News Reports for April 17, 2012

India: H1N1 WATCH: 20 more cases reported

BANGALORE: Karnataka has reported 20 positive cases of (Snip) H1N1 (Snip) in the past three days across the state but no deaths have been reported (Snip)

The total number of positive cases is now 138. The virus has claimed seven lives since January 2012, but it is not very aggressive. "We have enough stock of Tamiflu tablets (Snip). The virus is not as aggressive as it was in 2009-2010 and people needn't panic. Taking simple precautions and maintaining hygiene can help prevent H1N1," said Dr Malagi. 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 Apr 17, 2012 at 05:30:23 AM UTC

India: Two more swine flu cases in Vizag (Andhra Pradesh)

VISAKHAPATNAM: Notwithstanding the claims of the health officials, the H1N1 virus is fast spreading in the Visakhapatnam district as two more people tested positive for swine flu here on Monday.

A 23-year-old pregnant woman from Sabbavaram and 26-year-old man from Kancharapalem were admitted to King George Hospital (KGH) and Government hospital for Chest and Communicable Diseases respectively a few days ago after getting infected with H1N1. The two however are recovering and will be discharged in a couple of days. (Snip)

The port city recorded five positive swine flu cases this year and witnessed the first death when a 23-year-old pregnant woman from Marripalem succumbed to the virus while undergoing treatment (Snip) The city also reported the highest number of H1N1 cases after Hyderabad and Rangareddy districts.

(Snip) sources said people suffering from cold, fever and throat infection over the last few days are paying a visit to the Government Hospital to take a test for H1N1. (Snip) the virus spread in the rural pockets of the district too, which the fresh cases are hinting at.

In the context, the officials concerned might be instructed to make it necessary for the public to wear masks when on the premises of hospitals where the suspected cases are being treated, she added. As regards the reports that minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao too is suffering from the H1N1 virus, Devi said the officials are yet to collect the throat swabs of the minister for testing. (Snip) 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 Apr 17, 2012 at 05:39:16 AM UTC

US: Flu outbreak hits Conn. veterans home (Connecticut)

ROCKY HILL, Conn. (AP) - An outbreak of influenza at the state veterans' home in Rocky Hill sent 18 veterans to the hospital on Monday, with six being diagnosed with a special strain of flu.

State Veterans' Affairs Commissioner Linda Schwartz told The Associated Press that the veterans were taken to Hartford Hospital after a number began complaining of flu-like symptoms. The 18 men live at the Connecticut State Veterans Home in either the Sgt. John L. Levitow Veteran's Health Center or a residential facility.

The six diagnosed veterans came from the health care facility and Schwartz said they were in stable condition. She was uncertain how long they will remain under observation at the hospital, saying it will depend on how they respond to treatment.

"We haven't heard anything terrible," she said of their current condition. "It's the respiratory kind. Many of our veterans are frail and elderly, so it's very risky."

(Snip) the veterans had previously been inoculated against influenza, but not this strain. She said Connecticut Department of Public Health officials believe it is a case of delayed seasonal influenza, given how late in the season it has occurred. Schwartz said her agency contacted the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for advice on handling the outbreak.

(Snip) veterans and staff were given doses of Tamiflu, a drug used to treat flu symptoms as (Snip) they'll have to take two doses every day for two weeks. (Snip)

"We were lucky that we identified it," said Schwartz, who has been the commissioner for nine years, serving three governors. "We're doing everything we can and our biggest concern is the people in the health care facility who already have respiratory problems." (Snip)
The average age of the veterans at the health care facility is 80 to 85 years old.

(Snip) an additional 22 veteran who live in the residential facility, which is a barracks-like situation, have complained of symptoms. They have been partially isolated from the rest of the population and will not be allowed to eat with the other veterans to prevent further spreading of the virus. (Snip)

The Rocky Hill campus currently has about 475 veterans. Schwartz said there are about 300 staff but not all are engaged in patient care. She said some staff members have called out sick with flu-like symptoms. http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/h...

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 Apr 17, 2012 at 05:51:32 AM UTC

Another possibility, because the patients are elderly,

is this:
[snip]Schwartz said one possibility is that the veterans have been hit with a strain of the flu that wasn't targeted by this season's vaccine. Another is that the vaccine that they received at the start of the flu season in October has lost its effectiveness.

"You get a flu shot, and you think it's for a whole year, but it's not," she said. "The strength of the vaccine starts to dissipate."
[snip]
Since it's been six months since the vaccine was first administered, he said, it's very possible that it has lost its effectiveness, "especially for the elderly."[snip]
http://www.courant.com/health/...

(They are still testing for subtypes, the article says, so there is also the possibility of a mismatch.)

"The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it."  Flannery O'Connor

---

by: Jane @ Wed Apr 18, 2012 at 02:21:18 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

I posted this in the headlines under the article's title:

"State Tests For Cause Of Veterans' Home Flu Outbreak"  

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 Apr 18, 2012 at 05:15:07 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

India: Nagpur Municipal Corporation gears up for swine flu (Maharashtra)

NAGPUR: With swine flu cases increasing in the city in the past fortnight, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation finally sprung into action. (Snip) NMC's health department's deputy director Dr Milind Ganvir and health officer (NMC hospitals) Dr Savita Meshram among others, were present at the meet.

It was informed that 13 hospitals - NMC's 8 hospitals and 5 private hospitals- in the city have geared up for the treatment of those affected. (Snip)

NMC's health department officials visited 100 residents, who were suspected of having swine. 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 Apr 17, 2012 at 06:01:43 AM UTC

CIDRAP: Study shows poor survival of H5N1 viruses in lab-created aquatic biotopes

Although highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu viruses lasted no more than 4 days in rainwater and not at all in experimental aquatic environments, their RNA lasted a week in pond and lake water and almost three times that long in rainwater (Snip)

Using mud and water from Cambodian ponds and a lake in an area where an H5N1 outbreak had occurred, researchers (Snip) conducted experiments on biotopes without plant and animal life and biotopes that included aquatic plants and animals such as guppies, tadpoles, snails, and clams. They found that H5N1 viruses persisted only in rainwater, for up to 4 days. Viral RNA (but not infectious particles) persisted for up to 7 day in pond and lake water and up to 20 days in rainwater. The researchers also found infectious particles for up to 6 days in mussels and for 1 day in tadpoles and Siamese fighting fish, "although these organisms seemed to be mostly passive carriers of the virus rather than host allowing virus replication," (Snip)

(Snip) "Our results, along with previous data, support the idea that environmental surveillance is of major relevance for avian influenza control programs." http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidr...

Apr 13 PLoS One study: http://www.plosone.org/article...

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 Apr 17, 2012 at 06:22:16 AM UTC

Study: Airport screening didn't slow pandemic spread into New Zealand

(Snip)

The airport's screening program was in effect for about 2 months, from Apr 27 through Jun 22, 2009. Airline staffers were asked to observe and report on the health of passengers, and the cabin crew asked sick passengers to identify themselves and be screened. Sick passengers were assessed by a nurse or medical officer, and swabs were taken from those who met the case definition. Those with flulike illness were given oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and sent home or to an isolation facility. The screening program found only 4 infected passengers of 456,518 who arrived at the airport during that period.

Researchers estimated that only 69 infected passengers passed through the airport, which translates to a sensitivity of 5.8%. For entry screening to delay the spread of pandemic flu by 1.5 weeks, border restrictions would have needed to reduce imported infections by 90%, which they did not do. The authors suggested that border screening might be useful for other reasons, such as providing public reassurance or communicating health information. http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidr...

May Emerg Infect Dis report: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/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 Apr 17, 2012 at 06:36:43 AM UTC

"Providing public reassurance..."?

Border screening might be conducted for reasons other than preventing or delaying an epidemic. It might provide public assurance and confidence that something is being done (14).

14.  Samaan G, Patel M, Spencer J, Roberts L. Border screening for SARS in Australia: what has been learnt? Med J Aust. 2004;180:220-3.PubMedExternal Web Site Icon

RESULTS:

There were 1.84 million arrivals into Australia during the study period, and 794 were referred for screening to AQIS staff. Of these, the findings in four travellers were consistent with the World Health Organization case definition for SARS, and they were referred by the Chief Quarantine Officers to designated hospitals for further investigation. None of these people was confirmed to have SARS. One person reported as a probable SARS case acknowledged being symptomatic on arrival, but had been missed by border screening.
CONCLUSIONS:

The low identification rate was attributed to the low prevalence of SARS, the use of exit screening by affected countries, and the subjective measures used in the screening process. With current knowledge about SARS, border screening should focus on educating incoming travellers, especially groups at high risk of transmitting the disease (the elderly and those with underlying chronic illnesses). Objective screening measures should be used during SARS outbreaks to prevent importation of the disease.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/si...

So we (as well as non-flubies) are supposed to be reassured by "something being done"?  

SARS is a very different disease, much more serious, isn't it?  And more rare, thank goodness.  Exit examinations sound like a good first step, but can that be made mandatory in all countries, when a pandemic is occurring ?  Is there a union of flight attendants, I wonder?  Maybe the pilots union could insist on pre-flight checks for passengers.  They'd probably like to avoid illness too.

"The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it."  Flannery O'Connor

---

by: Jane @ Wed Apr 18, 2012 at 02:47:55 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Philippines: Manila suspends imports of poultry from Taiwan

MANILA--The Philippines has suspended imports of Taiwanese poultry and related products because of recent reports of the presence of avian influenza at chicken farms in Taiwan.

The Philippines' Department of Agriculture said that at least one chicken farm, in Liujia, Tainan, had reported an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza. ...

The officials said the Philippines is one of only a few Asian countries that are "avian flu-free,"

http://www.chinapost.com.tw/ta...

---

by: Ruby Murray @ Tue Apr 17, 2012 at 19:09:03 PM UTC

Mutant-flu researcher plans to publish even without permission

Ron Fouchier, a researcher at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, whose work on H5N1 avian flu virus has been at the centre of controversy, says that he is prepared to defy government demands and submit the work to Science without seeking the export permit that the Dutch government says is required.

A government official says that such an action could incur penalties including up to six years' imprisonment.
(Snip)
In December, the US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) said that experimental details of the two studies should be redacted from any publications, on the basis of concerns that the information could be used by bioterrorists. The board also feared that publishing the details would prompt more laboratories to work on the viruses, making an accidental release more likely. The NSABB revised its position on 30 March, voting 12-to-6 in favour of publishing a revised version of Fouchier's paper and unanimously for full publication of a revised version of Kawaoka's paper. The decision came after a two-day meeting with the researchers and other flu experts to assess revised versions of the manuscripts (Snip).

Fouchier has complained in recent weeks that despite the NSABB decision in favour of publication, the Dutch government's export controls have prevented him from submitting to Science and from publicly presenting data on his revised manuscript. By contrast, Kawaoka gave a presentation of his data just after the NSABB meeting (Snip).

Jan van Diepen, a spokesman for the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation, says, however, that the government has not received an application from the Erasmus Medical Centre for an export permit for the revised paper, and so has been unable to decide whether to grant a permit.

Matters seem likely to come to a head next week. The Dutch government is planning a meeting on 23 April to assess the risks and benefits of publishing the research. The meeting will bring together 30 or so government experts in areas of biosafety, public health and virology from many of the countries involved, such as the United States, Japan, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Vietnam and Indonesia, the last two of which supplied the H5N1 viral isolates used in the research.

Fouchier and his collaborators will also attend, as will journal editors and representatives of the World Health Organization, the European Commission and the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention.

Much more here: http://www.nature.com/news/mut...

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 Apr 17, 2012 at 21:56:30 PM UTC

US: More flu cases confirmed at Conn. veterans home

Connecticut (AP) Four more veterans at the state veterans' home have been hospitalized for treatment following an outbreak of influenza at the Rocky Hill complex. (Snip) a total of 22 veterans have been sent to area hospitals since Monday. One veteran has returned to the home, which includes a health care center and a residential facility.

(Snip) public health officials have taken nasal swabs of residents reporting flu-like symptoms to determine if this is an identified flu strain. Schwartz said the outbreak is unusual because the veterans had received flu shots. Also, it is late in the flu season.

(Snip) the veterans being hospitalized remain in stable condition and 11 staff are off work with flu-like symptoms. http://www2.wjtv.com/news/2012...

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 Apr 17, 2012 at 22:02:06 PM UTC

Swine flu cases rise to 18 in city

Mumbai - Another swine flu case was reported in the city taking the tally to 18. A 72-year-old woman from Worli was tested positive (Snip) on Tuesday. This was the sixth case the city has seen in the past week. "The patient has already been administered Tamiflu. She is stable" (Snip) Despite rising numbers of cases in the city, health officials continue to state that there is no reason for panic. 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

     

---

by: Carol@SC @ Tue Apr 17, 2012 at 22:13:55 PM UTC

This is the city of Mumbai in the state of Maharashtra, India

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 Apr 17, 2012 at 22:35:31 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

India: State ill-prepared on swine flu (Andhra Pradesh)

Even as several cases of swine flu are being reported from some parts in the state, the government seems to be clueless on how to tackle the health hazard as most government hospitals are not equipped with ventilators and other requisite medical paraphernalia to provide treatment to infected patients in the Godavari districts.

In East Godavari, the government general hospital in Kakinada has 10 ventilators and most are used for medical emergency cases to treat patients who have suffered a head injury and those who require neuro surgery after road accidents or fire mishaps. Such cases from both the Godavari districts are being referred to the GGH in Kakinada for treatment as the government general hospital at Eluru is not equipped with a ventilator and other requisite medical equipment.

In order to treat a patient infected with H1N1 virus, the hospital should be equipped with a ventilator, a multi-media monitor and an infusion pump.

Health authorities maintain that they sent a proposal to state government for their purchase. So far, there was no response from government. Last year, one swine flu case was detected in Kakinada and it was referred to the government hospital in Visakhapatnam for want of medical equipment locally. Continued: http://www.deccanchronicle.com...

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 Apr 17, 2012 at 22:19:14 PM UTC

Please post new news stories to...

News Reports for April 18, 2012

Thank you!

---

by: AlohaOR @ Wed Apr 18, 2012 at 04:11:54 AM UTC