British authorities have insisted that the risk to public health from the A/H1N1 virus, commonly referred to as Swine Flu, remains low despite the first death being reported last Sunday.
But there are mounting fears in some medical circles that a rise in cases may create problems for doctors and the national health system.
In the UK, 1,320 people have so far been identified as having contracted the virus including 59 cases confirmed on Monday.
While there is an obvious concern from the risks of A/H1N1, so far the virus has not shown itself to be as deadly a threat as some have feared.
An estimated 12,000 people, mainly in the older age group, die every year from seasonal flu in the UK, according to the British Medical Association. In the U.S. tens of thousands die annually from seasonal flu.
But so far the entire global death rate from A/H1N1 remains well below 1,000, with the WHO confirming only 146 deaths.
Many of those affected by A/H1N1 are in a much younger age group, and some are otherwise healthy individuals.
The greatest fear amongst medical experts is the virus could mutate and become ever more deadly.
In the past, pandemics have killed more than a million around the world. Between 1918 and 1919, the so-called Spanish Flu was responsible for an estimated 20 to 40 million deaths.
And in more recent history the Asian Flu in 1957 and the Hong Kong Flu of 1968 killed up to 4 million between them.
For the full story by Dongying Wang, published by Xinhua News Agency in June 2009, please click here. Also, please return to the blog to post your comment.
Ryanair, Europe’s largest low fare airline, has reaped a net profit of over 100 million euros over the last year when most competitors announced significant losses.
Compared to the 2007/2008 figure, Ryanair’s net profit plunged 78 percent in the financial year ending on March 2009.
But it has been hailed as “a robust performance” during a year when record high oil prices and the downturn had taken its toll on many airways.
Ryanair's lowest fare services, which have delivered traffic growth and profitability, enabled the airline to soar through the recession and to become Europe's biggest airline in terms of passenger numbers and market capitalisation.
For the full story by Dongying Wang, published by Xinhua News Agency in June 2009, please click here. Also, please return to the blog to post your comment.
Britain has enhanced its campaigns to increase people’s awareness of the environment impacts of their diet, as part of its overall efforts to build a greener society with ambitious emissions-cutting targets.
The latest movement is to encourage the consumption of seasonal produce, which is publicised as not only having good value and taste, but also causing much less pollution.
The campaign has won support from the government, business, NGOs, research groups and culinary circles.
However, more efforts have been urged to help consumers better understand the benefits of similar ethical dietary choices to stimulate them to adopt greener lifestyles.
For the full story by Dongying Wang, published by Xinhua News Agency in June 2009, please click here. Also, please return to the blog to post your comment.
