Japan tries to prevent swine flu outbreak, conducts in-flight checks

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TOKYO, April 28 Kyodo -
Japan on Tuesday tried to block the entry of the swine flu virus after the
World Health Organization raised its alert level for the disease that has been
spreading across the globe, commencing in-flight quarantine inspections on
passengers arriving at two of the country's three major airports from areas
where infections have been confirmed.
Prime Minister Taro Aso urged the public to be on full alert but act calmly.
Japan has so far received no reports of infection in the country and the
government requested people to postpone trips to Mexico, where the death toll
has reached 152.
The government stopped short of limiting entry points for airplanes and ships
coming to Japan from infected areas to four airports and three harbors as set
under government guidelines, but is going to implement such a step if the
epidemic spreads.
At Narita and Kansai international airports, quarantine officers wearing masks,
goggles and gloves checked passengers arriving from North America for flu
symptoms in aircraft cabins prior to disembarkation.
Similar checks are planned for passengers arriving at Chubu airport near Nagoya
in central Japan.
People suspected of being infected with the new flu in Japan will be isolated
by the government at designated medical facilities to prevent the disease from
spreading.
Due to the shortage of inspectors, some passengers were stuck in airplanes for
hours. Some travelers told Kyodo News that they were surprised by the
protective gear worn by the quarantine officers, with Kohei Momochi, a
25-year-old company employee from Tokyo, saying they looked ''as if they were
about to enter a place filled with toxic gas.''
Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone said Tokyo will suspend visa waivers for
Mexicans to tighten health checks on travelers from the country. A government
task force which was set up Tuesday to counter the epidemic also decided to
accelerate vaccine production.
Meanwhile, the government as well as retailers and restaurants tried to assuage
consumer concerns about the safety of pork, while demand for surgical masks
shot up. The item topped the sales rankings in the drug and medical supply
section of major online shopping mall Rakuten.
A growing number of Japanese companies with business bases in Mexico and the
United States took steps to prevent their employees contracting swine flu,
revoking orders for them to go abroad on business trips and instructing workers
and their families stationed in the two countries to return to Japan.
The Geneva-based WHO on Monday upgraded its alert level for a global flu
pandemic from 3 to 4 on a scale of 1 to 6, due to the growing number of
confirmed or suspected cases of swine flu in humans around the world.
Outbreaks of swine flu in humans have been confirmed in Mexico, the United
States, New Zealand, Canada, Britain, Spain and Israel, while suspected cases
have been reported in more than 10 countries including those in Europe, Asia
and Latin America.
==Kyodo