News Reports for August 2, 2012

US: Ohio officials probe 10 possible swine flu cases, all attended Butler County Fair

CINCINNATI - Ohio health and agriculture officials said Wednesday they are investigating the cases of 10 sick people whose illnesses have similarities to a swine flu virus. All had attended the same county fair, and officials at the big Ohio State Fair were stepping up precautions.

State and Butler County health departments say preliminary laboratory tests indicate possible H3N2 variant flu virus, which can be contracted by humans from being around infected hogs. (Snip) all 10 had contact with hogs at the Butler County Fair, which ended last weekend in Hamilton, in southwest Ohio.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is also investigating, but hasn't confirmed swine flu.

(Snip) all 10 people were recovering from their illness. (Snip) Swine flu symptoms include cough, sore throat, fever and body aches, and possibly nausea and diarrhea.

Indiana authorities last week said they were investigating similar cases involving four people who had swine contact at a northwest Indiana fair. Pollock said Ohio authorities have been in contact with Indiana officials, and also with Ohio State Fair officials. "This is no reason not to attend the fair," Pollock said.

The state fair -- with nearly 1,500 hogs in its livestock shows -- continues through Sunday in Columbus. Officials have rushed to add hand sanitizer stations around livestock barns and are reminding people to wash their hands after being near livestock and to keep food and drinks out of animal areas. Continued: http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/ne...

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 @ Thu Aug 02, 2012 at 05:21:47 AM UTC

H3N2v Butler County Cluster Grows To 41

Recombinomics Commentary

The Butler County Health Department received 41 calls reporting that 39 children and two adults had become sick after attending the week-long fair, which ended Saturday (Snip) Most of the people who became sick with the suspected H3N2v (variant) influenza virus had direct contact with hogs at the fair, she said.

There were 350 hog exhibitors at the fair, Burg said.

H3N2v can be transmitted from swine to humans and vice versa, officials said, but it is rarely transmitted between humans.

The above comments confirm that the number of symptomatic people linked to the Butler County Fair in Hamilton, Ohio was markedly higher than the 10 confirmed cases, which are record numbers for confirmed or suspect H3N2v cases at a single event.  These numbers increase the likelihood that the H3N2v in Ohio matches the LaPorte County Fair outbreak in Indiana were there were 4 confirmed cases and at least 15 symptomatic cases identified via telephone survey.

The comment that the H3N2v is rarely transmitted between humans is false.  The sequences from the LaPorte County Fair were closely related to the sequences from the West Virginia daycare center in late 2011.  Two cases were confirmed, but 23 contacts were symptomatic and there was no swine exposure.  The H3N2v was transmitting person to person for about a month, leading to flu-like symptoms in 23 of 70 contacts.

Like the Butler County and LaPorte County fairs, the majority of symptomatic cases are not tested, but are epidemiologically linked.

The identity between the West Virginia cluster and LaPorte cluster indicate this novel sub-clade (Snip) has adapted to humans and is leading to record numbers of confirmed and symptomatic cases.

The limited number of confirmed or reported cases is linked to surveillance failures, not transmission efficiency.  http://www.recombinomics.com/N...

 

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 @ Thu Aug 02, 2012 at 05:40:00 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

US: Officials confirm variant flu case on Maui (Hawaii)

HONOLULU - State and federal officials are investigating the cause of a confirmed case of a variant of the swine flu on Maui. (Snip) multiple agencies are working to find out how the Maui adult contracted the H3N2v virus.

Lab results were confirmed for the H3N2v virus last week after the adult sought medical attention for fever, cough and body aches. (Snip)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says since August 2011, a number of U.S. residents were found to be infected with influenza A variant viruses, primarily H3N2v. Infections occurred after contact with swine as well as limited human-to-human transmission. (Snip) http://www.palmbeachpost.com/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 @ Thu Aug 02, 2012 at 05:27:01 AM UTC

India: 9 more test H1N1 positive (Maharashtra)

MUMBAI: The number of H1N1 cases touched 213 after nine people (Snip) tested positive on Wednesday. (Snip) Two two-year-old girls (Snip) and a nine month old boy from Ghatkopar were among those who tested positive. All the patients were treated on an OPD basis except a 28-year-old girl from Marine Lines, 63-year-old woman from Kamathipura and 69-year-old man from Kandivali, who had to be hospitalised. http://timesofindia.indiatimes...

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 @ Thu Aug 02, 2012 at 06:15:09 AM UTC

This little piggie ... Feds, state warn fairgoers about swine flu

Swine flu has sickened at least 10 people in Ohio and has health officials warning fairgoers statewide and others to take care when getting up close and personal with pigs.

Swine spread flu to people the same way that people spread flu to other people: through respiratory secretions. And humans can sicken pigs as well. To protect yourself while enjoying fairs, wash your hands often and especially after visiting livestock areas and before eating, drinking or putting your hands anywhere near your face for any reason.

(Snip)

Ten swine flu cases in Butler County are associated with the county fair there and everyone affected had direct contact with pigs. Preliminary lab tests have shown that they are similar to the strain H3N2v, which is implicated in an Indiana outbreak linked to a fair there. The Indiana cases prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to advise fairgoers to be aware of the possibility of illness. As of the end of July, the CDC reported 17 cases of H3N2v infection; 11 of those people had direct contact with swine.

The Ohio Department of Health is working with the CDC to see if the strains in Indiana and Ohio are identical, said spokeswoman Tessie Pollock.

Infections were associated with a few fairs last year as well, according to the CDC.

Dr. Dan Jernigan, the CDC influenza division deputy director, said there might be something about this particular swine-flu virus that makes transmission to people easier than other forms of swine flu. Continued: http://www.dispatch.com/conten...

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 @ Thu Aug 02, 2012 at 06:33:02 AM UTC

New Zealand: Flu cases continue to rise

The number of people seeing their doctor with flu-related symptoms continues to rise.

The latest update from the Institute of Environmental Science & Research shows that about 125 people for every 100,000 people went to their doctor with an influenza-like illness in the last week of July.

That's more than during the previous week, but within the normal range for seasonal flu. Continued: http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/...  

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 @ Thu Aug 02, 2012 at 06:39:05 AM UTC

Vietnam PM tells border areas to watch out for bird flu

HA NOI - Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on Tuesday asked authorities, especially those in border provinces, to tighten inspections and control of poultry imports in an attempt to stem a bird flu epidemic. Drastic measures must be taken to stop unchecked poultry from entering Viet Nam, he said.

"Development of the disease is becoming complicated in Viet Nam and other countries in the world, urging measures to ensure better control of imported poultry, especially poultry that is smuggled into the country," (Snip) since the beginning of this year, the disease has re-emerged in 20 provinces and cities across the country.

Small outbreaks have been reported in the provinces of Quang Binh, Hai Duong and Hai Phong during the past three weeks.

(Snip)

outbreaks of bird flu are continuing to raise concerns around the world. Earlier last month, the Mexican government declared a national health emergency over a bird flu epidemic that infected nearly 1.7 million poultry.

China's north-western Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region also announced an outbreak of H5N1 in poultry last month.

The Journal of the American Society for Microbiology yesterday released research into a new strain of bird flu that has been causing deadly cases of pneumonia among baby seals - and could pose a risk to humans. http://www.asiaone.com/News/As...

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 @ Thu Aug 02, 2012 at 07:29:33 AM UTC

New Influenza Virus from Seals Highlights the Risks of Pandemic Flu From Animals

A new strain of influenza virus found in harbor seals could represent a threat to wildlife and human health, according to the authors of a study appearing July 31 in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology. It is crucial to monitor viruses like this one, which originated in birds and adapted to infect mammals, the authors say, so that scientists can better predict the emergence of new strains of influenza and prevent pandemics in the future.

"There is a concern that we have a new mammalian-transmissible virus to which humans haven't been exposed yet. It's a combination we haven't seen in disease before," says Anne Moscona of Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, the editor of the report.

The authors, who hail from several different institutions, including Columbia University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Outbreaks, say transmissible and pathogenic flu viruses in mammals, like the one in this study, clearly pose a concern for human health. In 2009, for instance, the H1N1 "swine flu" virus that emerged in humans apparently originated from a reassortment of flu viruses found in birds, pigs, and humans. The H3N8 strain in New England harbor seals may come to represent the first sighting of a new group of influenza viruses with the potential to persist and move between species. Continued: http://www.biosciencetechnolog...

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 @ Thu Aug 02, 2012 at 07:35:43 AM UTC

US: Dozens of possible Ohio swine flu cases studied

Ohio health officials say as many as 41 people -- all but two of them children -- have become sick with symptoms associated with the swine flu virus.

The cases are linked to the Butler County Fair, which ended last weekend. The county's health department has asked local medical providers to be alert to patients with flu symptoms and to ask whether they attended the fair or have had contact with hogs, or both.

Health and agriculture officials are stepping up prevention measures with the Ohio State Fair going on this week in Columbus and more county fairs ahead this summer. Continued: http://www.crescent-news.com/a...

(Note: If H3N2v has become H2H, the number of cases will rise rapidly. If it isn't H2H already, I believe it will become so in a short amount of time.)  

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 @ Thu Aug 02, 2012 at 21:59:31 PM UTC

US: Seal Flu Is the Latest Scary Animal Disease We Have to Worry About

It seemed like just yesterday we were talking about the swine flu epidemic (which I liked to call "pig flu" because I had it twice -- don't ASK me how I got to be so lucky). And (what felt to be) the day before that? It was bird flu that had us all freaked out -- with good reason!

Happily poised to be the next sort of health threat to us is from yet another animal: seal flu.

Originally identified in a New England harbor, a brand new form of influenza found in seals can possibly infect wildlife and humans alike. While there is not much known yet about this newly identified "seal flu," scientists are closely watching it to ensure that there is no massive pandemic, newly mutated flu viruses, or any outbreaks caused by this strain.

Scientists report that while it's unlikely the virus (dubbed a catchy "H3N8") will be transmitted from humans to animals by direct contact, H3N8 may find ways to mutate to make it easily transmissible between humans and animals. Continued: http://thestir.cafemom.com/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 @ Thu Aug 02, 2012 at 22:19:14 PM UTC

Australia: Flu drug shortage (Western Australia)

Stocks of the antiviral flu medication Tamiflu are drying up in Perth, prompting doctors to call on health authorities to release their supplies for patients most at risk of complications. Several pharmacies reported yesterday being unable to fill prescriptions because they could not get stock from wholesalers.

(Snip)

Last week, the Health Department said there was no need to give out the drug for free because there was no shortage at pharmacies.

But Pharmacy Guild WA director (Snip) confirmed a shortage yesterday, saying the three wholesalers had back orders. http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewe...

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 @ Thu Aug 02, 2012 at 22:23:05 PM UTC