Mysterious U.S. Swine Flu Probe Widens as Mexico Finds Swine Flu *updated*

MADRID, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Spanish Health Ministry reported on Monday the first death in the country of a child from A/H1N1 flu.

The patient was an 11-year-old boy who was hospitalized in the Mother-Children Hospital of Canary Islands. His identity was not revealed.

The Canary Islands' Health Service and the Health Ministry said that the patient had a chronic disease and his death was related to the A/H1N1 virus.

With this death, the A/H1N1 flu death toll in the country rose to 12. The other 11 were patients aged between 20 and 71, including two pregnant women.

JERUSALEM, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Two Israelis infected with A/H1N1 virus died on Monday, bringing the total number of this influenza-related deaths in Israel to nine.

The two victims were both male and respectively aged 67 and 76, health authorities were quoted by local news service Ynet as saying, while adding that it is still unclear whether the epidemic was the main cause of the two deaths.

About a dozen other A/H1N1 flu patients are still in intensive care units across the country, where official statistics showed that among some seven million residents, over 2,100 have been diagnosed with the global pandemic, and half of them are under the age of 30.

A Quebec City factory may be in the midst of churning out 50.4 million swine flu vaccines for release across the country this November, but some Canadians aren't waiting with bated breath.

Despite a fall flu season that's expected to strain the health care system with resurgent swine flu and all the usual seasonal influenza cases, some people are preparing by turning to alternative medicine.

Aboriginal people, who have been especially hard hit by the virus, are looking to traditional healing methods. And those who subscribe to alternative medical care are also exploring non-conventional health-care options.

For Dr. Michael Gardam, alternative medicine provides a welcome perspective.

TOKYO, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- A woman in her 80s from the central city of Nagoya has died of A/H1N1 flu, the third confirmed death in Japan from the disease, Kyodo News reported Wednesday.

A man in Okinawa Prefecture Saturday became Japan's first new flu-linked fatality while a man in Kobe became the second on Tuesday.

The number of influenza patients in the country, most of whom are believed to have been infected with the new flu strain, had almost reached a level indicative of an epidemic, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases said Tuesday.

It is estimated the total number of flu patients in Japan has reached about 60,000.

JERUSALEM, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- An Israeli infected with A/H1N1 virus died on Tuesday, bringing the total number of this influenza-related deaths in Israel to ten.

The patient, a 62-year-old woman, died at the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem from complications of the flu virus, according to local daily Ha'aretz.

Meanwhile, local newspaper The Jerusalem Post cited Israeli Health Ministry as reporting that the woman was also suffering other serious illnesses.

WELLINGTON, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- A 30-year-old woman who died in the South Island city of Dunedin on Sunday has been confirmed by the Health Ministry as New Zealand's 15th Influenza A/H1N1 victim.

New Zealand's Ministry of Health said on Tuesday there were no underlying medical condition involved with the latest death, and the ministry's death toll only included people where Influenza A/H1N1 was considered the primary cause.

The ministry said that the number of people presenting to the doctors with influenza-like illnesses continued to fall, indicating the pandemic may be abating
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RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- The number of deaths from the A/H1N1 flu virus in Brazil has reached 342, local health authorities announced on Monday.

According to the authorities, three new deaths were confirmed on Monday, with two in Rio de Janeiro state in the southeast and one in Santa Catarina state in the south. The victims were an adult male, a female and a seven-year-old boy.

Sao Paulo state has the highest death toll so far with 134 victims. Parana state in the southern part of the country has 79 victims, followed by Rio Grande do Sul state with 70.

Out of the 342 deaths, only six occurred outside the southern and southeastern regions, where the winter has more severe weather.

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A 57-year-old woman is the third person in Lee County to die from the H1N1 flu, according to the Lee County Health Department.


“We have continued to see influenza activity over the summer. Therefore, we urge people to take precautions against flu-illness by following proper hygiene” said Judith A. Hartner director of the Lee County Health Department.
The woman is not being identified because of privacy laws. A 51-year-old man died in July and a 53-year-old man died earlier this month from flu-related causes.


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SANA'A, Aug. 19 (Saba) - Public Health and Population Ministry announced on Wednesday the first death of H1N1 in the country.

Minister of Public Health and Population Abdul-Karim Rase'a confirmed the death of a new case was for a man, 40, from Dalei governorate.

The man, lived in the capital Sana'a, was suffered on August 10th from fever and slight cold and sent to the hospital on August 15, where his case was diagnosed as Pneumonia, the Minister said.

On August 16, the man's health got worse and was entered the intensive care, were his heath get much worse. He has not even responded to medications.

The hospital, on August 17, reported the Ministry on a H1N1-suspected case. The Ministry's epidemiological surveillance team took a laboratory sample and then gave him the first does of the N1H1's cure. However, he died at 10:45 PM on the same day.

The primary information showed that the man has not travelled outside the country but he had received one of his relatives returned from USA prior to getting sick.

Worth to mention is that the number of the N1H1-cases in Yemen has reached 16 people with two new cases announced on Tuesday.

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MEXICO CITY, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- The health authorities from Brazil, Peru, Paraguay, Ecuador, Venezuela and Bolivia reported more deaths from A/H1N1 influenza in their countries on Tuesday.

In Peru, the health authorities reported 17 more deaths, raising the death toll to 62, and the confirmed infections rising to 6,121, with most of them already recovered.

The Ecuadorian Public Health Ministry confirmed that the death toll in its country rose to 23, while the number of infections was more than 800.

Venezuelan Health Minister Carlos Rotondaro reported that a total of 17 patients had died in Venezuela from A/H1N1 flu, while the number of infected people rose to 633, with 473 recovered.

Meanwhile, the Bolivian Health Ministry reported two new deaths, raising the death toll to 17.

The San Bernardino County Department of Public Health on Wednesday reported the county's fourth and fifth deaths from swine flu-related illnesses.

Both people, a 50-year-old woman and a man in his 20s, died earlier this month after they had been hospitalized. They were not related..

A 12-year-old Palm Beach County girl has died of H1N1 swine flu, according to the Florida Department of Health.

"Our hearts and prayers go out to the family and friends of these individuals, " said Surgeon General Dr. Ana Viamonte Ros. " H1N1, like seasonal flu, can in some circumstances be very serious, therefore, all of us should continue to adhere to good health practices including, stay home if sick, cover cough and sneeze, and wash hands frequently."

There have been 59 laboratory confirmed H1N1 Swine Flu deaths in Florida. As of July 31, there were four swine-flu related deaths in Palm Beach County.

Other recent deaths include a 61-year-old male in Alachua County, a 19-year-old female in Brevard County, a 31-year-old female in Clay County, an 84-year-old female in Miami-Dade County, a 33-year-old female in Duval County, a 43-year-old female in Duval County, a 46-year-old male in Hillsborough County, a 57-year-old female in Lee County, a 54-year-old female in Taylor County, and a 50-year-old male in Volusia County..

KUWAIT: Kuwait said a young man who was already suffering from severe pneumonia has died from swine flu, the first person in the country to succumb to the disease. The state-owned Kuwait News Agency quoted Health Ministry spokesman Youssef Al-Nisf as saying yesterday that the victim was Kuwaiti in his twenties. The Kuwaiti government has been announcing the number of swine flu cases in the country on weekly basis. It said last Thursday that there were 740 people with the disease in Kuwait. More than 900 p

Deaths from swine flu in Latin America -- the worst-hit region in the world -- rose to over 1,300 on Wednesday after governments added to tolls from the disease.

Brazil late Tuesday said its count climbed to 368 deaths, putting it just behind Argentina which, with 404 deaths, has the second-highest fatality tally in the world. The United States has 477 deaths. .

Here are Latin America's swine flu deaths by country, according to the latest government numbers:

Argentina ... 404

Brazil ...... 368

Mexico ...... 164

Chile ....... 105

Peru ........ 62

Paraguay .... 39

Costa Rica .. 28

Uruguay ..... 25

Colombia .... 23

Ecuador ..... 23

Bolivia ..... 17

Venezuela ... 15

El Salvador . 12

Guatemala ... 10

Honduras .... 4

Panama ...... 4 :

EDMONTON - Alberta is considering paying some doctors more than $500 an hour to treat swine flu patients if there is a serious pandemic.

The pay rate is part of a proposal being worked on by the province and the Alberta Medical Association.

It would apply to doctors who volunteered to work as part of a government flu response plan that would kick in if the health system were significantly disrupted by H1N1 or if a state of public health emergency were declared.

Doctors who agreed to work night shifts under the Physician Financial Support Program would be paid $518.45 an hour, according to a letter the association has sent out to doctors.

The rate for evenings would be $403.24 an hour and the weekday rate would be $259.23 an hour.

Dr. Noel Grisdale, president of the medical association, said it's prudent to have a contingency plan because doctors could end up contracting the flu on the job.

Grisdale said in an extreme case it's possible that 25 per cent of doctors could become ill and be unable to work. If that were to happen, it would be important to have others step in at hospitals, including doctors from community practices..

Total Of 59 Swine Flu Deaths In Florida
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) ― State health officials say 59 people have died from swine flu in Florida.

The Florida Department of Health released an updated H1N1 death toll Wednesday.

Federal health officials have sent testing supplies to the state's four labs, allowing state technicians to test samples without the additional step of sending them to the Centers for Disease Control.

Health officials are urging Floridians to seek medical help if they feel sick, to wash hands frequently, practice good hygiene and to stay home if they feel ill.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) -- The Wyoming Department of Health says a young woman from Fremont County is the first state resident to die from swine flu.

The department said Wednesday that the woman had an underlying health condition that increased her risk of having complications from influenza.

Wyoming was one of the last states in the country to detect swine flu when health officials confirmed the state's first case in May.

To date, Wyoming health officials have confirmed 158 cases of the virus in 15 different counties. Seven cases have resulted in hospitalizations. .

PALM BEACH COUNTY - A 12-year-old Palm Beach County girl has died from complications of swine flu, the first local child to succumb to the virus, health officials said Wednesday.

The girl, whose identity was not released, died in Nevada earlier this month, Palm Beach County Health Department spokesman Tim O'Connor said..

THOMSON, Ga.---For H1N1, the start of a school year is a concern, because of the potential for the virus to spread and that's just what it's doing in McDuffie County.

Three cases are confirmed so far, but doctors believe more are on the way.

Doctors News 12 talked with said the flu is spreading quickly. McDuffie County sent a letter home to parents earlier this week to try to stop it in it's tracks.

Stacey Kent has two very active boys. She worries they might be at risk, but knows things are out of her hands when they're at school.

"That's what you depend on the teachers and adults at school for is to look after your kids," says mother Stacey Kent.

After being in school now just about two weeks, McDuffie County has three students with H1N1. But doctors expect that number to grow..

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - Don't expect a lot of school closures due to swine flu this fall. Both the federal and provincial governments feel it's an ineffective way to stop the spread of the bug. The chief federal health officer says closing schools could actually spread swine flu because the kids would end up in malls where they could give the virus to the elderly.