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

Renowned infectious disease specialist Daniel Stamboulián said Argentina is going through the first half of the pandemic phase of the virus. "The next three weeks will be extremely important to know how it will diminish," he added.

He also said it is impossible and unnecessary for the laboratories to report all the cases. Stamboulián estimated cases in Argentina may total 3 million. He also emphasized the Argentine situation is quite similar to the current scenario of the neighboring countries. Regarding the prevention of the virus, Dr. Daniel Stamboulián said people showing H1N1-flu like symptoms must be isolated to avoid transmitting the virus to their relatives or work mates. "Health masks are falsely safe," he assertewww.buenosairesherald.com...

(OTTAWA) – The Government of Canada is working closely with the Province of Saskatchewan to assess the public health risk from a new strain of influenza that has been detected in the province.

The new strain was detected in two workers on a hog farm in Saskatchewan. The workers suffered only mild illness and have recovered fully. A third case is under investigation. Scientists at the Public Health Agency of Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg have determined that the new strain is made up of genes from human seasonal flu and swine flu viruses. It is not a new strain of the pandemic H1N1 flu virus currently circulating in Canada.

“We are working closely with the province of Saskatchewan to learn as much as we can about this new flu virus,” said Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq. “Preliminary results indicate the risk to public health is low and that Canadians who have been vaccinated against the regular, seasonal flu should have some immunity to this new flu strain.”

Initial testing of some of the pigs on the farm suggests they were infected with swine influenza A virus, a common flu found in swine herds. There is no evidence that this new human strain of the virus is present in the swine herd.

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is collaborating with Saskatchewan public heath officials on further surveillance of workers in Saskatchewan’s hog industry, including those on the affected farm. PHAC is prepared to provide field epidemiological assistance to Saskatchewan. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is providing advice to the province on swine herd surveillance. CFIA is also providing further diagnostic support to the initial testing performed by the Province at the national reference laboratory in Winnipeg.

“As required under the WHO’s International Health Regulations, Canada has notified the WHO about the detection of this novel influenza virus,” said Dr, David Butler Jones, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer. “The Government of Canada remains vigilant and we will continue to keep Canadians informed of any new developments.”www.phac-aspc.gc.ca...

Accident and medical centres in Auckland are struggling to cope with a rising flood of swine-flu cases.

"We are absolutely inundated," the chief executive of the White Cross network of clinics, Alistair Sullivan, said yesterdaywww.nzherald.co.nz...

As the World Health Organization prepares to recommend that most countries simply assume its flu cases are due to the novel H1N1 flu virus, officials are seeing the first signs of resistance to the commonly used antiviral drug Tamiflu -- although none that are particularly disturbing yet.

Meanwhile, the virus is continuing its spread through the Northern Hemisphere this summer -- even though flu viruses normally don't spread well in hot weather -- and its effect is escalating in the southern half of the globe, where it is the traditional winter flu season.www.swineflunews.org...

SAN DIEGO - A 50-year-old woman has become the fourth person in the San Diego area whose death is associated with the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu.

The victim's identity and details of her illness were not immediately available.

"This is an unfortunate incident," county Public Health Officer Wilma Wooten said in a statement. "Our thoughts are with the friends and family of this individual."

Wooten said it was "particularly important" for people with "underlying medical conditions" to promptly seek treatment from a physician if they experience flu symptoms.

She also reiterated health officials' call for common-sense precautions - - including covering the mouth when coughing, sneezing or nose-blowing, washing hands frequently and thoroughly, and staying home when sick -- to help prevent the spread of the disease.

"These routine precautions can go a long way in protecting your health and the health of those around you," Wooten sa

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- San Quentin State Prison said it will stop accepting inmates from 19 Northern California counties Wednesday because of fears over H1N1 flu.

Nearly half the 5,200 inmates in the prison north of San Francisco are being quarantined. Officials said tests show four inmates likely have the H1N1 virus, and 47 inmates are showing symptoms.

Luis Patino, a spokesman for the federal receiver who oversees prison medical care, said inmates aren't being shipped to other prisons for fear they could spread the pandemic flu. That means there's no room for new inmates to be shipped in from county jails.

He couldn't immediately say how long prison officials plan to halt acceptance of new inmates or how many inmates will be affected by the freezwww.kcra.com...

A (H1N1) death toll rises to 11

The type-A (H1N1) fatalities in Thailand have risen to 11, Deputy Public Health Minister Manit Nopamornbodi announced Wednesday.

He said one of the two new fatalities was a patient who died at the Vajira Hospital and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration would announce the details later the day.

The second victim was a 19-year-old Patthalung resident who died at a hospital in Phuket. The hospital would announce the details later in the day.

Swine flu testing to grow after resistant US case

ATLANTA (AP) - U.S. health officials are stepping up testing of swine flu cases for Tamiflu resistance.

The action comes after an American teen was diagnosed with a resistant strain.

The San Francisco teenager was diagnosed with swine flu last month after arriving in Hong Kong, and has since recovered.

Officials on Tuesday confirmed the 16-year-old lived in San Francisco and likely was infected in the United States.

She's just the third person in the world known to have a strain resistant to Tamiflu, the main weapon against swine fl
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Orange County's 5 swine flu deaths most in Calif.

SANTA ANA, Calif.—Health officials say five people have died of swine flu in Orange County, more than any other county in California.
County health officials on Tuesday did not provide details about the recent deaths. Last month, they reported the first victim was a middle-aged man with pre-existing medical conditions.

The county has had 387 confirmed cases of swine flu.

State officials say overall 23 people have died from the swine flu and 233 have been hospitalized.

San Diego County has reported four swine flu deaths, while Contra Costa and San Mateo counties have each had three.

New H1N1 flu strain from pig farm found in Canada

A new strain of H1N1 flu sickened at least two workers at a pig farm in Saskatchewan, Canadian health officials said Tuesday. Tests found the strain is different from the pandemic swine flu circulating the globe.

The two people recovered from mild illness, and a third case is under investigation, according to a government statement. Pigs from the farm tested positive for a common version of swine flu and didn't carry the new human version found in the workers.

The risk of the virus is considered low, though disease trackers are testing other workers and continuing to monitor herds, the government said. Health officials worldwide are on heightened alert after a human swine flu virus, identified in April, flashed across the globe infecting at least 1 million people in the U.S. alone, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Preliminary results indicate the risk to public health is low," said Leona Aglukkaq, Canada's health minister, in the statement. "Canadians who have been vaccinated against the regular, seasonal flu should have some immunity to this new flu strain."

The new Canada strain is made up of genes from human seasonal flu and genes from swine flu viruses, according to the statement from the Public Health Agency of Canada. .

Santa Clara County reports first swine flu death

A 44-year-old Santa Clara County woman died of complications of swine flu, the first death in the county from the flu strain that has swept across much of the world since first identified in April.

The woman, who was not named, had a history of medical problems that put her at greater risk of death from swine flu, also referred to as virus H1N1, according to Santa Clara County Public Health Department spokeswoman Joy Alexiou. She died at an unidentified hospital about one week ago; officials announced the death on Tuesday after receiving confirmation of her flu infection from the state laboratory.

Health officials say that deaths from swine flu are not surprising, since even in a normal year, the seasonal flu kills about 36,000 Americans. Most deaths are caused by respiratory infections, such as pneumonia.

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Children's hospital unit quarantined because of swine flu outbreak

Officials have isolated a unit on the third floor of the Alberta Children's Hospital in Calgary because of three swine flu cases.

The hospital has stopped admitting new patients to the unit, which usually treats children with kidney problems, because one staff member and two children are confirmed to have swine flu, said Don Stewart, a spokesman with Alberta Health Services, on Tuesday.

Patients already there have been isolated, and only their parents or close family are being allowed to visit them.

The unit has been contained, and infection prevention control measures are underway, added Stewart.

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Fourth death from swine flu

A Blenheim man has died from swine flu, bringing the total number of H1N1 flu related deaths in New Zealand to four.

Chief Coroner Neil MacLean said the 46-year-old man died at his home a week ago. He had a background of pre-existing medical problems.

No further details would be available until matters were discussed with the next of kin, Judge Maclean said.

Yesterday health officials said 12 people were in intensive care wards with swine flu.

The number of people in hospital with the virus was 53, and 12 of those were in intensive care, deputy director of public health Dr Fran McGrath said.

The number of confirmed cases of swine flu was 1195, up from 1059 on Monday, she said.
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Another SoCal Resident Falls Victim to H1N1 Flu

Health officials in San Diego said Tuesday a 50-year-old woman who died last month was suffering from H1N1 (swine) flu, bringing the total death toll from the virus in that county to four.

The woman had an underlying medical condition and the flu created extra medical stress on her body, County Health and Human Services Agency spokesman Jose Alvarez said.

The woman, whose name was not released, died on June 29.

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The woman had an underlying medical condition and the flu created extra medical stress on her body? Is that what there callin it these days extra medical stress.

27yo man with swine flu dies in Newcastle

A 27-year-old man has become the third person with swine flu in NSW to die.

NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant confirmed the man, who was suffering multiple underlying medical conditions, died on July 4 at John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle with H1N1 influenza.

She said the presence of the virus in the patient was confirmed yesterday.

"Because of underlying medical conditions, the man was at greater risk of severe illness from H1N1 influenza 09," Dr Chant said in a statement.

A 57-year-old was diagnosed with the virus on Friday and died on the same day at Westmead Hospital, in Sydney's west.

Last week, a 45-year-old man, who also had other medical problems, died in Nepean Hospital after testing positive for swine flu.

At least 14 people with swine flu have now died in Australia..

Providence County woman is state’s second comfirmed swine flu death

“Sadly, we have the second death of a Rhode Island resident from illness associated with H1N1,” Dr. David R. Gifford, the state health director, said. “This is a reminder that H1N1 is in Rhode Island and continues to spread.”

Statewide, the Health Department says, there are 172 confirmed cases of infection, 58 of them requiring hospitalization. But those numbers do not tell the whole story, said Dr. Robert Crausman, chief of infectious disease and epidemiology at the Rhode Island Department of Health.

If 58 people of 172 cases needed to go to the hospital thats 1 in 3 who catch it need hospitalization.

Tw o killed in Iquique for Human Influenza A H1 N1

After confirmation of 22 cases of human influenza in the region, today the Health Authority, in conjunction with the Health Service Iquique, confirmed the deaths of two chronic patients, whose health condition worsened AH1N1 virus product.

In addition, the incorporation of 10,158 treatments, which have been delivered to the entire health care network, along with protective masks, aprons, soap and gel.

Chile

First reported human death from influenza in Queretaro

Querétaro, 7 Jul (Notimex) .- The Ministry of Health of the State of Querétaro reported today on the first death resulting from human influenza.

In a communique, the state agency announced that the death of a woman in the municipality of San Juan del Rio.

So far, the Secretariat has examined 831 probable cases of influenza A H1N1, of whom 237 were confirmed positive cases in the state.

The woman who killed sick went to a pharmacy, on June 20, for fever, cough and runny nose.

Later, he went to a private doctor on June 21, when added to the above symptoms difficulty breathing.

As of June 23 was presented at a private hospital in San Juan del Rio, where, hours later, he asked the cooperation of the Hospital General San Juan River for transfer to intensive care at the Hospital General de Querétaro.

Admission to this hospital on June 24, "and in very poor health and died on July 5."

Mexico

Minsal reported 19 deaths from influenza AH1N1 confirmed by PCR examination

The Ministry of Health delivered the final report on cases of human influenza decreeing that until Monday, July 6 have been reported 9135 laboratory-confirmed cases, of whom 19 have died.

The confirmation of cases is done by specific PCR in real time at the Institute of Public Health and several private health care. The Health Ministry reported confirmed cases with laboratory diagnosis and clinical criteria not.

The Minsal also reported that in relation to laboratory-confirmed cases, 3.8 percent required hospitalization.

In the last week, there was an increase in confirmed cases in children under five years, which account for 14 percent, followed by school-age children (between five and 19 years) with 50 per cent.

Of the 19 deaths, 63 per cent (12 cases) were the basic disease: morbid obesity, COPD, heart disease, diabetes, liver damage, alcoholism and chronic renal failure.

So 54 percent were under 18. Not the comon flu for sure.

Australia has 6,767 confirmed cases of H1N1 Influenza 09, an increase of 414 cases since noon yesterday. 14 deaths, 127 in hospital.

The national breakdown of swine flu cases in Australia is: ACT 280, NSW 1572, NT 392, Qld 1479, SA 686, Tas 120, Vic 1876, WA 362

The total number of hospitalisations in Australia since H1N1 Influenza 09 was identified is 722.

[edit on 8-7-2009 by JBA2848]