serious condition, the mi...

Afraid of swine flu? Wear this suit

2010-10-22T08:01:22Z

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China records first swine flu death

2010-04-16T09:58:05Z

China on Tuesday announced its first swine flu death, saying a patient in its southwestern region of Tibet had died from the disease, as concern rises about a winter outbreak.

State-run Xinhua news agency said in a report from the Tibetan regional capital Lhasa that the victim was an 18-year-old woman.

A brief notice on the we...

China reports 1st swine flu death: woman in Tibet

2010-04-16T09:58:06Z

China reported its first swine flu fatality Tuesday, an 18-year-old woman in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, and the government said it was rushing tens of thousands of doses of flu vaccine to the city.

China has acted aggressively to detect and contain swine flu cases after being accused of failing to move quickly enough to stop the 2003 outbreak of SARS. Despite measures such as strict quarantines, authorities say the virus is spreading fro...

Flu gives Chinese students the holiday blues

2010-04-16T10:08:44Z

BEIJING (Reuters Life!) - The autumn weather is glorious, a week-long holiday is coming up, but fears of the H1N1 flu are keeping many Chinese students in their dorms these days.

Schools in Xi'an, a northwestern city that has seen heavy flu outbreaks, the port city of Tianjin and the n...

China begins mass vaccinations for swine flu

2010-10-13T14:09:01Z

China kicked off mass vaccinations for swine flu Monday in Beijing, making it apparently the first nation in the world to start innoculating its population against the virus.

The Asian giant has been at the forefront of international efforts to produce an A(H1N1) influenza vaccine, with at least five companies receiving government approval for the work. Officials however have warned demand will ...

China warns of stability threat from H1N1

2010-04-16T10:14:36Z

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's public security ministry has warned police to be on guard against any threats to public order linked to the spread of the H1N1 strain of flu, including the spreading of rumors and price-gouging for drugs.

China has reported 11,722 cases of H1N1 flu, from which 7,231 people have recovered. No one has die...

Ancient Chinese Remedy May Work for Flu

2010-10-26T21:30:18Z

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Chinese soccer team quarantined over swine flu

2010-04-16T10:23:24Z

Chinese soccer league faces possible suspension as swine flu hits 1 team

China's soccer officials may suspend the Super League after an outbreak of swine flu at one team.

Players and staff of Chongqing Lifan, including Dutch coach Arie Haan, were confined to their...

Millions could get swine flu in China: official

2010-04-16T10:23:44Z

Tens of millions of people could be infected with swine flu in China in the coming months, a health ministry official said Friday, adding that fatalities would be "unavoidable".

"According to expert estimates, our nation during the autumn season might have several tens of millions infected with A(H1N1)," Liang Wannian, deputy director of the ministry's health emergency office, told a press conference.

Liang said of that total, "half o...

National Day paraders to get flu vaccine: state media

2010-04-16T10:27:08Z

About 100,000 student volunteers who have been selected to participate in China's National Day celebrations on October 1 will be among the first to get swine flu vaccines here, state media said Tuesday.

The measure is part of a plan put in place by the Beijing municipal health bureau to ensure that the festivities marking 60 years of communist rule go off without a hitch, the China's National Day celebrations on October 1 will be among the first to get swine flu vaccines here, state media said Tuesday.

The measure is part of a plan put in place by the Beijing municipal health bureau to ensure that the festivities marking 60 years of communist rule go off without a hitch, the Novartis said on Thursday that it has tested a new swine flu vaccine that may work after one dose while health chiefs hailed another one-dose drug developed in China.

Novartis said it was ready to produce one million doses of the vaccine before the end of the year in a bid to blunt the spread of swine flu which has already claimed at least 2,185 lives.

Th...

China approves one-dose homegrown swine flu vaccine

2010-06-12T14:51:01Z

China on Thursday granted approval to its first home-grown swine flu vaccine, which producer Sinovac says is effective after only one dose, as the country braces for a feared winter outbreak.

The decision could boost the global fight against A(H1N1) influenza, as most experts had assumed that two doses of vaccine per person would be needed to provide adequate protection.

"The Sinovac (A)H1N1 vaccine is officially approved," the head o...

China approves single-dose swine flu vaccine

2010-04-16T10:32:20Z

China approves single-dose swine flu vaccine, experts say could be good news

The answer may be at hand to a crucial question about vaccination for the advancing swine flu — one shot or two? Chinese officials approved a vaccine Thursday that they say prevents the new flu in a single dose.

If they're right, it would be good news. Many health researchers fear it will take two shots to protect people, vastly complicating...

China approves homegrown swine flu vaccine

2010-04-16T10:31:31Z

China's State Food and Drug Administration on Thursday granted approval to a homegrown swine flu vaccine, which producer Sinovac says is effective after only one dose.

"The Sinovac H1N1 vaccine is officially approved," the head of the SFDA's registration department, Zhang Wei, told reporters.

"The c...

All SKorean students face swine flu check

2010-04-16T10:37:34Z

All South Korean elementary and secondary schoolchildren will have their temperature checked daily to combat the spread of swine flu, officials said Thursday.

The education ministry said all schools were instructed to strengthen their fight against the A(H1N1) virus when the month-long summer break ends this week.

"Teachers with digital thermometers will check the body temperature of all students at the school gates every morning," a spokesman told AFP.

Schools were als...

Japan reports 2 more swine flu-linked deaths

2010-04-16T10:37:58Z

Japan has confirmed two more swine flu-related deaths, bringing the number of fatalities linked to the virus in the country to five.

Health officials say a 74-year-old women with swine flu and other illnesses died Thursday of acute pneumonia in the central city of Nagoya, and a man in his 30s infected with the virus died later in the day of pneumonia and heart failure in Taiwan scrambles to prevent epidemics in flood-hit villages after 4 soldiers get swine flu

Taiwanese authorities scrambled to disinfect villages Tuesday that were flooded in the worst typhoon to hit the island in 50 years after four soldiers helping with the cleanup were confirmed to have swine flu.

The soldiers developed fevers and nausea after working in villages in Pingtung county in the south, said South Korea says a woman infected with swine flu has died, becoming the country's second fatality linked to the virus.

The Health Ministry says the 63-year-old woman died of organ failure on Sunday, days after being infected with swine flu.

The woman, who has not traveled abroad or been in contact with infected people, started to have flu-like symptoms such as a cough, fever and difficulty breathing on July 24.

The m...

How to Effectively Treat H1N1 Avian Flu

2010-10-22T08:22:43Z

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Japan records first death from swine flu: official

2010-04-16T10:49:32Z

A Japanese man in his 50s has died from swine flu, in the country's first death from the virus, a local government official confirmed Saturday.

The man, a resident of Japan's southern Okinawa prefecture who suffered from a chronic ailment, died of the A(H1N1) virus after developing complications, the official said.

Japan's Japan's southern Okinawa prefecture, died of the A(H1N1) virus Saturday morning after developing complications, the official said.

The man, 57, who was ho...

Will H1N1 Be an Asian Market Killer?

2010-10-22T07:20:47Z

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Taiwan reports first death from swine flu

2010-04-16T11:05:04Z

Taiwan's health authorities on Thursday reported the island's first death of a patient suffering from swine flu.

The 39-year-old man was hospitalised on July 14 after developing a sore throat and fever, the Centres for Disease Control (CDC) said.

CDC officials said the victim, who had a history of liver cancer and hepa...

China says 36 schoolchildren sick with swine flu

2010-04-16T11:09:46Z

A group of 36 primary students who attended a summer school in Beijing were hospitalized with swine flu, a state news agency said Saturday.

The students were among 80 students at a training camp on July 11-20, the Xinhua News Agency said, citing the Beijing health bureau. The other students were quarantined for observation.

Ch...

Delta reducing Salt Lake City-to-Tokyo flights

2010-04-16T11:11:14Z

Delta reducing number of nonstop Salt Lake City-to-Tokyo flights

Delta Air Lines says it's reducing the number of nonstop Salt Lake City-to-Tokyo flights, less than two months after the carrier launched them.

Delta executive vice president China is quarantining any visitor suspected of having a fever, while priests in New Zealand have been banned from placing Communion wafers on worshippers' tongues.

It's all part of a global effort to slow the spread of swine flu until a vaccine is ready, although experts are divided on whether the measur...

South Korea upgrades swine flu alert; 922 cases

2010-04-16T11:13:52Z

South Korea has raised its swine flu alert as the virus has been spreading fast to total nearly 1,000 cases.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention upgraded the alert Tuesday saying it would shift the focus of its efforts from containing the spread of the virus to minimizing its damage.

Asian tourism to NZ dives amid swine flu fears

2010-04-16T11:14:01Z

The number of Asian tourists visiting New Zealand has plummeted due to swine flu fears, officials said Tuesday.

The numbers of visitors from China, Japan and South Korea fell by half in June compared with the same month last year as the influenza A(H1N1) virus spread in New Zealand and elsewhe...

Downing Street tries to calm flu fears

2010-04-16T11:14:02Z

The government has announced plans to vaccinate half the population against swine flu by year's end, as a study showed the escalating pandemic could slow down economic recovery in the country.

As more than 100 British pupils and teachers were quarantined in Beijing over fears they may have swine flu, Health Secretary Andy Burnham told MPs the government expected to receive the...

Britain bids to quell flu fears

2010-04-16T11:14:03Z

Britain has announced plans to vaccinate half the population against swine flu by year's end, as health officials in Russia warned the virus could spread across the vast country in the coming months.

As more than 100 British students and teachers were quarantined in Beijing over fears they may have A(H1N1),

Government bids to quell flu fears

2010-04-16T11:14:03Z

The government has announced plans to vaccinate half the population against swine flu by year's end, as health officials in Russia warned the virus could spread across the vast country in the coming months.

As more than 100 British students and teachers were quarantined in Beijing over fears they may have A(H1N1), Health Secretary Andy Bu...

Swine flu boy left behind as China frees his classmates

2010-10-22T07:53:42Z

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China 'releases quarantined British pupils'

2010-10-22T07:53:45Z

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Govt bids to quell flu fears

2010-04-16T11:14:27Z

The government announced plans Monday to vaccinate half the population against swine flu by year's end as Russian health officials warned the virus was now affecting all parts of Europe's largest country.

As dozens more British students were quarantined in Beijing over fears they may have A(H1N1), Health Secretary Andy Burnham told me...

China quarantines 178 pupils from Britain, US

2010-04-16T11:14:55Z

At least 178 foreign students and teachers were in swine flu quarantine in Beijing on Monday, the British embassy and a US teacher said, with 10 hospitalised after testing positive for the virus.

The school groups were put under seven-day quarantine beginning last week at a Beiji...

South Korea Koreas Clash

2011-01-05T01:31:08Z

South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan, right, shakes hands with U.S. special envoy on North Korea, Stephen Bosworth before their meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011. (AP Photo/Jung Yeon-je, Pool)

South Korea Koreas Nuclear

2011-01-05T01:31:07Z

U.S. special envoy on North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, left, and South Korea's chief nuclear negotiator Wi Sung-lac attend talks at the latter's office in Seoul, Wednesday, Jan...

South Korea US Koreas Clash

2011-01-04T02:30:23Z

Stephen Bosworth, US special representative for North Korea policy, talks to reporters upon his arrival at Incheon international airport, west of Seoul, Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2011. Bosworth arrived in Seoul for talks on North Korea's nuclear...

APTOPIX South Korea Koreas Clash

2011-01-03T07:31:38Z

South Korean Army's 155 mm howitzers fire during a military drill near the demilitarized zone, which has separated the two Koreas since the Korean War, in Chulwon, north of Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Jan. 3, 2011. South Korea's president vowed Monday not to let North Korea "cove...

North Korea Koreas Clash

2011-01-03T04:31:29Z

Ctizens attend a rally in support of North Korea's "joint new year editorial" in the city's central Kim Il Sung Square, in Pyongyang, North Korea Monday, Jan. 3, 2011. In the North Korean capital, tens of thousands gathered Monday for the annual New Year rally to display loyalty to leader K...