TFFLU01: ILL LITHUANIANS TEST NEGATIVE FOR H1N1;

UNCLAS VILNIUS 000245 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KFLU AEMR ASEC AMED CASC KFLO TBIO KSAF KPAO PREL, PINR, AMGT, TF, LH SUBJECT: TFFLU01: ILL LITHUANIANS TEST NEGATIVE FOR H1N1; FLU-MEDICINE SALES BOOM REF: STATE 44615 ¶1. Recent Lithuanian travelers to the United States and Mexico have tested negative for the H1N1 flu virus. One man fell ill after returning from Mexico on April 23. Another developed flu-like symptoms a few days before flying from the United States on April 22, and his wife and daughter became sick shortly after he returned to his home in northern Lithuania. Doctors sent samples from both travelers and the ill family members to a Vilnius virology lab. The man who had been in Mexico tested positive for a type-A influenza virus, but more precise testing at a lab in London showed that the virus was not H1N1. Tests for the other man and his family came back negative. ¶2. The GOL's Emergency Situations Center on April 27 drew up plans for dealing with a flu pandemic, including increased stockpiling of anti-viral drugs and providing information about the H1N1 flu virus at airports. The MFA has recommended against nonessential travel to Mexico, but the GOL also has told the public there is no cause for panic or for unprescribed use of anti-viral medicines. ¶3. Media reported a run in Vilnius pharmacies on such medicines, even though they are available only by prescription, after initial reports of the flu outbreak in Mexico. Some purchasers planned to send the medicine to relatives in the United States, one newspaper said. ¶4. As flights from elsewhere in Europe arrived at Kaunas International Airport on the evening of May 1, loudspeaker announcements in Lithuanian and English warned of the flu threat and said travelers who became sick after returning from Mexico or the United States should see a doctor. Lithuania has no direct flights from North America. CLOUD