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

Although patients hospitalized for 2009 H1N1 influenza infection are younger on average than those hospitalized for seasonal flu, people aged 50 and older have the highest death rates.

Researchers analyzed some 1100 cases who were hospitalized for, or had died from, pandemic influenza in California in the first 4 months of the outbreak. Among their principal findings, presented in the current JAMA:

* The median age of the cases was 27.
* Hospitalization rates were highest among infants under age 1 and lowest among the elderly.
* Case-fatality rates — at 11% overall — were highest among those 50 and older and lowest in children under 18.
* Two thirds had underlying medical conditions associated with severe disease, and over half were obese. h1n1.nejm.org...

Pathological Changes Associated with the 2009 H1N1 Virus







To the Editor: Between April 23, 2009, and May 15, 2009, we performed 15 autopsies on deceased patients in whom probable influenza had been diagnosed either clinically or macroscopically. Small samples of lung tissue were obtained and taken for analysis to the Institute of Epidemiological Diagnosis and Reference in Mexico City. Five infections with the 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus were confirmed with the use of a real-time reverse-transcriptase–polymerase-chain-reaction assay, after it was determined that these patients were seronegative for influenza B virus, respiratory syncytial virus, parainfluenza virus (types 1, 2, and 3), and adenovirus.1 From these five patients, organ samples were collected, fixed in 10% formalin, embedded in paraffin, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. In the remaining 10 patients in whom the 2009 H1N1 virus was not detected, histopathological analyses identified bacterial pneumonia.

All five patients with diagnosed 2009 H1N1 influenza had been residents of Mexico City. Four of them were young adults (ages 22, 26, 28, and 37 years) who were hospitalized with the presumptive diagnosis of influenza. These patients were initially treated with antibiotics for bacterial pneumonia. The fifth patient was an 83-year-old woman with a diagnosis of cerebral hemorrhage, who had no clinical signs of influenza but showed characteristics of hemorrhagic pneumonia on macroscopic evaluation. The patients had died 7 to 13 days after the onset of influenza symptoms.

On autopsy for all five patients, the right and left lungs had increased in weight (650 to 1200 g for each lung; normal, 450 g) and had a solid consistency (see Fig. 1 in the Supplementary Appendix, available with the full text of this letter at NEJM.org). In four patients, zones of edema, hemorrhage, or necrosis were observed in the upper respiratory tract on the internal surface of the larynx and trachea, as reported in previous cases of seasonal influenza.2,3 All five patients showed evidence of pulmonary damage and signs of acute interstitial lesions, as noted in patients with avian influenza A (H5N1) virus infection.3,4

In four patients, we observed hyaline membranes, alveolar septal edema, hyperplasia of type II pneumocytes, fibrin thrombus in the vascular lumen, and necrosis of the bronchiolar walls; three patients had inflammatory infiltrate below the endothelium and partial loss and adherence of the endothelium in the medium- and small-caliber intrapulmonary blood vessels (Figure 1). These histologic changes are characteristics of influenza though not pathognomonic. In three patients, we observed pneumonia foci with intraalveolar exudates without evidence of bacterial colonies; however, nearly all the patients had received antibiotic treatment. In two patients, we observed erythrophagocytosis and phagocytosis of inflammatory cells in the liver, spleen, and bone marrow, which is similar to observations in lethal cases of infection with the avian influenza A (H5N1) virus2 (Fig. 2 and 3 in the Supplementary Appendix). One patient had focal centrilobular necrosis of the liver and hemorrhagic necrosis of the adrenal gland cortex, and acute tubular necrosis was observed in another patient.

[edit on 26-11-2009 by blc4r4]

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. health officials said on Wednesday they are seeing a worrying pattern of serious bacterial infections in swine flu patients, mostly among younger adults not normally vulnerable to them.

The pattern is typical of pandemics such as the current H1N1 pandemic but shows the need for patients and doctors to keep an eye out for the infections and treat them quickly, Dr. Anne Schuchat of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told reporters.

"We are seeing an increase of serious pneumococcal infections around the country," Schuchat told a telephone briefing.

"That is the serious type of pneumococcal disease where the bacteria invades the blood and other internal sites." These so-called secondary infections can follow infection with a virus such as flu and often are seen among people who die from influenza. www.reuters.com...

China, already beset by a worrying real estate bubble, is now grappling with surging prices for a dinner table staple closer to home – garlic.

The world’s largest producer of the pungent bulbs, China has seen wholesale prices rocket as much as 15-fold since March in large cities such as Beijing, forced up in part by a combination of reduced acreage being planted by local farmers because of the recession – and a belief that garlic can keep away swine flu. www.ft.com...



[edit on 26-11-2009 by blc4r4]

Originally posted by blc4r4
In four patients, we observed hyaline membranes,

First, please include sources always. Otherwise you may have your post removed for plagiarism.

That's interesting about hyaline membranes. I got them when I had swine flu, April/May. It felt like someone had covered the inside of my lungs with plastic food wrap. Suffocating is quite unpleasant.

Hyaline membrane disease is generally synonymous with Infant distress syndrome and Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome. It's a complication that only occurs in babies. Or it was, until SARS

SARS was notable in causing hyaline membrane disease in adults.

I'm suddenly very angry, because this, to my mind, proves utterly that H1N1 was deliberately, murderously manufactured.

Having a terrible complication suddenly appear in SARS, which appeared to be a disease specifically targeted at Asians, (I guess they were the guinea pigs,) and then having exactly the same complication appear in this strain of influenza is pushing the limits of coincidence too far.

They nearly killed me; they have killed many others.
And I expect the vaccine this is being used to drive us towards will permanently sterilise large, targeted groups throughout the world, finally carrying out the population reduction aims expressed in the NSSM 200.

reply to post by blc4r4


I found the source for you:

The New England Journal of Medicine
Correspondence
Volume 361:2001-2003 November 12, 2009 Number 20
content.nejm.org...

Btw, I recommend everyone get a bottle of good, pure 100% tea-tree oil.
I believe that saved my life, it worked so quickly.

reply to post by Kailassa

Sorry about that I forgot the link ill see if I can find it again.

Pulmonary Blastomycosis
A Great Masquerader

1. Jeanne Wallace, MD, FCCP

+ Author Affiliations

1.
Sylmar, CA
2.
Dr. Wallace is Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center.

Blastomyces dermatitidis is one of the dimorphic fungi known to cause disease primarily within certain endemic areas scattered throughout the world. The endemic regions of North America blastomycosis include the southeastern, south central, and midwestern states (especially areas bordering the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers and the Great Lakes), adjacent areas of Canada, and a small area in upper New York State and Canada that follows the St. Lawrence River. Within these areas, blastomycosis has occurred sporadically or in outbreaks. Infection is acquired via inhalation of airborne spores from disturbed contaminated soil. Although B dermatitidis is highly infectious, symptomatic disease seems to develop in less than half of those infected.

Blastomycosis is a great masquerader. It can present in several ways, as either acute or chronic disease, and involve one or several body sites, the most common being the lungs, followed by skin and bone. Pulmonary blastomycosis can produce a wide variety of radiographic findings, ranging from lobar consolidation to miliary infiltration to large masses. Thus, pulmonary blastomycosis can present in a manner indistinguishable from bacterial pneumonia, tuberculosis, histoplasmosis, ARDS, or bronchogenic carcinoma. The diversity of potential misdiagnoses underscores the importance of recognizing this infection in order to avoid errors in treatment and potential complications from unnecessary procedures or progression of the untreated infection. To make a definitive diagnosis, B dermatitidis must be isolated in culture, or observed in a smear or histologic specimen. Clinician awareness of the many faces of this disease will enhance the selection of proper diagnostic specimens and laboratory methods to identify the pathogen. chestjournal.chestpubs.org...

Mycopathologia. 2009 Mar;167(3):115-24. Epub 2008 Oct 19.
Clinical characteristics and outcomes in patients with pulmonary blastomycosis.

Kralt D, Light B, Cheang M, MacNair T, Wiebe L, Limerick B, Sarsfield P, Hammond G, MacDonald K, Trepman E, Embil JM.

Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.

BACKGROUND: Blastomycosis is an uncommon granulomatous infection caused by the thermally dimorphic fungus Blastomyces dermatitidis. The most frequent clinical infections involve the lung, skin, and bone. Pulmonary manifestations range from asymptomatic self-limited infection to severe diffuse pneumonia causing respiratory failure. OBJECTIVES: To establish the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with pulmonary blastomycosis diagnosed at hospitals in Manitoba and northwestern Ontario, Canada. METHODS: A retrospective review of medical records was done for 318 patients with blastomycosis in these regions. RESULTS: The majority of patients were Caucasian (198 (62.5%) patients), male (193 (61%) patients), and residents of Ontario (209 (65.7%) patients). Most patients were treated in an inpatient hospital ward (266 (84%) patients) and survived (294 (92%) patients). Pulmonary involvement, either alone or associated with other sites, was present in 296 (93%) of the 318 patients; 22 (7%) patients had no evidence of pulmonary blastomycosis. The majority of patients had localized lung disease (1-3 quadrants on chest radiograph involved; 225 (82%) patients). Of 294 (92%) patients requiring hospitalization, 266 (90%) patients received all inpatient care on a general medical ward; 28 (10%) patients received some care in the intensive care unit (ICU). Factors associated with ICU admission included diffuse pulmonary disease (four quadrants involved on chest radiograph), diabetes, and prior use of antimicrobial therapy. Twenty-four (8%) patients died, and multivariate analysis showed that older age and Aboriginal ethnicity were the significant risk factors for death from blastomycosis. CONCLUSION: Blastomycosis is a cause of serious, potentially life-threatening pulmonary infection in this geographic region.www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...

Originally posted by blc4r4
. . .
Infection is acquired via inhalation of airborne spores
. . .

You wouldn't even need to weaponise this to use it in an aerial attack, would you?
Looks like nature has weaponised it perfectly already.

What do you think the spores would do to someone already suffering from a disease causing damage to the lungs?

It's sure to be happening to some North Americans just through bad luck.

It could very well be used in an aerial attack in to many deaths they are not finding bacteria or virus at autopsy. There has to be some thing else involved. Yes there is a swine virus out there along with many others but all they do is lower the immune system allowing secondary infection. I believe that fungus is the missing link look at the high risk groups. Kids, the obese, pregnant woman kids eat a diet high in refined sugar and carbs I assume that the obese do to sugar feeds fungus. I believe that the spraying going on above my head right now as I am typing is blocking sunlight and that is causing an explosion in fungal growth and that it is attacking every thing on this planet. I believe that is why viral infection has become such a danger.

reply to post by Kailassa


Via Anchorage Daily News: H1N1 follows ethnic pattern: Swine flu (H1N1). Excerpt:

State and federal health officials wanted to know what kind of people were hospitalized with swine flu, so they studied Anchorage residents who tested positive and were admitted at four area hospitals over several weeks -- 59 people. The biggest surprise, according to state epidemiologist Dr. Joe McLaughlin: People from two ethnic groups -- Alaska Natives and American Indians, and Asians and Pacific Islanders -- were hospitalized at higher rates than those in any other ethnic groups. www.everythingswineflu.info...

[edit on 29-11-2009 by blc4r4]

Originally posted by blc4r4
. . .
The biggest surprise, according to state epidemiologist Dr. Joe McLaughlin: People from two ethnic groups -- Alaska Natives and American Indians, and Asians and Pacific Islanders -- were hospitalized at higher rates than those in any other ethnic groups.
. . .

And Aboriginal ethnicity is a significant risk factor for blastomycosis.

Not proof of anything, yet, but we'll probably never have that.

By the way, my favourite remedy, tea-tree oil, works well on mould and fungal spores. A government agricultural school near here tested it against proprietary brands of chemical fungicides to see which worked best of fruit in cold storage, and found tea-tree oil, in quantities too small to taste, far outperformed the chemicals generally used. No online reference though. I just happened to be there on an open day when they were showing the results.

Don't get depressed. We can still each do a great deal to protect ourselves and those who will listen.

2 patients infected with both influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus and dengue fever have died in Hanoi, Nguyen Hong Ha, deputy head of the National Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases, said on Wednesday [11 Nov 2009]. Ha said both patients had been admitted to the institute last week in critical condition. The nation's 1st 2 patients with the combination of swine flu [pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus infection] and dengue [fever virus] detected early this month [November 2009] had also been treated at the institute. They have been discharged after full recovery. According to the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO) so far has reported 7 cases with both dengue fever and swine flu, with one death in Barbados, the island in the West Indies.

Viet Nam has so far recorded 41 deaths related to swine flu since May 2009. A 16-year-old girl who was 6 months pregnant in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang was the latest victim, the Ministry reported. The Ministry's Preventive Health and Environment Department said a meeting on [pandemic 2009] H1N1 vaccine distribution among 8 Southeast Asian countries will be held Thursday [12 Nov 2009] in Bangkok. The 1.2 million doses of vaccine that WHO will sponsor for Viet Nam are expected to arrive next month [December 2009]. The US will support the countries with syringes and training for H1N1 vaccination campaigns, the department said. In the meantime, the GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Viet Nam Company has applied for a license to import and distribute the vaccines, according to the Drug Administration of Viet Nam, which also said all procedures will be completed as soon as possible. Viet Nam plans to import 500 000 doses of the vaccines as a preventive measure for high-risk population segments like pregnant women and patients with chronic diseases. hisz.rsoe.hu...

Rapid variation in weather conditions and erratic temperature fluctuations are resulting in changes in disease patterns, say doctors. Fever, joint pain with fall in platelets and WBC (white blood corpuscles) count are typical dengue-like symptoms. Despite all these symptoms, patients are testing negative for dengue. This, doctors say, is the atypical viral fever which is on the rise in the city. "Patients showing dengue-like symptoms are testing negative when specific antibody tests like IgG, IgM are conducted on them. This is unusual," said Avinash Bhondwe, former president of the city unit of Indian Medical Association (IMA). Such cases have been seen since June, but there is a perceptible rise in their numbers in the last few days, he added. Fortunately, no special medical treatment is required for patients with atypical viral fever. "A close observation of total WBC count and platelet count is needed. Usually, a patient gets cured within a week's period," said Bhondwe. The WBC and platelet count never go down in any typical viral fever. On the contrary, they at times increase. But in atypical viral fever, the WBC and platelet count are seen going down, said Bhondwe. Similarly, patients suffering from atypical viral are also testing negative for typhoid when Widal's test a diagnostic test for typhoid fever is conducted on them. "I have seen over 1,500 patients with atypical viral fever in the last three months," said Bhondwe.

The normal WBC count is 4000-10000/cubic mm which lowers up to 1500/cmm in these cases. This normal platelet count which is 1.5-4.5 million/cmm goes down up to 15,000 many a times in these cases, said Bhondwe. Paediatrician Jagdish Dhekne clearly attributes the trend to rapid weather pattern changes. "The cases of chicken pox which are prominently seen during summer are also seen in winter but such cases are very few. We see a definite rise in the cases during this winter," said Dhekne. Haematologist Sameer Melinkeri has a different take though. He refuses to accept it as atypical fever. "Fever is the common symptom of infection. This fever lasts for one to five days. During the peak period, when the virus is circulating in the blood, the WBC count is often found to be low. This is because of an arrest in the maturation of the WBC due to the virus," he said. The platelet count may also drop marginally at this point. Subsequently the body develops an immune response (antibodies) against the virus. These antibodies, however, sometimes cross react with the body's own platelets, possibly due to antigenic similarity between the virus and the platelets. As a result, the platelet count starts dropping rapidly. This auto-immune response is temporary, he said. "Dengue antibodies often tend to test negative during initial days of fever. However, when tested later in the course of the infection, typically when the fever starts dropping and at the time when platelet count starts going down as well, the result of the dengue antibody test comes positive. Hence let's us not term it as atypical viral fever. In fact, majority of these patients if tested at the right time during illness test positive for dengue," Melinkeri added.hisz.rsoe.hu...

This may be a new development with the flu. Two dogs were tested positive for H1N1.

The animals were diagnosed in Beijing and, while it is possible for pets to transfer viruses to their owners, scientists said there is no evidence to suggest pets are already spreading the illness.

China Daily

This would in my opinion cause a lot of concern for pet owners. Lets hope it does not mutate back to humans.

HOUSTON, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- Hospitalizations and deaths of the A/H1N1 virus in the United States continue to be higher than expected for this time of year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Monday.

"During week 46 (Nov. 15-21), 8.2 percent of all deaths reported through the 122-Cities Mortality Reporting System were due to P&I (pneumonia and influenza)," the CDC said in its latest report on its website.

"This percentage was above the epidemic threshold of 7.0 percent for week 46," the CDC explained, adding that, "including week 46, P&I mortality has been above threshold for eight consecutive weeks. news.xinhuanet.com...

ROME, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Italian Health Ministry on Monday reported the first case of mutation of the A/H1N1 flu string.

The ministry said the mutation was identified in a patient with a serious case of pneumonia, who has recovered after treatment with antiviral drugs.

According to the country's Higher Institute of Health, the variant found in Italy is unrelated to the one blamed for three deaths in Norway and two others in France last week.

Italian authorities have attributed 91 deaths to the new flu out of an estimated 3 million infections and the government has vaccinated nearly half a million of its citizens. news.xinhuanet.com...

The CDC said just over 20 percent of specimens sent for testing from patients with flu-like illness were positive for H1N1 swine flu, meaning that 80 percent of patients had something else. At the worst, this proportion was over 30 percent. www.swineflunews.org...

H1N1 death toll rises to 42 in Canadia's British Columbia
www.chinaview.cn 2009-12-02 10:39:34 Print

VANCOUVER, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) - The British Columbia (B.C.) provincial government confirmed Tuesday eight more deaths from H1N1 flu during last week, raising to 42 the total number of deaths from the pandemic in the Canadian western province.

The B.C. government said in a release that since Nov. 24, there had been 93 new severe cases of H1N1 identified in the province with an additional eight deaths reported.

The B.C. Center for Disease Control reported that there had been 957 severe cases since April.

The majority of lab-confirmed cases in B.C. have been mild or moderate in severity, with the patients either having already recovered or currently recovering, according to the B.C. government. news.xinhuanet.com...