News Reports for August 25, 2012

US: Swine flu outbreak continues to grow

An outbreak of a flu variant infecting swine and humans has picked up momentum from contact between people and pigs at fairs. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported today a tally of 289 human cases since August 2011 and cautioned that the start of school could bring a fresh wave of illnesses.

"...This is an evolving situation that could change quickly," Dr. Joseph Bresee, chief of the Epidemiology and Prevention Branch of the CDC's Influenza Division, said in an update posted today.

Human infections of influenza A H3N2v virus were first detected last summer; by the end of the year, the case count was 12. The case total this year so far is 277. (Snip)

The flu variant generally has been causing illness comparable to seasonal flu, with 13 cases to date requiring hospitalization, and no deaths. What makes this virus of particular concern to public health authorities is not only its zoonotic nature but the fact that it contains a gene found in the H1N1 influenza virus that was responsible for a pandemic in 2009.

The CDC explains that the virtually identical gene, known as a matrix gene or M gene, "may confer increased transmissibility to and among humans" compared with other swine flu viruses that have infected people in the past.

The agency has documented a few cases of limited human-to-human transmission. The newest such instances involve three unrelated individuals who lived in households with someone who was exposed to pigs at an agricultural fair. Last fall, three cases occurred among Iowa youngsters who attended the same day care center and had no contact with swine.

"We're not particularly surprised to see what looks like limited human-to-human transmission," Bresee said in today's update. "It's clear though," he added, "that this virus is much better able to spread to people. It's reassuring that we are seeing most cases in people with prolonged contact with pigs and that we are not seeing any sustained community transmission, but this situation definitely warrants our close attention." Continued: http://news.vin.com/VINNews.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 @ Sat Aug 25, 2012 at 02:26:05 AM UTC

CDC weekly H3N2v update...

...is here

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by: AlohaOR @ Sat Aug 25, 2012 at 04:09:35 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

US: More human cases of swine flu spotted

Public health officials in the United States are reporting more human cases of swine flu, including three infections where the virus likely passed from person to person.

Officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta say an additional 52 cases have been spotted, bringing the count since July to 276 human infections. Those cases have been recorded in 10 states; so far no infections with this virus have been seen outside the United States.

The vast majority of the cases have been in young children who had contact with pigs; many of the infections seem to have taken place at state and county fairs. But the CDC says it now knows of three recent cases where a person was likely infected by another person, not a pig.

Still, the agency's experts say there is no need at this time to call for a closure of the swine exhibits at fairs.

Earlier this week Michael Osterholm, a flu expert from the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Diseases Research and Policy, said the pig barns should be closed to minimize the risk of future spread of the virus.

(Snip)

Nancy Cox, who heads the CDC's Influenza Division, said Friday that the agency and its partners are weighing a lot of factors as they monitor the situation. For now, they feel the risk doesn't warrant closing the barns. "When you're looking at shutting down all of this activity where there may not be a problem, you know you are trying to balance many, many things," Cox said in an interview. Continued: http://metronews.ca/news/world...

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 @ Sat Aug 25, 2012 at 05:52:04 AM UTC

US: Maryland State Fair organizers on alert for swine flu

As the state fair opens in Timonium, pigs that will be judged for prizes will also be under scrutiny from state veterinarians after an outbreak of swine flu nearly threatened to shut down the event.

The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said a new strain of swine flu has been detected in 12 people who were exposed to pigs this month at the Queen Anne's County Fair. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Friday showed 276 cases nationwide.

When the outbreak was first reported, state officials and fair organizers said they discussed canceling the swine competition. But late last week, the state health and agricultural departments said it was safe to go ahead.

(Snip)

While the new strain of swine flu, labeled H3N2v, can make the leap from pig to human - especially if an animal sneezes on a human, according to the CDC - unlike the H1N1 strain that killed thousands of Americans in 2009, it has a hard time traveling from one human to another. That is reassuring, the CDC said in a statement Friday.

Still, state fair organizers are taking no risks. All pigs entering the fairgrounds will be inspected by state and federal agriculture officials, and any that appear ill will be turned away. Checks will continue three times a day throughout the fair. Continued: http://www.baltimoresun.com/he...

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 @ Sat Aug 25, 2012 at 05:59:17 AM UTC

US: Ohio's confirmed swine flu cases increase to 98

(Snip) Ohio now has 98 confirmed human cases of a new swine flu strain, many linked to contact between people and hogs at fairs. (Snip) the cases involved people from 23 counties who ranged in age from 6 months to 51 years old.

Butler County in southwest Ohio had the most cases with 17, followed by 15 cases in Champaign County and 11 in Gallia County.

Officials have said the current strain of the virus appears mild and is similar to a seasonal flu that responds quickly to treatment. A few of the infected Ohioans were hospitalized but have since been treated and released. Continued: http://www.whiotv.com/ap/ap/he...

(Note: Up until this report, the oldest person mentioned was 36 years old.)

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 @ Sat Aug 25, 2012 at 06:05:11 AM UTC

CDC Acknowledges H3N2v Human to Human Transmission

Recombinomics Commentary

The three instances of likely person-to-person spread of H3N2v were recently identified during investigations of cases and their household contacts and are not epidemiologically linked to one another. In all three cases, transmission is thought to have occurred from one person to another person without further spread to additional people. Each of these three instances of likely person-to-person spread happened between 2 people living in the same household, with the initial infection in each household being associated with pig exposure at an agricultural fair.

The above comments are from the CDC August 24 update, which acknowledges limited human to human (H2H) transmission of H3N2v as noted above.  However, this approach of following the CDC biased sample who had extensive swine contact severely limits investigation.  Most families with H2H transmission will be excluded, because family members had some sort of swine exposure.  The CDC approach is similar to other countries limiting confirmed cases of H5N1 by limiting testing.  Moreover, the 2012 cases are due to the sub-clade initially identified in a West Virginia cay care center where there was no swine exposure, yet ILI was identifed in 23 contacts of the index case, so extenisive H2H has already been demonstrated for this sub-clade.

The CDC has used a heavily biased sample of cases with ILI and swine exposure to identify a pseudo-link that has no scientific basis.  Similarly, they misrepresent the USDA data which heavily discounts swine H3N2 transmission to humans, because the sub-clade that is widespread in swine in 2012 has not produce a single sequenced case, while all sequenced human cases in 2012 are caused by a sub-clade that has only been detected in two swine prior to the July explosion of cases.

Although the CDC now says physicians should "consider" collecting samples from ILI cases without swine contact, such cases have already been identified in Kentucky and West Virginia in areas near the Gallia, Ohio outbreak which involved more than 200 H3N2v cases.  In Kentucky 6 cases have been H3 confirmed by the CDC RT-PCR test, but questions concerning CDC verification of these cases, which were called "seasonal" H3 by Kentucky have not been answered by Kentucky or the CDC.  West Virginia has acknowledged similar cases in Mason County, which is adjacent to Gallia County.

These H3 "seasonal" cases have no swine contact and are not epidemiologically linked.  Therefore, confirmation of H3N2v in two of the H3 "seasonal" cases would mimic the results for the first two H1N1pdm09 cases in 2009 where they were infected with the same swine influenza bit had no contact with swine or each other.

(Snip)

It is well known that the CDC RT-PCR test can false serotype H3N2v as seasonal H3, and confirmation of a seasonal diagnosis requires antigen characterization tests or sequencing.

(Snip) 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 @ Sat Aug 25, 2012 at 06:14:23 AM UTC

India: Swine Flu ALERT -- MP on high alert as two die of H1N1 (Madhya Pradesh)

Bhopal: The state government has issued warning against swine flu following death of two persons in the past 24 hours (Snip) (Snip) one Seema Vishwakarma breathed her last on Friday afternoon while undergoing treatment for the viral disease.

(Snip) an 18-year-old Preetam Singh, a resident of Sehore died of the same disease on Thursday evening, forcing the state health department to convene an emergency meeting to take stock of the situation arising out of the outbreak of swine flu.

(Snip)

(Snip) the private and government hospitals across the state have been put on high alert against the risks of swine flu (Snip) the state continued to keep a check on the developments across the state but maintained that there was no need to panic. (Snip) http://daily.bhaskar.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 @ Sat Aug 25, 2012 at 06:21:14 AM UTC

India: 6 test positive for H1N1 (Maharashtra)

PUNE: Six more people tested positive for H1N1 influenza in the city on Friday. (Snip) five infected people have been home-quarantined and one has been admitted to a private hospital (Snip)

"The condition of all of them is stable and they are recovering," (Snip)

The condition of the 25-year-old man from Sadashiv Peth, who tested positive on Wednesday and has since been on ventilator support, continues to be critical. About 49 positive cases and two deaths due to swine flu have been recorded in the city this month. In July, there were 18 positive cases and one casualty. Since April, 194 positive cases and nine deaths have been recorded. 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 @ Sat Aug 25, 2012 at 06:33:43 AM UTC

India: 'Make isolation wards for swine flu patients' (Uttar Pradesh)

LUCKNOW: One more person suspected swine flu patient has been tested positive on Friday. (Snip) the 46-year-old patient is undergoing treatment in the medicine department.

Meanwhile, chief medical officer Dr SNS Yadav has issued directions to all city hospitals to take adequate and preventive measures to combat H1N1 virus. So far, the city had reported nine cases of swine flu, and all of them have been detected around the vicinity of Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences. However, the CMO denied of detecting any swine flu cases till now.

Dr Yadav has also instructed the hospitals to collect swab samples of the suspected patients. "There is nothing alarming. There are people who are trying to exaggerate the problem. We request them not to spread rumours," said Dr Yadav. The CMO has asked the hospitals that they should make isolation wards for infected patients apart from keeping testing kits and medicines including special mask and gloves with them.

On Friday, the CMO wrote to all government and private hospitals and colleges to submit a daily report on the swine flu cases. "The hospitals should also inform us in case they receive no case of swine flu," said Dr Yadav. Continued: 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 @ Sat Aug 25, 2012 at 06:40:13 AM UTC

CDC Prepares to Pivot To H3N2v Community Transmission

Recombinomics Commentary

"The guidance document is a heads up for schools to be aware of, and on the look-out for, illness with this virus," Bresee explains. In 2011, there was at least one documented outbreak of H3N2v in a day care setting.

"It's important to remember that this is an evolving situation that could change quickly," Bresee notes. "We're constantly looking at our data and re-evaluating."

The above comments from the August 24 CDC H3N2v update, which acknowledges "limited" human to human transmission, mentions the West Virginia day care center cluster, as the CDC prepares to admit community transmission.

(Snip)

Media continues to focus on swine to human spread, which has no real support, since the H3N2v sub-clade found in the first 10 cases in 2011 is widespread in swine, but has not caused any reported human cases in 2012.

The CDC should acknowledge community spread in Boyd County, Kentucky and Mason County, West Virginia, where H3 has been confirmed in children with no swine exposure.  Ashland-Boyd County Health Department issued a press release and the Kentucky Department of Health issue a health alert on seasonal H3N2, yet neither will answer questions about CDC confirmation, which is also true for the CDC.

An outbreak of seasonal H3N2 in children in August in Kentucky near the Gallia Junior County Fair, were there were over 200 probable H3N2v cases (including 11 confirmed cases) is unlikely, and the refusal of the above agencies to answer questions on confirmation raise serious pandemic concerns, which have not been transparently addressed by the CDC.  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 @ Sat Aug 25, 2012 at 17:46:59 PM UTC

US: Swine flu warning from Ark. Department of Health (Arkansas)

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) - It's not just the West Nile Virus that state health officials are warning folks about right now. As Arkansas' fair season gets underway, they are also pushing precautions to avoid swine flu.

So far there are no reported Swine flu cases in Arkansas. But the state health department is still monitoring the national situation with swine flu, and on Friday, put out a notice urging fair-goers to be careful. We talked with a fair manager in Van Buren County, who is also in precautionary mode right now.  

In a few weeks, these two pigs head to the Van Buren County Fair. They will trade in their pen at home for one at the fair grounds. Continued: http://www.todaysthv.com/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 @ Sat Aug 25, 2012 at 17:53:16 PM UTC

Please post new news stories to...

News Reports for August 26, 2012

Thank you!

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by: AlohaOR @ Sun Aug 26, 2012 at 04:17:10 AM UTC