The 2009-2010-2011 Outbreak of A/H1N1

Times of India: New cases of AH1N1 in India

2011-03-29T00:03:00.000+02:00

Two new cases of swine flu have been reported in the city. Senior officials in the ministry of health and family welfare said the patients were admitted to a city hospital last week with symptoms of the viral influenza and laboratory tests were conducted with samples of their nasal swab.

No deaths have been reported yet in this season. Delhi health minister A K Walia has said he is soon going to hold a meeting of the health officials concerned to discuss the steps required to tackle a possible increase in the cases of swine flu and dengue. The first dengue case for this season was also reported last week at AIIMS.

"The H1N1 virus was present in the environment. Moderate temperature and humidity are conducive to spreading of the influenza virus. Last year, the first case of the influenza virus was reported around June.

Rest of this article in The Times of India here

El Universal: Venezuela confirms 415 cases of influenza AH1N1

2011-03-28T23:15:00.000+02:00

Eugenia Sader, Venezuela's Minister of Health

Eugenia Sader, Venezuela's Minister of Health, said that the cases of influenza AH1N1 have spread throughout 19 states, adding that no new deaths were reported.

The Minister of Health confirmed at a press conference that there are 415 cases of influenza AH1N1 nationwide, spread in 19 Venezuelan states. She said that no new deaths have been reported. "The number of deaths remains unchanged," she added.

The top health official said that there are confirmed cases of AH1N1 in the states of: Mérida (189 cases); Capital District (77); Miranda (69); Trujillo (15); Táchira (10); Carabobo (8); Lara (7); Guárico (5); Aragua (5); Vargas (5); Yaracuy (5); Cojedes (5); Zulia (4); Amazonas (3); Nueva Esparta (2); Barinas (2); Anzoátegui (2); Sucre (1) and Portuguesa (1). The figures corresponded to January 1-March 27.

Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez on Sunday urged people during his weekly program Aló Presidente (Hello, President) to meet hygiene standards recommended by the Ministry of Health and welcomed the cooperation of private hospitals.

Chávez called government officials to intensify the prevention campaign. The Venezuelan head of state devoted some five minutes to give recommendations related to AH1N1 in his Sunday program, which lasted more than 6 hours.

Meanwhile, for the second consecutive week, classes will remain suspended in primary schools and high schools in the state of Mérida, southwestern Venezuela, as a preventive measure after the outbreak of AH1N1 in the Andean region.

The Andes University also announced that the academic and administrative activities have been suspended until further notice.

Read this article at El Universal

My first post in 144 days

2011-03-28T23:02:00.000+02:00

Apologies to everybody that expected to find updates on the new AH1N1 outbreak in Mexico in here.

I will try to follow the AH1N1-news more closely again from now on.

Mecca: Two pilgrims down with H1N1 influenza virus

2010-11-14T01:16:00.000+01:00

MECCA: The health ministry has detected the H1N1 influenza virus in two female pilgrims from a European and east Asian country, while an African was found to have contracted cholera.

The Saudi Gazette reported today that the women, aged 26 and 52, were infected in their countries of origin.

It said the ministry's monitoring unit diagnosed the duo as soon as they arrived, and were given the necessary treatment at a hospital.

One of them has since been discharged while the other is in stable condition, said the report from Riyadh.

The Saudi Gazette said the unit was determining how the 41-year-old man, currently undergoing treatment, was infected with the disease.

LankaJournal: A threat of spreading Influenza AH1N1

2010-11-04T03:16:00.000+01:00

Sri Lanka's Ministry of Health warns that there is a threat of spreading Influenza AH1N1 in the island.
The Unit of the Ministry states that all hospital staff is already kept on alert regarding this.

According to the Ministry sources 15 patients have been found from various parts of the island. They have been called over for treatment with fever and cold who were identified as Influenza AH1N1 patients following investigations.

The Ministry of Health makes a special request from the public to concentrate on medical treatment immediately if symptoms such as fever, cough, cold and headache are exposed.

BBC: Child sick with swine flu dies

2010-11-04T02:31:00.000+01:00

A child who was diagnosed with swine flu just over a week ago has died, the Public Health Agency has confirmed.

The eight-year-old girl was a pupil at Ceara School in Lurgan, County Armagh - a special school for children with severe learning disabilities.

Twenty people from Northern Ireland died in last year's swine flu outbreak, including a number of children with severe learning difficulties.

The girl was one of two people diagnosed with the virus last week.

The other case, involving a man from Northern Ireland, was not linked.

Read the rest here.

Here we go again...

2010-11-04T02:28:00.000+01:00

It seems the right time to re-open this blog.
See the next blog...

Final entry (for now)

2010-05-10T12:11:00.001+02:00

A little over a year ago, in the midst of the Mexican flue/ Swine-flue/ AH1N1-hype, I started a blog with news and views, rumours, predictions and solutions about the 2009 outbreak of A/H1N1.

A year has passed and most sources have stopped updating their websites about the flue.

It is time I stop updating too. This is my last entry in this blog.

But if H1N1 will re-appear, or if a new flue-virus will appear. be assured that this blog will reopen.

Thank you for visiting, reading and commenting on this blog.

Signing off,
pmlgrn

The cost of the H1N1 Scare Tactics

2010-05-10T11:56:00.000+02:00

Figures have recently been released that show how much money the government of Canada spent on the H1N1 flu pandemic. The feds spent $37 million on advertising and communications. This was more than was spent on anti-virals ($14 million), preparing emergency responses ($8.6 million) and outbreak management ($21 million).

After the figures were released, Dr. Richard Schabas, a former Ontario medical officer of health, renewed his criticism that the government spent too much money after the flu outbreak had finished. In the end, although the H1N1 did qualify as a worldwide pandemic, its effect on the vast majority of those who caught it was mild. Many people had this particular strain of flu and didn’t even know it. The number of people who died from H1N1 was about one tenth of the number of Canadians who die each year from ordinary flu.

There is nothing unusual in the fact that the government spent so much money advertising in order to tell people where they should go and get their flu shots. It was perfectly consistent with the way democratic governments operate in the 21st century.

Read the rest of this article

AOL News: Did Hyping H1N1 Create A Dangerous Flu Fatigue?

2010-03-02T00:22:00.000+01:00

With the World Health Organization warning yet again this week that the H1N1 virus has yet to reach its peak, a flu season that's milder than average hardly seems that way. Now, the nearly yearlong coverage of H1N1 has left some worried that future influenza outbreaks will be met with ambivalent flu fatigue among the public.

'It's inevitable that there's H1N1 fatigue,' Dr. Robert Daum, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Chicago Medical Center, told AOL News. 'Health officials, the media and the public are all stuck between a rock and a hard place on this one.'

No doubt, the H1N1 virus was a legitimate health threat. The WHO estimates that 16,000 people have died from the flu strain, which targeted children and teens rather than the elderly. The virus was also prevalent during spring and summer months, whereas flues usually peak in the winter.

Complete article:
AOL News: Did Hyping H1N1 Create A Dangerous Flu Fatigue?

KRDO.com: Another Outbreak Of H1N1 Could Be Coming Soon

2010-03-02T00:14:00.000+01:00

H1N1 has been very quite since the start of 2010 but that does not mean that it has gone anywhere.

The first out break of H1N1 was in April of 2009 with another wave of outbreaks in October, and with the history of pandemics a third outbreak or wave could happen before the end of the season.

'Based on history of previous pandemics sometimes there has been what we call a third wave, and we have not seen that yet. We can't for sure write H1N1 off, at least for this particular winter season we are going to have to wait and see.' This is according to Dr. Bernadette Albanese with the El Paso County Department of Health and Environment.

The best way to prevent getting the flu is still getting vaccinated. Other ways that can prevent the flu, washing your hands, covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze and if you are sick, stay home and get better before you go back to work or school.

KRDO.com: Another Outbreak Of H1N1 Could Be Coming Soon

T-shirt

2010-03-01T23:30:00.000+01:00

Order here.

Nat Geo Report: Sharks killed for swine flu vaccine

2010-01-07T11:11:00.000+01:00

Sharks are being killed to obtain a substance called squalene for preparation of swine flu vaccine, according to a report by National Geographic.

The report said vaccines being made to protect people from swine flu are killing sharks because millions of doses of the pandemic H1N1/09 vaccine contain a substance called squalene, which is extracted from shark livers.

Olive oil, wheat germ oil and rice brain oil also contains natural squalene, but in smaller amount. This has drawn drug-makers' attention towards killing of sharks, especially the deepwater species, that contain huge amount of the substance.

According to the report, commercial fishers are being hired to obtain shark livers.

Read the rest of this article here

Orlando Sentinel: Secret health talks & Bio hazards

2010-01-07T11:03:00.000+01:00

The U.S. isn't ready to deal with a flu pandemic, and even less prepared to handle a more serious disease or biological attack.

This alarming assessment comes from former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham of Florida, based on how the nation has responded to theswine flu. That response has been hampered by shortcomings in making vaccines and tracking the disease.

Mr. Graham is co-chair of a panel on terrorism that found the most likely mass attack would be biological. Given that threat, and the systemic problems exposed by the swine flu, policymakers need to get right to work on fixes. As the senator has noted, terrorists won't give us six months' warning.

Secret health talks

When he was running for president, Barack Obama vowed that his administration would put together a plan to reform health care and broadcast those negotiations on C-SPAN "so the American people can see what the choices are." That was then.

Now, the White House and Democratic leaders in Congress are hammering out a final deal on reform behind closed doors. President Obama's spokesman weakly argued that there already has been enough public exposure in the process.

The head of C-SPAN, the network that covers Congress, has called on its leaders to allow their health-care talks to be televised. Brian Lamb pointed out that the legislation in question "will affect the lives of every single American."

If Mr. Obama really is committed to transparency in government, he'll make sure Congress lets the cameras in.

Copyright © 2010, Orlando Sentinel

Cartoon: How to tell if you booked the wrong holiday flight...

2009-12-07T01:40:00.000+01:00

Japan Today: 70% of Japanese see need to stock food if H1N1 flu spreads

2009-12-07T01:07:00.000+01:00

About 70% of Japanese consumers believe it is necessary to stock up on food if the H1N1 flu spreads further and they are instructed to refrain from going outdoors, according to a recent government survey.

Of the 893 people who said food needs to be stocked in the poll, the largest number of respondents, or 33%, said they want about seven days’ supply, showed the findings by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Some 80-90% cited rice, canned food and wheat-based items such as instant noodles as the types of food they intend to buy if the need arises.

Japan Today: 70% of Japanese see need to stock food if H1N1 flu spreads

Montana's News Station: H1N1 e-mail scam making the rounds

2009-12-04T11:59:00.001+01:00

The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services is reporting that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned the state about fraudulent e-mails referencing a CDC sponsored State Vaccination Program.

The scam asks recipients of the messages to register personal information if they received a 2009 H1N1 vaccine. But, the CDC has not implemented a state vaccination program requiring registration.

Users that click on the e-mail are at risk of having a malicious program code installed on their computer's operating system.

Montana's News Station: H1N1 scam making the rounds

WHO investigates Tamiflu resistance, updates antiviral recommendations for H1N1 patients with severely compromised immune systems

2009-12-04T09:45:00.000+01:00

Following recent reports of clusters of Tamiflu resistance, the WHO recommended that patients with severely weakened immunesystems who become infected with the H1N1 (swine flu) virus receive additional antiviral treatment as needed throughout the duration of their illness, Agence France-Presse reports.

'Although the WHO said there was no evidence that the two clusters found in Wales and in North Carolina [U.S.] marked a wider public health threat, it reiterated calls for vigilance and modified treatment advice for the frontline flu drug,' the news service writes.

In addition to ramping up antiviral treatment, the agency advised physicians treating patients with suppressed immune systems who are not responding to Tamiflu be given the alternative antiviral, Relenza (12/2).
The WHO also announced an investigation into the Tamiflu-resistant cases of H1N1 in hospitals in Wales and the U.S. showed the virus had not spread among hospital workers and the community, the Canadian Press reports.

Read the rest of this article:
WHO investigates Tamiflu resistance,
updates antiviral recommendations for H1N1 patients with severely compromised immune systems

AFP: Netherlands reports mutant swine flu death

2009-12-04T09:34:00.000+01:00

Dutch authorities said Thursday a patient infected by a mutant strain of the swine flu virus had died, but added that this was not the cause of death.

Harald Wychgel, spokesman for the Dutch Institute for Health and the Environment, told AFP that there had been a 'minor change in the virus to make it resistant to Tamiflu,' a key treatment for influenza.

'He died not because the virus was resistant but because he was seriously ill and caught the Mexican (swine) flu,' Wychgel said.

The man, whose age had not been given, died Sunday in the northern city of Groningen, local health official Hans Coenraads said.

'We have carried out tests on the patient's associates to see if the mutation had spread but we found no such indications', he said.

Reports said that two more patients in the Netherlands had shown resistance to Tamiflu.

It is the fifth fatal case of mutated A(H1N1) flu in Europe, after two in France and two in Norway.

The World Health Organisation said last month that mutations had been observed in Brazil, China, Japan, Mexico, where the swine flu pandemic began, Ukraine, and the United States, as early as April.

Italy also reported a non-fatal case on Monday.

'The mutations appear to occur sporadically and spontaneously. To date, no links between the small number of patients infected with the mutated virus have been found and the mutation does not appear to spread,' a WHO statement said on November 20.

The WHO also underlined that there was no evidence of more infections or more deaths as a result, while the mutated virus detected up to that point remained sensitive to antiviral drugs used to treat severe flu, oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza).

Scientists fear that mutations in flu viruses could cause more virulent and deadly pandemic flu. The global health watchdog reiterated a call for close monitoring.

'Although further investigation is under way, no evidence currently suggests that these mutations are leading to an unusual increase in the number of H1N1 infections or a greater number of severe or fatal cases,' it added.

AFP: Netherlands reports mutant swine flu death

Salt Lake Tribune - H1N1 spread continues to slow

2009-12-03T04:45:00.001+01:00

Three more Utahns have died and 37 more have been hospitalized due to the H1N1 flu, according to the state's weekly update.

One person, between the ages of 5 and 24, died in the Weber-Morgan Health District. A woman older than 65 died in the Central Utah Health District, and a woman between the ages of 50 and 64 died in the Southwest Utah Health District. A total of 23 Utahns have died from causes related to the flu since its second wave in late August.

Nevertheless, the percentage of patients seen for influenza-like illness has dropped for the fifth straight week.

Read the rest of this article here:
Salt Lake Tribune - H1N1 spread continues to slow

CDC: Swine flu less widespread, down to 32 states

2009-12-01T12:35:00.003+01:00

Swine flu infections seem to be dropping, but the number of children who died with the illness rose by about 30, according to a government report released Monday.

Widespread infections of swine flu were reported in 32 states as of Nov. 21, down from 43 states the week before, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said.

The CDC also said there were 27 new lab-confirmed swine flu deaths in children under 18, bringing the total to about 200 children. That’s the largest one-week tally for children since the pandemic started.

Since it was first identified in April, swine flu has sickened an estimated 22 million Americans, hospitalized about 98,000 and killed 4,000. It has proved to be similar to seasonal flu but a bigger threat to children and young adults.

The swine flu pandemic has so far hit in two waves in the United States: First in the spring, then a larger wave that started in the late summer.

In late October, 48 states reported widespread flu activity

Read the rest of this article here:
CDC: Swine flu less widespread in the USA, down to 32 states

AfricaNews - Swine flu causes deaths in Northern Africa - The AfricaNews articles of KingsleyKobo

2009-12-01T12:20:00.002+01:00

The A/H1N1 influenza is currently causing havoc in northern Africa notably in Egypt, Morocco, Libya and Algeria, according to recent statements released by the health ministries of these countries.

After Algeria’s tragedy of three deaths over the weekend, Morocco announced its first swine flu victim – a 24-year-old pregnant woman from the northern city of Tangier.

She died on Sunday after contracting the H1N1 virus, the country’s health ministry said on Monday.

Eighty-three new cases of the disease were diagnosed over the weekend, bringing the total to 1,710 cases in Morocco.

Egypt reported one more death case of A/H1N1 flu on Monday, bringing the country's death toll from the virus to 21, Al-Ahram daily said.

AfricaNews - Swine flu causes deaths in Northern Africa

Examiner.com: First case of H1N1 influenza virus infection in dogs

2009-12-01T12:03:00.001+01:00

Two dogs were reported yesterday to be infected with the H1N1 influenza virus, according to the China Daily news. The dogs were both located in Beijing, China.

While not confirmed, it is likely that the dogs became infected with the H1N1 influenza virus through contact with infected people.

Dogs are susceptible to their own form of influenza virus, called canine influenza. However, these are the first documented cases of the H1N1 virus strain infecting the canine species. The canine influenza virus is not known to be transmissible to people but can be passed easily from dog to dog. It appears that the H1N1 virus can be passed from people to dogs and likely from dogs to people as well.

Chinese health officials are trying to reassure people that their dogs are not a threat to them. They say that because the virus has been found in so many species (pigs, ferrets, cats and people), it is not surprising that that it has been found in dogs as well.

Examiner.com: First case of H1N1 influenza virus infection in dogs

H1N1 France: From vaccine refusal to panic and riot police in just 7 days

2009-11-30T20:32:00.004+01:00

"Please speak into the hygiaphone." photo: Flickr (CC)

There’s nothing like a good dose of reality to get people to change their minds about things. And the H1N1 vaccine debate in France is a textbook example of that.

The extreme cynicism with which the French considered H1N1 vaccination just one week ago has been replaced by panic and exasperation at not being able to get vaccinated. Riot police have been deployed at certain vaccination stations.

Flesh & Stone has already reported that people have been taking the government to court for attempted mass poisoning or, as the charge sheet puts it: “Attempting to administer substances…of a nature which could result in death.” Polls taken as recently as two weeks ago showed that around 80 percent of the population wouldn’t or most probably wouldn’t, get vaccinated against H1N1, and there has been violent public reaction against government attempts to persuade people to get their children vaccinated. Figures suggest that children represent almost 75 percent of those infected.

Sections of the national media have had a lot of fun ridiculing attempts to get people to vaccinate, and one video skit showed a supposedly desperate health minister begging people to be nice to her and take “my” vaccine.

Things have changed extremely quickly. The days of anti-vaccine conspiracy theories have evaporated into thin air in the space of just one week, replaced by crowds of worried people clamouring to be vaccinated and overwhelming vaccination stations and their staff.

This situation has come about because of the sudden and dramatic rise in infection rates and, with it, the sudden and dramatic rise in the number of dead, particularly among the young.

Read the rest of this article here:
H1N1 France: From vaccine refusal to panic and riot police in just 7 days

Kottke.org: How the H1N1 vaccine is made (using 1.2Bn eggs in the process!)

2009-11-29T14:04:00.002+01:00

The most striking feature of the H1N1 flu vaccine manufacturing process is the 1,200,000,000 chicken eggs required to make the 3 billion doses of vaccine that may be required worldwide. There are entire chicken farms in the US and around the world dedicated to producing eggs for the purpose of incubating influenza viruses for use in vaccines. No wonder it takes six months from start to finish. But we'll get to that in a minute.

The most commonly used process for manufacturing an influenza vaccine was developed in the 1940s -- one of its co-inventors was Jonas Salk, who would go on to develop the polio vaccine -- and has remained basically unchanged since then. The process is coordinated by the World Health Organization and begins with the detection of a new virus (or rather one that differs significantly from those already going around); in this instance, the Pandemic H1N1/09 virus.

Once the pandemic strain has been identified and isolated, it is mixed with a standard laboratory virus through a technique called genetic reassortment, the purpose of which is to create a hybrid virus (also called the 'reference virus strain') with the pandemic strain's surface antigens and the lab strain's core components (which allows the virus to grow really well in chicken eggs). Then the hybrid is tested to make sure that it grows well, is safe, and produces the proper antigen response. This takes about six to nine weeks.

Read the rest of this article here:
Kottke.org: How the H1N1 vaccine is made

The Canadian Press: Vaccinations, antiviral supply mean H1N1 no threat to 2010 Olympics

2009-11-29T13:57:00.002+01:00

The World Health Organization is sending a representative to monitor for potential disease outbreaks at the 2010 Winter Olympics, but Games officials and health experts say the threat from H1N1 has likely passed.

Most athletes, officials and spectators are expected to be vaccinated against H1N1 by the time the Winter Olympics begin in February.

'If the vaccination rate is high enough, I don't think H1N1 is going to be a risk,' said Dr. Patricia Daly, chief medical health officer for Vancouver Coastal Health, the agency overseeing health services for the Olympics.

Planning for the possible impact H1N1 could have on the Games has been underway since before the WHO declared an official global pandemic in June.

In April, B.C. health officials made a decision to increase the stockpile of antiviral drugs available in the province because of the Games, according to briefing notes released under Access to Information.

How much it cost was censored in the documents, but B.C.'s provincial health officer said in an interview the original supply was boosted by three million doses, bringing the total amount available to 10 million.

Read the rest of this article here:
The Canadian Press: Vaccinations, antiviral supply mean H1N1 no threat to 2010 Olympics

Epinions.com: Do We Really Need Anti-Viral Kleenex?

2009-11-29T13:47:00.002+01:00

Kleenex Anti-Viral Tissue is a moisture-activated facial tissue designed to kill common cold and flu viruses from droplets caught in the tissue, thus protecting the hands from contacting the viruses.

Kleenex states these tissues kill 99.9% of these viruses within 15 minutes. These tissues are 3-ply, with the middle layer containing the anti-viral ingredients, and are easily identified as the Anti-Viral brand by the little blue dots all over the layer. They are standard size tissues, measuring 8.4 X 8.2 inches. I've seen them available in the 120-count rectangular box and the 60-count cubed box.

Active anti-viral ingredients include food-grade Citric Acid and Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. Since these ingredients are food-grade, the EPA does not require any warning labels, and the tissues are safe for little ones.

Kleenex also boldly states that these tissues have not been tested against bacteria, fungi, or other viruses. But do we really need them?

Epinions.com: Do We Really Need Anti-Viral Kleenex?

Netherlands to sell surplus flu shots

2009-11-28T17:48:00.001+01:00

The Dutch government is going to sell its surplus swine flu vaccine doses to countries who are experiencing acute shortages. Some two million doses will be sold.

They are no longer needed next month for the national vaccination drive.

Another 18 million doses may be sold in the first months of next year. The cabinet says it wants to help countries unable to inoculate all of their risk groups. Health Minister Ab Klink expects no other groups in the Netherlands need to be vaccinated.

The number of people to visit their general practitioner with flu complaints has begun dropping. Eight people, however, died of the A H1N1 virus last week.

All of them had been suffering from other complaints by the time they contracted the flu.

Netherlands to sell surplus flu shots

H1N1 Re-infections Raise Pandemic Concerns

2009-11-28T17:40:00.002+01:00

Dr. Debra Parsons, a pediatrician at Kid Care West in Cross Lanes, was met with reactions of doubt from local health officials last month when she said two flu tests had come back positive for H1N1, or swine flu.

Parsons first came down with the virus, complete with all the telltale symptoms, in August.

Her son became ill at the same time with the same symptoms. Figuring they had the same bug, Parsons tested herself to see what it was.

The test came back positive for Influenza A, so the lab at Charleston Area Medical Center sent it to be sub-typed. Parsons was positive for H1N1.

Parsons and her son recovered, but in October they started having the same symptoms, but they became much worse.

They were both tested this time, and the results were the same -- they were positive for Influenza A and then H1N1.

'It was swine flu both times,' Parsons said.

Read the rest of this article here:
H1N1 Re-infections Raise Pandemic Concerns

AAP: Two deaths in France from mutated H1N1

2009-11-28T16:19:00.001+01:00

Two patients who were infected by a swine flu mutation that was also recently detected in Norway have died in France, health officials say.

'This mutation could increase the ability of the virus to affect the respiratory tracts and, in particular, the lung tissue,' a statement from the French government's Health Surveillance Institute (InVS) said on Friday.
'For one of these patients, this mutation was accompanied by another mutation known to confer resistance to oseltamivir,' it added, referring to the main drug being used to treat swine flu, under the brand name Tamiflu.

The case was the first drug-resistant strain found in France among the 1,200 strains experts have analysed here, the InVS said, adding that 'the effectiveness of vaccines currently available is not being questioned'.
The two patients were not related and had been hospitalised in two different cities in France, it said.

The death toll in mainland France now stood at 76, the InVS statement said.
The World Health Organisation said on Thursday it was investigating reports of mutations in the swine flu virus, after half a dozen countries recorded cases in which the virus was transforming.

AAP: Two deaths in France from mutated H1N1

H1N1 Cases Declining In Hospitals Across US

2009-11-24T17:12:00.001+01:00

The swine flu pandemic has taken a turn in the United States. Doctors in several cities are now reporting fewer cases of the H1N1 virus, prompting some to believe the outbreak may have peaked. Still, the virus has killed nearly 7,000 people worldwide since April, and health officials say there could be another outbreak in the U.S.

At its peak, there were so many outbreaks of H1N1 flu, this children's hospital in Texas had to set up tents for its patients. Two months later, the tents are down and so are the number of people who are sick.

'At some points we were seeing as many as 70 percent of patients testing positive for the flu, and now it's down below 10 percent,' Dr. Pat Crocker, Dell Children's Medical Center estimates.

Read the rest of this article here:
H1N1 Cases Declining In Hospitals Across US

TheMedGuru: Hajj pilgrims in Mecca and Medina unconcerned about swine flu threat

2009-11-24T17:07:00.001+01:00

Millions of devout Muslims are descending on the holy cities of Mecca and Medina for the largest annual pilgrimage in the world despite the underlying fears of the pandemic swine flu affecting the Hajj.

A decrease in the turnout had been anticipated sparked by the global pandemic, but pilgrims have poured from the four corners of the world into Saudi Arabia in preparation for this year's Hajj, which will begin on Wednesday, Nov. 25.

According to official sources, around 500,000 pilgrims offered Friday prayers in Medina, the second holiest city in Islam.

Nevertheless, fears of disease were well founded as already four have fallen prey to the lethal virus - the first among pilgrims. The health ministry stated the deaths were due to underlying health issues and the failure of the victims to take adequate precautions and get vaccinated before embarking on the pilgrimage.

Fortunately the number of infections is less than had been feared by Saudi authorities. Only 20 pilgrims had been detected with the virus. Of these, 12 have been treated and discharged, while four remain critical in hospital.

Read the rest of this article here:
TheMedGuru: Hajj pilgrims in Mecca and Medina unconcerned about swine flu threat

Chinaview.com: H1N1 flu virus mutation detected in Hong Kong

2009-11-24T16:54:00.001+01:00

Hong Kong's Department of Health announced that it had found the same mutation in a H1N1 flu virus sample as the one detected in Norway recently.

The department said that it had examined the genetic sequence of H1N1 flu viruses in its monitoring system. Out of the 123 sequences studied, one sample showed the same mutation as the Norway strain.

The virus was taken from a year-old boy who developed flu-like symptoms July 22. He was admitted to Prince of Wales Hospital July25 and discharged three days later. He has recovered.

Mutations are frequently encountered in influenza viruses. According to the World Health Organization, the same mutation of the virus has been found on the Chinese mainland and in other countries, including Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Ukraine and the United States.

The virus with this mutation remained sensitive to antiviral drugs, Tamiflu and Relenza. No evidence suggests these mutations are leading to an unusual increase in the number of H1N1 flu infections or a greater number of severe or fatal cases.

Chinaview.com: H1N1 flu virus mutation detected in Hong Kong

WKYC.com: New swine flu strain resistant to Tamiflu

2009-11-24T16:46:00.001+01:00

Could there be a new strain of H1N1? That's what health officials are investigating after a few cases seem to be resistant to the treatment drug, Tamiflu.

It was discovered that a few patients at Duke University Medical Centers and a few others overseas in whales were diagnosed with a strain of flu too strong for Tamiflu to treat.

Health officials with the CDC say this doesn't indicate a health emergency. But there is concern over what appears to be mutations of the virus.

'We are unable to say if their deaths were caused by influenza, they are influenza associated but they had medical issues that were compromising their health,' says Megan Davies, a North Carolina State Epidemiologist.

The virus is just as severe, but this new mutation of H1N1 has a different characteristic. It might not be treatable with medications currently available.

Read the rest here:
WKYC.com: New swine flu strain resistant to Tamiflu

Reuters: WHO probing drug resistant swine flu

2009-11-24T16:39:00.001+01:00

GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization is looking into reports in Britain and the United States that the H1N1 flu may have developed resistance to Tamiflu in people with severely suppressed immune systems, a spokesman said Tuesday.

Britain's Health Protection Agency (HPA) said five cases have been confirmed in Wales of patients infected with H1N1 resistant to oseltamivir -- the generic name of Roche and Gilead Sciences Inc's antiviral drug Tamiflu.

The patients had serious conditions that suppressed their immune systems, which can give the virus a better than usual opportunity to develop resistance, the HPA said. It said the drug-resistant strain had probably spread person to person.

'We have seen the reports, we need to look into them,' WHO spokesman Thomas Abraham said in Geneva.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week also reported four cases of H1N1 resistant to Tamiflu at Duke University Hospital in North Carolina. All were said to be very ill with underlying severely compromised immune systems and multiple other complex medical conditions.

Read the rest of the article at:
Reuters: WHO probing drug resistant swine flu

BBC News - Canada's doctors told to stop using swine flu vaccine

2009-11-24T16:32:00.001+01:00

GlaxoSmithKline has advised doctors in Canada to stop using a batch of its swine flu vaccine, amid reports of severe side-effects in some patients.

The batch of some 170,000 doses was put on hold because of the reported higher than usual number of patients having anaphylactic reactions.

This may include breathing problems, raised heart rate and skin rashes.
The pharmaceutical company said it was investigating the reports, which could lead to the withdrawal of the batch.

The reports say one in 20,000 people suffered adverse reactions to the batch of GlaxoSmithKline's Pandemrix vaccine. This is five times the expected number.

None of the patients reportedly suffered long-term ill-effects.

BBC News - Canada's doctors told to stop using swine flu vaccine

RT Reports: Mutant drug resistant H1N1 showing up in U.S

2009-11-24T12:22:00.001+01:00

Swine flu mutation - Same receptor as 1918 Spanish flu pandemic found in Ukraine virus

2009-11-24T12:13:00.003+01:00

According to analysis of genetic testing done by the World Health Organization, the Ukraine flu virus is an H1N1 mutation that is similar to the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic.

The two flu virus outbreaks both have changes in the receptor binding domain D225G, and similar symptoms, which include bleeding in the lungs. Current estimates of the deaths attributed to the Ukraine flu outbreak is as many as 400, and increasing daily.

In 1918, the Spanish flu pandemic killed between 20 million and 40 million people. The pandemic took place during the end of World War I, but ten times as many Americans died from the Spanish Flu as died in the war - nearly 700,000.

Read the rest of this article here:
Swine flu mutation - Same receptor as 1918 Spanish flu pandemic found in Ukraine virus

Dutch begin mass vaccinating 830,000 children, a musical variation

2009-11-24T11:57:00.006+01:00

The Netherlands has begun vaccinating up to 830,000 children against swine flu in one of the country's largest vaccination programs.
Children between six months and four years old have received invitations to be vaccinated against the H1N1 virus.
The Netherlands has ordered enough vaccine to inoculate the entire country of 16 million people. Pregnant women, the elderly, and people with autoimmune diseases were vaccinated first.
A major center in Amsterdam is expecting 64,000 children Monday, the first day of a three-day campaign.
Children and parents arrived in a constant stream of buggies and bikes, and were greeted with clowns singing songs about how shots don't hurt - though an occasional wail could still be heard.

The NOS Jeugdjournaal (Junior News) reports (in Dutch):

And a funny re-edit of the mass-vaccination, on music

SF Chronicle: Fear spreading faster than swine flu in Ukraine

2009-11-22T19:24:00.001+01:00

One night at the height of the panic over what people here call the California flu, as 24-hour news stations tracked a rising death toll and politicians speculated about a mystery lung plague, Ukraine's prime minister rushed to the airport to greet a shipment of Tamiflu as if it were a foreign dignitary. Not to be outdone, the president, a bitter political foe, dispatched a top aide to meet the plane, too.

In neighboring Belarus, the government took an opposite tack, accusing drug companies of fanning hysteria over swine flu to boost profit. In Poland, the health minister is under fire for refusing to stock up on a vaccine, while doctors in Hungary are resisting orders to administer the shot. In Turkmenistan, the authorities have been accused of covering up an epidemic, with infectious-disease wards reportedly full and people being turned away.

As the pandemic H1N1 influenza surges with the onset of winter, the nations of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union appear particularly vulnerable to the deadly virus. Burdened with weak health care systems, relatively inexperienced news media and shaky governments that have little public trust, the region also seems ripe for panic and political strife over the flu.

Read the rest of this article at:
SF Chronicle: Fear spreading faster than swine flu in Ukraine

And a report at RT Wladiwostok:

Today.AZ: WHO to send extra swine flu medicines to Azerbaijan

2009-11-22T19:20:00.001+01:00

The World Health Organization (WHO) has sent to Azerbaijan extra Tamiflu sufficient for treatment of 38,700 people for swine flu, project coordinator of WHO office in Azerbaijan Elkhan Gasimov said.

He said the major A/H1N1 (swine flu) medicines were brought to Azerbaijan at the end of last week.

“WHO did not send medicines only to Azerbaijan. There are other countries in this list, too,” he said.

Elkhan Gasimov said in May WHO sent Tamiflu to Azerbaijan for treatment of 10,000 people.

The first part of the vaccines against the swine flu will be brought to the country late in November – early in December.

Nearly 170,000 doses of vaccines (2 percent of the population) will be brought to Azerbaijan.

Today.AZ: WHO to send extra swine flu medicines to Azerbaijan

USA Today: Drug resistant H1N1 found in USA and UK

2009-11-22T19:14:00.001+01:00

Epidemic experts say they are investigating the apparent spread of Tamiflu-resistant swine flu virus among four patients at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., and five in a hospital in Wales.

These clusters appear to be the first in which a virus resistant to the antiviral Tamiflu, a mainstay of flu treat, has spread from person to person, researchers said Friday.

If Tamiflu-resistant virus spreads widely, swine flu will become tougher to treat and may cost more lives, says Duke's Daniel Sexton, who is leading the hospital's investigation.

Doctors say investigations of the two hospital outbreaks are underway, but the preliminary genetic evidence suggests that the virus spread among patients at the hospitals.

Read the rest of this article here:
USA Today: Drug resistant H1N1 found in USA and UK

Next Gen Pharma: Lower dose of H1N1 vaccine may be enough

2009-11-19T13:17:00.002+01:00

With flu season hotting up, debate over the use of Influenza A (H1N1) vaccines continues to divide opinion. Now, Swiss-based pharmaceutical giant Novartis has announced that half of the currently-approved US dose actually fulfils immune response criteria for adults and the elderly.

Novatis' announcement is based on new interim data from ongoing clinical trials, and shows how a single 3.75µg dose of MF59-adjuvanted A(H1N1) 2009 vaccine met serologic protection criteria against influenza A(H1N1) in children ages three to eight, adults ages 18 to 64, and the elderly.

As such, the pharmaceutical firm is now in discussions with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is set to perfrom additional analysis suggested by the agency.

Read the rest of the article here:
Next Gen Pharma: Lower dose of H1N1 vaccine may be enough

Fear of needle drives people away from H1N1 shots

2009-11-19T12:55:00.001+01:00

The very word needle seems to petrify some people, as much as the sight of one sliding into the skin.

Experts believe this fear of needles may be preventing people from rolling up their sleeves for the H1N1 shots.

'Pain and the actual fear of getting the injection is often the barrier that prevents people from getting the vaccine,' said psychologist Christine Chambers, based at Dalhousie University.

Concerned that students who are making health decisions for themselves may be bypassing immunization for H1N1 because of their fear of needles, Chambers assures there are things they can do to reduce pain.

Read the rest of the article here:
Fear of needle drives people away from H1N1 shots

Reuters: China's official H1N1 death count suspect

2009-11-19T12:45:00.003+01:00

China may have had more H1N1 flu deaths than have been reported, with some local governments possibly concealing suspect cases, a prominent Chinese medical expert said in an interview published on Thursday.

Zhong Nanshan, a doctor based in the far southern province of Guangdong, said he doubted the current official death toll from the influenza strain, also called 'swine flu', that has medical experts worldwide worried.

'I just don't believe that nationwide there have been in all 53 H1N1 deaths,' Zhong told the Southern Metropolis Daily, a popular Guangdong newspaper.

Zhong said that 'some areas have not been testing deaths from severe (pneumonia) and treating them as cases of ordinary pneumonia without a question,' the paper reported.

Zhong is respected by many people in China for his candour and work in fighting 'severe acute respiratory syndrome' (SARS) in 2003, when nationwide panic and international alarm erupted after it emerged that officials hid or underplayed the spreading epidemic.

China, the world's most populous country, has reported 28 new H1N1 deaths in the last week during a cold snap across much of the country, the Ministry of Health said on its website (www.moh.gov.cn).

The latest national death tally issued on Monday on the same website showed 53 death cases.

Read the rest of the article here:
Reuters: China's official H1N1 death count suspect

Ukraine Dead Increase to 344

2009-11-19T02:21:00.001+01:00

1,502,345 Influenza/ARI
85,904 Hospitalized
344 Dead

The above tally is from the latest update from the Ukraine Ministry of health. The 344 dead represents an increase of 16 from yesterday's total, which is similar to recent daily increases. The steady climb in fatal cases highlights the importance of the release of sequences by Mill Hill a WHO regional center in London.

Included in the sequences from 10 isolates were four HA sequences with the receptor binding domain change, D225G, which was found in the one throat and three lung samples. The change was not found in isolates from nasopharyngeal washes, suggesting D225G may lead to high concentrations of H1N1 in patient's lungs. The high concentration of virus leads to a cytokine storm that destroys the lungs in a few days.

The finding of D225G in lung tissues raises concerns rergarding sequencing of isolates from nasopharyngeal swabs. The monitoring of this important genetic change in the receptor binding domain may require sampling of lung tissues or fluids.

Read the rest of the article:
Ukraine Dead Increase to 344 - Sequences Released

Radio Netherlands Worldwide reports:
Austria is sending Ukraine nearly 500,000 face masks, 150,000 pairs of protective gloves and 3000 bottles of disinfectant to combat Mexican flu, also known as swine flu.
Ukraine has been badly hit by the flu and over the weekend it called on neighbouring countries for help.

AP: 1.5M per day getting swine flu vaccine in China

2009-11-19T02:19:00.001+01:00

China's health minister said Wednesday his country is vaccinating 1.5 million people a day against swine flu, part of a mammoth effort to reach nearly 7 percent of inhabitants of the world's most populous country by year's end.

Chen Zhu told The Associated Press that more than 50 million Chinese have been immunized so far.

He also defended China's aggressive quarantine of foreigners with flulike symptoms as well as health detentions of its own citizens.

'With initial efforts of containment, actually we not only reduced the impact of the first wave to China, but we also won time for us to prepare the vaccine' now being given to China's people, Chen said in an interview during the Havana meeting of the Global Forum for Health Research.

The Associated Press: 1.5M per day getting swine flu vaccine in China

Elderly in Line for Swine Flu Shot and some other new cartoons

2009-11-18T03:47:00.004+01:00

The other cartoons are here

Fox News: Has H1N1 Peaked?

2009-11-17T19:44:00.001+01:00

According to Fox News, H1N1 shows signs of peaking in some area's.

Has H1N1 Peaked?

KSTP TV | Fears of Higher H1N1 Risk in Mexico Debunked

2009-11-17T19:36:00.002+01:00

Watching the H1N1 flu pandemic - The Big Picture

2009-11-17T19:29:00.005+01:00

Health officials around the world are stepping up vaccination efforts and are closely tracking the progress of the H1N1/09 virus (often referred to as 'swine flu' in the media).

World Health Organization officials recently noted that the virus has spread to virtually every country in the world, reaching as far as remote tribes in Venezuela and aboriginal populations in Australia.

Although the number of deaths attributed to H1N1 this year (over 7,000 to date) remains low compared to a normal seasonal flu outbreak of several hundred thousand deaths in a year, health officials remain concerned because of the instability of H1N1/09 combined with its tendency to affect younger healthier people.

Collected here are photos of people around the world preparing for and dealing with the current H1N1 pandemic. (37 photos total)

More pictures at:
Watching the H1N1 flu pandemic - The Big Picture - Boston.com

Security Bytes: Russian cybercriminals target H1N1 Swine flu fears

2009-11-17T17:23:00.002+01:00

Researchers at security vendor Sophos’ Canadian-based research labs have released a report outlining how some Russian cybercriminals are making millions off the H1N1 flu by pushing counterfeit Tamiflu through well organized affiliate programs.

The cybercriminals have created an affiliate network to make it more difficult to track them down by distributing responsibility for different spam tasks while increasing advertising space to gain visibility and more potential victims. It’s been an evolving process and today there are literally hundreds of malicious affiliate networks touting everything from phony dating websites, porn and pharmaceuticals such as Tamiflu.

Rather than direct spam campaigns that flood inboxes, the cybercriminals use Web marketing campaigns and drive potential victims to partner affiliate websites using a mixture of spam, search engine results (search engine optimization), blogs and forum posts, the report finds. Each affiliate gets a small cut but most of the profits go to cybercriminal gangs in Russia:

"Many organize expensive parties for their members, send generous gifts for holidays, run lotteries where a top producer wins a luxury car, and the list goes on. In some cases, the war between different partnerkas turns ugly, where one portal may get DDoS’ed by a competing gang."

Read the rest of the article here:
Security Bytes: Russian cybercriminals target H1N1 Swine flu fears

And here is the complete report (as PDF)

AP: WHO says swine flu samples from Ukraine showed no significant mutation

2009-11-17T17:13:00.001+01:00

The World Health Organization says tests on swine flu samples from Ukraine show no significant mutation of the virus.

WHO had sent an expert team to Ukraine last week after reports of an unusual flu outbreak.

The global body said Tuesday that preliminary genetic sequencing at laboratories in Britain and the United States showed that the virus in Ukraine was similar to that used for production of the pandemic flu vaccine.

The Ukrainian Health Ministry has registered some 1.4 million cases of flu and respiratory illness since the start of the swine flu outbreak.

WHO says most cases are likely swine flu and the infection rate is in line with neighbouring countries such as Russia and Poland.

AP: WHO says swine flu samples from Ukraine showed no significant mutation

Dr. Leonard Horowitz: "Swine flu is biological sabotage against humanity"

2009-11-17T17:06:00.001+01:00

The following is the translation of a report which has appeared in several Russian language media, in the wake of the recent outbreaks in Ukraine

In mid-August 2009 forensic group Health Protection Agency - Health Protection Agency (HPA) of California, which oversees the pharmaceutical industry, discovered documents revealing the criminal and subversive activities of a number of pharmaceutical companies, united in an international cartel that conspired among themselves and are engaged in the production of highly toxic vaccines 'against' swine flu H1N1.

In the conspiracy the same pharmaceutical giant Baxter (city of Deerfield, Ill.) and Novavaks (Bethesda, Md.) are involved, infamous for the 'error' in February 2009 whereby toxins pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza were found in lieu of the flu vaccine and which triggered a short burst in avian influenza. They have involved in these activities a number of other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in the U.S.

The investigation revealed that all the traces lead to the Corporation of New York City Partnership 'sponsored' trust company of David Rockefeller, which included several wealthy and influential partners on Wall Street, including media moguls Rupert Murdoch, Morton Zuckerman and Thomas Glauser. One of the partners of the 'trust' company is Jerry Spreer - former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Read the rest of the article here:
Dr. Leonard Horowitz: "Swine flu is biological sabotage against humanity"

One-Quarter Of Canadians Have Received H1N1 Shot

2009-11-16T20:47:00.001+01:00

Canada's top doctor says Canada has suffered relatively few deaths due to the H1N1 influenza because of high vaccination rates.

Approximately one quarter of Canadians have received the H1N1 flu shot, Chief Public Health Officer Dr. David Butler-Jones said, and that’s why we’ve seen a relatively low rate of serious cases and few deaths.

Canada has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, he added.

After a very bumpy start to the immunization campaign that saw overwhelming lineups at public clinics and temporary shortages, Butler-Jones said the program is running smoothly now and shipments of shots are flowing well.

Read the rest of this article at:
One-Quarter Of Canadians Have Received H1N1 Shot

Roche Gets FDA Emergency Approval For Swine Flu Test

2009-11-16T20:41:00.001+01:00

Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche Holding AG said Monday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted a fast approval for the company's detection set for the A/H1N1 swine flu virus.

The kit detects ribonucleic acid, or RNA, of the swine flu virus and allows rapid and accurate identification of patients infected with this virus, the Basel-based company said in a statement.

The emergency use authorization, which can be used to provide swift countermeasures in case of a national public health emergency, is a small positive for the company, Karl-Heinz Koch, analyst at Swiss independent broker Helvea, said.

'The test should support Roche's diagnostics sales towards the end of the year,' the analyst said. He expects an addition to sales in U.S. dollars in the low double-digit-million range. Koch rates Roche at buy.

However, Roche is competing with others in this market, Koch adds.

Read the rest of this article at:
Roche Gets FDA Emergency Approval For Swine Flu Test - WSJ.com

Disney World takes steps to fight swine flu

2009-11-16T20:37:00.001+01:00

(AP - Orlando, Fla.) How about some hand sanitizer before greeting Mickey Mouse?

In an effort to halt the spread of the swine flu, Walt Disney World has installed dozens of hand sanitizer dispensers throughout the theme park, hotel lobbies and character meet-and-greet areas, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Disney is also reminding visitors of basic health safety tips, like covering their mouths while sneezing and washing hands regularly, on fliers that list park hours and show times.

In all, more than 60 bulk hand sanitizer dispensers have been added at Disney World and Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif.

The health precautions are the most visible steps taken by any of Orlando's major theme parks since the swine flu outbreak last spring.

Medical Doctor Retracts H1N1 Vaccine Advice After Reading Insert

2009-11-16T20:24:00.000+01:00

Dr. Roby Mitchell, M.D. (www.drfitt.com) issues a retraction to nurses he originally advised to get the H1N1 flu vaccination. After reading the insert of the vaccine, he retracted his advice. This video exposes what is actually IN the vaccine our government is so eager to inject into our population.

Morning Fix: The (political) dangers of H1N1

2009-10-26T15:06:00.001+01:00

Long lines of people wait for the swine flu vaccine.
Photo by Tracy A. Woodward of the Washington Post

President Obama's decision to declare the H1N1 flu a national emergency over the weekend is a recognition of the political peril the virus could inflict on the White House.

The declaration came after 72 hours of stories -- both locally and nationally -- focused on the long lines for the swine flu vaccine and the mounting fear surrounding the illness.

And, it came just days after a Washington Post/ABC national poll showed that a majority (52 percent) of Americans were worried that they or someone in their family would contract H1N1 -- up from 39 percent who said the same in a mid-August survey.

Given that context, Obama's announcement, which essentially allows hospitals more leeway in the way they deal with the outbreaks, is rightly understood as an attempt to show the American people that the president understands their concern and is ensuring the government is doing everything it can to help.

Read the complete article at:
Morning Fix: The (political) dangers of H1N1

USA Today: Obesity a swine flu risk factor?

2009-10-25T04:51:00.001+01:00

Some swine flu cases in America are raising questions about obesity's role in why some people with infections become seriously ill.

A high proportion of those who have gotten severely ill from swine flu have been obese or extremely obese, but health officials have said that might be due to the fact that heavy people tend to have asthma and other conditions that make them more susceptible. Obesity alone has never been seen as a risk factor for seasonal flu.

But in a report released Friday, health officials detailed the cases of 10 Michigan patients who were very sick from swine flu in late May and early June and ended up at a specialized hospital in Ann Arbor. Three of them died.

Nine of the 10 were either obese or extremely obese. Only three of the 10 had other health problems. Two of the three that died had no other health conditions.

This hardly settles the question of whether obesity is its own risk factor for swine flu. It's possible the patients had undiagnosed heart problems or other unidentified conditions.

Still the finding was striking, investigators acknowledged.

Read the complete article at:
USA Today: Obesity a swine flu risk factor?

New York Times: Worst Case - Choosing Who Survives in a Flu Epidemic

2009-10-25T04:34:00.001+01:00

New York state health officials recently laid out this wrenching scenario for a small group of medical professionals from New York-Presbyterian Hospital:

A 32-year-old man with cystic fibrosis is rushed to the hospital with appendicitis in the midst of a worsening pandemic caused by the H1N1 flu virus, which has mutated into a more deadly form. The man is awaiting a lung transplant and brought with him the mechanical ventilator that helps him breathe.

New York’s governor has declared a state of emergency and hospitals are following the state’s pandemic ventilator allocation plan — actual guidelines drafted in 2007 that are now being revisited. The plan aims to direct ventilators to those with the best chances of survival in a severe, 1918-like flu pandemic where tens of thousands develop life-threatening pneumonia.

Because the man’s end-stage lung disease caused by his cystic fibrosis is among a list of medical conditions associated with high mortality, the guidelines would bar the man from using a ventilator in a hospital, even though he is, unlike many with his illness, stable, in good condition, and not close to death. If the hospital admits him, the guidelines call for the machine that keeps him alive to be given to someone else.

Would doctors and nurses follow such rules? Should they?

Read the complete article at:
New York Times: Worst Case - Choosing Who Survives in a Flu Epidemic

FDA warns of bogus swine flu products on the Internet

2009-10-25T04:27:00.002+01:00

If there is money to be made from people's fear or misery, there is someone who has something to sell you.The Federal Food and Drug Administration warns many bogus products are now circulating on the Internet that falsely claim to relieve symptoms or even prevent the H1N1 swine flu virus.

Scam artists with such things as air sterilizers, supplements, face masks; shampoos and fake Tamiflu, are selling these bogus products over the Internet. Tamiflu is a FDA-approved product made by Switzerland's Roche Group and is currently being rationed.

A fake Tamiflu circulating on the Internet has been tested by the FDA. The agency found it to contain powered talc and generic Tylenol.

Read the rest of the article at:
FDA warns of bogus swine flu products on the Internet

Washington Post: Scientists study pig farming for answers on swine flu

2009-10-25T04:20:00.002+01:00

TIPTON, IOWA It may be crowded and carpeted in manure, but the long, white building beside State Route 38 is one of the most pathogen-free homes a pig could have.

The animals never know the feel of grass, mud or sunshine, and hardly the touch of man, in their six months of life. But they are also free of many of the infections that slow the growth and occasionally end the lives of their outdoor cousins.

'We're producing the most efficient animal, one that is healthy every day,' said Devon Schott, the 34-year-old farmer who owns the building. To do that, he said, 'biosecurity is of utmost importance.'

Despite the buttoned-up methods of farmers such as Schott, many experts think pig farming presents a serious and overlooked risk to public health. Proof of that assertion -- indirect but indisputable, in the opinion of virologists -- is the 2009 H1N1 pandemic influenza.

Read the article at:
Washington Post: S cientists study pig farming for answers on swine flu

Radio Netherlands Worldwide: Europe opts for widespread flu vaccination

2009-10-25T04:17:00.001+01:00

An increasing number of European countries are opting for widespread vaccination against the Mexican flu. Even in countries such as Italy and Sweden, where vaccination of vulnerable groups began last week, all inhabitants are now being called up to receive the vaccine.

In Britain, France and Germany, the general public can be vaccinated at the local GPs from Monday. In Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain, large-scale vaccination will get under way in the first two weeks of November.

After much hesitation, the Norwegian government has also decided to extend its vaccination programme from high-risk groups to as much of the population as possible, starting in late November and early December.

Radio Netherlands Worldwide : Europe opts for widespread flu vaccination

Dayton Daily News: Hundreds turn out for H1N1 FluMist clinic

2009-10-25T04:11:00.001+01:00

Milder temperatures, plenty of parking and vaccines kept Warren County’s H1N1 flu vaccine clinic at the Lebanon Raceway/Warren County Fairgrounds moving smoothly Saturday morning, Oct. 24.

People started to arrive at the fairgrounds after midnight, and Health Commissioner Duane Stansbury said at 6 a.m. there already was a line to enter the grandstand area for the FluMist vaccine for the H1N1 flu, also known as swine flu.

“We can’t afford to get sick,” said Lisa Cecil of Lebanon who brought one of her three sons to the clinic Saturday and has insisted they all get the vaccine. “If there are any preventative measures available, we’re going to take them.”

Gwen Motley of Carlisle came with her two daughters, ages 3 and 6, and said she was concerned about the new influenza strain.

Read the rest at:
Dayton Daily News: Hundreds turn out for H1N1 FluMist clinic

NYTimes.com: Obama Declares Swine Flu Outbreak a National Emergency

2009-10-25T04:03:00.001+01:00

WASHINGTON — President Obama has declared the swine flu outbreak a national emergency, allowing hospitals and local governments to speedily set up alternate sites for treatment and triage procedures if needed to handle any surge of patients, the White House said on Saturday.

The declaration came as thousands of people lined up in cities across the country to receive vaccinations, and as federal officials acknowledged that their ambitious vaccination program has gotten off to a slow start. Only 16 million doses of the vaccine were available now, and about 30 million were expected by the end of the month. Some states have requested 10 times the amount they have been allotted.

Flu activity — virtually all of it the swine flu — is now widespread in 46 states, a level that federal officials say equals the peak of a typical winter flu season. Millions of people in the United States have had swine flu, known as H1N1, either in the first wave in the spring or the current wave.

NYTimes.com: Obama Declares Swine Flu Outbreak a National Emergency

Tracking the progress of H1N1 swine flu

2009-10-10T14:02:00.001+02:00

This map and the data behind it were compiled by Dr. Henry Niman, a biomedical researcher in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, using technology provided by Rhiza Labs and Google. The map is compiled using data from official sources, news reports and user-contributions and updated multiple times per day.

Rhiza's web-based mapping product, Insight, is helping Dr. Niman get official and unofficial data into the tracking system faster while giving researchers and the public many options for viewing the data in a useful and understandable way.

FluTracker - H1N1 Swine Flu and Influenza Outbreak Tracking from Rhiza Labs

Cons even oppose the flu shots

2009-10-08T23:27:00.003+02:00

Conservative media figures oppose everything proposed by the Obama administration, even flu shots.

Listen to this Media Matters Minute on Air America Media

Baptist: H1N1 vaccine email is a hoax - WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina |

2009-10-08T23:07:00.002+02:00

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - An email is circulating throughout the Midlands saying doctors and staff at Palmetto Health Baptist are being advised not to take the H1N1 vaccine. However, the hospital says the email is a hoax.

The email obtained by WIS News 10 on Thursday reads as follows:

My sister just called, for those of you that don't know she is a RN in the ER at Baptist. They had a meeting this morning on the H1N1 vaccination, and the doctors at Baptist are advising that their staff and patients NOT get this vaccination.

They have had several reports of people getting Guillain-Barre Syndrome. They are also concerned about how fast this vaccination has been developed and the lack of testing that has been done concerning this vaccination. In fact one nurse at Baptist, has a son that took the vaccination and has developed Guillain-Barre's.

The email then digresses into a lengthy description of the symptoms and possible risks of Guillain-Barre. It's enough to scare anyone into being afraid to take the vaccine.

The only problem, a Baptist spokesperson said, is that it's not true. The email is being distributed around the country, with the name of the hospital changing depending on the area.

The spokesperson emphasized that Baptist is encouraging all their staff and patients to get the vaccine.

WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina - Baptist: H1N1 vaccine email is a hoax

Discovery Channel's Mythbusters Tapped H1N1 PSA Campaign

2009-10-08T23:01:00.001+02:00

Discovery Channel and the hosts of its popular series MYTHBUSTERS have teamed up with the United States Department of Health and Human Services to help inform the public about ways to protect themselves and prevent the spread of the H1N1 flu virus. The effort includes a public service announcement airing on the network, a dedicated web presence that provides resources and important information about H1N1 and educational and classroom resources for teachers and students provided by Discovery Education.

Called 'the best science show on television,' MYTHBUSTERS uses scientific experimentation to uncover the truth behind popular myths and legends. In their PSA, hosts Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage utilize a high-speed camera to show the invisible aftermath of a sneeze, and offer a simple message for H1N1 virus prevention: 'One of the single most effective things you can do to stop the spread of flu, is to simply stay home if you feel sick.'

Discovery Channel's Mythbusters Tapped H1N1 PSA Campaign

USATODAY.com: Poll: One-third of parents oppose H1N1 vaccines

2009-10-08T22:56:00.001+02:00

WASHINGTON (AP) — As the first wave of swine flu vaccine crosses the country, more than a third of parents don't want their kids vaccinated, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll.

Some parents say they are concerned about side effects from the new vaccine — even though nothing serious has turned up in tests so far — while others say swine flu doesn't amount to any greater health threat than seasonal flu.

Jackie Shea of Newtown, Conn., the mother of a 5-year-old boy named Emmett, says the vaccine is too new and too untested.

'I will not be first in line in October to get him vaccinated,' she said in an interview last month. 'We're talking about putting an unknown into him. I can't do that.'

The AP poll found that 38% of parents said they were unlikely to give permission for their kids to be vaccinated at school.

The belief that the new vaccine could be risky is one federal health officials have been fighting from the start, and they plan an unprecedented system of monitoring for side effects.

USATODAY.com: Poll: One-third of parents oppose H1N1 vaccines

Google Flu Trends expands to 16 additional countries

2009-10-08T22:47:00.002+02:00

From the official Google Blog:

"If you're like us, you're probably thinking a lot about how this year's flu season might affect you and your community. To help you out, we at Google.org are excited to announce the expansion of Google Flu Trends to 16 additional countries, including much of Europe. We've also made the site available in 37 languages. Flu is a global threat, affecting millions worldwide each year, so we're pleased to make this tool available in more regions and languages.

Last November, we launched Google Flu Trends in the United States after finding a close relationship between how many people search for flu-related topics and how many people actually have flu symptoms. By tracking the popularity of certain Google search queries, we are able to estimate the level of flu, in near real-time. While some traditional flu surveillance systems may take days or weeks to collect and release data, Google search queries can be counted immediately. Google Flu Trends provides an additional surveillance tool that may help public health officials and the public make more informed decisions about preparing for the flu season."

Google Flu Trends expands to 16 additional countries

Toronto: H1N1 To Accelerate E-Learning at Toronto Universities and Colleges?

2009-09-18T22:28:00.001+02:00

As the first full week of the 2009 academic year comes to a close at Toronto colleges and universities, the usual talk of class schedules, exorbitant textbook prices, and looming assignments remains. But along with these start-of-term topics, there's another subject on the minds of both students and faculty: the H1N1 influenza virus.

With American university Washington State already dealing with an outbreak involving up to 2500 students, local schools are preparing for the possibility of a similar event. And these plans could entail radical changes to the way that courses have traditionally been taught.

Toronto: H1N1 To Accelerate E-Learning at Toronto Universities and Colleges?

Mad Scientists?!? More Deadly Swine Flu? CDC Mixes H1N1, H5N1 Viruses in Tests « AxXiom for Liberty

2009-09-18T18:57:00.002+02:00

Public-health officials are breathing a small sigh of relief that the H1N1 swine flu virus hasn’t mutated to become more deadly since emerging last spring. But what are the chances it will?

To find out, scientists at the CDC recently launched experiments in the agency’s labs in which they infected ferrets with both the new H1N1 virus and the highly lethal H5N1 avian flu virus to see if they might “reassort” to create a new hybrid.

The scientists want to know whether a combination of the H1N1 virus -– highly transmissible, but not terribly deadly -– and the H5N1 flu virus could create an easily transmissible, deadly scourge. The H5N1 virus has only sickened 440 people world-wide since 2003 and generally isn’t transmitted from one person to another. But it has killed 262, or about 60%, of those people, according to the World Health Organization.

More Deadly Swine Flu? CDC Mixes H1N1, H5N1 Viruses in Tests « AxXiom for Liberty

Healthy Advice - Prevent H1N1: Download this Poster

2009-09-18T18:43:00.002+02:00

For many kids, going back to school means going back to the doctor, too. And this year, the stakes seem to be higher, with so many parents concerned about the H1N1 virus (the swine flu).

It's definitely a good idea to talk to your kids about simple steps everyone can take to prevent the H1N1 flu. To help, Healthy Advice has created a great poster that you can download for free!

Healthy Advice - Prevent H1N1

German Swine Flu Vaccine Trial Participant Coughs Up Blood | Bird Flu Pandemic

2009-09-18T18:39:00.000+02:00

A participant in German swine flu vaccine trials has come forward with startling allegations that he experienced serious adverse side effects after taking the swine flu vaccine - including coughing up blood. The 40 year old German businessman named Axel described to a German publication exactly what happened after he was vaccinated on August 10th: 'I felt totally beat. On the third day, my kidneys and head were aching and I got a fever. I then had a coughing fit - and the wash basin was suddenly red - it was blood!'

German Swine Flu Vaccine Trial Participant Coughs Up Blood

Reuters: H1N1 vaccine production far less than forecast – WHO

2009-09-18T18:34:00.000+02:00

Production of H1N1 vaccine over the next year will be 'substantially less' than the 4.9 billion doses previously forecast but one dose should provide adequate protection, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday. Skip related content

Based on clinical test results from some 25 drugmakers, weekly production of the new vaccine will be less than 94 million doses, WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said.

'The real figure will be substantially less than 4.9 billion (over the year),' Hartl told reporters.

But supply fears have eased as the northern hemisphere heads into winter and with major drug manufacturers reporting that a single dose is successfully providing immunity.

'All the clinical trial results that we have seen show that apparently one dose is enough,' Hartl said.

The United Nations agency previously forecast one third of the world's nearly seven billion people could be affected by the H1N1 pandemic, but so far the vast majority of victims are suffering only mild symptoms.

Health care workers and people at high risk, including pregnant women and those with underlying conditions such as asthma or diabetes, should be top priority for receiving the new vaccine, it says.

Reuters: H1N1 vaccine production far less than forecast – WHO

GlaxoSmithKline Begins Testing H1N1 Vaccine

2009-08-19T13:25:00.001+02:00

GlaxoSmithKline has started testing its pandemic H1N1 swine flu vaccine in humans, and expects to start giving the results to government agencies next month, the drugmaker said on Friday,' Reuters reports. The company 'plans to conduct 16 different trials of the vaccine and to test 9,000 people in total across Europe, Canada and the United States,' according to the news service.

GlaxoSmithKline Begins Testing H1N1 Vaccine

Dutch advice on Mexican flu: 'Just sit it out'

2009-08-19T13:20:00.001+02:00

The Dutch National Institute for Public Health (RIVM) announced Friday that it has stopped recording new Mexican flu patients in the Netherlands. Doctors and hospitals no longer have to report new cases to the health authorities.

From the available data it looks like the Mexican flu is after all relatively mild. Only one to three percent of all patients develop complications, mostly pneumonia.

Two thirds of all patients with complications so far belong to the traditional groups at risk. These include people over 60, children under two, people with diabetes, heart or lung diseases, pregnant women in their third trimester, and people with diminished resistance, for instance as a result of chemotherapy. These people already qualify for the regular winter flu shot.

In other words, the Dutch health authorities are now treating the Mexican flu as a common winter flu.

nrc.nl - International - Dutch advice on Mexican flu: 'Just sit it out'

Dutch researchers create swine flu video game

2009-08-19T11:36:00.003+02:00

Since swine flu first emerged in April, it has sparked panic, vaccine production and now, a video game. In an effort to raise awareness, Dutch researchers have created a game that challenges players to control a new pandemic.

'It is actually what is happening now, what is happening in the real world,' said Ab Osterhaus, head of virology at the Erasmus Medical Centre, who designed 'The Great Flu' game with colleagues. The game can only be playedonline at www.thegreatflu.com and it is free.

The game begins with images of bedridden patients and graveyards from the 1918 Spanish flu. As the head of the fictitious "World Pandemic Control," players pick a flu strain, and then monitor thatstrain's spread around the world.

To fight the emerging outbreak, players use measures including setting up surveillance systems, stockpiling antivirals and vaccines, and closing schools and airports. Players also have a limited budget and are warned that "your actions to control the virus cost money, so keep an eye on it."

nrc.nl - International - Dutch researchers create swine flu video game

NYTimes: Europe Offers Vaccinations to Contain Swine Flu

2009-08-18T10:30:00.004+02:00

Anxiety over the new swine flu strain may have eased over the summer, but millions of Europeans will soon receive a sharp reminder of its virulence as governments prepare for a large-scale vaccination effort aimed at keeping a second, and possibly deadlier, wave of infections at bay.

With another surge in cases of the H1N1 flu expected as soon as September, medical experts say the battle to tame the first pandemic flu in four decades is just getting under way in Europe.

European Union health officials emphasize that most human cases of the flu have been mild and that patients have recovered without special treatment.

In another sign of normalcy, a committee of European Union health officials recommended last week that schools reopen as usual after the summer break.

But with limited amounts of vaccines expected to become available this year, health authorities are girding for many more cases over the autumn and winter flu season, when viruses spread more easily.

“If we get a lot more infections, then there will be a lot more complications in people’s medical conditions and that means a lot more deaths,” said Nigel Dimmock, an emeritus professor in the department of biological sciences at the University of Warwick in England nd a flu expert.

The global pattern of the virus’s spread indicated that “the pandemic is just beginning” in Europe, said Nikki Shindo, a spokeswoman on influenza for the W.H.O.

NYTimes: Europe Offers Vaccinations to Contain Swine Flu

AP: 51 US soldiers in Iraq diagnosed with swine flu

2009-08-12T14:25:00.001+02:00

Fifty-one American troops in Iraq have been diagnosed with and treated for swine flu, while another 71 soldiers remain in isolation suspected of contracting the potentially deadly virus, the U.S. military said Sunday.

The figures were released as Iraqi health officials confirmed Sunday the country's first swine flu death.

A woman in the southern holy Shiite city of Najaf died of the disease, raising fears about a possible outbreak among worshippers making pilgrimages to the revered sites.

All the 51 U.S. troops diagnosed with the flu have fully recovered, while the 71 suspect cases are in isolation, said Col. Michael D. Eisenhauer, the chief of clinical operations in Iraq.

'All personnel are screened for signs and symptoms of influenza prior to entering Iraq, in an effort to limit the spread of the H1N1 virus to this region,' Eisenhauer told The Associated Press in an e-mail.

He said those who later develop a fever, sore throat or cough are tested, and put into isolation if suspected of swine flu.

The Associated Press: 51 US soldiers in Iraq diagnosed with swine flu

AP: Calif. nurses protest lack of swine flu equipment

2009-08-06T01:00:00.001+02:00

A union says some California hospitals aren't adequately protecting nurses from swine flu.

The California Nurses Association plans to protest Wednesday in San Francisco in the wake of a Sacramento nurse's swine flu death last month.

The union wants hospitals to provide better masks, equipment and protocol to protect nurses from further sickness.

The union says nurses across the state are reporting difficulties getting the masks recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and having them properly fitted to be airtight.

The protest comes less than three weeks after Sacramento nurse Karen Ann Hays died after contracting swine flu. The 51-year-old marathoner's death is the first among California health care workers related to sickness.

AP: Calif. nurses protest lack of swine flu equipment

CTV.ca | U.K. lab may have found fix for low flu vaccine yield

2009-08-06T00:49:00.001+02:00

A British laboratory may have found a fix for the low yield problem that has been plaguing companies making swine flu vaccine.

The National Institute for Biological Standards and Control says it is ready to ship new versions of its vaccine seed strain to manufacturers as of today.

The lab's principal scientist, John Wood, says early work with the new version of the seed strain shows it generates a virus yield that's on par with what manufacturers get in seasonal flu vaccine production.

CTV.ca | U.K. lab may have found fix for low flu vaccine yield

Times Online: Tamiflu causes sickness and nightmares in children, study finds

2009-07-31T18:46:00.001+02:00

More than half of children taking the swine flu drug Tamiflu experience side-effects such as nausea and nightmares, research suggests.

An estimated 150,000 people with flu symptoms were prescribed the drug through a new hotline and website last week, according to figures revealed yesterday.

Studies of children attending three schools in London and one in the South West showed that 51-53 per cent had one or more side-effects from the medication, which is offered to everyone in England with swine flu symptoms.

Times Online: Tamiflu causes sickness and nightmares in children, study finds

Queensland Country Life: A/H1N1 flu found in New South Wales piggery

2009-07-31T18:26:00.001+02:00

News from Australia:
Swine flu, or the influenza A/H1N1 (2009) virus, has been detected in a NSW piggery as a result of human-to-pig transmission.

Australian Pork Ltd has moved quickly to reassure consumers that the transmission holds no implications for Australian consumers.

APL chief executive Andrew Spencer says consumers can 'have the utmost confidence in pork as a safe and healthy meat to eat'.

Mr Spencer said experts in Australia and overseas, including state and federal health departments, the Australian Medical Association, Australian Veterinarian Association, the World Health Organisation and the World Organisation for Animal Health, have agreed there is no food safety risk associated with the flu virus.

Queensland Country Life: A/H1N1 flu found in New South Wales piggery

CDC H1N1 Flu | Novel H1N1 U.S. Situation Update

2009-07-31T18:17:00.002+02:00

Total U.S. Novel H1N1 Flu Hospitalizations and Deaths as posted July 31, 2009, 11:00 AM ET

Reporting States and Territories* - 47
Hospitalized Cases 5,514
Deaths 353
*Includes the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The number of hospitalized novel H1N1 cases and deaths presented in this table are an aggregate of reports received by CDC from U.S. states and territories and will be updated weekly each Friday at 11am.

For state level information, refer to state health departments.

CDC discontinued reporting of individual confirmed and probable cases of novel H1N1 infection on July 24, 2009.

CDC will report the total number of hospitalizations and deaths weekly, and continue to use its traditional surveillance systems to track the progress of the novel H1N1 flu outbreak.

For more information about CDC’s novel H1N1 influenza surveillance system, see Questions & Answers About CDC's Novel H1N1 Influenza Surveillance.

CDC H1N1 Flu | Novel H1N1 U.S. Situation Update

WHO | Pandemic influenza in pregnant women

2009-07-31T18:10:00.001+02:00

Research conducted in the USA and published 29 July in The Lancet [1] has drawn attention to an increased risk of severe or fatal illness in pregnant women when infected with the H1N1 pandemic virus.

Several other countries experiencing widespread transmission of the pandemic virus have similarly reported an increased risk in pregnant women, particularly during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. An increased risk of fetal death or spontaneous abortions in infected women has also been reported.
Increased risk for pregnant women

Evidence from previous pandemics further supports the conclusion that pregnant women are at heightened risk.

While pregnant women are also at increased risk during epidemics of seasonal influenza, the risk takes on added importance in the current pandemic, which continues to affect a younger age group than that seen during seasonal epidemics.

WHO strongly recommends that, in areas where infection with the H1N1 virus is widespread, pregnant women, and the clinicians treating them, be alert to symptoms of influenza-like illness.

WHO | Pandemic influenza in pregnant women

BBC NEWS - 'Swine flu liner' docks in France

2009-07-31T18:04:00.001+02:00

A cruise ship carrying dozens of victims of swine flu among its 5,000 passengers and crew has docked in the south of France, officials have said.

Sixty crew members have so far been diagnosed with the H1N1 virus, while 70 of their colleagues were also showing signs of being infected, they added.

They will be treated on board the ship while it docks at Villefranche-sur-Mer.

On Thursday, officials said a 14-year-old girl infected with H1N1 had become France's first fatality from the virus.

However, they cautioned that it did not appear that her death, at a hospital in the north-western city of Brest, had been directly linked to the virus.

BBC NEWS - 'Swine flu liner' docks in France

DJ Whoo Kid & Tony Yayo - The Swine Flu (free from YOURAUDIOFIX.COM)

2009-07-30T14:55:00.003+02:00

"Yes indeed, it is here! Tony Yayo & DJ Whoo Kid finally release The Swine Flu! Sorry, no long winded description or synopsis for this one YAF viewers, I mean come on it’s The Talk of New York, Tony Yayo! Tracklist and Download after the jump!"

DJ Whoo Kid & Tony Yayo - The Swine Flu

NYTimes.com: US Swine Flu Plan Would Put Some Ahead for Vaccine

2009-07-30T14:45:00.001+02:00

A panel of health experts laid out a plan on Wednesday for vaccinating certain people first in the likely event that not enough swine flu vaccine will be available to immunize every American in time for the expected surge of cases this fall and winter.

The top priority group, 159 million Americans, or about half the population, would include health care workers and emergency medical responders, because their jobs are critical.

It would also include people with the highest risk of complications and severe illness from the new H1N1 virus: pregnant women; children and young adults from 6 months to 24 years; and people ages 25 to 64 with medical problems like asthma, diabetes or heart disease."

NYTimes.com: US Swine Flu Plan Would Put Some Ahead for Vaccine

CDC: Up To 40 Percent Of Americans May Get Ill

2009-07-24T17:38:00.001+02:00

U.S. health officials say swine flu could strike up to 40 percent of Americans over the next two years and as many as several hundred thousand could die if a vaccine campaign and other measures aren't successful.

Those estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mean about twice the number of people who usually get sick in a normal flu season would be struck by swine flu. Officials said those projections would drop if a new vaccine is ready and widely available, as U.S. officials expect.

The U.S. may have as many as 160 million doses of swine flu vaccine available sometime in October, and U.S. tests of the new vaccine are to start shortly, federal officials said this week.

WBZTV.com: Centers For Disease Control And Prevention Estimates Up To 40 Percent Of Americans May Get Ill

WHO | Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 briefing note 4

2009-07-24T17:28:00.001+02:00

The number of human cases of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 is still increasing substantially in many countries, even in countries that have already been affected for some time.

Our understanding of the disease continues to evolve as new countries become affected, as community-level spread extends in already affected countries, and as information is shared globally. Many countries with widespread community transmission have moved to testing only samples of ill persons and have shifted surveillance efforts to monitoring and reporting of trends.

This shift has been recommended by WHO, because as the pandemic progresses, monitoring trends in disease activity can be done better by following trends in illness cases rather than trying to test all ill persons, which can severely stress national resources. It remains a top priority to determine which groups of people are at highest risk of serious disease so steps to best to protect them can be taken.

In addition to surveillance information, WHO is relying on the results of special research and clinical studies and other data provided by countries directly through frequent expert teleconferences on clinical, virological and epidemiological aspects of the pandemic, to gain a global overview of the evolving situation.

WHO | Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 briefing note 4

Al Jazeera English - H1N1 virus spreads to 160 countries

2009-07-24T17:25:00.001+02:00

The H1N1 flu virus has spread to at least 160 countries across the world, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said.

The global virus, which the UN health agency declared a pandemic in June, has resulted in nearly 800 deaths worldwide since it was first detected in Mexico four months ago, WHO officials said in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday.

'The spread of this virus continues, if you see 160 out of 193 WHO member states now have cases, so we are nearing almost 100 per cent, but not quite yet,' said Gregory Hartl, a WHO spokesman.

'For the moment we haven't seen any changes in the behaviour of the virus,' he said.

'What we are seeing still is a geographic expansion across countries.'

Al Jazeera English - H1N1 virus spreads to 160 countries

Reuters: U.S. has bought 195 million doses of H1N1 vaccine

2009-07-23T19:40:00.001+02:00

The U.S. government has bought 195 million doses of H1N1 swine flu vaccine for a possible autumn vaccination campaign, a U.S. federal official said Thursday.

The U.S. Health and Human Services Department has also contracted for 120 million doses of adjuvant, a compound to stretch the number of doses of vaccine needed, the department's Dr. Robin Robinson told a meeting of Food and Drug Administration advisers.

Five companies are making H1N1 vaccine for the U.S. market -- AstraZeneca's MedImmune unit, Australia's CSL Ltd, GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Novartis AG and Sanofi-Aventis SA.

Earlier, an FDA official said vaccine makers were only getting about 30 percent as much vaccine from eggs as they usually get with seasonal influenza vaccine.

Reuters: U.S. has bought 195 million doses of H1N1 vaccine

CBC News - Health officials: Tamiflu-resistant strain is rare

2009-07-23T15:47:00.002+02:00

Health officials say a recent Quebec case of drug-resistant swine flu shouldn't prompt Canada to change its approach to Tamiflu, as the strain remains rare worldwide.

A 60-year-old Quebec man is one of five people around the world found to have a strain of H1N1 flu resistant to the antiviral drug Tamiflu (oseltamivir). The other cases occurred in Japan, Denmark and Hong Kong.

The Quebecer was given a low preventive dose of Tamiflu as a precaution because he had a pulmonary condition and doctors thought he might have been exposed to swine flu.

CBC News - Health officials: Tamiflu-resistant strain is rare

Sky News UK: Swine Flu Latest: 100,000 New Swine Flu Cases Reported In Past Week

2009-07-23T15:43:00.001+02:00

One hundred thousand new cases of swine flu have been recorded in the last seven days.

The figure for England is double the total of the previous week.

Some 840 people are described as being 'seriously ill' in hospital with the illness - and 63 people are being treated in intensive care.

The death toll in the UK stands at 31, but that is likely to climb when the Department of Health releases its weekly update online later.

Sky News UK: Swine Flu Latest: 100,000 New Swine Flu Cases Reported In Past Week

ComputerWorld Hong Kong: Swine flu raises telework questions

2009-07-23T15:39:00.001+02:00

The possibility of a widespread swine flu outbreak is prompting companies to think about business continuity and how options such as telework or telecommuting may become a necessity.
A recent whitepaper by Nortel Networks on business continuity and teleworking posed the following questions to enterprises:

1. Can your business operate at 60% of its employee capacity?

2. Due to quarantine mandates, can you maintain business operations when you cannot permit your employees to work from their office?

3. How do you continue to conduct business when health officials and your organization have banned your business travel into affected geographical areas?

4. During times of crisis, do you have the capability and capacity to seamlessly communicate status and share information with all stakeholders

Companies that have solid telework plans in place are in good shape, says Chuck Wilsker, president and CEO of the Telework Coalition in the US.
Those that aren’t prepared to have employees work offsite may find operations at a standstill if the swine flu threat were to escalate to the point of widespread absenteeism or building closures.

ComputerWorld Hong Kong: Swine flu raises telework questions

Cartoons

2009-07-23T15:29:00.003+02:00

More A/H1N1 cartoons here

CBS News Video: H1N1 Pregnancy Risks

2009-07-23T15:18:00.001+02:00

On CBS News dr. Jennifer Ashton spoke with Harry Smith about the heightened flu danger for pregnant women.

CBS News Video: H1N1 Pregnancy Risks