Free State's Professor Robert Bragg warns that Confederations Cup may have to be cancelled

SHOOT: The reason being the US is one of the countries participating in the tournament.

Read my interview with Bragg here.

clipped from www.dispatch.co.za A VIROLOGIST at the University of the Free State has warned that South Africa might not be able to host the 2009 Confederation Cup in June if the swine flu turns into a pandemic. Professor Robert Bragg said the virus is similar to a Spanish flu outbreak which killed an estimated 50 million people in 1918. The US has reported its first death from swine flu. Its Centre for Disease Control has now confirmed 66cases of the virus in that country. Bragg said preventative measures should be put in place as the US is one of the countries that will be taking part in the tournament. Bragg said the US has declared a public emergency, so South Africa had to do the same thing if the virus turned into a pandemic before the tournaments.