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

Bandar Seri Begawan - The demand for facemasks, hand sanitizers and ear thermometers has shot up nearly two weeks after the announcement that the Influenza A, H1N1 had reached Brunei Darussalam.www.brudirect.com...

World Health Organisation Admits Defeat On Pandemic Spread, Only Weeks Inwww.prisonplanet.com...

NSW Health Minister John Della Bosca said 7900 extra home-based care visits from nurses and 550 extra hospital beds would be rolled out across the State to manage the increased demand on public hospitals.www.news.com.au...

TUNIS - Tunisia suspended Saturday lesser pilgrimages to Mecca for fear of swine flu infection, but reserved judgment on whether the main hajj pilgrimage should be undertaken in Novemberwww.middle-east-online.com...

The impact of the virus, if it spreads as rapidly as the government has warned, could shut businesses and shops, and leave others short of stock if distribution centres and delivery drivers are hit. Transport services and airlines could also be affected.www.guardian.co.uk...

Has H1N1 virus mutated? Man on Tamiflu tests +ve
4 Jul 2009, 0158 hrs IST, Pushpa Narayan, TNN


CHENNAI: The case of a 29-year-old man, who continued to remain H1N1 positive even after 2 week of treatment here, has doctors and health
department officials in a tizzy. Experts fear that this could be an indication of the virus either having mutated or developed resistance to the anti-viral drug, Tamiflu. Mutation and drug resistance have been major challenges in dealing with viruses across the world. The present A(H1N1) is a strain developed from an earlier type which caused the Spanish flu.

What has added to the confusion in health circles here is that the man was discharged from the Communicable Diseases Hospital in Tondiarpet, where he was quarantined. Officials at the hospital said they had decided to discharge him based on a fax message they received from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD). ‘‘Though his throat swabs continue to show positive, he was not showing any clinical symptoms. We told him not to step out of his residence for a week and advised him to stay away from the rest of his family members, particularly his pregnant wife,’’ said Chennai corporation health officer, Dr B Kuganantham.

But the directorate of public health is panicky. ‘‘We are upset that the NICD has directly contacted the hospital without keeping the government in the loop. The viral status of the patient is still positive, possibly because of a mutation or drug resistance. He could be a carrier who can spread the infection to other people,’’ said director of public health Dr S Elangtimesofindia.indiatimes.com...

South Australia has recorded 573 confirmed cases, of which 70 were males, aged 15 to 19. There also have been 50 cases in boys, aged 10 to 14, and 50 in men, aged 20 to 24. The next highest group is girls, aged 15 to 19, with 48 cases.

While the swine flu count has risen sharply – from 59 three weeks ago – many more likely diagnoses remain unconfirmed as the Health Department has stopped laboratory testing every suspected case. Only 2 per cent of swine flu cases were in people aged 60 and more.

Why males appeared more susceptible to the disease was unknown.

With the surge in swine and seasonal flu numbers, the State Government yesterday launched an advertising campaign to steer non-urgent cases from emergency departments.

Health chief medical officer Paddy Phillips said patients with flu symptoms should see a GP first unless they had a chronic respiratory condition, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, were immune suppressed, pregnant or obese.

"If you or anyone you know is in an urgent or life-threatening situation, call 000 immediately or go straight to an emergency department," he said.

Authorities at Mumbai and Pune airports sent nine travellers for suspected swine flu to special wards in hospitals on Sunday. Six were admitted toKasturba Hospital.
A 29-year-old man from Karnataka who had travelled to Riyadh and Bahrain and returned on Sunday was quarantined after he complained of swine flu symptoms.
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Two other passengers from Ahmedabad--a 25-year-old who had been to Colombo, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur and another youth who had been to Bangkok--were also quarantined. They were suffering from fever and cough. Another passenger, a 32-year-old man from Lucknow, was quarantined at Kasturba Hospital after his recent visit to Nairobi.t.love.com...

[edit on 5-7-2009 by wizardwars]

AMES, IOWA — Iowa State University researchers are putting flu vaccines into the genetic makeup of corn, which may someday allow pigs and humans to get a flu vaccination simply by eating corn or corn products.

“We’re trying to figure out which genes from the swine influenza virus to incorporate into corn so those genes, when expressed, would produce protein,” said Hank Harris, professor in animal science and one of the researchers on the project. “When the pig consumes that corn, it would serve as a vaccine.”

This collaborative effort project involves Mr. Harris and Brad Bosworth, an affiliate associate professor of animal science working with pigs, and Kan Wang, a professor in agronomy, who is developing the vaccine traits in the corn.

According to the researchers, the corn vaccine would also work in humans when they eat corn or even corn flakes, corn chips, tortillas or anything that contains corn, Mr. Harris said. The research is funded by a grant from Iowa State University’s Plant Sciences Institute, and is their Biopharmaceuticals and Bioindustrials Research Initiative.

If the research goes well, the corn vaccine may be possible in five to seven years. In the meantime, the team is trying to expedite the process. “While we’re waiting for Wang to produce the corn, we are starting initial experiments in mice to show that the vaccine might induce an immune response,” Mr. Bosworth said.revolutionradio.org...

Peru Reports First Two Swine Flu Deaths

Peru's first influenza A/H1N1-related death was confirmed on Sunday with the Ministry of Health reported two deaths linked to the virus.

In a press conference held Sunday noon, Health Minister Oscar Ugarte has confirmed that two people have recently died, with their deaths linked to influenza A/H1N1.

A 38 year-old woman died on June 28 at Casaimiro Ulloa hospital in Lima; and a 4 year-old girl died on Friday, July 3, in Cayetano Heredia hospital in Lima.

In the first case, Minister Ugarte detailed that the woman suffered from high blood pressure and was overweight, while the second case involved a girl with Down's syndrome.

ECDC SITUATION REPORT

10,260 cases reported from the EU and EFTA countries, with 57 new cases reported in the past 24 hours;
1,465 new cases are reported from non-EU and EFTA countries;
FYROM reported its first two confirmed case;
Thirteen new fatal cases are reported from Non EU and EFTA countries.

2).The global number of confirmed cases is 95,249 and 425 deaths.

[edit on 5-7-2009 by JBA2848]

a post to show that at least "this" ats-er is still following this thread

I'm in Belgium. Belgium has ca 11 mil people. The official estimations are that by the beginning of september, 3 mil Belgians will be infected by this flu (that is almost one third!).
They say there is not much they can do at this point, most citizens will be left at their own care, while only the worst will receive antivirals.

How are you enjoying the summer so far?

Bolivian Health Minister Ramiro Tapia said that he would get in contact with Argentina's Health Minister to "verify" the magintude of the pandemic. If the disease expands, "the Bolivia-Argentina border will have to be closed for three, four or five days," said Tapia.

"It is concerning, what is happening in Argentina," where the H1N1 virus has already killed 55 people, said Tapia. The Health Minister wants to verify the magnitude of the pandemic's spread.

The first measure is to "double the number of doctors at the border, in that sector, but if we see that there are still cases coming in from Argentina, we will be forced to close down the border," added the Health Minister.

The number of H1N1 cases in Bolivia are still growing and, this weekend, the number of infected persons jumped to 393.

Even though the virus has not yet caused any deaths, three Bolivian citizens are hospitalized and in their conditions are serious. Two are in Santa Cruz, one is in La Paz.www.buenosairesherald.com...

[edit on 5-7-2009 by wizardwars]

Kathmandu , July 5 Nepal has set up flu testing facilities at its international border check points to prevent spread of the H1N1 virus.
Arrangements have been made for testing Swine flu at four checkpoints along Indo-Tibet border and one at Nepal-Tibet border to prevent spread of A/H1N1 virus, a government official said today.

Swine flu testing facilities have been established at Sunauli, Birgunj, Morang and Banke along the Indo- Nepal border.

To prevent flu infected people entering Nepal from China, another testing facility was set up at Tatopani along the Nepal-Tibet, health ministry spokesperson Sainendra Upreti said.

Out of five people, who were tested positive for A/H1N1 virus, three have been cured completely and remaining two are being treated, authorities said.

Three people, members of the same family, were found infected with the pandemic influenza A/H1N1 last week.

They had gone to United States and returned home on June 21.

Later two other persons, who had come in contact with the Non-Resident Nepalese, were also diagnosed with the flu.

Meanwhile a 23-year-old man, who returned from Qatar four days back, has been quarantined after swine flu symptomwww.indopia.in...

A 53-year-old Solano County man with a confirmed case of the H1N1 virus, also called swine flu, has died, according to Solano County health authorities. His death is the first in the county involving a person with the virus.

“We are saddened by this man’s death,” said Solano Public Health Officer Dr. Ronald Chapman. “He had no other identified major health conditions.”

Health officials declined to release his city of residence or his name to protect patient confidentiality. Chapman and other officials said that even though most of the H1N1 cases in the state have been mild or moderate, all can be deadly and everyone should remain vigilant.

There have been at least 16 deaths from the H1N1 infection in California to date, and at least 110 deaths in the United States. “Unfortunately, similar to regular seasonal flu, which kills an estimated 36,000 people in the United States each year, we anticipate that we will see more illnesses and deaths from this novel H1N1 virus,” said Dr. Chapman.

There have been 11 confirmed cases to date in Solano County, and just one in Napa County. Due to the high demand on laboratory services, only cases involving hospitalizations and fatalities are being laboratory tested.

Solano health authorities said Thursday a vaccine for the novel H1N1 virus is in production with expected distribution this fall.

Today, health authorities recommend:

• Washing hands regularly with soap and water;

• Coughing or sneezing into sleeve or elbow;

• If you have flu-like symptoms, staying home from school or work for at least seven days from the onset of symptoms or until fully recovered, whichever is longer;

• Contacting your health care provider if you or your family member has flu-like symptomswww.americancanyoneagle.com...

Costa Rica confirms one more A/H1N1 flu death

SAN JOSE, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Costa Rica health authorities on Sunday reported the nation's third A/H1N1 flu death of a 55-year-old man, who died on Monday last week.

The man had been hospitalized for in San Jose with severe pneumonia, and had been suffering from lung blockages before catching the flu, the Health Ministry said. He had been a smoker since age 13.

Costa Rica's first death was on May 9, and its second on June 23, that of a woman suffering obesity.

Authorities are testing samples taken from people with serious cases of pneumonia, even after they have died, for traces of A/H1N1, Costa Rica's health minister, Maria Luisa Avila, told Xinhua. The country currently has 229 confirmed cases and 77 samples of possible cases awaiting test results. 　
.

Victims of fatal human influenza in Argentina rises to 62

BUENOS AIRES .- The Argentine health authorities confirmed today that the number of deaths from influenza A amounted to 62 people, while the recess will begin tomorrow in advance announcing the school responsible for education to prevent further spread of the influenza virus H1N1.

He was scheduled to begin school in the recess 15 days, but due to the large number of cases of influenza A was decided two weeks in advance.

Meanwhile, health ministers from around the country will meet tomorrow to discuss new health measures and assess the effectiveness of decisions taken in recent days to contain the epidemic of influenza.

The meeting of all staff will be headed by the minister of the area, Juan Manzur, who today again called "individual and social responsibility" to stop the spread of the flu and said that "there are different phases in an epidemic."

Also, tomorrow will be suspended from classes and judicial activity throughout the country to avoid infection, as well as available health authorities and the judiciary throughout the country.

In Cordova, a couple of 26 years died in hospital Iturraspe of San Francisco and became the first fatal case of influenza A in the province, according to the director of the clinic, Mario Vignolo.

According to the local agency DyN, Santa Fe A influenza killed 13 people, of whom 10 were in groups considered at risk and the remaining three were healthy.

VietNamNet Bridge - Seven more cases of the A/H1N1 flu were confirmed by the Ministry of Health on July 4, bringing the total of infected people to Vietnam to 215. Among them, South Vietnam has 187 cases, the Central region nine and the North with 19 cases.

The seven new patients include five in South Vietnam and two in the North.

Health Departments and Preventive Medical Centers are conducting quarantines and keeping close monitoring of the seven new cases.

To cut the risk of a wide spread swine flu outbreak, the ministry has asked provinces and cities across the country to plan measures to deal with a possible increase in patients, prevent the flu spreading in the community and minimize the number of deaths, though no deaths have yet been reported.

The ministry has also closely coordinated with ministries, departments, local authorities and relevant agencies and the World Health Organization to keep track of the situation.

The ministry warned that those with flu symptoms, like fever, cough and sore throat, should be isolated, wear face masks, and report to the nearest health clinic.

It also recommended not taking H1N1 infected people to hospitals by public transport.

On the same day, the WHO also confirmed a total of 89,921 cases of the A/H1N1 flu virus in 125 countries and territories, including 382 deaths.

In the Southeast Asia area, the Philippines reported 1,709 cases of A/H1N1, including one death, Singapore: 878 cases, Thailand: 1,414 cases, including five death

Swine flu death toll tipped to rise

More deaths from swine flu are expected, Health Minister Tony Ryall said today.

The country's first three deaths from the virus were announced on Saturday, and today five other people remained in critical condition, including an otherwise healthy young woman.

Mr Ryall told Radio New Zealand people with underlying medical conditions were most likely to suffer more severe forms of swine flu, and it was important that those suffering severe cases call their GP or Healthline, where registered nurses were answering calls 24/7, on 0800 611 116.

When asked if more New Zealanders were expected to die from the virus, he said "sadly, that is the case".

"Every year we lose just over 400 New Zealanders to flu or flu-related complications [and] swine flu is going to increase that number ... we will have potentially more cases."
.

Mexico H1N1 survivor slams health department
www.sunstar.com.ph...

Monday, July 6, 2009
PAMPANGA -- An influenza A (H1N1) survivor in Mexico town is complaining about the "inefficient and irresponsible" handling of his case by the Department of Health (DOH) in Central Luzon.

Bonifacio Guevarra of Barangay San Rafael, Mexico, said in an e-mail to the House committee on health and the World Health Organization (WHO) that he hopes the government can look on how effective regional offices of the DOH and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) are in handling suspected cases of A (H1N1).

For updates from around the country, follow Sun.Star on Twitter

Guevarra said it took the DOH and RITM eight days to release the result of his tests, instead of the standard two to three days.

"I would like to let your good office be aware of my predicament about how the Department of Health handles the influenza A (H1N1) pandemic, specifically the DOH regional office in Central Luzon. I was found to be positive with the said virus after days of inefficient and irresponsible handling of mandated government agencies/offices," Guevarra said in his letter to House health committee chairman Arthur Pingol.

Guevarra started to feel sick on June 15, with a sore throat, occasional dry cough and slight fever. On June 17, he had himself undergone swab testing at the Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital in the City of San Fernando.

"I was advised to stay home and take regular paracetamol drugs while waiting for the results from two to three days. I did not report for work as told," he narrated. However, Guevarra was disappointed with the seeming lack of seriousness of the DOH in following up the results of his tests.

Guevarra made several follow-ups of the result of his swab test to no avail. In between, no DOH doctor or nurse made a house visit to check on him or called to inquire if the symptoms had waned or worsened, he said.

It was only when the result was finally released on June 25 that the DOH regional office gave Guevarra 10 tablets of anti-viral tablet, Tamiflu, that were to expire in five days.

"I was told that I was infected with the virus three days after RITM had the results. I was told of my situation after exposing [myself to] at least 60 personnel in my office. I was even the one who called the director. What if I do not have enough load credits then? I was even given Tamiflu that will expire on July 2009," Guevarra said.

Central Luzon Health Regional Director Rio Magpantay, for his part, said: "I will have to reconcile his accusations with my staff and that of the central office."

The DOH is set to answer Guevarra's allegations in a press conference Monday at the DOH regional office.

Asked if the DOH has set up a feedback system for H1N1 patients, Magpantay said: "We are learning. This is a new virus. We are aware that we have to improve the system. We are open to comments and we discuss them to come up with better management."

As of July 1, the DOH reported that 86 percent or 1,485 of the 1,709 confirmed A (H1N1) cases in the country have already recovered. Some 14 percent or 224 patients are still under treatment.

Expiring Tamiflu...to those of you following from the initial stages...sound a little familiar?

Also makes me wonder if the Tamiflu-resistant cases in India, Hong Kong, Denmark, Japan are because of mutations? OR the expiration date?


[edit on 5-7-2009 by sonjah1]

[edit on 5-7-2009 by sonjah1]