Officials Begin To Ease Up On Precautions

有迹象显示，甲型H1N1型流感病毒的危险性可能要低于当初的估计。受此鼓舞，卫生部门官员开始放松当初为阻止疫情扩散而采取的一些措施。随着越来越多的证据表明，大多数情况下，这种流感的症状都比较轻微，因此对于有学生在甲型H1N1流感测试中呈现阳性的学校或附近地区的学校，美国疾病控制与预防中心(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)可能放松目前要求关闭至多14天的建议。Getty Images美国国安部长纳波利塔诺(左)与国安部负责卫生事务的助理部长克罗莫(右)亚特兰大疾病控制与预防中心代理主任贝瑟(Richard Besser)周一说，该中心正在积极讨论修改对学校采取的临时指导意见，以将对学习的影响降至最低，同时保护社区免受流感的传染。尚不清楚何时会对这些指导意见进行修改，不过目前疾病控制与预防中心的指导意见中称，将在5月8日进行更新。这样的讨论凸显出公共卫生官员正试图衡量他们对这种疫情所作出的反应。当一周前来自墨西哥的最初报告称有大量患者因此死亡时，人们对此非常恐慌。而现在，墨西哥的研究和美国的证据都表明，大多数病例的症状都比较温和，但官员警告说，随着病毒在人群中的传播或下一个流感季节以更危险的形式重新出现时，这种状况可能发生变化。有官员周一说，病毒扩散到南半球尤其令人担忧，因为那里的流感季节才刚刚开始。这种病毒现在已经蔓延至21个国家，共有1,085人患病，并导致25名墨西哥人和一名美国人死亡。爱尔兰哥斯达黎加和萨尔瓦多目前都报导了经实验室确诊的病例。墨西哥城在过去12天几乎陷于了瘫痪，但随着新发病人数的下降，这座城市周三也将逐步开始恢复正常。墨西哥卫生部长科尔多瓦(Jose Angel Cordova)说，疫情的发展目前正处于消退阶段。拥有2,000多万人口的墨西哥城地区周三将允许酒吧餐馆和市政府办公室恢复正常，而博物馆教堂和会议中心将于次日重新开放。但电影院夜总会剧场体育场馆将继续关闭。墨西哥的所有高中和大学周四将恢复正常，但小学将继续关闭到5月11日。Betsy McKay / Ben Casselman / Jose de Cordoba相关阅读亚洲经济受流感冲击风险最大 2009-05-05WHO可能宣布甲型H1N1流感出现全球流行 2009-05-04中国隔离墨西哥人 两国关系或现裂痕 2009-05-04新流感威胁冲击香港 2009-05-04儿童更易感染甲型H1N1流感病毒 2009-05-04


Encouraged by signs that a new influenza virus may pose fewer dangers than originally feared, health officials began ratcheting back some initial measures taken to halt its spread.The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may scale back its current recommendation to close for up to 14 days any schools attended by, or in areas near, a child who tests positive for the new H1N1 virus as growing evidence suggests most cases of the disease are relatively mild.The CDC is in 'active discussions' to revise its interim guidance to schools in order to minimize disruptions in learning while still protecting communities from spread of the disease, Richard Besser, the Atlanta agency's acting director, said Monday.It isn't clear when any revisions to the guidance might be made, though current CDC guidelines say guidance will be updated by May 8.The discussions underscore how public-health officials are trying to measure their response to the course of the disease, which looked fearsome a week ago as initial reports from Mexico suggested it caused a large number of deaths. Now, studies in Mexico and evidence in the U.S. both suggest most cases are mild, although officials caution that could change as the virus makes its way through the population or if it re-emerges in a more virulent form next flu season. The spread of the virus to the Southern Hemisphere is particularly concerning, officials said Monday, because flu season is just getting under way there.The virus has now stretched to 21 countries, sickening 1,085 people and causing 25 deaths in Mexico and one in the U.S. Ireland, Costa Rica and El Salvador are now among the nations reporting laboratory-confirmed cases.Mexico City, brought almost to a halt for the past 12 days, will start getting back to business -- but slowly -- on Wednesday, as the number of new cases of influenza declines. 'The evolution of the epidemic is now on its descending phase,' said Jose Angel Cordova, Mexico's health minister.The Mexican megalopolis of more than 20 million people will reopen bars, restaurants and city government offices on Wednesday, with museums, churches and convention centers scheduled to reopen the following day. But movie houses, nightclubs, theaters and sports stadiums will remain closed. High schools and universities throughout Mexico will reopen Thursday, but elementary schools will remain closed until May 11.Betsy McKay / Ben Casselman / Jose de Cordoba