Today I am posting all updates below and in the Comments. Please read the posts Below about HOW to take care of your self. I will update this throughout the day. I have also added new button on side bar for the DHHS that has really good information, it also has CDC De.Besser updates. As a nurse my goal is to continue to gather news from around the US and Abroad and share it. Being Educated is being Prepared, knowledge is always power. The Comments will have ALL Updates from all over, good sources, The Guardian continues to cover this well.
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WORLD HEALTH ORG WEBSITE
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CDC Swine Flu Website
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Dr.Besser of CDC talking about Latest news on AM Shows.
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Guardian Swine Page
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Travel Precautions for people that have to Fly.
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Readers Questions answered NYT- thorough,smartly done.
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Really Interesting Post explaining Historical Information, and also explains about Large Pork Farms. Nature Network is a forum of Scientists that is very interesting and thoughtful.
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This Mercola site is reputable and also shows that some of the Medical Community is skeptical and unsure of what is being presented.
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DrChan's WHO Press Conference raising the Pandemic Level to five, Conference at 11 PM in Geneva. BBC has more info and the Video.
4PM LIVEBLOGGING THE WHO CONFERENCE LIVE FROM GENEVA WITH DR.CHAN RAISING THE PANDEMIC LEVEL TO LEVEL FIVE, SHE IS TAKING QUESTIONS FROM REPORTERS- LIVE ON CNN.
LA TIMES First Paper to send Out the WHO Declaration:::
WHO raises pandemic flu alert level to phase 5 .The World Health Organization has raised its pandemic alert for swine flu to the second highest level, meaning that it believes a global outbreak of the disease is imminent.WHO says the phase 5 alert means there is sustained human-to-human spread in at least two countries. It also signals that efforts to produce a vaccine will be ramped up.
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4:40 PM W.H.O Conference still ongoing, it is 11PM there in Geneva Here is the WHO Pandemic Chart that explains the Pandemic Levels showing levels 4-6 that may help:::
"PHASE 4:: is characterized by verified human-to-human transmission of an animal or human-animal influenza reassortant virus able to cause “community-level outbreaks.” The ability to cause sustained disease outbreaks in a community marks a significant upwards shift in the risk for a pandemic. Any country that suspects or has verified such an event should urgently consult with WHO so that the situation can be jointly assessed and a decision made by the affected country if implementation of a rapid pandemic containment operation is warranted. Phase 4 indicates a significant increase in risk of a pandemic but does not necessarily mean that a pandemic is a forgone conclusion.
PHASE 5::: is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region. While most countries will not be affected at this stage, the declaration of Phase 5 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.
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Video about the Toddler that died in Texas, had been sick since April 4th and was being treated for pneumonia, and now workers at both hospitals are being monitored and tested.
7PM Update::::
Reuters has about 30 Quarnentined Marines and one Confirmed at 29 Palms.
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LA TIMES has more about 14 Newly Confirmed case and 17 Probable cases.
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Local Health Depts struggling to Cope with this Health Emergency...
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More about NYC Health Dept.
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Wash hands ****Wash Hand****Stay Home****Acquire Masks****Buy Antiseptic Wipes and Gel****Wipe Surfaces of Concern****
Stay Informed in your County and pay attention to Local Information and Incidence ***** Stay informed.
27 comments:
THE GUARDIAN 4.29.09:::::
The swine flu outbreak today claimed its first victim outside Mexico: a 23-month-old child in Texas.
A health official in Houston, Texas, said the child, thought to be a boy, was Mexican and had travelled to Brownsville to visit his family in the same state when he became ill. He was admitted to a local hospital on 13 April and was transferred to another hospital in Texas after he "became quite ill rather rapidly" .
In Europe, Spain has detected its first case of swine flu in a person who has not recently visited Mexico. It is believed to be the first evidence that the virus has been transmitted in a European country.
The Spanish health minister, Trinidad Jimenez, announced the latest confirmed case, from north-eastern Catalonia.
El Mundo reported the person had been in contact with someone who recently returned from Mexico. Spanish authorities have confirmed 10 cases of the disease and 53 other cases are under investigation. All were people who recently returned from Mexico.
The development came as Keiji Fukuda, the World Health Organisation assistant director general, said the outbreak was approach phase five, warning that a flu pandemic is imminent.
"We are moving closer to phase five but we are not there yet. All the information we have suggests that the virus is spreading from person to person."
He said the swine flu virus was behaving like a human flu virus and there was no evidence of people being infected from pigs or pork products.
He said it was "probably unlikely" that the virus would simply stop though it was not clear whether more serious cases would develop.
He said eight swine flu deaths had been reported to the WHO: seven in Mexico and one in the US. To date, 114 confirmed cases of infection have been reported to the WHO. They are: Canada 13, US 64, Mexico 26, Israel two, Spain four, UK two and New Zealand three.
US health officials confirmed a total of 91 human cases. "We're reporting 91 confirmed cases in the United States," Richard Besser, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a news briefing.
Besser said this included 51 in New York, 16 in Texas, 14 in California, and others in Massachusetts, Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, Indiana, Kansas and Ohio.
Five cases in total have been confirmed in the UK, the prime minister, Gordon Brown, told the House of Commons.
More than 150 people are suspected to have died of the virus in Mexico and the illness has spread around the globe. News of the first death outside the country where it originated will increase fears that a pandemic could develop.
Barack Obama said the US government was monitoring the situation and it was time to take "utmost precautions". He said he would do whatever was necessary to control swine flu and urged people to ensure good personal hygiene.
US schools with confirmed or suspected swine flu cases should "strongly consider" closing, Obama said.
The boy who died in Texas was "treated very aggressively" before he succumbed to the virus, a health official said. "All family members are healthy and well and have not had any symptoms," the official said.
Dr Richard Besser, the acting director of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said more deaths in the US were likely. "Flu is a very serious infection and each virus is unique so it is hard to know what we are going to be seeing," he said. "But given what we've seen in Mexico, we have expected that we would see more severe infections and we would see deaths."
World Health Organisation experts are to hold a third emergency meeting to discuss the alert level.
Dick Thompson, a WHO spokesman, said the agency's director general, Margaret Chan, "has seen a jump in cases and she wants to have that evaluated by the outside experts".
He said it did not automatically mean a change in the pandemic alert level.
Confirmation that infected people in two countries are spreading the new disease to their families or contacts in a sustained way would meet the WHO criteria for declaring a phase five alert on its scale. The highest is six. It raised the level from three to four on Monday as the virus moved to Europe.
Separately, flu experts around the world were holding a telephone conference in an emergency review of the outbreak organised by the WHO to collect information on what is known about how the disease spreads, how it affects human health and how it can be treated. A report will be published shortly after the meeting ends.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, the governor of California, has declared a state of emergency, while in New York there were fears the virus was showing signs of transmission to others from children who had visited Mexico.
Egypt ordered the culling of all its 300,000 pigs as a precaution against swine flu, the country's health minister said on Wednesday. "It is decided to slaughter all swine herds present in Egypt, starting from today," Hatem el-Gabali said in a statement published by state news agency Mena.
France said it would seek an EU ban on flights to Mexico. Argentina and Cuba have already banned them.
The EU, the US and Canada have advised against non-essential travel to the country. The EU foreign relations commissioner, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, said the bloc was considering halting all travel to Mexico and disinfecting all airports.
In Mexico, officials are carrying out a second round of stricter tests, which have so far confirmed that seven people have died of swine flu. Results have yet to be announced on a further 13 people previously said to have been killed by the illness. The virus is suspected in another 159 deaths and 2,498 cases of illness there.
The health secretary, José Angel Córdova, said last night that the death toll was "more or less stable", even as hospitals were swamped with people who thought they had swine flu. Only 1,311 of those suspected of being infected remained in hospital, suggesting treatment works if medical care is sought quickly.
In New York, officials said 18 children from two schools were being tested for swine flu after showing symptoms, and the city's health commissioner said "many hundreds" more children who had fallen sick may be infected with the virus.
At least 10 countries around the world, including China and Russia, have introduced bans on the import of pork products, despite the WHO's insistence that the virus cannot be transmitted by eating pork.
Bavaria's health ministry today confirmed Germany's first three cases of swine flu. The Robert Koch Institute said they were a 22-year-old woman being treated for flu-like symptoms in a Hamburg hospital after returning from Mexico, a man in his 30s being treated at a university in the southern city of Regensburg, and a 37-year-old woman from another southern town who recently travelled to Mexico.
New Zealand is awaiting test results on 44 possible cases, on top of 14 already confirmed.
While the latest confirmations were in developed nations, Dr Keiji Fukuda, the WHO assistant director general for health security, warned that the greatest threat was to the poorest countries.
"We know from history … that the poorer countries are the ones who really get hit the hardest, they are really hit disproportionately hard, and they also have the least resources to deal with these kind of situations," he said.
Suspected infections are being investigated in Brazil, Guatemala and Peru, all countries that would struggle to cope with a large-scale swine flu outbreak.
12 Noon Numbers CDC::::
Arizona 1
California 14
Indiana 1
Kansas 2
Massachusetts 2
Michigan 2
Nevada 1
New York City 51
Ohio 1
Texas 16 and one death, toddler from Mexico visiting family.
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10 States....Also the numbers will rise, as the Tests have to be sent to Georgia, so the results take longer.
It would appear that factory farming is the most likely cause of the current outbreak of swine flu (just as it was for avian flu). For more see Priming the Pump of a Swine Flu Pandemic at Nature Networks.
Eric...
I think this is true...and that it actually comes down the Corporate Farm Practices, and in the end I suspect we will learn that the hog waste is the true source....but I am just a nurse....but I will be sure to read your link- thank you.
BBC wed am 4.49.09::::
A 23-month-old Mexican child has died of swine flu in Texas - the first death from the virus outside Mexico, where it may have killed as many as 159 people.
The child - one of 91 cases of swine flu in the US - had been visiting relatives in Texas when he fell ill.
The World Health Organization said the virus was still spreading, even though it was now from person to person.
And Spain says it has confirmed the first case of swine flu in a person who has not travelled to Mexico.
CONFIRMED CASES
Mexico: 159 suspected deaths - seven confirmed cases
US: one death, at least 91 confirmed cases
Canada: 13 confirmed cases
UK: 5 confirmed cases
Spain: 10 confirmed cases
Germany, New Zealand: 3 confirmed cases each
Israel: 2 confirmed cases
Austria: 1 case
Mapping the outbreak
In pictures: Concerns grow
Mexico: First swine flu cases
The Mexican boy had arrived in the Texan border city of Brownsville on 4 April and developed flu symptoms four days later, the Texas Department of State Health Services said.
He was later transferred to a hospital in Houston, where he died on Monday night.
The cause of death was confirmed on Wednesday by Dr Richard Besser, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"Unfortunately this morning I do have to confirm that we have the first death of a child from H1N1 flu virus," he told US TV channel CBS.
Speaking in Washington, President Obama offered his condolences and said the federal government was doing the utmost to contain the virus.
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?
Swine flu: How serious a threat?
Can masks help spread?
The quest for a swine flu vaccine
He also urged local public-health bodies to be vigilant and said schools with confirmed cases "should consider closing".
Texas Governor Rick Perry said closing the US border with Mexico was an option, but added that taking that step now would be "a little premature".
The assistant director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Keiji Fukuda, said that although the virus originated in pigs, it was now being transmitted from human to human.
"It is clear that the virus is spreading and we don't see evidence of it slowing down," he told reporters from WHO headquarters in Geneva.
He added that moving the pandemic alert to five - the second highest - from the current four would be a significant step, but was not necessary at the moment.
He said the WHO would do so if infected people in at least two countries were spreading the disease to other people in a sustained way.
From Matthew Price in Oaxaca, Mexico
The first fatal case of the virus is believed to have been contracted here in Oaxaca. It is a tourist centre and the obvious concern is that when the visitors leave, they may take the virus with them.
At the local cemetery, a group of gravediggers pointed me towards a freshly dug plot. The flowers on top had wilted under the sun but still had some colour. Here was the grave of the first confirmed victim of the virus, Adela Gutierrez, 39.
One of the gravediggers, Sergio Castro Lopez, told me people here are worried. They are waiting for the authorities to tell them what they should do.
Earlier the WHO urged caution, saying measures like travel bans were unlikely to prove effective.
France will ask the European Union on Thursday to suspend all flights going to Mexico because of the flu outbreak, Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot said.
In Mexico, the search for the source of the outbreak continues, with the focus on the vicinity of a pig farm in the eastern part of the country.
The Mexican government is urging against jumping to conclusions and is suggesting the possibility remains that the virus originated outside the country.
Schools across Mexico have closed, public gatherings are restricted and archaeological sites have been placed off-limits.
Mexico City's chamber of commerce estimated restrictions in the city were costing businesses there at least 777 million pesos ($57m or £39m) a day.
UK Telegraph::::
This article points out some signfigant things:
(1) Almost all of the new cases abroad are exposures happened during AIR travel.
(2) it also says that In Europe and UK- Tamiflu is being prescribed over the phone- Brilliant- I hope we do that here soon.
(3) They also are having the prescription delivered to people's homes- couriered.
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Three more Britons - including a 12-year-old girl - have been confirmed as suffering from swine flu, as the disease claimed its first life outside Mexico.
Last Updated: 5:58PM BST 29 Apr 2009
A general view of a police van parked outside a house in Torbay, where a 12-year-old girl is in isolation after receiving treatment for swine flu.
The new victims - a 41-year-old woman from Redditch, a 22-year-old man from north west London and the girl from Torbay in Devon - had all recently returned from the country, Gordon Brown told MPs at Prime Minister's Questions this afternoon.
Five Britons have now been confirmed as suffering from the potentially lethal infection, with a newly-married Scottish couple still receiving hospital treatment for the virus. The 12-year-old girl and the honeymoon couple were both on the same flight home.
Swine flu: toddler in US is first death outside Mexico
Swine flu leaflets to be sent to every house in Britain
Residents of Mexican village 'ill for months'
Thousands of British people in Mexico cut holidays short
Swine flu death rate slows in Mexico
Swine flu's first victim: A door-to-door researcher
The development came as American health officials announced that a 23-month-old child had died of swine flu, the first fatality outside of Mexico from the H1N1 strain.
Eight of the nine people who showed symptoms of the virus after coming into contact with the infected couple have tested negative, Scottish Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said. The final test is still outstanding.
Seven of the 14 other possible cases reported in Scotland have also been cleared, with doctors still awaiting results for the remaining seven.
"The test results therefore suggest that to date, as far as we know, we have managed to prevent the spread of infection within Scotland," she told MSPs. Because of new reports of possible infections, 32 potential cases are now being investigated in the country.
"All of these people are people with travel connections to Mexico or other affected areas," Ms Sturgeon said.
Dozens of other holidaymakers returning from Mexico, where the disease has killed about 160 people, continue to be tested for swine flu, with potential cases in Wales, Wiltshire, Derbyshire and Essex.
Mr Brown said that all three of the new sufferers were showing mild symptoms and were responding well to treatment. The school attended by the girl - Paignton Community College - has been temporarily closed. All 2,300 children who attend the mixed-sex comprehensive are being offered anti-viral drugs.
The girl, who has not been named, is thought to be in an isolation unit at Torbay Hospital in Torquay.
Many parents of other children at the college expressed their fears that the infection could already have spread.
Debbie Hutton-Hands, 43, has two daughters, Amy, 13, and Zoe, 12, at the school.
Amy said: "The girl that's ill is in Year 7. All the Year 7s were running around like maniacs shouting 'Cover your mouths'. At first we thought it was a prank. Now we just hope everyone is okay."
Mrs Hutton-Hands said: "It's a worry for us. My daughter already has a cough and a cold"
The Government is taking "the preparations that are necessary and the precautions to prevent the incidence of this disease in this country," Mr Brown said in his announcement.
These measures include expanding anti-viral stocks from 35 million to 50 million, ordering extra face masks and sending out an an information leaflet to all 25 million households in Britain.
Mr Brown said that Alan Johnson, the Health Secretary, would be making a statement to the House later today.
Tourists landing back in Britain have spoken of their rush to leave Mexico. Karen Whitehouse, 22, and her boyfriend Alex Henney, 31, were so worried about contracting swine flu that they paid £1,300 each for a flight back from Mexico City to Heathrow, landing yesterday afternoon having cut short their two-week holiday after just five days.
Mr Hennney, a stockbroker from Clapham, said: "The people in Mexico were panic stricken. There was a woman whose neighbour had died of swine flu on the news, she was terrified but no doctor would go to see her and got no medicine. People were getting sick but ambulance crews were too terrified to take them to hospital."
There are unconfirmed reports that three Mexican doctors have died after treating infected patients. More than 80 cases have been confirmed in other countries.
Mr Johnson was chairing a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee late on Wednesday morning, a Downing Street spokesman said.
More than 32 million protective face masks are also being ordered by the Department of Health, despite concerns the masks do little to prevent the spread of flu among the general public.
A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "We are urgently looking into how we can increase our current stockpiles of facemasks for healthcare workers who would come into close contact with symptomatic individuals during an influenza pandemic."
Prof John Oxford, a virologist from Barts and the London School of Medicine, said that the virus could mutate in order to elude anti-viral drugs such as Tamiflu and Relenza.
"There's a possibility always with a virus like influenza that it's a chameleon - that it changes if you look at it," Prof Oxford told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme. "It could mutate its way out."
However, he said he believed that Britain had the capacity to create flu vaccines quickly and on a large scale.
Those who think they may be suffering from swine flu are advised to stay in their home and away from anyone who they might infect.
Potential sufferers have been told to ring NHS Direct or check their symptoms on the online "flu symptom checker" to see if there is a chance they might have the virus.
A careful list of criteria has been drawn up by the Department of Health and is available on its website.
Of interest, is anyone who has been to Mexico or San Antonio, Texas, San Diego, Imperial County or New York City in America in the last seven days.
Also of concern, is anyone who has pain in or across their chest, pain in their shoulder, is short of breath, has swelling around the lips, mouth or tongue or has lips, fingernails or toenails which are changing colour.
Anyone with such symptoms is urged to call 999 immediately and asked not to leave their homes.
The anti-virals Tamiflu or Relenza will be prescribed over the phone either via NHS Direct or from a GP.
If someone who is not infected is able to collect your prescription for you, they will be asked to go and collect it from the nearest pharmacy and post it through your letter box.
If there is no one suitable to carry out such a task, the prescription will be couriered round to your address and, again, posted through the letter box.
The H1N1 virus (swine flu) is not thought to be nearly as dangerous as the H5N1 strain (bird flu) and if caught early on should cause little more discomfort than the normal flu symptoms.
Anyone who feels flu-like symptoms and may have been in contact with someone who has been to one of the infected areas, is also advised to stay at home, drink plenty of water and take paracetamol.
To try and avoid the spread, people are asked to cover their mouths when coughing, discard of tissues promptly and wash their hands frequently.
Anyone concerned about swine flu and its potential symptoms should contact their GP or NHS Direct on 0845 4647.
US News, the Number is up to 91 now.....as of Noon....1 death, and 7 in hospital.
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Mercury News ::::
Student Postive in San Jose, and school closure update
More below::::Click photo to enlarge
OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 28: Karya Lustig (R) sprays a chemical mist into a hood... ( Justin Sullivan )
Follow @swineflunews on Twitter for the latest
Map: International swine flu incidents
Vote: Are you worried about swine flu?
Slide show: Swine flu around the world
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Apr 27:
Obama seeks to ease fears on swine flu
Sound the alarm? A swine flu bind
A student at Branham High in San Jose has tested positive for swine flu, prompting school district and county health officials to close the school for one week.
Branham High is scheduled to reopen May 6.
The Campbell Union High School District did not identify the gender or age of the student in a three-paragraph update on its Web site. However, health officials on Tuesday reported that a 16-year-old San Jose girl was diagnosed with Santa Clara County's first likely case of swine flu, as the Bay Area added a total of six potential cases to the growing epidemic that has struck people in at least nine countries.
The girl, who is believed to have become infected while traveling in Southern California, suffered only mild symptoms and is recovering at home, in voluntary isolation. Officials didn't name her or say what school she attends, citing confidentiality.
"We expected to find a case," said Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, health officer of the Santa Clara County Public Health Department. "It is beyond containment. We are working to limit its spread."
On its Web site, the Campbell Union High School District is reporting that the student who tested positive for swine flu was last in school on Thursday and may have spread the virus.
Five other probable Bay Area cases were also announced Tuesday. They included a 60-year-old Marin County woman and her toddler granddaughter just back from Mexico, and three elementary school students.
in Contra Costa County. Further testing must be done by federal authorities to confirm that the infections are the same strain of flu that has sickened thousands of people in Mexico and around the world.
Contra Costa County health officials decided to close a Pittsburg elementary school for a week beginning today, after tests there revealed the three probable cases. Teachers at Highlands Elementary School contacted their students' families Tuesday night to inform them of the decision, said Barbara Wilson, superintendent of the Pittsburg Unified School District.
Thirteen children from the school were either sent home or called in sick Tuesday with flulike symptoms. The fourth-graders, including one with a relative who recently visited from Mexico, all are in the same class. The school notified county officials.
On Tuesday, state and federal officials predicted cases of the relatively new flu that has killed at least 150 in Mexico will keep appearing for at least the next two months.
While no one in the United States is known to have died from the new strain of flu, public health doctors say they remain deeply concerned during what they described as a "pre-pandemic period."
"As this moves forward, I fully expect we will see deaths from this infection," Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters Tuesday. Noting the deaths in Mexico, Besser said, "We're trying to learn more about why the situation in Mexico is different than it is here."
CDC officials say only about one in five of the more than 60 confirmed U.S. cases were people who had traveled to Mexico or had contact with a person who had, suggesting a national distribution of the virus has already occurred.
"Really, what that tells us is this virus is spreading person to person and has been around for quite a while" in the United States, "and you don't have to have a direct contact with Mexico" to be infected, said Dr. Bonnie Sorensen, chief deputy director of the state health department.
"This is likely to be with us for at least six to eight weeks," she added. "It sometimes goes away but it can come back, so this is a long haul."
In San Jose, Fenstersheib said it was not known if the young patient had attended school on Thursday, the day she first experienced symptoms.
Public health officials are now investigating her case, interviewing family members and tracing her route in an effort to identify anyone who may be infectious and could further spread the disease.
Fenstersheib has alerted the Santa Clara County medical community, as well as state officials.
Fenstersheib did not know if the teenager returned to school after her trip. San Jose Unified, East Side Union and Fremont Union all said they have not been notified of any possible cases of swine flu.
In East Side, Superintendent Bob Nuñez said about a dozen students had been sent home between Monday and Tuesday because teachers suspected they might have flulike symptoms. However, he has not heard that any students actually have been diagnosed with swine flu.
The state superintendent's office said there was no policy of notifying schools or parents, saying it's the responsibility of public health departments.
The county public health department laboratory was busy Tuesday as new specimens poured into its offices. While there were only a dozen specimens Monday, by Tuesday the number had grown to 34. Of these, 23 specimens from hospitals around the county await testing, with results available today.
Doug North, 43, of San Jose, found out early Tuesday afternoon that his test was negative. However, that might be because he was tested too late; the swine flu test should be administered within seven days of infection and Kaiser didn't quickly schedule an appointment for North after he returned from Mexico. Kaiser said it couldn't discuss the case.
"Now we'll never know whether he had swine flu or not," said his wife, Zoey North. "And if he did have it, who knows how many people ... on the plane were exposed to the virus."
Some South Bay hospitals said they had noticed a surge in calls from people concerned about having the flu, but emergency rooms such as Good Samaritan Hospital and Valley Medical Center in San Jose reported no increase in people actually showing up with flulike symptoms.
As of late Tuesday, the state Department of Public Health said there were 11 confirmed cases in California, in Imperial, San Diego and Sacramento counties.
State officials acknowledged there had been confusion between state and local officials about the definition of "confirmed" and "probable" cases of swine flu. By "probable," state officials mean the virus has been typed as belonging to the "A" family of influenza viruses, but has not yet been identified as the H1N1 swine flu strain. That's the situation with the six Bay Area samples, which are awaiting further testing.
Public health officials repeated the same warnings they have been issuing over the past week: Wash your hands frequently; if you sneeze, cover your mouth with an elbow — the so-called "Dracula sneeze" — to avoid spreading the virus or getting it on your hands. If you're sick, stay home from work or school and call your doctor.
On Tuesday the Gardner Family Health Network sent a well-equipped medical van in search of workers who might show flulike symptoms. The mobile health care providers regularly visit homeless shelters, soup kitchens, farms and hiring centers for day laborers. On Tuesday they had an extra item on their medical checklist these days: swine flu.
"We're in the trenches looking for the virus," said Dr. Ricardo G. Lopez, chief of medical services for Gardner. Its van travels Silicon Valley weekly and comes into contact with many Mexican immigrants. "We're just more vigilant about this, asking people if they have a fever, cough or sore throat," said Martha Payne, the nurse practitioner in charge of the van Tuesday.
However, at three stops — the Day Worker Center of Mountain View, Martha's Kitchen and a homeless family shelter in San Jose — no sign of the swine flu was detected.
Mercury News staff writers Ken McLaughlin, Joe Rodriguez and Sharon Noguchi, and Marin Independent Journal staff writer Nels Johnson, and the Contra Costa Times, contributed to this report. Contact Lisa M. Krieger at lkrieger@mercurynews.com or 408-920-5565. Contact Mike Swift at mswift@mercurynews.com or 408-271-3648.
4PM Update :::
This Afternoon Sebelius and Napolotano gave their first breifing together.They did talk about the toddler that died. And that This Administration is talking with WHO and with Scientists and working with them. They also had Doctors present, and
tomorrow will have DrBesser present and other CDC Scientists and you can go to the DHHS and WHO Site and CDC and learn more and go to the CDC or DHHS site and submit questions for tomorrows Conference.
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407 PM WHO ANNOUNCEMENT FROM GENEVA....
Dr.Chan of WHO is "raising the Level to FIVE....this is serious.....and is because we are now seeing Human to Human Transmission from Country to County. I am thanking Countries that being honest and open with their Investigative Information Canada, US and Mexico. All Countries must activate their Pandemic Plans at this Stage.
Heightened Surveillance and Infection Control in ALL Facitlities, this is a Signal to ALL medical Community and Drug Companies and must accelerrate their care and surveillance - that includes Economic Entities must free UP all Resources.....Time For Global Solidarity and Impoverished Nations are at risk...This is a pandemic where we need to work together.
We don't know enough and we need to learn more.
We Must work together to get the Answers."
PANDEMIC SCALE EXPLAINED BY W.H.O::::
In nature, influenza viruses circulate continuously among animals, especially birds. Even though such viruses might theoretically develop into pandemic viruses, in Phase 1 no viruses circulating among animals have been reported to cause infections in humans.
In Phase 2 an animal influenza virus circulating among domesticated or wild animals is known to have caused infection in humans, and is therefore considered a potential pandemic threat.
In Phase 3, an animal or human-animal influenza reassortant virus has caused sporadic cases or small clusters of disease in people, but has not resulted in human-to-human transmission sufficient to sustain community-level outbreaks. Limited human-to-human transmission may occur under some circumstances, for example, when there is close contact between an infected person and an unprotected caregiver. However, limited transmission under such restricted circumstances does not indicate that the virus has gained the level of transmissibility among humans necessary to cause a pandemic.
Phase 4 is characterized by verified human-to-human transmission of an animal or human-animal influenza reassortant virus able to cause “community-level outbreaks.” The ability to cause sustained disease outbreaks in a community marks a significant upwards shift in the risk for a pandemic. Any country that suspects or has verified such an event should urgently consult with WHO so that the situation can be jointly assessed and a decision made by the affected country if implementation of a rapid pandemic containment operation is warranted. Phase 4 indicates a significant increase in risk of a pandemic but does not necessarily mean that a pandemic is a forgone conclusion.
Phase 5 is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region. While most countries will not be affected at this stage, the declaration of Phase 5 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.
Phase 6, the pandemic phase, is characterized by community level outbreaks in at least one other country in a different WHO region in addition to the criteria defined in Phase 5. Designation of this phase will indicate that a global pandemic is under way.
During the post-peak period, pandemic disease levels in most countries with adequate surveillance will have dropped below peak observed levels. The post-peak period signifies that pandemic activity appears to be decreasing; however, it is uncertain if additional waves will occur and countries will need to be prepared for a second wave.
Previous pandemics have been characterized by waves of activity spread over months. Once the level of disease activity drops, a critical communications task will be to balance this information with the possibility of another wave. Pandemic waves can be separated by months and an immediate “at-ease” signal may be premature.
In the post-pandemic period, influenza disease activity will have returned to levels normally seen for seasonal influenza. It is expected that the pandemic virus will behave as a seasonal influenza A virus. At this stage, it is important to maintain surveillance and update pandemic preparedness and response plans accordingly. An intensive phase of recovery and evaluation may be required.
( An aside; can I just say that I am sooooo glad that Obama is president and that he is charge and that he embraces Science....and that he is concerned about Our Healthcare .....I remain worried about the 50 Million here without healthcare...but I do know that it is being worked on...daily...I also know that if Governor Perry is recognizing this health Crisis- that other repugs will wake up sooner than later...)
So far as a Dr. Here pointed out more than 70 % of those effected by the virus are under 18, so it is right for all of us to monitoring our young people and children......
Nine Probable Cases in Chicago::::Schools closing there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chicago Public Schools chief Ron Huberman, left, and principal Miguel Trujillo, right, leave a press conference on the way inside Kilmer Elementary School in Chicago, Wednesday, April 29, 2009. Chicago school officials shut down an elementary school Wednesday after one child contracted a probable case of swine flu, and the Illinois Health Department said other cases are suspected in the state. (AP Photo/Eric Y. Exit)
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CHICAGO (AP) -- Chicago school officials shut down an elementary school Wednesday after a child contracted a probable case of swine flu, one of nine probable cases reported by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
The likely cases are Illinois' first in a swine-flu outbreak that's suspected of killing more than 150 in Mexico and has spread across the United States and other parts of the world. The first U.S. swine flu death in the current outbreak was confirmed Wednesday, a 23-month-old child in Texas.
The state's probable cases all are in northern Illinois, with five in Chicago, two in Kane County and single cases in both Lake and DuPage counties. The youngest person diagnosed is age 6. Two other cases are children and the rest are adults.
"Right now we have mild cases; no one has been hospitalized," Arnold said at a news conference in Chicago where Mayor Richard Daley, Gov. Pat Quinn and other officials stressed the state is working hard to prevent further illnesses.
As I wrote you yesterday, my son and his wife came in from Ohio on April 8 & 9th. We shared appetizers; lunch and dinner - I sampled from my son's plate, and he from mine as well.
His flu' case was confirmed as swine flu' on April 24; the day I started feeling badly, and was treated on April 27th (blood sample sent - results should come back in early May).
He's doing much better, and I'm getting some relief this afternoon - the chills have finally subsided for almost 14 hours now; sore throat is nearly gone - the fatigue and aches are still there, but I'm feeling stronger.
I think it depends upon the immune system of the person, and how quickly they handle their illness by getting medical care.
I was put on a light diet; recommended that I drink Ensure - lots of chicken broth, gargle with salt water and rest, rest, rest (which I've done).
I'd suggest washing your produce with a light mixture of vinegar and hydrogen peroxide (about 2T of each) to 1 quart of water. I'd also suggest avoiding any pork products because I'm still convinced that there's a good chance you can get sick from eating it if it's not cooked thoroughly (even though the news is claiming you can't get this flu' from pork products).
I think the obvious filth that pigs are kept in; the fact that Smithfield farms has a huge pig farm near where the outbreak occurred, and the fact that Smart & Final have stores located in all of the states where the flu' has hit the hardest, is something to think about since they bring in produce, pork products - etc., from Mexico (as well as having at least 20 stores in Mexico itself).
Most of all, since I've stayed inside other than to go to the doctor, I think not exposing others is imperative. It's not fun being 'locked up', but it's better than possibly infecting others in your community.
Oh yes, and this update also:
Dr. Keiji Fukuda, the organization's top flu expert, told reporters in Geneva that the latest developments are moving the agency closer to raising its pandemic alert to phase 5, indicating widespread human-to-human transmission. That's just one step below level 6, a full-fledged pandemic.
In Washington, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was questioned closely by senators about whether the U.S. should close its border with Mexico, where the outbreak apparently began and the casualties have been the greatest. She repeated the administration's position that questioning of people at borders and ports of entry was sufficient for now and said closing borders "has not been merited by the facts."
Dr. Richard Besser, the acting chief of the Centers for Disease Control, said in Atlanta that there are confirmed cases now in ten states, with 51 in New York, 14 in California and 16 in Texas. Two cases have been confirmed in Kansas, Massachusetts and Michigan, 4in Arizona, 2 in Indiana, 2 in Nevada and 5 in Ohio.
State officials in Maine said laboratory tests had confirmed three cases in that state, although those had not yet been included in the CDC count.
In a possible outbreak north of the Mexican border, the commandant of the Marine Corps said a Marine in southern California might have the illness and 39 Marines were being confined on their California base at Camp Pendleton until tests come back.
Marine General James Conway told a Pentagon briefing an initial test indicated the sick Marine - who was not identified - might have swine flu but his illness did not appear life-threatening.
Obama said he wanted to extend "my thoughts and prayers" to the family of a nearly two-year-old Mexican boy who died in Houston, the first confirmed U.S. fatality among more than five dozen infections. Health officials in Texas said the child had traveled with his family from Mexico to Brownsville on April 4 and had been sick for five days before being hospitalized there. He then was brought to Houston where he died Monday night.
Dear Happy:::
good that you are feeling better...and all that you are doing is probally helping....I think Staying home is critical....rest etc.
About the Washing Vegi's also good....I still think the Hog Waste Stream is a piece of this puzzle.
I did post a link above that you need to read about the Hog Farm and I did add a Working Mercola Link also - both worth the read....
take care, rest ...
thanks Happy::
yeah- I posted the link to the Conference, and video- and DrChan did raise the level to FIVE......and also posted links and tried to explain the meaning. Most of what you mentioned is in the Comments- I have tried to update every couple of hours...
thank you for adding to the info...
we all need to stay informed....
thanks..take care..
On eve news:::
they did tell of new states effected and monitoring:::
Inidiana, NJ, Minnesota, and Illinois and in California- Marines at a base there are being tested- 30 are isolated, Chris over at From the Left has more also about the monitoring and outbreaks in other states...
Okay....so had a thought:::
(1) here the City schools will start stocking more soap and paper towls- some of the schools are so Broke they are always running out- so they say that NOW they will be sure to try to make sure that is not still happening...
( that was a disgusting little revelation)
Okay - so here's the thing- if kids are not used to washing their hands because there is not soap and towels- maybe that explains some of the reasons there is a rise in kids getting it..
LA Times 7 PM::::
Health officials said today that there are now 14 confirmed cases of swine flu and another 17 probable cases in California.
Officials said some of those who contracted the flu had recently traveled to Mexico, but others had no known risk factors.
Gil Chavez, deputy director of the state's Center for Infectious Disease, part of the California Department of Health, said a few are children who go to the same school, but most have no other known connection.
He said some schools have been temporarily closed and that the state is issuing guidelines for local officials on mitigating the spread of the flu.
Chavez said the state has a backup cache of antiviral medications and that there is no shortage at this time. Testing is being coordinated with the Centers for Disease Control.
The state has been running drills and has prepared for a possible outbreak for five years, he said. Here is a breakdown of the latest cases:
Statewide: 14 confirmed cases
San Diego County - 7
Sacramento County - 1
San Bernardino County - 1
Imperial County - 5
17 probable cases
San Diego County - 1
Marin County - 2
Sacramento County - 3
Los Angeles County - 2
Tulare county - 1
Riverside County - 4
San Joaquin Couny - 1
Santa Clara County - 3
-- Michael Rothfeld
Canada News Blog::::
Via the Globe and Mail: WHO raises pandemic alert to level 5.
The World Health Organization has raised its pandemic alert level for the second time this week.
Director-General Margaret Chan raised the pandemic alert level to 5 in response to the spreading swine flu virus. Phase 5 means that there is human-to-human spread of the virus in at least two countries, and sends a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent. Phase 6 is a full-blown pandemic.
Ms. Chan urged international cooperation and encouraged countries to view the raised alert level as an opportunity to ramp up efforts to contain the virus.
"It really is all of humanity that is under threat during a pandemic," Ms. Chan said.
Meanwhile in Ontario, there are three new confirmed cases, bringing the provincial total to seven. There are now 16 confirmed cases in Canada.
OBAMA is starting his speech- and he did call it H1N1 in the opener...
and he did say that schools must think of closing for probable cases- not just confirmed.
1.4 Billion has been requested for this Emergency ( that does not seem like much)...
$1.4 billion to fight H1N1 Swine flu
$84 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan
$1.4 billion to fight H1N1 Swine flu
$84 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan
$1.4 billion to fight H1N1 Swine flu
$84 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan
Obama had better flip these numbers around and quickly or the failure to effectively deal with the pandemic will be laid at the door of the White House.
Frankly, I don't care about Iraq or Afghanistan. I do care about this country fighting what appears to be another 1918 flu pandemic.
It all comes down to priorities.
This is very very long, but it's from the CDC, and it does give the names of the medications; dose levels, etc., that should be used during this time.
As I told you, I was given the regular flu' shots; then oseltamivir which I take for 5 days and go back on May 4. I was also given Erythromycin E. S. to also assist with the potential of it not being just the flu', but onset of pneumonia since I easily get this 3 or 4 times a year.
Lots of good information in this article - below:
Interim Guidance on Antiviral Recommendations for Patients with Confirmed or Suspected Swine Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Infection and Close Contacts
April 29, 2009 02:45 PM ET
Objective: To provide interim guidance on the use of antiviral agents for treatment and chemoprophylaxis of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection. This includes patients with confirmed, probable or suspected swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection and their close contacts.
Case Definitions for Infection with Swine-origin Influenza A (H1N1) Virus (S-OIV)
A confirmed case of S-OIV infection is defined as a person with an acute febrile respiratory illness with laboratory confirmed S-OIV infection at CDC by one or more of the following tests:
real-time RT-PCR
viral culture
A probable case of S-OIV infection is defined as a person with an acute febrile respiratory illness who is positive for influenza A, but negative for H1 and H3 by influenza RT-PCR
A suspected case of S-OIV infection is defined as a person with acute febrile respiratory illness with onset
within 7 days of close contact with a person who is a confirmed case of S-OIV infection, or
within 7 days of travel to community either within the United States or internationally where there are one or more confirmed cases of S-OIV infection, or
resides in a community where there are one or more confirmed cases of S-OIV infection.
Infectious period for a confirmed case of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection is defined as 1 day prior to the case’s illness onset to 7 days after onset.
Close contact is defined as: within about 6 feet of an ill person who is a confirmed or suspected case of swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus infection during the case’s infectious period.
Acute respiratory illness is defined as recent onset of at least two of the following: rhinorrhea or nasal congestion, sore throat, cough (with or without fever or feverishness)
High-risk groups: A person who is at high-risk for complications of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection is defined as the same for seasonal influenza (see MMWR: Prevention and Control of Influenza: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), 2008).
Special Considerations for Children
Aspirin or aspirin-containing products (e.g. bismuth subsalicylate – Pepto Bismol) should not be administered to any confirmed or suspected ill case of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection aged 18 years old and younger due to the risk of Reye syndrome. For relief of fever, other anti-pyretic medications are recommended such as acetaminophen or non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
Antiviral Resistance
This swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is sensitive (susceptible) to the neuraminidase inhibitor antiviral medications zanamivir and oseltamivir. It is resistant to the adamantane antiviral medications, amantadine and rimantadine.
Antiviral Treatment
Confirmed, Probable and Suspected Cases of Swine-origin Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Infection
Recommendations for use of antivirals may change as data on antiviral effectiveness, clinical spectrum of illness, adverse events from antiviral use, and antiviral susceptibility data become available.
Antiviral treatment should be considered for confirmed, probable or suspected cases of swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus infection. Treatment of hospitalized patients and patients at higher risk for influenza complications should be prioritized.
Only RT-PCR or viral culture can confirm infection with swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus. The test performance of rapid antigen tests and immunofluorescence tests for detection of swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus is unknown. Persons who might have swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus and who test positive for influenza A using one of these tests should have confirmatory RT-PCR or viral culture testing to confirm the presence of swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus. A negative rapid antigen or immunofluorescence test cannot be used to rule out swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus infection.
Antiviral treatment with zanamivir or oseltamivir should be initiated as soon as possible after the onset of symptoms. Evidence for benefits from treatment in studies of seasonal influenza is strongest when treatment is started within 48 hours of illness onset. However, some studies of treatment of seasonal influenza have indicated benefit, including reductions in mortality or duration of hospitalization even for patients whose treatment was started more than 48 hours after illness onset. Recommended duration of treatment is five days. Recommendations for use of antivirals may change as data on antiviral susceptibilities and effectiveness become available. Antiviral doses recommended for treatment of swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus infection in adults or children 1 year of age or older are the same as those recommended for seasonal influenza (Table 1). Oseltamivir use for children < 1 year old was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), and dosing for these children is age-based (Table 2).
Note: Areas that continue to have seasonal influenza activity, especially those with circulation of oseltamivir-resistant human A (H1N1) viruses, might prefer to use either zanamivir or a combination of oseltamivir and rimantadine or amantadine to provide adequate empiric treatment or chemoprophylaxis for patients who might have human influenza A (H1N1) infection.
Antiviral Chemoprophylaxis
For antiviral chemoprophylaxis of swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus infection, either oseltamivir or zanamivir are recommended (Table 1). Duration of antiviral chemoprophylaxis post-exposure is 10 days after the last known exposure to an ill confirmed case of swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus infection. Post exposure prophylaxis should be considered for contact during the infectious period (e.g., one day before until 7 days after the case’s onset of illness). If the contact occurred more than 7 days earlier, then prophylaxis is not necessary. For pre-exposure protection, chemoprophylaxis should be given during the potential exposure period and continued for 10 days after the last known exposure to an ill confirmed case of swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus infection. Oseltamivir can also be used for chemoprophylaxis under the EUA (Table 3).
Antiviral chemoprophylaxis with either oseltamivir or zanamivir is recommended for the following individuals:
Household close contacts who are at high-risk for complications of influenza (e.g., persons with certain chronic medical conditions, persons 65 or older, children younger than 5 years old, and pregnant women) of a confirmed or probable case.
Health care workers or public health workers who were not using appropriate personal protective equipment during close contact with an ill confirmed, probable, or suspect case of swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus infection during the case’s infectious period. See guidelines on personal protective equipment.
Antiviral chemoprophylaxis with either oseltamivir or zanamivir can be considered for the following:
Household close contacts who are at high-risk for complications of influenza (e.g., persons with certain chronic medical conditions, persons 65 years or older, children younger than 5 years old, and pregnant women) of a suspected case.
Children attending school or daycare who are at high-risk for complications of influenza (children with certain chronic medical conditions) and who had close contact (face-to-face) with a confirmed, probable, or suspected case.
Health care workers who are at high-risk for complications of influenza (e.g., persons with certain chronic medical conditions, persons 65 or older, and pregnant women) who are working in an area of the healthcare facility that contains patients with confirmed swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) cases, or who is caring for patients with any acute febrile respiratory illness.
Travelers to Mexico who are at high-risk for complications of influenza (e.g., persons with certain chronic medical conditions, persons 65 or older, children younger than 5 years old, and pregnant women). (Note: A travel warning is currently in effect indicating that nonessential travel to Mexico should be avoided.
First responders who are at high-risk for complications of influenza (e.g., persons with certain chronic medical conditions, persons 65 or older, children younger than 5 years old, and pregnant women) and who are working in areas with confirmed cases of swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus infection.
Table 1. Swine-origin influenza antiviral medication dosing recommendations.
(Table extracted from IDSA guidelines for seasonal influenza.) Agent, group Treatment Chemoprophylaxis
Oseltamivir
Adults 75‐mg capsule twice per day for 5 days 75‐mg capsule once per day
Children (age, 12 months or older), weight: 15 kg or less 60 mg per day divided into 2 doses 30 mg once per day
15–23 kg 90 mg per day divided into 2 doses 45 mg once per day
24–40 kg 120 mg per day divided into 2 doses 60 mg once per day
>40 kg 150 mg per day divided into 2 doses 75 mg once per day
Zanamivir
Adults Two 5‐mg inhalations (10 mg total) twice per day Two 5‐mg inhalations (10 mg total) once per day
Children Two 5‐mg inhalations (10 mg total) twice per day (age, 7 years or older) Two 5‐mg inhalations (10 mg total) once per day (age, 5 years or older)
Children Under 1 Year of Age
Children under one year of age are at high risk for complications from seasonal human influenza virus infections. The characteristics of human infections with swine-origin H1N1 viruses are still being studied, and it is not known whether infants are at higher risk for complications associated with swine-origin H1N1 infection compared to older children and adults. Limited safety data on the use of oseltamivir (or zanamivir) are available from children less than one year of age, and oseltamivir is not licensed for use in children less than 1 year of age. Available data come from use of oseltamivir for treatment of seasonal influenza. These data suggest that severe adverse events are rare, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America recently noted, with regard to use of oseltamivir in children younger than 1 year old with seasonal influenza, that "…limited retrospective data on the safety and efficacy of oseltamivir in this young age group have not demonstrated age-specific drug-attributable toxicities to date." (See IDSA guidelines for seasonal influenza.)
Because infants typically have high rates of morbidity and mortality from influenza, infants with swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) infections may benefit from treatment using oseltamivir.
Table 2. Dosing recommendations for antiviral treatment of children younger than 1 year using oseltamivir. Age Recommended treatment dose for 5 days
<3 months 12 mg twice daily
3-5 months 20 mg twice daily
6-11 months 25 mg twice daily
Table 3. Dosing recommendations for antiviral chemoprophylaxis of children younger than 1 year using oseltamivir. Age Recommended prophylaxis dose for 10 days
<3 months
Not recommended unless situation judged
critical due to limited data on use in this age group
3-5 months
20 mg once daily
6-11 months
25 mg once daily
Healthcare providers should be aware of the lack of data on safety and dosing when considering oseltamivir use in a seriously ill young infant with confirmed swine-origin H1N1 influenza or who has been exposed to a confirmed swine H1N1 case, and carefully monitor infants for adverse events when oseltamivir is used. See additional information on oseltamivir for this age group.
Pregnant Women
Oseltamivir and zanamivir are "Pregnancy Category C" medications, indicating that no clinical studies have been conducted to assess the safety of these medications for pregnant women. Because of the unknown effects of influenza antiviral drugs on pregnant women and their fetuses, oseltamivir or zanamivir should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the embryo or fetus; the manufacturers' package inserts should be consulted. However, no adverse effects have been reported among women who received oseltamivir or zanamivir during pregnancy or among infants born to women who have received oseltamivir or zanamivir. Pregnancy should not be considered a contraindication to oseltamivir or zanamivir use. Because of its systemic activity, oseltamivir is preferred for treatment of pregnant women. The drug of choice for prophylaxis is less clear. Zanamivir may be preferable because of its limited systemic absorption; however, respiratory complications that may be associated with zanamivir because of its inhaled route of administration need to be considered, especially in women at risk for respiratory problems.
Adverse Events and Contraindications
For further information about influenza antiviral medications, including contraindications and adverse effects, please see the following:
Antiviral Agents for Seasonal Influenza: Side Effects and Adverse Reactions
MMWR: Prevention and Control of Influenza: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), 2008
MMWR August 8, 2008 / 57(RR07);1-60
Adverse events from influenza antiviral medications should
thanks for this....
I will read through it...
:-)
oopppps Chris::
I ended up seeing the Micro comment above and I missed your comment- sorry- and yes, it is about priorities....and we need those to shift and what we value-
I am very worried- this virus for some reason targets young people and children....our greatest resource is vulnerable....
1.4B does not seem like much...( and on another level- if he asks for more- will that panic people)
we have 50 million without healthcare and insurance....that is worrisome..and many of those are children...I watched an interview with school nurses tonight here- and they talked about how they are the only form of health care for these children- they also explained they are worried how and who will monitor them,....and if schools close no one will monitor them...
thanks for all of your coverage over at From the Left- it matters...
More on the texas toddler::::
Little boy, far from home, 1st US swine flu death
By JUAN A. LOZANO (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated Press
April 29, 2009 9:43 PM EDT
HOUSTON - He was not yet 2, far from home and dying. The first victim of swine flu in the U.S. was a Mexican toddler who struggled to survive for weeks in Texas hospitals - long before it was known doctors were dealing with an international outbreak.
Now the hunt is on to find anyone who came into contact with the little boy while he visited relatives in the border city of Brownsville from his home in Mexico City.
The state's health director, Dr. David Lakey, at an Austin news conference, called it "highly likely" that the boy contracted the disease in Mexico before his trip to the U.S.
Officials in Brownsville are trying to trace his family's trip to find out how long they were in the area, who they visited and how many people were in the group, said Cameron County Judge Carlos Cascos.
The boy, who was 23 months old, had "underlying health issues" before he flew to Matamoros, Mexico, on April 4 and crossed into Brownsville to visit relatives, state health officials said.
He developed flu symptoms four days later and was taken to a Brownsville hospital April 13 and transferred the following day to Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, where he died Monday night.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday confirmed that he had been infected with the swine flu virus. The cause of the death was pneumonia caused by the virus, Cascos said.
Health officials insisted the boy posed no contagion threat to Houston. He had no contact with other patients at Texas Children's Hospital and none of the staff was exposed, said Dr. Jeffrey Starke, the hospital's director of infectious disease.
This case "shouldn't trigger any undue alarm in the community," Starke told a news conference. "The child did not acquire the virus in Houston, Texas."
Dr. Brian Smith, regional director of the Texas Department of State Health Services, said antiviral treatments were given to family members who had close contact with the child and none had contracted swine flu. He said that with the virus' short incubation period, health officials would have begun seeing secondary cases among the child's close contacts by now, but none has appeared.
Although the boy wasn't initially identified as a swine flu case, Starke said concern grew over the last several days as news of the virus intensified.
Officials refused to release any further information about the boy or his family, including his name or any details on his other health issues, citing privacy laws.
Starke said the child was "critically ill the entire time the child was under our care," and that he was transferred to Houston because the hospital in Brownsville, an impoverished border city of 140,000, couldn't provide the kind of care he needed.
Swine flu is suspected of killing more than 150 people and sickening over 2,600 in Mexico, Canada, New Zealand, Britain, Germany, Spain, Israel and Austria.
The virus has spread to 11 U.S. states from coast to coast. Total American cases surged to nearly 100, including a Marine at the Twentynine Palms base in southern California.
According to the CDC, more than 20,000 children younger than age 5 are hospitalized every year because of seasonal flu. In the 2007-08 flu season, the CDC received reports that 86 children nationwide died from flu complications.
Authorities have confirmed at least 93 swine flu cases in the United States. They've identified 16 cases in Texas, 51 in New York, 14 in California, three in Maine; two in Kansas, two in Massachusetts, and one each in Indiana, Ohio, Arizona and Nevada. The CDC also said Michigan had two, but state officials maintained only one was confirmed.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced a disaster declaration Wednesday for the entire state. The declaration will allow officials to begin emergency protective measures and seek reimbursement from the federal government.
Texas officials also are postponing all public high school athletic competition until May 11. Schools serving more than 130,000 kids across Texas were closed.
As for future action, Perry said closing the border with Mexico is an option, but he doesn't want to play a "what-if game."
"There's no need to panic," Perry said. "I urge our citizens to act responsibly in the course of this situation. Heed the advice of local and state health officials."
Where is the little boy from originally ?
and let's retrace his steps
April4 - arrives brownsville
April 8 -gets flu
April 12/13 = goes to Brownsville hospital
April 14th he is transferred to Houston...
and then he dies....this past monday April 26th-
so he was fighting the pneumonia for ???? 13 days ???
Okay so here is my question ::
where is he from in Mexico ? is he originally from Vera Cruz ???
What else was going on ? was he immune compromized ? they keep speaking myseriously about him- so what else was going on- was he immune compromised or did he have another infection ? if so then we should be told that....
and
what about his family and contacts and the hospital workers- have they all been tested and monitored ?
there is Something that they are not saying....or revealing - and sorry- but that just makes me skeptical- we can not solve a mystery with just partial info...
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