November 25th, 2009 by MWilhelm

( RANDLE ) – The second school-based H1N1 immunization clinic in Lewis County included 116White Pass students being vaccinated against the swine flu.  That figure represents about one-third of the district’s students.  Most of those who took part were at the elementary level.  The next round of health department immunizations will be at Boistfort and Pe Ell schools this Monday.

November 25th, 2009 by MWilhelm

Five-year-old who died on Sunday had swine flu but cause of death not yet established, officials say.

A five-year-old boy who died at Milton Keynes hospital on Sunday hadswine flu, but it was not yet clear whether the virus caused his death, health chiefs said today.

Further tests are being carried out on the boy, who was from Olney, Buckinghamshire.. Diane Gray, deputy director of public health for Milton Keynes, said: “It is important to remember that swine flu is widespread in communities across the country. For most it has been a relatively mild illness but sadly, similar to seasonal flu, for the few it has been much more serious.”

Emberton school, near Olney, closed on Monday after the boy’s death but has since reopened.

More than 200 people in Britain have died with swine flu, and yesterday the Health Protection Agency said research suggested one in five children would have had the H1N1 strain, with about half developing no symptoms.

The government has said there is no evidence the virus has changed or become more dangerous, but has said children aged between six months and five years will be offered the vaccine once high-risk groups – such as those with long-term health conditions or pregnant women – have been immunised.

November 25th, 2009 by MWilhelm

Four more Oklahomans died from the swine flu, bringing the total deaths to 38 from the novel virus in the state, according to a state health report released Wednesday.

Two of the reported deaths were in Tulsa County, the report said.

Hospitalizations last week fell to 31 from 46 the previous week, a month-long trend that may signal a slowdown in the spread of the swine flu virus, officials said.

Of the recently reported deaths, two were adults ages 50 to 64 and two were 65 or older, the report shows.

State officials recently opened vaccination clinics to all who want to be vaccinated against the H1N1 virus. The next clinic in Tulsa County will be held 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Dec. 3 at Tulsa Community College’s west campus, 7505 W. 41st St.

November 25th, 2009 by MWilhelm

Bratislava – A 32-year-old Slovak man who died in hospital on Tuesday is suspected of being Slovakia’s first swine flu fatality, public health officials said Wednesday. The chronically ill man, who was confirmed to have been infected with the H1N1 influenza strain, died of a respiratory failure, said Ivan Rovny, the country’s chief public health officer.

The patient had also suffered from a kidney disease and had been on dialysis for more than three years, Rovny’s office said. The leading cause of his death needs to be confirmed by an autopsy.

Julius Zeman, the head of the hospital unit that treated the patients in the western town of Bojnice, told reporters that swine flu likely played “a decisive role” in the man’s death.

“The flu could have been a partial or sole cause of death,” Zeman said in a video posted on the Sme daily’s website. “It disabled breathing and the patient lacked oxygen.”

According to Slovak health authorities, 466 people are confirmed to have been infected with the virus. A Slovak woman with H1N1 died in early November but swine flu did not cause her death, officials have said.

As of November 15, the World Health Organization registered 6,770 H1N1 influenza victims worldwide.

November 25th, 2009 by MWilhelm

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – State health officials say four more people have died from complications of the swine flu.

The Oklahoma State Department of Health reported the deaths Thursday. The latest deaths occurred through last Saturday and bring to 37 the number of swine flu deaths reported in the state since tracking began Sept. 1.

Meanwhile, health officials say survey results show declining flu activity since a peak in mid-October.

Of the 37 deaths reported since September, 11 have been reported in Oklahoma County and 10 in Tulsa County. 9 of those who died were children younger than 19 and seven were 65 years old or older. The health department reports 23 of those who died had at least one underlying medical condition that may have increased their risk of influenza.

November 25th, 2009 by MWilhelm

CAIRO, Nov 25 (Reuters) – Egypt’s health ministry will give licences to five companies to produce up to 5 million doses of generic H1N1 flu drugs in 2010, a health ministry spokesman said on Wednesday.

Spokesman Abdel Rahman Shahin said the ministry has a Tamiflu supply of 5 million doses it purchased from Swiss drugmaker Roche (ROG.VX) but was looking to increase its supply through local manufacturers to 10 million in 2010.

Each dose would be sold for 75 Egyptian pounds ($13.76).

“In case of higher demand for the medicinal preparation in the coming stage … we would supply higher quantities for a lower price,” Shahin said.

He added that the five companies would obtain the licences on condition that the active ingredient used in the medicine is accredited by a globally recognised organisation such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Five laboratories will also be authorised by the ministry to conduct testing for the H1N1 virus, Shahin said.

Egypt has had 3,216 cases of swine flu, including 13 deaths.

November 25th, 2009 by MWilhelm

1.6 million fall ill, while 388 die in three weeks

After three weeks of panic, pandemonium and politics, the initial swine flu pandemic in Ukraine has peaked.

Today the government is expected to end a nationwide ban on public gatherings, lift travel restrictions and order the reopening of parliament, schools and universities in all but 11 regions.

But the country, with its anemic health-care system, is still reeling from having 1.6 million people fall sick with the flu, resulting in the hospitalization of 97,000 people and the deaths of 388 in three weeks.

At the height of the frenzy, tens of thousands were becoming ill each day, dozens were dying and the Ukraine navy said it could not carry out combat duty because of a lack of manpower.

The National Security & Defence Council said there were constitutional prerequisites to declare a state of emergency and politicians briefly talked of postponing presidential elections, scheduled for Jan. 17.

A rising death toll added fear to the emotions rattling Ukraine as it ran out of essential medicines and supplies.

Pharmacies looked like Soviet-era shops with long lines of customers queuing for nonexistent surgical masks and cold medicines. The Health Ministry’s stock of Tamiflu, an anti-viral designed to slow the spread of influenza, was used up in days and people began to hoard lemons and garlic for homemade cures.

Ukraine’s fragile health system was soon paralyzed and rumours proliferated that people were dying of a new, more lethal strain of influenza virus.

Read the rest of this entry »

November 25th, 2009 by MWilhelm

There could be a shortage of intensive care beds for children with swine flu, according to medical researchers.

Writing in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, researchers from Cambridge University estimated that 3.8 per cent of those aged 15 and under who are admitted to hospital for swine flu would require an intensive care bed.

They also estimated that between one and two per cent of all people with swine flu would need hospital treatment. The two combined could lead to between 50 per cent and 100 per cent of children’s intensive beds being filled at the peak of the flu pandemic.

NHS figures show that children and young people aged 16 and under are most likely to be admitted to hospital with swine flu, while an analysis of deaths from the illness in England shows that one in five are among children aged 14 and under.

To try to prevent further deaths, the Department of Health has said the number of intensive care beds for children could be expanded from 363 to 700 at the peak of a flu pandemic.

Yesterday, a Nursing Times survey of 1,000 nurses found that three out of four nurses said their part of the NHS was under greater pressure than this time last year, with bed occupancy and staff shortages partly to blame.

November 25th, 2009 by MWilhelm

Medical authorities in Yerevan reported on Tuesday what they suspect was the first fatality caused by swine flu in Armenia.

Ara Asoyan, the country’s chief epidemiologist, told RFE/RL that a 51-year-old Armenian man died on Friday shortly after being taken to Yerevan’s Nork hospital with grave flu-like symptoms.

Asoyan, who runs the hospital specializing in infectious disease, said the man suffered from a particular type of influenza that has yet to be ascertained. A biopsy test will show whether it was the H1N1 virus, he said, adding that the results will be known within three weeks.

“The diagnosis was complicated by the fact that he was brought to our hospital on the eighth or ninth day of the disease,” said Asoyan. “What could have been caused by the flu was already gone.”

According to the official, the dead man also had other serious illnesses. “We had a consequential situation: quite a serious change in the lungs and bronchi, problems with the heart muscle. In this situation I find it difficult to tell what happened,” he said.
The death occurred about two weeks after the authorities reported the first case of swine flu in Armenia. A total of 25 H1N1 cases have been registered since then. All but two of them have reportedly been already discharged from hospital.

Health officials have been at pains to play down the outbreak, saying that the Armenian medical services will manage to keep it under control. Asoyan urged the population on November 14 to stop buying up Tamiflu drugs and medical masks, dismissing widespread fears of the potentially deadly virus as an unjustified “psychosis.”

Asoyan acknowledged on Tuesday that the disease can be life-threatening, while insisting that the risks involved are grossly exaggerated by many people. “I can’t exclude death cases in our country,” he said.

November 25th, 2009 by MWilhelm

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) – A number of public health centers are stocked for the H1N1 vaccine, according to the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control.

The DHEC announced it is receiving shipments of the vaccine in South Carolina and are ordering many more doses. A few DHEC public health centers have scheduled H1N1 vaccine clinics, but others are waiting until they have sufficient quantities of the vaccine on hand before finalizing plans.

If you don’t see listings for H1N1 vaccine clinics in your area, the DHEC urges people not to worry.

“We expect to have enough H1N1 flu vaccines for everyone who wants one,” the department states on its website.

There is no out of pocket charge for the 2009 H1N1 vaccine at a DHEC clinic. The cost of the seasonal flu shot is $25, payable by cash, check, Medicaid or Medicare.

If attending a clinic for a vaccine, bring your Medicaid or Medicare Part B card with you, if you have one and wear a short-sleeved shirt.

November 23rd, 2009 by MWilhelm

Iranian health officials have issued warnings about a new wave of swine flu in the country, advising people to avoid crowded places.

“Religious ceremonies, weddings and other crowded places provide an ideal place for the A-H1N1 flu virus to spread among people,” IRNA quoted the Director of the Health Ministry’s Flu Program and Border Health Care as saying on Monday.

“Forced air systems must be checked on a regular basis. People should avoid shaking hands or kissing when greeting. They should not share food, glasses or cutlery for fear of contracting the flu,” said Mahmoud Soroush.

“People with respiratory conditions and heart disease are more at risk for swine flu infection,” he continued.

The Iranian health official warned that such patients must see a doctor if they exhibit any influenza-like symptoms such as fever, headache, nausea, fatigue or general weakness common to both swine flu and seasonal flu.

The A-H1N1 influenza virus, which originated in Mexico, can be prevented by healthily maintaining one’s immune system with healthy food choices, sufficient fluid consumption and the washing of one’s hands several times a day.

Swine flu has claimed the lives of 100 people across Iran as the national tally of infections passes 3128, the latest report by the country’s Health Ministry said.

November 23rd, 2009 by MWilhelm

Heath officials have confirmed that a woman from Labrador has died after contracting swine flu.

The woman, whose age and hometown haven’t been released, died over the weekend at a hospital in St. John’s.

Dr. Muna ar-Rushdi, the medical officer of health for Labrador-Grenfell Health, said the woman had a number of other medical issues.

Her death is the eighth confirmed death in the province due to swine flu.

Six involved people who had other medical problems and one person had no known medical problems prior to contracting H1N1, according to medical officials.

On Friday, the province’s health minister confirmed that the chief medical examiner in Newfoundland and Labrador is reviewing six other recent deaths to see if they were caused by swine flu.

Jerome Kennedy said lab tests have confirmed that the six tested positive for the H1N1 flu virus, either before or after they died.

Kennedy said a team of medical specialists, led by Dr. Simon Avis, the province’s chief medical officer, will review those cases to see what role the virus might have played in their deaths.

The Public Health Agency of Canada defines an H1N1-related death as a death occurring in any person with lab-confirmed swine flu with “no period of complete recovery between the time of illness and the death.”

That review is expected to be completed by next week.

November 23rd, 2009 by MWilhelm

A new study to identify any rare side effects of the swine flu vaccination was has been launched

The research is being rolled out in stages across Scotland.

Initially, the study will only look at people aged 16 and over, but it is hoped to expand the study to include children.

The study is being run by the Medicines Monitoring Unit (MEMO), at the University of Dundee, working with the Drug Safety Research Unit (DSRU) in Southampton.

Dr Isla Mackenzie, consultant physician with MEMO and lead doctor on the study, said: “Working with very large numbers of people is the only way to pick up extremely rare but important side effects of drugs or vaccines, such as those that only occur in one in 10,000 people.

“While the swine flu vaccine has been licensed and passed as safe to administer to the population, it is routine for new vaccines to continue to be monitored.

“It is good news for Scotland that we are able to mount such a study here and we hope that the public will help us by taking part in this important study.”

The study organisers hope as many people as possible from all over Scotland will join the research which will follow them for a year after their swine flu vaccination to monitor for any rare side effects.

The research will also include people who were offered swine flu vaccination but decided not to accept it to allow for comparisons between the sections of the population who took the vaccine and those who did not.

Read the rest of this entry »

November 23rd, 2009 by MWilhelm

The H1N1 (swine flu) virus appears to be spreading eastward across Europe and Asia, after appearing to have leveled off in the U.S. and some western European countries, the WHO said Friday, Reuters reports. ”Typically seasonal influenza always starts west and moves eastwards,” said Anthony Mounts, of the WHO. “It seems to be following that pattern except it is coming very early this year.” In central and South America, the number of flu cases continues to decline, with the exception of Peru and Colombia, WHO said, according to Reuters (Nebehay, 11/20).

The number of new H1N1 cases in the U.S. appears to have slowed, U.S. health officials said Friday, Agence France-Pressereports. “We are beginning to see some decline in influenza activity around the country, but there is still a lot of influenza everywhere,” said Anne Schuchat, of the CDC (11/20).

“The number of states reporting widespread activity of the H1N1 virus dropped to 43 from 46 in the past week, and activity fell in all 10 regions of the country, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” the Washington Postreports in a second story (Stein, 11/21).

“It is so early in the year to have this much disease,” Schuchat said at a news conference, the Wall Street Journal reports. “We don’t know if these declines will persist, what the slope will be, whether we’ll have a long decline or it will start to go up again” (McKay, 11/23). The New York Times reports on additional signs the H1N1 virus has peaked in the U.S., including declines in the number of H1N1 diagnostic tests since October and totals of college students infected with the virus (McNeil, 11/20).

AsiaNews.it reports on the rising number of H1N1 cases in Sri Lanka, leading to the closure of all schools in the Central Province of the country on November 23 (11/20).

Washington Post Looks At H1N1 In Eastern Europe

The Washington Post examines how countries in Eastern Europe are responding to the uptick in the number of H1N1 cases. “As the pandemic H1N1 influenza surges with the onset of winter, the nations of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union appear particularly vulnerable to the deadly virus. Burdened with weak health-care systems, relatively inexperienced news media outlets and shaky governments that have little public trust, the region also seems ripe for panic and political strife over the flu,” the newspaper writes. “The potential for trouble is already on display in Ukraine, where 1.5 million of its 46 million people have had diagnoses of flu and respiratory illnesses since the start of the outbreak and 356 have died, according to the government” – the WHO suspects many of theses cases were caused by the H1N1 virus.

Read the rest of this entry »

November 23rd, 2009 by MWilhelm

Forty-year-old Suresh Kisan Pawar from Chavan nagar, Dhankawadi, died of swine flu at Sassoon General Hospital on Sunday. He was under treatment for cold and fever at Sai Hospital and later shifted to Navale Hospital before being admitted to Sassoon. Two-and-a-half-year-old Madhvi Pujari from Kasarwadi died of swine flu at D Y Patil Hospital, Pimpri, on November 19. Prakash Jachak (59) of Dattawadi died on Friday.

Around 300 patients with suspected swine flu symptoms were administered Tamiflu tablets on Saturday.