InfoAnda - Handshakes, high fives return as US flu fears wane

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Rusty Serena on track as French tennis opne revolution gathers pace | 24 January 2009
'Go home Nazi scum,' Serb hardliners tell Biden | 21 May 2009
S. Koreans urged to stay put for Lunar New Year | 19 January 2011

FBI arrives for Mexico probe in consulate slayings | 16 March 2010

">Forum Views () ">Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Handshakes, high fives return as US flu fears wane

Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail Yahoo! Search Search: Sign InNew User? Sign Up News Home - Help Navigation Primary Navigation Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Secondary Navigation Asia Pacific World Search Search: Handshakes, high fives return as US flu fears wane AFP - Monday, May 18 WASHINGTON (AFP) - - The US traditions of handshakes at graduation and slapping a high five during sports competitions were banned when fears of a swine flu pandemic were at their peak, but are gingerly making a comeback. ADVERTISEMENT "Did you see that? We touched skin," an 11-year-old boy said after he and his baseball teammates tapped forearms with the opposing side after a Little League game in the Washington suburb of Rockville. Not quite a high five, but a long way from the directive sent out two weeks ago by the Rockville Baseball Association recommending that the tradition of slapping palms be "replaced with a post-game cheer or round of applause for the opposition." That recommendation came just days after the World Health Organization warned that an outbreak of (A)H1N1 flu, which began in Mexico, was spreading like wildfire and a pandemic was imminent. "When you use the word 'pandemic,' you're bound to get a lot of people's attention," said Joel Kleinsasser, spokesman for Wichita State University in Kansas, where officials announced two weeks ago there would be no handshaking when students collected their diplomas at this week's graduation ceremony. But as news about the flu outbreak began to be tempered, with officials saying the virus caused illness no more severe than seasonal flu, Wichita State officials had a change of heart. "In the process of taking a look at it and discussing it, the administration determined that it would probably be okay to say we would be shaking hands," said Kleinsasser. "But if a student doesn't feel comfortable with it, they aren't going to be forced to do it," he said. On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) opened the way for the revival of another US tradition -- taking holidays south of the border -- when it downgraded a travel warning for Mexico, which had been in effect since April 27, to a travel health precaution. While the warning advised against any non-essential travel to Mexico, the precaution targeted only individuals at high risk for complications from influenza. "There is evidence that the Mexican outbreak is slowing down in many cities," the CDC said in an explanatory statement. "In addition, the United States and other countries are now seeing increasing numbers of cases not associated with travel to Mexico," it said. At the beginning of the outbreak, the overwhelming majority of cases reported outside Mexico, (A)H1N1 ground-zero, had some sort of link with that country. "Finally," said the CDC statement, "the risk of severe disease from novel H1N1 virus infection now appears to be less than originally thought." Mexican Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova said Friday that the epidemic, which has so far killed 68 people in Mexico, five in the United States, and one each in Canada and Costa Rica, would be under control either this month or next. But even as US kids touched flesh after sports games, teens shook hands with university deans and Americans dusted off the holiday brochures for Mexico, new clusters of (A)H1N1 infections were reported in New York and Houston, and health officials warned against complacency. "Influenza is always serious -- each year in the United States, seasonal influenza results on average in an estimated 36,000 deaths and more than 200,000 hospitalizations," Erik Friedly, a health communication specialist at the CDC, told AFP. "This outbreak certainly poses the potential to be at least as serious as seasonal flu, if not more so, given the fact that there currently is no vaccine against this virus and there is no immunity against it in the population." Dan Jernigan, a medical epidemiologist at CDC's influenza division, urged Americans to not completely let down their guard because swine flu was showing few signs of fizzling out. "The outbreak is spreading and appears to be expanding throughout the United States," he said. "This is an ongoing public health threat ... continued vigilance and action are needed." Email Story IM Story Printable View Blog This Sign in to recommend this article » 0 users recommend Related Articles: Entertainment & Lifestyle Mussolini's mistress, love-child seen in CannesAFP - Monday, May 18 Spain's Amenabar brings Cannes toga-clad philosophy flickAFP - Monday, May 18 Frenzied welcome home for Norwegian Eurovision winnerAFP - Monday, May 18 Box-office heaven for 'Angels and Demons'AFP - Monday, May 18 "The Producers" wins rave reviews on German debutAFP - Monday, May 18 Enlarge Photo A school official (L) speaks to school security guards May 15, 2009 at Intermediate School 238 (the Susan B. Anthony School) in the Queens borough of New York. The US traditions of handshakes at graduation and slapping a high five during sports competitions were banned when fears of a swine flu pandemic were at their peak, but are gingerly making a comeback. Most Popular – Entertainment Viewed Popular cereal is a drug, US food watchdog says Astronauts to embark on last Hubble spacewalk Coral Triangle could die by century's end: WWF British store admits it boobed in bra row Australian zoo evacuated after orangutan escape View Complete List » Search: Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - Community - Intellectual Property Rights Policy - Help

Other News on Monday, 18 May 2009
Canadian pianist in record-breaking concert
Iraqi Special Forces on the hunt for al Qaeda | International |
Zimbabwe's MDC asks AU, SADC to sort out deadlock | International |
Darfur rebels say Sudan army base seized | International |
Pain, progress, pride on day against homophobia
India's Congress prepares for government
Japan confirms '80 domestic swine flu cases'
Obama Credits "Honest, Thoughtful Dialogue" At Notre Dame Graduation
White House Budget Chief Says Economic "Freefall" Seems To Be Over
Treasury Aide To Help With Upcoming Supreme Court Confirmation Process
Congressional Republicans Weigh In On CIA, Pelosi Feud
Kidnapped California 3-Year-Old Reunited With Family
New York Officials Stage Mock Explosion; Largest Emergency Drill Since 9/11
Biden Reportedly Reveals Location Of "Secret" Vice Presidential Bunker
19 Arrested On Eve Of Obama's Planned Notre Dame Commencement Address
Wheel Falls Off Plane As It Lands In Buffalo
Boy's Body Found Buried In Albuquerque Playground Sandbox
"The Producers" wins rave reviews on German debut
Clouds on horizon for American Idol juggernaut? | Entertainment |
New Tom Hanks thriller fails to crack Code | Entertainment |
Congressional Republicans Weigh In On CIA, Pelosi Feud
Hamas, Fatah talks on unity gov't
Volkswagen, Porsche talks suspended amid spat
Sri Lanka fights Tiger remnants | International |
Myanmar's Suu Kyi faces trial, critics outraged | International |
Israel's Netanyahu to press Obama on nuclear Iran | International |
Afghan President's brother says survives ambush | International |
Japan opposition head revives election chances | International |
India's Congress cements power as markets surge | International |
China sex theme park comes to abrupt end | International |
After 60 years, Germans learn to love themselves | International |
Israel PM in US for talks on Mideast peace
Asia's dark pics make a splash at Cannes
AT&T to offer cloud-based storage as a service | Technology |
Swine flu spreads in Japan ahead of WHO meet
Japan confirms 93 swine flu cases
China retain badminton's Sudirman Cup
S.Korea bonds rise on weak shares; auctions eyed
Korea Hot Stocks
Seoul shares open down;N.Korea-related issues fall
NZ services sector weakens further in April-survey
Spain's Amenabar brings Cannes toga-clad philosophy flick
Billy Elliot adds more theater prizes ahead of Tonys | Entertainment |
Frenzied welcome home for Norwegian Eurovision winner
Fox contest seeks animated ideas | Entertainment |
Gays, lesbians in worldwide call for end to homophobia
New Terminator no fun without Schwarzenegger | Entertainment |
Box-office heaven for 'Angels and Demons'
Lars von Trier film Antichrist shocks Cannes | Entertainment |
Uruguay writer Mario Benedetti dies | Entertainment |
Astronauts to embark on last Hubble spacewalk
UK's Brown urges cleanup of scandal-hit politics | International |
Pakistan army battles Taliban; PM wins support | International |
Health ministers tackle pandemic flu, Japan in focus | International |
Turk president should stand trial: court | International |
Islamist rebels seize another Somali town | International |
Seoul vows support for NKorea estate
Tiger supremo's son killed: Sri Lanka military
EU cancels substantial aid to Fiji
Protests as nuclear fuel ship docks in Japan
Tight security for trial of Myanmar's Suu Kyi
Obama hosts Netanyahu as Mideast strains ties
Samsung bets on LCD TVs despite downturn | Technology |
Nokia unveils its cheapest 3G phone | Technology |
South Korea tries recharging road to power vehicles | Technology |
Antarctic team boosts medical care with 3D ultrasound | Technology |
South Korea says factory park in North in turmoil
Taiwan dollar slips on outflows, importers
Mussolini's mistress, love-child seen in Cannes
Handshakes, high fives return as US flu fears wane
Star-light Cannes feels pinch, early films shine | Entertainment |
Director defiant after Antichrist jeered | Entertainment |
Idol without Simon could prove turnoff: poll | Entertainment |
Woody Allen wins $5 million in lawsuit over his image | Entertainment |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph	VPN on MacOSX	BlogMeter 1.01