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

BANGKOK, July 14 (Xinhua) -- Thailand has three more deaths related to influenza A/H1N1 virus infection, bringing the country's death toll to 24, local media reported Tuesday.

The victims are two women from Bangkok and one from Samutsakhon, a province next to Bangkok, the Channel 7 quoted public health ministry sources as saying.

The government is stepping up its effort to curb the epidemic outbreak.

Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kachornprasart, chairman of Thailand's national influenza committee, said on Tuesday that he will propose to the cabinet meeting the closure of all schools nationwide for two to four weeks to help curb the flu outbreak, but it was not necessary to shut down entertainment venues for the time being.

He would also ask the cabinet for a 70 million Baht (2.05 mln U.S. dollars) budget for a publicity campaign to educate people on the best ways of avoiding infection by the swine flu virus.

As of Tuesday morning, Thailand has confirmed 176 more infection cases, bringing the country's cumulative total to 4057, the Channel 7 said.

Thailand had its first two confirmed patients on May 12.

As the World Health Organisation has said that the Swine Flu pandemic is ‘unstoppable’, it has been confirmed that there are now 15 serious cases in Spain.www.typicallyspanish.com...

* HR 2749 would give FDA the power to order a quarantine of a geographic area, including “prohibiting or restricting the movement of food or of any vehicle being used or that has been used to transport or hold such food within the geographic area.”realneo.us...

Although the health ministry has only confirmed three deaths officially, it is suspected that at least 15 other deaths are related to the virus. So far 114 cases of infections are official, but there are about 700 other suspicious cases. One of the reasons why these cases cannot be confirmed is because of the shortage of materials to perform the analysis.globalvoicesonline.org...

More than 400,000 Swedes may be infected by the swine flu this autumn even if vaccination programmes get off to a quick start, according to a new forecast by the country’s health authoritieswww.thelocal.se...

The number of available beds at Royal Perth Hospital reached a critical point yesterday, leaving some wards short staffed and prompting WA’s leading doctors’ group to warn that the health system was struggling to cope with the busy winter season.www.thewest.com.au...

HEALTH authorities are bracing for a peak in swine flu infections next month, as emergency departments struggle to cope with the surge in cases and the death toll continues to rise.www.theaustralian.news.com.au...

One of the world's most respected influenza scientists said today that health officials had been surprised by the spread of swine flu.

Dr Alan Hay, director of the London-based World Influenza Centre, said the extensive summer outbreak in Britain had not followed expected patterns and warned the Department of Health needed to be prepared for a more deadly form of the disease.

"We have been a little surprised by the degree of spread of this virus. A few weeks ago we anticipated that this was going to be a short series of outbreaks that would probably peter out before reappearing in the autumn or winter and that has proved not to be the casewww.guardian.co.uk...

A UK swine flu epidemic could severely disrupt transport in London, a business group and union have warned.

If 40% of the UK population contract it, as the government estimates, there will be "considerable" travel problems, the Business Continuity Institute says.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport union said the impact would be "devastating". news.bbc.co.uk...

Swine flu helplines are being flooded with calls as panic over the deadly virus rises, it was revealed today.

Staff at NHS Direct have fielded more than 52,000 calls in the last week compared to a total of 190,000 since April.

Many of the callers are not thought to be ill but are scared because apparently healthy people have now started dying from the virus.

The rise in calls is despite health chiefs insisting there is no need to panic and trying to reassure people that measures to contain swine flu are in place.

Public fears have increased after yesterday's announcement that a healthy child and a GP with no known underlying problems have died from the virus.

www.dailymail.co.uk...

[edit on 14-7-2009 by wizardwars]

VALLEJO, Calif.—Nurses at a northern California hospital say inadequate masks and air-filters have resulted in medical staffers becoming ill while caring for three swine flu patients.

A complaint filed Tuesday with the state details the allegations against Sutter Solano Medical Center in Vallejo, about 30 miles north of San Francisco.

Nurse Sherry Ramsey says 10 nurses have respiratory illnesses that developed after they treated patients with swine flu.

The complaint, filed with the state's Division of Occupational Safety and Health, also alleges the hospital failed to provide nurses with the fitted, duck bill-shaped masks used for treating patients who have an airborne illness.

A spokesperson for the hospital did not return a phone message Tuesday.www.mercurynews.com...

TEHRAN, July 14 (Xinhua) -- Iranian health officials said Tuesday that 200 Iranians are suspected of having been infected with the influenza A/H1N1 virus, local satellite Press TV reported.

"While we have only had one confirmed case of A/H1N1 flu, 200 others are suspected of the disease," head of Iran's disease control center under the Health Ministry Mohammad-Mehdi Gouya said.

Iranian "health authorities have decided to enforce restrictions on Hajj pilgrimage as the latest figures showed 150 individuals have tested positive for A/H1N1 flu in Saudi Arabia," Gouya was quoted as saying.

In June, Iran's Ministry of Health announced the first case of influenza A/H1N1 in the country, the official IRNA news agency reported.

A 16-year-old teenager returning from the United States was tested positive, the report said, quoting Iran's Health Ministry.

The ministry advised Iranians to avoid unnecessary trips to countries such as Mexico, Canada, Thailand, Britain and Germany which witness a high rate of the novel flu.

As a means to confront the flu epidemic disease in the country, Iran has established a committee which includes four ministers and two vice presidents.

The influenza A/H1N1 is a contagious respiratory disease which is a mixture of bird, pig and human gene. The virus can spread to people through contact with infected pigs and infected persons.news.xinhuanet.com...

DENVER (AP) — Swine flu fears have led the American Lung Association to call off summer camps for kids with asthma.

The Washington-based group has advised its affiliated camps to close, including one in Colorado that was scheduled to begin next week. Champ Camp in Ward was a traditional sleep-away weeklong camp for boys and girls with asthma — no campfires allowed.

The American Lung Association of the Southwest has also canceled summer camps in Tooele, Utah, and Reno, Nev. A spokeswoman for the national Lung Association says more camps have closed, but that she wasn't sure how many or where because they are not directly controlled by the American Lung Association.www.google.com...

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- A Milwaukee adolescent is the fifth person to die of swine flu in Wisconsin.

Milwaukee Health Commissioner Bevan Baker said Tuesday the victim was an adolescent with a common underlying medical condition who died over the last 24 hours at a health care facility.

Two adults and one adolescent in Milwaukee had already died from the virus as well as a 12-year-old Wausau girl.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control show Wisconsin has had more than 6,000 cases -- the most in the nation.

State officials have attributed the high number to an early aggressive testing policy and the state having four laboratories to do the work.

Research by a University of Wisconsin flu expert released Monday shows the virus is more severe than ordinary winter flu.www.waow.com...

Struggling GPs are resorting to ''quick clinics'' to cope with surges of patients with swine flu as the World Health Organisation warns the pandemic is ''unstoppable''.

Most people with swine flu develop mild symptoms but extreme cases have emerged, with several healthy, younger Australians put on cardiac bypass machines after they were struck down with the virus.www.canberratimes.com.au...

Aizawl/New Delhi, July 14 (Mizzima): The death of several hundred pigs in Mizoram, contiguous to Burma has caused alarm among local residents, who believe the death could be from type A(H1N1) virus. But the state’s Director for Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Department Dr. C. Sangnghina said, the pigs died from normal swine fever and not from type A(H1N1) virus. However, with the news of spreading A(H1N1) virus in several other countries, people are concerned that their state could be affected. People by and large have stopped eating pork. “It is quite obvious that people will be worried as the news of the outbreak of this virus is spreading. But so far there are no instances of the A(H1N1) virus in Mizoram,” Dr. Sangnghina told Mizzima.
He said samples from the dead pigs were sent to a laboratory in Kolkata and Bihar. It has been confirmed that it was normal swine fever. He said the state government and health department is taking precautionary measures by setting up check-points at entry gates and also by informing the public to avoid contact with pigs and to stop eating pork.www.morungexpress.com...

BUENOS AIRES, July 14 (Xinhua) -- A total of 137 A/H1N1 influenza patients have been dead since the pandemic broke out in May in Argentina, the Health Ministry confirmed on Tuesday night.

Argentina now has second largest number of A/H1N1 deaths worldwide, following the United States which has reported 211 deaths.

Mexico has reported 124 A/H1N1-related deaths, the third largest number.

So far Argentina has recorded 3,056 confirmed cases of the virus. Of the deaths, 69 were reported in Buenos Aires province, 42 in Santa Fe, and 11 in Buenos Aires city.

Ten people are fighting for their lives in Auckland and Northland hospitals after testing positive for swine flu.

Most of those in intensive care with the virus are believed to have underlying health problems, but at least two otherwise healthy people - not from Auckland and Northland - have spent time in intensive care with swine flu.www.nzherald.co.nz...

A FIFTH person in NSW with swine flu has died, and 32 others are in intensive care.

A 55-year-old man with underlying medical conditions who died in St George Hospital in southern Sydney on Saturday had tested positive to the disease, NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant said.

"This morning 32 people with confirmed H1N1 were reported to be receiving intensive care,'' Dr Chant said.

Since the epidemic began in NSW, 382 people had been admitted to hospital with swine flu, she said.

Pregnant women, the very overweight, and people with underlying health conditions such as diabetes or lung, heart or kidney disease should consult their doctors if they developed a flu-like illness, Dr Chant said.

"For the majority of people, influenza is a mild illness which can be managed at home,'' she said.

"However, seasonal flu and H1N1 influenza 09 (swine flu) can occasionally result in severe disease, even in people who have been previously well.''

Dr Chant said 2195 people had now tested positive for swine flu in NSW.

But this was only a small proportion of those infected because testing was no longer routinely recommended except for patients in hospital. www.theaustralian.news.com.au...

The H1N1 influenza death figures increased 50 percent in three days adding up to 137 deadly cases, leaving Argentina as the second country with the highest H1N1 deaths toll, said Health Ministry sources.www.buenosairesherald.com...