News Reports for February 24

U.S. flu season worsens as new vaccines ordered

 
Fri Feb 22, 2008 3:40pm EST
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Influenza is widespread in 49 states, and this year's epidemic has killed at least 22 children, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Friday.
On Thursday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration agreed to completely change next year's flu vaccine mix because all three strains included in the flu shot cocktail have mutated. But companies have a head start on working with two of the three, the CDC's Dr. Nancy Cox said.
FDA advisers agreed with the World Health Organization recommendations made last week on changing the vaccine to match the drifting flu viruses.
"In brief, seasonal influenza activity has increased during the past week," Cox told reporters in a telephone briefing.
Flu has killed 22 children so far this season, Cox said. She did not have details on any of the cases.
Cox said the CDC was watching the epidemic and asking state health departments to collect data on who gets sick, whether the were vaccinated, and whether influenza drugs were effective in fighting the infections.

Several European countries have reported that people are becoming infected with strains that resist the effects of Tamiflu, the antiviral drug made by Roche AG and Gilead Sciences.
Cox said the CDC had seen little evidence that flu was resisting Tamiflu in the United States. "We have actually seen antiviral resistance only sporadically in eight states," she said.
And there are reports that some people who have become ill with confirmed flu did get vaccinated.
The flu was also found in Florida, but the CDC said it had not become widespread.
FRESH COCKTAILS
Flu vaccines contain a mixture of two influenza "A" strains, which currently are types known by the shorthand of H3N2 and H1N1, and a "B" strain. These mutate or "drift" a little each year, which is why the vaccine must be formulated freshly each season.
This happens in the late winter or early spring in each hemisphere -- February in the Northern Hemisphere and September in the Southern.
"We would say based on our laboratory data that the match is not optimal both for the H3N2 component of the vaccine and also for the influenza B component," Cox told reporters in a telephone briefing.
"In Europe they have primarily had influenza A H1N1. Data generated in Europe indicate that strains circulating there are not so well-matched with the vaccine."
http://tinyurl.com/332qdo

Always have a plan B.

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by: maryinhawaii @ Sun Feb 24, 2008 at 07:37:17 AM UTC

VA: Virginia Beach prepares for the possibility of a pandemic flu outbreak

...City departments, military representatives and hospital staffers met for a table top exercise on the subject Friday morning at the city's convention center. The health department's Erin Sutton tells WAVY.com, "We want to make sure the city is prepared to deal with this because it's unlike any other emergency."...

http://www.wavy.com/Global/sto...

There's a video clip of the news story, showing the tabletop exercise scene and some comments.  Two good things are that it's on tv, and the one comment by a viewer has a link to getpandemicready.org  !!

"The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it."  Flannery O'Connor

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by: Jane @ Sun Feb 24, 2008 at 17:42:06 PM UTC

upcoming IOM workshop

Workshop on Medical Countermeasures Dispensing

Event Date: March 03, 2008 - March 04, 2008

The IOM's Forum on Medical and Public Health Preparedness for Catastrophic Events is organizing a workshop on Medical Countermeasures Dispensing. The workshop meeting will be held March 3-4 at the Kaiser Family Foundation, Barbara Jordan Conference Center,* in Washington, DC.

The workshop will engage the appropriate communities on the local and national levels, as well as across the public and private sectors, to identify and discuss the most promising near-term opportunities for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of frameworks designed for medical countermeasure dispensing. The workshop will feature presentations and discussions on a variety of relevant topics such as model frameworks, potential public-private partnerships, workforce requirements, security, and legal liability.

Agenda and registration from the link above.



All 'safety concerns' are hypothetical.  If not, they'd be called side effects...

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by: SusanC @ Sun Feb 24, 2008 at 20:25:42 PM UTC

Just an FYI...

..when you read "local" on these types of meettings 99.9% of the time they are referring to COUNTY level, not township level.

It is better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret.

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by: Grace RN @ Mon Feb 25, 2008 at 02:04:11 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

New Case China

2-24-08 http://news.ifeng.com/mainland...

Shanwei, Guangdong found one case of human infection with the bird flu suspected cases  At 4:09 on February 25, 2008 Daixiangwang - Guangzhou Daily  Guangdong Provincial Health Department on February 24 briefing, Shanwei City found one case of human infection with the deadly bird flu suspected cases.

Zhangmeimei patients, female, 44 years old, Sichuanese, Shanwei City Haifeng County migrant worker. February 16 patients with onset of fever, expectoration, such as pneumonia performance.  In the local health posts and hospitals for medical treatment, showed no sign of improvement. Haifeng County on the 22nd morning to Pengpai Memorial Hospital, the Shanwei City Health Bureau organization consultation, diagnosis of "pneumonia cases of unknown causes."  At present, patients in critical condition, and ongoing active treatment.

After investigation, the patient prior to the onset of a history of exposure to dead or diseased poultry. Has been in close contact with patients and those in close contact with dead or diseased poultry implemented strict medical observation.

Guangdong Provincial Disease Prevention and Control Center of patient specimens for testing, the avian influenza virus (H5N1) for nucleic acid positive SARS-CoV antibody detection and negative.

Provincial Health Department under the Ministry of Health expert group "of human infection with the highly pathogenic avian influenza contingency plans", the diagnosis was infected with the highly pathogenic avian flu suspected cases have been reported to the Ministry of Health for confirmation.

Province, the municipal government attaches great importance to this, the provincial health department received a report from the day immediately dispatched epidemiological, laboratory, clinical, and other experts rushed to the composition of the Group of Experts in Haifeng County for the provincial consultation, help guide treatment and investigation. The health sector to the corresponding control measures, and the situation has been briefing to the agricultural sector.  

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by: pugmom @ Mon Feb 25, 2008 at 01:35:21 AM UTC

Is this saying the patient tested positive for bf and negative for SARS?

Guangdong Provincial Disease Prevention and Control Center of patient specimens for testing, the avian influenza virus (H5N1) for nucleic acid positive SARS-CoV antibody detection and negative.

Always have a plan B.

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by: maryinhawaii @ Mon Feb 25, 2008 at 05:25:23 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

This is very disconcerting

to Hong Kong:  take a look at the map and see how close it is to Hong Kong.  In my readings lately, the doctors prepped for bird flu in Hong Kong kept mentioning the importance of watching out for it in Guangdong.

http://news.ifeng.com/mainland...

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by: pugmom @ Mon Feb 25, 2008 at 01:39:41 AM UTC

Whoops/try this map link instead

 http://www.maps-of-china.com/g...

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by: pugmom @ Mon Feb 25, 2008 at 01:40:58 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Guangdong Province

...is mentioned as the 'birthplace' of H5N1 in 1997 (link-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_spread_of_H5N1) and if memory serves, the birthpplace of ALL pandemics in "The Monster at our Door" by Mike Davis.

It is better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret.

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by: Grace RN @ Mon Feb 25, 2008 at 01:56:49 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

HK and China

I check the avian flu alert level at the Chinese University at Hong Kong (CUHK) from time to time-their students travel back and forth into Mainland China all the time. The alert level hasn't changed in years.

http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/health_...

It is better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret.

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by: Grace RN @ Mon Feb 25, 2008 at 02:01:53 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

they get it from the government

either here http://www.info.gov.hk/info/fl... or here http://www.chp.gov.hk/index.as...

If the Chinese government were to inform anyone, they always inform the Hong Kong government first, and it is then released from these sites.  Everyone else gets it from there.



All 'safety concerns' are hypothetical.  If not, they'd be called side effects...

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by: SusanC @ Mon Feb 25, 2008 at 02:10:30 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Thanks!

Have you recuperated yet? :)

It is better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret.

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by: Grace RN @ Mon Feb 25, 2008 at 02:14:10 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Who? Me?

Yeah, I do that by sitting on a couch with my laptop..  LOL

Writing a delayed UK paper...



All 'safety concerns' are hypothetical.  If not, they'd be called side effects...

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by: SusanC @ Mon Feb 25, 2008 at 02:58:31 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

You and the laptop..

..will become the world's first techno-human Siamese twins...:)

It is better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret.

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by: Grace RN @ Mon Feb 25, 2008 at 03:13:17 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Recent article out of Hong Kong

2-22-08 http://www.myhk168.com/viewthr...

China's Ministry of Health last night informed that the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region confirmed case of human infection of highly pathogenic avian flu (H5N1) cases. ? This is the February 18 confirmed one case in Hunan Province, in the second case died......
For the short period of time in Hunan and Guangxi people infected with avian flu, infectious diseases specialist lok worried that the South China region avian flu virus is very active in birds that have emerged between the outbreaks will be transmitted to humans, in the past when Guangxi and Hunan cases appeared, Guangdong have also been infected, so he was worried that the future of Guangdong Province also have a crisis, the Government must raise awareness, the public must pay attention to personal hygiene to the Mainland, not to contact with poultry and wild birds...........  

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by: pugmom @ Mon Feb 25, 2008 at 01:53:20 AM UTC

Suspected case of bird flu in China

Last Updated 25/02/2008, 12:51:57 Select text size:    

A woman is in a serious condition in southern China with suspected bird flu.

The Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection says the 44-year-old woman in Guangdong Province developed symptoms on February 16 consistent with the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus.

It says the case has yet to be confirmed by the health ministry.

A 41-year-old man died of bird flu in the Guangxi autonomous region in southern China on February 20.

A 22-year-old man in the central Hunan Province died of the disease on January 24.

At least 19 people have died of bird flu in China, while ten others have recovered.
http://www.radioaustralia.net....

Life is not so short but that there is always time enough for courtesy. Ralph Waldo Emerson

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by: mojo @ Mon Feb 25, 2008 at 02:43:08 AM UTC

Bird flu spreads alarmingly as more fowls culled in Bangladesh

 
Bird flu spreads alarmingly as more fowls culled in Bangladesh  

DHAKA, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh's health workers culled more than 58,000 fowls across the country in the past 24 hours as bird flu ravaged the country's poultry industry, officials said Sunday.

   The new culling was conducted in districts of Jamalpur, Rajshahi, Gazipur, Bogra, Tjhakurgaon, Feni and Chandpur.

   An official at the bird flu control room told Xinhua that with the fresh culling of chickens, ducks, pigeons and pet birds, the total number of culled birds shot up to 968,731 since the avian influenza broke out in March last year.

   A similar number of eggs were destroyed at 315 farms in 92 sub-districts under 45 districts, the official said.

   Bangladesh Poultry Industries Association (BPIA) has said the deadly virus has led to the closure of more than 50 percent of the farms and turned nearly five million people jobless.
more at link
http://news.xinhuanet.com/engl...

Life is not so short but that there is always time enough for courtesy. Ralph Waldo Emerson

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by: mojo @ Mon Feb 25, 2008 at 02:45:45 AM UTC

Loss of food-source

These poor souls starve in any given year, now....

It is better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret.

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by: Grace RN @ Mon Feb 25, 2008 at 03:14:21 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Yeah, it's sad.

I posted a story in the India/Bangladesh diary this morning that described what the losses mean in human terms.  A staggering 50% of children in Bangladesh are underweight/undernourished, and that's before you remove eggs and chicken from the diet.

http://www.thedailystar.net/st...

Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute!

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by: flubergasted @ Mon Feb 25, 2008 at 03:40:13 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

selfish I am..

to think of the potential increase in my risks if they eat the culled chickens and/or hide them away...I'd do the same in that situ...we are trying to feed our kids as well... ;(

It is better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret.

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by: Grace RN @ Mon Feb 25, 2008 at 11:49:10 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

David Nabarro

was very concerned about it.

http://www.newfluwiki2.com/sho...



All 'safety concerns' are hypothetical.  If not, they'd be called side effects...

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by: SusanC @ Mon Feb 25, 2008 at 18:34:17 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Please post new news stories to...

News Reports for February 25

Thank you!

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by: AlohaOR @ Mon Feb 25, 2008 at 05:27:40 AM UTC