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

According to reports received by the FDA, Relenza and Tamiflu side effects could be responsible for neuropsychiatric problems, such as delirium, delusions, hallucinations, impulsive behavior and self-injury. After identifying a significant number of episodes among users which resulted in serious injury or death, the regulators will convene a panel of outside experts this week to review possible label changes which may be needed for the flu drugs.

Tamiflu and Relenza are approved for treatment of influenza, or the flu. Tamiflu (oseltamivir) is delivered as a pill or syrup and Relenza (zanamivir) is inhaled. Since 1999, about 4 million courses of Relenza have been given and approximately 48 million people worldwide have taken Tamiflu, including 21 million children.

At least 25 deaths have been reported among users of Tamiflu, some of them involving children falling out windows or running into traffic as a result of delusions and hallucinations. The reported problems generally occur within 24 hours of first taking the drugs While most of the reported occurrences involve those under 21 years old, there have also been three reports of suicide death among adults taking Tamiflu.

The FDA indicated that they recently performed a safety review of Tamiflu and Relenza to examine the neuropsychiatric side effects. The review found nearly 600 neuropsychiatric events among users of Tamiflu and about 115 events associated with Relenza. The majority of the reports of side effects associated with both drugs came from Japan, where the drugs are typically taken for several weeks since it is approved not only to treat the flu, but also to prevent it. In the United States, children typically only take the drugs for five days or less.www.youhavealawyer.com...

[edit on 18-7-2009 by wizardwars] Is it Time to Rethink Bali's Response to H1N1?
Editorial: The Changing Character of the H1N1 Epidemic Will Compel New Tactics in Confronting the Disease. www.balidiscovery.com...

[edit on 18-7-2009 by wizardwars]

WELLINGTON — The baby girl of a woman with swine flu died this morning at Wellington Regional Medical Center after doctors were forced to deliver the child prematurely.

The mother, Aubrey Opdyke, remained in critical condition. Doctors put Opdyke into a coma to give the baby, named Parker Christine, as much oxygen as possible while her mother fought the H1N1 swine flu virus. Doctors decided to deliver the baby today, about 14 weeks before its due date, but the child died, a hospital spokeswoman said. No other details were available. www.palmbeachpost.com...

Dr Suchai Charoenrattanakul, a former public health minister, yesterday expressed concern that a hasty vaccine programme against the outbreak of A(H1N1) influenza could be risky. Usually, it takes two years to test a vaccine but the government said the current programme will be done in three months.

Suchai also said the government's policy on the so-called swine flu is also inconsistent, leading to failure to act quickly and sufficiently to contain the outbreak during its early stage.

On public updates on the situation of swine flu, he said the government should continue to be transparent and give updates every Monday, Wednesday and Friday rather than once a week.

He also called for more laboratories to test the virus so that results could be reported within 24 hours.

Meanwhile, a Bangkok woman died yesterday after several days of flu-like symptoms, prompting suspicion that her death might be the country's latest fatality toll from the type-A (H1N1) influenza virus.

With the official death toll at 26 in Thailand, Min Buri police yesterday morning reported the death of Misstine Thailand employee Saisunee Siripanyasuk, 47.

Her relatives told police that she had chronic high blood pressure and had suffered from high fever and flu-like symptoms since July 13.

As part of the "Big Cleaning Day" event, Deputy Bangkok Governor Dr Malinee Sukavejworakit yesterday presided over the cleaning of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) Medical College and Vajira Hospital to prevent flu outbreaks.

Vajira Hospital also opened a fast track for type-A (H1N1) patients serving 600 people a day. BMA schools, which will reopen on Monday, have been ordered to use thermometers to check each student for fever before they enter the school and send those with a fever home.

Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra said BMA premises would also be cleaned more frequently.

Bangkok has had 2,400 type-A (H1N1) patients and 12 fatalities.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva urged the public not to panic and suggested those with flu-like symptoms rest at home and take fever medicine. If after 2-3 days they still have a high fever, joint pain and diarrhoea, they should see a doctor immediately, he said.

Democrat Party spokesman Booranut Samutrak said former premier Chuan Leekpai had invited the Public Health, Labour and Education ministries to a meeting tomorrow on flu prevention at workplaces and schools.

National Institute of Education Testing Service (NIETS) director Uthumporn Jamornman said 62 students had presented medical certificates that their absence from General Aptitude Test and Professional Aptitude Test (GAT/PAT) exams had been due to the flu and NIETS would hold special GAT/PATs on August 8-9 at its office in the Phayathai Building. She said some 20 students from the provinces would be provided with accommodation and transport feeswww.thaivisa.com...

Aborigines, pregnant women to get free flu vaccinewww.thewest.com.au...

Britons going on their summer holidays have been warned not to travel if they have swine flu.

The Department of Health, which is currently setting up a new pandemic flu service, advised people with the virus to delay journeys until symptoms had gone.

Officials warned that visitors to a number of countries would have to face strict screening procedures as the illness spreads.

This was demonstrated in China, where 52 British schoolchildren and teachers were placed in quarantine in a Beijing hotel after four teenagers from London were diagnosed with swine flu.

According to the DoH, holidaymakers should take medication such as paracetamol with them and avoid public places if they fall ill.

People travelling to Europe should carry a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).

If they catch swine flu - symptoms of which are a high temperature as well as two or more of a list including headache, sore throat, runny nose and aching muscles - they should not travel home until recovered

Health Secretary Andy Burnham, who is due to give a statement to the Commons on Monday, said: "I want families to go on their holidays and have a great time this summer.

"And mums and dads shouldn't worry unnecessarily about swine flu.

"But, just as they would anyway, parents should keep a close eye on their children's health.

"If you're going abroad, as ever, make sure you know where you can get medical advice and if you're holidaying in the UK, remember that from the end of this week alongside GP services, you'll also able to phone the national pandemic flu service hotline for advice."

The advice came as a senior adviser to the Government moved to calm concerns over the swine flu vaccine after questions were raised about whether it will have been sufficiently tested before it is used.

The first deliveries of the vaccine are expected to arrive next month, sparking concerns that doses will be administered before full clinical trials are completed.

But Professor Sir Gordon Duff, co-chairman of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, said the "benefits far outweigh the risks".

He added: "These core vaccines have been tested on 5,000-6,000 people already, with no serious adverse effects."

Thousands of people in Britain have been affected by swine flu and the total number of UK deaths linked to the virus stands at 29.

Three of the year nine (aged 13-14) children taken ill in China were from the Central Foundation Boys School in Clerkenwell, while one attended Parliament Hill School in Camden.

The quarantined group was among a party of around 600 British students and teachers from across the UK who had travelled to China.

Sky News

Though it hasn’t been much in the news since it emerged last spring, H1N1 influenza, also known as swine flu, has stricken dozens of local residents in recent weeks, health officials said Friday.

“This flu has not taken vacation,” said Betsy Meredith of Lane County Public Health.

Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend is treating 13 patients for pneumonia, a complication of influenza, including five who are sick enough to be admitted to the intensive care unit, said Jill Hoggard-Green, hospital administrator.

The patients’ ages range from 14 months to 62 years. Of the 13, two have confirmed cases of swine flu and the rest are suspected cases.

In addition, about 40 patients exhibiting flulike symptoms have been seen in recent weeks at PeaceHealth Medical Group clinics and in the emergency departments at the two Sacred Heart hospitals, Hoggard-Green said.

While seasonal flu typically causes the worst illness in the very old, swine flu appears to be causing more problems for young adults, Meredith said. In Oregon, the median age of those with swine flu is 17. That may be because H1N1 is a novel strain of influenza to which younger people have never been exposed, she said.www.registerguard.com...

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon's most influential Shiite cleric issued a religious edict Sunday saying Muslims who have serious concerns about contracting swine flu while performing the annual hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia may stay away this year.www.usatoday.com...

The government guidance is being re-issued after a woman with the virus died shortly after giving birth.

Meanwhile the National Childbirth Trust has been accused of "scaremongering" for suggesting women delay pregnancy.

The Royal College of General Practitioners told the Observer it was a "disproportionate reaction".

Alan Johnson, the former health secretary, agreed it was an "overreaction" to say women should not have babies at this time. news.bbc.co.uk...

Delivering flu vaccines straight into the lungs, instead of through routine injections, could trigger a far stronger immune response, a study finds.

The world is expected to be extremely short of vaccines in the event of a flu pandemic, so the search for the best way to deliver vaccines is important as this could reduce the quantity administered in each dose.

The Australian study shows that lower doses of a seasonal flu vaccine delivered into the lungs of sheep gave better protection against flu than a higher standard dose that was injected into another group of sheep.

"Our results suggest that delivery by the lung may allow a much lower dose to be used in the influenza vaccine, while inducing equivalent or perhaps even improved protection," says Philip Sutton of the Centre for Animal Biotechnology at the University of Melbourne, one of the authors of the study. "This would mean more people would quickly be able to receive the vaccine."

The scientists delivered various doses of flu vaccines into the lungs of three groups of sheep. A fourth group of sheep was injected with standard 15-microgram flu vaccines.
Lung antibodies

Sutton says that the lung delivery method produced roughly 1000 times higher levels of antibodies in the lung than injection.

That is significant because influenza virus attacks the lungs directly. "The antibodies produced in the blood and lung were able to block the ability of the virus to stick to the receptor it uses to infect cells, demonstrating they would be effective against infection," Sutton says.

[edit on 19-7-2009 by wizardwars]

State lawmakers and health officials hope a new law will help eliminate confusion over immunizations and cut down on wasted vaccine supplies in what many predict will be an intense flu season.

Earlier this month, Gov. Jan Brewer signed House Bill 2164, which allows adult vaccination records to be tracked in the state's electronic immunization registry. In addition, after the law takes effect Sept. 30, licensed pharmacists will be able to administer certain vaccines - including shots for various flu strains - without prescriptions.

The new law "helps the million-plus Arizonans who don't have health insurance who might not have a doctor (that pharmacists) could call," said Mindy Rasmussen, director of the Arizona Pharmacy Alliance. "From what I hear, chain pharmacies and others around the state are trying to get as many pharmacists certified to immunize as possible just so we can meet the demand."

Adult immunization records would be added to the Arizona State Immunization Information System, which was created in 1998 to track children's vaccinations and ensure the dates and timing of shots were correct. More than 2.3 million children have been registered in the databasewww.azcentral.com...

TOKYO — The number of swine flu cases in Japan has topped 4,000, the health ministry said Sunday, marking a rise of roughly 1,000 cases in four days.

As of 6:00 am (2100 GMT Saturday), the ministry confirmed there had been 4,027 infections of the A(H1N1) virus since it was first reported in Japan in early May.

In the 24-hour period to Sunday morning, the ministry counted 150 new cases. From Friday morning to Saturday morning, 209 new cases were recorded.

It was only last Wednesday morning that the ministry announced the number of cases had breached the 3,000 mark.

The number of infections rose slowly in Japan at first, but has accelerated in the weeks leading up to the summer holiday season.

No serious cases have been reported, however.www.google.com...

Wednesday, 15 July 2009 11:56 WIB
KOMPAS.com - prompted the Government still intensify the monitoring of avian influenza virus H5N1 (bird flu) and mapping sebarannya to prevent the occurrence of mixing with the influenza virus A (H1N1), which is feared could create a new type of influenza virus is more vicious and death.

"For the influenza virus A (H1N1) is still unstable in the environment, and we still have the possibility of H5N1 AI virus. If mediator, they can mix and create a new type of virus may be more violent," said the Head of Laboratory Research Bird Flu Airlangga University Chairil Anwar Nidom when contacted from Jakarta, Wednesday (15 / 7).

Therefore, the molecular biologist is emphasized, the government must make more of H5N1 AI virus in poultry and humans, and take the necessary action to prevent the occurrence of mixing.pandemicinformationnews.blogspot.com...

Swine flu could mean more criminals escape court
Minor criminals could be handed fines or cautions rather than be ordered to appear in court under plans to ease the strain on the authorities should the swine flu outbreak worsen.
www.telegraph.co.uk...

A THIRD man has died in the Northern Territory after contracting swine flu.

The middle-aged Katherine man had a number of long standing, serious medical conditions, as well as influenza A(H1N1), said Northern Territory Department of Health and Families spokesman Robin Osborne.

The man died at Royal Darwin Hospital this morning.

Since Friday evening, 101 new cases of H1N1 influenza have been recorded in the Northern Territory, Mr Osborne said.

This takes the total number of confirmed swine flu cases in the Northern Territory to 963, NT health said.

The Australian total is 12,048, the federal health department said.

32 people with swine flu have died in Australia so far.

Earlier today Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon said 194 people remained in hospital with the disease, more than a third of whom were in intensive care.

She said she expected the outbreak to persist for months to come but believed the worst was almost over. www.news.com.au...

The Brazilian army will start patrolling the country's border with Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay in a bid to contain the spread of the A/H1N1 flu, the government said Friday. english.people.com.cn...

Guyana remains on high alert for new swine flu cases, according to Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy, who revealed that the illness appears to be accompanied by conjunctivitis.

With some 29 specimens already tested and only two positive cases confirmed he said that the impact of H1N1 here has been moderate so far.

Speaking with Stabroek News on Thursday last at his Brickdam office hours before his ministry was destroyed by fire he said that persons with the H1N1 flu do not have different symptoms from those suffering from the common flu. However, he noted that experiences in other countries have pointed to the swine flu being accompanied by conjunctivitis.

The normal flu is not accompanied by conjunctivitis (red eyes), Ramsammy noted, but he cautioned that the presence of conjunctivitis is not a necessary confirmation of H1N1.

“We only had two confirmed cases, but the experience in other countries point to a high percentage of persons who flu seems to be accompanied by conjunctivitis… therefore if someone has flu and they seem to have conjunctivitis it is very suspicious,” he said.

The minister pointed out that if someone is suffering from both illnesses then a specimen should certainly be taken and sent overseas for testing.

In addition to the presence of conjunctivitis, he said that people with the H1N1 flu virus also seem to experience some diarrhoea and vomiting which the ministry has since added to the index of suspicion.

Ramsammy said too that if the flu persists for some time, running past a week persons should take note and see a doctor because swine flu patients are usually sick for many days. He added that the regular flu only lasts for a few days.

“If you have fever for more than a week it is something that you should check out with the doctors, but it is not wise to wait for a whole week before you see a doctor,” he stated.

He stressed that H1N1 has similar symptoms as the normal flu such as body aches, fatigue, loss of appetite, cough, runny nose, sore throat and fever.

The Health Minister said that currently medical professionals across the globe are accumulating evidence from people and trying to see if there are certain things that are peculiar with H1N1, but noted that so far they have not found anything peculiar.

However, he said scientists studying the flu virus have now discovered that unlike other viruses H1N1 seem to have the ability to move from the lungs to other areas of the body which he referred to as a troublesome indicator. This, he said, might explain the diarrhoea and vomiting. www.stabroeknews.com...

People at the chest diseases hospital have been warned against speaking to the media. mid-day.com...

JAKARTA, July 19 (Bernama) - Some 4,000 pupils of an Islamic boarding school (pesantren) at Tangerang, Banten have been quarantined to prevent the spread of Influenza A (H1N1).

Pupils of Dar-Al Qolam at Jayanti, Tangerang were prohibited from leaving the school premise after 80 pupils were suspected to have been infected by the virus.

"The 4,000 pupils are prevented from going home as some of them are suspected to have been infected with swine flu," said Tangerang district health officer Hani Haryanto.

He told Antara news agency that a medical check-up on 4,000 pupils found 80 suspected cases as they had high fever for two days.

Despite given tamiflu, the pupils still had to be isolated for seven days until confirmed to be negative H1N1. www.bernama.com...

The number of cases infected with the H1N1 flu virus is nearing the 1,000-mark here with 140 cases reported during the weekend alone.

Cases of mass infection at schools are increasing while the transmission route of some cases remains unclear.

On Saturday, a teacher and 27 students at a class were confirmed to have contracted the disease. After a group of students at a high school in Gyeonggi Province complained of high fever, health officials performed tests and verified some cases.

"They seem to be infected with the disease as they didn't air out the classroom while using the air conditioner," said an official of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As they have not been abroad or in close contact with confirmed patients recently, health officials said they became ill through the second transmission in the region.

Considering mass infection at schools starting early this month, the flu virus is suspected of having already been spread into different regions, indicating infection is possible without overseas experiences or contact with patients.

Those regions where the unverified outbreak is taking place include Seoul, two areas in Gyeonggi Province and Gangwon Province. The official confirmation for Busan is also expected to be made sometime soon. www.koreaherald.co.kr...