News Reports for May 12, 2012

Flu activity at low levels in US, worldwide

Flu activity at low levels in US, worldwide

May 11, 2012 (CIDRAP News) - US influenza activity declined overall and in most regions last week, the (Snip) CDC reported today, while Northern Hemisphere flu activity in general continued to fall.

(Snip) Alabama and Hawaii, still had "low" influenza-like illness (ILI) activity, while the other 48 had minimal levels. The share of doctor visits for ILI ticked up slightly, to 1.4%, but remained well below the national baseline of 2.4%, while 6.9% of deaths were attributed to pneumonia and flu, below the epidemic threshold of 7.5%.

Flu was cited in the deaths of two children, raising the season's total of pediatric deaths to 22. (Snip) respiratory specimens that tested positive for flu was 13.7%, down from 15.3% the previous week.

Type A viruses made up 64.6% of the isolates, and of these, about 60% were H3N2 viruses, 13% were 2009 H1N1, and the rest were not subtyped.

In Europe, 22 of 23 reporting countries confirmed low-intensity flu activity last week, while Slovakia reported medium activity (Snip) Cases were listed as declining in 12 countries and stable in 11.

Analysis showed growing evidence of an imperfect match between circulating H3N2 and B strains and the seasonal vaccine, which supports the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation to change two of the three vaccine components for next season, the report says.

Internationally, the WHO said today that flu activity continued to decline in the Northern Hemisphere and was generally low worldwide in the second half of April (Snip).

H3N2 viruses were most common overall, but type B viruses were predominant in some countries, including Canada, Japan, and South Korea, while 2009 H1N1 viruses circulated at lower levels. India reported co-circulation of 2009 H1N1 and B viruses.

Flu activity remained low in the Southern Hemisphere, where most of the viruses detected were H3N2 (Snip)

Of 5,297 flu viruses identified by national flu labs globally, 63.1% were A strains and 36.9% were B. Of A viruses that were subtyped, 86.6% were H3N2 and 13.4% were 2009 H1N1.

Continued with links: 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 May 12, 2012 at 01:33:05 AM UTC

Integrated approach to fight diseases

OUTBREAK: The issue of environmental degradation and a rise of new and old infectious diseases is causing concern among scientists and public health specialists, writes C.P. Ramachandran

REMEMBER the SARS outbreak a while back? Remember the chaos it created for international travel? In Asia, at least, air travel almost came to a standstill. Then came H1N1. Again, the tourism trade suffered.

In recent years, we have all been badly affected by the emergence of infectious diseases. These include SARS, swine flu, bird flu, H1N1, Nipah virus, dengue and many others. This has not only led to the loss of lives but it also inflicted serious disruptions to businesses such as tourism and international travel.

Why have infectious diseases suddenly become rampant? Scientists have linked the rise in the new and previously suppressed infectious diseases to the dramatic change in global climate as well as the environmental changes sweeping the planet. The worrying part is that man has been found largely responsible for such changes.

It is through human activities that the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have increased at alarming rates. Experts now agree that the consequent warming of the world by the uncontrolled release of such greenhouse gases is now the most serious threat to the sustainability of the human race.

Why exactly are such new diseases appearing? And why are some of the suppressed diseases reappearing? Scientists believe that a driving force behind the emergence and re-emergence of such diseases has much to do with the disturbance and destruction of natural habitats. Cutting down forests for agriculture as well as the unchecked pollution of rivers and other water bodies promote viable conditions for new and old disease-causing microbes to thrive.

This is further exacerbated by the mushrooming of urban slums in many developing countries which lack proper sanitation. Will this change? How do we balance the need to open up new lands for agriculture and food production, but at the same time safeguard the habitats of life threatening microbes?

Take the case of the dangerous Nipah virus which created a serious public health scare in Malaysia a while back. It was found in Asian fruit bats. In the late 1990s, it emerged as a fatal disease in humans. This has been linked with a combination of forest fires in Sumatra and the clearing of forests for agriculture. In their search for fruits, the bats came into closer contact with domestic pigs. This gave the virus the chance to spread to people who handle pigs.

A similar situation was also reported in Bangladesh. This issue of environmental degradation and a rise of many new and old infectious diseases is complex. It is causing increasing concern among scientists and public health specialists.

Overall, it seems natural habitats which are left intact tend to keep infectious agents in check, whereas an altered and degraded environment tends to shift the natural balance triggering the spread to people of new and existing diseases.

Since 2008, man has been confronted by no less than 346 infectious diseases. These are distributed in a haphazard fashion across 220 countries. Apparently, three new diseases are described every two years, and a new infectious organism published every week. It is very alarming. Over 1,600 human disease-causing organisms have been reported, each with a specific type of susceptibility characteristics. This creates a lot of pressure on diagnostic laboratories. Continued: http://www.nst.com.my/opinion/...

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 May 12, 2012 at 07:06:29 AM UTC

Outbreak of H5N2 bird flu confirmed in Taiwan

Taiwan agricultural authorities confirmed Friday chickens in a farm of the island's central Yunlin county were infected with H5N2, a strain of avian flu that poses little risk to humans.

Animal health quarantine official said chances were small for northbound migrant birds to pass the virus to the farm and believed the virus was carried by humans or machinery to Yunlin. So far, no other chicken farm in the county has reported a similar infection (Snip)

More than 3,000 chickens have died in the farm over the last three days, prompting authorities to launch an investigation into the cause. Continued: http://www.china.org.cn/china/...

(Comment: If a human carried it into the farm, where did they pick it up from? Must have been wild birds because it is stated here that no other farms in the area have reported an outbreak. And yet it is also stated that "chances were small for northbound migrant birds to pass the virus to the farm". Sounds to me like more than one farm has been infected but have hid it from the authorities. Poultry can have low pathogenic H5N2 and not even show any symptoms so if more than 3000 chickens died in 3 days, this must be a high pathogenic form of H5N2 or maybe even H5N1. That could be a problem for humans! JMO)

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 May 12, 2012 at 07:25:16 AM UTC

Deadly H5N2 bird flu outbreak confirmed in southern Taiwan

Agriculture authorities in Taiwan confirmed Friday the outbreak of a highly pathogenic form of the H5N2 avian influenza virus at a farm in the southern county of Yunlin, where nearly 4,000 chickens have died over the past four days. This is the sixth H5N2 case recorded in Taiwan so far this year, and the fifth involving a highly pathogenic strain,

(Snip)

The department has requested the military dispatch soldiers to help disinfect the area within a 3-kilometer radius of the farm.

No similar infection has been discovered on other chicken farms in the county, Lu said.

Over 13 million chickens are currently being raised on more than 900 farms in Yunlin, he said, adding that this is the first time a highly pathogenic H5N2 outbreak has occurred in the county. The previous five H5N2 outbreaks occurred in Changhua, Nantou and Tainan counties.

According to Huang, the latest case in Yunlin might be linked to the Tainan outbreak based on the similarity of their pathogens. He suspected the virus was spread to Yunlin via mobile sources such as people and motor vehicles.

He said any farms infected with bird flu will be quarantined for at least 21 days before they are allowed to raise animals again. None of the other five affected farms has resumed operations, he said. http://www.wantchinatimes.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 May 12, 2012 at 13:13:10 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Canada: Quebec gets an 'F' on flu report card

MONTREAL - A survey by the Quebec lung association shows the province grades lowest in vaccination rates and highest in flu incidence, giving it an "F" on its flu report card.

Quebec had only a 27 percent vaccination rate. It also had the highest flu rate across Canada, with 25 per cent of the population getting sick.

Montreal public health says part of the problem is that flu shots aren't completely covered in Quebec. Continued: http://montreal.ctv.ca/servlet...

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 May 12, 2012 at 07:34:19 AM UTC

ACIP explains new vaccine evidence-grading system

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which advises the CDC on vaccine-related issues, today published a brief overview of its new framework for developing evidence-based recommendations. The report appears in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).

ACIP adopted the framework, called Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE), at its October 2010 meeting. An ACIP working group began addressing the issue informally in 2010 and has launched a Web site that contains background materials and tools for using the new GRADE framework.

When making new recommendations or revising current ones, ACIP will focus on one of two categories: A, which applies to all people in an age- or risk group, and B, guidance to clinicians for specific patients (Snip)  The GRADE framework allows ACIP to systematically assess the quality of evidence about a vaccine's benefits and risks, along with other considerations such as values, preferences, and economics. The evidence is ranked on a 1 to 4 scale that reflects the level of confidence in the vaccine's effect on the health outcomes ACIP is considering.

For example, randomized clinical trials or overwhelming evidence from observational studies would score a 1, while observational studies or randomized controlled trials with major limitations would score a 4. Continued: http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidr...

May 11 MMWR report http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/previe...

ACIP GRADE Web site http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/re...

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 May 12, 2012 at 07:43:17 AM UTC

Ireland: Flu deaths nursing home criticised

A nursing home at the centre of a deadly influenza outbreak had insufficient measures in place to detect the illness early, health chiefs have said.

A new report following an investigation into Nazareth House private care home in Co Donegal, where seven elderly residents died in the space of just two weeks, found there was no procedure to identify the onset of flu. It identified a lack of co-ordination of information available to staff on patients with respiratory illnesses, and also pointed out poor standards in hygiene at the centre at Fahan, near Buncrana.

"There appeared to be no established procedure to enable early detection of influenza in the nursing home," the report found. "There was a lack of co-ordination of information available about residents with respiratory illness being cared for in the designated centre and residents who were admitted with respiratory problems to the general hospital." Continued: http://www.lep.co.uk/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 @ Sat May 12, 2012 at 07:52:22 AM UTC

India:

Fluctuating temperatures and high levels of humidity in the city have resulted in a rise of pneumonia and other respiratory ailments over the past couple of weeks, say doctors. After a sultry April, temperatures in the first week of May have been normal, sometimes even dipping below normal. Humidity levels however have been consistently high with the MET department recording 60-90 per cent of moisture in the air over the past few days.

"Summer is the time when people do not complain of respiratory ailments. However, high levels of humidity are strongly correlated to the spread in infection which has led to an increase in lung-related ailments. Patients have been coming in with complaints of fever, cold and cough and body aches. If not treated on time, they are getting compounded into serious issues with some of them even needing the ventilator to support breathing," said Dr Shahid Barmare, physician at Kohinoor Hospital.

BMC hospitals have also seen a sudden spurt of children queuing up for treatment of respiratory infections. "There has been at least a 15-25 rise in cases of pneumonia and similar cases in the past two weeks," said Dr A Aboli, physician at KEM hospital. Continued: http://www.indianexpress.com/n...

(Note: "fever, cold and cough and body aches" Hmmm, sure sounds like flu related pneumonia to me!)

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 May 12, 2012 at 08:11:47 AM UTC

Brazil: Outbreak kills two and leaves ten with symptoms in prison in Minas Gerais

Translated

The government of Minas Gerais investigates the cause of a disease outbreak in Central Prison Relocation System (Ceresp) Ipatinga, in the Steel Valley, 225 kilometers from Belo Horizonte. (Snip) the State Department of Health reported that 10 people are hospitalized, totaling 12 cases of a disease of unknown origin. Two inmates died following symptoms: fever, vomiting, depression and low blood pressure.

"The first death occurred on 08/05, with fever, vomiting, prostration (chilling) and low blood pressure, leading to death in 24 hours. The second death occurred on 11/05, with a similar picture, which began on 09/05. The two deaths were inmates (Snip) who lived in the same cell," (Snip)

Of 10 people hospitalized with symptoms of the disease unknown, eight inmates and two prison guards are being a man and a woman. Given the situation, Secretary of Health adopted the suspension of family visits to the elucidation of disease-causing agent. Also collected laboratory samples for microbiological examination and serological, besides quarantine in prison.

Chemoprophylaxis for meningitis, or medication with antibiotics and flu-like illness, Tamiflu and respiratory isolation of the area of ​​the prison for the symptomatic cases in hospitals in the region have been other measures taken as well as investigation of all suspected cases and guidelines of hygienic measures .

"Initially, the outbreak is restricted to only one cell, but the measures are necessary to avoid increasing the number of cases and spread to other sectors of the institution. The State Department of Health guidance to people who are of the same family or who have had contact with prison staff or inmates and having symptoms of illness, seek medical attention immediately," warned the government, without detailing which the prison situation in relation to capacity. http://ultimosegundo.ig.com.br...

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 May 12, 2012 at 13:48:47 PM UTC

Please post new news stories to...

News Reports for May 13, 2012

Thank you!

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 @ Sun May 13, 2012 at 05:01:44 AM UTC