News Reports for April 23, 2012

India: 5 new cases of A(H1N1) reported in city, suburbs (Tamil Nadu)

Five new cases of swine flu were reported in the city and suburbs on Sunday taking the total up to 36 cases of A (H1N1).

Of the five, one 31-year-old pregnant woman has been admitted to the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in Egmore. She is from M.S. Nagar and has been kept in the isolation ward. (Snip) a 17-month-old male baby from Tiruvottiyur and Aravind, a 19-year-old from Mangadu, have been kept in home quarantine. Gokul (23) of Valasaravakkam and Sathyabhama (55) of Porur have been admitted to Sri Ramachandra Medical College in Porur. "None of these patients are in danger. They have had no history of travel either. The virus is in transmission in the community," he said.

Regarding community vaccination, (Snip) initially vulnerable pockets of Chennai and Coimbatore that have more cases would be targeted. He said there were adequate stocks of Tamiflu in the State (Snip) Community vaccination is to begin by the end of this week. (Snip) "We ourselves have a shortage of vaccines. Once we get them, may be we can sanction some to private hospitals." (Snip)

In the State, the total number of cases moved to 73 cases which includes, Coimbatore with 18 cases, Tiruppur 5, Cuddalore and Madurai 3 each and Karur and Tiruvallur 2 each.

Two new cases of a mother and a 4-month-old baby were reported on Sunday in Tiruppur. They have been kept in home quarantine. http://www.thehindu.com/news/c...

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

     

---

by: Carol@SC @ Mon Apr 23, 2012 at 06:00:53 AM UTC

India: 7 more H1N1 cases in Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: Seven more persons were found to be infected with the AH1N1 virus across Tamil Nadu, taking the total to 73 cases, on Sunday.

Four persons tested for swine flu from Chennai returned positive, but were not in mortal danger (Snip) A 17-month-old child was among those affected (Snip) one person was receiving care at a government hospital, two persons from Mangadu were receiving treatment at the Sri Ramachandra Medical College and the last affected persons was currently at home. The others persons who tested positive were a mother and son duo from Tirupur and a male patient from Tiruvallur. (Snip)

A few concerns have been raised after two infants were infected with the virus, but health department said that all measures possible were being taken to give the immunization shots to new-borns and children wherever possible. http://expressbuzz.com/cities/...

(Note: This article says there are 73 total cases and the article above says there are 36.)

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

     

---

by: Carol@SC @ Mon Apr 23, 2012 at 07:04:09 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Oops! I made a mistake.

The articles do agree that there are 73 cases across the state of Tamil Nadu. The 36 cases are in the city and suburbs of Chennai.  

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

     

---

by: Carol@SC @ Mon Apr 23, 2012 at 13:08:49 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

India: Punjab records first swine flu death

CHANDIGARH: The deadly swine flu is back in Punjab, with the state reporting the season's first fatality due to the disease, sending the state health department -- that grappled with more than 300 such cases over the last two years -- into a tizzy.

Vijay Kumar, 35, resident of Nangal -- a town located on the banks of the country's biggest dam Bhakra Nangal - died in Ludhiana on Friday evening. Kumar, who died at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) was one of the two patients from the state, who had tested H1N1 positive earlier this month.

"The patient's blood sample showed high level of infection which usually happens in this flu, if not reported on time. By the time he was here, he had septicemia , (Snip) resulting in a cardiac arrest," (Snip)

Lack of isolation wards, bed facilities and ventilators at district hospitals in Punjab have been a cause of concern. Between 2009 and 2010, there were 252 people in Punjab who tested positive for the flu, leaving 73 of them dead due to delay in treatment. A woefully small number of central government laboratories with facilities to test throat swabs for swine flu has already hampered the early treatment of patients.

(Snip) PGIMER is the only hospital in the state, equipped with the swab facility, to deal with patients' reports from 24 districts, along with neighbouring states of Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. The state's health department, however, defends the state goverment's "adequate facilities" to tackle the deadly flu.

"In the entire country, we have 6-7 labs with testing facilities. It takes a lot of money and equipment to build such a lab. We have a stockpile of oseltamivir tablets (anti-viral drug) for 15,000 people here in Chandigarh and 23,000 people in other districts," said Dr Deepak Bhatia, nodal officer, Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme, Punjab. 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 @ Mon Apr 23, 2012 at 06:10:06 AM UTC

Taiwan: CDC confirms positive test for H5N2 antibodies

TAIPEI--The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) confirmed Sunday that three poultry workers and officials working in animal quarantine have tested positive for antibodies for the H5N2 strain of avian influenza. (Snip) all three people are healthy and none have developed any flu symptoms CDC Deputy Director-General Chou Jih-haw said, adding that there is no public health risk of human-to-human transmission.

Chou noted that (Snip) the antibodies could also be a result of cross-reactivity because all three received flu vaccinations last year and all had received H5N1 vaccination in March or April.

Taiwan confirmed the first outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza March 3 after chicken farms in Changhua and Nantou counties, as well as in Tainan, reported avian flu outbreaks. Over 75,000 chickens have been culled (Snip) http://www.chinapost.com.tw/ta...

(Note: "all had received H5N1 vaccination in March or April"??? Where did the vaccine come from? Maybe China because I think Synovac in China is the only company that has produced an available vaccine but it hasn't been put into mass production yet, to my knowledge. I don't think the H5N2 positive test results is due to cross reactivity with the seasonal or H1N1 swine flu vaccine they received. I have a lot of questions on this.)

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

     

---

by: Carol@SC @ Mon Apr 23, 2012 at 06:30:39 AM UTC

Taiwan: H5N2 avian flu does not affect humans - CDC

Taipei, April 23 (CNA) The H5N2 strain of avian influenza does not cause disease in humans, the (Taiwan) Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Monday after three people in Taiwan were confirmed Sunday to have tested positive for antibodies to the contagious bird flu.

The three people -- two animal quarantine officials and a worker on a chicken farm -- were the first humans to have tested positive for antibodies to the flu strain since outbreaks of the disease at local chicken farms were made public in March.

At a press conference to address public concerns over the cases, animal quarantine official Huang Kwo-ching, citing a statement by the World Health Organization, said the H5N2 flu can only spread among birds and does not cause human diseases.

The three people are healthy and have not developed any flu symptoms, said Huang, the deputy director general of the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine.

Deputy Health Minister Lin Tzou-yien suggested that the presence of the antibodies could be a result of cross-reactivity because two of the three people received seasonal flu vaccinations last year and all of them got H5N1 flu vaccinations more recently.

But Lin could not completely rule out the possibility of the three contracting the flu but not showing any symptoms. Continued: http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews...

(Note: "the World Health Organization, said the H5N2 flu can only spread among birds and does not cause human diseases" If the test were correct then clearly it did spread to humans. The H5N2 strain doesn't now cause illness in humans but that could change in the future. I'm sure there will be extensive test done to determine if these 3 people really did contract the H5N2 virus. I hope we see the results of those test.)  

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

     

---

by: Carol@SC @ Mon Apr 23, 2012 at 13:49:12 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Bangladesh: Situation Grave - Poor watch misses it all

The government does not have the real figure of bird flue-affected fowls due to poor monitoring and surveillance of the livestock department, said sources at livestock department and farm owners' associations. According to the Department of Livestock Services (DLS), a total of 21 bird flu outbreaks were recorded from January 1 to April 5 this year across the country and 1,02,348 fowls were culled during this period.

However, farm owners and livestock department sources claim that the real figure of infected ones is much greater than the reported numbers of culled fowls since around half of 1.5 (150,000) lakh poultry farms were closed over past two years mainly due to bird flu. A total of 5,79,850 birds were culled last year while 1,75,085 in 2010, according to the DLS.

Poor surveillance over the years on commercial and backyard poultry farms and absence of compensation for culled fowls this season led to the closure of the farms, said experts and leaders of farm owners' associations. Several high officials in livestock department admitted that they apparently have no arrangement to conduct surveillance work in rural areas since they have no staff except three workers under Avian Influenza Preparedness and Response Project (AIPRP) in each upazila.

Sources at the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) on April 6 said they got reports of fresh bird flu outbreaks in Pabna, Khulna, Rajbari, Jessore and Chapainawabganj districts in the last two weeks. The livestock department sources said usually the intensity of flu prevails from November to April, but last year they received outbreak reports till July.

Amid such a situation, the government in the beginning of this month set up check posts at 13 entry points to the capital and some other important points across the country in a bid to detect infected fowls and cull them on the spot. The government also for the first time decided to bring the farm owners under the Animal Disease Act to check supply of infected fowls in the markets. The act has provisions for two years' imprisonment and a fine of Tk 10,000. 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

     

---

by: Carol@SC @ Mon Apr 23, 2012 at 06:41:35 AM UTC

Bangladesh: Editorial - Coping with viral outbreaks

All the 31 swine flu patients in Kurigram Nursing Institute are reportedly on their way to recovery after a five-day regimen on an anti-viral drug, said to be 'widely used worldwide' to combat the disease. Up until now the advice has been, to quarantine patients and give enough supportive care, keeping fevers down and preventing dehydration with plenty of easily digestible liquid nourishment. From there, the body's own healing powers can work wonders, according to holistic health activists who consider so-called anti-viral drugs unnecessary because they are largely ineffective and can even be harmful.

Be that as it may, this time round a coordinated approach to combat the outbreak did not allow unnecessary panic to get the better of the public, thanks largely to the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR). The living conditions of the stricken nurses, shown by the media to be quite congested, clearly has to improve. It is overcrowding, together with poor hygiene and inadequate nutrition, which presents the perfect environment for all kinds of air-borne diseases to thrive and spread fast. Unfortunately, most hostels and dorms in Bangladesh suffer from overcrowding, and if accompanied with lack of proper ventilation and bad personal habits - coughing, spitting and sneezing carelessly - they are most suspect. In this respect, air-conditioned facilities can turn into veritable depots of disease. Continued: http://www.thefinancialexpress...  

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

     

---

by: Carol@SC @ Mon Apr 23, 2012 at 06:52:06 AM UTC

UK: Child flu jabs would 'stop 80% of flu and cut 790,000 GP visits'

(Snip) Professor Mark Sculpher worked with colleagues from Oxford University to examine of varying degrees of immunisation coverage on the burden of the disease.

The researchers calculated that vaccinating half of those aged between 2 and 18 years old would result in a 'substantial reduction in the annual incidence of influenza-related morbidity and mortality'. 'Herd immunity may extend this protection to the young and the elderly,' they said.

Professor Sculpher and his team estimate that achieving coverage in half of children would lead to 84% fewer influenza A infections and 81% fewer B infections. This equates to preventing 5.27m influenza infections a year and removing the need for 793,000 GP consultations for influenza-like illness a year.

(Snip) 'This analysis demonstrates that paediatric influenza vaccination has the potential to significantly reduce the clinical burden of influenza in England and Wales.' http://www.gponline.com/News/a...

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

     

---

by: Carol@SC @ Mon Apr 23, 2012 at 12:57:39 PM UTC

South Africa: Seasonal influenza takes hold

While swine flu has been cause for concern in South Africa in previous years, experts say at this stage they don't believe the strain will impact heavily on our population this year.

Seasonal influenza however is taking grip in parts of the country at the moment. Autumn and winter months are usually marked by an increase in flu cases.

University of KwaZulu-Natal cardiac expert Umesh Lalloo says while the flu vaccine does provide adequate protection, it's really only a must for some groups. "Certainly those who have chronic illnesses like heart disease, chest disease, chronic obstructive of airways disease from smoking, asthma - will be well advised to take a flu vaccine. "General measure is always stay healthy, eat healthy, exercise regularly [and] you generally are protected," said Lalloo. Continued: http://www.ecr.co.za/kagiso/co...

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

     

---

by: Carol@SC @ Mon Apr 23, 2012 at 16:10:45 PM UTC

India: "Raise index of A(H1N1) suspicion" (Tamil Nadu)

With all three A (H1N1) deaths in Tamil Nadu reported from private healthcare institutions, the government has advised them to raise their index of suspicion about such cases and not wait for test results before treating patients with Tamiflu.

Speaking to The Hindu, Health Minister V.S. Vijay said that the deaths in private institutions were a cause of concern, particularly because they could be easily avoided by starting treatment early. Private hospitals must begin to treat patients with Tamiflu even where there is suspicion based on clinical parameters, and patient's account of symptoms.

"Deaths are because of late intervention. Tamiflu will work only during the initial phase of the condition, not when the viral load increases - after three days. When hospitals wait for the results to come (It can take days to produce results from swabs taken from suspected A(H1N1) patients), it delays treatment and thus can lead to death," Dr. Vijay said.

He added that private hospitals must work in a manner similar to government institutions when it comes to treating A(H1N1). Of the 60 patients treated in government institutions throughout Tamil Nadu so far, or were treated at home by the State, recovery was fast and no deaths had been reported. "In our institutions, we give the patient Tamiflu even when mere suspicion of A(H1N1) arises. It is because of this that patients admitted with government institutions and those quarantined at home have been able to recover fast."

(Snip)

If private institutions are hesitant to treat patients in this manner, it is best that they refer them to the government general hospital for treatment, Dr. Vijay added. "At the moment, people are being referred to government hospitals when it is too late for intervention. If people come in on ventilator-support, there is nothing we can do to help them at that stage," he added.

A total of 77 cases of A(H1N1) have been recorded in Tamil Nadu till date, according to the Minister. http://www.thehindu.com/news/s...

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

     

---

by: Carol@SC @ Mon Apr 23, 2012 at 22:20:05 PM UTC

India: 35-year old woman succumbs to swine flu in (Tamil Nadu)

A 35-year old woman, who tested positive for swine flu, died at the government general hospital here on Monday, becoming the second victim of the A(H1N1) virus in recent weeks in Tamil Nadu.
(Snip)
Hailing from Tiruporur on the city outskirts, the woman was admitted to the hospital here yesterday with symptoms of swine flu after being treated in a local hospital for four days, (Snip)

A 70-year-old man of Tirupur district died of swine flu on April 1 at the government hospital in Coimbatore. The government had recently said there was no need to panic since the outbreak of swine flu was not pandemic but a seasonal flu. 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 @ Mon Apr 23, 2012 at 22:37:27 PM UTC

Please post new news stories to ...

News Reports for April 24, 2012

Thank you!

---

by: AlohaOR @ Tue Apr 24, 2012 at 05:42:24 AM UTC