2009 swine flu pandemic in Europe
[9] "In July 2011 the European Medicines Agency restricted the use of Pandemrix to people over 19 years old, as early evidence of the narcolepsy link emerged in Scandinavia."
[17] The EU Commissioner for External Relations at the time, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, said on 27 April all travel to Mexico and the disinfecting of all airports in response to the global flu outbreak were being considered.
[37] Later that day, however, the Director of Infectious Disease Epidemiology Agency, Dr. Ira Gjenero Margan, stated results of the testing for swine flu were negative "with 99% certainty".
Authorities confirmed on 1 May that a Danish citizen had tested positive for swine flu, making it the first reported case in Scandinavia.
They both had flu-symptoms, and when the living man from Pandrup arrived at Aalborg Sygehus, he tested positive for H1N1, although it is still not known if the passenger who died caused the flu.
On 28 July, Ivi Normet, Deputy Secretary General on Health of Ministry of Social Affairs of Estonia, speculated that in the worst-case scenario the swine flu could infect 500,000 Estonians in ten weeks.
As of 20 November 2009[update], there were 269 cases of influenza A (H1N1) confirmed in 10 counties: Harjumaa, Tartumaa, Viljandimaa, Võrumaa, Ida-Virumaa, Lääne-Virumaa, Jõgevamaa, Põlvamaa, Valgamaa and Pärnumaa.
[58] The H1N1 strain of influenza was added to the official list of infectious diseases dangerous to public, ("yleisvaarallinen tartuntatauti"),[59] which guarantees free-of-charge treatment to all residents and allows for involuntary quarantine, effective from 1 May 2009.
(Rising to 70 if including overseas territories)[79] On 29 April, the first case of swine flu in Germany was confirmed by the Robert Koch Institute in the area of Regensburg.
On 18 June three new cases of swine flu were confirmed in Hungary: a married couple who returned from New York, and a man who came back from London.
Initially the directorate of health warned people traveling to Mexico and the United States (especially California and Texas) to exercise caution and to contact a doctor immediately if they started showing symptoms of swine flu but on 28 April people traveling to Mexico were advised to cancel their trip unless it's very urgent.
[112][113] On 28 April, it was announced that passengers arriving in Iceland from the United States or Mexico would be monitored and will undergo medical examination even if the slightest signs of influenza are detected.
Director of the Health Protection Surveillance Centre Dr Darina O'Flanagan said the figure was included in the latest data from the Irish College of General Practitioners.
Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan said that the HSE expects some deaths from the virus, and further hospitalisations, over the coming weeks and months.
[136][137] As more people got precautious and the pharmacies weren't supplied enough, the next day, for a short period of time, they ran out of any prophylactic drugs against influenza.
On 6 November the Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment reported there are 5 more cases of death (this brings the total to 17) and that there is an epidemic, which means more than 51 per 100,000 inhabitants contracted the flu, more than 2 weeks in a row.
[153] The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) updates their homepage with information about the swine flu outbreak in Norway every day at 10:00 (UTC).
Polish Chief Sanitary Inspectorate (GIS) maintains a webpage[157] on the epidemic situation in Poland which includes weekly updates on influenza A/H1N1 outbreak.
The Polish Foreign Ministry issued a statement on 25 April recommending that citizens avoid travel to affected areas until the outbreak is totally contained.
[160] On 1 June, Ana Jorge, the Portuguese Health Minister, has confirmed the second case in Portugal, a 33-year-old man who travelled from the United States, first landing in Frankfurt, Germany.
[169] In Sâmbăteni, Arad County, Romania, a child of a year and six months and his mother who recently returned from a trip to Portugal and Spain were suspected of having contracted influenza A(H1N1).
On 5 January 2010, actor Toni Tecuceanu from Cronica Cârcotaşilor died morning at around 3.00, the Hospital "Matei Balş" in Bucharest, following complications from lung after contracted the virus A/H1N1.
Dmitry Medvedev also instructed the presidential plenipotentiary envoys in the federal districts to personally supervise the preventive measures to ensure the disease did not spread [in Russia] and stipulated monthly reports on the situation.
[293] International events held in Serbia, 2009 Summer Universiade sport competition and EXIT music festival, led to a sudden increase to over 100 cases of flu in mid-July.
[297][298] On 27 April the Spanish Ministry of Health and Social Policy announced that a man in Castilla-La Mancha, Spain who had recently returned from Mexico had contracted the disease.
[299] The Spanish government is also observing other 35 possible swine flu cases in the Basque Country, Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, Andalusia, Murcia, Madrid and the Valencian Community.
[302] On 28 April, at least eighteen Swedish people were tested for swine flu after returning from trips in Mexico and the United States, but the results were negative.
A container of inactive swine flu virus samples packed in dry ice exploded on a Swiss train, injuring one person but posing no other risks to humans.
[317] As of 19 November a total of three persons have been reported to die from swine flu, a baby and two women, all of them with pre-existing health problems of other origin.
[319] On 25 April 2009, a member of British Airways cabin crew was taken to Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow and quarantined after falling ill with flu-like symptoms on a flight from Mexico City though he was later found not to have swine flu.
