10 Countries least hit by swine flu
From its point of origin in Mexico, the swine flu pandemic has spread worldwide with almost no countries remaining unaffected. Countries have reported their tourist industries shutting down, and airlines worldwide are reporting a noticeable loss of business. In the midst of all this panic, those of us who like to travel may have to ask ourselves whether it is justified? Are there any countries that you just shouldn't go to and what are the safest? Which are the countries least affected by swine flu?
Image credit: Flickr
It is hard to judge the effects of this disease on a nation because there is such a wide spectrum of symptoms. The amount of deaths in a country may have less to do with the severity of the virus and more to do with their health care system. With this in mind, I have correlated those countries with the lowest number of confirmed cases per million habitants below, regardless of the number of deaths.
This gives us, below, the top 10 countries currently least affected by swine flu, from data gathered this June.
1) South Africa – With the lowest number of confirmed cases as of June, South Africa is the number one country least affected by swine flu in the world.
2) India – India is a big country and so a more accurate measure would be to look at the number of swine flu cases in a region before jetting off. The Goa region has claimed little to no infection from swine flu, and absolutely no difference in their tourism industry whatsoever. Other regions have been less lucky.
3) Russian Federation – Despite having had so few cases, the Russian government has set up a government commission dedicated specifically to combating swine flu. By banning meat imports from certain countries and discouraging travel to heavily affected countries, Russia has managed to stave off the brunt of the flu so far.
4) Ukraine – The Ukraine has taken even more stringent measures in the fight against swine flu. This April, authorities quarantined a plane which carried a passenger who had fallen ill during the flight. The plane was cleared once the case was confirmed not to be swine flu, but the message was clear: Kiev is doing everything possible to prevent the virus crossing its borders.
5) Morocco – Swine flu detection mechanisms in Morocco include employing doctors to monitor patients entering the country through its airports. It was in this way that one of Morocco's first swine flu cases was discovered and treated, with the patient making a full recovery.
6) Turkey – Some local authorities in Turkey have begun to introduce screening measures at airports. This has involved installing thermal cameras to try to track those incoming passengers with elevated temperatures.
7) China – China is another one of those huge countries where the per capita figure becomes meaningless. Any one of China's regions is as big as some of the other countries on this list. It is therefore safest to check the statistics for an individual region before travelling.
8) Poland – Poland didn't have its first case of swine flu until May, when a woman entering the country from New York became diagnosed of the illness.
9) United Arab Emirates - The UAE have introduced radical measures to combat swine flu, such as guaranteeing a swine flu vaccine to all schoolchildren in the state. The vaccine will be mandatory, and the program should begin by late Autumn.
10) Egypt – The Egyptian government was mocked this May for its slightly medieval anti-swine flu tactics. The state's solution to the problem was to slaughter every single pig and piglet in the country. The pandemic is, of course, mainly being spread by person to person and the cull probably had little effect on the spread of the illness within the country.
The motivation may have been more religious than sanitary with the country's Muslim population perceiving the animals as dirty, whilst its Christians rely on the animals to subsist. Nevertheless, Egypt remains largely flu-free for various other reasons.
Image credit: Flickr
It is hard to judge the effects of this disease on a nation because there is such a wide spectrum of symptoms. The amount of deaths in a country may have less to do with the severity of the virus and more to do with their health care system. With this in mind, I have correlated those countries with the lowest number of confirmed cases per million habitants below, regardless of the number of deaths.
This gives us, below, the top 10 countries currently least affected by swine flu, from data gathered this June.
1) South Africa – With the lowest number of confirmed cases as of June, South Africa is the number one country least affected by swine flu in the world.
2) India – India is a big country and so a more accurate measure would be to look at the number of swine flu cases in a region before jetting off. The Goa region has claimed little to no infection from swine flu, and absolutely no difference in their tourism industry whatsoever. Other regions have been less lucky.
3) Russian Federation – Despite having had so few cases, the Russian government has set up a government commission dedicated specifically to combating swine flu. By banning meat imports from certain countries and discouraging travel to heavily affected countries, Russia has managed to stave off the brunt of the flu so far.
4) Ukraine – The Ukraine has taken even more stringent measures in the fight against swine flu. This April, authorities quarantined a plane which carried a passenger who had fallen ill during the flight. The plane was cleared once the case was confirmed not to be swine flu, but the message was clear: Kiev is doing everything possible to prevent the virus crossing its borders.
5) Morocco – Swine flu detection mechanisms in Morocco include employing doctors to monitor patients entering the country through its airports. It was in this way that one of Morocco's first swine flu cases was discovered and treated, with the patient making a full recovery.
6) Turkey – Some local authorities in Turkey have begun to introduce screening measures at airports. This has involved installing thermal cameras to try to track those incoming passengers with elevated temperatures.
7) China – China is another one of those huge countries where the per capita figure becomes meaningless. Any one of China's regions is as big as some of the other countries on this list. It is therefore safest to check the statistics for an individual region before travelling.
8) Poland – Poland didn't have its first case of swine flu until May, when a woman entering the country from New York became diagnosed of the illness.
9) United Arab Emirates - The UAE have introduced radical measures to combat swine flu, such as guaranteeing a swine flu vaccine to all schoolchildren in the state. The vaccine will be mandatory, and the program should begin by late Autumn.
10) Egypt – The Egyptian government was mocked this May for its slightly medieval anti-swine flu tactics. The state's solution to the problem was to slaughter every single pig and piglet in the country. The pandemic is, of course, mainly being spread by person to person and the cull probably had little effect on the spread of the illness within the country.
The motivation may have been more religious than sanitary with the country's Muslim population perceiving the animals as dirty, whilst its Christians rely on the animals to subsist. Nevertheless, Egypt remains largely flu-free for various other reasons.
Labels: swine flu
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