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

Two more H1N1 flu patients admitted to ICU

SINGAPORE: Two more people were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on Sunday after coming down with H1N1 flu infections.

The first is a 61-year-old man with heart problems. He had cough, sore throat and running nose for a week, and was transferred to ICU because of breathlessness.

He is currently on a ventilator and in a critical condition.

The second patient is a 14-year-old boy who has asthma and epilepsy. He was warded after two days of fever, and three seizures.

He is currently on a ventilator and in a critical condition. Earlier this week, a 13-year old boy with epilepsy died after being infected with H1N1 flu.

There are currently a total of 10 H1N1 flu patients in ICU.

AH1N1 Deaths In Costa Rica Now At 17; Teachers Union Protests Return to School On Monday

A 20 year old man suffering from serious health problems became the 17th victim of the AH1N1 flu virus in Costa Rica, as the ministerio de Salud warns the peak period for the pandemic will continue for at least two more weeks.

The directora de vigilancia de Salud, María Ethel Trejos, explained that the man had a thyroid condition and was obese, placing him in a high risk category.

The provinces with the highest number of AH1N1 cases and deaths is San José and Heredia, where 16 of the 17 deaths have occurred. The only death outside of the Central Valley is one death in Limon.

The ministerio de Salud is making a call to all students and teachers who are returning to classes on Monday, as well as school bus operators to take preventive measures in an effort to avoid propagation of the virus.
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Local Woman Who Had Swine Flu Dies

The Virginia Department of Health said a woman with swine flu in the Prince William County health district has died.

Although the cause of death has not been confirmed, the H1N1 virus "appears to be a factor," health officials said. The patient, whose name and age were not released, had an underlying health condition that put her at greater risk for complications from the flu. Health officials and family members have decided not to do an autopsy.

Ecuador there are 12 deaths from the H1N1 virus and 455 confirmed cases in our country.

The cities are where the dead are:

Canar (1)
Azuay (1)
Chimborazo (3)
Pichincha (2)
Loja (1)
Tungurahua (1)
Guayas (2)

www.promedmail.org...:1001:8328400577337489::NO::F2400_P1001_BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,78491

The world's 1st known swine flu victim was a 6-month-old baby girl in
northern Mexico who had no known contact with pig farms, the head of
a laboratory studying the virus said on Thursday [23 Jul 2009].

"It's a 6-month-old baby girl from San Luis Potosi who is alive" said
Celia Alpuche of the Institute of Epidemiological Diagnosis and
Reference (INDRE) in Mexico City. The little girl 1st showed symptoms
of the new strain of the influenza A(H1N1) virus on [24 Feb 2009],
she said.

International attention has focused on 2 possible 'patient zeros,'
including a 5-year-old boy who lived near a pig farm in eastern
Mexico and a woman from Oaxaca, in the southeast, after the
government 1st raised the A(H1N1) alert 3 months ago. Both had
contracted the virus, which has now killed more than 700 people
worldwide, in April [2009].

But studies carried out on a backlog of samples show that a 1st
handful of recorded cases appeared in March [2009] in central and
northern Mexico, before any showed up further south, said Ms Alpuche.

"We have other positive samples in March from Baja California
(northwest), San Luis Potosi and Mexico City (centre)," Ms Alpuche
said, referring to results discovered around one month ago. "It's
complicated to say where it originated but the earlier samples are
not from rural areas, that's to say areas with farms (or) pigs," she
added.

Mexico's swine flu death toll now stands at 138, with almost 14 800
recorded cases, and the country has recently seen an upsurge of cases
in the impoverished southeast.

2 swine flu deaths suspected in Israel

The Health Ministry was checking suspicions Sunday that two people who passed away over the last two days at Eilat's Yoseftal Hospital and Petah Tikva's Schneider Hospital respectively had died of swine flu.

The man, who was obese and a heavy smoker, had been suffering from pneumonia, and died on Saturday, a day after being admitted to Yoseftal.

The toddler, who died Friday, had been suffering from a chronic illness.

Lab tests were being conducted and the results were due on Monday.

If the results prove to be positive, the two would be the first swine flu deaths in the country.

FluTracker is reporting 1,314 worldwide H1N1 deaths as of 7-25-2009 (Lots of data!)
flutracker.rhizalabs.com...

[edit on 26-7-2009 by JBA2848]

Doctors warned not to mistake meningitis for swine flu

While seasonal flu is widely known to be associated with potential neurological complications, up until now the A/H1N1 swine flu strain was not. This week’s issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) described the first cases of neurological complications including seizures and altered mental status (encephalopathy) associated with the swine flu.

The patients were boys ages 7, 10, 11 and 17 admitted to hospitals in Dallas County, Texas. In each case, the neurological symptoms occurred 1 to 4 days after the children had developed fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. All four children recovered fully after being treated in the hospital with a 5-day course of Tamiflu.

Authors of the report, Drs. Evans and Siegel from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center of Dallas emphasized the importance of considering swine flu when a child is seen with flu-like symptoms and unexplained seizures or disorientation. They suggest immediately beginning antiviral treatment and sending specimens for viral testing for these children.
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Baby may be the first to be born with type-A (H1N1)

An infant girl delivered prematurely at Ratchaburi hospital was born infected with type-A (H1N1) influenza - possibly the country's first mother to child transmission of the infection, medical authorities revealed yesterday.

"This is the country's first case study," said Dr Adisorn Phattaradul, director of Chulalongkorn hospital which admitted the 24-year-old mother from Ratchaburi province on Saturday.

After the baby was born prematurely last Tuesday her mother developed a severe form of type-A (H1N1) influenza before being transferred to Chulalongkorn - the country's leading medical school - to receive special care.

She is now in a critical condition with severe pneumonia. Doctors say the virus has spread to her lungs and she is on a respirator in the intensive care unit. They have given her the antiviral drug oseltamivir and sleeping pills to help her recovery.

Meanwhile, her newborn daughter is in a baby incubator and has also been given antiviral drugs. Doctors say her lungs are now normal but they are worried the virus might affect her brain.

Dr Lelanee Paitoonpong, an infectious disease specialist of Chulalongkorn University said:

"Mother to child transmission of type-A (H1N1)flu in this case was only an assumption."

She said to reduce the risk of getting a severe form of flu-like illness, pregnant women should avoid close contact with people with symptoms and keep clear of public spaces.They should also wear face masks to prevent infection, she added.

To date, Thailand has 6,776 reported cases of type-A (H1N1) influenza which has killed 44 victims nationwide.

No shortage of volunteers for swine flu vaccine trials

Days after the U.S. government announced upcoming trials for an H1N1 flu vaccine, Saint Louis University has been inundated with phone calls and e-mails from people volunteering for the study.

The university's Center for Vaccine Development has received more than 500 responses from potential volunteers since Wednesday, when the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced human trials for a swine flu vaccine would begin in early August.

"This response has been exceptionally strong," Nancy Solomon, a spokeswoman for the university's medical center, told CNN Radio. "We haven't had that strong of a response to our call for volunteers since we conducted our small pox vaccine research after September 11."

Thousands of Americans are currently being recruited for swine flu vaccine testing at several research centers across the country, including Saint Louis University's Center for Vaccine Development.

"The federal government comes to us when they need a quick response to test the safety and efficacy of vaccines," Solomon said.

Other trial sites include the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore; Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas; Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center; Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia; Group Health Cooperative in Seattle, Washington; The University of Iowa in Iowa City; and Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

They will be joined by Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri; Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina; and IPS Research in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Most of the human trials are being funded by the National Institutes of Health.
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WHO is no longer publishing updates on swine flu as well as CDC (which is only to show number of deaths and hospitalisations). But there are still some official sources that are updating reports on flu.


For example, mentioned in my previous posts, Polish Institute of Publish Health.


The latest update indicates that there is 163795 cases worldwide and the global death toll is over one thousand (1100).


If you'd like to chech it by your own, pls visit www.pzh.gov.pl... (PDF).

H1N1 death recorded in St. Kitts

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts-A 28-year-old female was confirmed over the weekend as St. Kitts-Nevis’ first death as a result of the Influenza A H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu, Ministry of Health officials confirmed this morning (July 27) at a press conference.

The Federation’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Patrick Martin, stated that on Friday (July 24) the Ministry of Health received lab results from the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre that confirmed two more cases of the pandemic H1N1 virus.

“Both were female residents, aged 21 and 28 years respectively, with no recent travel. The former confirmed case did not require medication and hospitalization. The latter was the Federation’s first death. The Ministry of Health takes this opportunity to extend condolences to the family of the deceased,” Martin stated.

Chief of Staff at the Joseph N. France General Hospital Dr. Cameron Wilkinson gave details regarding the woman’s death.

“The deceased was brought to the hospital via ambulance in a severe condition. Despite the best efforts of our staff, the patient rapidly deteriorated and death occurred within 36 hours after arrival in the hospital.”

Israel confirms first swine flu death

JERUSALEM -- Israel has suffered its first death in the global swine flu epidemic, the country's Health Ministry announced Monday.

An Israeli man died of complications resulting from the virus over the weekend at Yoseftal Hospital in the Red Sea town of Eilat, the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry and the hospital would not release the m

Pinay maid dies of swine flu in Hong Kong

HONG KONG - A Filipino maid died of swine flu in Hong Kong Monday, health authorities said, as the city investigated whether this was its first fatality from the virus.

The 37-year-old, who arrived in Hong Kong on June 28 to start her job as a domestic helper, developed a sore throat and fever a day later, the Center for Health Protection (CHP) said in a statement.

The woman, who was not named by the CHP, checked into the United Christian Hospital on July 7 and was admitted to intensive care in a critical condition.

"The case has been referred to the coroner... for investigation," the CHP said, referring to the patient's death as a "fatal case of human swine influenza."

Before Monday no fatalities were confirmed to have been caused by the A(H1N1) influenza virus in Hong Kong, although the government said earlier this month it was investigating the death of a 42-year-old Philippine man infected with the virus.

The city said it was unable to confirm Monday night whether the domestic helper's death was Hong Kong's first confirmed swine flu fatality.

But a spokeswoman for the UCH told AFP: "It should be the first fatal swine flu case in Hong Kong."

The hospital released a statement Monday night which said: "The patient has been on Tamiflu and antibiotics treatment. She was in critical condition requiring mechanical ventilation."

It said the woman was placed on a life support system on July 13, but "her condition continued to deteriorate and she was certified dead at 17:47 today (0947 GMT Monday)."
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Saudi Arabia, Israel report first cases of death from swine flu

According tot the Saudi Arabia Health Ministry, a Saudi citizen died of swine flu Saturday. It was the First death recorded in the kingdom from Influenza A/H1N1, and the second in the Middle East. The 30-year-old man entered the hospital Wednesday complaining of coughing, high fever, and trouble breathing. He was treated with Tamiflu and other antibiotics but his condition deteriorated.

Health ministers banned children and the elderly from attending this year’s Umrah and Haj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia due to fears of the spread of the disease. Saudi Arabia has 294 reported cases of the swine flu, more than any other Arab country.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Health Ministry confirmed on Monday that a 35 year old, who died on Saturday, was in fact ill with the H1N1 virus, Haaretz reported. The ministry did not, however, confirm whether his death had been caused by the virus. He was admitted to hospital in the southern city of Eilat with pneumonia symptoms.

Spain hit with sixth death

A 53 year old man dies in Valencia this morning after suffering from the deadly A(H1N1) swine flu virus.

He is the sixth victim since the outbreak of the virus in SPain some months ago. It has been reported that he was already in a serious way when he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the La Ribera Hospital, Alzira, earlier this week.

This case is the second fatality in the Valencian region and follows the death of an Algerian man who was being tranported to hospital with kidney problems last week. It was confirmed by an autoposy that he had been suffering from the virus.

Spain's Health Ministry has so far confirmed more than 1,800 cases of the A(H1N1) virus.
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A(H1N1): Second death in Malaysia (Update)

PETALING JAYA: A 46-year-old Malaysian man who worked in Belgium, died from Influenza A(H1N1) on Sunday, making him the second victim to have died from the contagious flu since its outbreak in this country.

The man was reported to have died from “severe pneumonia with respiratory failure with septicaemic shock and acute renal failure” after seven days being treated at the intensive care unit of a private hospital in Subang Jaya.

Health Ministry director-general Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican said the victim came back to Malaysia on July 4.

“He was alright until he went for a holiday with his family in Langkawi on July 13 when he developed fever and coughing.

“Upon his return from Langkawi, he sought treatment at a private hospital in Petaling Jaya on July 16 where his chest X-ray showed that he had pneumonia,” he said in a statement issued here Monday.

Dr Mohd Ismail said the man was then referred to the private hospital in Subang Jaya on July 19 and warded at the ICU.

He said tests conducted by the Institute of Medical Research on July 22, on a sample taken from the man’s throat confirmed that he had been infected with the H1N1 virus.

“Complications developed and the man died at 12.35pm Sunday,” he said, adding that 18 contact cases had been identified and only one had tonsillitis symptoms.

On July 21, a 30-year-old Islamic finance student from Indonesia also died from Influenza A(H1N1).

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5th H1N1-related death in Singapore

SINGAPORE: Influenza A(H1N1)-related fatalities in Singapore rose to five when a woman, who also had acute myeloid leukaemia, died on Monday.

The 34-year-old Chinese woman was admitted to the Singapore General Hospital on July 17 after two days of cough. She was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on July 19 because of low oxygen saturation.

She passed away on Monday morning and the cause of death is pneumonia, with Influenza A (H1N1) infection as a contributing factor, said a Ministry of Health statement.

Meanwhile, four more H1N1 patients were admitted into ICU.

One of them was a 9-year-old Chinese girl who had been warded in the National University Hospital (NUH) since June for treatment of encephalitis. She has a history of cerebral palsy, quadriplegia and hypothyroidism.

She was transferred to the Pediatric ICU on July 25 for respiratory distress. Laboratory tests confirmed she has Influenza A (H1N1). She is on ventilator support and her condition is stable.

The second case was a 23-year-old Malay man who had a history of epileptic fits. He developed high fever, drowsiness and seizures on July 25, and was admitted directly from the Emergency Department to the ICU on July 26. Laboratory tests confirmed he has Influenza A (H1N1). His condition is stable.

The third patient was a 29-year-old Indian woman with no previous medical history. She sought treatment at Changi General Hospital (CGH) Emergency Department on July 25 after two days of fever, cough and chest discomfort.

She was admitted to the ICU on July 26. Laboratory tests confirmed she has Influenza A(H1N1). She is on ventilator support and her condition is stable.

The fourth patient admitted into ICU was a 34-year-old Chinese man with a history of Down's syndrome. He sought treatment at CGH's Emergency Department on July 23 after two weeks of cough, sore throat and fever.

He developed bilateral pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome, and was transferred to the ICU on July 26. Laboratory tests confirmed he has Influenza A(H1N1). He is on ventilator support and is on the dangerously ill list.

Webcast of the ACIP Meeting on Novel Influenza A (H1N1)

The American Nurses Association (ANA) provides the following information recevied from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Immunization Safety Office:

On Wednesday, July 29 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., a special meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will be convened to discuss issues related to novel influenza A (H1N1).

A draft meeting agenda is available at www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/ACIP/downloads/agenda-jul09.pdf. Meeting topics include novel H1N1 epidemiology in the United States and internationally, implementation planning, vaccine development and formulations, communications; a report from the July 23 Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) meeting, and an ACIP work group report on age/risk groups recommended for vaccination.

For those of you who are not able to attend in person, you can view the ACIP meeting online through a webcast. Instructions for Web access of the meeting can be found at www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/acip/default.htm. Please note: This Web access will be available only during the day and time of the event. For the most up-to-date information on novel H1N1 influenza, visit www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/.

[edit on 27-7-2009 by JBA2848]

www.stuff.co.nz...

The death of a middle-aged woman in Middlemore Hospital earlier this month was caused by swine flu. She is the 12th New Zealander confirmed to have died in the pandemic.

Counties Manukau District Health Board was unable to confirm whether the patient had pre-existing health problems.

Deputy Director of Public Health Fran McGrath said only deaths that met the definition of "death due to pandemic influenza" were included in the official toll.

The coroner was investigating other deaths in which patients tested positive for the virus, but the cause of death had not been confirmed. "When a person dies in the community, or if the cause of death is not clear, the death may be referred to a coroner to investigate. Such investigations generally take some time."

If pandemic influenza was later confirmed as the cause of death, it would be added to the official toll.