News Reports for July 16, 2012

Australia: Flu numbers set to soar (Queensland)

IPSWICH is in the grip of flu season with a spike in patients suffering influenza presenting at West Moreton Health region facilities. Forty-two cases of influenza were recorded in the week ending July 1 across the district, a significant increase on the average of one case a week between January and May.

(Snip) the presentations had steadily increased since the early start to the flu season. "The influenza season has started relatively early this year."

Ms Kelly said a sustained increase in cases over the coming weeks was to be expected and would be consistent with the evolving influenza season which occurred every year.

Australian Medical Association Queensland president Alex Markwell said flu season had been exceptionally bad across the state.

Queensland Health figures recorded 351 influenza cases in Queensland, up significantly on the pre-flu season average of 32 cases per week from January to early May. "Recent surveillance data seems to support the anecdotal evidence that Queensland is experiencing a particularly bad flu season, with a significant increase in the number of confirmed cases of influenza," he said.

"Patients have been presenting in higher than usual numbers with moderate to severe symptoms, and some have been extremely unwell." Continue: http://www.qt.com.au/story/201...

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 @ Mon Jul 16, 2012 at 05:09:59 AM UTC

Australia: Influenza on the rise (New South Wales)

IT starts with a sore throat, headache and loss of appetite, and culminates with muscle pain, fever and chills.

Rates of influenza last year more than doubled, and 2012 is said to be the same. But don't panic. In most cases symptoms of influenza subside and sufferers come away unscathed.

The solution: consult a doctor if symptoms persist or you are concerned. Practice good hygiene and wait it out. That's the advice of general practitioner Dr Michael Burgess, whose words of wisdom come at the height of flu season.

More than 2300 people have been diagnosed in New South Wales alone this year. Experts say it's only the beginning, with thousands more cases going undiagnosed. Continued: http://www.goulburnpost.com.au...

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 @ Mon Jul 16, 2012 at 05:16:03 AM UTC

India: More than 100 swine flu cases in city this year (Maharashtra)

Mumbai - The city is seeing a surge in H1N1 cases, with more than 100 positive swine flu cases reported since January. (Snip) only two cases of swine flu were detected in the city last year.

On Sunday, six in the city, including a one-year-old boy from Jogeshwari and a 70-year old man from Khar were diagnosed with swine flu. This brings the total number of cases in the city to 107 since January.

"Two patients have been admitted, but stable. All the patients are on Tamiflu," (Snip) "People should not panic. (Snip) Change in the weather will bring in more cases," added Dr Gomare. http://www.hindustantimes.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 @ Mon Jul 16, 2012 at 05:24:09 AM UTC

India: Spurt in H1N1 cases in Mumbai, 75% in 2 months (Maharashtra)

MUMBAI: The H1N1 influenza virus that remained dormant for most part of 2011 and officially affected only six people in the city is back this year. The virus has already infected 107 people in the city since March with over 75% of the cases being reported in the last two months.

Initially, the spurt was brushed off as a sign of higher awareness in the population leading to more people getting tested. But, after 45 people tested positive for the influenza virus in a fortnight, the civic body was forced to admit that there was an increase in the incidence since the onset of the monsoon. (Snip) Figures too suggest that while there were seven cases in March, the incidence doubled to 15 in April. It dipped to five in May only to jump again to 35 in June and further to 45 in July.

On Sunday, six more people, including two children, tested positive for H1N1. A five-year-old boy from Bandra and a one-year-old toddler from Jogeshwari were the ones to test positive. Gomare said both have been put on antiviral drugs and are stable. Among the adults who tested positive, a 46-year-old man from Bandra (E) and another 56-year-old man from Borivli had to be admitted in private hospitals. The other two, a 70-year-old man from Khar (W) and a 28-year-old youth from Bandra, were treated on an OPD basis.

Interestingly, there is little understanding as to why the virus is back into action, when it had remained invisible during the last monsoon. (Snip) "There has definitely been an increase in cases after the onset of rains. Most of the cases are being reported from Pune and Mumbai," (Snip) Since April this year, 351 people have tested positive in the state and so far it is the highest in the country. The virus has claimed 17 lives in the state so far, again highest in the country. The recent victim was a 13-year-old girl from CBD Belapur. 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

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Mon Jul 16, 2012 at 06:07:11 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Scientific American: Is Bird Flu Waiting to Explode? [Preview]

(Snip) The chickens were already getting sick when Yoshihiro Kawaoka arrived in the U.S. in August 1983. A few months before, in April, a bird flu virus had arisen in the poultry farms of eastern Pennsylvania, but veterinarians had deemed it to be "low pathogenic"- meaning it made chickens sick but did not kill many of them. As the virus swept through the poultry farms, however, a new strain developed. Chickens began to die in large numbers, and farmers started to fear for their livelihoods. The state called in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which set up a temporary command and control center in a strip mall outside of Lancaster. To contain the epidemic, it culled 17 million birds from Pennsylvania down through Virginia.

Kawaoka was a young researcher from Japan who was starting work at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis. His boss, virologist Robert Webster, had a theory that human influenza viruses originate in bird populations-that they circulate harmlessly among ducks and geese and that, every once in a while, a strain will evolve the ability to live in the human upper respiratory tract. Continue: http://www.scientificamerican....

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 @ Mon Jul 16, 2012 at 05:28:13 AM UTC

India: Two H1N1 patients die in Kerala

Two persons, who tested positive for H1N1, died in Kerala even as 14 more swine flu cases have been reported, officials said today.

(Snip) a 59-year-old man of Pallimoola in Thrissur district died in a private hospital on July 10. He tested positive for the swine flu virus and the death was caused by broncho pneumonia and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) (Snip)

(Snip) a 42-year-old woman, whose H1NI status was confirmed, died in a private hospital in Sulthan Bathery in Wayanad district yesterday, also due to ARDS (Snip)

(Snip) 14 more cases of H1N1 have been reported since yesterday, taking the total number of afflicted patients to 359 since January this year. Nine of the newly reported cases were from Thrissur and five from Kannur.

Kozhikode accounted for 115 cases reported since January this year, followed by Malappuram 66, Kasargode 38, Kannur 40, Thrissur 40, Wyanad 24, Kottayam 10, Ernakulam 10, Alapuzha 10, Kannur five, Palakkad three, Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam one each (Snip) http://newindianexpress.com/st...

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 @ Mon Jul 16, 2012 at 05:54:48 AM UTC

New Zealand: Flu outbreak strikes S Canty (Canterbury)

South Canterbury is the second most unwell region in the country. Influenza rates have soared above the national average. As of last Thursday, South Canterbury District Health Board had 233 cases per 100,000 people for the week, just two below the Canterbury District Health Board. The national average at this time last year was 49 people per 100,000.

The onset of influenza this year has been quick, doubling each fortnight. For the week ending June 21 there were no reported cases, this jumped to 52 per 100,000 by June 28, then 104 by July 5 and 233 last Thursday.

(Snip)

"Consultations for influenza-like illness had risen over the last two weeks and swabs have confirmed it is influenza. The virus is H3N2, a seasonal flu which is making people quite unwell and putting pressure on hospitals. "The influenza season has started but there is still time to get vaccinated. It is free for those over 65 or those who have chronic illnesses until the end of this month."

(Snip)

Fifty-two patients were in isolation in Christchurch Hospital yesterday, including a child, and five patients in intensive care.

Canterbury's flu rates are well above the national average, with 67 people admitted to hospital in the past two weeks. From July 1 to July 8, most district health boards had under 30 confirmed influenza cases. Canterbury had 155.

Christchurch Hospital virologist Lance Jennings said the region was "experiencing the full impact of a localised influenza outbreak". Last week, Canterbury's influenza rate was 226 per 100,000 people, while the national average was 52 per 100,000. http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-...

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 @ Mon Jul 16, 2012 at 21:48:45 PM UTC

Australia: Warning as flu cases increase in Bayside (Victoria)

FLU is spreading in Bayside, with the number of cases up by more than a quarter.

In the first six months of this year there have been 42 patients with influenza reported to the Department of Health. This is 10 more than at the same time last year, and more than five times the number reported in the first six months of 2010.

(Snip)

"Now that flu season is in full swing, we're seeing an increasing number of confirmed cases and we're advising that people take measures to protect themselves." http://bayside-leader.whereili...  

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 @ Mon Jul 16, 2012 at 21:53:16 PM UTC

India: Swine flu cases in city up to 108 (Maharashtra)

Mumbai - A 20-year old woman from Santacruz tested positive for swine flu on Monday, bringing the number of H1N1 cases to 108 this year. "The woman is admitted to KEM Hospital and is stable," (Snip)

The city recorded nearly as many cases of swine flu in the past two weeks as it did in the first six months of the year, according to BMC figures. Till June 30, the city recorded 58 cases. From July 1 to July 15, 49 cases were recorded.

(Snip) the drop in temperature and increased humidity could have led to the spurt. "The virus spreads faster in such conditions," (Snip) http://www.hindustantimes.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 @ Mon Jul 16, 2012 at 21:59:12 PM UTC

US: Summer flu cases highlight importance of immunization (Florida)

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - A cluster of unusual summer influenza cases in North Central Florida in recent weeks has highlighted the importance of vaccination and may provide evidence that a flu control program in Alachua County is working, University of Florida and Alachua County Health Department experts say.

(Snip)

since the end of May, nine patients with confirmed cases of influenza B and one with influenza A have been admitted to Shands at the University of Florida. None of the patients had been immunized for the flu this year, as far as officials can determine.

"We have seen a few more positives this week," (Snip) "We have been in contact with the staff at the Alachua County Health Department, and they are helping with the investigation of the outbreak."

The last outbreak of flu during the summer in North Central Florida was the H1N1 pandemic in 2009 (Snip)

What makes the current cluster of cases particularly odd is that it involves influenza B, which is less common than influenza A, said Paul Myers, M.S., administrator for the Alachua County Health Department.

(Snip)

Of the patients who have been admitted to the hospital for influenza since May, six of the nine infected with influenza B were from outside of Alachua County, which is home to a robust flu-prevention program. Continued: http://news.ufl.edu/2012/07/16...  

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 @ Mon Jul 16, 2012 at 22:05:41 PM UTC

US: Sanofi Pasteur Begins Shipping Fluzone Influenza Virus Vaccine In U.S.

Sanofi Pasteur (Snip) said Monday that it has began shipment of the first lots of Fluzone vaccine to U.S. healthcare providers following Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, licensure of the 2012-2013 formulation.

This initial shipment represents the first of more than 60 million doses of seasonal influenza vaccine the company plans to deliver to health care providers in the U.S. this influenza season.

(Snip)

All presentations of Fluzone vaccine have the designation "does not contain latex," which should mitigate concerns about use in patients with a latex allergy.

Due to extended shipping time and earlier incidence of disease, the first doses of Fluzone vaccine were shipped to Alaska and Hawaii and to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for use in the Vaccines for Children program. http://www.rttnews.com/1923516...

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 @ Mon Jul 16, 2012 at 22:17:09 PM UTC

Please post new news stories to...

News Reports for July 17, 2012

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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 Jul 17, 2012 at 05:15:53 AM UTC