Swine flu in Majorca: Without protection for the mouth Ballermann

The first swine flu deaths in Mallorca, and many German returnees with flu symptoms upon the Balearic island of negative headlines. But organizers and authorities left to react - after all, much is at stake.

The first death, the number of infected people increases, and in Germany there is news about vacationers who are on the island of Majorca with the H1N1 virus have infected. In the middle of the season, such headlines highly inconvenient, especially as the tourism industry given the economic crisis is already going through difficult times.

The government in Palma pacifies "The Balearic Islands are a safe holiday destination. We are totally prepared to pig flu to the forehead", said spokeswoman Joana Barceló at the weekend. Even the chairman of the Majorcan and the Balearic Hotel Association, Antoni Horrach and Aurelio Vazquez, warned of serenity. Cancellations have so far not given.

"Ballermann infection"

The Robert Koch Institute in Berlin and various health authorities reported infected by Spain and Mallorca-returnees. The authorities in the Balearic Islands from wiegeln. "We are in the phase of a pandemic, the H1N1 virus now circulating worldwide," says the Health Ministry in Palma. The relevant federal public would be just as well somewhere in Germany have infected. From a "Ballermann infection" could not speak it. Measures such as controls at the airport was useless.

Furthermore, Mallorca, Ibiza and Menorca with currently 26 confirmed cases of swine flu in the country-wide comparison - in Spain there are almost 1300 infected and four dead - is hardly affected. The Balearic Ministry of Health, there are 17 cases in Mallorca, Ibiza and eight to one on Menorca. The subjects were 18 to 40 years old. Their condition was good. Mallorca Spanish tourists were in contrast to non-German tourists increased by flu symptoms.

Precautions in holiday fliers

Also, the German tourism industry would have much to lose if the summer because of the pig business flu cases would burglarize. The airline Air Berlin, the day with several aircraft holidaymakers to the island and bring back zurückfliegt, the precautions since the first cases of swine flu in Mexico, and since then not changed. "We keep the provisions of the Health Ministry, the staff is adequately trained," said a spokeswoman for Air Berlin. If symptoms during a flight with a passenger up, the pilot informed the German authorities. Increased demands of worried vacationers or cancellations had not yet registered.

This is also the tenor of the two largest tour operators TUI and Thomas Cook. "We have since the weekend a few more requests at our call center," said a spokeswoman of the Tui. The need for information but was not as high as for the outbreak of the disease in Mexico. The pig is Tui flu as a global problem, travelers to Spain are not as vulnerable tourists in other countries.

The customers of the tour operator Thomas Cook has its own well-informed and read. Inquiries or requests cancellation, there is not, as a spokeswoman. Locally, the tourists through the guide to be kept. The Flight of the Condor staff was well trained, it should give an anomaly aboard.

Doctor: First cases only 'tip of the iceberg "

The Nigerian woman died in Majorca worked as prostitutes, according to police. At the doctor they had insured the card presented to another woman, said on Sunday in the press. Thus, the physician of a false medical history and had assumed they can not adequately treat. The 32-year-old succumbed to an acute pneumonia.

Doctors like Jaume Orfila from Son Dureta Hospital in Palma, the known cases in the Balearic Islands only "for the tip of the iceberg" because the virus rapidly spread. In the newspaper "Diario de Mallorca, it was pointed out that the pig flu should be no more dangerous than the ordinary seasonal flu.

Criticism of health authorities

After the death of the Nigerian woman last Thursday in Palma criticism is expressed. Friends and a cousin of the 32-year-olds, in Calviá worked as a prostitute should have accused the health authorities Balearic a lack of information. They had only learned from the newspaper that most H1N1 virus died. Similar accusations came from the staff of the hospital, although the young woman on several stations of the hospital has been treated, doctors and nurses had not been warned, special precautions must be taken to avoid contagion.

"The attempt, in pig flu something to hide or downplay, would be a gross mistake," warned the newspaper "Ultima Hora". This would only speculation, rumors and half-truths nurture. "It could be an explosive cocktail created, and stoking the unrest of our competitors in the tourism business would be."