EDITORIAL - Keep out swine flu

When the country’s jet-setting public officials return from the casinos of Las Vegas and the pyramids of Egypt, they should show leadership by example and subject themselves to thermal scanning for symptoms of fever that could turn out to be any of the new killer flu viruses that have become the plagues of the new millennium. Those returning from the United States in particular, including their aides and hairstylists, should cooperate with health authorities and allow themselves to be placed under observation for 10 days for symptoms of swine flu.

After initial fears raised by a novel mutated virus, which included a warning about an imminent pandemic, health authorities are now saying that the threat posed by swine flu may not be as serious as originally thought. Of 149 deaths suspected to have been caused by the flu in Mexico, only 19 so far have been confirmed. Swine flu cases have been reported in the United States, with one death recorded — a 23-month-old Mexican visiting relatives in Texas — but so far the contagion is not spreading as virulently as originally feared.

The same situation has been observed in other countries and territories where cases of the flu have been reported. Some governments are worried that the flu scare could take a bigger toll on their hog industry, and are renaming the flu to reassure the public that pork is safe to handle and eat.

But while the virulence of the flu virus may have been overestimated, its spread around the globe can still be facilitated by the ease in international travel. As the case in Texas showed, an infected person can bring the virus to another country. In Cebu, a Filipino couple has been placed under quarantine after arriving from a trip to Ireland and Hong Kong. Also under quarantine is a foreigner who recently visited Mexico and is now suffering from a cold and cough.

Ease in transporting humans and cargo around the globe also means ease in spreading killer viruses. Preventing the entry of swine flu has become a priority in all countries. Public officials returning from abroad should take the threat seriously and subject themselves to all the precautionary measures imposed by health authorities.