News Reports for February 6, 2013

India: Swine Flu: Team of docs visits Tulmulla, collects samples (Kashmir)

(Note: SKIMS is a hospital and the man who died was an assistant administrator there.)

Ganderbal, Feb 5: A day after a man from Ganderbal died of swine flu  at SKIMS Soura, a team of doctors Tuesday visited Tulmulla area and collected samples from deceased's family members and neighbours.

Ghulam Hassan Wani, 55 years old a resident of Tullmulla, Ganderbal died of swine flu at SKIMS yesterday. He was an employee of SKIMS and was admitted in the hospital a week ago.

"A team of doctors led by me visited Tulmulla area of Ganderbal today.  We met the family members of the deceased and took their samples," Block Medical Officer (BMO) Ganderbal Dr Shabir Ahmad Awan told Rising Kashmir. He said they have asked Hassan's family members' to take precautionary measures till results of their samples were received.

(Snip) the team of doctors also took samples from neighbours of Hassan and send them to laboratory for tests to determine the extent of swine flu infection. They said a team of doctors had also visited Tullmulla area yesterday and taken some samples.

The locals alleged that health authorities are trying to hide the facts. "If the death has occurred due to swine flu, the health authorities should disclose it so that people take precautionary measures, otherwise it will become an epidemic and could have serious repercussions," they said.

(Snip) "We distributed medicines among the people in the area to create awareness and suggest preventive measures." Continued: http://www.risingkashmir.in/ne...

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 Feb 06, 2013 at 06:53:48 AM UTC

ProMED: Influenza (16): India (RJ)

Jodhpur highly vulnerable to swine flu

(Rajasthan) With the deaths of 22 people in January [2013], the city has become highly vulnerable to the H1N1 virus. According to the data available from the SN Medical College [Dr Sampurnanand Medical College], as many as 17 people died of swine flu from September to December [2012]. And in January [2013], flu cases increased significantly. SN Medical college principal Dr Arvind Mathur said the majority of patients had died within 2 to 48 hours of being admitted to hospital and even before their swab testing reports had been issued. (Snip).

Dr Mathur also said the low temperature and low humidity provide a favourable environment for the virus to spread. Mostly, pregnant women are getting infected with the virus. Out of the 45 deaths reported in the recent past, 20 were pregnant women. Among the 22 deaths reported in January [2013], one belonged to Jodhpur city, 11 to Jodhpur rural area, 5 were from Barmer, 3 from Jaisalmer, and one each from Pali and Nagaur.

Taking note of the situation, senior officials of the state medical and health department visited Jodhpur on 26 and 27 Jan 2013. They discussed the issue with the hospital and the college administrations. A team of 2 doctors from SMS Hospital has also visited the hospitals here on the direction of the state government and have submitted its report to the government.

(Snip)

Though most of the cases are coming from rural areas, the district administration has not yet put in adequate efforts to identify patients and get them treated in their respective areas to avoid delay. (Snip).
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(Snip)

This report does not confirm directly that the (H1N1) influenza virus responsible for this outbreak is in fact the swine derived A/(H1N1) pdm09 influenza virus, as suggested in the previous report. The results of specific tests are still awaited. A significant feature of the outbreak in Rajasthan is the high frequency of pregnant women among the fatal cases. No information is provided regarding the vaccination status of the Rajasthan population. http://www.promedmail.org/dire...  

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 Feb 06, 2013 at 07:05:09 AM UTC

India: No new swine flu cases: UT (Utter Pradesh)

The UT Health Department has claimed that there have been no positive swine flu cases over the past two days and thus the disease has been controlled. However, since last September, 20 H1N1 positive cases have been reported from Chandigarh region till date.

Daily Screening of the H1N1 cases is being done at all government hospitals in the city (Snip) as a part of active surveillance. Emphasis is laid on contact tracing so that chemoprophylaxis can be provided to high risk contacts in order to limit the infection further. Visits to H1N1 positive patients and their contacts are being carried out, in order to provide necessary chemoprophylaxis.

Instructions have been given to the positive patients and their contacts to remain quarantined for a period of one week.

A 24x7 hours emergency ward has been established in GMSH-16 & at CH-Manimajra with supportive equipment and life-saving medicines. The sample collection facility (throat swab) for swine flu is available in all the government hospitals of Chandigarh (Snip).

PGIMER is the apex referral lab for the testing of H1N1.  Continued: http://www.indianexpress.com/n...  

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 Feb 06, 2013 at 07:17:36 AM UTC

Why We Still Need to Think About Bird Flu

By: Killian Crawford

To stop a truly fearful virus both 'smart' and fatal, we must remain vigilant.

Between Jan. 9 and 15, five people in Cambodia contracted bird flu, and four died of it within a few days -- four young girls and a 35-year-old man. Only the first case, an eight-month-old boy, survived.

This might seem like a minor event, but the World Health Organization sent rapid response teams into the country to help the Cambodian ministry of health. They've been looking for more cases and educating local residents about how to avoid the disease -- even though it's one of the hardest diseases to catch.

"Bird flu" is a vague term: all influenzas come from birds, especially domestic poultry, though they sometimes reach us through pigs and other mammals. The Cambodians had H5N1 flu, which first got our attention when it broke out among chickens and humans in Hong Kong in 1997. That outbreak was stopped by killing every chicken and duck in the region, and banning further imports from the mainland.

Six years later human H5N1 returned, in Vietnam, and since then has sputtered away from Indonesia and South Korea to Egypt and Nigeria.

Between 2003 and the end of 2012, the WHO confirmed no more than 610 human H5N1 cases, most of them in Vietnam, Indonesia and Egypt. This, out of a population of over seven billion, makes it one of the world's rarest diseases.

Rare and dangerous

Its rarity is precisely what makes it so dangerous. Because it evolved to infect birds, H5N1 isn't designed to infect mammals. Humans, therefore, are a "naive" population with almost no immunity to it. That was what scared the health authorities in Hong Kong, and it's what scares the WHO today.

Out of those 610 cases, 360 people died. That means the "case fatality rate" (CFR) was 59 per cent. The CFR varies by country -- it's 35 per cent in Egypt, and 83 per cent in Indonesia. But globally, three out of five people who catch H5N1 will die of it within a very few days.

Cambodia has been reporting H5N1 since 2004. Out of 21 cumulative cases by the end of 2012, 19 died -- a 90 per cent CFR. Last year, though, the country had just two cases and one death.

The five new cases, then, are alarming because they've happened so suddenly and so close together. One was in Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital. The others were in suburbs and nearby villages. And they continue to be fatal.

Continued & I recommend you read the whole commentary: http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2013...  

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 Feb 06, 2013 at 07:27:41 AM UTC

My apologies for getting the author's name wrong

His name is Crawford Kilian. I knew that so I must have had one of my moments of temporary insanity! LOL

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 Feb 06, 2013 at 07:50:58 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Pakistan: Chickens and eggs: sales slump after bird flu scare

Bird flu fear has brought down the sale of chicken and other poultry items by 50 to 60 per cent, greatly affecting people depending on the industry. According to a survey conducted by Business Recorder here on Tuesday, it was noted that the prices of chicken and other poultry item had slumped by 30-40 per cent as people were reluctant to purchase chicken meat after the report of out-break of bird-flu.

In the past two, three months the rate of poultry items shot up to a record high in both the wholesale and retail markets, which had substantially declined (Snip).  Similarly, the price of eggs also decreased from (Snip) due to low sale in the open market.

(Snip) Sources in the poultry market revealed that the scare of bird-flu had hit a number of chicken in different poultry farms resulting in a decline in their business. Poultry experts attributed the brid flu to lack of proper vaccination.

"We successfully prevented the avian influenza (H5N1) at zero-rate in the last seasonal period," said Dr Tariq Javed, poultry expert. He further said they had also recommended dealers to continue vaccination, but the virus spread due to discontinuation of vaccination. A dealer pointed out that experts have said that a chicken cooked above 70 degrees Celsius is safe to eat.

Dr Javed expressed the fear that the virus could further spread in the next month or onwards (March-April) due to negligence of owners of poultry farms. The recommended quality vaccines, are available in a huge quantity to prevent the virus (Snip).

Poultry experts said that expired vaccines are available in the market, which make it difficult to prevent bird-flu. "The vaccines imported from Korea, Indonesia and Malaysia are not of recommended quality." The poultry wholesalers have rejected the presence of bird-flu virus in chicken. They said that the price has declined due to supply of chicken in huge quantity in both local and open market.

They said that it was totally wrong to attribute the out break of bird-flu in chicken, and they were vaccinating chicken for the prevention of local disease like Rani Khaet, and Kambor. Today, "I have supplied more than 5,000 to 6,000 chickens to the local market from farms," Mr Khan added. Continued: http://www.brecorder.com/agric...

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 Feb 06, 2013 at 08:13:11 AM UTC

U.S.: Flu season subsiding, but Lancaster County sees its 8th related death

Even as influenza activity across the country subsides, one more person has died from flu-related causes in Lancaster County.

The brings the number of fatalities this season to eight.

In its weekly report Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported that while 21 more people perished from the flu statewide Jan. 27 to Feb. 2, the number of new cases that week was 1,974, barely half of the previous week's total of 3,683.

snip

To date, 123 deaths in Pennsylvania can be traced to the flu; 87 percent of the victims were 65 or older. According to the state Department of Health, the total number of cases this flu season is 30,286.

http://lancasteronline.com/art...

United we stand: Divided we fall
www.flunewsnetwork.com

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by: cottontop @ Wed Feb 06, 2013 at 10:34:09 AM UTC

Flu Cases Down; Greene County Reports 2nd Worst Season in Decade

http://ozarksfirst.com/fulltex...
February 6, 2013
SPRINGFIELD, Mo.:  The number of reported flu cases in Springfield and Greene County were down significantly last week.  Mike Brothers with the Springfield-Greene County Health Department says there were 135 cases reported between January 27 and February 2. That's down from 221 the previous week.

"We are still seeing what we would consider to be a significant number of cases," writes Brothers. "These cases represent only those who have sought medical attention and tested positive for flu, so they still represent only a portion of the total number of people sick with flu in the community."

The health department says there have been 1,177 total cases this season, making it the second-most severe flu season by number of reported cases in the last decade in Greene County.
(more)


"I am opposed to any form of tyranny over the mind of man."  Thomas Jefferson

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by: History Lover @ Wed Feb 06, 2013 at 14:58:46 PM UTC

Health experts now report 21 flu-related deaths in Idaho

http://www.kivitv.com/news/loc...

By Steve Bertel
CREATED FEB. 5, 2013
MORE SHARING SERVICESSHARE  EMAIL PRINT

Public health officials in Idaho are reporting two influenza-associated deaths among children younger than 18, bringing the total flu-related deaths to 21 since the start of the flu season on Oct. 1 of last year. The 19 adult deaths reported all were individuals older than 50, said Idaho Health and Welfare spokeswoman Niki Forbing-Orr.

"Our sympathies are with the families of all the victims, and especially with those grieving the loss of a child. Although influenza has hit the older population particularly hard this season, these pediatric deaths are a tragic reminder that influenza can be a very serious infection for all age groups," says Dr. Leslie Tengelsen, deputy state epidemiologist. "Influenza activity is still high, and as long as the virus is circulating in our communities, the best protection for you and your family is to get the vaccine. It is not too late to get the shot."

[continued at link]

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by: bgw in MT @ Wed Feb 06, 2013 at 15:10:26 PM UTC

Fresh outbreak of Lassa fever claims two lives in Nigeria

Ebonyi State in eastern Nigeria on Monday confirmed a fresh outbreak of Lassa fever, saying that two persons have died from the disease and four others on the danger list.

The Permanent Secretary in the state ministry of health, Hyacinth Oteh, announced the development while receiving the health emergency response team from the Federal Ministry of Health.

Oteh said the outbreak of the disease was reported on February 1 and confirmed that two of the six patients infected with the disease had died while the other four were critical.

He regretted the absence of a virology laboratory in the state to aid early diagnosis and treatment of the disease, adding that some deaths had been recorded earlier when the disease was first reported in the state in 2005.

(Snip)

He said medical doctors and other health workers involved in the fight against the disease should emphasize contact tracing in order to isolate people identified with the disease.

According to him, the state government had commenced enlightenment campaign on the resurgence of the disease and the need for members of the public to protect themselves.

Jerry Kehinde, the leader of the team, said nine states, including Ebonyi, had been identified as Lassa fever prone and maintained that the Federal Ministry of Health was doing everything to contain the spread. He said the virus was being spread by a specie of rats known as mastomis netlensis.

He said the states affected were those ravaged by the 2012 flood disaster and warned the people to avoid contacts with rats. (Snip)  http://www.globaltimes.cn/cont...

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Note: Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness caused by Lassa virus, a member of the arenavirus family of viruses. It is transmitted to humans from contacts with food or household items contaminated with rodent excreta. The disease is endemic in the rodent population in parts of West Africa. Person-to-person infections and laboratory transmission can also occur, particularly in the hospital environment in the absence of adequate infection control measures. Diagnosis and prompt treatment are essential. http://www.who.int/csr/disease...

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 Feb 06, 2013 at 15:24:47 PM UTC

Flu season isn't over yet

http://centralny.ynn.com/conte...

Updated 02/05/2013 02:59 PM
By: Katie Gibas
Not only did the flu come early this year, it also hit people pretty hard. Health professionals say despite a decline in cases, the flu is still out in full force. [SNIP]

ONONDAGA COUNTY, N.Y. -- [snip]he virus took a lot out of many patients.

"It's almostn[all?] H3N2 type influenza and traditionally H3N2 causes more severe disease," said Dr. Joe Domachowske, a Professor of Pediatrics at Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital.

H3N2 also tends to result in more complications, like pneumonia. So far this flu season, Onondaga County has seen 2,727 cases. There were only 24 cases for the same time period last season.

"This infection, usually, if it's not complicated, it will last from three to five days. And most adults will be in bed with their pillow over their head for part of that time. It is incapacitating. It makes you very sick," said Domachowske.

But despite an early onset, in the last month, hospitalizations have dropped almost 80 percent. County-wide, the infection peaked the week of December 22 at 509 reported cases. The week of January 26th, only had 91.

"You can actually get influenza multiple times in the same season if you're not immunized. And even people that have been immunized may be infected with a strain that's slightly different than the strains that were included in the vaccine. You probably would have been sicker with influenza if you weren't vaccinated in the first place," said Domachowske.

[snip]

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by: bgw in MT @ Wed Feb 06, 2013 at 16:06:43 PM UTC

FAO Warns against Bird Flu Outbreak

http://www.thisdaylive.com/art...

05 Feb 2013

FAO Office

The world risks a repeat of the disastrous 2006 bird flu outbreaks unless surveillance and control of this and other dangerous animal diseases is strengthened globally, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has warned.

"The continuing international economic downturn means less money is available for prevention of H5N1 bird flu and other threats of animal origin. [snip]

Continued strict vigilance is required, however, given that large reservoirs of the H5N1 virus still exist in some countries in Asia and the Middle East, in which the disease has become endemic. Without adequate controls, it could easily spread globally as it did at its peak in 2006, when 63 countries were affected, Nigeria inclusive.

Investing more in prevention makes economic sense given the huge toll inflicted by a full-scale pandemic. Between 2003 and 2011 the disease killed or forced the culling of more than 400 million domestic chickens and ducks and caused an estimated $20 billion of economic damage.

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by: bgw in MT @ Wed Feb 06, 2013 at 16:18:56 PM UTC

California: Seniors Hit Hardest By This Season's Flu

Posted: Wed 4:10 AM, Feb 06, 2013A A    Reporter: Terri Russell Email

"Dramatic increase nationally with the number of people over the age of 65 who are being hospitalized because of flu related reasons. The viruses that are circulating this year are a little more virulent and as we get on in years our immune system starts to decline in its ability to protect us," says Dr. Todd.

Dr. Todd says we aren't seeing such a dramatic upswing of seniors being hospitalized locally.

However he says our area is typically two weeks behind the national trend.

As of now a total of 7 people have been hospitalized locally for the flu.

A total of 71 have died due to flu and or pneumonia this season.

With all of that in mind, Dr. Todd wants to remind everyone its not too late to get a flu shot.

If you're a senior out there and begin to feel symptoms of the flu coming on like body aches, and a slight fever, contact your health care provider as soon as possible.

Anti-virals, like Tamiflu, can be prescribed to lessen the impact of influenza, but you have to take them with the on-set of the symptoms.

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by: bgw in MT @ Wed Feb 06, 2013 at 16:24:02 PM UTC

Link to article above:

http://www.kolotv.com/home/hea...

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 Feb 06, 2013 at 23:21:52 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Vietnam warns border areas with Cambodia of avian influenza threat

http://www.globaltimes.cn/cont...

Xinhua | 2013-2-5 20:20:50

The Vietnamese Ministry of Health has warned eight provinces near the border with Cambodia of a threat coming from the avian influenza H5N1 that has killed four Cambodians this year, reported by Vietnam's state-run news agency on Tuesday.

The warning was released after those deaths were confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Cambodia, saying four out of five Cambodian people contracted with bird flu had died since the beginning of this year, and that one of two areas hit by the disease is close to the Vietnam border.

The ministry instructed related provinces to strictly tighten international medical quarantine procedures so as to keep the lethal H5N1 virus from spreading to Vietnam.

Prevention and control measures must be implemented by the local authorities to strengthen supervision of both domestic and imported poultry.

Last year, bird flu hit seven Vietnamese provinces and killed two people.

Vietnam has reported 121 H5N1 cases since 2003, of which there were 61 deaths, said the report.

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by: bgw in MT @ Wed Feb 06, 2013 at 16:28:24 PM UTC

Australian researchers join global fight against bird flu

http://www.abc.net.au/worldtod...

Nancy Notzon reported this story on Friday, February 1, 2013 12:34:00

EMILY BOURKE: The United Nations is urging governments around the world to keep up their guard when it comes to the bird flu virus amid fears that continued outbreaks in Asia and the Middle East could lead to a fresh pandemic.

Researchers in Newcastle are taking part in a global effort to develop a mass produced avian flu vaccine, and they're calling for volunteers, to take part in a human trial, as Nancy Notzon explains.

NANCY NOTZON: It's being called an insurance policy to protect the world.

[snip]
MARC RUSSO: The bird flu vaccine trial is a trial to determine what is the minimum dose of vaccine that is required to successfully produce an immune response that would be consistent with them being effectively vaccinated against the avian influenza.

NANCY NOTZON: His clinic in the New South Wales city of Newcastle is one of several from Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and the United States taking part in a global human vaccine trial.

The vaccine doesn't actually carry the virus, so apart from a few possible aches and pains, there's no risk of getting the disease.

MARC RUSSO: In Europe there are some licensed avian flu vaccines, but they're produced in the old fashioned way so there is very limited stock and it's in no way can ever be sufficient for providing global protection.

[continued at link]

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by: bgw in MT @ Wed Feb 06, 2013 at 16:39:06 PM UTC

Bird Flu Symptoms: Three Cases Reported Leaves Two Dead; 8-Month-Old Baby Treated for H5N1; WHO Facts on Avian Influenza

http://www.latinospost.com/art...

By Michael Oleaga / m.oleaga@latinospost.com | First Posted: Jan 28, 2013 01:57 PM EST

[big snip]

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "The reported signs and  symptoms of avian influenza in humans have ranged from eye infections (conjunctivitis) to influenza-like illness symptoms (e.g., fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches) to severe respiratory illness (e.g. pneumonia, acute respiratory distress, viral pneumonia) sometimes accompanied by nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and neurologic changes."

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by: bgw in MT @ Wed Feb 06, 2013 at 16:44:31 PM UTC

Thailand: Teams of govt vets monitor for avian flu

http://www.nationmultimedia.co...

Pongphon Sarnsamak
The Nation February 6, 2013 1:00 am

The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has resumed its nationwide campaign to randomly test birds for the deadly avian influenza virus (H5N1), to ensure Thailand is free from further outbreaks.

Over 300 barn swallows were collected from Silom by a veterinarian team from the department.

In checking the birds' health to detect H5N1 virus, they also collected bird saliva and dropping samples, to be sent for lab tests at the National Institute of Animal Health and Kasetsart University.

The lab results should be known next week, deputy director of the department Teerapat Prayoonsit said, while leading the team of 100 veterinarians to catch birds in Silom.

To date, his department has found no spread of the virus among birds in Silom since the department started a campaign to detect H5N1 back in 1991.

The number of barn swallows in Silom was around 500,000 two years ago, but has dropped to 3,000-5,000 birds as local agencies have cut trees and removed electricity posts. [snip]

Thailand has reported 25 confirmed cases of human infection and 17 deaths since 2004. But over the past nine years there have been no reports of human infection or deaths.

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by: bgw in MT @ Wed Feb 06, 2013 at 16:53:15 PM UTC

Indonesia:Terrorism likely behind avian flu outbreak: BIN chief

http://www.thejakartapost.com/...

[Note: the headline does not reflect the current findings of the agency as reported in the story]

Bagus BT Saragih and Agnes Winarti, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Headlines | Fri, January 11 2013, 9:20 AM

(Antara)
Fretting that terrorists might one day unleash bioweapons in Indonesia, the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) says it will monitor the recent outbreak of a new strain of avian influenza in Indonesia.

BIN chief Lt. Gen. Marciano Norman said on Thursday that the agency was on alert and would continue to monitor the spread of the new strain, identified as H5N1 clade 2.3.2, which has re-portedly been behind the deaths of tens of thousands of ducks in the nation.

"My agency has been closely watching this phenomenon since the beginning," Marciano told reporters at the State Palace on Thursday. "We have to stay alert, as the global development of biological weapons is very fast."

"In the future, this kind of biological attack will be frequently used in wars," Marciano said, although he was quick to quell speculation that the new strain was a biological attack.

"We are closely monitoring developments. We can't jump to conclusions without strong evidence," Marciano added. "We are asking relevant agencies to look into the new strain of the virus more closely, and we will support their efforts.

[continued at link]

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by: bgw in MT @ Wed Feb 06, 2013 at 17:06:59 PM UTC

Please post new news stories ...

...to News Reports for February 7, 2013

Thank you!

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by: AlohaOR @ Thu Feb 07, 2013 at 05:18:47 AM UTC