Swine Flu: India's first cell cultured Swine Flu vaccine launched

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Swine flu does not spare Goa
12 Jun 2009, 0206 hrs IST, TNN
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PANAJI: Swine flu hit Goa on Thursday, when a 41-year-old man from South Goa tested positive for the virus and there was another suspected case
in North Goa.

State health officials have, however, sent the man's swab samples to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), New Delhi for confirmation.

DHS director Rajananda Dessai confirmed that the man's samples sent to NIV, Pune, had tested positive to swine flu.

"We cannot yet say that he is a victim of swine flu, as we have sent the tests back to the NIV and the NICD for confirmation," Dessai said. The man has been admitted to the isolation ward of the Chicalim cottage hospital, where he is under observation. According to health officials, the man hails from south Goa and had recently arrived from London via Germany.

Doctors at Chicalim cottage hospital said there is restriction on movement of persons near the ward where the man is under observation, though his wife has been allowed to stay with him on the condition that she wears a mask. They also said they are awaiting the report of the swab sample sent to Pune.

Even as this news broke on Thursday morning, another woman arriving on a flight from Sharjah was taken by directorate of health (DHS) officials to the Goa medical college and hospital (GMC), Bambolim after displaying swine flu symptoms.

The woman, 35, hailing from North Goa arrived at Dabolim airport from Sharjah on Thursday morning and screening at the airport conducted by health officials revealed swine flu symptoms.

She was immediately taken by DHS officials to the GMC. "A woman was brought here by DHS. However, we took her samples and she left with the DHS officials," GMC medical superintendent Rajan Kuncolienkar said.

When asked about the case, Dessai says the woman's tests have also been sent to NIV, Pune and the woman has been allowed to go home, adding that there was no cause for panic.

Meanwhile, 219 international passengers were screened at the arrival lounge of the Dabolim Airport. The total number of passengers screened till date is 6,675.

Scare along beach belt

The swine flu scare has led to concern over restaurant staff in the coastal belt falling sick with prolonged bouts of fever.

Most of the staff hail from other states and have been sent home by restaurant owners. "The tourist season is at its fag end, though there are still a few Indian tourists coming. We cannot ask those who are sick to stay on," a Calangute restaurant owner said.

Another popular Baga restaurant saw three of its waiters contracting a kind of flu, with the owner himself getting infected later.

"It's a case of influenza," the restaurant owner said. "I've sent my waiters back to Sawantwadi. I hear they are getting better," he said.

Meanwhile, a pork butcher from Arpora-Nagoa panchayat, is reportedly suffering from a prolonged fever and it is learnt that he sought treatment at Candolim health centre. However, when contacted, health centre officials denied that anybody with such symptoms has approached them.

"A few weeks back, a tourist from Argentina came to us. He had flu symptoms, however, he recovered as it was influenza," says Sachin Govekar of the Candolim health centre.

Swine flu does not spare Goa - Goa - Cities - The Times of India
 

Sridhar

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Swine flu does not spare Goa
12 Jun 2009, 0206 hrs IST, TNN
Print Email Discuss Share Save Comment Text:
PANAJI: Swine flu hit Goa on Thursday, when a 41-year-old man from South Goa tested positive for the virus and there was another suspected case
in North Goa.

State health officials have, however, sent the man's swab samples to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), New Delhi for confirmation.

DHS director Rajananda Dessai confirmed that the man's samples sent to NIV, Pune, had tested positive to swine flu.

"We cannot yet say that he is a victim of swine flu, as we have sent the tests back to the NIV and the NICD for confirmation," Dessai said. The man has been admitted to the isolation ward of the Chicalim cottage hospital, where he is under observation. According to health officials, the man hails from south Goa and had recently arrived from London via Germany.

Doctors at Chicalim cottage hospital said there is restriction on movement of persons near the ward where the man is under observation, though his wife has been allowed to stay with him on the condition that she wears a mask. They also said they are awaiting the report of the swab sample sent to Pune.

Even as this news broke on Thursday morning, another woman arriving on a flight from Sharjah was taken by directorate of health (DHS) officials to the Goa medical college and hospital (GMC), Bambolim after displaying swine flu symptoms.

The woman, 35, hailing from North Goa arrived at Dabolim airport from Sharjah on Thursday morning and screening at the airport conducted by health officials revealed swine flu symptoms.

She was immediately taken by DHS officials to the GMC. "A woman was brought here by DHS. However, we took her samples and she left with the DHS officials," GMC medical superintendent Rajan Kuncolienkar said.

When asked about the case, Dessai says the woman's tests have also been sent to NIV, Pune and the woman has been allowed to go home, adding that there was no cause for panic.

Meanwhile, 219 international passengers were screened at the arrival lounge of the Dabolim Airport. The total number of passengers screened till date is 6,675.

Scare along beach belt

The swine flu scare has led to concern over restaurant staff in the coastal belt falling sick with prolonged bouts of fever.

Most of the staff hail from other states and have been sent home by restaurant owners. "The tourist season is at its fag end, though there are still a few Indian tourists coming. We cannot ask those who are sick to stay on," a Calangute restaurant owner said.

Another popular Baga restaurant saw three of its waiters contracting a kind of flu, with the owner himself getting infected later.

"It's a case of influenza," the restaurant owner said. "I've sent my waiters back to Sawantwadi. I hear they are getting better," he said.

Meanwhile, a pork butcher from Arpora-Nagoa panchayat, is reportedly suffering from a prolonged fever and it is learnt that he sought treatment at Candolim health centre. However, when contacted, health centre officials denied that anybody with such symptoms has approached them.

"A few weeks back, a tourist from Argentina came to us. He had flu symptoms, however, he recovered as it was influenza," says Sachin Govekar of the Candolim health centre.

Swine flu does not spare Goa - Goa - Cities - The Times of India
 

Sridhar

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Novartis claims successful production of H1N1 vaccine
2009-06-12 15:26:46
Last Updated: 2009-06-12 15:27:21

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Basel, Switzerland: Swiss pharmaceuticals company Novartis AG said Friday it has successfully produced a first batch of swine flu vaccine weeks ahead of expectations.

The vaccine was made in cells, rather than grown in eggs as is usually the case with vaccines, the company said.

The announcement comes a day after the World Health Organisation declared swine flu, also known as A(H1N1), a pandemic. The move indicates that a global outbreak is under way. WHO says drugmakers will likely have vaccines approved and ready for sale after September.

Swine flu pandemic has begun: WHO

Novartis said it would use the first batch of vaccine for pre-clinical evaluation and testing. It is also being considered for clinical trials, the company said.

The vaccine was produced at a Novartis plant in Marburg, Germany. Novartis said the facility could potentially produce millions of doses of vaccine a week.

Swine flu: Full coverage

A second plant is being built in Holly Springs, North Carolina, the company said.

Novartis said more than 30 governments have requested vaccine supplies, including the US Department of Health and Human Service, which placed a $289 million order in May.

Novartis claims successful production of H1N1 vaccine
 

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30 swine flu cases in India, government says suspend visits abroad

30 swine flu cases in India, government says suspend visits abroad

2009-06-15 21:30:00

Swine flu cases in India mounted to 30 Monday after seven more teenaged students who returned from an educational tour of the US tested positive for the virus. On its part, the government urged the people, especially students, to suspend their visits abroad.

According to health officials here, seven of a group of 31 students from the Guru Amar Das Public School in Jalandhar, who had gone to New York and Florida to visit National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) facilities, tested positive for swine flu.

While one of the students was detected with swine flu Sunday and was hospitilised in Delhi, the rest left for Punjab and were Sunday found to be suffering from flu-like symptoms.

'Ten had developed symptoms of mild influenza-like illness and were kept in isolation at the Civil Hospital in Jalandhar,' said an official statement here.

'Of the 10, seven tested positive for the influenza A(H1N1) virus Monday. All these children are stable and responding to treatment,' the statement added.

The rest of the students, their families and social contacts and those sitting in their proximity on the flight back have been identified, the statement said.

Four doctors from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) here have gone to Jalandhar to oversee the treatment of the students.

So far, samples of 318 people have been tested, of which 30 have tested positive for influenza A (H1N1), a health official said.

Of these, only two are human-to-human transfer cases.

'Among the 318 tested, 92 were identified through health screening at international airports, 10 were identified through contact tracing and the rest were samples from people who have self-reported,' the official said.

In Hyderabad, two sisters aged eight and four and a 45-year-old woman were late Sunday confirmed to be infected, taking the total number of cases in Andhra Pradesh to 12, the highest in India. The confirmed cases include five children.

The two sisters and their mother arrived in Hyderabad from New York June 10. The mother is among five passengers kept under observation for suspected symptoms of swine flu.

Doctors at the Andhra Pradesh Chest Hospital said the samples of the suspected cases, including two children had been sent to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) in New Delhi.

With the surge in swine flu cases, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who chaired a review meeting Monday morning, said: 'Till this disease is not controlled globally, I would like to request young people from educational institutions going abroad to suspend their visits for the time being.

'They can go after 2-3 months,' he told reporters.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) Thursday raised its alert against the swine flu to the highest level - Phase 6. The swine flu pandemic is the first since the Hong Kong flu pandemic of 1968 that killed one million people.

Azad said situation was under control as of the total infected people, 11 had been discharged after being treated.

'Medicine is available in plenty and the most important thing is that this disease is 100 percent curable. Of the total 23 cases (repeated at the time he spoke), 11 have already been treated and discharged. So you are only left with 12 cases,' he said.

He said that keeping in mind India's size and population, the cases here were minimal as compared to the huge numbers most developed countries have reported.

Azad said the director general of health services should immediately send a Rapid Response Team to Punjab and make available adequate quantities of Tamiflu tablets to help contain spread of the disease.

The health minister also spoke to chief ministers of all the states urging them to gear up their health machinery to prevent the spread of the virus.
 

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The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Nation | Scramble to tamp down on flu cluster Teens pick up virus on US visit

Scramble to tamp down on flu cluster
Teens pick up virus on US visit


OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT



Doctors from Delhi examine some students in Jalandhar after one of their classmates was found to have swine flu; (Below) Syed Reyan Saif with mother Ateeqa Mariam after being cured of the H1N1 influenza in Hyderabad on Monday. (PTI)



New Delhi, June 15: Health officials scrambled today to prevent India’s first cluster of pandemic influenza from emerging in Jalandhar, where seven teenagers who returned from a school trip to America are infected with the new H1N1 virus.

The teenagers, under quarantine at a government hospital in the Punjab industrial hub, are among a group of 31 children from a school in Jalandhar who flew into India on Saturday after the US visit and developed flu symptoms yesterday.

State health staff visited the homes of all the children who have flu symptoms early this morning and gave the anti-viral drug oseltamivir to 196 family members and close relatives, Amarjeet Kaur, regional director of health, said.

All the infected teenagers appear to have picked up the infection during their trip. However, the large number of simultaneous infections has triggered fears of a local cluster — defined as two or more persons showing flu symptoms within 14 days in the same geographical area and linked.

A cluster could emerge if the children passed on the virus to their contacts before they developed symptoms.

“There is no evidence yet for a cluster (from local transmission),” said a senior health officer in New Delhi. “But we have asked the district authorities to remain vigilant.”

A central rapid response team has gone to Jalandhar to assist district health authorities in implementing guidelines aimed at preventing the local spread of the infection.

In a meeting to review the nation’s state of preparedness, health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad called on chief ministers to “gear up” health facilities and services in their states for possible spread of the virus.

Health ministry sources said the states had been asked to increase the number of isolation facilities in government hospitals and prepare local rapid-response teams who could help contain any clusters that might develop.

“Our advisory to the public to curtail non-essential travel to affected countries remains,” a source said. But India has not imposed any restriction on travel, the source added.

The emergence of a cluster is likely to set into motion a “cluster containment” plan under which at least 90 per cent of the population in a 5km zone around the neighbourhood of the cluster would be given oseltamivir to prevent the infection from spreading.

The National Institute of Communicable Diseases today confirmed the H1N1 illness in a 45-year-old woman, an eight-year-old girl and a four-year-old girl who had travelled from the US to Hyderabad. All have very mild symptoms, a health officer in Hyderabad said.

India now has 30 confirmed H1N1 cases. Eleven patients have been discharged.
 

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BBC NEWS | UK | Scotland | Glasgow, Lanarkshire and West | Double loss for swine flu family

Double loss for swine flu family


Ms Fleming had health problems before contracting the flu virus

The family of the first person in Europe to die after being diagnosed with swine flu has suffered a double tragedy with the death of her baby.

Jacqueline Fleming, 38, from Glasgow, died on Sunday at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.

Her son Jack, who was born 11 weeks early, died on Monday in a special care baby unit at the same hospital.

The baby was not infected with the Influenza A (H1N1) virus. He was two weeks old when he died.

Ms Fleming had been suffering from underlying health problems since the birth of her son.

In a statement, her partner William McCann said it was an extremely distressing and difficult time for the family.

He said: "My beautiful son was born on the first of June 2009, 11 weeks early.

"He suffered from a number of complications and despite his brave fight he passed away earlier this evening at the Special Care Baby Unit at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley."

Ms Fleming lived with her two other children - one aged 18 and one of primary school age - and her long-term partner in the family home in Thornliebank, just south of Glasgow.

William Docherty, who knew Ms Fleming, told BBC Scotland he believed she had been admitted to hospital following a stroke.

A female friend of the family said: "I think they are taking it really badly. She was in hospital for a couple of weeks and there were days she was getting better and days she was taking a turn for the worse.

"They hoped she was going to pull through and it was a shock when she died. The family are really devastated."

She added: "She was a really nice lady, really kind, a quiet woman, just a family person really."

Scotland Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: "The death of baby Jack, especially coming so soon after the death of his mother, is a tragedy and I extend my deepest condolences to their family and friends for this unimaginably painful loss."

A further 71 new cases of swine flu have been confirmed by GPs in Scotland , bringing the total to 569. All of the new cases were in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS area.


Jacqueline Fleming lived in Crebar Street in the Thornliebank area

In England, the Health Protection Agency said another 59 cases had been confirmed.

Earlier, Ms Sturgeon said that while Ms Fleming's death was tragic the public should take some reassurance from the fact that most cases of the virus were "relatively mild".

She said: "It is important to stress that in any flu outbreak, unfortunately, we will see a small number of deaths and that doesn't change the fact that for the vast majority of people contracting this virus the symptoms are relatively mild."
 

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Sample of 11-year-old sent for Swine flu test- Hindustan Times

Sample of 11-year-old sent for Swine flu test

Press Trust Of India
Ahmedabad, June 17, 2009
First Published: 16:33 IST(17/6/2009)
Last Updated: 16:36 IST(17/6/2009)

Blood sample of an 11-year-old girl, who arrived in Himmatnagar, Sabarkantha, along with her parents a few days ago from US, was sent for Swine flu test on Wednesday as a precautionary measure, health department officials said.

"A family of three including the girl arrived in Himmatnagar on evening of June 14 from Michigan, US. The girl
was suffering from cold," Deputy director (epidemic) of the state Dr S J Gandhi told PTI.

"To be on the safe side we have collected blood sample from the girl and sent it to National Institute of
Communicable Diseases (NICD) in Delhi. It is not a suspected case of Swine flu, but as a precautionary measure we have done this looking into the travel history of the girl," he said.

"The girl and her parents have been quarantined at the Himmatnagar civil hospital. The parents of the girl did not
show any symptoms of Swine flu," Gandhi said.

The chief district health officer (CDHO) of Sabarkantha Dr H S Patel said that that they are awaiting the test results
from NICD, Delhi.

"As the girl was suffering from cold we sent the sample for testing to be on the safe side," Patel said.
 

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Four more swine flu cases in Delhi; 35 affected across India

Four more swine flu cases in Delhi; 35 affected across India

New Delhi, Jun 17 (PTI) Four more persons have tested positive for swine flu in the national capital, taking the total number of those affected by the disease to 35 in the country today.
With the new cases in Delhi, the number of those affected by swine flu in the city has risen to ten, but five of them have already been discharged from hospital after treatment.

"The four persons who have tested positive for swine flu in the capital are in hospital and undergoing treatment," Dr Shivlal, Director of National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), told PTI.

Meanwhile, eight persons with suspected swine flu symptoms are still in hospital as results of tests carried out on their samples are still awaited, Delhi government sources said.

In the past two days alone, as many as 12 cases have tested positive. According to Health Ministry, samples of 315 persons have been tested till yesterday.

With most swine flu affected people coming from America, the government has said the US should "suo motu" start screening outbound passengers for symptoms of the disease.

New Delhi has also asked the developed countries to take action to contain and check the spread of swine flu at their end which would help in stopping the spread of the infection to the developing nations. PTI
 

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BBC NEWS | UK | Northern Ireland | Ninth swine flu case from travel

Ninth swine flu case from travel

A ninth case of swine flu in Northern Ireland has been confirmed by the health service.

Six more possible cases are under investigation, the Public Health Agency said.

The latest case relates to travel outside the UK and does not involve a school, workplace or other setting in Northern Ireland, the PHA added.

The sufferer has mild symptoms and is at home and taking antiviral treatment.

The patient has asked the authorities to ensure no identity details are revealed. Anyone who has been in close contact is being followed up by the agency.

Director for Public Health Dr Carolyn Harper said: "People should not be alarmed by this further case and we should expect to see more over the next few days and weeks.

"That has been the pattern in other countries and we are planning for a similar picture here.

"We have good systems in place, though, to respond to any cases that appear."

The PHA said the other eight cases in Northern Ireland have either recovered or were doing well.

The UK is now home to the highest number of confirmed cases in Europe.

The national total now stands at 1,461 patients since April 2009.

This number does not include clinically diagnosed cases in Scotland where the virus has spread particularly fast. These are yet to be confirmed.

Death

On Sunday a 38-year-old Glasgow woman became the first person in Europe to die after being diagnosed with the virus.

Jacqueline Fleming had underlying health problems since the premature birth of her son, who died a day after his mother at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.

The baby did not have the Influenza A (HIN1) virus.

Last week, the World Health Organisation (WHO) held an emergency meeting at which it declared a global flu pandemic, the first in 40 years.

A pandemic is declared on geographical terms as the virus spreads, but it does mean that it is causing more severe illness or a greater number of deaths.

The swine flu virus has now spread to 76 countries after it was first detected in Mexico in April. Young working age adults have been the most likely to contract the virus, with a third to a half of complications presenting in otherwise healthy people.

The government has been stockpiling antivirals like Tamiflu and has ordered vaccine. The first doses could be administered in October.

Anyone suffering from flu-like symptoms is advised to seek medical attention and stay at home.
 

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Govt directs pvt docs to report H1N1 cases - Ahmedabad - Cities - The Times of India

Govt directs pvt docs to report H1N1 cases

17 Jun 2009, 0026 hrs IST, TNN

Ahmedabad : Private doctors in the state have been directed to report any person showing symptoms of H1N1 flu, who may have missed the surveillance system at the international airport terminal – this is possible because the virus has an incubation of seven to 10 days.

"Over 2,000 reporting units have been created across state to keep a tab on the swine flu patients. Apart from government setups, we are in touch with leading medical practitioners in state to keep a tab on people who may have cleared the screening at international airport," a senior health
and family department official told TOI.

Officials said that a team of eight doctors headed by a Chief District Health Officer (CDHO) or regional deputy director has been deputed at the airport for monitoring screening of persons arriving through an international flight. If the traveller doesn't show symptoms, his details are taken down and he is given a leaflet containing complete information about symptoms including state health
control number where he is supposed to report in case they show up later. Daily report is being analysed by department officials.

State has also initiated a quarantine area where several rooms in the Civil Hospital have been slotted for patients who may have come in contact with a swine flu patient.

An isolation ward has been set up for keeping for any international passengers who display swine flu symptoms. Meanwhile, experts said that swine flu is contagious but not dangerous. "According to current reports, the mortality rate of swine flu is 0.5. Its symptoms are mainly like the common influenza where the person gets fever, running nose, watery eyes and then coughing. The only concern is that it spreads very rapidly," said infectious diseases specialist Dr Atul Patel.

Dr Patel said that patients who have travelled abroad and get such symptoms should take them seriously and report the case to curb the spread of the disease."Currently, Tamiflu drug is being used to treat this condition which is available only with government hospitals," he added.
 

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BBC NEWS | UK | Scotland | Glasgow, Lanarkshire and West | Scots swine flu total above 500

Scots swine flu total above 500


GP-diagnosed cases are given antiviral drugs like Tamiflu

The number of Scots with swine flu has risen above 500, after 10 cases of the virus were confirmed by tests.

The latest victims bring the total number of people in Scotland who have caught the H1N1 virus to 508.

Doctors in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS area have also diagnosed a further 351 possible cases.

A sample of these will be tested further to establish if the new method of diagnosis by GP is providing accurate statistics.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: "As expected, we are continuing to see a rise in the number of H1N1 cases reported in Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

'Well prepared'

"We are one of the best-prepared countries in the world but it is really important that we stay focused on doing everything we can to minimise the impact the flu will have.

"I reiterate that the risk to the general public from this virus remains low and we can all play our part in slowing the spread by following simple hygiene procedures, like washing your hands and using tissues when coughing or sneezing."

On Sunday a 38-year-old Glasgow woman became the first person in Europe to die after being diagnosed with the virus.

Jacqueline Fleming had underlying health problems since the premature birth of her son, who died a day after his mother at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.

The baby did not have the Influenza A (HIN1) virus.
 

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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/17/nyregion/17swine.html?ref=nyregion

7 More With Swine Flu Die, Raising the City’s Total to 23

By JAMES BARRON
Published: June 16, 2009

New York City officials reported Tuesday that seven more people with the swine flu virus had died, lifting the city’s total to 23.

The city’s health department also said that the number of confirmed cases of the virus had climbed to 1,032. The department estimated last week that more than half a million New Yorkers may have become sick from the virus since the outbreak began in late April.

In reporting the seven new deaths, the department did not say exactly when the victims died — or when they contracted the virus.

But the department announced the deaths in a posting on its Web site that covered the days from last Friday through Monday, a period in which it said 142 people in the city had been hospitalized for swine flu. The department said that in all, 709 people had been admitted to hospitals with the virus.

The posting did not identify the seven victims. It provided few other details, except to say that all seven had been between the ages of 25 and 64 and that most of them had been hospitalized late last month, at the height of the outbreak. It also said that 16 had an “established underlying risk factor” for severe influenza or complications.

On Tuesday, Nassau County also reported a swine flu death, a woman in her 20s who had given birth 10 days earlier. The county’s health department said Nassau had 74 confirmed cases of swine flu.

In New York City, the number of emergency room visits by people complaining of flulike symptoms decreased in June, and by June 9 it was roughly a third of the peak number recorded on May 25.

The number of patients admitted with confirmed swine flu was also down, although because of testing delays, the data that the health department posted on Tuesday was almost two weeks old. The department said the statistics were based on information from 50 hospitals in the city.
 

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NEWS pandemic - Subverse - Opinion - The Times of India

NEWS pandemic

15 Jun 2009, 0000 hrs IST, Jug Suraiya

Should you get into a pother about catching influenza A (H1N1), commonly known as swine flu which the World Health Organisation has declared to
be a pandemic, the first pandemic in 41 years? The media is full of swine flu alarms, backed by a barrage of figures and statistics. Over 27,700 cases of infection, reported from 74 countries across the globe. Sixteen confirmed cases in India. So far, 141 swine flu-deaths worldwide. Hong Kong kindergarten and primary schools shut down for two weeks. Restrictions on foreign travel may be imposed. WHO fears that one-third of the world's population could be affected within one year.

Sounds scary? You bet it is. It has to be, thanks to the competition. In an increasingly alarming and alarmist world, bad news has constantly to compete with even badder news to gain public attention. So on any given day, at any given time, you have a large and lavish buffet of bad news to choose from, in your favourite newspaper, news magazine, or TV news channel.

You've barely started to get the heebie-jeebies about contracting swine flu, when you read or hear about yet another Indian getting beaten up in Australia or was this one in Canada? and get yourself all frazzled about that. Never mind that you're not in Australia (or Canada), and have no immediate or future plans of going there. You might have been there, couldn't you? And you're Indian. Which means the chances are it could have been you that got beaten up. How frightful.

But better than getting blown to smithereens like those poor people on the Air France flight from Rio to Paris which inexplicably exploded in mid-air, killing all the 200-odd passengers on board. No, what with exploding aeroplanes, racist Aussie thugs whose sport of preference is 'curry bashing', and the chances of getting swine flu, it's much better to avoid all travel and stay at home.

Not that you're likely to be particularly safe at home either. Every day there are reports of people being robbed and killed in their homes, often by their own domestic staff. So, get rid of your domestic and make do with a dishwasher and takeaway pizza? Pizza? You know how many calories a single slice of pizza contains? Do you know that urban Indians are among the world's highest risk group for obesity, diabetes and heart disease?

OK, no pizza. Exercise instead. Go for a walk in the park. Which is full of mosquitoes. And news reports inform you that the latest strain of falciparum-carrying mosquito has not only developed an immunity to all known pesticides but also to all available anti-malarial remedies.

Go to work and get your mind off all these anxieties. But for how long will you have a job if the world doesn't pull out of its US-led recession? The news tells you that there are over eight million unemployed people in the US and the number is growing. Obama will stop US companies outsourcing to Bangalore. Exports have slumped. India's fiscal deficit is getting out of control. The newly-formed Congress-led government is already dithering about economic reforms.

Riots again in Srinagar. India declared most corrupt country in Asia. All the tigers are dying. The polar icecaps are melting. Himalayan glaciers are retreating and all the rivers in north India will dry up by 2030, leading to drought and mega-famine. But who knows? If we're lucky, maybe before then Taliban insurgents will have seized Pakistan's nuclear missiles and nuked us all to kingdom come.

Gloom and doom. It's a wonder the world has managed to survive for as long as it has, some 4.5 billion years. So, should you let the swine flu pandemic bother you? Perhaps.

But perhaps you'd be better off thinking about an even more widespread pandemic. The pandemic of NEWS. As in Neverending Exploitative Worry Syndrome.

[email protected]

Juggle-Bandhi:Jug Suraiya's blog-The Times Of India
 

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Four fresh cases of swine flu in Capital - Express India

Four fresh cases of swine flu in Capital

Express News Service
Posted: Jun 18, 2009 at 0148 hrs IST

New Delhi Four persons tested positive for H1N1 influenza in the Capital on Wednesday. The number of suspected samples sent to National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) is 18.

The results are likely to be expected by Thursday afternoon.

The ones who tested positive have come from Singapore, Washington, Chicago and Canada, said Delhi health Minister Kiran Walia.

“Seven persons were admitted to hospitals in Delhi yesterday with symptoms of swine flu. Of them, four have tested positive,” said Walia. Two of them are in the Yellow Fever Hospital and two in the RML, the minister said.

Till late Wednesday night, though, there was confusion regarding the number of cases that have been confirmed as positive. While the minister maintained that four samples have tested positive in the Capital, Medical Superintendent Dr N K Chaturvedi of Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital — the nodal centre for treatment of patients — said not a single patient suffering from the H1N1 influenza is currently admitted at the hospital. “We have only seven suspected cases and not a single positive patient,” said Chaturvedi. They are admitted in the hospital’s isolation ward.

At the NICD, meanwhile, 18 samples are pending — this despite the fact that the institute, by its own admission, takes no more than 6 hours for the tests. Some of the pending samples were sent on Monday.

Suspected case in Gurgaon: Four students of Delhi Public School, Gurgaon, had gone for a visit to the NASA in the US along with some students from Jalandhar. One of them, a 14-year-old boy has shown symptoms of swine flu. His sample has been sent to NICD for tests, said Civil Surgeon Dr S S Dalal. A separate ward had been set up at the local Civil Hospital for swine flu cases.
 

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8-year-old tests positive for swine flu in Hyderabad - Hyderabad - Cities - The Times of India

8-year-old tests positive for swine flu in Hyderabad
18 Jun 2009, 1608 hrs IST, IANS

HYDERABAD: An eight-year-old girl on Thursday tested positive for influenza A(H1N1) here, taking the total number of swine flu cases in Andhra Pradesh to 14 -- the highest in India.

Doctors at the Government Chest Hospital said the girl, who had come from New Jersey, was confirmed to be infected after her samples were tested at the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), New Delhi.

She is the seventh child to have tested positive since May 16, when India's
first swine flu case was confirmed here.

The girl has been quarantined and is being treated at the Chest Hospital, the nodal centre for swine flu cases.

The latest case increased the number of patients at the hospital to eight, including two suspected cases. Eight others who tested positive were treated and discharged from the hospital in the past month.

A nine-year-old boy, who also came from New Jersey, was found to be infected on Tuesday.

Except one, all infected people came from abroad. The lone local resident who was found infected without travelling abroad contracted the virus from his brother, a techie who had come from Philadelphia.

The hospital is also awaiting test results of two suspected cases, which include a youth who arrived here Wednesday from Kuwait.

The medical teams posted at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here are screening all international air passengers. On an average, the authorities are screening 2,000 passengers every day. They have so far screened over 125,000 passengers since April 30.

Those found with visible symptoms are being quarantined and sent directly to the Chest Hospital. So far, the hospital has received 55 suspected cases but only 14 of them tested positive.
 

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AFP: UK woman with swine flu was killed by virus

UK woman with swine flu was killed by virus

4 hours ago

LONDON (AFP) — A British woman who became the first patient with swine flu to die outside the Americas was killed by the virus, officials said Thursday, formally confirming the cause of death.

Jacqueline Fleming, who died in Scotland Sunday after being in hospital for weeks, was said by doctors to have had "underlying health conditions", the nature of which has not been clarified.

The Crown Office, which has investigative authority in Scotland, said it had been officially informed of the 38-year-old's death.

"With the agreement of her family, we are able to confirm that the cause of death has been certified as multi-organ failure due to influenzal pneumonia A(H1N1)," it said late Wednesday.

A baby daughter she gave to prematurely two weeks ago died on Monday, although not of the virus. Fleming had been ill for a number of weeks, according to her family, who said they were "absolutely devastated."
 

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Swine flue under control: Azad- Politics/Nation-News-The Economic Times

Swine flue under control: Azad
18 Jun 2009, 2034 hrs IST, ET Bureau

BHUBANESWAR: The swine flu seems to be under control in the country according to union health and family welfare minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Mr Azad claimed here on Thursday that swine flu is “fully” under control in India.

“Out of total 35 cases of swine flu detected so far, 12 have been treated successfully and the patients have returned home. The rest are undergoing treatment and will return home within a week,” he told reporters here.

Mr Azad who was here to attend a meeting of the state Congress leaders to ascertain causes of party’s debacle in the recent Assembly and Lok Sabha polls in Orissa, however, said situation is quite alarming in other countries like USA, Australia and Japan.

Out of the total 18,000 swine flu affected people in USA, 45 died till date. Similarly, out of 3000 cases detected in Japan, four succumbed to the disease.

He said the Centre has taken precautionary measures to prevent swine flu from taking an epidemic form in the country. All the international airports and sea ports have been under alert.

Mr Azad claimed that the country is well prepared to check the disease. “We have procured 10 million doses of medicine to prevent swine flu. Besides we have formed rapid response teams at national and state levels to respond to the situation,” he said.

There are two swine flu testing centers at Delhi and Pune at present. The Centre has decided to open 16 more such centers across the country.

He said the health ministry had issued advisory to Indian citizens to avid trips to the countries where the disease has intensified.
 

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Nine more test positive for swine flu; 44 infected in country

Nine more test positive for swine flu; 44 infected in country


New Delhi, Jun 18 (PTI) Nine more persons, including five from Delhi, tested positive for swine flu taking the total number of cases to 44 in the country today even as Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad claimed the presence of disease was "very negligible" and under control.
Out of the new cases, two cases in Delhi were of human to human transmission.

"Nine new cases have been reported from Delhi (five), Bangalore (three) and Hyderabad (one). All are currently undergoing treatment in the isolation facilities," a Health Ministry official said.

The number of swine flu infected patients in Delhi has risen to 15, out of which six have already been discharged from hospitals after treatment.

Three of the isolated patients in Delhi have flown from USA, Japan and Australia while the other two cases in "have not travelled abroad but are family contacts of the two positive persons -- a woman and her six year old son -- reported yesterday", the official said.

Those who were tested positive in Bangalore include a 12-year-old boy and two businessmen. They have travelled from the US and Thailand while an eight-year-old boy in Hyderabad, who contracted the flu travelled from the US.

Azad said in Bhubaneswar that the swine flu in the country is under control as the government had taken "effective" and "extraordinary" measures. PTI
 

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BBC NEWS | UK | Scotland | Glasgow, Lanarkshire and West | Swine flu did cause woman's death

Swine flu did cause woman's death


Ms Fleming was the first person in Europe to die from the H1N1 virus

Swine flu has been confirmed as the primary cause of death of a woman from Glasgow at the weekend.

The Crown Office said a procurator fiscal had established that Jacqueline Fleming, 38, died of multiple organ failure brought on by the H1N1 virus.

She had underlying health problems and had been in hospital since the premature birth of her son.

The baby also died, a day after his mother, but at no stage was infected with the virus.

Ms Fleming, from the Thornliebank area to the south of Glasgow, is believed to be the first person in Europe to die after becoming infected with Influenza A (H1N1).

She had been treated at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley for two weeks since the birth of her son Jack, who was 11 weeks premature.

A further 22 people have been diagnosed with swine flu in Scotland, bringing the total number of laboratory confirmed cases of the virus to 530.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon also announced that laboratory testing of all cases in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS area would be resumed, reversing a decision to allow GPs to make a diagnosis.

The change had resulted in a big increase in reported possible cases, but there was concern about the accuracy of the figures.

Ms Sturgeon said: "It is important that we have accurate figures to give us a true picture of how the virus is spreading.

"That is why we have resumed laboratory testing for all cases in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area.

"Clinical diagnosis has not proven to be as effective as originally thought. Further assessment is being carried out to assess the accuracy of the clinical diagnosis process."
 

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Further 150 swine flu cases confirmed in UK | World news | guardian.co.uk

Further 150 swine flu cases confirmed in UK

Severin Carrell, Scotland correspondent
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 18 June 2009 11.42 BST
Article history

Severin Carrell

Scotland correspondent

More than 150 new cases of swine flu have been confirmed today, after English health officials detected the largest number of cases in a single day in the Birmingham area.

The Health Protection Agency said 141 cases were found, with 124 of those in the West Midlands, the region with the largest swine flu outbreak in England. A further case appeared in Northern Ireland.

In Scotland, 10 new cases were confirmed, bringing the UK total to 1544, but doubts emerged about the new tactics being used to assess cases in Scotland, leading to another change in strategy.

Last week, the Scottish health secretary, Nicola Sturgeon, announced that GPs in the worst affected areas around Glasgow would be allowed to make instant clinical diagnoses of swine flu without using laboratory tests because the H1N1 virus appeared to be widespread in the community.

But after it emerged that 351 possible cases had been detected by GPs today in the Glasgow area, the Scottish government said it would treat those as potential cases until a large sample could be retested in laboratories to assess the accuracy of these results.

"These cases involve people with clinical symptoms who have been given antivirals but are subject to further checking as we continue to assess the effectiveness of clinical diagnosis," the Scottish government said.

But, two days after Jacqui Fleming became the first Briton to die with H1N1 virus, the number of people in hospital in Scotland with swine flu dropped from nine to five today.

Fleming's family is now absorbing the death last night of her premature baby son Jack, who was induced nearly three months early when Fleming fell critically-ill at the Royal Alexandra hospital.

The baby, her third son, did not die from swine flu but other complications.

In a statement issued on his behalf, Fleming's partner William McCann said: "My beautiful son was born on 1st June 2009, 11 weeks early.

"He suffered from a number of complications and despite his brave fight he passed away at the Special Care Baby Unit at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.

"Coming so soon after the death of his mum, this is an extremely distressing and difficult time for our family."

Fleming was the first confirmed death outside the Americas, where 163 people have died, according to the latest World Health Organisation figures. Nearly 36,000 people worldwide have so far contracted the virus.
 

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