News Reports for March 22, 2010

China: Macao flu outbreak

The Health Bureau (Snip) said Saturday that it had received reports about multiple flu symptoms inside a children's dormitory.

Six children (Snip) age from seven months to 5 years old suffered from cough and fever. Among them, one child remained in hospital because of a high fever while others were released.

The bureau received reports of a separate mass flu symptoms in a nursery class. http://life.globaltimes.cn/hea...

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Mon Mar 22, 2010 at 04:55:22 AM UTC

Few Floridians seek swine flu vaccination now

If the lack of takers for the A/H1N1 swine flu vaccine these days is an indication of how Floridians feel about the pandemic, then most residents have decided that the outbreak is over.

And Florida is no different than the rest of the country. During January, when the vaccine was available to anyone who wanted it as opposed to only high-risk groups, only 9 million Americans were immunized. According to survey results and extrapolations made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this was a significant drop compared with an average rate of about 20 million vaccinations per month from October through December. Interest in getting the vaccine mirrored the low level of swine flu infection that month. During the last week in January, less than 2 percent of doctor office visits involved all strains of influenza. Continued: http://www.examiner.com/x-9303...

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Mon Mar 22, 2010 at 05:00:08 AM UTC

Swine flu vaccines left over in Ohio

AKRON, Ohio (Map, News) - Health agencies in Ohio have thousands of doses of swine flu vaccine stockpiled after demand dropped off. About 42 percent of the 3.7 million doses distributed to the state by the federal government have been administered. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokesman Tom Skinner says some doses remaining around the country have expired or soon will.

More than 9,800 doses remain on hand at the Summit County Health District in northeast Ohio. The nearby Akron Health Department has about 6,500 unused vaccine doses. Dr. Marguerite Erme, the department's disease control medical officer says demand is higher when vaccines are difficult to get and early in the flu season. Continued: http://www.examiner.com/a-2538...

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Mon Mar 22, 2010 at 05:03:38 AM UTC

US helps prevent and fight bird flu in Vietnam

The US government will provide Vietnam with more than 11,000 sets of personal protective equipment and four sets of laboratory tools to help Vietnamese medical staff handle possible outbreaks of avian flu. The aid package for fighting A/H5N1 and A/H1N1, worth more than US $100,000 in total, (Snip)

These medical kits will be sent to epidemiological establishments, Pasteur institutes, and other localities, which are particularly vulnerable to the epidemics and are short of tools and equipment.  The equipment will help prevent direct contact between humans and the highly contagious A/H5N1virus. (Snip)

Since 2005, the US government has provided more than US $50 million in aid for Vietnam to prevent and fight avian flu. http://english.vovnews.vn/Home...

(Note: IMO, until Vietnam stops both the continuous legal and illegal poultry trade with China, they will never control H5N1 outbreaks across Vietnam. IMO, since we are providing large amounts of money ($50,000,000 already) we should have a serious discussion with the Vietnamese government on this subject.)

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Mon Mar 22, 2010 at 12:08:35 PM UTC

Roxon urges Australians to get free swine flu shots before season begins

THERE are plenty of free swine flu vaccines available which are good to go for the flu season, (Snip) The Federal Government spent $120 million last year on 21 million doses of Panvax, to target the influenza (A)H1N1 strain (Snip) It has so far distributed about seven million doses and a further 240,000 pre-filled syringes to infants.

(Snip) the vaccine had a shelf-life of 12 months. "It (the vaccine) has quite a long shelf life, it can be provided all through this flu season and still be effective," she told ABC Radio. In 2009, there were 37,636 cases of swine flu in Australia, including 191 associated deaths. http://www.dailytelegraph.com....

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Mon Mar 22, 2010 at 12:33:29 PM UTC

Australia: Roxon warns swine flu still dangerous

Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon says she expects the swine flu to be as severe this year as it was last year. There have already been 50 confirmed cases of the virus this year and the Government has started a new advertising campaign to warn the community of the risks. Ms Roxon says it is important people get vaccinated against the virus.

"We expect it to be of the same level of severity as last year," she said. (Snip) "We really are urging all Australians to consider taking themselves and their family down to the GPs and getting themselves vaccinated," (Snip) http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/a...

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Mon Mar 22, 2010 at 14:04:33 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

NC: H1N1 outbreak caused by patient transmission

March 22, 2010 - Last November's outbreak of drug-resistant H1N1 among four patients at Duke University Medical Center likely occurred through patient-to-patient transmission, according to a report released Saturday. Five Duke physicians joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the North Carolina Division of Public Health to examine the nature of the outbreak, which CDC confirmed Nov. 23, 2009. The report was presented Saturday at the Fifth Decennial International Conference on Healthcare-Associated Infections in Atlanta.

"We found that the oseltamivir-resistant H1N1 influenza was isolated to the four patients," Dr. Luke Chen, DUMC infectious diseases specialist, told WRAL. "There was no evidence of spread to additional patients or caregivers on the affected ward." According to the report, four patients were admitted to the hematology-oncology ward late last September for reasons unrelated to influenza infection. After one patient experienced fever, however, the remaining three patients became infected one, three and five days after the first onset of influenza-related illness. The study also reported that all four patients were ambulatory and capable of interacting outside their rooms before they were infected. Three patients were located in adjacent rooms.

Chen told WRAL that influenza can often be hidden under other conditions, and influenza diagnoses are difficult because many patients have other medical problems that may produce fever or respiratory symptoms. "One key thing we can learn from this outbreak is that all clinicians and health care workers should suspect the diagnosis of influenza even among very ill patients who have multiple medical problems," Chen said. (Snip) http://dukechronicle.com/artic...

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Mon Mar 22, 2010 at 13:55:16 PM UTC

UK - Swine flu spread by jet-setting private school children, expert claims

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/hea...

[snip]

"Many of the people bringing it back (swine flu) were well off people who had been to fancy places on holiday," said Prof Davies

"Many hot spots included public schools."

Those most affected by the outbreak were children, she said, leading to many school closures, including a number of public schools.

And Prof Davies claimed the virus could be around for a long time, with five people currently in intensive care in London and a further 25 in London hospitals.

In Britain, 457 have died since the H1N1 virus broke out almost a year ago.

Several million Britons have had swine flu, many of whom will either have had no symptoms or a mild illness.  

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by: UK - Bird @ Mon Mar 22, 2010 at 17:37:21 PM UTC

Study: Chest X-rays can help predict which H1N1 patients are at greatest risk

A new study published in the April issue of Radiology suggests that chest x-rays may play an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of H1N1 influenza by predicting which patients are likely to become sicker.

"Working in the emergency room is very stressful and physicians need information fast," said lead author Galit Aviram, M.D., head of cardiothoracic imaging in the Department of Radiology at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv, Israel. "Our study provides significant findings that will help clinicians triage patients presenting with clinically suspected H1N1 influenza."
[snip]
"Abnormal findings in the periphery of both lungs and in multiple zones of the lungs were associated with poor clinical outcomes," Dr. Aviram said.

Although a normal chest x-ray did not exclude the possibility of an adverse outcome, Dr. Aviram said the study's findings can help physicians better identify high-risk H1N1 patients who require close monitoring.
[snip]

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_...

Abstract:
http://radiology.rsna.org/cont...

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

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by: Jane @ Mon Mar 22, 2010 at 23:03:38 PM UTC

Health-Care Worker Vaccination Rates Remain *Perilously* Low

Healthcare personnel influenza immunization rates have remained low, despite recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other leading healthcare organizations that all healthcare personnel receive annual flu vaccines. Experts say these levels are perilous. Increasing vaccination rates substantially improves patient safety, lowering flu deaths by 40 percent.
[snip]
"Immunization is one of the most important things that we as healthcare personnel can do to prevent the transmission of influenza and other diseases to our patients," said William Schaffner, MD, a member of the Infectious Diseases Society of America's (IDSA) Board of Directors. "We owe it to our patients to get vaccinated. These studies are very helpful because they demonstrate strategies that work to effectively reach and vaccinate healthcare personnel."
[snip]

http://www.sciencedaily.com/re...

Three other stories here:
Social Networks Help Researchers Understand Healthcare Personnel's Flu Vaccine Use

Kansas City Children's Hospital Vaccine Strategy Causes Swell in Vaccination of Healthcare Personnel
(Their policy was mandatory/declination.)

Mandatory Patient Safety Policy Significantly Improves Vaccination Rates for Healthcare Personnel

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

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by: Jane @ Mon Mar 22, 2010 at 23:13:37 PM UTC

Egypt: New case of bird flu in 4 year old

Monday, March 22, 2010
Egypte | New case of bird flu in 4 year old

The Health Ministry announced Sunday the discovery of a new case of human infection with bird flu in a 4 year old. It is the 107th case since the onset of the disease in Egypt

The ministry said the patient had entered Beni Suef General Hospital on March 18, suffering from fever and cough, runny nose and pneumonia after being exposed to birds suspected of being infected with bird flu.

The ministry said that the child had been given Tamiflu and has been immediately transferred to a hospital in the capital. It's condition is critical

http://www.dowell-netherlands....

United we stand: Divided we fall
www.flunewsnetwork.com

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by: cottontop @ Tue Mar 23, 2010 at 01:59:46 AM UTC

Please post new news stories to ...

News Reports for March 23, 2010

Thank you!

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by: AlohaOR @ Tue Mar 23, 2010 at 04:00:52 AM UTC