News Reports for April 21, 2012

CIDRAP: Flu activity slows across the US and Europe

Apr 20, 2012 (CIDRAP News) - Flu activity in the United States continued a steady retreat last week, a pattern echoed by surveillance markers in Europe, health officials said today in their influenza updates.

The flu season got an unusually late start this year in both the United States and Europe, and experts at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have said flu activity could last for weeks to come. The CDC reported that nearly all flu markers decreased last week, including the percentage of respiratory specimens that tested positive for flu, which dropped from 21% to 17.5%.

Nationally, the percentage of doctor visits for flulike illness held steady at 1.5%, though the percentage for one of the CDC's regions-the one that includes Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington-was above the area-specific baseline for the second week in a row.

Two more pediatric flu deaths were reported, raising the season's total to 15. One of the deaths involved the 2009 H1N1 virus, and the other was linked to H3N2. Overall deaths from pneumonia and flu fell from 7.5% to 7.0%, putting this marker below the seasonal baseline.

During virus testing for susceptibility to antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir, all remained susceptible, except for a limited number of 2009 H1N1 viruses. Six additional samples showed resistance to oseltamivir, raising the season's total to 13.

Six states reported widespread geographic spread of flu last week, representing a decrease of four from the previous week.

Last week the CDC said sporadic flu activity in the United States included outbreaks in nursing homes, where residents are routinely vaccinated, and other institutions. Isolated media accounts have reported them as well, along with suspicions that the outbreaks were sparked by different or drifted flu strains. 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

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Sat Apr 21, 2012 at 05:10:38 AM UTC

India: 3 more H1N1 cases in Bangalore (Karnataka)

BANGALORE: Three persons tested positive for swine flu on Friday, taking the number of H1N1 cases to 167 in the city.

Eight persons have died due to the virus since January 1, 2012 (Snip)

(Snip) awareness about the disease has gone up in two years and people have become more alert about the symptoms. "Preventive measures taken by the government, private practitioners (Snip), hospitals have helped in keeping the disease in control," Dr Malagi 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

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Sat Apr 21, 2012 at 05:16:23 AM UTC

US: Bainville school closes due to flu outbreak (Montana)

Health officials in Roosevelt County, Mont., ordered the Bainville School to cancel classes Thursday and Friday due to a flu outbreak.

(Snip) the "Influenza A" virus is making its way around Bainville, and on Wednesday, 28 of the school's nearly 150 students had called in sick.

To prevent more people from getting sick, the county health department ordered the school to cancel classes. A work crew was cleaning and sanitizing the school on Friday. (Snip) http://www.willistonherald.com...  

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 @ Sat Apr 21, 2012 at 05:51:35 AM UTC

US: SD Department of Health: 4 flu deaths last week (South Dakota)

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - The South Dakota Department of Health says four flu deaths were reported last week.

(Snip) that brings the total for this season to 15 flu-related deaths, with 14 in the 63 to 95 age group and one in the 50 to 64 age group. There have been 149 hospitalizations this season.

The department says that both the severity and geographic spread were low for the week. (Snip) 461 lab-confirmed cases so far this season. http://www.ksfy.com/story/1763...

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 @ Sat Apr 21, 2012 at 05:55:12 AM UTC

Bangladesh: Swine flu patients improving

The health of all 31 swine flu infected students of Kurigram Nursing Training Institute has been gradually improving since they were first diagnosed with the disease on Tuesday.

They were recovering after being treated with Oseltamivir, an anti-influenza drug, widely used worldwide for treating the highly infectious disease.

A medical board composed of physicians from local hospitals will conduct a medical check up on them this morning, on the concluding day of the five-day dosage of the drug. Continued: 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 @ Sat Apr 21, 2012 at 05:58:30 AM UTC

CIDRAP: Bhutan reports H5N1 in backyard poultry

Livestock officials in Bhutan today reported that lab tests have detected H5N1 avian influenza in backyard poultry in Mongar district (Snip) An outbreak killed 70 of 265 susceptible free-ranging chickens in Yangbari and Patong villages. Samples from one carcass tested positive for H5N1 (Snip) but samples from 16 other birds were negative, according to the report. Since surveillance showed no other cases within 3 kilometers, officials said the event "could be a suspected H5N1 outbreak." (Snip) Mongar district is located in eastern Bhutan. http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidr...

(Note:  "officials said the event could be a suspected H5N1 outbreak." LOL I don't think it's going to work for "the officials" to play politics and try to put a positive spin on it.)

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 @ Sat Apr 21, 2012 at 06:21:58 AM UTC

UK: Carmarthenshire Nursing Home (Wales)

A recent report of flu-like illness in Carmarthenshire nursing home has been getting the attention of one and all. So far, one has already lost his life and some five patients have been hospitalized. However, there is no confirmed report that the man died due to flu or there was some other reason to it.

It was further reported that out of 35 nursing home residents, there were as many as 21 who have been identified with the flu-like symptoms in the last ten days. Continued:  http://frenchtribune.com/teneu...

(Note: This appears to be a different nursing home from the two nursing homes in Swansea where there was an outbreak of flu in the past few days that killed several residents and hospitalized others. An article on that is here: 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 @ Sat Apr 21, 2012 at 15:01:17 PM UTC

UK: Two die after flu outbreak at Leamington hospital

TWO pensioners have died after a flu outbreak at a rehabilitation hospital in Warwickshire this week. The "frail" patients - who have not been named - were recovering on a ward at the Royal Leamington Spa Rehabilitation Hospital when they were struck down by the influenza A virus.

Bosses swiftly closed the ward to new admissions and suspended visiting to try and stop the outbreak spreading to other vulnerable patients.
(Snip)
A spokeswoman said the flu outbreak occurred on the Arden Ward, a GP-led unit that provides care for frail and elderly patients who are discharged from other hospitals but are not ready to return home. "This group of patients are more susceptible to illnesses such as seasonal flu and we can confirm that there have been two deaths where seasonal flu has been a contributing factor," she said.
(Snip)
Experts from the Health Protection Agency have also been drafted in to advise hospital staff on how best to cope with the flu outbreak.

The deaths in Leamington follow a similar outbreak at two care homes in Swansea, south Wales, this week which has killed two people and left another 17 seriously ill in hospital.
(Snip)

George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton has also reported a small number of patients arriving with flu. Continued: http://www.coventrytelegraph.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 @ Sat Apr 21, 2012 at 15:29:50 PM UTC

China: Case of severe paediatric flu confirmed (Hong Kong)

The Centre for Health Protection is investigating a confirmed case of severe paediatric influenza A.
(Snip) a boy aged 7 with a past history of good health, was found to be suffering from diarrhoea last Monday and a fever and sore throat the next day.

His voice became hoarse, he developed shortness of breath and was admitted to Queen Mary Hospital last Thursday, where doctors diagnosed severe tracheitis.

The boy was transferred that day to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, where his condition is now critical. Tests confirmed that he has influenza A.

The boy had not recently travelled out of Hong Kong, and his family are free of symptoms. (Snip)  http://rthk.hk/rthk/news/engli...  

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 @ Sat Apr 21, 2012 at 16:06:31 PM UTC

CDC H3N2v Detection Failures Raise Pandemic Concerns

Recombinomics Commentary

On March 29 a child between the ages of 0-5 presented to a local ER with a high fever, sore throat, and intermittent headache.

Testing results suggested a variant influenza strain, which was confirmed today as swine-origin influenza A H3N2 by CDC.

The child had contact a week prior with swine at a family-owned slaughterhouse.

The above comments are from an April 9 post by the Canyon View Medical Group, with offices in Weber County, Utah.  The Canyon View post was two days prior to the press release by the Weber Morgan Health Department and 3 days prior to the initial announcement by the CDC, suggesting the Canyon View Medical Group had first-hand knowledge of this case.

The swine contact 7 days prior to disease onset, and the USDA comments on the absence of symptomatic swine at the facility, decrease the likelihood that the child was infected by swine contact.  The sequences (Snip) from this case demonstrate a closely similarity with the sequences (Snip) from the West Virginia H3N2v cluster linked to a Mineral count day care center, which included influenza like illness in 23 contacts of the index case, with the absence of swine exposure for the index case and symptomatic contacts.  Moreover, the sequences in the two tested cases were virtually identical and represented a novel constellation (the N2 gene was from a swine H3N2 lineage instead of the H1N2 lineage present in the first 10 human cases I 2011.  This novel constellation has never been reported in swine, but was present in the first human case of 2012.

The gap between the first case in 2012 (March 29) and the last case in 2011 (December 7) represents the pear of the flu season in the United States yet no H3N2v cases were identified.  This detection failure, in spite of a CDC alert issued during the investigation of the West Virginia cluster, and a plea for samples in a January, 2012 MMWR, highlights the limitations of the CDC PCR test, which is used by states laboratories in the United States and many countries, including those in Europe.  A recent report on H3N2v testing in Europe also cited a failure in the detection of H3N2v, again highlighting the limitations of this assay, which relies on cross reactivity with H3 seasonal flu coupled with NP H1N1pdm09.  (Snip) most samples are either negative or inconclusive or incorrectly identify the sample as seasonal H3N2.

(Snip) testing during the height of the flu seasonal fails to detect H3N2v, and limits detection to periods when seasonal H3N2 levels are low, suspicions are raised by a history of "swine exposure" or RNA levels (Snip)

These detection failures highlight the need for CDC sequencing of samples from young children (under 5) with influenza like illness. 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

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Sat Apr 21, 2012 at 19:21:12 PM UTC

Please post new news stories to...

News Reports for April 22, 2012

Thank you!

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by: AlohaOR @ Sun Apr 22, 2012 at 03:30:38 AM UTC