News Reports for August 14, 2012

US: FDA approves flu vaccine for coming season

WASHINGTON (AP) - (Snip) Each year the FDA works with other federal agencies and global health experts to design a vaccine to protect against the three viral strains most likely to cause the flu. This year's vaccine has one strain in common with last year's vaccine, plus two new viral strains.

The vaccine will be manufactured by six companies, including GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi and Novartis.

(Snip) between 5 and 20 percent of Americans get the flu each year, leading to 200,000 hospitalizations. Flu-related deaths vary each year and can range from 3,000 to 49,000.

The CDC recommends that everyone older than six months receive an annual flu vaccine. http://www.9news.com/news/arti...  

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 @ Tue Aug 14, 2012 at 05:33:22 AM UTC

CDC Cites Recent Human H3N2v Transmission

Recombinomics Commentary

More than half of the recent infections with H3N2v have occurred after contact with pigs, but in some cases, the virus seems to have spread from person-to-person. So far spread has not continued beyond one or two people. The symptoms and severity of H3N2v illness have been similar to seasonal flu.

The above comments from the updated CDC factsheet on H3N2v in humans, "Fact Sheet: Protect Yourself Against H3N2v" acknowledges human to human transmission (H2H) in recent outbreaks, but claims that transmission has not continued beyond "one or two people".  This claim lacks credibility.  

The CDC has released sequences from seven July cases from four incidents in three states (Snip) All isolates matched the H3N2v isolated from two confirmed cases at a West Virginia day care center (Snip) where 23 contacts of the index case had influenza-like illness (ILI) signaling significant H2H.  This novel sub-clade was also in the first H3N2v case reported for 2012, A/Utah/10/2012, and has only been reported in two swine isolates collected prior to the July cases (Snip)

In contrast, the sub-clade matching the first 10 cases in 2011 has been identified in 26 swine isolates, including 12 isolates from 5 states (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,  Ohio, Texas), yet no human cases matching this earlier sub-clade have been reported in 2012.  All cases, including those form July, have matched the West Virginia sub-clade, which was isolated from cases who had no swine exposure or contacts.

Thus, this novel sub-clade clear transmits H2H and transmitted well beyond "one or two people" at the day care center.

Moreover, the large number of cases at the Gallia Junoir County Fair in Ohio supports H2H2 transmission.  A rapid test on 200 symptomatic cases identified 69 positives (sensitivity below 40%), and a sub-set were tested by the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) and the CDC and were confirmed to be H3N2v infected.  The large number of cases, including the high frequency of false negatives, precluded a serious investigation of H2H transmission in the false negatives or additional symptomatic cases who were not tested.

(Snip) the H3N2v outbreak in Champaign County Ohio has led to a request that mild case not seek medical care, severely limiting information on the incidence and spread of H3N2v via H2H.

Detection of H2H is also limited by the CDC focus on symptomatic cases with swine contact. Off season mild ILI cases are not being tested, leading to unscientific claims that the human H3N2 cases are due to swine contact.

The CDC pseudoscience of H3N2v human transmission continues to be hazardous to the world's health. 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 @ Tue Aug 14, 2012 at 05:40:13 AM UTC

New flu virus, apparently linked to swine, has officials wary

Flu viruses are shifty characters. They routinely recombine their genetic code, making them extremely nimble. One change may improve a virus's ability to jump species. Another may make it more likely to cause severe illness. That is why health officials are paying such close attention to this summer's variant influenza A outbreak, which has sickened at least 138 people in Indiana and more than 160 nationwide.

So far the virus, known as H3N2v, appears to be neither particularly severe nor adept at moving from person to person. But that could change, allowing it to become a major factor in this winter's flu season. It could be the next 2009 H1N1 virus. (Snip) Or it could more closely resemble the Asian bird flu of a few years ago, which sparked fears of a rapid and lethal spread across the globe. But it never developed a widespread ability to move from human to human.

"Many of them fizzle out," said Dr. William Schaffner, chairman of the department of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. "Influenza viruses are fickle. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don't, so we just have to watch them very carefully."

With the current outbreaks, almost all of the cases have occurred in people who had contact with swine, often at county fairs. There have been few, if any, instances of people transmitting the disease to other humans -- and no such cases in Indiana thus far. However, health officials do not want to be caught off guard.

"Perhaps this is the virus that's going to cause our annual seasonal influenza outbreak, and it could be more than an outbreak because this is newish and it could cause a pandemic," Schaffner said. (Snip)

Bracing for that possibility, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has embarked on research into an H3N2v vaccine. Although there is no chance that it would be ready for this season's flu shot, it would be that much closer to a reality should the disease start to spread among people.

(Snip) Adults may have at least limited immunity against this variant influenza A, which would help explain why many of those who have tested positive are younger, experts say. However, that would not answer why this year has seen such a surge in cases as opposed to last year, when the virus cropped up in about a dozen people. "That's the million-dollar question: Why do we have so many?" said Vincent Racaniello, a professor of microbiology at Columbia University.

Better surveillance techniques and tests may be playing a role. Twenty years ago, researchers could not do such detailed "molecular detective work," Schaffner said. It's possible that the more buzz about the outbreak, the more people get tested.

(Snip) Influenza is common in pigs. Symptoms, which last three to seven days, include high fevers, going off their feed or cough. As in humans, standard treatment is supportive care, such as a fever reducer like aspirin. Swine owners can opt to give their pigs a vaccine specially produced for the pig population.

A typical influenza season in pigs runs from fall through winter, though it's not unusual to see flare-ups at other times, (Snip) Usually the incidence of flu in pigs dips lowest in summer, said (Snip) a veterinarian who serves as vice president of science and technology with the National Pork Board. So the timing and extent of this outbreak baffle experts.

"It's not unusual for pigs to have influenza all year 'round, but what's going on is not the usual situation," Sundberg said. "We have had pigs coming together from all over the country in exhibits and fairs for years, but this year, this typical virus is acting differently from what we have had before." It's unclear whether more pigs than usual have come down with the virus. It's also possible that some pigs that carry the flu virus may be infectious but asymptomatic, experts say. Continued: http://www.indystar.com/articl...

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 @ Tue Aug 14, 2012 at 05:56:16 AM UTC

CDC Ignores NA Lineage Change in All 2012 H3N2v Cases

Recombinomics Commentary

Helen Branswell: Thank you very much for taking my questions. Two quick questions. The first is, when you're looking at the viruses in the lab, do they all look identical? Are they all this virus with the m gene from the pandemic virus from 2009, and the second is, is there any consideration being given to asking fairs to not hold swine competitions this year in light of what's going on?

Joe Bresee: Thanks, Helen. I'll absolutely let you ask two questions. Thanks for the questions. The first question is easy. Yeah, these viruses are all the same. They're not completely genetically identical, but very close to being so. All the viruses we've seen so far in the increase in cases are the H3N2v viruses with the m gene as you say.

The above question and answer on the genetic composition of the H3N2v in the recent explosion of cases highlight the limitations in the teleconference which is driven by strongly held misconceptions.  The two questions assume that the M gene is the key driver for the 2012 cases and that these cases are due to H3N2v jumping from swine to human.

(Snip), the sequence data (which were made public prior to the above August 9 teleconference), shows that the key driver in the 2012 cases is the NA gene, which was from a different lineage in the West Virginia cluster, which included 23 ILI cases, and the NA gene in the West Virginia cluster has been found in all eight 2012 cases, which are from 4 different states, and 7 of the 8 cases are from July infections.  Although this new constellation, which shares 7 of the 8 gene segments (including the M gene) with the initial 2011 cases but has an NA gene that was circulating in H3N2 swine isolates, in contrast to the 2011 human cases which had an NA gene circulating in H1N2 swine.  These two NA lineages are easily distinguished and the matches of the 2012 human cases with the West Virginia are unambiguous, which is also true for the differences between the two lineages.

However, although these differences are clear and have been noted since the sequences were released in 2011, the CDC has not addressed the change in the West Virginia cluster, or the appearance of the new constellation in all human cases.

Moreover, the CDC has not addressed the fact that this constellation is rare in swine isolates collected prior to the July outbreaks. Continued: 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 @ Tue Aug 14, 2012 at 06:06:36 AM UTC

Australia: Bad flu season at Broken Hill nursing homes (New South Wales)

Visitors to some aged care homes in Broken Hill are being warned to stay away if they're sick, to try to reduce the incidence of influenza.

Southern Cross Care chief executive, Allan Carter, said this year's flu season has been worse than last year's. "We've had more residents numbers-wise who've had symptoms of the flu in some form or other," he said.

"So, in a couple of the wings in St Anne's especially, we've been even more judicious about the hand-washing and the risks of people bringing flu symptoms into the facilities." He said some staff are wearing face masks to prevent the spread of disease.

Mr Carter said he is not considering putting the nursing homes into lock-down. Continued: http://www.abc.net.au/news/201...

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 @ Tue Aug 14, 2012 at 06:18:55 AM UTC

US: National Pork Board Clarifies How Influenza is Named

The National Pork Board has produced a new fact sheet entitled, "Understanding Influenza Naming," (Snip) explains that influenza viruses have circulated in humans and animals for centuries. Some flu viruses will infect only one type of animal, while others have the ability to move between species.

Because people sometimes get confused about what they should call influenza viruses in people and in pigs, the World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with several federal and international health organizations, recently announced a standardized naming convention. Influenza viruses that normally circulate in pigs and may infect humans will be referred to as "variant influenza viruses," designated by a "v." "Variant" designates the virus as one that varies from infecting only the species that is its usual host.

The new standardized naming convention (Snip) will help reinforce to consumers that they cannot get the flu from eating or handling pork and pork products. http://nationalhogfarmer.com/h...

(Note: For the record, I'm not at all afraid to eat pork and wasn't during the 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic. As a matter of fact, I went shopping for groceries today and bought a large package of pork chops. The people who are getting infected with H3N2v and the ones who contracted the H1N1 swine flu didn't get it from handling pork or from eating it. I hate to see people who make their living raising hogs for consumer consumption hurt by misconception. JMO)

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 @ Tue Aug 14, 2012 at 06:41:25 AM UTC

H3N2v Ohio Cases Increase to 47 in 11 Counties

Recombinomics Commentary

Butler (17), Champaign (3), Clark (3), Franklin (1), Gallia (11), Greene (4), Hamilton (3), Medina (1), Monroe (2), Morrow (1), Warren (1).

The above list represents the August 13 tally of H3N2v cases confirmed in Ohio by the Ohio Department of Health (ODH).  The number of cases increased from 36 to 47, while the number of counties increased from 8 to 11.  This tally demonstrates that H3N2v is widespread in Ohio, but the numbers reflect a small fraction of the cases in each county.  Butler still has the largest number of confirmed cases, but Gallia has increased to double digits.  

However, in Gallia County the first 200 symptomatic cases were tested, and 60 were influenza A positive by a commercial raid test (which was not included in the CDC analysis of commercial test kits described in Friday's MMWR.  The 200 tested cases in Galiia represented a sub-set of those with symptoms, and only a sub-set of the 69 influenza A positive cases was forward to ODH for confirmation.

The update list above also includes the first three presumptive positive cases in Champaign County, where 5 additional cases had been cited last week, as officials told residents not to seek medical attention if not at risk (and symptoms are mild).  Thus, only a tiny fraction of the cases in Champaign County will be tested. Continued: 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 @ Tue Aug 14, 2012 at 06:51:51 AM UTC

OR: Swine flu showing up at fairs, prompting extra precautions locally

http://www.katu.com/living/hea...

CANBY, Ore. - The swine flu is back and it's showing up at state and county fairs where people are contracting it from sick pigs.

Although there's been a jump in swine flu cases - 153 so far this summer - they've been concentrated in the Midwest.

Fair leaders in Oregon are being extra careful in Oregon.

The Clackamas County Fair starts Tuesday in Canby. Most animals will have arrived Monday evening, but KATU News found a few, including pigs, there earlier in the day.

Fair directors say they're being very proactive when it comes to preventing swine flu. Animals aren't even allowed off their trailers before they've been inspected and cleared by veterinarians.

Livestock owners say they'd never bring sick animals to the fair to begin with and health officials say there's no reason to avoid the fair, just use common sense if you go.

[snip]

Although there haven't been any cases reported in Oregon, the Clackamas County Health Department says this strain of the virus is pretty common and they wouldn't be surprised to see it pop up here.

The good news is it doesn't seem to be particularly dangerous. Out of the 153 reported cases this summer, mostly children, no one has died and no one even needed to be hospitalized.

So far it hasn't been spreading from person to person - only pig to person.

Comment: Note how they are downplaying it, including the false facts that no one has been hospitalized and it has never spread from person to person! Also how casual they sound - already it's "pretty common" - from being basically unknown this spring, and they "won't be surprised if it pops up here" like it was a flower or something... like Shakespeare said, "methinks the laddie doth protest too much!

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by: Cathy M @ Tue Aug 14, 2012 at 12:49:21 PM UTC

US: 23 residents test positive for new influenza virus (Indiana)

Twenty-three individuals in Washington County have tested positive for H3N2v influenza virus, according to information provided Monday afternoon by Kenneth D. Severson, with the Indiana State Department of Health. Statewide, there have been 138 cases.

Lindsey Brough, public health nurse for Washington County, said so far, transmission of the virus has been from pig to human and human to pig, there has been no transmission between people. The disease is not spread by eating pork or pork products.

The ISDH has set up a call center to answer the general public's questions regarding influenza A. The call center is open from 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Monday through Friday. The number is 877-826-0011.

(Snip)

In addition to Washington County, cases have been confirmed in Bartholomew, Jackson, Jennings, Lawrence, Monroe, Scott, Greene, Hamilton, Hendricks, Johnson, Kosciusko, Laporte, Morgan, Owen, Porter, Tipton and White. Continued: http://www.salemleader.com/mai...

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 @ Tue Aug 14, 2012 at 17:59:29 PM UTC

US: Ohio Swine Flu Cases Rises

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- State officials confirmed additional cases of swine flu, bringing the total number of cases statewide to 54. The victims with confirmed cases of H3N2v are between the ages of 6 months and 36 years old.

To date, five of the confirmed cases were hospitalized, but they have been treated and released.

At this time, surveillance indicates that the individuals most likely became ill with the flu virus after exposure to swine. Health officials have not determined person-to-person transmission at this time, but continue to investigate the possibility.

To date, there have been eight cases in Champaign County, three cases in Clark County, two cases in Franklin County, and one case each in Morrow and Ross counties.

With county fairs running into the first week of October, the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) and ODH remind residents and visitors that fair attendance is safe. Continued: http://www2.nbc4i.com/lifestyl...

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 @ Tue Aug 14, 2012 at 22:24:06 PM UTC

Indonesia Reports 9th Bird Flu Death This Year

August 14, 2012
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/l...
Yogyakarta, Indonesia:  A 37-year-old Indonesian man has died of avian influenza in Yogyakarta province of Indonesia, bringing the total fatality to 9 this year, health ministry said on its website on Sunday. The man from Prambanan of Sleman district died on July 30 after being treated in hospitals, the ministry said.  Two laboratory tests confirmed that he was positive on having H5N1 virus, putting the the total death to 159 out of 191 cases since the viruses first attacked the country in 2005.

The self-employed man first felt the symptoms of the disease on July 24 with having high fever before he went to a hospital in the next day. Two days later, the man was treated in the hospital for his worsening condition and on July 29 he was shifted to another hospital.  An investigation showed that the man had possibly had contact with birds or poultry as it was found pet caged birds kept on his work place, and about 50 meters from his house there was a poulty slaughter house, as well as a cattle farm near it.
(more)


"I am opposed to any form of tyranny over the mind of man."  Thomas Jefferson

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by: History Lover @ Tue Aug 14, 2012 at 23:07:01 PM UTC

Please post new news stories to...

News Reports for August 15, 2012

Thank you!

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by: AlohaOR @ Wed Aug 15, 2012 at 04:01:20 AM UTC

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/08/16/police-start-probe-bird-flu-vaccine-graft.html

JAKARTA: The National Police has begun investigating graft allegations surrounding the procurement of bird flu vaccine, which caused state losses of more than Rp 460 billion (US$48.3 million).

National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said that investigators from the criminal investigations division had requested the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) to check bank accounts belonging to those implicated in the graft case and look for suspicious transactions.

The investigators have also questioned witnesses in the case, including officials from companies who won the contract from PT Anugrah Nusantara and companies appointed by the Health Ministry to build facilities for vaccine production.

PT Anugrah Nusantara is thought to be owned by Democratic Party chairman, Anas Urbaningrum.

An audit by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) revealed irregularities in what it called an "unhealthy" partnership between the Health Ministry, which oversaw the procurement, and companies appointed to build facilities to produce the vaccine, which included PT Anugrah Nusantara.

PT Anugrah Nusantara, owned by graft convict and former Democratic Party treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin, won a Rp 718 billion tender for equipment for the vaccine plant.

During several hearings in his trial at the Jakarta Corruption Court, Nazaruddin repeatedly stated that PT Anugrah Nusantara was co-owned by Anas.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/...

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by: cottontop @ Thu Aug 16, 2012 at 14:59:07 PM UTC