Swine Flu news and updates thread

Breaking News: first death in the UK -

news.bbc.co.uk...

A patient suffering from swine flu has died, a Scottish government spokesman has confirmed.

The patient had underlying health conditions and was one of 10 people who were being treated in hospital in the greater Glasgow area.

This is the first death in the UK of someone with swine flu since the outbreak began.
The swine flu virus has infected almost 500 people in Scotland alone - with 35 new cases being confirmed on Sunday.

Keep an eye on the article - it's likely to be updated with a fuller summary within the next 30 minutes or so.

reply to post by Aeons

Originally posted by Aeons
List of H1N1 Strains Identified

Where are up to about 31 strains now. That is about 40% more strains now than 2 weeks ago.

Novel indeed. One might say that right now this virus is "ever novel" or ever green.

are these new strains more dangerous or losing their bite?

what happens if this h1n1 doesnt mutate into a mass killer this fall. will there be a new date set for when its supposed to turn extremly deadly?

The 2 month delay to level 6 is nothing. In fact, it might save lives, if this were to grow worse. There is NO WAY they were containing this. 0% chance. Impossible. Closed borders, travel restrictions, closed schools, none of that matters. This will have still spread worldwide in no time, thanks to ease of travel.

It's just annoying to hear how bad it was to go to level 6 too late. It doesn't matter. If a larger % of the populace can create some antibodies ahead of time, that's all for the good. They were not going to contain this, just not happening.

Woman tests negative for H1N1 but dies within 2 weeks of H1N1, so if this is true then how accurate are the tests and how many more people have tested negative who have it?

www.kutv.com...

WHO have calculated that Swine Flu case fatality is between 0.3%-1.5%, higher than Hong Kong and Asian Flu. However, Swine Flu current rate is not siginificantly near Spanish Flu (2.5%)

The infection rate is very high though, many countries and city authorities are only documentating hospital cases (so the true infection rate could be 100,000s)

A war room has been set up at Patong Hospital to intensively put a stop to a single case of H1N1 virus in Phuket spreading, while a big cleaning day was arranged on Sunday on the entertainment lane.

Following a single case of H1N1 confirmed in Phuket, the local authority and health office called a meeting with entertainment and service operators in Patong to discuss measures to prevent the virus from spreading. The meeting reached a conclusion to have a ‘war’ room established at Patong Hospital working closely with the local government, Patong Municipality and entertainment establishments. One employee, who is working in an entertainment venue, was confirmed to have contracted the virus. The venue, where a 26 year old woman contracted the virus works for, remains closed for 3 days so that the operator can clean and thoroughly spray their premises to eliminate the virus. All 90 staff of the entertainment venue also under go health examinations. On Sunday afternoon, Patong Municipality staff and health officials carried out cleaning and sprayed the road and pavement on the popular entertainment road of Bangla in Patong beach. Phuket Vice Governor Worapoj Ratasrima reported that the patient has now recovered, but is still under observation of a medical team. He also revealed the result of tests for 90 other staff from the establishment, saying that they were all negative. On the business side, Sompej Petmoo, chairman of the Patong Entertainment Club, confirmed that the incident has not had an impact on the business. He said he called a meeting with over 400 entertainment establishments in Patong, 50% of them located on Bangla Road to lay out preventive measures. He stressed to the members that if staff are found to have flu or get ill, they must stay home or notify health volunteers or officials in case of high fever. He believes that tourists would understand the situation and are confident in Phuket’s measures.

reply to post by infinite


What is the difference between case rate and infection rate? Is a case, someone who is symptomatic enough to be admitted to a hospital?

Originally posted by unityemissions
Is a case, someone who is symptomatic enough to be admitted to a hospital?

Yes, only those will mild or serious symptoms are taken and registered at the hospital.

Originally posted by Burginthorn
VICTORIA now has the highest recorded per capita rate of swine flu in the world.
www.news.com.au...

Nearly 1000 people with this thing in my state alone

At least no one has died from it, and the authorities say its only a mild type flu.

thats strange, because nobody here seems that concerned about it and I dont know anyone that has it, nor anyone that knows anyone that knows....think you get the picture....!

and Ive been asking.... a lot!

Follow the money-

www.reuters.com...

Some people think this will be survival of the richest.

Originally posted by infinite
WHO have calculated that Swine Flu case fatality is between 0.3%-1.5%, higher than Hong Kong and Asian Flu. However, Swine Flu current rate is not siginificantly near Spanish Flu (2.5%)

The infection rate is very high though, many countries and city authorities are only documentating hospital cases (so the true infection rate could be 100,000s)

If it is in the 100,000s then the death rate will be much lower than the 0.3%-1.5% figure that the WHO have come up with.



[edit on 15-6-2009 by tarifa37]

Flashback to 2005 - See what Obama wrote to the New York Times.
(Keep in mind he played with stock in Baxter and AVI)

New York Times

The precedent that experts fear is the 1918 flu pandemic, which began in the American Midwest and swept the planet in the era before air travel, killing 20 million to 40 million people. As John M. Barry, author of "The Great Influenza," has observed, "Influenza killed more people in a year than the Black Death of the Middle Ages killed in a century; it killed more people in 24 weeks than AIDS has killed in 24 years."

At the moment, effective responses to an avian flu pandemic are limited and will come far too late for many people in Southeast Asia. Indeed, so far more than 60 percent of those diagnosed with the avian flu have died. There is no proven vaccine for the A(H5N1) strain and it could take months to produce a fully effective one. Moreover, while some antiviral treatments may help flu sufferers, they are not widely available and must be administered to patients within 24 hours after the onset of symptoms.

It is essential for the international community, led by the United States, to take decisive action to prevent a pandemic.

More at the article.

So in 2005, when he was playing with stock in companies that made the AVIAN Flu vaccine, he sounded more concerned about a pandemic and he called for the creation of, and the stockpiling of, vaccines. Now that he's POTUS ... everything is just fine and there is no need to panic.

Originally posted by elitegamer23
reply to post by Aeons

 

Originally posted by Aeons
List of H1N1 Strains Identified

Where are up to about 31 strains now. That is about 40% more strains now than 2 weeks ago.

Novel indeed. One might say that right now this virus is "ever novel" or ever green.

are these new strains more dangerous or losing their bite?

what happens if this h1n1 doesnt mutate into a mass killer this fall. will there be a new date set for when its supposed to turn extremly deadly?

I have no idea. There are two strains that seem to have more spread than the others.

I think what you are seeing is what the kill rate is. Mexico is a closer rendition of what will happen in most places.

Canada, and Ireland and England were gob-smacked by the 1918 and the 1951 and the 1976 flu. Two of them were worse than in other places.

To me that suggests that the mortality rates you will see in Canada, Ireland and England are out of line comparatively. I think these are throwing the stats out. There is a higher rate of resistance in those three locations, confered by the previous pandemics.

This explains the difference between Ireland and Scotland. Between Canada and the USA or Mexico.

We still don't see if the pneumonia rates are going to go up - which will add to the mortality rate in the long run.


I think the two things that are being worried about is the fact that this is still mutating, that it COULD *COULD* become something worse on its own. It could also become something less problematic again as it adapts to its new host (us). Viruses do better in the long run for their own survival by not killing their hosts.

The major concern seems to be that the mutations happening could leave this thing open to recombination again with another virus in-vivo. A host with another flu catches this flu, and this H1N1 picks up some chromosones from another virus.

The addition of the avian chromosones in this one are quite recent. If this virus goes into one of the areas with H5N1 avian flu, and it recombines in a human host you could end up with a much worse flu.

Or the opposite, the H5N1 doesn't propogate between human hosts well. If it picked up some chromosones from this H1N1 which seems to be very adaptable at the moment, H5N1 could pick up a better ability to propogate itself between humans. And that would be VERY VERY BAD.


I think that the lesson here is - we just don't know right now. The ability to track like this with something novel is simply too new. That a big pandemic is due is a known factor. Is this one it, or is this one another 1976 flu? Here today, gone tomorrow with a few more bodies left behind than normal?

Wish I could say. I'm not a virologist. I'm just a smarty pants with a computer and a personality that likes forensic details.

Ok...NOW is anybody listening!!!!

TODAY...HELLO...

If "smacked" it's worth it

Two swine flu deaths reported on LI
www.newsday.com...

Long Island has its first deaths from swine flu.

Two Brookhaven residents died last week of the virus, Suffolk County Health Commissioner Dr. Humayun Chaudhry announced Monday.

They were a middle-aged man and woman, and unrelated to each other, he said.

Chaudhry said a man with serious underlying medical condition was hospitalized two weeks ago for multiple problems, including pneumonia. He died on June 10.

The woman, also with multiple underlying medical conditions, developed a fever, dry cough and a sore throat on June 6. On June 8 she visited her doctor, who sent a nose and throat specimen to test for the swine flu virus, and prescribed medication for a presumed respiratory infection, according to a statement from Chaudhry's office. The woman reported feeling better the next morning, but she died that day - June 9.

Suffolk has had 81 confirmed cases of the swine flu; Nassau, 68.

Pike County woman, who tested positive for swine flu, dies at Orange County hospital; Ulster has more cases
www.midhudsonnews.com...

PORT JERVIS – A 48-year-old Pike County woman, who was brought to Bon Secours Hospital in Port Jervis Friday, has died and Orange County Health officials said it appears she had swine flu.

Orange County spokesman Richard Mayfield said the woman, who had an underlying health condition, was brought to the hospital for treatment.

She succumbed to her illnesses on Sunday, he said.

Meanwhile, Ulster County officials announce there are two more confirmed cases of swine flu there.

That brings to three the total number of cases.

Public officials across the region, state and nation are monitoring the swine flu situation closely.

BREAKING NEWS: Swine flu claims life of Essex County man
www.phillyburbs.com...

A 49-year old man died Saturday after contracting H1N1 influenza, also known as Swine Flu.

State Health and Senior Services Commissioner Heather Howard announced the fatality during a press conference in Trenton this afternoon.

She said the man became ill May 30 and went to the hospital June 2 with pneumonia symptoms. He died at Mountside Hospital in Montclaire Saturday.

“Our prayers and thoughts go out to this man’s family,” she said.

She did not have additional information on the man, but said he had multiple underlying health conditions.

There are 320 confirmed cases of H1N1 in the state and 194 probable cases, including 12 confirmed cases in Burlington County.

McAllen police investigates child's suspicious death
www.themonitor.com...

McALLEN — Police continue to investigate the suspicious death of a baby girl.

McAllen police learned of the baby's death Friday afternoon when the child's parents took her to a doctor's office in Pharr, said police Chief Victor Rodriguez.

The girl, who was about 20 months old, had been suffering from an illness at the time of her death, police said.

Whether any negligence by the child's parents may have contributed to her death remains under investigation, Rodriguez said.

"The initial evaluation at this point in time tends to indicate this child was very ill and that illness led to her passing," he said. "Where we will evaluate further is (whether) some of those illnesses (had) become aggravated as a result of negligence."

A criminal pathologist continues to test the child's body for viruses that may have caused her death, including the H1N1 swine flu, Rodriguez said.

Any criminal charges that may be filed in the case — as well as final test results of the girl's body — will take several months to complete, the police chief said.

State Sees Third Death Associated With H1N1
12:37 pm EDT June 15, 2009
www.wfsb.com...
www.wtnh.com...
www.wtic.com...

WATERBURY, Conn. -- Waterbury Hospital officials said a woman in her 40s had died from complications of the H1N1 influenza A virus.

The woman suffered from respiratory problems and later tested positive for the virus, hospital officials said.

Health officials said the woman died at the hospital early Monday morning.

"When this patient was originally admitted to our hospital, she presented with influenza-like illness with respiratory symptoms," said Steve Aronin, MD, head of Infectious Diseases at Waterbury Hospital. "We believe that the virus had likely been incubating within her system because she didn't appear to have the flu when she first came to the hospital."

Aronin said that the woman had other health conditions that may have lowered her immune system's ability to fight the virus.

As of June 11, 637 cases of the virus had been confirmed in the state by the Department of Public Health.

NJ reports first swine flu death
www.philly.com...
kstp.com...

TRENTON, N.J. - Health officials say New Jersey has seen its first swine flu-related death.

No details on the death were immediately available, but Health and Senior Services Commissioner Heather Howard has called an afternoon news conference to discuss the case.

As of Sunday, the Garden State had reported 235 confirmed cases and 113 probable ones.

Monmouth County has the most , 29 confirmed cases , followed by 27 in Essex and Morris counties and 26 in Bergen County. No cases have been confirmed in the southern Jersey counties of Cape May, Gloucester and Salem.

Last week, the World Health Organization declared swine flu a pandemic, the first global flu epidemic in 41 years.

Twin Cities child with swine flu dies
kstp.com...

A Twin Cities child who was infected with the new strain of swine flu - but also had other underlying medical conditions - has died, the Minnesota Department of Health said Monday.

It is Minnesota's first reported death associated with the flu outbreak.

The child was hospitalized briefly and died last last week, the department said. Laboratory tests subsequently determined that the child had the H1N1 novel influenza.

The department did not immediately say what role the flu played in the death of the child, who was not identified.

"Our sympathies go to the family and loved ones of the child," state epidemiologist Dr. Ruth Lynfield said in a release.

"For most people, the H1N1 flu is causing mild illness,'' she added, "however, it can still be very serious, especially for people with underlying health conditions. That's why we continue to monitor the situation very closely."

To date, state officials have confirmed 274 cases of the novel virus in Minnesota, including this case, although that number understates the flu's reach in Minnesota because the Health Department tests samples only from hospitals and a set of "sentinel'' clinics.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed 45 deaths from the virus across the country.

"This flu is very widespread, and we expect to see many more cases across the state," Lynfield said. "That's why we continue to urge people to take simple precautions to prevent getting it or spreading it."

State Reports First H1N1 Death
www.thebostonchannel.com...
www.myfoxboston.com...
www.thehour.com...

BOSTON -- State health officials have confirmed the first death in Boston linked to the H1N1 influenza.

The victim's name has not been released.

There have been more than 1,100 cases of H1N1 in the Bay State since the start of the outbreak. Eighty of the cases required hospitalization, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

Many local schools continue to feel the brunt of the outbreak.

Last week, the World Health Organization raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 6, which means that a global pandemic is under way.

Canada records 6th swine flu death
www.upi.com...

Quebec Reports Two New A H1N1 Deaths Over The Weekend
June 15, 2009 8:46 a.m. EST
www.allheadlinenews.com...

Is this the 7th?

If so this was a real quiet article...I had to search for it...

Fourth death from H1N1 in Quebec
Mon Jun. 15 2009 5:13:04 PM
montreal.ctv.ca...

Quebec Public Health officials announced Monday that a fourth Quebecer who contracted the H1N1 flu virus has died.

The death occurred in the Laurentians last Friday. The victim was aged between 10 and 19 years old. Officials would not give more details, including whether or not the victim had an underlying illness.

Dr Alain Poirier, director of Public Health for Quebec, said most cases of H1N1 are in the age group of 10 to 19 years old. The second most cases are found in those aged 20 to 29.

Officials confirmed 94 new cases Monday, bringing the total number of cases to 967. Ten of the new cases had to be hospitalized bringing the total to 134 since the outbreak began.

[edit on 6/15/2009 by Hx3_1963]

[edit on 6/16/2009 by Hx3_1963]

First Swine Flu Death In King County Reported
www.kirotv.com...

KING COUNTY, WA -- A Seattle man in his 70's who had multiple underlying health conditions died last Thursday from complications of H1N1 influenza.

The death is the first reported H1N1 death in King County.

Tests from the state lab confirmed today that the man had the H1N1 virus.

The death is the third in the state.

reply to post by Hx3_1963


Quote from Hx3: "Ok...NOW is anybody listening!!!!

TODAY...HELLO... "



I wonder why I am not seeing this on CDC/WHO websites?

I watch CBS, ABC, CNN, FOX, MSNBC each morning and evening...not a mention...I wonder why?

Thanx for posting again



[edit on 15-6-2009 by sonjah1]

[edit on 15-6-2009 by sonjah1]

About Quebec, 1000 cases, 4 deaths.

This info is removed from the websites but you can hear it in the news conference (which is in french AND english).

33% of the cases reported are 10 to 19 years old.

They stopped talking about the median age of the affected population. I just wonder why...

You can listen to the press conf here (It starts in french, but just wait, they will tell the info in english too)

www.msss.gouv.qc.ca...,148,0,0,1,0&PHPSESSID=e9d30ce4a22727aca1439576f17727c6

All press conferences:
www.msss.gouv.qc.ca...

Latest canadian cases:
www.phac-aspc.gc.ca...

And one last thing about canadian press releases, they removed this information since june 5th:

As of June 3rd 2009, the median age reported is 17 years (mean 22 years. range: < 1 – 80 years ) . To date 96 hospitalizations and three deaths have been reported among laboratory-confirmed cases. The most recent date of symptom onset is May 31st, 2009. Please note that an incorrect number of hospitalizations were previously reported therefore the value today has decreased.

But in our french press AUDIO conference, when asked, they say only the %age of people affected between 10 and 19. Complete silence about the median age of cases since june 5th.

Originally posted by Aeons


I think that the lesson here is - we just don't know right now.

probably the most important thing said in this whole thread. all we can really do is sit and watch and let this little bastard run its course.

kinda reminds you of the avian and sars scare earlier this decade.

We do need to watch. That's why I'm so glad there's an updates thread.

When I had regular tv during SARS but not internet, it was a lot easier to find info during the news. Maybe a little of it is that broadcasters have gotten kinda lazy about finding info themselves.

During Gulf Storm, I learned there's a lot more than what's on the networks.

So now that we're into summer and way past flu season, I'm not quite 'moving on'.