News Reports for October 23, 2012

India: 10 die of H1N1, lepto in two weeks (Gujarat)

H1N1 and leptospirosis have each claimed five lives in the state this past fortnight even as the two ailments together afflicted at least 29 more people, including those dead (Snip)

However, the number of deaths caused by the two diseases so far this year has been starkly lower than previous years, although H1N1 appears to be more virulent this year than 2011, when three persons died after contracting the virus. Nevertheless, 2012's toll of 19 so far is markedly below 2009's 117 fatalities and 2010's 353.

As winter approaches and brings with it the likelihood of the H1N1 flu virus spreading, the H&FW has called for district-level meetings of members of the Indian Medical Association as a preparatory measure, an official from the department's epidemiology division said.

(Snip)

H1N1 cases has been located in most parts of the state. http://www.indianexpress.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 Oct 23, 2012 at 07:45:39 AM UTC

India: Woman dies of swine flu in Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh)

A 21-year-old  pregnant woman (Snip) who was seven-month pregnant, was admitted to a local  hospital with respiratory distress on October 17.

When her condition deteriorated, the doctors  referred the case to the Chest Hospital in  Visakhapatnam. She was brought here on October  20 midnight. Her nasal and throat swabs tested swine flu positive. The doctors said they were not able to save Mamata due to her low immunity levels.

On October 3, P Durga Rao (22) (Snip) died of swine flu at the Government General  Hospital (GGH) in Kakinada. P Veni, P Veeramma, P Tejaswini and Satyavati have been undergoing treatment for the same at the hospital for the last 15 days.

Some people in Dummulapeta and Sambamurthinagar in the East Godavari district headquarters town are also suffering from  symptoms of swine flu. The East Godavari district administration has arranged separate  beds in the GGH to treat the cases. (Snip) http://newindianexpress.com/st...

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 Oct 23, 2012 at 07:56:32 AM UTC

Australia: Silencing the bird flu gene: scientists prep live hen trials

Researchers hoping to produce modified chickens hatched with in-built resistance to bird flu will conduct trials on live hens later this year, an Australian scientist said on Tuesday.

CSIRO research scientist, Dr Tim Doran, has been using a technique called gene silencing to "switch off" virus genes that make chickens susceptible to H5N1, the bird flu that has devastated livestock and killed 359 people worldwide since 2003.

H5N1 can be transmitted from bird to human; however, health authorities fear a pandemic could break out if the disease mutates and develops the ability to jump more readily from person to person.

Dr Doran said his team has shown, in mice and in fertilised chicken eggs, that gene silencing techniques can stop bird flu by interrupting the virus' reproduction processes. They have now produced transgenic chickens, which should be resistant to H5N1 and be able to pass that resistance onto their chicks.

"We are getting geared up to do what we call a challenge experiment, where we test our transgenic chickens for resistance to bird flu virus. We expect the first lot of those experiments to be conducted late this year or early next year," Dr Doran said on Tuesday, speaking from the CSIRO's Emerging Infectious. Continued: http://theconversation.edu.au/...  

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 Oct 23, 2012 at 08:04:57 AM UTC

UK: Fears over swine flu in herds

THE incidence of swine influenza in pig herds in Wales, the UK and Ireland could be higher than expected if the results of a recent survey are replicated across the national herds in these countries, it has been claimed. Routine diagnostic blood testing in these countries indicates most herds tested were positive for swine flu.

Brian Rice, veterinary adviser with Merial Animal Health, said: "More than 70% of herds tested in the Great Britain had one or more pig that tested positive, while this figure increased to over 90% in Ireland. Historically and with no vaccine available, the industry has tended to be reactive to swine influenza, managing outbreaks as they arose. But more and more producers are now realising the benefits of vaccinating against the disease. There is a strong economic case for considering preventative treatment. Continued: http://www.walesonline.co.uk/c...

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 Oct 23, 2012 at 08:10:56 AM UTC

Please post new news stories to...

News Reports for October 24, 2012

Thank you!

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by: AlohaOR @ Wed Oct 24, 2012 at 04:34:09 AM UTC