News Reports for April 24, 2012

India: 7th swine flu death in city in April (Maharashtra)

After a gap of several days, Pune registered another swine flu death late on Sunday, making it the seventh casualty this month. Bhaskar Shinde (48) from Shikrapur in Shirur taluka was admitted to KEM hospital on April 16. He had pneumonia and (Snip) also had stress-related diabetes and poor liver function.

(Snip) in April, 200 swine flu cases were reported in the state and 12 deaths, of which seven were in Pune, were recorded. In March, there were 285 cases across the state and nine people succumbed to swine flu. The guidelines continue to be the same and sporadic cases are being reported (Snip) http://www.expressindia.com/la...

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 Apr 24, 2012 at 06:11:04 AM UTC

India: Nine more persons test positive in Puducherry (Tamil Nadu)

Nine new patients tested positive for swine flu in Karaikal and Puducherry on Monday making it a total of 15 cases in the Union Territory. Eight of them hail from Karaikal and one in Puducherry. (Snip) one patient - from Lawspet - had been admitted to JIPMER for treatment, while the others were undertaking oral treatment. So far, none of the cases reported in the UT had been critical.

(Snip)

In addition to spreading awareness among the people, the department is now conducting a screening for all outpatients in both Karaikal and Puducherry, he said.

All people in close contact with patients who have tested positive are being given medical treatment to prevent the spread of the disease. People living in close proximity to patients who have tested positive are also being screened, he said. 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

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Tue Apr 24, 2012 at 06:23:38 AM UTC

Australia: It's flu jab time again

As the cold months of winter approach, Cooma residents are being encouraged to vaccinate against the flu by local health professionals.

Bombala Street Surgey nurse Vera Shanley said 1,000 locals had so far been vaccinated at the surgery this season. "Lots are coming in for flu vaccinations. They are generally over 65 and the people who have them every year," Mrs Shanley said.
(Snip)
Free seasonal influenza vaccine is available at local doctors' surgeries for people aged 65 years and over, all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples aged 15 years and over, pregnant women, and individuals aged six months and over with certain medical conditions.
(Snip)
The department advises that while the influenza vaccination provides protection for about one year and the 2012 vaccine is the same as the 2011 vaccine, people who had the influenza vaccine anytime in 2011 still needed to be vaccinated to ensure high levels of immunity. Continued: http://www.coomaexpress.com.au...

Map link: http://maps.google.com/maps?hl...  

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 Apr 24, 2012 at 06:32:24 AM UTC

Vietnam: Countries address lasting avian flu threat

HCM CITY - Experts from countries hit hardest with the H5N1 virus have arrived in HCM City to discuss ways to prevent and control avian influenza amid continuing outbreaks. The three-day conference that opened yesterday is addressing the evolution and geographic spread of new viral strains that are gradually responding less to existing vaccines and control measures.

Of the 602 human cases to date, nearly 60 per cent of them were fatal, the conference heard. Over the past 10 years, more than 300 million poultry have been culled globally due to H5N1.

The technical and policy discussion for prevention and control of H5N1 HPAI (Snip) is hosted by the government of Viet Nam with support from the US Agency for International Development. It gathers senior officials from five highly affected countries, including Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Indonesia and Viet Nam, along with representatives from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand that have also been affected by H5N1.

In the past few years, a newer variant of the H5N1 virus, referred to as clade (an organism from the same family) 2.3.2.1, has emerged and expanded its geographic range from Southeast Asia to Europe, East Asia, and South Asia. Some variants of the clade are different enough from other H5N1 HPAI clades so that poultry vaccinations are becoming ineffective in some countries.

Speakers at the conference were told that nearly all H5N1 human infections were the result of the transmission of the virus from poultry to people.

The H5N1 virus is still considered a serious pandemic threat because of its continued presence in poultry in numerous countries, its tendency to quickly mutate and change, its ability to infect humans and its continuing high mortality rate. Continued: http://vietnamnews.vnagency.co...

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 Apr 24, 2012 at 06:40:12 AM UTC

US: Congress Has More Questions About NSABB's H5N1 Decision

A senior Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives is asking more questions about how the U.S. government reviewed two controversial H5N1 avian influenza studies, and how it wrote a new policy for reviewing taxpayer-funded studies that might be used for good and evil.

Representative Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) today sent a letter to Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), asking him to clarify how the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) reached its recent decision to recommend publication of the two studies after recommending against publication late last year. The letter also asks for more information on which government officials were involved in new rules for reviewing taxpayer-funded research that might be "dual use research of concern" (DURC).

(Snip) I am asking the NIH to clarify exactly where the new government policy guidelines came from and how they will be implemented."

Sensenbrenner's letter appears to have been prompted, in part, by complaints about the NSABB process outlined in a letter to NIH officials written earlier this month by one member of the panel, Michael Osterholm of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Continued: http://news.sciencemag.org/sci...

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 Apr 24, 2012 at 06:48:56 AM UTC

US: County offering free flu shots, screenings Wednesday (Arizona)

To highlight National Public Health Week, the Yuma County Public Health Services District will be giving free flu shots to the first 200 people who attend its open house Wednesday. All flu shots after the 200th will be $10. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Health Department Auditorium, 2200 W. 28th St.

Designed to showcase preventive health care services available to the public, it will offer height and weight measurements, blood pressure checks, Body Mass Index evaluations and HIV testing at no charge. Other free or low-cost exams will also be available. Continued: http://www.yumasun.com/news/he...

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 Apr 24, 2012 at 06:55:39 AM UTC

India: Flu claims third victim in Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: A 35-year-old woman who had tested positive for the (A) H1N1 virus on Sunday, passed away at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital on Monday. (Snip) a native of Tirupporur in Kancheepuram, had come down with an incessant fever and throat pain a week ago. After local doctors referred her case to a private hospital here, she was admitted on April 20 and a throat swab was sent to test for the virus. "There was some suspicion that she might have had the virus, but treatment wasn't started till the test results returned," (Snip)

When the test results returned positive, the hospital is believed to have administered the treatment for swine flu. However, her respiratory condition worsened rapidly and the hospital apparently asked for her to be shifted to RGGGH on Monday. "A little after she arrived at the hospital, her condition deteriorated and she passed away," (Snip) she had no underlying conditions and that she was reasonably healthy before the fever.

(Snip) The other two who succumbed were Kanthasamy (75) from Tiruppur and Niveditha (22) from Villupuram. (Snip) This takes the total number of infected in the state to 77, as three more people tested positive for the virus on Monday.

Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr VS Vijay has compulsarily asked private hospitals to start treatment for swine flu as soon as suspicious symptoms are spotted. He also said that if any hospital is unable to treat or take care of patients, they should immediately notify the health department or transfer them to a government hospital. http://ibnlive.in.com/news/flu...

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 Apr 24, 2012 at 07:06:50 AM UTC

India: Swine Flu cases in Kerala touch the dozen mark

Thiruvananthpuram:  The number of H1N1 cases in Kerala has touched a dozen, a health official said on Tuesday, adding that the the authorities were fully prepared to deal with the situation. (Snip) the maximum number of cases have been reported in Kozhikode, with districts like Thrissur, Malappuram, Kasargode and Alappuzha also reporting cases of resting positive for H1N1.

The health authorities are fully geared and all the hospitals have stocks of medicine. He said that the people should seek medical advice when they have fever without attempting self-medication. Continued: http://www.ndtv.com/article/so...

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 Apr 24, 2012 at 13:26:23 PM UTC

US: Late flu season still ongoing (Wisconsin)

Wood County residents suffering runny noses, aches and fevers in the past month aren't alone, health officials say. This year has had the latest influenza season in 29 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although the season started late, it has been relatively mild, and the number of cases is decreasing. However, the CDC warns influenza activity might continue for weeks to come.

Wood County had 19 people with influenza hospitalized from January to April, said Diane Rodd, Wood County public health nurse. Two cases were in February, and 16 were in March. In 2011, there were five cases in January, eight in February and six in March. "You can see we've obviously had the majority of cases this year occurring in March," Rodd said. Continued: http://www.wisconsinrapidstrib...

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 Apr 24, 2012 at 13:31:33 PM UTC

South Africa: Gauteng Citizens Urged to Vaccinate Against Influenza

Pretoria - The Gauteng Department of Health has urged people in the high risk groups to immunize against influenza. (Snip) The department said it has 136 000 doses to be administered at all public health facilities for high risk people.

"The aim of this drive is to decrease mortality and morbidity rates as well as to reduce transmission of the pandemic virus within communities."
9nip)
The vaccine is available at all public health facilities in the province as well as at private pharmacies for people not falling within the high risk groups. http://allafrica.com/stories/2...

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 Apr 24, 2012 at 13:37:54 PM UTC

Vietnam: Farmers adopt different duck-breeding methods in Mekong Delta

At a conference held in An Giang Province recently, relevant authorities met to discuss the changing patterns in duck-breeding by farmers and various risks of recurrence of bird flu in the region. (Snip) people in the Mekong delta tend to breed ducks in industrial farms and ranches instead of the free-range traditional method of farm husbandry.

(Snip) duck farmers combined breeding methods of closed coops, concentrated ranches, raising duck and fish together or raising ducks in orchards. Previously, residents in the Mekong delta had a habit of letting ducks roam freely from rice paddy fields to other fields to pick grains of rice spilled after a harvest. However, this method of breeding can spread bird flu H5N1 virus very easily, hence the government has banned it.
(Snip)
thanks to an effective vaccination programme, flocks of duck increased from 66.2 million in 2008 to 72.5 million in 2012, with 40 million ducks being raised in farms in the Mekong delta.

The bird flu nevertheless reoccurred in six provinces in the Mekong delta in small farms since the beginning of the year, causing two (human) deaths.

(Snip) around 25.4 million birds had been vaccinated in the first quarter of the year. The vaccination rate is quite low, just 50 per cent. This shows that a large portion of farmers had low awareness of vaccination and combined with lax behavior of local official, the disease could very well re-occur. http://www.saigon-gpdaily.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 @ Tue Apr 24, 2012 at 14:29:38 PM UTC

Netherlands: Fight Over Dutch H5N1 Paper Enters Endgame

AMSTERDAM - After an international meeting of scientists and security experts on Monday, the Dutch government says it may decide very soon whether virologist Ron Fouchier of Erasmus MC in Rotterdam is eligible for an export license that would allow him to resubmit his controversial H5N1 transmissibility study for publication by Science.

Fouchier, for his part, says he has decided today to apply for an export license, needed for so-called dual-use technologies, after meeting with his co-authors, the board of Erasmus MC, and lawyers. But the application will make clear that the researchers dispute the obligation to do so, a legal construction that Fouchier says will avoid the creation of a precedent. Fouchier is still "adamantly opposed" to the requirement for a license, which he worries will set a "terrible precedent" for infectious disease researchers in Europe.

A government spokesperson confirms that Fouchier has filed an application today and says that Henk Bleker, the minister for agriculture and foreign trade, is likely to make a decision "within a few days." (The fact that Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte tendered the resignation of his entire cabinet yesterday won't delay the decision.)

At issue is Fouchier's study of H5N1 transmissibility in ferrets, which has come under scrutiny by the U.S. National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB), along with a similar paper by Yoshihiro Kawaoka from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. NSABB recommended against fully publishing the papers in late 2011 but reversed that decision last month after studying revised manuscripts.

The Dutch government has yet to take a position on whether Fouchier's paper should be published. Yesterday's meeting in The Hague was hosted by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and included scientists and security experts from the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Indonesia, and Vietnam, along with representatives from the World Health Organization, Nature, and Science, the two journals where the manuscripts have been submitted. The closed meeting was set up to gather additional information and did not result in formal recommendations, says Marianne Donker, head of the Public Health Department at the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, one of eight Dutch ministries involved in aspects of the case.

The government had already talked extensively with Fouchier and consulted two Dutch intelligence agencies. "We now have pretty much all the information on the table," says Donker. After NSABB's turnaround, few expect the Dutch government to try to stop publication of the paper, which has also been greenlighted by an expert panel convened by the World Health Organization and the U.S. government. But the government has insisted that Fouchier apply for an export license first. Continued: http://news.sciencemag.org/sci...

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 Apr 24, 2012 at 20:43:42 PM UTC

Please post new news stories to...

News Reports for April 25, 2012

Thank you!

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by: AlohaOR @ Wed Apr 25, 2012 at 04:04:04 AM UTC