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

[Pintu]

BBC NEWS | UK | Northern Ireland | 19th NI swine flu case confirmed

19th NI swine flu case confirmed

Tamiflu tablets are prescribed
for people with swine flu

Another case of swine flu has been confirmed by the Department of Health, bringing the total number of cases in Northern Ireland to 19.

The Department of Health said the latest case was a man who had recently returned to the country from London.

They said he had been given anti-virals and was recovering at home.

Another 13 possible cases are currently under investigation in Northern Ireland.

 

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BBC NEWS | UK | England | Bristol | Swine flu virus hits four pupils

Swine flu virus hits four pupils

Four pupils at a Bath school have been confirmed as having swine flu, the school has said.

The school, Prior Park College, is remaining open.

The school website says it has been working closely with staff from the Health Protection Agency and the local NHS trust to identify close contacts.

Anti-viral treatment has been offered to those who need it, the school said in a statement. The infected pupils are all in form four, year nine.

 

[Pintu]

AFP: Australia reports third swine flu-related death

Australia reports third swine flu-related death

7 hours ago

SYDNEY (AFP) — Australia announced its third death related to swine flu Wednesday as the virus spread rapidly through Aboriginal communities and the country's tourists were warned off Indonesia's popular Bali island.

A 50-year-old bone marrow cancer patient died after contracting the H1N1 virus, becoming the third person with swine flu to die in just five days. None of the causes of death has been made clear.

"The woman died early today at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, where she has been a long-term patient receiving treatment for cancer," said Daniel Andrews, Victoria's health minister.

All three patients had serious underlying medical problems. On Friday, a 26-year-old Aboriginal man became the first person with swine flu to die followed by another man, aged 35, a day later.

As the national caseload reached 2,873, officials said the disease was spreading quickly through remote Aboriginal communities in Australia's vast desert centre.

Authorities kept up their warnings that the impoverished Aborigines, who often suffer poor health, could be particularly at risk. Most of Tuesday's 16 new cases were indigenous people, they said.

"We all know and we all fear that if this particular flu gets into remote communities and takes a very strong hold then there will be many deaths," said Australian Medical Association spokesman Paul Bauert.

"Some of the underlying health problems in communities, such as diabetes and renal disorders, make Aboriginal people extremely vulnerable to the virus," he added.

Australia's 520,000 Aborigines make up about 2.5 percent of the population, but have a life expectancy 17 years shorter than the national average. They also have higher rates of imprisonment, child mortality and alcoholism.

Meanwhile Indonesia expressed concern about Australians visiting the resort island of Bali after the country's first two cases were confirmed there.

"Honestly I'm very worried about people who come from Australia," said Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari.

"We have to be more vigilant about Australian tourists so there won't be more cases of H1N1 from Australia. One is enough."

A British woman who lives in Australia is recovering in a Bali hospital while a pilot who travelled to the island via Australia and Hong Kong has also been confirmed with (A)H1N1.

Papua New Guineau's first swine flu case also flew in from Australia, which is the worst hit country in the Asia-Pacific region.

 

[Pintu]

CTV Ottawa- Eastern Ontario reports two deaths linked to H1N1 - CTV News, Shows and Sports -- Canadian Television

Dr. Isra Levy announced
Ottawa's first death linked
to the H1N1 virus,
Tuesday, June 23, 2009.

Eastern Ontario reports two deaths linked to H1N1
Updated: Tue Jun. 23 2009 16 :12 :52

ctvottawa.ca

An Ottawa teenager and a 52-year-old woman from outside the capital are the first two deaths in eastern Ontario to be linked to the H1N1 virus.

Ottawa health officials say the teenaged boy, who had underlying health problems, died at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario on Tuesday.

The woman, who was being treated at an Ottawa hospital, died within the last few days. Health officials say she also had pre-existing medical conditions and it is unclear what role the virus played in her death.

Ottawa's top medical officer of health said there are now about 260 confirmed cases of the virus in the capital. The average age of victims is about 16 years old.

Although eastern Ontario has only reported two deaths linked to the virus, Dr. Isra Levy said he expects more.

So far, most of the cases in the region have been mild. However, those with chronic conditions are more at risk.

". . . as with seasonal influenza, we do expect to see some cases of more severe illness in people with risk factors such as chronic heart disease, lung disease, weakened immune system, diabetes and pregnancy," said Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, eastern Ontario's medical officer of health.

Residents who are experiencing mild symptoms of the virus are asked to take care of themselves at home. However, those with significant symptoms or underlying health problems should see a doctor.

Symptoms of the H1N1 flu may include:

* fever
* cough
* shortness of breath
* muscle aches
* fatigue
* severe headache
* sore throat
* lack of appetite

Residents who have general questions about the virus are asked to call the Eastern Ontario Health Unit at 613-933-1375 or 1-800-267-7120.

 

[Pintu]

Xinhua Link of Swine Flu cases:

L America reports 4 more deaths, 1,868 new cases of A/H1N1 flu_English_Xinhua

Regards

 

[Pintu]

Two more swine flu cases take India's total to 80

IANS
Two more swine flu cases take India's total to 80

2009-06-26 20: 40:00

Two fresh cases of swine flu were reported Friday, taking the total number of people detected with the influenza A (H1N1) virus to 80 in India, health officials said here.

The new cases, both teenagers, were reported from Delhi and Mumbai, they said.

At least 629 persons have been tested so far, of whom 80 are positive for Influenza A (H1N1), a statement said here.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 55,867 laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza A (H1N1) infection from 108 countries were reported till June 24.

There have been 238 deaths globally, mostly in Mexico and the US.

--Indo-ASian News Service

kbd/am/vt

 

[Pintu]

Lithuania confirms first case of H1N1 flu | Reuters

Lithuania confirms first case of H1N1 flu
Fri Jun 26, 2009 10:26am EDT

VILNIUS (Reuters) - Lithuania has confirmed its first case of the A (H1N1) flu virus, the Public Health Agency said Friday.

"The case was confirmed by the local AIDS center, which has appropriate agents for the test," Romualdas Sabaliauskas, head of the Center for Emergency Situations under the Ministry of Health, told Reuters.

"He is a sailor and was recently on a trip to India. He probably caught the flu in India," he said.

"The man is currently at home. He had a very mild flu with no hospitalization necessary." All three Baltic states now have confirmed cases of the new flu strain.

 

[Pintu]

The Press Association: Scotland's swine flu tally now 922

Scotland's swine flu tally now 922

3 hours ago

Scotland's tally of confirmed cases of swine flu is approaching 1,000 after 72 new cases were confirmed.

The total number has now reached 922.

Of the newly confirmed cases nearly all - 61 - are in Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

 

[Pintu]

First swine flu death confirmed in Guatemala - Rest of World - World - The Times of India

First swine flu death confirmed in Guatemala
26 Jun 2009, 0153 hrs IST, AFP

GUATEMALA CITY: A 35-year-old man has become Guatemala's first government-confirmed swine flu fatality, health officials said on Thursday.

"He appears to be the first victim of the A(H1N1) flu virus," said Health Minister Celzo Cerezo.

The official announcement came two weeks after the death of a child who had contracted the virus but also suffered other health problems.

"A minor who was also contaminated with the virus died previously, but his death was caused by renal failure, according to the report issued by the private clinic where he was treated," Cerezo said at a press conference on Thursday.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recorded the 12-year-old's death as Guatemala's first fatality from swine flu, despite the government's position.

The Health Ministry said the 35-year-old man did not respond to anti-viral treatment because he was diagnosed with swine flu in its late stages.

Guatemala, which has so far confirmed 254 cases of swine flu, shares a border with Mexico, where the global pandemic began. Cases of swine flu peaked in Mexico in April, but the virus has continued to spread worldwide.

Figures issued by the WHO on Wednesday showed 55,867 laboratory-confirmed cases of the A(H1N1) virus in 109 countries and territories.

The global health organization, which declared the outbreak a level 6 pandemic earlier this month, said 238 people have died from the virus.

 

[Pintu]

FACTBOX-Worldwide spread of flu outbreak | Reuters

FACTBOX-Worldwide spread of flu outbreak
Fri Jun 26, 2009 11:59am EDT

June 26 (Reuters) - Lithuania has confirmed its first case of the H1N1 flu virus, the country's Public Health Agency said on Friday.

The WHO has declared an influenza pandemic and advised governments to prepare for a long-term battle against the virus.

Here are some details about the spread of the new H1N1 flu, a mixture of swine, bird and human viruses and which has infected over 67,000, according to the latest World Health Organisation and local health authority tallies.

DEATH TOLL: 306

CONFIRMED CASES: The number of confirmed cases of H1N1 is now at least 67,072.



COUNTRIES WORST AFFECTED:

DEATHS CASES

UNITED STATES 127 27,717***

MEXICO 116 8,729*

ARGENTINA 23 1,488++

CANADA 19 6,732

CHILE 7 5,186**

AUSTRALIA 4 3,519+

GUATEMALA 2 254

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 2 108

COLOMBIA 2 72

BRITAIN 1 4,250****

PHILIPPINES 1 445

COSTA RICA 1 222

HONDURAS 1 118



NOTE: * = Mexico Ministry of Health figures.

** = Chilean health authorities.

*** = U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

**** = British Health Protection Agency figures.

+ = Australian government.

++ = Argentina's health ministry.

Sources: Reuters/WHO. WHO figures sometimes lag local confirmations covered by Reuters.

 

[Pintu]

Xinhua link on Swine Flu update:

Florida reports second death, 379 new A/H1N1 cases_English_Xinhua

Regards

 

[Pintu]

WHO chief says H1N1 virus is stable | Reuters

WHO chief says H1N1 virus is stable
Thu Jun 25, 2009 12:19pm EDT

* WHO says no sign H1N1 virus mixing with other strains

* WHO chief warns influenza has great potential for mutation

(Recasts, adds quotes, details)

MOSCOW, June 25 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization said on Thursday that the H1N1 virus was stable and there was no sign of it mixing with avian flu or other influenza viruses.

"The virus is still very stable," WHO Director-General Margaret Chan told reporters at a news briefing in Moscow when asked if there were any signs of the virus mixing with other strains such as avian flu.

"But as we all know the influenza virus is highly unpredictable and has great potential for mutation," she said.

Some health officials have said they are concerned that there is a risk that H1N1, which is commonly referred to as swine flu, could combine with the much deadlier H5N1 bird flu virus.

Chan said the viruses needed to be closely monitored to make sure they were not mutating.

"We would need to look at how they are behaving in southern hemisphere countries to see whether the H1N1 and the usual seasonal influenza virus would reassort. So far we have not detected any signal," she said.

"Another important thing we need to monitor is H1N1 and H5N1, which is endemic in some countries in Asia and the Middle East. We would like to see whether there will be any change," she said.

"Again, we did not detect any signal that there is any reassortment." (Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge, editing by Michael Roddy)

 

[Pintu]

The Associated Press: Swine flu detected at Argentina pig farm

Swine flu detected at Argentina pig farm

12 hours ago

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Swine flu has been detected in numerous pigs at a farm near the Argentine capital, but the virus has not shown itself to be any deadlier to the animals than a normal flu, the government said Friday.

The discovery comes as Argentina is experiencing a human swine flu outbreak during the South American winter. The Health Ministry confirmed three new deaths — raising the country's toll to 26, more than any other nation on the continent.

Jorge Amaya, chief of the National Agricultural Health and Quality Service, told Mitre radio that about a quarter of pigs at the unidentified farm in Buenos Aires province were found to be infected.

"The mortality rate is less than 2 percent, which is typical of a normal flu for swine," Amaya said.

Nevertheless, he said, "Veterinarians are very worried because humans are infecting the animals." Amaya added that eating pork poses no danger to people.

Pork Producers' Association president Juan Uccelli said the farm would be closed down for an investigation of the H1N1 virus' evolution there.

Swine flu was previously found in pigs last month on a farm in Alberta, Canada. About 500 hogs were killed because a quarantine on the farm created overcrowding — not because they were sick, officials there said.

The Health Ministry said Friday that 1,587 people in Argentina have been infected.

But while authorities are taking measures to contain the virus, they say it is not expected to be worse than the regular seasonal flu.

 

[Pintu]

BBC NEWS | Health | Swine flu cases soar in England

Swine flu cases soar in England

The government hopes to provide
anti-flu drugs for 80% of the population

The number of confirmed swine flu cases in England has jumped by nearly 20% in a single day, latest figures show.

The Health Protection Agency statistics show that 535 new cases were confirmed on Friday, bringing the total to 3,364.

Scotland registered another 72 cases on Friday, an 8.5% rise, bringing the total to 922, and a 25th case was confirmed in Northern Ireland.

With 12 cases confirmed in Wales, the total number of confirmed UK cases now stands at 4,323.

Sir Liam Donaldson, the chief medical officer for England, warned on Thursday that the UK could soon expect to see a surge of new cases.

He predicted tens of thousands of cases of swine flu could be emerging each week by the autumn.

The West Midlands remains the most badly affected area of England, with 158 new cases confirmed on Friday, bringing the total to 1,516.

Some hospitals in that region have created triage areas to cope with complaints of symptoms.

London is the other swine flu "hotspot" in England, recording 225 new cases on Friday, taking the total to 985.

Change of policy

Officials in both areas announced on Thursday they had abandoned attempts to contain spread of the virus, instead opting for a policy of managing the outbreak.

The containment policy involved trying to ring-fence outbreaks by tracing the people with whom confirmed cases have come into contact and giving them drugs to try to prevent flu developing.

This approach has also involved the closure of several schools.

But once the virus starts to spread freely in a community that policy becomes impractical.

At this stage, anti-viral drugs are only given to those people showing symptoms, and tracing of contacts is abandoned.

The practice of waiting for laboratory confirmation of new cases is also scrapped in favour of clinical diagnosis based on symptoms.

A Department of Health spokesman said: "The cases of swine flu found in the UK have so far been generally mild in most people, but are proving to be severe in a small minority of cases.

"We are continuing to work to slow the spread of the disease and to put in place arrangements to ensure that the UK is well-placed to deal with this new infection."

Sir Liam said on Thursday that the UK was likely to receive its first batches of swine flu vaccine in August, rather than in the autumn as first expected.

The government has contracts with two manufacturers for 132m doses - enough for the whole population.

 

[Pintu]

9 more test positive for swine flu, total rises to 91 - India - The Times of India

9 more test positive for swine flu, total rises to 91
27 Jun 2009, 2235 hrs IST, PTI

NEW DELHI: Nine new cases of swine flu were reported in the country on Saturday taking the total number of cases to 91.

Four cases each was reported from Delhi and Bangalore
while one from Punjab, a senior health ministry official said.

In Bangalore, a family of four, which reached yesterday transiting through Germany from Newark in the United States by Lufthansa flight, tested positive for the virus.

The 38-year-old man, his 32-year-old wife and two children -- nine-year-old daughter and two-year-old son -- were quarantined at the Bangalore airport and later shifted to the identified health facility, the official said.

Four new cases were reported from the national capital which include a nine-year-old child who arrived here on Friday from Seattle by Asiana Airlines.

The other three, two women aged 40 years and 13 years and a nine-year-old boy, reported to the hospital yesterday after they had shown some symptoms
.

The three had reached Delhi on June 23 from the United States.

The swine flu case from Gurdaspur in Punjab was an indigenous one which developed after contacts with a positive case reported on June 23, the official said.

About 645 persons have been tested so far of which 91 were found positive for swine flu.

Meanwhile, screening of inbound passengers from affected countries continues at 22 international airports. Till yesterday, 54,113 passengers have been screened out of which 37,296 came from affected countries. Of the 91 positive cases, 59 have been discharged.

The World Health Organisation has reported 59,814 confirmed cases of swine flu from 112 countries as on June 26. A total of 263 deaths have also been reported.

 

[Pintu]

Avian flu training helps state in tackling H1N1 threat - Jaipur - Cities - The Times of India

Avian flu training helps state in tackling H1N1 threat
24 Jun 2009, 0352 hrs IST, Avanindra Mishra, TNN

JAIPUR: As swine flu spreads its wings in India, the state machinery is geared up to control it and treat any case of the disease if sighted in the state. The Regional Health Directors' office has already provided tamiflu' medicines and tri-layer face masks at the isolation section of the SMS Hospital here. The state health ministry has, meanwhile, conducted training of the rapid response teams deployed at all the 33 districts and the health directorate.

"We have provided the medicine and preventive gear to various authorities, including the isolation section, the team deployed at airport, CGHS doctors and state health department," says Dr K K Mathur, regional director of Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS).

However, it's the preparations that were made over past few years to tackle the avian flu scare are being helpful to gear up the state machinery against any possible outbreak of swine flu'.

"Influenza (flu) may it be of any kind show similarity not only in symptoms but also in pattern of spread and treatment. Thus the precautions to be taken in tackling swine flu' are not going to be much different than that of avian flu," says additional director Dr B R Meena, Directorate of Medical and Health Services (DHMS).

The authorities are, however, confident that the possibilities of the disease spread in the state are very bleak. "Most of the cases of this disease have been reported in the countries with cold climate and the comparative temperature of Rajasthan is much immune to the disease," Dr Meena.

The authorities said that in any case, the logistics are robust enough to acquire additional supplies if needed in case of disease spread, though they said that proper vigilance will avoid any chances of the infection entering the state.

There are five medical teams deployed at the Jaipur international airport to intercept any suspected patient of swine flu from entering the state. The medical team have in past couple of months scanned over 7,000 passengers arriving from foreign flights and have referred five suspected patients to SMS isolation section. However, in all the cases, the patients were tested negative for swine flu in advanced test conducted at National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), New Delhi.

Moreover, as the flights arriving at the Jaipur airport are from Middle-East countries, which so far are away from grip of the disease, there are less possibilities of any infected patient arriving at the airport.

"The medical teams are taking no chances and every international passenger is thoroughly scanned. As there is no difference in clinical symptoms of H1N1 or common flu its quite possible that even those with common cold or sinus problem might have to stay at the isolation section till they are tested negative for swine flu at NICD," said a doctor.

 

[Pintu]

BBC NEWS | Africa | Argentine swine flu deaths hit 17

Argentine swine flu deaths hit 17

Argentine health officials say seven more people have died from swine flu, bringing the number of deaths to 17.

All the fatalities have been in the capital and the province of Buenos Aires, the health ministry said.

It is currently winter in Argentina, where 1,294 cases have been reported, and Chile, which has seen some 5,000 cases and seven deaths.

The spread of swine flu in the region is being closely watched for lessons for the northern hemisphere winter.

On 11 June, the World Health Organization declared a global flu pandemic, meaning that the swine flu (H1N1) virus was spreading in at least two regions of the world.

Officials stressed that this did not mean the virus was causing more severe illness or more deaths.

According to the latest figures from the WHO, there have been 231 deaths and 52,160 cases in some 100 countries and territories.

The Argentine health ministry reported the rise in the death toll on Tuesday. More people have died of swine flu in Argentina than any other country in South America.

Measures to prevent and control the spread of the H1N1 virus would continue, the ministry said.

Buenos Aires health chief Nestor Perez Balino told local media that some non-urgent operations were being postponed to free up hospital beds.

But he said the situation regarding the H1N1 virus was no more worrying than seasonal flu, and that patients who had died had suffered other medical complications.

Swine flu "is very infectious but no more virulent than regular flu", he said.

Summit

The H1N1 virus first emerged in April in Mexico, which has recorded 113 deaths and 7,624 cases, according to the WHO.

In an interview with the BBC, Mexican Deputy Health Minister Mauricio Hernandez Avila said his country was prepared for the outbreak, having had a plan in place for four or five years to deal with a pandemic.

"We took 10 days from the (first) case to alert the world that we were seeing a new virus," he said.

"We did, I think, a remarkable good job in...preparing the world for this event."

The Mexican authorities are hosting an international summit on swine flu in Cancun next month.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, who has been visiting Washington, was due to hold talks with officials from the Pan American Health Organization. She is set to travel later on Wednesday to Mexico.

Her country has seen cases of swine flu rise to 5,186 - the most in South America - and reported seven deaths, according to the health ministry.

Last week, the Chilean government stepped up measures to deal with the outbreak.

Worldwide, the US, which has seen 87 deaths, has reported the most cases with 21,449.

Canada has seen 15 deaths and 6,457 cases, according to the Canadian health ministry.

 

[Pintu]

Xinhua link on swine flu case:

Egypt reports five more cases of A/H1N1 flu_English_Xinhua

Regards

 

[Pintu]

Swine flu cases in Delhi surge to 22 - India - The Times of India

Swine flu cases in Delhi surge to 22
22 Jun 2009, 0747 hrs IST, Risha Chitlangia, TNN

NEW DELHI: Is Delhi losing the battle to contain swine flu? The statistics are certainly taking on an ominous hue. A new case of H1N1 influenza was confirmed in the Capital on Sunday, taking Delhi's total number of swine flu cases to 22.

Cases in Delhi now significantly outnumber Hyderabad, which has 15 confirmed cases and was initially said to be the hub of swine flu in India. Of the six human-to-human transmission cases reported in the country, five are in Delhi.

Sunday's case is of a 15-year-old boy, who traveled from New York to Delhi, and is admitted in Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital at present. Of the 22 confirmed cases in Delhi, 13 are undergoing treatment at various government hospitals. "There are eight patients in RML, three in Airport Health Organisation Hospital and two in Deen Dayal Upadhayay Hospital," said Dr Anjan Prakash, additional nodal officer for H1N1 influenza, Delhi government.

What's worrying is the sharp rise in the number of confirmed H1N1 influenza cases reported in the city in the last few days. The Delhi government's health department has now intensified its screening and contact tracing drive.

According to Delhi health minister Kiran Walia, "Delhi is one of the main cities in the country. We get a lot of people from abroad and generally people are traveling. Another reason for the sudden increase in the number is that we are doing aggressive contact tracing of people who have tested positive for H1N1 influenza. We had examined eight relatives of a 35-year-old woman, who tested positive, and had admitted four of them as they were showing flu-like symptoms. Four people from that family tested positive. All were human-to-human transmission cases. Once a case is tested positive, we sending our teams to track all the possible family members who had come in contact with the patient."

The health department has also intensified its public awareness campaign and is training more-and-more government hospital doctors to pick up H1N1 influenza in the initial stages. "There was a case reported from Tihar jail who was admitted in DDU hospital two days back. The man had traveled from US and was showing flu-like symptoms. He tested negative, but the doctor in jail was prompt enough to send him to our facility for testing. We are telling doctors to send patients to designated hospitals in case they come across any such patient. We are taking all measures to contain the spread of this infection," said Walia.

 

[Pintu]

India wants developed countries to do more to check swine flu spread - India - The Times of India

India wants developed countries to do more to check swine flu spread
17 Jun 2009, 1203 hrs IST, TNN

NEW DELHI: After climate change, it is the spread of swine flu that has brought differences between developed and developing nations to the fore. On Tuesday, the cracks were visible when the Union health ministry used an international forum to drive home the point that 28 of the 30 cases in India had originated from the developed world.

Health secretary Naresh Dayal on Monday told the UN "high level forum on advancing global health in the face of crisis'' that developed countries should do their bit to contain and check the spread of the infection. At the same time, minister of state for health Dinesh Trivedi offered advise to the United States by asking it to screen passengers before they arrived in India.

Trivedi said, "US is the main source (of infection) as far as India is concerned. In Mexico, when people leave the airport, they are properly monitored and screened. Similarly, Americans should also provide some kind of screening at the point of departure.''

Trivedi added that his senior minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had already requested the ministry of external affairs (MEA) to prevail upon the affected nations to start screening of passengers bound for India to cut down spread of the deadly virus. "The MEA really needs to take up the case with these (affected) countries at the diplomatic level and I think perhaps they should take up the case suo motu,'' Trivedi said.

Meanwhile, health secretary Naresh Dayal while assuring the UN that the country had been able to prevent secondary spread of the disease, said, "We have so far 30 cases which have been laboratory confirmed. Out of these, 28 are those who came from infected countries in the West. I would like to say that the developed countries would do a great service to the developing countries if they could contain and check the spread of infection in their own countries. I would, therefore, urge them to take action to stop the spread of the infection.''

Allaying fears of panic, the government has asked travellers to defer their plans of going abroad till the disease is brought under control globally.