Swine flu & Spanish GP

[modbaraban]

Not the healthiest way to start the new Grand prix topic but...

Swine flu to see fans banned from Spanish Grand Prix?

29 April 2009

The Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona in a week-and-a-half's time could be Formula 1's first-ever spectator-less event, it has been mused – after it was revealed that the region surrounding the track is the most infected in Europe from the new swine flu panic.

Though the outbreak – rapidly developing into a global pandemic – has thus far been felt most keenly in Mexico, where more than 150 people have died from it, repercussions are also now being experienced in Europe, with confirmed cases in England, Scotland and, most prominently of all it has been claimed, Catalunya.

German health minister Ulla Schmidt has warned that events where thousands of people mix are the easiest way for the virus to accelerate out of hand, and she has suggested a fan-free Spanish Grand Prix around the Circuit de Catalunya on 10 May could be the only sensible way to go.

“Everyone understands that there cannot be a major gathering of 70,000 people, if thousands of them could become infected,” Frau Schmidt told Swiss publication Motorsport Aktuell.

Schools, universities, museums, libraries, cinemas, theatres and churches in Mexico are all facing closure, and a major football game at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City took place this week in front of deserted grandstands after fans were banned from attending. The A1GP outing due to take place there this weekend has been canned over the risk [see separate story – click here], so that the crisis will similarly affect Formula 1's Spanish date is far from out of the question.

The first death from swine flu outside of Mexico was confirmed today, with a 23-month old boy in Texas falling victim to the dangerous H1N1 strain.

[Fil]

sounds like it'll have crowd numbers matching that of China, Bahrain, Malaysia & Turkey of recent years

[CMSMJ1]

What makes the German Health Minister think she has anything to do with Spanish events?

Bloody Swine Flu..lol.. sniffle..

[PlatinumZealot]

All they need to do is say

"Go at your own risk"

Or hand out masks or something.

[axle]

Hand out masks, and the alcohol hand wash stuff to get people to keep their hands clean.

Anyone not heading the warnings is then just stupid and nothing was ever going to help them.

[woohoo]

Sadly the tickets are still not cheap

[andartop]

Of course the whole thing has been completely blown out of proportion by the media..
However, the decision is clearly NOT the German Health Minister's to take.
I would expect the WHO and EU to have set specific protocols that need to be followed.
If the experts think there is a real risk, which would be determined by the number and location of CONFIRMED cases, then of course a Formula 1 race can take place without spectators or not at all.
"Go at your own risk" is clearly not an option during an outbreak, masks and alcohol based hand wash not enough.
The only real question is whether the situation is indeed so serious as to require such measures or not. And this can very easily be determined by the specialists.

[Fil]

whilst the EU operates with open borders, congregations with 70,000+ people are an issue for all EU countries.

surely the Health Minister for one of the largest countries in the EU will have been advised by field experts regarding such risks, before commenting publicly.

imagine 70,000 people from all over Europe branching off back out into the continent. if only 20 people get infected, how does anyone track their movements to contain them, or find the source of their contamination?
at least through airports there are strict measures in place to be able to backtrack people's movements via passports.

[DaveKillens]

Influenza A(H1N1) - update 7
1 May 2009 -- The situation continues to evolve rapidly. As of 06:00 GMT, 1 May 2009, 11 countries have officially reported 331 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection.

The United States Government has reported 109 laboratory confirmed human cases, including one death. Mexico has reported 156 confirmed human cases of infection, including nine deaths.

The following countries have reported laboratory confirmed cases with no deaths - Austria (1), Canada (34), Germany (3), Israel (2), Netherlands (1), New Zealand (3), Spain (13), Switzerland (1) and the United Kingdom (8).

Further information on the situation will be available on the WHO website on a regular basis. WHO advises no restriction of regular travel or closure of borders. It is considered prudent for people who are ill to delay international travel and for people developing symptoms following international travel to seek medical attention, in line with guidance from national authorities.

http://www.who.int/csr/don/2009_05_01/en/index.html

Influenza pandemic alert raised from phase 4 to 5
29 April 2009 -- Based on assessment of all available information and following several expert consultations, Dr Margaret Chan, WHO's Director-General raised the current level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 4 to 5. She stated that all countries should immediately activate their pandemic preparedness plans.

http://www.who.int/en/

Phase 6 is officially a pandemic. And since the threat level has risen to 5, it's only a matter of time until it's officialy a pandemic. And sadly, once the WHO states that it is level 6, a pandemic, government officials will be forced into action.

[Scotracer]

It better not affect the British GP as I have pit-straight grandstand seats

[xpensive]

For crying out loud, it's a flu we'rs talking about, not the plague! A bad case of flu alright, but how many dead so far, in comparison to every-year deaths of pneumonia or malaria? Or smoking? Or car-driving for that matter?

A typical welfare-thing if you ask me, like when the tax-payers every winter have to foot the bill for peoples "flu-shots"?
Or when after watching the 1993 Canadian GP and coming back to the Montreal office on Monday, with a somewhat ovedone tan, my boss seriously advised me to go see a doctor?

[nae]

For crying out loud, it's a flu we'rs talking about, not the plague! A bad case of flu alright, but how many dead so far, in comparison to every-year deaths of pneumonia or malaria? Or smoking? Or car-driving for that matter?

or flu

which kills 2500 + in the EU every year

[DaveKillens]

Swine influenza (also called swine flu, hog flu, and pig flu) refers to influenza caused by any strain of the influenza virus endemic in pigs (swine). Strains endemic in swine are called swine influenza virus (SIV).

Of the three genera of human flu, two are endemic also in swine: Influenzavirus A is common and Influenzavirus C is rare. Influenzavirus B has not been reported in swine. Within Influenzavirus A and Influenzavirus C, the strains endemic to swine and humans are largely distinct.

Swine flu is common in swine in the midwestern United States (and occasionally in other states), Mexico, Canada, South America, Europe (including the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Italy), Kenya, China, Japan, Taiwan, and other parts of eastern Asia.

Swine flu is rare in humans. People who work with swine, especially people with intense exposures, are at risk of catching swine influenza if the swine carry a strain able to infect humans. However, these strains infrequently circulate between humans as SIV rarely mutates into a form able to pass easily from human to human. In humans, the symptoms of swine flu are similar to those of influenza and of influenza-like illness in general, namely chills, fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, weakness and general discomfort.

The 2009 flu outbreak in humans that is widely known as "swine flu" is due to a new strain of influenza A virus subtype H1N1 that derives by reassortment from one strain of human influenza virus, one strain of avian influenza virus, and two separate strains of swine influenza virus. The origins of this new strain are unknown, and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) reports that this strain has not been isolated in swine. It passes with apparent ease from human to human, an ability attributed to an as-yet unidentified mutation. The strain in most cases causes only mild symptoms and the infected person makes a full recovery without requiring medical attention and without the use of antiviral medicines. The World Health Organization has stated that symptoms may even be less severe than seasonal influenza symptoms.

For most people, becoming infected with this is just a minor matter. But it has the potential to kill. For the elderly, young, and for anyone with a weak immune system, this is where it becomes very dangerous. Here in Toronto where I live, we have a number of reported cases. Personally I feel no threat. But I fear for those who do not have the strength or health to fight it off.
And that's where the Spanish GP may become a vector for a pandemic in Europe. If a worse-case scenario develops, fans who attended this race may spread this disease throughout Europe in days and it may run out of control.

[xpensive]

Right, it might spread in Europe and kill certain particulary susceptible individuals. But just like nae pointed out above, the regular flu kills more than 2500 people a year in Europe as it is.

[andartop]

People who are at risk from the common flu (ie elderly, immunocompromised, healthcare professionals etc) are strongly encouraged to get a flu jab every autumn. The problem here is that we have a new strain which has not been thoroughly studied and understood yet, and thus there can be no guarantee that any jab would be effective against it.
As I said before, the truth is that the whole issue has been over exaggerated by the media, for obvious reasons.
It does appear that healthy adult individuals run no severe risk.
However, it is important that decisions should be made by the specialists at WHO and the EU Health committee, and emergency protocols followed strictly as/if applicable.
It should not be a decision of the FIA, Teams, Race Organizers or even Spanish Health authorities, as possible consequences might affect the whole world.
The number of people killed by the common flu annually is completely irrelevant.