News Reports for September 1, 2012

US: 3 cases of swine flu at State Fair aren't of strain causing alerts (Minnesota)

The three cases announced Friday -- in a teenage girl, school-age boy and elderly woman -- were detected in part because of the fair's heightened concerns about an H3N2v strain of swine flu that has circulated nationally at livestock fairs and animal markets.

Three cases of swine flu have been reported among visitors at the Minnesota State Fair, only the sickened visitors didn't contract the strain that has caused a wave of concern nationally.

One of the victims was a teenage girl who was exhibiting pigs and became ill on Aug. 26 - the fourth day of the fair, the Minnesota Department of Health reported late Friday. The others were a school-age boy who spent "all day in the swine barn on Aug. 24" and then became sick three days later, and a woman in her late seventies who also had spent considerable time around the swine barn and swine show on Aug. 24.

The elderly woman was hospitalized, but all three are now recovering. (Snip) But the fairgoers instead were infected by a different H1N2v strain.

"For the past two weeks, we have been looking very hard for cases of influenza in people who have been exposed to swine," said Richard Danila, deputy state epidemiologist. "We have also worked closely with our veterinary colleagues to remain informed about potential infections in swine at the fair. It is because of this careful surveillance that these cases have come to our attention." Continued: http://www.startribune.com/loc...

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

     

---

by: Carol@SC @ Sat Sep 01, 2012 at 01:27:51 AM UTC

Comment:

Anymore cases of H1N2v found will lead to the same kind of alerts as there are now for the H3N2v strain. IMO, they should start investigating to see if there are more H1N2v human and/or swine cases. ALL flu cases should be tested at this time by the CDC, not just ones with exposure to pigs. JMO

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

     

---

by: Carol@SC @ Sat Sep 01, 2012 at 01:33:16 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Australia: Hospitals struggle with flu patient numbers

Winter may be over, but Western Australians are being warned the flu season is not. The Australian Medical Association in WA says emergency departments are struggling to cope with the number of patients because of a shortage of hospital beds.

More than 4000 people have been hit by the flu so far this year and the virus is still active. The figure is the highest since 2009 when a pandemic was declared.

Former AMA WA president Doctor Mountain is calling on the State Government to do more to alleviate the bed shortage.

He says it may be spring, but the flu virus could carry on for several months.

(Snip)

"This has been a pretty rough winter so far, and our hospitals haven't really coped at all." http://au.news.yahoo.com/lates...

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

     

---

by: Carol@SC @ Sat Sep 01, 2012 at 08:23:09 AM UTC

US: New strain of swine flu confirmed in Western Pa. (Pennsylvania)

State officials Friday confirmed two cases of a new strain of swine flu and one probable case in Western Pennsylvania. All three cases involved youth participants at the Somerset County Fair in mid-August (Snip).

The flu, known as H3N2v, has sickened nearly 300 people nationwide. (Snip) a 61-year-old woman who came into contact with hogs at an Ohio county fair and contracted the virus had died. http://www.philly.com/philly/n...

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

     

---

by: Carol@SC @ Sat Sep 01, 2012 at 08:32:24 AM UTC

US: Huron County sees 3 cases of swine flu (Ohio)

NORWALK - Three cases of swine flu confirmed in Huron County have been linked to the Huron County Fair, according to the Ohio Department of Health. All three cases involved children under the age of 14, (Snip)

Across the state, 102 cases have been reported. There were only 15 cases confirmed as of Aug. 8, according to a OHD timeline.

The department announced the first known swine flu-associated death in Ohio yesterday - a 61-year-old woman in Madison County who had contact with pigs at the Ross County Fair. The department stated that she had multiple other underlying medical conditions, but that the virus may have contributed to her death.
(Snip)

The virus has mostly presented in a mild form in the state and the majority of cases - including the three in Huron County - have been treated and released from hospitals.

"Most individuals are recovering on their own, with a little help from anti-viral medication," Pollock said. Continued: http://morningjournal.com/arti...

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

     

---

by: Carol@SC @ Sat Sep 01, 2012 at 08:45:36 AM UTC

Three H1N2v Case Cluster In Minnesota

Recombinomics Commentary

The illness has been confirmed in a teenage girl who was exhibiting pigs at the fair and became ill on Aug. 26. The other two cases occurred in an elementary-school-aged boy who became ill on Aug. 27 after spending all day in the swine barn on Aug. 24, and a woman in her late seventies who became ill on Aug. 26 after spending a prolonged period of time in the swine barn and at the swine show in the Exhibit Hall on Aug 24.

The above comments from the Minnesota Department of Health press release describe three H1N2v cases with swine exposure at the Minnesota State Fair, where H1N2v had been identified in two swine earlier.

(Snip) H1N2 had been identified in a case at the end of 2011 who had no swine contact.  Sequences from that case had many gene segments in common with 2010 and 2011 H3N2v cases including a PB1 gene with E618D. 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

     

---

by: Carol@SC @ Sat Sep 01, 2012 at 08:51:17 AM UTC

India: Lucknow reports four new swine flu cases (Uttar Pradesh)

LUCKNOW: Health officials in state capital continue to be in denial mode over the rising swine flu cases in the city. On Friday, the city reported four fresh cases of swine flu, taking the total to 28.

Talking to reporters on Friday, chief medical officer Dr SNS Yadav said, "The media has created a scare regarding swine flu. According to the latest book of medicines and international standard, the word 'swine' has been removed from the name of virus, as it used to create panic. The infection has been renamed as Influenza A H1N1."

Experts however said that there has been no renaming of Swine flu. "Since its inception, the scientific name of the virus is Influenza A H1N1. But in a layman language, the virus is known as swine flu," said Prof Amita Jain, senior microbiologist at King George's Medical University.

Meanwhile, head of microbiology department at Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Prof TN Dhole confirmed that four new cases have been reported. Talking to TOI he said, "Four out of 15 swab samples sent to our department have tested positive on Friday."

The CMO however denied the information. "No new case of swine flu has been reported. Continued: http://timesofindia.indiatimes...

(Note: Geez, with crap like this, it's the government that will most likely cause panic among people. The chief medical officer (CMO) is acting kind of nuts, IMO.)

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

     

---

by: Carol@SC @ Sat Sep 01, 2012 at 09:18:32 AM UTC

India: Swine flu 'returns' to haunt Odisha

BHUBANESWAR: The specter of swine flu, which had killed 32 people in Odisha in 2010, is back in the state. A 22-year-old woman admitted in a city-based private hospital reportedly tested positive for the H1N1 virus on Friday (Snip)

Health officials, however, refused to confirm the case. "I have heard about it. However, I can't confirm till I go through the report from the Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC) where the test was conducted. It remains a suspected case," director of public health services Dr Prasad Kumar Patnaik told TOI. (Snip) isolated swine flu cases were not unusual since the viral infection is also being reported from other parts of the country during this time of the year.

(Snip) RMRC found a sputum sample of the woman to be positive for H1N1 and conveyed the same to the integrated disease surveillance cell of the state. To be doubly sure, the centre is also doing a repeat test on the same woman, the result of which is awaited. "Of the 16 suspected cases tested so far this year, one sample tested Friday came positive for H1N1 at the centre," (Snip)

(Snip)

If confirmed, the woman from Angul district would be the first H1N1 case in the state this year. Condition of the woman admitted with clinical symptoms of pneumonia was stated to be critical. She has been recuperating in the ICU, hospital sources said. http://timesofindia.indiatimes...

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

     

---

by: Carol@SC @ Sat Sep 01, 2012 at 09:27:34 AM UTC

CDC: First Swine Flu Death in Ohio

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Friday that a person from Ohio has died due to swine flu. The agency said that 12 new cases of swine flu have been reported. CDC said that the victim had direct exposure to pigs in a fair and had other underlying medical conditions.

"Ohio documented the first known H3N2v-associated death this week. The 61-year-old female Madison County resident had multiple other underlying medical conditions, but the influenza virus may have contributed to the death. The individual had direct contact with swine at the Ross County fair," (Snip)

According to CDC, 289 cases of swine flu have been reported this year. Two states - Ohio and Indiana - have the highest number of cases of swine flu; Ohio with 101 and Indiana with 138.

"We're saddened to hear about the death of one person in Ohio associated with the current H3N2v outbreaks. Like with seasonal flu, we have been - and continue to be - particularly concerned about people with factors that put them at high risk of serious complications if they get the flu. These people should absolutely not have contact with pigs or visit pig arenas at fairs this summer," (Snip)

The agency had earlier said the new virus H3N2v has a gene from the swine flu virus that caused a pandemic three years back. The agency said that there have been no reports of a human-human transmission so far. Most cases of swine flu have been reported in people who had direct exposure to pigs at farms or at fairs. Eating properly cooked pork does not pose any health hazard.

(Snip)

Symptoms of H3N2v include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches and fatigue. Continued: http://www.medicaldaily.com/ar...


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

     

---

by: Carol@SC @ Sat Sep 01, 2012 at 15:02:43 PM UTC

H3N2v H2H Clonal Expansion Raises School Concerns

Recombinomics Commentary

In the U.S., influenza surveillance systems that normally start up in October have been activated early to look for cases, Finelli said.

She said the CDC is concerned that with the resumption of school and the impending change in the weather this virus could become more transmissible among people.

So far only a few instances of person-to-person spread have been seen with H3N2v. But Finelli noted that late last year there was some human-to-human transmission in Iowa and West Virginia. While the numbers last year weren't high, she said the CDC is worried that pattern might be repeated this year.

The above comments from a Helen Branswell piece notes the two H3N2v outbreaks at the end of 2011 that did not have swine exposure.  

In the Iowa cluster three cases were confirmed (Snip).  All three sequences were virtually identical confirming human to human transmission between classmates at the daycare center.  In addition to the three confirmed cases, the father and brother of the index were also symptomatic but not tested.  This cluster however, involved the last human cases involving the sub-clade linked to the seven prior cases.  It is currently circulating in swine, and the USDA has identified 26 matches, but the last human cases involving swine exposure were in October, 2011.

(Snip) the West Virginia cluster involved a novel sub-clade, which had an N2 gene that was a different lineage (found in swine H3N2 instead of swine H1N2).  Two confirmed classmates at a Mineral County day care center were confirmed (Snip), but the disease onset dates were two weeks apart and an epidemiological study identified ILI in 23 out of 70 contacts of the index case (patient zero) indicating the H3N2 had been transmitting at the day care center for a month.

This sub-clade has only been found in two swine isolates in 2012 (North Carolina and Indiana), but all 35 sets of sequences from human cases match the West Virginia sub-clade.  (Snip) the clusters in 2012 were larger that the day care center.  The outbreak at the Gallia Junior County fair in Ohio involved hundreds of attendees with ILI (including 12 H3N2v confirmed cases), while the Monroe County Fair in Indiana had 61 confirmed H3N2v cases.

Thus, the West Virginia sub-clade has transmitted efficiently in humans, and outbreaks in elementary schools will be common. 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

     

---

by: Carol@SC @ Sat Sep 01, 2012 at 16:38:17 PM UTC

Vietnam: Bird flu epidemic breaks out in Quang Ngai

September 1, 2012

(VOV) - The Quang Ngai provincial People's Committee declared on August 31 that a bird flu epidemic has swept through 23 hamlets in 17 communes of five districts across the province.

All of the nearly 80 blood samples sent from these localities tested positive for the A/H5N1 virus, prompting local authorities have culled 58,000 infected fowl.

snip

The provincial Department of Animal Health has provided one million doses of vaccine to protect poultry in seven neighbouring districts and towns.

http://talkvietnam.com/2012/09...

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

---

by: cottontop @ Sat Sep 01, 2012 at 18:54:23 PM UTC

Canada: First swine flu death raises concerns about contagion

The United States reported the first known death caused by the new swine flu virus that has been jumping from pigs to people there.

An unidentified Ohio woman, who reportedly had multiple health problems, died this week of infection with the variant H3N2 virus. The woman, 61, was from Madison County near the centre of the state. She had direct exposure to pigs at a county fair before becoming ill. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control expressed sympathies, but used the opportunity to warn that people who have serious health problems should avoid swine at the current time. "These people should absolutely not have contact with pigs or visit pig arenas at fairs this summer,"

(Snip)

The CDC also reported Friday that the tally of human cases of H3N2v infection has risen to 288 since July, when infections with this virus started to pop up again after a hiatus of several months. Twelve additional cases were reported this week. The "v" in the virus's name - short for variant - signals this is an animal influenza strain, not the human H3N2 strain.

(Snip)

Ten U.S. states have reported human cases. But to date no other country has reported seeing this virus, either in pigs or in people. The Public Health Agency of Canada reiterated Friday that there have been no cases detected in this country.

But Dr. Danuta Skowronski, a flu expert with the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, said there may not be enough testing going on in Canada to find cases at this point. http://www.canada.com/First+sw...

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

     

---

by: Carol@SC @ Sat Sep 01, 2012 at 21:00:45 PM UTC

India: Govt denies bird flu report, samples sent to Bhopal lab

http://www.indianexpress.com/n...

With bird flu panic gripping Swarupnagar in North 24-Parganas for the past few days, the state husbandry department has decided to send the blood samples of the chickens to a Bhopal research laboratory. The Belgachia lab here did not find any H5N1 positive case.

Animal Resources Development (ARD) Minister Noor-e-Alam Chowdhury, said bird flu was not behind the fowl deaths and said samples will be sent to Bhopal. (snip)

Officials of ARD Department on Friday said there has been no report of fresh case of bird death from the area. They suspect that chickens may have been given stale food that resulted in their largescale deaths. (snip) Around 40 commercial poultry farms have been sealed in four panchayat areas of North 24-Parganas - Baduria, Kakrasuti, Lakshmikantapur and Nayabandh - where about 50,000 chickens died, a few days ago. (snip)

Leader of the Opposition Surya Kanta Mishra on Friday criticised the government and said the state government is trying to hide facts regarding bird flu. (snip) The need of the government is to send the blood samples of the dead birds to laboratories in Bhopal and Pune for testing, he added.

---

by: AlohaOR @ Sun Sep 02, 2012 at 02:51:03 AM UTC

50,000 chickens died of stale food??

Um... does this strike anyone as odd? Stale food isn't generally that deadly...

---

by: Cathy M @ Sun Sep 02, 2012 at 04:18:31 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

What I want to know is...

How did they know there was no H5N1 if they hadn't yet sent the samples for testing?  Was the conclusion that they "didn't find any H5N1 positive cases" based on a quick test?

I agree, Cathy, that stale food as a cause sounds implausible, but these are factory farms, so a "malfunction" (in feed, temperature, contaminents, etc) will impact a large number of birds at the same time.

---

by: AlohaOR @ Sun Sep 02, 2012 at 05:10:45 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Please post new news stories to...

News Reports for September 2, 2012

Thank you!

---

by: AlohaOR @ Sun Sep 02, 2012 at 05:06:41 AM UTC