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US navy halts aid vessel over flu | |
(about 3 hours later) | |
The US navy is postponing an aid mission to the South Pacific after a sailor on the vessel scheduled to take the trip developed swine flu. | |
Nearly 50 others sailors on the California-based USS Dubuque also showed symptoms of the new H1N1 virus. | |
A US Navy spokesman said officials would be looking at other alternatives to meet the mission's objectives. | |
Earlier, a woman from Texas become the first US resident believed to have died from swine flu. | |
The woman - from Cameron County, close to the US border with Mexico - died earlier this week, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) said. | |
CONFIRMED CASES Mexico: 101 suspected deaths - 29 confirmed; 840 confirmed casesUS: Two deaths, 403 confirmed casesCanada: 140 confirmed casesSpain: 57 confirmed casesUK: 27 confirmed cases Quarantined hotel guests frustrated In pictures: Weathering swine flu | |
But in a statement it added that she had been suffering "chronic underlying health conditions". | But in a statement it added that she had been suffering "chronic underlying health conditions". |
Lt Cmdr John Daniels said the navy was using "using prudent judgment" in cancelling the deployment of the USS Dubuque. | |
The amphibious transport vessel normally carries more than 400 crew and about 900 Marines. | |
It had been due to depart in early June for Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Kiribati and the Marshall Islands as part of America's Pacific Partnership humanitarian programme. | |
Lt Daniels said the mission would still go ahead at some point but the USS Dubuque would no longer be part of it. | |
Navy Lt Sean Robertson said ill crew members had been treated with anti-viral medication and the remaining crew had been given prophylaxis. | |
'Catching up' | |
The unnamed woman who died in Texas was in her 30s and had recently given birth, reported Associated Press news agency. | |
Leonel Lopez, Cameron County epidemiologist said the flu itself was "very benign" but had exacerbated her underlying medical problems. | |
The woman becomes the second confirmed person to have died from swine flu outside Mexico. A Mexican toddler died of the virus in the US in April. | |
There are 61 confirmed cases of H1N1 flu reported in Texas, said the DSHS. | There are 61 confirmed cases of H1N1 flu reported in Texas, said the DSHS. |
The World Health Organization (WHO) said earlier that 1,490 swine flu cases had been verified in 21 countries. | The World Health Organization (WHO) said earlier that 1,490 swine flu cases had been verified in 21 countries. |
After Mexico, the US has seen the greatest number of laboratory-confirmed infections, at 403. | After Mexico, the US has seen the greatest number of laboratory-confirmed infections, at 403. |
US Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius acknowledged that the virus would continue to spread in the United States and elsewhere in the world, and more deaths would follow. | |
The WHO has urged nations to remain vigilant in spite of the apparently relatively mild nature of swine flu, saying a global pandemic remains a threat. | The WHO has urged nations to remain vigilant in spite of the apparently relatively mild nature of swine flu, saying a global pandemic remains a threat. |
It points out that the number of infections has continued to grow worldwide. | It points out that the number of infections has continued to grow worldwide. |