Kawasaki woman cleared of swine flu

KAWASAKI (Kyodo) A Kawasaki woman in her 30s who was suspected of having swine flu instead has a seasonal flu, city officials said Sunday.

She is infected with the Hong Kong type-A flu, not the H1N1 flu that is spreading worldwide and has killed dozens of people in Mexico and the United States, they said.

The woman returned from the United States on Wednesday and underwent a detailed examination for the new flu strain.

She has been at a Kawasaki hospital and was running a fever of 37 degrees.

A sample from her test was sent to the Kawasaki City Institute for Public Health for further analysis, and to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases.

ANA crews to cover up

Kyodo News

All Nippon Airways cabin attendants will wear masks on flights from the United States to Japan after the nation’s first swine flu cases were found among passengers who arrived from Canada via Detroit, ANA officials said.

Cabin attendants on U.S.-bound flights from Japan are not covered by the step, ANA said.

Workers who clean airplane interiors and load in-flight meals for flights from the United States will be required to wear masks.

ANA will also require ground officials who meet passengers on flights from the United States at Japanese airports to wear masks. At Narita airport, many officials have already been wearing masks on their own.

Pilots on flights from the United States will have to wear masks when boarding and when going to the restroom.

Japan Airlines has already ordered cabin attendants on flights from Mexico to wear masks. It is considering whether to extend the step to flights from other destinations in North and South America, but it allows cabin attendants to wear masks if they want.