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

[Pintu]

The AP reports that there is development on Swine flu world wide.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hZVkRqV2uZVim0TRk5R1ZBfovTCAD97TFLV80


Developments on swine flu worldwide

By The Associated Press – 30 minutes ago

Key developments on swine flu outbreaks, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization and government officials:

_Deaths: 12 confirmed in Mexico and one confirmed in U.S., a 23-month-old boy from Mexico who died in Texas.

_Sickened: 300 confirmed in Mexico. World Health Organization also confirms: 132 in U.S.; 34 in Canada; 13 in Spain; eight in Britain; four each in Germany and New Zealand; two in Israel; one each in Switzerland, Austria and the Netherlands. In cases not immediately included in WHO tally, Hong confirms first case in Asia; Canada confirms 35th case. Mexico no longer releasing "suspected" numbers; the number of suspected cases was 2,498 before the tally was halted.

_Possible spread to Asia: Hong Kong leader says it has a swine flu case, that of a Mexican citizen who arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday. Not immediately confirmed by WHO.

_In U.S., CDC confirms 109 cases and state officials confirm 23 more. CDC confirms: 50 in New York; 26 in Texas; 14 in California; 10 in South Carolina; two each in Kansas and Massachusetts; and one each in Indiana, Ohio, Arizona, Michigan and Nevada. State officials confirm five in New Jersey; four in Delaware; three additional cases in Arizona; four additional cases in California; two each in Colorado and Virginia; one additional case in Michigan; and one each in Georgia and Minnesota.

_About 400 schools close nationwide, with about 300 in Texas, 62 in Alabama, plus scattered closings in New York, California, South Carolina, Connecticut, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Arizona, Ohio, Utah, Washington state, Michigan, Maine, Maryland and Tennessee.

_The World Health Organization increases its tally of confirmed swine flu cases around the world to 331 Friday from 257 Thursday. By country: Mexico 156; U.S. 109; Canada 34; Spain 13; United Kingdom 8; Germany 3; New Zealand 3; Israel 2; Austria 1; Switzerland 1; Netherlands 1.

_Mexico's chief epidemiologist accuses the World Health Organization of being slow to respond to the country's warning. Dr. Miguel Angel Lezana said his center told a regional branch of WHO about a spike in illnesses April 16 but no action was taken until eight days later.

_The World Health Organization says it will stop using the term "swine flu" to avoid confusion over the danger posed by pigs. It will instead refer to the virus by its scientific name, "H1N1 influenza A."

_The Obama administration comes out against closing the U.S.-Mexico border. Vice President Joe Biden says it would be "a monumental undertaking" with limited benefit.

_White House says aide to Energy Secretary Steven Chu apparently got sick helping arrange President Barack Obama's recent trip to Mexico but never posed a risk to the president.

_Public health emergency declared in U.S.; millions of doses of Tamiflu from federal stockpile being delivered to states; U.S. buying more anti-flu drugs to replenish stockpile. CDC also shipping test kits to state labs so states can do their own testing.

_Scattered cancellations or postponements of sporting events in U.S., including all high school sports competitions in Texas and Alabama state track and field championships. Also canceled: Fort Worth's annual Mayfest, which usually attracts 200,000 people over four days.

 

[Pintu]

The USA Govt. release on Swine Flu.

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/


H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu)

H1N1 Flu website last updated May 1, 2009, 1:30 AM ET
U.S. Human Cases of H1N1 Flu Infection
(As of April 30, 2009, 10:30 AM ET)
States

# of laboratory confirmed cases

Deaths
Arizona 1
California 14
Indiana 1
Kansas 2
Massachusetts 2
Michigan 1
Nevada 1
New York 50
Ohio 1
South Carolina
10

Texas
26
1
TOTAL COUNTS 109 cases 1 death
International Human Cases of Swine Flu Infection
See: World Health OrganizationExternal Web Site Policy.

In response to an intensifying outbreak in the United States and internationally caused by a new influenza virus of swine origin, the World Health Organization raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 5External Web Site Policy. on April 29, 2009. A Phase 5 alert is a “strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short.”

The United States Government has declared a public health emergency in the United States. CDC’s response goals are to reduce transmission and illness severity, and provide information to help health care providers, public health officials and the public address the challenges posed by this emergency. CDC is issuing and updating interim guidance daily in response to the rapidly evolving situation. CDC’s Division of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) continues to send antiviral drugs, personal protective equipment, and respiratory protection devices to all 50 states and U.S. territories to help them respond to the outbreak. The swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is susceptible to the prescription antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir. In addition, the Federal Government and manufacturers have begun the process of developing a vaccine against this new virus.

 

[Pintu]

Link to Xinhua report on New Zealand A/H1N1 flu cases.


http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-05/01/content_11294689.htm

 

[Pintu]

BBC reports that Mexico shuts down for five days for slow spread of Swine Flu

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8028169.stm


Mexico shuts down to control flu


* Latest
* Q&A
* Outbreak map
* History of flu
* Measures
* 'Mild' strain


Advertisement

Stephen Gibbs looks at the effect of the shutdown on a Mexico City street

Mexico is beginning a five-day shutdown of parts of its economy in a bid to slow the spread of swine flu.

Non-essential government services will stop, while businesses like cinemas and restaurants will be shut. Traditional May Day rallies have been cancelled.

Mexican officials say the spread of the virus - suspected in more than 160 deaths - is slowing, but international experts are more cautious.

China has now confirmed its first case, taking the tally of nations hit to 14.

In cases outside Mexico the virus does not appear to be severe, although one death has been confirmed in the US.

The WHO has set its pandemic alert level at five - but says it has no immediate plans to move to the highest level of six.

Economy fears

The shut-down in Mexico covers two public holidays and a weekend.

CONFIRMED CASES
Mexico: 168 suspected deaths - 12 confirmed
US: one death, at least 109 confirmed cases
New Zealand: 4 confirmed, 12 probable cases
Canada: 34 confirmed cases
UK: 8 confirmed cases
Spain: 13 confirmed cases
Germany: 4 confirmed cases
Israel, Costa Rica: 2 confirmed cases each
The Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong: 1 confirmed case each
Countries with confirmed cases of secondary transmission
US
Canada
Spain
Germany

Mapping the outbreak
Mexico: First swine flu cases
Border town not slowing down
UK swine flu couple 'feared dying'

It extends nationwide a policy already in place in the capital, Mexico City, where most restaurants, cinemas and bars have been closed since last weekend.

City authorities say initial evidence suggests infection rates there are slowing.

Some factories will stop production and schools are already closed. Residents have been urged to stay at home.

But some people say they will ignore it because they cannot afford not to work.

There is also growing concern at the effect the virus could have on Mexico's already-struggling economy.

The number of confirmed cases of swine flu infection in Mexico now stands at about 300, officials say.

Twelve people are known to have died from the virus and it is suspected in more than 160 other deaths.

Announcing the figures, Mexican Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova said that new cases of the virus were levelling off.

"The fact that we have a stabilisation in the daily numbers, even a drop, makes us optimistic," he said.

But Dr Keiji Fukuda, acting assistant director general of the World Health Organization, said fluctuations were to be expected. "If it didn't do that [it] would be very unusual," he said.

In other developments:

• The US has announced that it will buy 13 million new courses of antiviral treatment and send 400,000 of them to Mexico

• An aide to US Energy Secretary Stephen Chu who helped arrange President Obama's recent trip to Mexico is being tested for swine flu, AP reports, although the aide is said not to have been in contact with the president

• Swine flu is confirmed in a Mexican traveller arriving in Hong Kong, the first case in China

• Denmark reports its first confirmed case of swine flu

• German authorities confirm that a nurse who treated a patient with swine flu also contracted the disease, in the first person-to-person transmission in the country

• Test results are expected to confirm the UK's first person-to-person transmission of swine flu, in a friend of a couple from Scotland who were first in the country to be diagnosed with the virus

• Mexico says it will lodge a formal challenge at the World Trade Organisation demanding explanations from countries that have banned imports of Mexican pork products

'No panic'

On Thursday European health ministers held an emergency meeting on measures to tackle the virus, which has been confirmed in six European countries.

SYMPTOMS - WHAT TO DO
Swine flu symptoms are similar to those produced by ordinary seasonal flu - fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, chills and fatigue
If you have flu symptoms and recently visited affected areas of Mexico, you should seek medical advice
If you suspect you are infected, you should stay at home and take advice by telephone initially, in order to minimise the risk of infection

Q&A: What is swine flu?
Mexican economy squeezed by flu
In pictures: Flu concern grows
The quest for a swine flu vaccine

EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou said Europe was well prepared to handle swine flu and there was "no need to panic".

The ministers agreed to work with pharmaceutical companies to develop a vaccine, but rejected a French plan to suspend flights to Mexico.

Several countries have restricted travel to Mexico and many tour operators have cancelled holidays.

The WHO, meanwhile, says it will now call the virus influenza A (H1N1) rather than swine flu - which it says is misleading as pork meat is safe and the virus is being transmitted from human to human.

 

[Pintu]

The VOA reports that death toll related to Swine Flu rising in Mexico.

http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-05-03-voa2.cfm

Swine Flu Death Toll Rises in Mexico
By VOA News
03 May 2009


Workers of S. Korean baseball team LG Twins distribute masks at Chamsil stadium in Seoul, 02 May 2009The Mexican death toll from the H1N1 swine flu virus is rising.

Mexican Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova said late Saturday three more people had died from the virus, bringing the total number of people killed to 19. He said another 454 people have been infected.

Earlier Saturday, Cordova and a top health official in the United States had expressed some hope that the spread the virus was slowing, even though three new countries confirmed their first cases.

Officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control said about one-third of the confirmed 160 U.S. cases are people who had been to Mexico. The U.S. death toll from the virus remains at one. The CDC's Dr. Anne Schuchat (Interim Deputy Director for Science and Public Health Program) cautioned that health officials must remain vigilant.

US, Mexican Presidents Discuss Outbreak

President Obama discusses H1N1 flu virus during weekly broadcast address, 02 May 2009
President Obama discusses H1N1 flu virus during weekly broadcast address, 02 May 2009
U.S. President Barack Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderon spoke by phone for 20 minutes Saturday to discuss the flu outbreak.

Ireland, Italy and Costa Rica all confirmed their first cases of the swine flu virus Saturday.

A top World Health Organization official said Saturday the organization still considers a pandemic could be "imminent."

WHO: Flu Still Spreading

Dr. Michael Ryan said even though there is no evidence the swine flu virus is spreading outside of North America in a "sustained" way, it is still spreading.

The WHO reports swine flu has spread to 18 countries with more than 600 confirmed cases.

Nuns wear protective face masks in Mexico City, 1 May 2009
Nuns wear protective face masks in Mexico City, 1 May 2009
The health organization says it has sent 2.4 million treatments of anti-viral drugs to 72 developing countries to prepare for a possible pandemic.

The WHO says, in addition to Mexico and the United States, the virus has been confirmed in Italy, South Korea, France, Denmark, Hong Kong, Austria, Britain, Canada, Costa Rica, Germany, Israel, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Spain, Ireland and Switzerland.

The organization says it is not advising any restrictions on travel or border closures. Nevertheless, several airlines have reduced flights to Mexico because of fears over the new flu.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

 

[Pintu]

Link of the Hindu Report on Govt. statement on Swine Flu:

http://www.hindu.com/2009/05/04/stories/2009050457000100.htm

 

[Su-47]

Thank you for the great articles Pintu. This topic deserves much more attention than it currently gets. Swine Flu is a global pandemic, and people need to pay more attention to it.

 

[Sridhar]

India confirms two new cases of swine flu

India confirms two new cases of swine flu
2009-06-01 20:35:00

India's government confirmed Monday two new cases of swine flu in southern India, bring the total number of cases in the country to three.

"Two people have tested positive for swine flu in Coimbatore city in the southern state of Kerala," an official of the National Institute of Communicable Disease told AFP, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

The two arrived from the United States on May 29 and were being treated at a government hospital in an isolation unit, the official said.

Their cases were detected when they came to the hospital for a check-up after suffering symptoms of swine flu.

"They are being treated and are doing fine," the official said.

India confirmed its first swine flu case last month after a 23-year-old man who had flown to Hyderabad from New York tested positive for the virus.

Indian authorities have begun screening passengers at the country's international airports in an attempt to detect any cases of swine flu.
India confirms two new cases of swine flu

Woman, son test positive for swine flu in India
2009-06-01 21:10:00

New Delhi, June 1 (IANS) A 34-year-old woman and her five-year-old son who arrived in India from the US last week have tested positive for influenza A(H1N1) virus, commonly known as swine flu, health officials said Monday.

'Both the mother and child are admitted in the identified isolation facility at Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. They are on treatment with Oseltamivir,' a health ministry official said.

Both travelled from the US to India through Dubai and reached Chennai May 28.

'They reported to the identified health facility as the child had fever before leaving US. All their local contacts have been traced. They are afebrile (without fever) and their health status is being monitored. The passengers accompanying them are being traced and advised to monitor their health status,' the official said.

India reported its first swine flu infection May 16. A 23-year-old man who travelled by Emirates Airline from New York to Hyderabad via Dubai was found positive for the flu.

Health screening of passengers coming from affected countries is continuing in 21 international airports and so far 1.2 million passengers have been screened.

'A total of 221 doctors and 88 paramedics have been deployed to man 76 counters at the above airports. Two passengers who arrived at Delhi airport were shifted to the isolation facility Monday and samples of five persons are under observation,' the official said.

So far samples of 131 persons have been tested, of which three have tested positive for the influenza.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported 15,510 laboratory confirmed cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection from 53 countries with 99 deaths.
Woman, son test positive for swine flu in India

 

[Sridhar]

Kovai H1N1 patients had no symptoms
2 Jun 2009, 0155 hrs IST, TNN
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CHENNAI/COIMBATORE: After the confirmation of the first H1N1 case in the state by the National Institute of Communicable Diseases in New Delhi,
the state health department has further tightened its scrutiny of patients. Two of the three samples of a family who landed at Coimbatore airport after a vacation in Boston, US, were started on Tamiflu tablets after the laboratory confirmed their cases to the hospital on Monday.

Hospital sources told The Times Of India that the mother and two children have been quarantined at the Government Coimbatore Medical College Hospital has been started on Osel Tamivar.' "The mother has been given one tablet in the morning and another in the evening and the children have been given milder doses," he said.

However, the report, doctors say, came as a surprise. "Two of the patients were asymptomatic. They had no throat irritation, body or muscular pain or even fever. It was the five-year-old boy who complained of all these problems but even he was recovering with minor antibiotics," he said.

Meanwhile, the directorate of public health has been asked to write to Kingfisher Airlines, by which they had come, to track their co-passengers. "The list will also be sent by the ministry of civil aviation from Delhi to Coimbatore. Since the patient was taken from the airport to the quarantine ward, we don't think there are chances of them having infected other people. But we are alerting the hospital authorities and the Coimbatore Corporation to ensure that the virus does not spread," a senior health department official said.

Earlier, the hospital authorities found it tough to convince private airlines to carry their blood samples to laboratories in Delhi and Pune. Though they were quarantined from Thursday, the hospital could not dispatch their blood samples till Friday as one of the private airlines refused to airlift blood specimens.

"Now, we will have to ensure that the hospital is on alert with the infected patient. We would make all efforts to cure the patients and follow the WHO protocol to ensure that none of the hospital staff gets infected," a senior doctor said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ients-had-no-symptoms/articleshow/4605942.cms

 

[Sridhar]

Indian scientists isolate flu strain
2 Jun 2009, 0457 hrs IST, Kounteya Sinha, TNN
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NEW DELHI: India has successfully isolated the deadly H1N1 influenza virus from the nasal samples of the country’s only positive swine flu
patient in Hyderabad.

In a breakthrough, scientists from the National Institute of Virology (Pune) have also managed to grow the virus in both cell lines and chicken eggs — the first step towards developing an effective vaccine against the H1N1 virus.

Influenza viruses require a host cell to grow or replicate. If the virus successfully grows in the egg, which scientists in India have managed to do, they will be able to make multiple copies of the virus in the lab and then use it to create a vaccine against H1N1, better diagnostic kits for H1N1 detection and also test for anti-viral resistance.

Speaking to TOI, NIV director A C Mishra said by the first week of June, scientists will be able to accurately document all possible information about the virus — its transmissibility powers, virulence level, how similar is it to the virus that hit Mexico, Canada and US.

India confirmed its first H1N1 infection on May 16, when a 23-year-old student arrived in Hyderabad from the US with the infection.

Indian scientists isolate flu strain - India - The Times of India

 

[Sridhar]

20-year-old in Hyderabad is India's 4th swine flu case
4 Jun 2009, 0146 hrs IST, Kounteya Sinha, TNN
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NEW DELHI: A 20-year-old medical student from Hyderabad, who returned on May 30 after a month-long holiday in Toronto, has become India’s fourth
confirmed case of H1N1 Influenza infection.

The boy’s mother and brother, who also travelled with him, have, however, shown no symptoms of the deadly infection. All three members of the family have now been kept on isolation at the AP Chest Hospital and administered Tamiflu.

India is presently tracking down 249 passengers of the British Airways flight (BA-277) who had travelled with this family from the Toronto-Hyderabad via London on May 30. AP’s coordinator for H1N1 Influenza Dr N Subhakar told TOI, “The 20-year-old had visited Chicago (for two days) and Toronto (for a month) on a family holiday — two of the worst affected countries with H1N1. He arrived in Hyderabad on May 30 at 4.30 am on board BA-277 but showed no symptoms.”

“On June 1, the boy reported to the Chest Hospital at 11.30 am with complaints of cough, running nose and fever following which his samples tested positive for H1N1 infection. His mother and brother are, however, not infected. The boy is already recovering after being administered Tamiflu,” Dr N Subhakar added.

The news of the latest infection comes at a time when World Health Organisation is seriously considering raising its global alert level to phase six (a full blown global pandemic), confirming a sustained human-to-human transmission of the deadly H1N1 influenza virus in multiple WHO regions.

At present, the alert level stands at phase five — a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent. The virus has already infected nearly 20,000 people, killed over 117 and spread to 66 countries — 10 countries over the past three days. According to WHO, the virus may have got entrenched in Australia and Chile.

Meanwhile, India said that it has not found any human-to-human transmission of the virus. Health screening of passengers coming from the affected countries is continuing in 21 international airports. Till date, over 13 lakh passengers have been screened.

Air travel is a single largest reason why the deadly H1N1 flu virus has now spread to over 66 countries after it emerged in April. About two billion people travel by air each year. According to some estimates, even a mild influenza pandemic could cost 1.4 million lives and $330 billion in lost production worldwide. On the other hand, a massive pandemic would kill 142 million people and scathe away $4.4 trillion off production.

Influenza caused three epidemics during the 20th century, the worst being the Spanish flu between 1918 and 1919 that killed at least 40 million people.
20-year-old in Hyderabad is India's 4th swine flu case - India - The Times of India

 

[Sridhar]

Swine flu reaches capital, 2 infected
8 Jun 2009, 0423 hrs IST, Kounteya Sinha, TNN
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NEW DELHI: Delhi reported its first case of human-to-human transmission of the deadly H1N1 influenza virus on Sunday with scientists confirming
that an infected middle aged man who had recently returned from New York had passed on the virus to his 60-year-old mother, who had been nursing him for the past three days. ( Watch )

The 35-year-old man, believed to be a close relative of a well-known businessman associated with a pharma company, had returned to Delhi on June 2 from New York onboard an Air India flight (AI-102) and developed symptoms of H1N1 swine flu on June 4, following which he tested positive.

The passenger was put on quarantine inside his farmhouse at Rajokri near the Palam airport. On Sunday, the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) confirmed that the man's mother has also tested positive.

The sample is, however, being sent to National Institute of Virology (Pune) for final confirmation.

Union health ministry officials told TOI, ``Both the man and his mother were administered Tamiflu on June 4 even before their samples tested positive. The samples of the servants in the house have also been picked up. The man was travelling in the business class of Air India from New York, which had just one more passenger who is now being tracked down.''

The total number of H1N1 cases in India has climbed to 10 since the virus surfaced in the country on May 16. H1N1, which scientists fear could be the world's next pandemic, has spread to 69 countries, infected more than 22,000 people and killed 125.

Meanwhile, Hyderabad saw its second case of human-to-human transmission of the deadly virus, the latest victim being a 25-year-old passenger who sat next to the 20-year-old medical student who got infected after returning from a holiday in Toronto on June 3.

The passenger was sitting in the row next to the infected student in British Airways flight BA 277.
All his close contacts are being traced and would be administered Tamiflu, the only anti-viral known to be effective against H1N1, as a preventive measure.

Hyderabad had reported its first case of local human-to-human transmission of H1N1 on Saturday when a 28-year-old man who had arrived in the city from the US was found to have passed the infection to his brother.

Even though Union health ministry officials say there is still no evidence yet of a cluster of cases in India that would entail banning all public meetings and putting in place social distancing mechanisms, they admit that cases will definitely start to spread far and wide.
Swine flu reaches capital, 2 infected - Delhi - Cities - The Times of India

 

[1.44]

I think i'm being followed by the flu:blum3:

 

[1.44]

11 swine flu cases in India; don't panic, says government

New Delhi/Hyderabad, June 8 (IANS) India Monday reported one more swine flu case, taking to 11 the number of those affected by influenza A (H1N1). Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said there was no need to panic as all precautions had been taken against the spread of the virus.

A health official said one more swine flu case had been reported in Delhi Monday.

A 35-year-old man, who tested positive for influenza A (H1N1) and is being treated, transmitted the virus to his mother - making it the first human-to-human transmission case in the national capital, the official said.

'Yes, we now have a total of 11 cases in the country. The 35-year-old man who tested positive Sunday has transmitted the virus to his mother,' Shiv Lal, the head of the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), told IANS.

Chairing a high-level meeting with senior officials, the health minister said the ministry has made a 'lot of arrangements' and 'airport screening would be tightened'.

'There is no reason for panic because we have taken all the precautions,' he told reporters.

As more cases are being reported, Azad said the government had decided to activate 16 more laboratories to test for the swine flu virus in addition to the existing two in Delhi and Pune.

He said special caution has to be exercised as the infection has now, in one or two cases, spread from humans to humans.
'The health ministry already has the labs, but they are for testing different diseases. They would be prepared for H1N1 flu also and the lab technicians and doctors would be trained within a week,' the minister said.

Azad said that the government has sent a rapid action team to Andhra Pradesh where the first human to human transmission of swine flu was reported, but added that it was not enough.

'We will set up state-level rapid action forces of medical personnel to deal with the viral ailment,' he added.

He said passengers, especially from the US, Mexico, Dubai and Canada, are being checked at all the 21 international airports.

According to Lal, the woman who got the virus from her 35-year-old son, is in 'home quarantine'.

The woman's 35-year-old son had reached Delhi from New York June 2 and tested positive for the flu.

'He developed flu-like symptoms two days after reaching Delhi and tested positive for it. The man is on home quarantine and his contacts have been provided with medicine,' the official said.

Health secretary Naresh Dayal Monday said that there was no cause for panic.

'We have received more stock of vaccine from the World Health Organisation. There is nothing to panic about,' Dayal said.

The first human-to-human transmission was reported in Hyderabad where a 28-year-old techie, who was coming from the US via London, was tested with the flu.

He reached Hyderabad airport May 31, but he reported to the identified hospital with swine flu symptoms on June 1. He had transmitted the flu to his younger brother as well as a 31 year-old woman and her four-and-a-half-year old daughter, who were travelling with him on the same flight.

On Sunday, a 24-year-old software engineer, who had arrived in Hyderabad on the same flight from Philadelphia via London by British Airways flight BA 277, also tested positive.

He was the fourth passenger of the same flight to be found carrying the virus.

In view of four passengers of one flight being found infected, the Andhra Pradesh government has ordered that all the 231 passengers of the flight should be administered the anti viral drug Oscaltamvir.

The health authorities has traced all the passengers and asked them not move out of their homes till further orders.

K. Subhakar, coordinator of swine flu nodal centre at Andhra Pradesh Chest Hospital in Hyderabad said the latest case has been quarantined and is being treated along with five others.

The NICD has opened its coordination center at the hospital to liaise with the state health authorities.

The six-member NICD team, which arrived in Hyderabad Sunday, is monitoring the condition of the other passengers of the British Airways flight.

Of the 11 cases, seven are from Hyderabad and two from the national capital. Hyderabad also reported the first case in the country May 16. The patient was discharged from the hospital after treatment.

Andhra Pradesh Health Education Minister P. Sudarshan Reddy said every international passenger arriving at the Hyderabad airport would have to undergo screening before being allowed to enter the city.

The health authorities have so far screened 80,000 passengers at the Hyderabad airport.

According to World Health Organisation (WHO), over 70 countries have officially reported 25,288 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection, including 139 deaths.

 

[indian_sukhoi]

Don't Panic, easy for you to say.

The recent two cases confirmed in my city Hyderabad

 

[Sridhar]

World "very very close" to swine flu pandemic: WHO
ANI
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 12:14 IST
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Melbourne: The soaring rise in the swine flu cases in Australia has moved the world "very very close" to a pandemic, the World Health Organization has said.

So far, 1224 cases have been confirmed in Australia, out of which 1011 were reported in Victoria alone. Five new cases were reported overnight in Queensland.

Keiji Fukuda, WHO assistant director-general, said the world is "getting very, very close" to a pandemic, noting that there is now "a great deal of activity in Victoria at the community level".

Australia is expected to raise its swine flu alert level after a meeting of nation's chief health officers in Sydney today, news.co.au reports.

As of now, the World Health Organization has left its six-level pandemic alert scale unchanged at phase five, signaling that a pandemic is "imminent".

One key criterion for a move to the phase six alert is community spread in a country outside the first region in which the disease was initially reported, in this case, outside the America.

It will be the first time the WHO has announced a pandemic in 41 years.

Dr Fukuda added that the WHO is "working hard on preparing countries... on what a move to a pandemic would entail".

There are now 26,563 influenza A (H1N1) cases worldwide, and 140 people have died from the virus.

In May, the WHO had sent three "seed viruses" to drug companies for use in making a vaccine against the new strain of influenza.

Dr Fukuda said the pharmaceutical industry should be ready to produce a preventive vaccine by the end of June or early July.

Mexico will host an international summit on swine flu at the Caribbean beach resort of Cancun in July.

Representatives from 40 countries, and the directors general of the WHO and the Pan American Health Organization will take part in the summit from July 1 to 3.
DNA: World: World "very very close" to swine flu pandemic: WHO

 

[Sridhar]

'Swine flu is curable'
Hyderabad, June 09: Urging people not to panic, a medical student who has been cured of the H1N1 influenza and discharged from a government hospital here on Tuesday said swine flu is "not dangerous...It is very much curable".

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2 more with suspected swine flu symptoms isolated
Reyhan Syed, the second-year student of Deccan Medical College here, was India's second confirmed case of swine flu. He was undergoing treatment at the Andhra Pradesh government Chest Hospital since June 1 after his return to the city by a Toronto-London-Hyderabad flight on May 30.

Reyhan, who skipped screening at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport set up to check passengers coming from other countries for swine flu symptoms, developed fever and reported to the hospital on June 1.

"I went directly home from the airport. I think I got contracted to the swine influenza either in Canada or London. I had taken some medicines at the Heathrow Airport in London for cold," Reyhan told reporters here.

"I want to tell people not to panic in case they are diagnosed with H1N1 flu. Swine flu is curable. I am fine and feeling fresh and will be joining college tomorrow," he said.

However, people with fever and other flu-like symptoms should consult the doctor, he said.

So far, 11 confirmed cases of swine flu have been reported in India, of which seven are from Andhra Pradesh, including the country's first human-to-human transmission of the disease.

`Swine flu is curable`

 

[Sridhar]

Two suspected Swine Flu patients isolated in Goa



Panaji, Jun 11 (PTI) Two passengers from abroad who showed symptoms of swine flu have been kept in isolation wards in a hospital here today.
A 21-year-old woman, who arrived from Sharjah was admitted to Goa Medical College and Hospital, while another male passenger, who came from London via Germany was quarantined at Chicalim Primary Health Centre, few kilometres away from the airport, State Health Secretary Sanjiv Srivastava told PTI.

"The blood sample of the patient admitted in GMC is being taken and it will be taken to National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune," GMC Medical Superintendent Dr Rajan Cuncolienkar said.

The blood sample of the male passenger will also be sent to NIV, officials at the Chicalim PHC disclosed.

The duo was isolated after doctors at the airport found certain symptoms of the disease when they arrived here in the wee hours, officials from Directorate of Health Services, said.

"We are not sure whether they are positive or negative," a senior official said adding further tests are on.

Goa has commissioned two different quarantine facilities--one at GMC and another at Chicalim Primary Health Centre in South Goa. PTI

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[Sridhar]

Man refuses treatment, passes swine flu virus to mother



New Delhi, Jun 10 (PTI) A "rich and powerful" man who carried the swine flu virus from abroad refused to be hospitalised in Delhi and got himself treated at home, passing on the infection to his mother as a result.
"The family is rich and powerful and there is no law which can be used to make the patient come to a hospital," M Lal, Director of Health Services, Delhi Government, told PTI.

The 35-year-old man refused to get himself admitted to a hospital despite testing positive for swine flu and was treated at his home in Rajokri farmhouse area near the Palam international airport.

Lal said the Delhi Government repeatedly requested the patient to come to the hospital, but the family refused.

"The patient is at his residence. We made so many requests to the family as well as the patient to get him admitted to the RML hospital, but they refused," he said.

"We are still trying to convince him as it is a case of public health hazard," he added.

The lapse probably led to the patient's mother also catching the swine flu virus. The person has recently returned from New York.

While Delhi has had two positive cases of swine flu, the total number of cases in the country has risen to 11. PTI

http://www.ptinews.com/pti/ptisite.nsf/$all/F05BDD7E2B31D6E9652575D1004B8660

 

[Sridhar]

Six-year-old is India's latest H1N1 flu case

Hyderabad (IANS): India on Friday reported one more H1N1 flu patient, taking the number of cases to 16, with a six-year-old girl who had arrived here from the U.S. testing positive for the H1N1 virus.

The samples of the girl, who arrived here along with her parents and six-month-old brother from New York on June 9, had tested positive for influenza AH1N1, doctors said.

She has been quarantined and is being treated at the Andhra Pradesh Chest Hospital, the nodal centre for dealing with flu cases.

Though her parents have tested negative, the hospital is awaiting test results of the six-month-old child.

With the latest confirmed case, the number of influenza A patients undergoing treatment at the hospital rose to five.

Three patients have been treated and discharged from the hospital since May 16, when the first case was reported.

A four-month-old child who arrived from New Jersey on Thursday has been kept under observation at the hospital after he was found with visible symptoms of H1N1 flu. His samples have been sent to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), Delhi.

A four-and-half year-old girl and her mother, who arrived from Philadelphia on May 31, tested positive for the virus on June 6. They contracted the virus from a techie, who travelled with them on the same flight via London.

The techie's brother was also tested positive, making him the first Indian to be infected by H1N1 flu without travelling abroad.

H1N1 flu was on Thursday declared a pandemic by WHO with 74 countries reporting 28,774 cases of influenza AH1N1 infection, including 144 deaths

The Hindu News Update Service