News Reports for October 2, 2012

India: It rained H1N1, dengue cases, but malaria was worst killer (Maharashtra)

MUMBAI: The disease pattern in the city has been springing a surprise every year and 2012, too, is no different. As the almost four-month monsoon - often associated with a spike in ailments - prepares to retreat, records show H1N1 giving the chills to the city's population showing a more than 50-fold jump in cases over last year and malaria emerging as the most lethal, claiming 30 lives despite a 62% drop in cases from 2011.

But the disease that has even doctors worried is dengue, which emerged at the fag end of the monsoon and seems likely to peril Mumbaikars for longer. Dengue cases continued their march, rising almost four fold since 2010. The volume of malaria cases and deaths remained much higher than dengue, but the threat from the second vector-borne disease seems much greater, given that a higher percentage of patients needed hospitalization and some even ICU care.

(Snip)

If H1N1 showed the most wildly swinging statistics with 353 cases and four casualties in the city so far this year as against only six cases and no deaths in 2011, a strange picture of contrasts was thrown up by malaria - incidence dropped by 79% from 2010 and 86 fewer deaths were reported, yet it has been the worst killer in the city so far this year with 30 casualties.

(Snip)

Virologists say the H1N1 influenza took everyone by surprise and would possibly take the slot of top killer at the state level. "The virus did give us a scare but we have to accept that more positive cases are because of more awareness leading to more people going in for testing," said state epidemiologist Dr Pradeep Awate. 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

     

---

by: Carol@SC @ Tue Oct 02, 2012 at 07:08:12 AM UTC

India: Leptospirosis claims 6 more lives, swine flu kills two in one week (Gujarat)

Two more people died of swine flu in the state in the past week even as seven new confirmed cases were registered, an update from the state Health Department's epidemics division said Monday. The H1N1 death toll for this year has reached 14 out of 43 confirmed cases. Continued: http://www.indianexpress.com/n...

(Note: The CFR is 32%!!!)

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

     

---

by: Carol@SC @ Tue Oct 02, 2012 at 07:29:31 AM UTC

India: Now, Doctor tests positive for swine flu in Bhopal; 19 dead so far (Madhya Pradesh)

Bhopal: A lady doctor in Indore was on Sunday tested positive for H1N1 virus, authorities said.

Nineteen persons have died of swine flu in Madhya Pradesh so far this year.  In the state capital alone, the infection has claimed 10 lives. Indore, Ujjain and Gwalior account for six, two and one deaths respectively (Snip).

The 53-year old doctor, who tested positive on Sunday, was admitted to a private hospital for treatment (Snip).

(Snip) Over a hundred persons have tested positive for swine flu in the state as of now. 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

     

---

by: Carol@SC @ Tue Oct 02, 2012 at 07:51:41 AM UTC

WHO: 2013 southern flu vaccine should copy 2012 northern version

Oct 1, 2012 (CIDRAP News) - The World Health Organization (WHO) is recommending that influenza vaccines for the Southern Hemisphere's 2013 flu season should contain the same three strains as the vaccines now being administered to millions in the Northern Hemisphere.

The recommendation means that two of the strains will be different from those that were used in Southern Hemisphere vaccines this year. When the WHO issued a recommendation for the 2012-13 northern vaccine in February, it called for changing the influenza A/H3N2 and B strains that were used in this year's southern vaccines.

The new recommendation signals that the WHO is seeing few hints of emerging flu strains that could spread widely and evade the 2012-13 vaccine formulation.

The WHO experts make their recommendations for Southern Hemisphere flu vaccines in October to allow time to prepare the vaccine viruses and grow them in eggs, which takes several months. The recommendation for the Northern Hemisphere vaccine is usually made in February.

The agency recommended keeping the pandemic 2009 H1N1 (pH1N1) virus in the vaccine. Officially, the agency advises using strains similar to:

A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)pdm09 (the pandemic 2009 virus)
A/Victoria/361/2011 (H3N2)
B/Wisconsin/1/2010

The pH1N1 virus has been included in every WHO flu vaccine recommendation since September 2009, when it picked the strain for the 2010 Southern Hemisphere vaccine.

The recommendation is accompanied by a review of flu activity from February through September. Pandemic 2009 H1N1 activity during that period was generally low, and especially so in Africa, Europe, and Oceania, the agency said. All seasonal H1N1 viruses detected were the pH1N1 strain. The "vast majority" of pH1N1 viruses that were analyzed were found to be closely related to the 2012-13 (northern) vaccine strain.

Most countries had some level of H3N2 activity, with many parts of the Southern Hemisphere seeing widespread and regional outbreaks between May and August. Tests showed that most of the H3N2 viruses were closely related to A/Victoria/361/2011, the strain in the 2012-13 vaccine.

Many countries in both hemispheres reported influenza B activity in the past 8 months, with viruses from both lineages-Victoria and Yamagata-circulating. "Viruses of the B/Victoria/2/87 lineage were prevalent in some countries, while the B/Yamagata/16/88 lineage viruses have increased in some and predominated in others," the WHO says.

Predicting whether Victoria or Yamagata strains will be more common in any given flu season is difficult, which has prompted some manufacturers to move toward including both strains in their vaccine. In March the US Food and Drug Administration approved a quadrivalent vaccine from MedImmune Inc., which makes live attenuated vaccines delivered via nasal spray. The company said then it expects to have the vaccine ready for the 2013-14 season.

The B/Wisconsin/1/2010 strain that is in the 2012-13 vaccine and was picked for the 2013 southern version is of the Yamagata lineage. But for companies looking to make a quadrivalent (four-strain) vaccine with two B strains, the WHO recommends including a B/Brisbane/60/2008-like virus, which is of the Victoria lineage and was used in 2012 Southern Hemisphere vaccines.

The WHO recommendation suggests that the agency's experts are not concerned that the swine-origin variant H3N2 (H3N2v) viruses seen lately in the United States will spread. More than 300 H3N2v cases have been reported in recent months, nearly all of them in people who had contact with pigs at county and state fairs. H3N2v viruses carry the matrix gene from the pH1N1 virus. Continued: http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidr...

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

     

---

by: Carol@SC @ Tue Oct 02, 2012 at 08:09:46 AM UTC

Flu Concerns Prompt Warning From Texas Animal Health Commission

October 2, 2012
http://southwestfarmpress.com/...
Fall is the time for most county fairs and livestock shows and marks the beginning of rodeo season across the Lone Star State. It also marks the beginning of the flu season, prompting the Texas Animal Health Commission to post warnings about the movement and handling of farm animals, especially swine.
(snip)
Since July, 2012, there have been outbreaks of H3N2 variant viruses with the matrix (M) gene from the 2009 H1N1 pandemic virus in multiple U.S. states. Investigations into H3N2v cases indicate that the main risk factor for infection is prolonged exposure to pigs, mostly in fair settings. Found in U.S. pigs in 2010 and humans in July, 2011, this virus appears to spread more easily from pigs to people than other variant viruses.
(snip)
CDC is monitoring the spread of the virus and is working with states to respond to evolving outbreaks. The agency continues to urge people at high risk from serious flu complications to stay away from pigs and pig arenas at fairs this fall.


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

---

by: History Lover @ Tue Oct 02, 2012 at 12:56:10 PM UTC

Now, a tool to sharpen prediction of flu

Flu season being around the corner, getting a vaccine might help prevent people from falling sick. But there is a rider. The vaccines only work if their developers have accurately predicted which virus strains are likely to be active. Recently, a team of scientists from Germany and Britain improved methods used to determine which strains of the flu virus to include in the current season's vaccine.

(Snip) "Although this study is some distance from direct applications, it is a necessary step toward improved prediction methods. (Snip) To make this advance, scientists analyzed the DNA sequences of thousands of flu strains isolated from patients worldwide, dating to 1968.

By analyzing this dataset, researchers were able to determine which strains were most successful at expanding into the entire population, and which mutations were least successful in spreading. (Snip) researchers found that many more mutations than we thought initially succeed in replicating and surviving. These mutations compete; some make it into the entire population, others die out. This analysis of the virus enables the prediction of trends which can help vaccine developers understand the rules of flu virus evolution. This knowledge, in turn, can be used to predict which strains of the virus are most likely to spread through a human population. http://health.india.com/news/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 @ Tue Oct 02, 2012 at 20:56:13 PM UTC

India: 'H1N1 virus was present near Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute' (Uttar Pradesh)

LUCKNOW: The committee formed to find the reason behind the spread of H1N1 virus in the city has concluded that the virus was circulating in and around the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute (SGPGI). The committee, which submitted its report on Monday, said that swab sample of 466 patients suffering with flu like symptoms were selected randomly. The samples were examined for H1N1 infection at the microbiology department of King George's Medical University (KGMU), CMO Lucknow, Dr SNS Yadav said

(Snip)

More than 12.6% of the patients tested positive to swine flu virus. Most of the patients were from Sarojaninagar, Mohanlalganj and SGPGI campus. An analysis of the patients revealed that they stay in Ektanagar, Sabha Kheda and Krishna vihar - localities inhabited by SGPGI employees and their families, making the researchers conclude that the swine flu virus was being circulated from the apex medical institute.

CMO said the swine flu virus was isolated and studied. He, however, said there was no need to worry. "The virus has become very weak and doesn't need the tamiflu treatment till a patient belongs to the risk category which comprises pregnant women, elderly and patients suffering from chronic diseases, particularly lung infection," he said. (Snip) They also say that 90% of H1N1 cases are not fatal, so one should not panic. http://www.google.com/#hl=en&s...

(Note: "They also say that 90% of H1N1 cases are not fatal, so one should not panic." Wow! What an incredibly stupid thing to say! That means 10% of the cases are fatal and a CFR of 10% is high. You would think doctors would know that! 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 @ Tue Oct 02, 2012 at 21:05:35 PM UTC

Correct link:

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 @ Wed Oct 03, 2012 at 01:21:42 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Montana logs first influenza cases of the season

http://www.kaj18.com/news/mont...

Posted: Oct 2, 2012 1:04 PM by KPAX/KAJ Media Center
Updated: Oct 2, 2012 12:27 PM

HELENA- State health officials report that the flu in Montana, with the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) confirming the state's first influenza cases of this season.

Four cases have been confirmed in Park and Yellowstone counties, in two teens and two adults. This is earlier than in 2011 and 2010 when the first cases were not confirmed until late November.

State, tribal and local public health authorities indicate vaccine is widely available and strongly recommend taking advantage of the vaccine, according to a news release.

snip

"People who received influenza vaccine last year should get vaccinated again this year, particularly as the circulating viruses have changed," said DPHHS Director Anna Whiting Sorrell. "And we urge you to get immunized now. With the options available, getting vaccinated is easier than ever. We'd like to make sure everyone can stay healthy this winter."

(More)

---

by: bgw in MT @ Tue Oct 02, 2012 at 21:19:32 PM UTC

Please post new news stories to...

News Reports for October 3, 2012

Thank you!

---

by: AlohaOR @ Wed Oct 03, 2012 at 06:16:36 AM UTC