Expert says swine flu could spread faster than SARS virus

By Lynlee Foo, Channel NewsAsia
Posted: 27 April 2009 2157 hrs

SINGAPORE: Medical experts say more work needs to be done to figure out how to stop swine flu from becoming a pandemic.

And what's worrying is that the new swine flu strain could spread faster and is harder to detect compared to the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) virus, which caused an epidemic in 2003.

Associate Professor Leo Yee Sin, clinical director of Communicable Disease Centre at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, said: "We know that usually the characteristic of influenza is that the infectious period of an infected person will start one day before clinical illness and about seven days after the onset of clinical illness.

"For SARS however, the person becomes infectious much later, a few days after the onset of fever.

"If it (swine flu) gathers momentum and proves to be very effective in human-to-human transmission and it follows some of the very common characteristics of the influenza virus, then yes, the spread from human-to-human is much more efficient in influenza as compared to SARS."

Professor Leo said that because the swine flu is a new virus, current flu vaccines may not be effective enough to protect one against the disease.

Even then, it has not stopped travellers from going to swine flu-hit US.

"It's obviously dangerous but you take your chances," said a traveller.

"A little bit concerned but then I have a holiday planned there already....so I can't change it now," said another.

"I'm going for business, so I have to go, I have to go," said a third.

There are 126 weekly US-bound flights to cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Houston. There are no direct flights between Singapore and Mexico.

Meanwhile, all passengers arriving from the US will be screened with thermal scanners at Singapore's Changi Airport as part of its precautionary measures.

Passengers who have a higher-than-normal temperature will undergo a more thorough medical test.

Those who have travelled to the affected areas in the US or Mexico in the last seven days are advised to see a doctor immediately if they develop symptoms of swine flu such as high fever, cough, sore throat and runny nose.

Health authorities say the public should also maintain high standards of personal hygiene.

Singapore authorities are monitoring the situation closely and are collaborating with the Communicable Disease Centre in the US as well as the World Health Organization.
hat-tip Pixie