Britain to close swine flu unit as pandemic fades
UK: Britain announced Thursday the closure of a crisis unit set up to
deal with the swine flu pandemic last year, as new cases of the virus
continue to dwindle.
Britain, which was the hardest hit country in Europe by the A(H1N1)
virus, will "stand down" the National Pandemic Flu Service (NPFS) from
next Thursday, February 11, said Health Minister Gillian Merron
"This is being done in response to the steady reduction in the
estimated number of swine flu cases in the community," she said in a
written statement to lawmakers.
The move "is in line with our overall aim of ensuring the operational
response is appropriate to the level of threat posed by the virus," she
said, adding that, if necessary, it could be re-activated within seven
days.
Britain was among the first countries hit by swine flu after it
emerged in Mexico early last year, and at one point recorded more than
100,000 new cases a week as the virus was officially declared a
pandemic. London, Friday, AFP |