News Reports for September 8, 2012

Flu parallels: Swine-origin H1N2 has gene from 2009 H1N1

Sep 7, 2012 (CIDRAP News) - The swine-origin H1N2 virus found in three Minnesotans last week carries the matrix gene from the 2009 H1N1 pandemic virus, marking the first time such a virus has been found in humans (Snip)

The variant H1N2, or H1N2v, virus is different from the swine-origin H3N2v strain that has cropped up in nearly 300 people within the past year. But the two are alike in that both picked up the pandemic virus's matrix gene.

The number of H3N2v cases has risen to 297, an increase of 7 since a week ago, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) new count, posted today. Nearly all the cases have been in people who were exposed to pigs, most of them at agricultural fairs this summer. Only one death, that of an Ohio woman who had other medical conditions, has been linked to the virus, but there have been 16 hospitalizations.

No ongoing human-to-human transmission of either H3N2v or H1N2v viruses has been reported, but the CDC has said that the H1N1 matrix gene might increase the transmissibility of H3N2v and that a few instances of likely human-to-human spread of that virus have been found.

(Snip) the CDC said the population probably has some immunity to it because of past exposure to seasonal H1N1 flu viruses. "Genetic analysis shows that the hemagglutinin (H) of this virus is similar to human seasonal influenza viruses that circulated in people as recently as 2009, so there would likely be protective immunity against this particular virus in the human population," the agency said.

(Snip) The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) said today that a fourth case has since been reported and is awaiting confirmation by the CDC. (Snip) the "presumptive positive" case involved a teenage boy from outside the Twin Cities area who exhibited pigs at the State Fair from Aug 23 to 26 and got sick on Aug 28. Ferguson said he didn't know of any connection between the teenager and the other three cases. The teenager was not hospitalized (Snip).

Although H1N2v is new in humans, the US Department of Agriculture's swine flu surveillance program has detected very similar H1N2 viruses with the 2009 H1N1 matrix gene in pigs in Minnesota and some other states since early 2010, the CDC reported.

(Snip) two sick pigs at the State Fair tested positive for H1N2. (Snip) the virus in the pigs was also found to contain the 2009 H1N1 matrix gene.

(Snip)

Although the recent H1N2v cases are the first known to contain the 2009 H1N1 matrix gene, a few other H1N2v cases have been reported in recent years. One case was reported in a Minnesota child in December 2011. Another case was reported in 2007 in an 18-month-old Michigan child who had been in a swine barn. Both of those patients recovered. In 2002 the CDC reported that a total of 11 human H1N2 cases had been detected in Wisconsin, Texas, and Nevada the previous year.

In other developments, one sick pig at the Minnesota State Fair was found infected with an H3N2 virus (Snip). The case turned up on the last day of the fair, Sep 3, and was the only swine H3N2 case found during the event, he told CIDRAP News.

Three human H3N2v cases have been reported in Minnesota, all of them in people who had visited a live animal market (Snip).  The leading states for H3N2v cases are Indiana, with 138, and Ohio, with 102 (Snip). 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 Sep 08, 2012 at 02:35:39 AM UTC

More links:

Sep 7 CDC notice on H1N2v virus in Minnesota http://www.cdc.gov/flu/spotlig...

Sep 7 CDC FluView weekly flu update http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/

CDC H3N2v case count http://www.cdc.gov/flu/swinefl...

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 Sep 08, 2012 at 02:41:48 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

India: H1N1 claims 1,001 victims in state (Maharashtra)

PUNE: The state reported its sixth swine flu casualty this month after a 40-year-old mentally-challenged woman from Kolhapur died on Wednesday. The other deaths have been reported from Sangli (4), Satara and Kolhapur.

So far, an estimated 1,001 people have died of H1N1 influenza in Maharashtra after the new strain of flu claimed the country's first victim, 14-year-old Reida Shaikh, in Pune on August 3, 2009. During this period, the virus infected a total of 12,522 people across the state," health officials said.

The Pune-based National Institute of Virology had earlier stated that the virus has become endemic and is now like any other circulating seasonal virus.

"Influenza epidemics in colder countries are usually seen in winter. In tropical countries like India, epidemics can be seen throughout the year," said state epidemiologist Pradip Awate. "In fact, there is a propensity towards more epidemics during the monsoon. This is usually due to a combination of high humidity, relatively cool temperatures and indoor crowding of people."

Around 95% cases tend to improve without the help of medicine, he said. "Though the H1N1 influenza can strike anyone, those with compromised immunity are more susceptible to fatalities," Awate said. 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 @ Sat Sep 08, 2012 at 06:44:41 AM UTC

India: Five swine flu suspects detected, total count touches 23 (Madhya Pradesh)

Indore: With five more suspected case detected on Friday, the total number of suspected swine flu patients has reached to be 23. Out of the 18 patients whose results have come five were found positive. (Snip) One of the positive patients died and rest four are admitted at various city hospitals.

(Snip)

Out of the five new suspected patients a female patient aged around 50 years, a resident of Guna district while others are residents of Indore. Among others sample of a five-month-old child who is the resident of Dhar road have also been sent. (Snip) http://daily.bhaskar.com/artic...

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 Sep 08, 2012 at 06:54:33 AM UTC

India: No separate wards for dengue, Japanese encephalitis, swine flu (Uttar Pradesh)

KANPUR: The health authorities claim to be prepared to handle seasonal diseases but the scene at district hospitals is contrary to that. No government hospital has 'isolation ward' for diseases like swine flu, dengue or Japanese encephalitis. Even the laboratory of the medical college is ill-equipped to test blood samples.

As per the recent guidelines of state health authorities, all the district hospitals must have a 10-bed isolated ward for JE, dengue and swine flu. All the government hospitals and CHCs must have medicines. Trained staff should be posted in the wards. Educational sessions should also be held in rural areas. The situation is just the opposite at the hospitals due to lack of funds and space.

(Snip) Ursula Horsman Hospital (Snip) said that a 10-bed isolation ward is there but is tough to use it for three diseases. The hospital also have three isolated rooms for special cases, but the condition is miserable. (Snip) the sanitary conditions at isolation wards of the UHM hospital is poor. The rooms lack basic facilities like proper ventilation and cooling.

The condition in the 10-bed isolation ward is not much different. There is no partition between two beds. The ward has a common toilet, raising concerns about the arrangements."We use single isolation ward for each disease. No dengue, JE or swine flu case had been reported here. But if patients come, the situation will be difficult to manage," said a doctor.

The scenes at Kamlapat Singhania Memorial Hospital and Manyawar Kashiram Sanyukt Chikitsalaya and Trauma Center are no different. There is no isolation ward. These hospitals are also facing shortage of medicines. "It will take some more time for the medicine supply to normalize. (Snip)

The most disappointing condition is at Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital. The beds in the general wards are in such a poor condition that two patients are accommodated on a bed. The wards and toilets are lying unclean.

In the medicine ward at LLR, a diarrhoea patient was accommodated with a viral fever patient while an injury case was sleeping with skin infection one. Worse is the condition of paediatric ward, where only 12 beds are there for 40 patients. The dengue patient is sleeping with a viral case while the JE (Japanese encephalitis) patient is accommodated with another patient. 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 @ Sat Sep 08, 2012 at 07:18:25 AM UTC

Vietnam: H5N1 strikes birds in three Vietnamese villages

CIDRAP - Sept. 6, 2012 - Animal health officials in Vietnam today reported three H5N1 avian outbreaks in poultry, two in Thanh Hoa province and one in Quang Ngai province according to a report from (Snip) OIE. Of 2,205 susceptible birds, the virus sickened 153 and killed 53. The remaining birds were destroyed (Snip). Thanh Hoa province is in north central Vietnam, and Quang Ngai is in the south central region of the country on the coast of the South China Sea. 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 Sep 08, 2012 at 07:39:16 AM UTC

Highly pathogenic avian influenza,

OIE report: http://www.oie.int/wahis_2/pub...

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 Sep 08, 2012 at 08:03:27 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

New Zealand data show nonprescription oseltamivir did not raise resistance rates

CIDRAP News - Five years after making the antiviral drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu) available over the counter (Snip), New Zealand has found no significant change in influenza virus resistance to the drug, (Snip) In 2007 New Zealand became the first country to allow OTC oseltamivir. Researchers analyzed national resistance data on influenza isolates from 2008 to 2011 and uptake data on flu vaccination from 2005 to 2011. They found no increased drug resistance in flu isolates and no statistically significant change in vaccine uptake. (Snip) OTC oseltamivir accounted for 11% of sales in 2009 and 2010, with the rest being prescribed, compared with 27% in 2007 and 31% in 2008. 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 Sep 08, 2012 at 07:44:18 AM UTC

A new and "very toxic" strain of Bird Flu emerges in Vietnam

Hanoi - A new highly toxic strain of bird flu has appeared recently in Vietnam and is spreading with increasing rapidity. The Ministry of Agriculture sources Hanoi say the virus is a "mutation" of H5N1 found in poultry last year and has forced the authorities to proceed with mass culling of poultry in the affected areas . It is a dangerous and deadly disease, which could cause more casualties than it has in the other forms of Bird Flu which appeared.

Diep Kinh Tan, deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development said that the new virus "is spreading rapidly" and is a source of "great concern" to the government. The variant appeared in July and in August spread to the northern and central regions. Outbreaks have been reported in six provinces, and according to data from the Department for Animal Health, about 180 thousand birds have already been culled.

Experts from the Veterinary Center say the virus is similar to the standard strain of bird flu, but much more toxic. Others add that it originates from the illegal trafficking and illegal poultry from China and crosses - without any control - to neighboring Vietnam. A researcher confirms that "every time poultry enters without certification, you will see a new virus." Continued: http://www.asianews.it/news-en...

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 Sep 08, 2012 at 14:37:28 PM UTC

Please post new news stories to...

News Reports for September 9, 2012

Thank you!

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by: AlohaOR @ Sun Sep 09, 2012 at 05:02:56 AM UTC