Mysterious U.S. Swine Flu Probe Widens as Mexico Finds Swine Flu *updated*

KUALA LUMPUR, July 1 (Xinhua) -- The Brunei Health Ministry confirmed ten more new cases of A/H1N1 flu on Tuesday, bringing the total number of the cases to 42 in the sultanate.

Brunei local newspapers reported on Wednesday that among the new cases, two patients were children aged nine-year-old and ten-year-old respectively, while others aged between 14-year-old and 38-year-old.

The ministry said that some patients returned to Brunei from Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.

The ministry urged government departments, shopping centers and cinemas to provide proper hand washing facilities for public use.

Meanwhile, Brunei National Disaster Council Chairman Al-Muhtadee Billah called for all parties to be ready for the worst scenario.

The prince highlighted the issues in tackling the flu, including logistical capacity and manpower to prepare for possible fatal virus infections in Brunei.

He also suggested to establish a media center to disseminate information about the disease effectively to the public

Deputy Minister of Health confirmed the first fatal case of influenza A

A man aged 60 died due to influenza A H1N1, according to research laboratories, announced today the deputy minister of Health, Giménez Edgar, in press. He said that a minor hit by the same evil, and is serious in intensive care at the Hospital Central del Instituto de Previsión Social (IPS).

The Deputy Minister of Health, Edgar Gimenez, along with health authorities, at a press conference.
The man who died from influenza A suffered cardiovascular complications, was in the hospital and San Roque are now investigating how they acquired the disease, said public health officials.

There are 200 suspected cases of influenza A in the country and 14 people remain confined because of the same disease agregó'el Deputy Minister of Health.

Paraguay.

[edit on 1-7-2009 by JBA2848]

People in Argentina are starting to panic about the spread of swine flu, with at least nine more people dying from the virus overnight.

Just three weeks ago, swine flu was something that Argentines thought Mexicans and perhaps Americans had to worry about.

Officially 44 have now died from the virus, but unofficially, the tally may be as high as 150, giving Argentina a death rate higher than any other country.

Surgical masks appeared on the streets of downtown Buenos Aires today, but business still appears to be continuing as normal.

The two-week extension of the usual winter school holidays has many concerned that the government is not telling them the whole trutwww.abc.net.au...

[edit on 1-7-2009 by wizardwars]

[edit on 1-7-2009 by wizardwars]

More on the death in China.

Recovering swine flu patient dies

A SWINE flu patient died yesterday in east China's Zhejiang Province but the cause of her death was not yet known, local health authorities said late yesterday.

The 34-year-old woman was found dead at 7:35am in her ward lavatory at the No.1 People's Hospital of Xiaoshan District in Hangzhou, the provincial capital, according to the Hangzhou municipal health bureau.

The patient was recovering as her temperature had been normal for a week. She coughed occasionally, but other flu symptoms had disappeared. She was admitted to the hospital on June 23.

If she is found to have died from the disease, it would be China's first death from it.

Liang Wannian, vice director of the Health Ministry's emergency office, warned on Monday that China is "very likely" to have its first death from the H1N1 flu in the foreseeable future, as the number of the flu cases rises.

"The possibility of a wide spread of the virus in China in autumn and winter is also becoming more likely," the official said.

The Chinese mainland confirmed 57 new H1N1 cases yesterday, with the total number hitting 867.

.

These figures suggest the official information does not entirely reflect the actual situation of the pandemic in the countrymomento24.com...

BANJA LUKA -- Bosnia has identified its first confirmed case of the H1N1 flu virus in a patient who came from abroad last week.

Bosnia's Serb entity (RS) Health Ministry confirmed this on Wednesday, Reuters reported.

"We have registered the first case of swine flu in a 24-year-old female who arrived from South America," Assistant Health Minister Amela Lolić told a news conference.

She said that local tests detected the virus and were confirmed on Wednesday by Serbia's National Reference Laboratory Torla

Maine Native Dies Of Swine Flu In Washington

(NEWS CENTER) -- A man who grew up in Cumberland has died of swine flu.

David Twomey, 27, was living and working in Washington, DC. His parents say he was diagnosed with H1N1 last week, and died Tuesday night in a Washington hospital.

Twomey was a graduate of Cheverus High School and Gannon University.
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Some Canterbury schools have nearly a third of their students and teachers off sick with possible swine flu.

Papanui High School principal and Canterbury-West Coast Secondary Principals' Association chairman Denis Pyatt said 28 per cent of Papanui pupils were away sick this week. This was double the number of last week's absentees.

Pyatt said principals across Canterbury were reporting a similar rise in absenteeism over the past week.

"The flu really seems to have kicked in. Some schools have quite a lot of teachers away sick, too, which is a real problem. Most schools are just hanging in there until the holidays [which start next week]," he said.www.stuff.co.nz...

BANGKOK, July 1 (Bernama) -- Thailand has confirmed two more deaths from Influenza A (H1N1) virus, bringing the total number of fatalities to five.

A 47-year-old man, said to be a heavy drinker and smoker, died Wednesday morning due to heart and kidney failure in a hospital in the capital.

The second victim was a female patient in Chon Buri province who died this afternoon, Thai Public Health Ministry officials said.

The ministry said a total of 1,473 cases were detected in the country, with 22 patients still remaining in hospitals since the virus first hit the country, seven weeks ago.www.bernama.com...

For reasons not revealed to anyone I know, WHO is saying the Tamiflu resistance in a Danish swine flu isolate is "isolated case." Could be, but I'd sure like to know why they think so, other than they don't have any other examples. Meanwhile WHO and CDC continue to advise prompt use of Tamiflu (oral oseltamivir) for treatment of swine flu in high risk patients. Which brings up the question of side effecscienceblogs.com...

More on the Florida Death

First H1N1 Death Reported In Broward

This Would Mark Florida's 3rd H1N1-- A 58-year-old man with a chronic heart condition died of the H1N1 flu in Broward County this week, making it the first confirmed death in Broward County.

The Sun-Sentinel is reporting that Michael Waldfogel of Davie went to see his doctor complaining of flu-like symptoms in mid June. That physician prescribed flu medication and sent him home, but June 24th Waldfogel was found dead at home.

When CBS4 News called the Broward County Health Dept. they didn't have any confirmation on the case, but Broward County medical examiner Dr. Joshua Perper told the Sentinel that results from a lab test in Jacksonville confirmed the presence of H1N1.

Two other confirmed H1N1 deaths have been reported in Florida, one in Miami and one in the Orlando area.

cbs4.com...

[edit on 1-7-2009 by wizardwars]

Photo of D.C. H1N1 Victim--only in his 20s

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/4a16f13debf9.jpg[/atsimg], David Twomey

www.wlbz2.com...

[edit on 1-7-2009 by sonjah1]

Name and more info. about 6 year old NJ victim

ZACHARY LIAM MARTINEZ
AGE: 6 JACKSON
Zachary Liam Martinez, 6, of Jackson, passed away Saturday, June 27, 2009, at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune. Zachary was born in Edison. Zachary completed the first grade at the Lucy N. Holman Elementary School, Jackson, and was currently a student in C.C.D. classes at St. Aloysius Roman Catholic Church, Jackson. He played for the Jackson Soccer Club and collected race cars. Zachary loved music, movies, playing Nintendo video games, and swimming in the ocean.

He is survived by his parents, Rosanne Careccia and Josue Martinez; his sister, Rachel Rosue Careccia of Jackson; his brothers, Christopher A. Mahon of Virginia Beach, Va., Josue R. Martinez and Joel Jonathan Martinez, both of Elizabeth; his maternal grandparents, Rosanne Connolly of Jackson, and John Careccia of Fords; and his paternal grandmother, Rafaela Vargas of El Grullo, Mexico.

Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend his visitation from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 30 at the George S. Hassler Funeral Home, 980 Bennetts Mills Road, Jackson. A funeral gathering will be offered at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 1 at the funeral home. His Funeral Liturgy will follow at 9:30 a.m. at St. Aloysius Roman Catholic Church, 935 Bennetts Mills Road, Jackson. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family is accepting balloons in Zachary’s memory, or donations may be made to the Ronald McDonald House, P.O. Box 3237
Long Branch, NJ 07740.

33-Year-Old Woman Is Marin Co.'s First Swine Flu Death

SAN RAFAEL -- A 33-year-old woman with pre-existing medical conditions is Marin County's first confirmed H1N1 flu death, Marin County Deputy Public Health Officer Dr. Anju Goel said this afternoon.

The woman died Tuesday evening at an Alameda County hospital where she was taken after her condition worsened in a Marin County hospital, Goel said..

Flutrackers Confirmed U.S. Fatalities 7/1/09 .....

Arizona - 10
California - 19
Connecticut - 6
Florida - 3
Hawaii - 1
Illinois - 13
Maryland - 1
Massachusetts - 2
Michigan - 7
Minnesota - 1
Missouri - 1
Nevada - 2
New Jersey - 8
New York - 51
North Carolina - 2
Oklahoma - 1
Oregon - 3
Pennsylvania - 5
Rhode Island - 1
Texas - 16
Utah - 10
Virginia - 2
Washington - 3
Wisconsin - 4

TOTAL - 172* (BUT, SEE BELOW)
*This number represents deaths as described and reported in the media. The known CFR of H1N1 is 0.4%

NEW:
#160 Arizona - Pinal County, 7 year old boy died week of 6/26 reported 6/30/09 *underlying health conditions, being treated in a local hospital at the time of his death
#161 New Jersey - Middlesex County, Piscataway 44 year old man died 6/27/09 reported 7/1/09 *multiple underlying medical conditions, died at JFK Hospital in Edison
#162 New York - Orange County, Newburgh 32 year old woman died 6/23/09 reported 7/1/09 *H1N1 confirmed postmortem 6/30
#163 New York - NYC, unidentified person 25-65 reported 7/1/09
#164 New York - NYC, unidentified person 25-65 reported 7/1/09
#165 New York - NYC, unidentified person 25-65 reported 7/1/09
#166 New York - NYC, unidentified person 25-65 reported 7/1/09
#167 New York - NYC, unidentified person 25-65 reported 7/1/09
#168 New York - NYC, unidentified person 25-65 reported 7/1/09
#169 New York - Orange County, Newburgh 37 year old woman reported 7/1/09 *no underlying medical conditions, 2nd Orange County death, symptomatic 6/16, hospitalized 6/22
#170 New Jersey - Ocean County, Jackson Township, unidentified child who was a student at Lucy N. Holman Elementary died 6/27/09 reported 7/1/09 *unspecified underlying medical conditions, hospitalized 6/25/09
#171 Florida - Broward County, Davie 58 year old man Michael Waldfogel died 6/24/09 reported 7/1/09 *chronic heart problem, symptomatic mid-June, doctor sent him home with flu medicine, last seen 6/20, found dead in his home 4 days later, H1N1 confirmed postmortem 6/30
#172 Virginia - Arlington Health District, unidentified man reported 7/1/09 *underlying condition which put him at greater risk for complications, cause of death has not been determined but H1N1 was a factor

After this report, the following deaths are posted:
- 1 NJ: www.state.nj.us...
- 1 TX: www.dshs.state.tx.us...
- 2 MA: www.universalhub.com...
- 1 DC: via JBA (on this thread)
- 1 CA: www.sfgate.com...=42896

=178 TOTAL US FATAL VICTIMS

White House plans flu summit next week

From CNN Senior White House Correspondent Ed Henry

WASHINGTON (CNN) – CNN has learned that the Obama administration is planning to convene a "flu summit" next week to make preparations for the fall, as officials in Argentina declare a health emergency because 35 people have died in the Latin American nation from swine flu.

Senior Obama administration officials stressed the summit, which will be convened July 9 at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, is being held strictly as a precautionary measure to make sure the U.S. is prepared for any potential swine flu outbreak, and not because of any specific fear of a crisis.

President Obama will be traveling next week to Russia, Italy and Ghana on a foreign trip, so the summit will be chaired by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, according to the officials.


The summit follows Obama's meeting this past Tuesday with several former federal officials who dealt with America's 1976 H1N1 flu outbreak and offered perspective from that crisis for current administration officials. Sebelius and White House Homeland Security Advisor John Brennan joined Obama at that meeting.

In a prepared statement after the meeting, Obama said it was valuable to hear from "a select group of individuals who could speak knowledgeably about the lessons learned from the 1976 influenza so that we can further prepare this nation for the possibility of a more severe outbreak of H1N1 flu."

Among the people who attended were William Howard Taft IV, the former general counsel at the Department of Health Education and Welfare, and Dr. Harvey Fineberg, co-author of "The Swine Flu Affair: Decision-Making on a Slippery Disease."

So after having his meeting with the 1976 Paralization And Vaccination Officals Obama decides to have a flu summit meeting next week. Hopefully he will get advice from someone who hasn't already screwed up a flu pandemic this time.

If you don't know what I mean by 1976 Paralization And Vaccination Officals watch this video. 60 Minutes Special

[edit on 1-7-2009 by JBA2848]

Cases of swine flu in the UK have shot up from 2,236 to 6,538 within a week, Gordon Brown confirmed yesterday.www.mirror.co.uk...

July 2 (Bloomberg) -- Londoners are suffering a summer wave of influenza worse than in the last winter flu season after the H1N1 virus caused the rate of illness to quadruple last week.

Doctors reported more than 80 cases of flu-like illness per 100,000 people in London in the week ended June 28, the Royal College of General Practitioners said in a weekly report on its Web site yesterday. That exceeds the approximate 20 cases per 100,000 the previous week and the peak of 60 in winter.

“A special focus on influenza-like illness is being continued into the summer months,” the college said. “Particularly high rates of incidence were recorded in some practices in Birmingham and London.”

Confirmed cases of the new H1N1 virus, known as swine flu, in the British capital more than doubled to 1,794 yesterday from a week earlier, the Health Protection Agency said. The pandemic bug is transmitted more easily than seasonal flu among people younger than 50 because no one has natural immunity against it.

In England and Wales, there were 29.6 cases of flu-like illnesses per 100,000 people last week, the college said. That compares with 11.4 per 100,000 the previous week and 6.5 the week before that.

The incidence of flu was highest in people aged 5 to 14 years and in the central and southern regions, the college said. Rates of 30 to 100 are usual when seasonal flu is circulating. Rates exceeding 100 represent above-average influenza activity and are “exceptional” when above 200, it said.

Winter Bug

Influenza is more common in winter because virus particles persist longer in the air during colder, drier weather. The bug is also transmitted more easily in winter because people tend to stay close together indoors.

The World Health Organization said the pandemic virus has infected 77,201 people in more than 90 countries, killing 332 of them, since its discovery in Mexico and the U.S. in April.

Transmission of the bug, which causes little more than a fever and cough in most cases, is likely to accelerate as the flu season begins in the Southern Hemisphere and again when it returns in the Northern Hemisphere, the World Bank said in a report last week. As many as 1.5 million people die in a normal flu season worldwide, and even a mild new flu might add another 1.4 million deaths, the Washington-based lender said.

In the southern region, the incidence of flu-like illness last week was about four times higher than the 10-year average for summer, according to the college’s report. Flu typically peaks in England in January, and the rate reported for the southern region by the college’s flu surveillance network, comprising 420 doctors, was the highest in five months.

New Jersey Reports 9th Swine Flu Deathwcbstv.com...