British Airways Crew Member Hospitalized With Flu-Like Symptoms

Posted on April 25, 2009

There are over 1,000 cases of Swine Flu in Mexico and over sixty people have died. The Mexican government is taking action by shutting down schools and public events. There have been more alarming news today with reports of a couple Swine Flu cases in Kansas and possibly hundreds of cases at at a private school in New York City. The Guardian is reporting that a member of the cabin crew of a British Airways flight was taken to the hospital with flu-like symptoms. The flight was going from Mexico City to Heathrow airport in London.

A member of cabin crew was taken to hospital with "flu-like symptoms" today after falling ill on a British Airways flight from Mexico City to Heathrow.
The World Health Organisation has warned countries to be on alert for any unusual flu outbreaks after a swine flu virus was implicated in possibly dozens of human deaths in Mexico.
The BA employee, who has not been named, has been taken to Northwick Park hospital in Harrow, a hospital spokesman said.
He added: "He has flu-like symptoms and is responding well to treatment. The patient was admitted directly to a side room and the hospital is scrupulously following infection control procedures to ensure there is no risk to any other individual in the hospital."
The man was taken from flight BA242 which landed at 2pm today, a BA spokesman said.

Air travel is obviously the quickest way for this new strain of flu - comprised of swine, avian and human flu - to spread around the globe. The one bright spot so far is that most of the cases in the United States have been mild. It's possible that there is something else in Mexico causing the cases to be more deadly or that the U.S. just has not experience any of the more severe cases so far.