News Reports for February 21, 2013

Cambodia reports 7th death of bird flu this year

Cambodia reported on Thursday that another 2-year-old boy died of Avian Influenza H5N1, bringing the death toll to seven and the number of cases to eight in 2013.

The toddler lived in Angkor Chey district of Southwestern Kampot province. He died of the virus in the early hours of Tuesday morning at the Kantha Bopha Hospital in Phnom Penh, 18 hours after he was admitted (Snip).

(Snip)

Last week, a 3-year-old girl from the same district also died of the virus at the hospital.

The country sees the worst outbreak of the virus this year since the disease was first identified in Jan. 2004. To date, the country has reported 29 human cases of the virus, killing 26 people. http://www.globaltimes.cn/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 @ Thu Feb 21, 2013 at 06:57:49 AM UTC

India: 60 more swine flu cases in Delhi, total now 570

New Delhi - Sixty people tested positive for swine flu in New Delhi on Wednesday, taking the total number of those infected by the Influenza A (H1N1) virus to 570 (Snip).

(Snip) there have been no deaths today (Wednesday)," (Snip).

According to doctors, there has been a sudden spurt in the number of swine flu cases; there were 39 cases and one death in January alone, and 531 cases and 10 deaths in February as of Wednesday.

(Snip) only four cases were reported during the same period in 2012, and a total of 78 cases and one death in the entire year. http://www.ndtv.com/article/ci...

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 Feb 21, 2013 at 07:10:34 AM UTC

Canada: H1N1 in spotlight again, Edmonton dealing with more cases than Calgary (Alberta)

Health officials in the capital region are dealing with a sky-rocketing number of cases of H1N1, (Snip) even though it's an influenza strain included in this year's vaccine.

(Snip) officials in the Edmonton region had handled 155 lab-confirmed H1N1 flu cases so far this season. Edmonton's number is considerably higher than in Calgary, where 15 cases have been confirmed.

Nurses are concerned after the B.C. government announced flu shots will be mandatory for all health-care workers on August 23, 2012. (CTV)

Dr. Margo Husby-Scheelar succumbed to the H1N1 flu virus on February 13, three weeks after she contracted the disease (Snip).

However, Calgary had the season's first death related to that particular flu strain. A 64-year-old woman died on Feb. 13, after battling the illness for four weeks in hospital.

(Snip)

On Monday, AHS said so far this year, a total of ten cases of influenza in Alberta that were related to H1N1, required hospital care. http://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/h1n...


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 Feb 21, 2013 at 07:24:47 AM UTC

North India sees spurt in swine flu cases, toll crosses 200

The government-run health machinery is working overtime as Swine flu or H1N1 is spreading across parts of the country's north, including the national capital, Delhi.

Health authorities in India have begun disseminating advisories to people in the wake of a spurt in incidences of Swine Flu across the country's northern states, including the capital Delhi.

The north-Indian states have witnessed an abnormal rise in the number of swine flu instances being reported and diagnosed.

Thirty people have succumbed to swine flu, and another 49 people who are said to have been diagnosed positive with the H1N1 virus in the state of Haryana. Those diagnosed are being 'quarantined' - in effect being confined to the premises of their homes.

Of the 455 suspected cases that have been tested since January, 198 cases have turned out to be positive. The dreaded flu has also claimed 64 lives in another North Indian state of Punjab, so far.

Haryana's neighbouring state of Rajasthan is also grappling with Swine Flu, with the disease claiming 109 lives over the past three months. A Central team of health officials visiting the desert state recently has termed the swine flu situation as alarming, even as it expressed satisfaction about the readiness of the state for arresting the spread of the disease. 850 people were tested positive in the state - the highest across the subcontinent.

Even the national capital of Delhi has reported a spurt in cases of seasonal influenza and health officials have said that various sub types of seasonal influenza virus are circulating and causing the present spurt in cases in the states of Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana and Punjab. Continued: http://southasia.oneworld.net/...

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 Feb 21, 2013 at 07:32:42 AM UTC

ECDC Beta Coronavirus Sequence Confusion

Recombinomics Commentary

Research on the complete genome sequence of HCoV-EMC/2012 has characterised the virus as a new genotype that is closely related to bat coronaviruses that are distinct from SARS-CoV.

The above comment from a recent ECDC summary of the novel betacoronavirus cases helps to explain why the ECDC put forward a risk assessment that cited an animal/environmental origin for the recent human cases.  The ECDC also maintained that an absence of mild cases was due to the lack of human to human (H2H) transmission.  Recent results have caused the ECDC to modify its position on H2H transmission frequencies, as well as its risk assessment, but the above comment indicates that the ECDC understanding of the sequence data is still fatally flawed.

The human betacornavirus sequences are MOST closely related to bat sequences, but they are not closely related.  Therefore, none of the known bat sequences are candidates for the source of a recent jump to humans or to an intermediate species that led to the human cases.  The human sequences are closely related to other human sequences, but they are not closely related to known bat sequences, in spite of extensive surveys linked to the SARS outbreak in 2002/2003 or the recent outbreak of the novel group 2c coronavirus which includes HCoV-EMC/2012.

In 2003 the SARS CoV dramatically spread in the human population and closely related sequences were found in a variety of species sold in live markets in Hong Kong.  Although the sequences in the animals (most notably civet cats) were virtually identical to the human sequences, the presence of the same sequences in multiple species suggested the animal infections were due to species jumping associated with the propagating or housing of the exotic animals in live markets.  Attempts to find SARS CoV in these species in the wild failed, leading to a significant effort to find a natural reservoir for SARS CoV.

A wide variety of coronaviruses were identified in bats including bat SARS CoV, which had an identity of 98% with human and exotic animal sequences.  Since the viruses were found in bat guano, it was technically easy to collect a very large number of samples, which could then be screened with a panel of PCR primers designed to detect all known coronaviruses.  This effort identified bat sequences that were closely related to human cornaviruses, as well as novel sequences not previously identified in humans.  For betacornaviruses (group 2) a human cold virus, OC43 had been isolated in the 1960's, which was distinct from SARS CoV, which also mapped to group 2, so the OC43-like sequences were designated group 2a and SARS CoV was group 2b.  The additional bat sequences that were in group 2 but distinct from 2a and 2b were classified as members of 2c and 2d.  Thus, the bat surveillance created multiple coronavirus sub-groups, including those not represented by human isolates or isolates from any other sequence.  Continued: http://www.recombinomics.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 @ Thu Feb 21, 2013 at 07:56:35 AM UTC

India: Woman suspected of swine flu dies (Gujarat)

RAJKOT: A 39-year-old woman suspected of swine flu died in an isolation ward (Snip) in the city on Wednesday. (Snip) the deceased has been identified as Devikaben, a resident of Sar village near Sardhar village in Rajkot district. Devikaben was admitted to the civil hospital on Tuesday after she complained of cough and fever. Her blood samples were sent for H1N1 virus test but before the laboratory report could arrive, she had succumbed (Snip). 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 @ Thu Feb 21, 2013 at 08:02:12 AM UTC

Slovakia: Banská Bystrica - Woman with swine flu dies in hospital

A female patient who contracted swine flu and was admitted to a hospital in Banská Bystrica on February 4 has died (Snip).

"The condition of the patient deteriorated after initial improvement, and she was struck down by the illness over the weekend," (Snip). Two patients with the A(H1N1) virus still remain at the F.D. Roosevelt Hospital in Banská Bystrica (Snip). http://spectator.sme.sk/articl...

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 Feb 21, 2013 at 08:10:27 AM UTC

CIDRAP: WHO updates novel coronavirus case definition

The World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday updated its novel coronavirus (NCoV) case definition for reporting to the agency, which now includes patients with milder symptoms and those who have not traveled or lived in regions in which cases have occurred.

(Snip) The revised guidance says a probable case involves an acute respiratory infection that "may include but is not limited to cases with a history of fever or measured fever." The updated version keeps the same definition of close contact with a lab-confirmed case.

(Snip) a revision on surveillance for NCoV is under way and will be posted as soon as possible. The latest round of revisions follows the recent detection of a British family cluster of three cases, one of which was fatal and another of which was mild, raising new questions about how the virus is spreading and the nature of the disease threat. http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidr...

Feb 19 WHO revised NCoV case definition http://www.who.int/csr/disease...

(Note: IMO, this confirms how dangerous this new coronavirus is and that the WHO believes it is more widespread than reported. I think we are going to see more and more cases pop up in the near future.)

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 Feb 21, 2013 at 08:20:26 AM UTC

There may have been a fourth case in UK coronavirus family cluster: WHO

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/...

BY HELEN BRANSWELL, THE CANADIAN PRESS FEBRUARY 21, 2013 9:00 AM

[Note: This is a Branswell article and I have included only the first part. Read the whole article at the link. Branswell is a great medical reporter.]

TORONTO - The current cluster of novel coronavirus cases in Britain may have included another infection, a World Health Organization official says.

To date, three members of an extended family have tested positive for the new virus, which is a cousin of the SARS coronavirus. One of the three died earlier this week.

But officials investigating how the virus moved from one member of the family to the next suspect another relative may have contracted the virus and may even have spread it to the third confirmed case in the cluster. This fourth family member had a respiratory illness but was not tested until after she recovered, at which point the test came back negative.

Dr. Anthony Mounts, the WHO's point person for the new coronavirus outbreak, says the U.K. cluster adds slightly to the WHO's concern over the virus, but in the main serves to confirm some things the organization has already strongly suspected.

[big snip]

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by: bgw in MT @ Thu Feb 21, 2013 at 15:47:33 PM UTC

Seventh person dies from bird flu in Cambodia since start of 2013

http://www.globalpost.com/disp...

Faine GreenwoodFebruary 21, 2013 06:35

Young boy dies from H5N1 avian influenza, the 26th person to die from the illness since record-keeping began, and the 7th to die since the start of the year.

SIEM REAP - A 20-month-old boy from Kampot Province has died from avian influenza H5N1 in Cambodia, the 7th fatality from the poultry-spread disease to be recorded since 2013 began.

[snip]

Sixty-five percent of the victims of H5N1 in Cambodia thus far have been women, while 68 percent have been children under the age of 14.

Women and children are both thought to be more likely to come into contact with infected poultry than men are, either through cooking or through outdoors play.

No one knows for certain why Cambodia has experienced an uptick in H5N1 cases in 2013, but an increasingly mobile population, the Chinese New Year feasting season, and a lack of government compensation for culled chickens are all thought to be part of the problem, said WHO spokesman Sonny Krishnan to GlobalPost earlier in the month.

"The greatest risk of exposure to the virus is through the handling and slaughter of infected poultry. Home slaughtering and preparation of sick or dead poultry for food is hazardous: this practice must be stopped", said Mam Bunheng, Cambodian Minister of Health, in the Feb 21st release.

[snip]

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by: bgw in MT @ Thu Feb 21, 2013 at 16:05:04 PM UTC

Cambodia reports 7th death of bird flu this year

Souce:Xinhua Publish By David K. Barger Updated 21/02/2013 8:06 pm in Health&Lifestyle / no comments

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 21 - Cambodia reported on Thursday that another 2-year-old boy died of Avian Influenza H5N1, bringing the death toll to seven and the number of cases to eight in 2013.

The toddler lived in Angkor Chey district of Southwestern Kampot province. He died of the virus in the early hours of Tuesday morning at the Kantha Bopha Hospital in Phnom Penh, 18 hours after he was admitted, Dr. Denis Laurent, deputy director of Kantha Bopha Children's Hospital, told Xinhua over telephone on Thursday.

"He passed away even though our doctors did all their best to save him," he said.

[snip]

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by: bgw in MT @ Thu Feb 21, 2013 at 16:47:00 PM UTC

Health chief allays fear of novel coronavirus

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news...

GIAN GERONIMO, GMA NewsFebruary 21, 2013 4:19pm

Despite an advisory from the World Health Organization (WHO), there is no reason for Filipinos to panic over the novel coronavirus that has killed six people and infected 12 others worldwide, Health Secretary Enrique Ona said Thursday.

In a briefing at the Department of Health (DOH) headquarters in Manila, Ona said the public should not be alarmed by the WHO advisory on the virus as it was done only to give countries time to prepare.

"WHO gives these so-called advisories only for countries to be aware that there is such a thing and to, of course, give the respective countries enough time for them to prepare," he said.

"There is absolutely no reason to panic or be afraid, it's just an information [dissemination thing]. The public should just be aware that these are things that are known today and it's good that we now have the capacity to know these much earlier," he added.

Ona said the DOH has invested some P10 million for primer kits on emerging viruses even before reports about the novel coronavirus came out. These kits, which are with the department's Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, will help health professionals diagnose patients who may be suspected of carrying the novel coronavirus.

[snip]

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by: bgw in MT @ Thu Feb 21, 2013 at 16:52:17 PM UTC

Concerted efforts in enhancing surveillance and control measures for novel coronavirus

http://7thspace.com/headlines/...

Hong Kong (HKSAR) - Representatives from the Department of Health (DH) and the Hospital Authority (HA) met today (February 21) to discuss the updated global situation of Severe Respiratory Disease associated with Novel Coronavirus and will work together in enhancing the surveillance and control measures for the disease. This is the fourth special meeting held between the DH and the HA on the issue.

The surveillance measures currently in place include statutorily notification of Severe Respiratory Disease associated with Novel Coronovirus and enhanced laboratory testing for novel coronavirus in severe respiratory cases with pneumonia with unknown causes, after ruling out common causative agents.

During the meeting, representatives from the DH and the HA agreed to further enhance the laboratory surveillance for novel coronavirus. For cases of pneumonia with unknown cause, pneumonia cases that require intensive care, clusters of pneumonia or health-care workers with pneumonia, routine testing for novel coronavirus will be carried out irrespective of travel history.

These enhanced measures will be carried out starting from tomorrow (February 22).

[continued at link]

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by: bgw in MT @ Thu Feb 21, 2013 at 17:03:41 PM UTC

CIDRAP: Novel coronavirus case definition

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidr...

Feb 20, 2013

WHO updates novel coronavirus case definition

The World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday updated its novel coronavirus (NCoV) case definition for reporting to the agency, which now includes patients with milder symptoms and those who have not traveled or lived in regions in which cases have occurred. The revised definition, which was previously updated on Jan 16, includes streamlined criteria for a probable case. The revised guidance says a probable case involves an acute respiratory infection that "may include but is not limited to cases with a history of fever or measured fever." The updated version keeps the same definition of close contact with a lab-confirmed case. Also, the WHO said it would continue to update guidance based on new information and that a revision on surveillance for NCoV is under way and will be posted as soon as possible. The latest round of revisions follows the recent detection of a British family cluster of three cases, one of which was fatal and another of which was mild, raising new questions about how the virus is spreading and the nature of the disease threat.
Feb 19 WHO revised NCoV case definition http://www.who.int/csr/disease...

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by: bgw in MT @ Thu Feb 21, 2013 at 17:10:05 PM UTC

New Saudi case takes SARS-like virus death toll to seven

http://www.globalpost.com/disp...

A patient admitted to hospital in Saudi Arabia with a new virus from the same family as SARS has died, taking the global death toll from the previously unknown disease to seven.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Thursday the patient died on Feb. 10, two weeks after entering hospital. The cause of death was confirmed by a laboratory test three days ago.

cont.

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by: UK - Bird @ Thu Feb 21, 2013 at 21:38:15 PM UTC

UK - Mecca trip dad infected son with SARS

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/ho...

A MAN killed by a new SARS-like virus got it from his dad - who was infected while visiting Mecca to pray for his son's cancer recovery.

Khalid Hussain, 38, died in intensive care on Sunday, the first UK victim of rare respiratory bug coronavirus.

He had been initially treated for cancer at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

It is believed his father flew to the Muslim holy city of Mecca to pray for his recovery. But while in Saudi Arabia he picked up the virus, passing it on to his son when he returned.

cont.

COMMENT How sad.

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by: UK - Bird @ Thu Feb 21, 2013 at 21:41:54 PM UTC

Search for the Sars carriers: Hunt for jet passengers who sat near victim of bug on London flight

Plane passengers who sat near a British man with the Sars-like virus are being hunted in an attempt to stop it spreading globally.

The infected man, who travelled back to London on January 28 after a trip to Saudi Arabia, unwittingly passed it on to his son, who has since died from the bug.

UK medics now fear he could also have given it to others on the plane.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/u...

A highly alarmist and erroneous article, imo. After three weeks they must be searching for the much-hoped-for mild cases which will help to lower the CFR... Not to mention they seem to have labelled the graphic with 12 "dead" instead of "cases"!

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by: Ruby Murray @ Fri Feb 22, 2013 at 01:02:45 AM UTC

Please post new news stories to...

News Reports for February 22, 2013

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 @ Fri Feb 22, 2013 at 06:51:03 AM UTC

Another H5N1 patient dies in SW China

2013-02-22

GUIYANG, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- The second of two people confirmed by the Ministry of Health to have contracted avian influenza H5N1 died in a hospital in southwest China's Guizhou province on Friday, according to health authorities.

The patient, a 31-year-old man, died of multiple organ failure at Jinyang Hospital in Guizhou, the provincial capital, at 4:40 p.m., sources with the provincial health department said.

The man developed symptoms on Feb. 3 and was hospitalized on Feb. 8.

Another patient, a 21-year-old woman, died of multiple organ failure on Feb. 13. They both tested positive for the H5N1 virus on Feb. 17.

The two patients both had close contact with birds, sources said.

full article
http://news.xinhuanet.com/engl...

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

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by: cottontop @ Sat Feb 23, 2013 at 03:40:26 AM UTC

Whoops! Sorry Miss Carol. Will

move this to tomorrows dairy.

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

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by: cottontop @ Sat Feb 23, 2013 at 03:43:16 AM UTC

[ Parent ]