News Reports for April 19, 2012

Bangladesh: Nursing students afflicted with H1N1

At least 14 nursing students at Kurigram Nursing Training Institute have been found afflicted with swine flu (Snip) "More than 45 students suffering from fever and other complications were brought to the IEDCR for treatment last week, and 14 tested positive for H1N1 positive," he said.

Earlier, an IEDCR team visited the nursing training institute after the deputy civil surgeon of the district informed that 49 students of the dormitory were down with an unknown ailment. "They complained of fever, headache, throat ache, cough and occasional vomiting," Continued: http://www.gulf-times.com/site...

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 @ Thu Apr 19, 2012 at 05:37:54 AM UTC

Bangladesh: 31 patients to be examined tomorrow

89 others under observation

The medical board (Snip) in Kurigram, will examine the infected and other students of the district's nursing training institute tomorrow.
(Snip)
Aminul Islam, health officer at Kurigram Sadar Upazila hospital, said all the 31 infected students of the nursing institute were shifted to their dormitory rooms from the isolation unit after treatment. However, they are not yet allowed to go outside and move around, he added.

A team from Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) on Tuesday diagnosed these students of Kurigram Nursing Institute with swine flu.

"We have kept 89 other students of the institute under medication suspecting they might have contracted the flu. Their 10-day treatment will end on Saturday," (Snip)

A total of 105 cases of swine flu have been detected from January to March. This year the deadly disease hit the country early although it usually breaks out between April and September. (Snip) http://www.thedailystar.net/ne...

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 @ Thu Apr 19, 2012 at 19:56:28 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

UK: Two die, five in hospital, after flu outbreak in nursing home (Wales)

TWO patients have died and five are in hospital following a flu virus outbreak in two Swansea nursing homes. Public Health Wales is investigating the outbreaks which have also affected staff.

Eight patients at one home have tested positive for influenza A and of those, five have been hospitalised and two have died. A further nine patients and three staff there have been unwell with symptoms of flu.

Thirty of the 38 patients at the nursing home have been offered the antiviral Tamiflu - 10 because they are already unwell and 20 to prevent them from becoming unwell.

At the second nursing home, 12 out of 46 patients have been ill with flu-like symptoms and nine people have tested positive for influenza A. One person from the home has been admitted to hospital. Continued: http://www.walesonline.co.uk/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 @ Thu Apr 19, 2012 at 05:45:51 AM UTC

India: 81% H1N1 cases came in 2 weeks of March (Maharashtra)

MUMBAI: The H1N1 influenza virus claimed double the number of lives in the last two weeks of March than in the preceding 50 weeks between April last year and mid-March this year. The number of positive cases across the state also registered a hike in the last two weeks of March with 81% being reported during this period, reveal reports compiled by the state government's public health department.

While the virus claimed five lives in the state between April last year and March 15 this year, the number leapt to 12 in the last two weeks of March. Statistics reveal a similar trend in positive cases which jumped from 60 between April last and March 15 to 346 in the fortnight. The city, much like the rest of the state, saw five positive cases at the end of March as compared to two between April last and March 15.

The sudden spurt in H1N1 deaths has taken medical experts by surprize as the virus lay dormant for a good part of last year and the beginning of this year.

(Snip) state epidemiologist Dr Pradeep Awate said a majority of the patients was in the age group of 20 to 40. "But more than 60% of those who died were above 40 years of age and had some underlying health condition," 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 @ Thu Apr 19, 2012 at 05:53:06 AM UTC

Flu outbreak on cruise ship

A significant number of passengers were still suffering from the symptoms of a major flu-outbreak aboard the luxury cruise ship 'Arcadia', when it called at the port of Walvis Bay last Friday. Many were not able to disembark at major ports, as the symptoms included severe coughing and shortness of breath, obliging especially elderly passengers to stay aboard.

Passengers referred to the flu as the "Arcadian Cough." Many were confined to their cabins onboard and advised to stay indoors. The ship's medical staff was inundated with patients taking ill on the journey, some whom were treated and returned to their cabins while some were kept in the ship's hospital for observation.
(Snip)
"Arcadia" is on a four-month world cruise that started in Southampton, via the Mediterranean and the Suez Canal to Asia, Australia, the Indian Ocean and Cape Town. It is now on the north-bound return-journey to the United Kingdom traveling via Walvis Bay, St. Helena and Tenerife. http://www.informante.web.na/i...

(Note: 4 month world cruise?..... OMG! That's exactly what I need!!)

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 @ Thu Apr 19, 2012 at 06:04:49 AM UTC

India: 1 in Tamil Nadu, 5 in Pondy test positive for H1

MADURAI/PUDUCHERRY: A sexagenarian from Madurai and five persons from Puducherry, including one from Karaikal, have tested positive for H1N1.

In Madurai, Kaliammal (60) of Melamasi Street, who was admitted to the Government Rajaji Hospital, tested positive for swine flu on Wednesday. Kaliammmal was admitted to the hospital with cold and cough. Doctors sent her throat swabs for tests, which revealed she was infected with swine flu. She was kept in isolation at a ward in the hospital. It may be noted that, this is the first case testing positive for swine flu in Madurai this year.

Vignesh Ramanan (7) and Anand C (25), a doctor, both from Puducherry, were among the five who tested positive for swine flu at JIPMER on Monday.

Two others who tested positive had been referred from the Indira Gandhi Government General Hospital and Post Graduate Institute, while another one was referred from Karaikal. Continued: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/1-i...

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 @ Thu Apr 19, 2012 at 06:23:02 AM UTC

CIDRAP: Laos set to launch seasonal flu vaccine campaign

Laos will launch its first seasonal flu vaccination campaign on Apr 24, the next phase of a 6-year collaboration between the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) to improve the country's surveillance for flu and severe respiratory illnesses (Snip)

Walgreens has donated 375,000 doses of the vaccine, which Lao officials will target to high-risk groups such as pregnant women. The CDC said the country's capacity to distribute and administer flu vaccine has improved, and Laos successfully conducted a 2009 H1N1 immunization campaign with vaccine provided by the WHO and Australia.

The CDC said the Laos flu season coincides with the rainy season, which starts in July and runs through December. Recent surveillance suggests that the flu viruses in Laos are the same as those circulating in the Northern Hemisphere, which means that the donated vaccine should help prevent disease in the country. Continued: http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidr...

Apr 17 CDC statement: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/spotlig...

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 @ Thu Apr 19, 2012 at 06:37:41 AM UTC

CIDRAP: H5N1 hits cluster of chicken farms in China

An outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza has hit several farms in China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region (Snip) It said 10,468 of 23,880 affected chickens died, and another 84,532 were destroyed to arrest the outbreak, for a total of 95,000 chickens lost in the Yuanzhou district of the city of Guyan. The virus's presence was confirmed by the Harbin Veterinary Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Officials said the source of the infection was unknown. (Snip) http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidr...

Apr 18 OIE report: http://web.oie.int/wahis/publi...

Apr 18 China Daily story: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/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 @ Thu Apr 19, 2012 at 06:42:04 AM UTC

Connecticut: Flu spreads at veterans home to 23

23 veterans living at the state veteran's home in Rocky Hill have been hospitalized with the flu. The home has been open for more than 70 years, but administrators say, "We've never seen anything like this here." "The curious thing about this was that most of our veterans that have this flu also had their flu shots," said Linda Schwartz, the Commissioner of Veterans Affairs.

The Department of Public Health says the flu has hit late nationally this year, but has been mild. "That there were some cases around the state, but they didn't really say much more about that," Schwartz said. The V.A. and public health department are awaiting results of cultures taken Tuesday, not wanting to take any chances.

http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/h...

United we stand: Divided we fall
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by: cottontop @ Thu Apr 19, 2012 at 09:57:31 AM UTC

State Officials ID Strain Of Flu That Caused Outbreak At Rocky Hill Vets Home

H3N2, A Strain Targeted By This Season's Vaccine, Is The Culprit

The strain of flu that sent 24 veterans living at a Rocky Hill residential home to the hospital has been identified as one that was targeted by this year's influenza vaccine.

Linda Schwartz, commissioner of the state Department of Veterans' Affairs, said Thursday that state health officials have informed her that it was the H3N2 strain that caused several veterans at the Connecticut State Veterans Home to get sick. The vaccine that was given for this season protects against influenza B and H1N1 and H3N2, two subtypes of influenza A.

Veterans were sent to the hospital between Sunday and Tuesday. Schwartz said Thursday that no one "in the last 24 hours" had been hospitalized.

Because so many veterans caught the flu, Schwartz said she had worried that it may have been a new strain for which there was no vaccine. Schwartz said all the veterans at the home received a shot. "We'll be looking at the batches and see if there any indication that there was a flaw," she said.

Lynn Sosa, deputy state epidemiologist, said earlier this week that the vaccine could have lost its effectiveness because it is now so late in the flu season. Even though several veterans caught the flu, Schwartz said the situation likely would have been much worse had they not been vaccinated. "The protection afforded by the vaccination has minimized the clinical symptoms, so that they're not as severe," she said.

http://www.courant.com/health/...

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by: Ruby Murray @ Thu Apr 19, 2012 at 23:38:48 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Bird Flu Outbreak in China: H5N1 Influenza Pandemic Fears Surge

Bird flu pandemic fears are back. Reports of an H5N1 outbreak in China have surfaced once again - are we in danger of an Avian flu epidemic?

According to the AFP, the outbreak started in the Township of Touying in the  Ningxia region last Friday, when more than 23,000 chickens began showing signs and symptoms of H5N1. The Ministry of Agriculture reported that the epidemic is under control, and preventive measures are being put into place. As of April 18, 2012, there have been no reports of humans becoming sick from this bird flu outbreak. Continued: http://www.decodedscience.com/...

(Opinion: China produces more poultry than any other country. H5N1 is endemic throughout China. Does each outbreak in poultry bring us closer to a H5N1 pandemic? Maybe, because it exposes more people to the virus. Are both small and large outbreaks frequently occurring in China? I think the answer to that is yes. Does each human case increase the likelihood of H5N1 going pandemic? Probably, because of host adaption. Are there many more human cases occurring in China that are being covered up? I would bet on it! Is the Chinese government ever truthful and forthcoming about H5N1 outbreaks in poultry and/or human cases? NEVER!)  

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 @ Thu Apr 19, 2012 at 16:14:56 PM UTC

India: FAO to probe resurgence of H5N1 virus in Tripura

AGARTALA: Reports of repeated resurgence of pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Tripura have prompted the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to send a five-member specialist team to the state on Wednesday to investigate the matter.

According to official records, as many as 13 lakh (1,300,000) poultry have either died or been culled in the past four years in Tripura. The poultry industry has received a setback due to frequent outbreaks of avian flu and the state has incurred an estimated loss of Rs 25 crore over the years. More than 10,000 poultry farmers and nine state-owned companies, including the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), have borne the brunt of the outbreaks.

Animal resource development minister Aghore Debbarma said that the state government had requested FAO to investigate the reasons of frequent occurrence of bird flu in government-run companies over the past three years.

FAO had earlier warned six Asian countries including India against bird flu and had suggested they focus on preparedness and surveillance to tackle possible outbreaks. There were signs that a mutant strain of the deadly virus, with unpredictable risks to human health, is spreading in Asia and beyond.

Allegedly, the state animal resource department did not take adequate measures following reports of regular death of chicks and ducks in Udaipur (south Tripura) poultry farms and adjoining localities, precipitating the crisis. According to sources, the directorate was regularly informed of the outbreaks of the virus and death of poultry in Udaipur. In some cases, bird samples were also sent to the directorate, but the authorities neither responded to the reports nor probed the death of birds. 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 @ Thu Apr 19, 2012 at 18:13:26 PM UTC

Please post new news stories to...

News Reports for April 20, 2012

Thank you!

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by: AlohaOR @ Fri Apr 20, 2012 at 04:01:09 AM UTC