News Reports for July 4, 2012

11 dead from H1N1 flu in Bolivia

(Snip) 873 cases had been reported across the country, and urged Bolivians to take preventive measures, such as eating well and frequently washing their hands.

Bolivian authorities have not said whether the strain of the virus originated as swine or avian flu

(Snip)

Bolivia's current outbreak primarily has affected young children, the elderly, and those whose systems are already weakened by illness or chronic health conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes.

Some 471 cases have been reported in the capital, La Paz, while 109 were reported in the neighboring city of El Alto. In total, the La Paz department, the most affected by the outbreak, reported a total of 585 cases through June 30. Santa Cruz, a large department in eastern Bolivia, reported 167 cases.

Eight of the deaths were identified in (Snip) La Paz (Snip), while the remaining three were in Santa Cruz. http://medicalxpress.com/news/...

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 @ Wed Jul 04, 2012 at 05:55:06 AM UTC

Huh?

Bolivian authorities have not said whether the strain of the virus originated as swine or avian flu

H1N1 is swine flu - are the authorities (or the press) that confused, still? Sigh...

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by: Cathy M @ Wed Jul 04, 2012 at 17:02:51 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Hi Cathy

I think what is really meant here is that the authorities haven't said whether this outbreak is H1N1(swine) or H3N2 (seasonal flu). With young children and the elderly being the most affected, it is probably H3N2.

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 Jul 05, 2012 at 05:42:34 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

New Zealand: Influenza rates in Canterbury soar

Influenza rates in Canterbury have soared in the past week and are now above the national average. A handful of swine flu cases have also been reported.

The national average stands at about 20 cases per 100,000 people. Last week, the Canterbury average jumped to 50 cases per 100,000.
(Snip)
''We had been tracking below the national average, but now we've gone above it, which is not a good sign for us,'' (Snip) ''It's definitely causing concern and we'll be monitoring it closely over the coming weeks.'' The board would continue to encourage people to have flu vaccinations, she said, but immunisation rates were below last year's levels. ''There's been less take-up with the under-18 age group,'' she said. ''Last year was really good, but this year hasn't been a repeat of that.''

(Snip)

Canterbury's health system was ''starting to feel the squeeze'', he said. Board virologist Lance Jennings said the number of people with influenza had trebled in the last week of June, from 10 per cent to 40 per cent. (Snip) He said most flu cases were the seasonal strain, but there had been three cases of H1N1, the swine flu strain. Hospital admissions were increasing, he said, from 23 people in May to 38 last month. Jennings could not say whether anyone had died from influenza.

''It's too early to give any figures on any morbidity as it can take some time to establish whether a death is influenza-related,'' he said. ''Typically, about 400 people [nationwide] a year die from complications of a flu-related illness.''

Christchurch resident David Killick said the flu had hit him ''like a freight train''. ''It lasted two weeks and then I got bronchitis and had to have antibiotics,'' he said. Killick and his wife had both contracted flu despite having  flu vaccinations. Continued: http://www.stuff.co.nz/nationa...

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 @ Wed Jul 04, 2012 at 06:05:03 AM UTC

so the vaccine match might not be good...

Sounds like there's some mutation that is making the vaccine less effective, if they got the flu that badly.

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by: Cathy M @ Wed Jul 04, 2012 at 17:04:54 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Cathy:

The vaccine reccomendation for the H3N2 and the B strains were changed for the 2012/2013 flu season for the northern hemisphere in Feb, 2012 after being the same for 3 years. This was done due to the findings of what flu strains were circulating in our last flu season. Unfortunately, the vaccine was already being manufactured for the southern hemisphere so theirs may not be a good match to the circulating strains there now. This is the composition of the new vaccine the northern hemisphere will receive this fall:

•an A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus;
•an A/Victoria/361/2011 (H3N2)-like virus;
•a B/Wisconsin/1/2010-like virus (from the B/Yamagata lineage of viruses).

The southern hemisphere received the following:

•an A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)-like virus;
•an A/Perth/16/2009 (H3N2)-like virus; and
•a B/Brisbane/60/2008-like virus.

IMO, everyone in the southern hemisphere should still get the vaccine as it is said to still give some protection even though the match may be less than desired.

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 Jul 05, 2012 at 06:20:50 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

South Africa: Ostrich cull grows as flu virus spreads

SA's beleaguered ostrich industry, already collapsing under a European Union (EU) export ban as it waits for at least three months for bird flu tests to prove negative, has suffered a blow after the virus was found in the Breede River to Great Brak River area last week.

Since the H5N2 virus was first detected on Oudtshoorn farms in April last year, more than 50000 ostriches have been culled.

The industry, which relies on exports to the EU for 90% of its R1bn annual income, will not be allowed to resume trade until farmers meet new hygiene standards. These include chlorinating drinking water to prevent wild birds from transmitting the virus, improving access and movement controls, and ensuring that farmers have re-registered with the department of agriculture. SA must also be disease free for three months.

A total ban has been placed on the movement of ostriches and the sale of ostrich products from the area, which runs from Swellendam to George and various farms have been quarantined.

One farm in Albertinia tested positive for the virus and its entire flock was culled, Western Cape agriculture department spokesman Wouter Kriel said yesterday. Two farms in the Heidelberg area were also affected and birds are currently being culled. Mr Kriel said 7000 birds had to be culled in the new outbreak area, which is between 74km and 246km from Oudtshoorn. "This is really a terrible setback for us."

Mr Kriel said industry role players had been hopeful after the latest tests in the Oudtshoorn area came back negative, but now export hopes have been dashed again.

Mr Kriel said trying to eradicate the avian flu virus was proving difficult. "We are farming with wild animals in nature, so it's very difficult to isolate them. It's not like other livestock that can be isolated to contain an infection." Continued: http://www.businessday.co.za/a...


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 @ Wed Jul 04, 2012 at 06:28:49 AM UTC

Please post new news stories to...

News Reports for July 5, 2012

Thank you!

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by: AlohaOR @ Thu Jul 05, 2012 at 04:56:57 AM UTC