Flu Watch 2012

Although the USA seems untouched by H5N1 bird flu, outbreaks are occurring elsewhere - Indonesia and Vietnam are seeing escalating outbreaks and human deaths. The spectre of a pandemic looms large, but people aren't really interested in microbial evolution.

However, "bio-security" sells. Following the media frenzy about the recent H5N1 research, the US Senate quietly passed a Bill to "streamline disparate public health and medical preparedness strategies to ensure the nation is prepared for health threats or incidents with potentially negative health consequences."

...Whatever it takes. Also note the second excerpt - very interesting little article on flu from Bangladesh.

The U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan biodefense bill that should help strengthen U.S. response to a bioattack or disease outbreak, a senator from New York said.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act Reauthorization will equip federal agencies and hospitals with the necessary tools to prepare for and adequately respond to a wide range of public health emergencies, from natural pandemics to bioterror threats.

..."Bioterrorism and a major outbreak of infectious disease is one of the most deadly, imminent threats we face," Gillibrand said in a statement. "We can't afford to wait for the next outbreak to occur to get serious with a real plan to protect our families. This must be a national security priority -- with investments in prevention and preparedness, research for lifesaving vaccines, and arming our country with a healthcare workforce ready to take action and save lives in the event of an outbreak."

The law includes Project BioShield, which includes the procurement and advanced development of medical countermeasures for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear agents, including those for pandemic influenza.

Learning to cope with bird or whatever flu

...There is everything to suggest that the H5N1 virus which causes the feared disease continues to be tinkered with, for good and for bad. Some time ago there were reports of researchers working on a chicken --- the egg to be precise --- to engineer it genetically, to be resistant to the flu. It is not known what became of the bird. Then it emerged that two separate research teams - one in the United States and the other in the Netherlands --- had both succeeded in altering the avian flu in ways that made it easily transmissible between mammals, humans included !

What made it quite controversial is the fact that top US scientists involved in the research had been seeking to stop the details from being published even in peer-reviewed scientific journals on the plea that the data would fall into the 'wrong hands !' How 'right' the so-called responsible quarters would be, is anybody's guess, given the history of bio-weaponry and the race for windfall profits through all kinds of drugs and vaccines ---- after having their wares clinically tested in experimental fields when human guinea pigs are abundant and governments care not a fig how these innocents fare.

.....Over the past two decades, up until the bane of Avain influenza visited Bangladesh, the livestock sector, particularly poultry, in the country had been showing a spectacular annual growth on average. Entrepreneurs in this avowedly agro-based industry however, have not been getting their due, according to industry insiders. They fault this government with bending backwards to make space for big foreign companies instead, while driving many modest poultry farmers in the country totally out of business. Avian flu no doubt, had a role in it, making poultry an increasingly high risk sector.

...The poultry industry could reasonably be credited with making class one protein, in the form of eggs and meat, affordable and accessible even to the poor in Bangladesh . This is no doubt of great value, given the fact that fish had long gone beyond the reach of most of Bangladesh's impoverished folk. All stakeholders, and the government as well, must have their eyes and ears open, to strengthen surveillance in the sector and to keep up hygienic standards, keeping in mind that in this world of commerce, economic warfare rather than robust rivalry is the norm.

Interesting story in a Pakistani paper.

Outbreak of zoonotic diseases in Chitral feared

The outbreak of zoonotic diseases can be disastrous for a backward area like Chitral but it can be warded off effectively by taking precautionary measures, say experts.

...Mukhtar Ahmed and Dr Waqar Ahmed of Relief International and Dr Hazrat Nabi, executive district officer of agriculture department, highlighted the impending danger of zoonotic diseases in Chitral.

They said that anthrax, avian influenza and lashmenia could pose threat to the area as those were deadly diseases and got out of control after outbreak.

Taken with another report from New York, warning against feral hogs, seems like we're being pushed hard to fear the natural world.

They roam by night, picking cornstalks clean, making off with apple crops. They have almost no natural predators, but they have razor-sharp tusks and a seemingly bottomless appetite for plants and animals. Their population can triple in one year.

They are feral pigs, and while they have long plagued parts of the Southern and Western United States, now they have become a problem in the peaceful Champlain Valley of New York, an agricultural heartland on the edge of the Adirondacks.

So - wild animals destroy agriculture, attack us and carry diseases too. Obviously, we should just kill them all and live in bubbles too, just for safe measure. [/sarcasm]

...Ever feel like you're being herded?

Item

Bird Flu Detected At Dutch Turkey Farm
www.upi.com...
Published: March. 18, 2012 at 11:00 PM

LIMBURG, Netherlands, March 18 (UPI) -- Bird flu was detected among turkeys at a farm in the Dutch province of Limburg, officials said.

At midnight Saturday, the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority enforced a transport ban on poultry and eggs within a 1.8-mile radius after the flu was discovered. The region is home to about 25 poultry farms, Radio Netherlands Worldwide reported.

All of the farm's 42,700 turkeys were slated to be destroyed, officials said.

Last year, there were several bird flu outbreaks across the Netherlands, mostly in Gelderland, Zeeland and Flevoland.

www.upi.com...

There seems to be a flu going around my area SEMO that is affecting quite a few people. My son seems to have some symptoms (not eating much, high temp 102) it has been a pain trying to get him to drink anything also. His symptoms started Monday and seemed to end yesterday but his temp kicked back up again to 102.

Others who have had this seem to be sick for a week. They had more symptoms than my son had it seems or maybe he just has a weakened version of it. His doctor tested him for the flu Monday but he showed negative (they said it might be to early also), with the temp he had we decided to treat it as the flu and give him the Tylenol/Ibuprofen every two hours thing.

Monday night all of Tuesday and Wednesday he wanted to do nothing but lay around for the most part. Until last night (Wed night) his temp got down to 98.6. Today he was better until afternoon then his temp spiked out of the blue back to 102 again. This is just like some of the others who have had the flu in this area. They seem to get better for a day and then get a relapse of sorts, but in the end it lasts a week.

Anyway sorry for the story, I just want people to know the flu is hitting southeast Missouri. No one in my family takes the flu jab those that have gotten the flu are a mix of people who do and do not get the jab.


Edit to add: at least 50+ people have missed work at my work alone due to the flu.


Raist

While Western leaders fight to keep bird flu research in Big Pharma's capable hands [sic], the East continues to face one bird flu crisis after another. Poor people suffer most when poultry is culled, chicken gets scarce and prices rise - it's the cheapest meat, and often the only available. When it's gone, people go hungry.

Chicken, egg prices shoot up, Four infected as bird flu reappears

...Thousands of poultry farms have been closed in the country over the last three months as the disease, also called avian flu, reappeared this year with four people found to be infected with its H5N1 virus.

It was the second blow to the county's poultry sector, which had passed through a virtual disaster after the outbreak of the disease for the first time in 2008, poultry traders said.

As part of the impacts this time, the prices of eggs and chickens rose sharply...

Besides Bangladesh, bird flu has reappeared in Nepal, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, China, Taiwan and Cambodia early this year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said.

According to WHO, despite preventive efforts the H5N1virus continues to rage and has often compelled farmers to cull birds and eggs.

...The bird flu also reappeared in Egypt in northern Africa and Netherlands in Europe this year.

Vietnam Invests Millions in Avian Flu Control Project
March 23, 2012

The government of Vietnam, with donor support, has set up an additional US$23 million fund for the Vietnam Avian and Human Influenza Control and Preparedness Project.

....Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said that bird flu broke out again this year with complex and unpredictable results.

"The H5N1 virus has changed its face. There is currently no vaccines with which to treat people who've picked up bird flu," Long confirmed.

reply to post by Raist


A bit of an update. My sons temp has been dropping but once again this morning he woke up with 102 again. It has been sitting over 99 for the better part of the day.

One of the people at work said his was the same way and lasted for about a week to the second.



The highest temps seem to be getting is around 102 and for the most part they do not drop below 99. No real symptoms aside from temp and just feeling bogged down with body ache.


Raist

Just a quick update - the H5N1 bird flu situation is heating up. Indonesia reports its 6th bird flu death this year after a lull lasting til last year (a 17 year-old construction worker). Besides ongoing infections in Egypt, there's been a resurgence of the virus in Cambodia, China and Viet Nam with human deaths.

Indonesia Reports Sixth Bird Flu Death
27 March 2012

INDONESIA - A 17 year-old Indonesian had died on avian influenza in West Nusa Tenggara, putting the total fatality in the country to six this year, Health Ministry said here on Tuesday.
The boy died on 9 March after being treated in a hospital and a health clinic for one week.

….Bird flu had attacked Indonesia, the hardest, since 2005, and then the attacks were eased significantly. But, it has reemerged again since last year, by killing nine people in 2011.

Concerns on the bird flu attacks appear in the region following the reports of the death on the viruses in Indonesia, Cambodia, China and Viet Nam.

In many patients, the disease caused by the H5N1 virus follows an unusually aggressive clinical course, with rapid deterioration and high fatality.

The incubation period for H5N1 avian influenza may be longer than that for normal seasonal influenza, which is around two to three days. Current data for H5N1 infection indicate an incubation period ranging from two to eight days and possibly as long as 17 days. WHO currently recommends that an incubation period of seven days be used for field investigations and the monitoring of patient contacts.

Initial symptoms include a high fever, usually with a temperature higher than 38C, and other influenza-like symptoms. Diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, chest pain, and bleeding from the nose and gums have also been reported as early symptoms in some patients.

One feature seen in many patients is the development of lower respiratory tract early in the illness. On present evidence, difficulty in breathing develops around five days following the first symptoms. Respiratory distress, a hoarse voice, and a crackling sound when inhaling are commonly seen. Sputum production is variable and sometimes bloody.

reply to post by Raist


hello
Watch how much you give your kid in tylenol and ibuprofin. Ibuprofin should be every 6 hours and tylenol every 4 hours. you don't want to overdose him.

Take care

reply to post by odinson


He is better now. Had a very small amount of pneumonia (so small they could not really call it that) so they gave him some antibiotics.

We were giving him the dose recommended by his doctor. Tylenol every 4 and ibuprofen every 4 basically something every 2 hours just switching between the 2. But he had his first day back at school yesterday. He was sick from Monday to Monday pretty much.

Thanks for your concern though

Raist

Not to fear monger (which is why I didn't start a new thread on this one), but H5 bird flu has been found in Cork County. Reports say they haven't identified the specific strain, but we are assured it's not the "highly pathogenic" kind. FYI - highly pathogenic flu kills 7 or 8 out of 8 birds; 6 or less deaths means the flu is "low pathogenic."

Outbreak of bird flu reported in Co Cork

There has been an outbreak of avian flu in a small flock of pheasants near Clonakilty, Co Cork.

The preliminary test results show that while it is what is called the H5 strain, it is not the most pathogenic H5N1 strain of the virus. Further tests are being carried out to establish the precise strain.

As a purely precautionary measure, the 100 birds on the affected premises are being slaughtered and all necessary biosecurity measures have been put in place.

The Department of Agriculture says additional laboratory test results will be available early next week and it will review the measures being announced today on the basis of those results.

In line with established procedures and in accordance with EU regulations, as a further precautionary measure a 1km temporary restriction zone has been put in place around the premises.

...It is important to note that there is no concerns relating to the consumption of poultry meat or poultry meat products and there are no restrictions on poultry movements outside the zone. [sic] ....

Hot on the heels of the above news about low-path bird flu in Cork, this:

New research warns of Olympics flu pandemic risk

The millions of tourists coming to London for the Olympics will dramatically increase the risk that a flu pandemic in Britain might spread, according to new research to be published this week.

For Britain is ranked second in the world, after Singapore, in terms of the risk of an avian or swine flu outbreak spreading, according to a new study of more than 200 countries by the risk analysts Maplecroft.

Experts warn that the scale of the threat is vast. “There is little pre-existing natural immunity to H5N1 infection in the human population. Should the virus improve its transmissibility, the entire human population could be vulnerable to infection,” states the research - citing previous warnings from the World Health Organization.

Wassup?

A quick update.

H5N1 virus found on bird body in Hong Kong

A carcass of an oriental magpie robin found in Hong Kong last week was confirmed to be H5N1-positive after a series of laboratory tests, the city government said in a statement on Tuesday.

...The spokesman reminded people to observe good personal hygiene. "They should avoid personal contact with wild birds or live poultry and clean their hands thoroughly after coming into contact with them," he said.

H5N1 vaccine to be tested on 1,000 people

This is the last stage of testing before the vaccine is mass-produced.

...The last test will be finalized in May, by the Army Medical Institute.

In the first two tests, the vaccine proved to be effective and safe, meeting European standards.

The 8th International Symposium on Avian Influenza was dedicated to Dr. Les Sims, from Australia, in recognition of his outstanding veterinary medical contributions to field prevention and control of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza through providing knowledge and leadership to government institutions and animal health organizations. Dr. Sims has provided sage advice to countries in Asia and Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations on control of H5N1 HPAI, including the initiation of the vaccination campaigns in Hong Kong and Vietnam.

The research is being published, but the fear mongering continues. The main finding of Kawaoka's paper:

Bird Flu Could Be One Mutation Away From Human Epidemic

...Kawaoka's study reports that bird flu in nature may be only one mutation away from becoming transmissible in mammals, adding that the mortality rate could be devastating.

"This study has significant public health benefits and contributes to our understanding of this important pathogen. By identifying mutations that facilitate transmission among mammals, those whose job it is to monitor viruses circulating in nature can look for these mutations so measures can be taken to effectively protect human health," contested Kawaoka.

Came across this one yesterday- a new version of swine flu:

Just a few genetic tweaks could turn an influenza virus found in pigs into the next pandemic threat in people.

At least one virus isolated from pigs in Korea may already have potential to cause disease in people, researchers report online September 10 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The virus caused severe flu in ferrets, a favored proxy for humans in flu research, and grew in human lung tissue in the lab.

“That makes it a bit scary,” says study coauthor Robert Webster, a virologist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. So far, the virus has not been found in people, but “if it is in the pig, beware,” he says.

Pigs are known to be genetic mixing vessels where influenza viruses from birds, humans and pigs swap genes. The resulting viruses, called triple reassortants, are a concern because adaptations arising in pigs may help the viruses spread in humans. A triple reassortant virus that originated in pigs caused the 2009 H1N1 pandemic (SN Online: 4/27/09).

Similar triple reassortant viruses have been found among Korean pig herds, so Webster and colleagues studied several strains for their pandemic potential. Only one, known as A/Swine/Korea/1204/2009 or Sw/1204 (H1N2), made ferrets sick. That virus carries mutations in genes that help flu viruses break into and slip out of host cells. One of the mutations alters a spiky protein on the virus’s surface known as hemagglutinin. The protein helps flu viruses grab onto and invade cells in the digestive tract of birds and the respiratory system in pigs and people.

The other mutation changes a flu virus protein called neuraminidase, which slices the flu free of host cells so it can spread. Neither mutation has previously been associated with virulence, but both appear to be necessary for the virus to spread among ferrets. Flu viruses need to strike a balance between clinging tightly to host cells and cutting themselves free to infect other cells, Webster says.

Although the virus made ferrets sick in the new experiments and easily passed from ferret to ferret, there’s no guarantee the virus would behave the same way in people, says biochemist James Paulson of the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif. Humans don’t seem to pass H1N2 flu viruses among each other, perhaps because people’s immune systems are accustomed to fighting other flu viruses that contain similar components, Paulson says.

Rest of the article here.

reply to post by LadyOfTheLake


Thanks LadyOfTheLake. ...Your link isn't working for me so here's another article I found a couple of days ago.

Vietnam hit by new 'highly-toxic' bird flu: reports

HANOI — A new highly-toxic strain of the potentially deadly bird flu virus has appeared in Vietnam and is spreading fast, according to state media reports.

The strain appeared to be a mutation of the H5N1 virus which swept through the country's poultry flocks last year, forcing mass culls of birds in affected areas, according to agriculture officials.

The new virus "is quickly spreading and this is the big concern of the government", ...

...the virus appeared similar to the standard strains of bird flu but was more toxic.

Textreply to post by soficrow


Did you ever wonder if some of the new flus out, were made by the govt? or SCIENTISTS? LoL know that can sound nuts but look they maybe wanted to use it as a biological weapon. Who knows even that bathsalts drug could been a weapon. I mean there were many cases where the person was shot and they didn't go down easy.

A few days ago I had a tingle in my lower throat then I started feeling like my body was being torn apart followed by chills then sweating then chills again. Started drinking fluids just thinking it was a cold and last night it got worse.. my head was pounding so bad my vision was being affected. So I hate going to the hospital but I had to. Found out I had a fever of 104.8, was given 800mg motrin, they swabbed my throat, up my nose, took blood and swabbed inside my penis.

About an hour later I was told I have H1N1 swine flu and prescribed tamiflu.

A quick update. Flu is epidemic in the US; swine flu is resurfacing round the world; and bird flu (which never went away) is hitting the headlines again with 4 dead in Cambodia this month alone.

HIGHLIGHTS

The 2013 flu season has been particularly harsh in the United States, where the majority of the country was reporting high rates of influenza-like illness. USA Today

The flu season, which has now been at epidemic levels for three straight weeks, may result in more than 30,000 deaths, making it among the worst in the past decade, health officials have said. Bloomberg

About 9.8 percent of all deaths nationwide were due to the flu and pneumonia for the week ended Jan. 19, more than the 7.3 percent level for an epidemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday, Jan, 25. There were eight deaths of children reported last week, bringing the total to 37 attributed to the flu since the season began. Bloomberg

Researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control said Tuesday, January 29 that vaccination coverage levels in U.S. adults were “unacceptably low,” and that public health workers need to do more to make sure adults got immunizations to protect them from diseases including whooping cough, shingles and pneumonia. LA Times

Flu in Europe widespread, increasing

Global warming linked to worse flu seasons

31 swine flu cases in Haryana, 9 deaths in Jan

Bird Flu Symptoms in Children: Two Girls Dead in New H5N1 Cases, Total Four Dead This Month; WHO 'Working Closely' on Virus

As Latinos Post reported on Monday, three cases of the bird flu were confirmed in Cambodia, and two have passed away. The two that have died were a 15-year-old girl and a 35-year-old man.

Today, two additional cases were confirmed, both fatal.

...The World Health Organization (WHO) is reported to be "working closely" with Cambodia's ministry of health.
According to (WHO), Cambodia has seen 23 people die from the avian influenza since 2003. Of the last decade, only three have survived.

...

Also see CIDRAP Report.

Three avian flu strains found in Chinese pigs

Three strains of avian-origin influenza that have not been reported previously in pigs have been identified in swine in southern China, according to a study in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology. .....The findings are important in terms of potential pandemic flu virus generation because of pigs' role as intermediate hosts ("mixing vessels") in genetic reassortment of avian and human flu viruses.

This flu season is a hard one - H1N1 swine flu is surging in India; H5N1 bird flu is hitting Cambodia hard, with China reporting deaths and cases.

Cambodia, China report H5N1 fatalities

Feb 13, 2013 (CIDRAP News) – H5N1 avian influenza killed two more people, a young girl whose illness was first announced by Cambodian authorities today (All but one of the seven H5N1 cases (in Cambodia) this year have been fatal) and a Chinese woman ( one of two H5N1 cases announced by China's health ministry on Feb 10) whose infection was first reported 3 days ago.

CHINA: One of two patients confirmed to have contracted the H5N1 bird flu virus died yesterday in a hospital in Guiyang, capital of Guizhou province.

Guizhou authorities said Shuai Pengyue, a 21-year-old woman from Guiyang, died of multiple organ failure. It was the first fatal case of bird flu on the mainland since January last year.

Another Guiyang resident, a 31-year-old man, remained in critical condition after developing symptoms on February 3, Xinhua reported. Neither had been in contact with birds and their cases were unrelated, the report said

INDIA: Eight H1N1 deaths in state since Jan

The H1N1 influenza virus has claimed eight lives and infected over 57 people in the state since the beginning of this year.

UPDATE:

Bird Flu Death In China Sparks Fear Of Human-Transmitted H5N1 Strain

Health authorities in Guiyang, Guizhou province, announced that the 21-year-old woman, Shuai Pengyue, died on Wednesday due to multiple organ failure as a result of the flu. Shuai was one of two women reported in the area to have contracted the new strain of the avian influenza. Health officials have investigated the two of them and concluded that neither patient was in contact with poultry before showing symptoms of the illness. Victim proximity is important to note because typically, the bird flu is contracted by being in contact with poultry. In this case, health officials worry this could be signs that the H5N1 strain can now be transmitted between humans.

The influenza A (H1N1) virus that has left more than 100 people dead in India since January has not been detected in animals in Taiwan, the Council of Agriculture said Monday.

...The new strain of H1N1 virus, most commonly known as swine flu, caused a global pandemic in 2009 and has shown signs of returning in India.

The country's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare confirmed over the weekend that there have been 708 confirmed swine flu cases across India since January and that 132 people have succumbed to the infection.

In the Delhi area alone, 154 H1N1 cases have been reported, with four

NOTE: 708 cases with 132 deaths describe a 19% fatality rate.

University Of Calgary Professor, Margo Husby, Loses Month Long Battle With H1N1 Influenza

The University of Calgary community have been mourning the death of one of their own as a beloved Communication and Culture and U of C alumni passed away after battling the H1N1 influenza virus for about a month.