Governments around the world took steps on 28 April 2009 to curb the spread of a new strain of flu that has killed up to 149 people in Mexico in a couple of weeks and spread to Europe and possibly Asia.

Following human cases of the novel flu virus notified to the World Health Organsiation (WHO), by the United States and Mexico, Directorate General for Health and Consumer (DG SANCO) is leading the EU coordination under the framework of the Communicable disease decision 2119/98 through the Community Early Warning and Response System (EWRS), under which EU Member States are required to notify measures they propose to take, measures and guidance issued, and any confirmed cases.

Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou, EU Commissioner for health warned ministers and the press that all non-essential travel to the United States and Mexico should be discouraged. "Personally, I’d try to avoid non-essential travel to the areas which are reported to be in the centre of the cluster in order to minimise the personal risk and to reduce the potential risk to spread the infection to other people," the Commissioner said.

However, there are no specific guidelines for travellers available at the moment. The level of risk is different in the European countries. Advice and recommendations should be made based on risk assessment, and such advice will be circulated in the very near future. In the meantime, travellers who cannot postpone travel to affected areas are advised to consult the national websites of health ministries.

DG SANCO will continue to maintain permanent contact with Member States, ECDC, WHO, and with the United States and Mexico through the Global Health Security Initiative channel.

DG SANCO follows particularly the discussions ongoing in the WHO Emergency Committee which will recommend a global approach, which will then be implemented at EU level.

Three European countries (Spain, France, Scotland/UK) have reported a total of 12 persons under investigation for swine influenza virus infection. All of them have a history of travel to Mexico.

Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza that regularly cause outbreaks of influenza among pigs. Swine flu viruses do not normally infect humans, however, human infections with swine flu do occur, and cases of human-to-human spread of swine flu viruses has been documented.

Laboratory testing has found the A/H1N1 virus susceptible to the prescription antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir that can help to slow the infection and help to prevent spread.

Currently the advice being offered to people by the Centres for Disease Prevention and Control CDC and the US state department is simple preventative advice such as regularly washing one’s hands and covering one’s nose when one sneezes.