Plan to vaccinate whole UK for flu

Health chiefs are preparing to vaccinate the entire population against swine flu. In what would be the biggest vaccination programme of the last 50 years, experts are already drawing up a priority list of patients to be given immunity before the bug becomes more virulent.

It comes after the first British patient without underlying health problems died from the disease, taking the number of swine flu-linked deaths in the UK to 15.

Peter Holden, the British Medical Association’s lead negotiator on swine flu, told The Sunday Times: “The high risk groups will be done at GPs’ surgeries. “People are still making decisions over this, but we want to get cracking before we get a second wave, which is traditionally far more virulent.” He added: “If the virus does (mutate), it can get a lot more nasty, and the idea is to give people immunity. But the sheer logistics of dealing with 60 million people can’t be underestimated.”

The latest swine flu-linked death happened at Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, NHS East of England.

Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson warned on Saturday that other healthy people were at risk of dying from the disease. Continued:

http://tinyurl.com/ntkgbe

 

Argentina
•  Concern in Santa Fe for the growth in deaths from Influenza A (translated) (Link)
•  Influenza A: Controversy over Burial (translated) (Link)
•  The University Calendar Affected by Pandemic (translated) (Link)
•  Psychological Ramifications of a Pandemic (translated) (Link)
•  Use the complex to house sick Chapadmala (translated) (Link)
•  H1N1: 94 official deaths, unofficial figures add up to 100 (Link)
•  In the City, Seeking Optimism (translated) (Link)

Canada
•  A Case of Flu Apathy? (Link)

Chile
•  A/H1N1 flu death toll in Chile rises to 25  (Link)

Columbia
•  48 day old baby is 5th deadly AH1N1 victim  (Link)

France
•  French school camp hit by virus outbreak – 24 teenagers (Link)

Singapore
•  A/H1N1 Flu Virus May Get Chance to Mutate: Singapore Official (Link)

Sweden
•  ECDC Director Presents to Informal EPSCO Council meeting (Link)

Thailand
•  Patient with multiple diseases, A(H1N1) virus, dies in Ayutthaya (Link)

United Kingdom
•  Defiant mum keeps daughter from school (Link)
•  Parents angry after Kingston swine flu schools stay open (Link)
•  Another school caught up in swine flu scare (Link)
•  Swine flu victims ‘check insurance’ (Link)
•  Swine flu vaccine to be cleared after five-day trial (Link)
•  Swine flu: routine operations must be put on hold, say leading doctors (Link)

United States
•  California – State to get $30 million to ready for swine flu (Link)
•  States Eligible to Receive $350 Million for H1N1, Seasonal Flu Preparedness Efforts (Link)
•  Pennsylvania – State gets $14.3 million in swine flu funds (Link)
•  Indiana – State’s 1st swine-flu death is reported in Dearborn (Link)
•  Person Who Died Tests Positive For H1N1 (Link)
•  Summary from the Presidency meeting: Pandemic influenza preparedness – lessons learned and next steps (Link)
•  Texas officials say to prepare now for fall flu season (Link)

Ebola virus has been detected in pigs

Concern over Ebola virus in pigs
BBC HEALTH NEWS

A form of Ebola virus has been detected in pigs for the first time, raising concerns it could mutate and pose a new risk to humans.

Ebola-Reston virus (REBOV) has only previously been seen in monkeys and humans – and has not caused illness.

But researchers are concerned that pigs might provide a melting pot where the virus could mutate into something more menacing for humans.

The new discovery – in the Philippines – is featured in the journal Science.

However, the researchers, from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, stress that the virus at present appears to pose no risk to humans.

It has been detected in farm workers who tend the infected pigs, and they have shown no signs of illness.

However, writing in Science, the researchers said: “REBOV infection in domestic swine raises concern about the potential for emerging disease in humans and a wider range of livestock.

“There is concern that its passage through swine may allow REBOV to diverge and shift its potential for pathogenicity.”

REBOV belongs to the family of filoviruses which usually target primates…  

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8143823.stm

Twitter: Growing Virally But Can It Stop Viruses?

“The combination of Twitter and epidemiology presents an interesting opportunity: What if doctors twittered about symptoms they observed and diagnoses they made? What if that information was aggregated in a way that helped track disease outbreaks in real-time, share treatment plans, and save lives?”-Chris Thornman

 

snip

The Advantage of Real-Time Information

During any disease outbreak, time is of the essence. Many government and health agencies around the world aggregate their data on potential outbreaks but do so on a weekly or semi-weekly basis at best. The technologically primitive nature of the vast majority of the world’s health care systems prohibits catching most outbreaks in their infancy. Even if a disease outbreak is discovered, that outbreak may only be realized at the local or regional level. When you’re talking about potentially killer diseases – Swine flu as a recent example – an advance warning of even a couple of days could mean thousands of lives would be saved.

The real time nature of a Twitter EMR system would allow epidemiologists to get a jump on disease outbreaks. Much like the trending topics section of Twitter, symptoms and diagnoses could be tracked by their frequency as they’re submitted by doctors. Algorithms can be developed to push relevant diseases and their diagnosis codes to the top of epidemiologists’ tracking lists.

Limiting Privacy Concerns

Naturally, there are going to be privacy concerns about doctors tweeting patient information out into the digital world. However, no personal identifying information is required to track diseases in this scenario. The only name associated with the posting of this health information would be the doctor’s. Even that may be an alias.

The combination of social media and EMRs, in some form or another, will undoubtedly be part of the future of tracking disease outbreaks. The how and when of that process remains complicated, dependent on health agencies, governments and the doctors themselves to implement the appropriate systems. However, the “viral” spread of Twitter leads us to believe that physicians may not have to wait around for bureaucracies to organize an epidemiological social network. Like the Iranian opposition party, they may organize it themselves with Twitter.

http://www.softwareadvice.com/…

This is from Chris Thornman’s thought provoking article. Some people are growing increasinly concerned about their privacy and think that is just one more way for their privacy to be invaded. Is it about government watch or a true way for social medias like Twitter to help in being more effective against finding or tracking diseases?  

If you are a doctor, would you consider using Twitter for said purposes?

Swine flu shots at school: Bracing for fall return

Jul 9, 4:36 PM (ET)

By LAURAN NEERGAARD

 WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. swine flu vaccinations could begin in October with children among the first in line – at their local schools – the Obama administration said Thursday as the president and his Cabinet urged states to figure out now how they’ll tackle the virus’ all-but-certain resurgence.

“We may end up averting a crisis. That’s our hope,” said President Barack Obama, who took time away from the G-8 summit in Italy to telephone another summit back home – the 500 state and local health officials meeting to prepare for swine flu’s fall threat.

No final decision has been made on whether to vaccinate Americans, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius stressed. That depends largely on studies with experimental batches that are set to start the first week of August – to see if they’re safe and seem to work and to learn whether they require one or two doses.

But if all goes well, the federal government will buy vaccine from manufacturers and share it for free among the states, which must then “try and get this in the arms of the targeted population as soon as possible,” Sebelius said.

full story

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20090709/D99B59G82.html

 

Canada
•  Family of victim deny health problems (Link)
•  H1N1 claims Calgarian (Link)

Chile
•  Flu Delaying Operations (Link)

China
•  Travel Alert China (issued by the U.S. State Department) (Link)

France
•  434 confirmed cases. 5 requiring hospitalization (Link)

Indonesia 
•  French national tests positive for H1N1 virus (Link)
•  Indonesian High School Student Swine Flu Suspects (translated) (Link)
•  Ram, 22, Dies a Bird Flu Suspect (translated) (Link)

Thailand
•  Malls join battle to contain virus (Link)

United Kingdom
•  Two weeks off with no sick note plan (Link)and (Link)
•  NHS ‘muddle’ as London on brink of epidemic (Link)
•  Swine flu ’causes’ patient death (Link)
•  1st death “without underlying conditions” (Link)

United States
•  WH Brief blogger Q&A with Richard Besser and John Brenner(Link)
•  H1N1 May Hit Parts of the U.S. Harder than Others (Link)
•  First Georgia swine flu death reported (Link)

Research
•  Swine flu can jump from us to them (Link)

Commentary
•  Trying to stop the spread of swine flu at summer camp (Link)

Maps
•  US Deaths (Link)
•  US CDC (Link)
•  Swine Flue 4-25 (historical) (Link)

General News
•  New CDC numbers (Link)
•  Extreme obesity as a risk factor (Link)
•  The Pandemic Flu Game” (Link)

Indonesia: 24 additional cases of positive H1N1

24 additions of the Case Just were Positive influenza of A H1N1
By editorial staff of 09/07/2009 @ 23:08

Up until today, 9/7/2009, Indonesia recorded 52 positive cases of influenza of A H1N1, consisted 35 men, 16 women and 1 person without information. In addition the case totalling 24 people, consisted of 15 men and 9 women. That was sent by Menkes, Dr. Dr. Siti Fadilah Supari, Sp.JP (K) to the reporters in the office Department of Health Jakarta, (9/7).

Menkes that was accompanied by the Director General P2PL Department of Health Prof. Dr. Tjandra Yoga Aditama, Sp.P. (K), the Head of the Body of Litbangkes Department of Health, Prof. Dr. Agus Purwadianto, SH, and was guided by the Head of the Centre of Publik Communication Dr. Lily S. Sulistyowati stated, they were 3 foreign citizens and 21 of WNI. Dari the number, 14 people among them had the story of the trip overseas that is Malaysia, Australia, America, Thailand, China and Singapore, 10 other people tertular in Indonesia.

According to Menkes, tren or the trend of the illness of pig flu like flu generally that is could recover personally. Influenza of A H1N1 was spread through direct contact from humankind to humankind through the cough, sneezed or objects that had been touching with the sufferer. The community was appealed to in order to continue to be on the alert and to always make the pattern of the clean and healthy life accustomed to among them washing the hands with soap.

Carried out cough ethics and sneezed that was true. If being sick with the sign of influenza to put on the mask and not beraktifitas and went to the doctor if being sick his flu did not improve, said Dr. Siti Fadilah Supari. Menkes added, to prevent the spreading of pig flu in Indonesia preparedness efforts continued to be undertaken that is: the strengthening of the Kesehatan Office of the Port (thermal scanner and Health Alert Card obligatory was filled up); the RS provisions reconciliation; the provisions of the logistics; the strengthening of the tracing of contact; the strengthening surveilans ILI; the strengthening of the laboratory, communication, the edication and information and followed International Health Regulations.

Menkes stated the addition of the case just was: Bb (L, 44 th), and De (P, 32 th), RS Hasan Sadikin Bandung, MC (L, 25 th), RS Sanglah, Denpasar, there was the story to Australia, AA (L, 14 th), RS PI SS, there was the story to Malaysia, TS (P, 32 th), GI (L, 11 th), To (L, 12 th), SA (P, 8 th), RS PI SS, SR (L, 19 th), RS PI SS, there was the story to Australia, BC (P, 17 th), RS PI SS, there was the story to America, AR (P, 19 th), RS PI SS, there was the story to Malaysia, LM (P, 26, th) RS PI SS, there was the story to Malaysia, So (P, 34 th), RSPAD Gatot Subroto, AR (L, 25 th) and dB (P, 26, th), RS Siloam, Kebun Jeruk, Vi (L, 21 th), RS PI SS, there was the story to Thailand,, DS (L, 13 th), RS PI SS, there was the story to ShangHai, He (L, 31 th), RS PI SS, Transit Qatar, SingaporeFG (L, 41 th), RS Kanujoso Djati, Balikpapan, Ro (L, 26 th), RS Kanujoso Djati Balikpapan, Singaporean transit, El (P, 7 th), Ar (L, 14 th), and DA (L, 7 th), the three of them were treated in RS H. Adam Malik, there was the story to Malaysia, TP (L, 18 th), RSPAD Gatot Subroto, from America. /the Department of Health

toggletext translated
orginal article

http://www.infeksi.com/newsdetail.php?lng=in&doc=3599

 

Indonesia: U.S. citizen positive for H1N1
WN United States Positive H1N1By editorial staff of 09/07/2009 @ 23:16

Balikpapan – A United States citizen positive was affected by flu of A-H1N1. Therefore, Rowan Hepburn (26) still must be isolated in the Daerah Kanujoso Djatiwibowo Public Hospital, Kota Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, despite the condition for his health it was said improved. Director RSUD Syafak Hanung said that when being contacted from the Samarinda City, on Thursday night (9/7). Results of the Balitbangkes test in Jakarta were just accepted by RSUD tonight and Rowan Hepburn was stated positive.

The “patient must be still being isolated and treated like when he entered here from last Monday.” For medical treatment, we continue to will give tamiflu, said Syafak. According to Syafak, the condition for the health of the patient in fact improved than during the first time being treated. The patient’s body heat that was born in South Africa has been normal namely 36-37 Celcius levels. Have a headache, the cough, and pi lek that was suffered by him also has been lost.

“We will take swab (the example” of the “throat liquid and the nose) on Friday morning and will send him again to Balitbangkes,” said Syafak. That aimed at getting results of the latest test related the condition for the health of the newest patient. Results of the test that just was received on Thursday night were related to the condition for the patient last Tuesday. “Results” of the “test during two other patients namely Sadiana (30) and Karina (8) that was isolated in his house in the Manggar District was not yet known by us,” he said. The two residents continued to be asked to not go out of the house until results of the test stated the negative. Both of them were also required to put on the mask in the house. The condition for their health also continued to be monitored.

The condition for an other patient who was expected by flu of A-H1N1 in the Samarinda City it was reported improved. The temperature of the man’s body had the initials K (30) that was isolated in RSUD Abdoel Wahab Sjahranie was normal that is revolving 36-37 Celcius levels. The Norwegian citizen no longer complains about the headache, the cough, and pilek. The head of the Pemberantasan Field of the Illness of Dinas Kesehatan East Kalimantan Jurnanto said, the patient was expected by flu of A-H1N1 that his condition improved indeed still could not be permitted to go on a trip. The standard of his treatment was like this so that the spread if the positive patient was affected could be anticipated, he said. Ambrosius HartoKompas.com

toggletext translated
orginal article

http://www.infeksi.com/newsdetail.php?lng=in&doc=3600

 

Egypt: 2 Suspected of Bird Flu (H5N1) in Menya
Thursday, July 9, 2009 – 12:56
Egypt: 2 Suspected of Bird Flu (H5N1) in Menya
The detention of two suspected bird fluDetained hospital fevers Menya Soukra Mohammed Khidr (42 years), and Sarah Salih Jaber (9 years) from the village of Samalut Gulwsna Center, following up on injured temperature, where the work of the hospital first aid, a sample was taken and sent to labs central Cairo.

Dr. Osama Tuhami emphasized the fight against avian influenza Director that there was an awareness of citizens and doctors at health units, so the numbers have decreased, which was received at the hospital every day.

google translated
orginal article

http://www.alyoum7.com/News.asp?NewsID=116485&SecID=97&IssueID=60

Vietnam: Two patients suspected of having antiviral resistant H1N1 strain

The National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology is studying the genes of H1N1 virus from two patients following suspicion about its resistance to the antiviral drug oseltamivir or Tamilflu.

The two patients were among the 19 people admitted to the institute so far, Director Nguyen Van Kinh said Wednesday. Three of these cases were locally transmitted, he added.
The Health Ministry reported Wednesday 11 new influenza A (H1N1) patients – seven in the south, one in the central and three in the northern region, raising the country’s tally to 259.

Of these, 186 patients have been discharged from hospitals after full recovery.

The ministry also said they are closely monitoring treatment-resistance among the virus.

more

http://www.thanhniennews.com/healthy/?catid=8&newsid=50571

 

Argentina
•  Argentina 70 killed, 82 unofficial (Link)

Australia
•  Absenteeism at record levels in Australia due to flu (Link)

Canada
•  New flu virus in Saskatchewan needs to be watched: expert (Link)
•  Nunavut reports swine flu death (Link)
•  Sixth person dead from swine flu in Manitoba  (Link)

China
•  HK’s first serious H1N1 patient loses consciousness (Link)

India
•  Man back from Los Angeles tests positive for H1N1 (Link)

Indonesia
•  Indonesian Swine Flu Cases Double (Link)
•  8 more suspected H5N1 cases, and a possible death (Link)
•  13 Swine Flu Suspects in Indonesia (Link)

New Zealand
•  Swine flu assessment by phone possible (Link)
•  MoH official update – deaths now at six people(Link)
•  Asthmatics advised to take extra flu precautions (Link)

Spain
•  Second swine flu death in Spain (Link)

Thailand
•  Flu death toll rises to 13 (Link)
•  Thailand’s death toll from A/H1N1 flu rises to 14 (Link)
•  Flu epidemic escalates in Thailand amid concern of all sides (Link)

United Kingdom
•  Number of reported flu sufferers in Scotland falls (Link)
•  Swine flu at 3 more East Lancashire schools  (Link)
•  HPA Weekly pandemic flu update (Link)
•  UK swine flu death toll hits 14 (Link)
•  London on the verge of swine flu epidemic as two more die (Link)
•  ’Quarter of flu cases are genuine swine flu’ as death toll jumps to 14 (Link)
•  NHS ‘not ready’ to deal with swine flu epidemic, leaked memo reveals (Link)
•  Efforts to contain spread of swine flu are to cease (Link)

United States
•  Swine Flu Summit: Govt Checks on State Readiness (Link)
•  Obama Administration Calls on Nation to Begin Planning and Preparing for Fall Flu Season & the New H1N1 Virus (Link)
•  Woman, 25, is Palm Beach County’s first swine flu death (Link)
•  N.J. Reports 10th Swine Flu Death (Link)
•  US Officials Planning H1N1 School Vaccine Program – WSJ (Link)
•  Swine flu spurs restrictions on Calif. prisoner intake (Link)
•  Eighth Mich. person dies of swine flu (Link)
•  San Diego County reports 5th swine flu death (Link)
•  NYC school nurse recounts swine flu triage (Link)
•  SD: Swine flu confirmed for 89 campers; 6th SD death reported (Link)
•  CA: Monterey Co. Reports First Swine Flu Related Death (Link) and (Link)
•  CA: First swine flu death in Santa Cruz County (Link)
•  Flu scare at Dickinson College (Link)
•  Colorado – 84 sick cadets isolated at Air Force Academy (Link)

General News
•  Swine Flu Wasn’t Enough, Now There’s Swine Ebola (Link)
•  Proceedings of int’l flu conference (Link)

Websites for prepardness

Here is a list of some websites you might find useful. I started compiling this sometime ago. It’s not complete, by any means, but perhaps it’ll help you in some area of your preps. (I have no investment in any of these sites.-cottontop)

Backwooks magazine

excellant self reliant magazine

http://www.backwoodshome.com/

 

Stan Deyo

http://www.standeyo.com/index1.html

Emergency Essentials

they also have a prepardness pantry blog

http://tinyurl.com/kk54lr

Nitro-Pak

http://www.nitro-pak.com/

Lehmans

http://tinyurl.com/ktexu4

Seed saver exchange

http://www.seedsavers.org/

Honeyville

Food products

http://www.honeyvillegrain.com/

Waterbobs

http://www.waterbob.com

MRE Depot

http://tinyurl.com/2afmke

First Aid and Repirator Supplies

Egypt: 4 suspected cases of swine flu

Tuesday, July 7, 2009 – 17:10
Detained Kafr Al-Dawar General Hospital, Lake County, 4 people, including two children after their return from performing Umrah on suspicion of contracting the disease, swine flu.
A d. Yosri Congratulations, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health to preserve, said the hospital had been detained four suspected of contracting the disease after an outbreak of swine flu symptoms are similar to the symptoms, he said, adding that the case is retained innocent girl named Ashraf (9 months) and Nada Sharaf (4 years), and Mr. Abdul Wahab (33 years), and Ines Mansour (31 years).

google translated
orginal article

http://www.alyoum7.com/includes/ticker.asp

 

Argentina
•  Health Minister Meets with Leaders of Congress (translated) (Link)
•  The Sanitary Break Rejected by the Capital (translated) (Link)
•  Early Winter Sales by the Crisis and the influenza (translated) (Link)
•  Argentine businesses struck by swine flu (Link)
•  Argentina’s Banks To Shut Friday As Swine Flu Measure (Link)

Australia
•  5 H1N1 deaths in Australia (Link)

Canada
•  SNAP ANALYSIS-New Canadian swine virus may be dead-end (Link)
•  Aboriginal populations vulnerable to H1N1: Report (Link)
•  Infectious disease experts meet in Toronto to discuss pandemic flu virus (Link)

Chile
•  Chile makes more efforts to fight A/H1N1 flu pandemic (Link)

China
•  Over 20,000 Chickens Poisoned in Jiangsu, China (Link)

Egypt
•  4 suspected cases of swine flu (translated) (Link)

Finland
•  Emerald Princess visits Helsinki – with flu?  (Link)

Indonesia
•  H (Link)

New Zealand
•  New Zealand confirmed 5th death related to Influenza A/H1N1 (Link)

Thailand
•  Thailand confirms 10th of A/H1N1 flu death (Link)
•  Thailand confirms two more H1N1 deaths; National tally now 11 (Link)

United Kingdom
•  UK: Colne Community School sixth formerwith swine flu (Link)
•  Suspected case of swine flu at Crawley primary school (Link)

United States
•  First Wave Of Swine Flu Hit Young People Harder Than Expected (Link)
•  U.S. State of Rhode Island reports second  (Link)
•  Indiana – Test planned for H1N1 flu response (Link)
•  California – Swine flu detected in kids at camps. Virus leads to death of 4th victim in county (Link)
•  The White House Announces H1N1 Flu Preparedness Summit (Link)
•  Hospital Sees 44 Child Swine Flu Cases In 2 Weeks (Link)
•  Former PHS Star Holman Fights Through Illness (Link)
•  California – SF Teen Diagnosed w/Resistant Swine Flu (Link)

Vietnam
•  A/H1N1 flu cases in Vietnam rise to 248 (Link)

Commentary
•  [BLOG] Joseph Bruno (Commissioner, New York City Office Of Emergency Management) – “What Should We Tell The Public?” (Link)

The White House Announces H1N1 Flu Preparedness Summit

WASHINGTON-The White House today announced that Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Education Secretary Arne Duncan, and Homeland Security Advisor John Brennan will host an all-day H1N1 Flu Preparedness Summit with states to further prepare this nation for the possibility of a more severe outbreak of H1N1 flu. The Summit will be held on July 9, 2009 at the Natcher Conference Center at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland

full article

http://www.egovmonitor.com/node/26165

 

New Canadian swine virus may be dead-end

Wed Jul 8, 2009 12:19am EDT

* New flu may never be seen again

* Case is example of how flu viruses mix it up and spread

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

WASHINGTON, July 8 (Reuters) – Canadian health officials said late on Tuesday they had discovered two farm workers were infected with a new swine flu virus — one unrelated to the current pandemic H1N1 virus.

They said both workers had recovered and the risks of the virus spreading were low. Here are some reasons why:

* People and pigs can both catch the same strains of influenza, but usually when people become infected by an animal, the virus stops there. The new H1N1 strain of swine flu is an exception, causing the first pandemic of the 21st century, because it acquired the ability to pass from person to person.

* Canadian health officials say the two workers, who never became seriously ill, had likely been infected by pigs. Some pigs in the herd also tested positive for influenza.

* The pandemic H1N1 swine flu virus, which has killed 429 people globally and likely now infects millions, was never traced to any specific pig. It was found only after it began spreading person to person.

* In contrast, the 50 or so known cases of human infection direct from pigs never moved into the general human population. They are known as dead-ends.

* From December 2005 to February 2009, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has documented 12 cases of human infection with swine flu.

* Cases of human infection with swine flu are almost certainly more common than this. Swine flu acts like any other influenza, causing chills, fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache and coughing — in other words, flu-like symptoms. Most people with those symptoms are never tested to see what they have.

* Since the new H1N1 broke out in March in Mexico and the United States, many countries have stepped up surveillance in both people and pigs. Officials are very likely to find cases of flu that would never have been detected without such heightened awareness. (Editing by Peter Cooney)

http://www.reuters.com/article/americasCrisis/idUSN08356403

Two Canada hog workers hit by new non-pandemic flu

* New flu virus not connected to H1N1 outbreak

* Hogs transmitted virus to workers

SASKATOON, Saskatchewan, July 7 (Reuters) – Two farm workers in Western Canada have become infected with a new flu virus, health officials said on Tuesday, stressing the strain was not related to the H1N1 pandemic.The two workers, both employees at a hog barn operation in the province of Saskatchewan, have fully recovered. A third case is under investigation.

More…

The new virus contains genes from a seasonal human H1N1 flu strain and a flu virus common in the swine population called triple reassortant H3N2, said Dr. Greg Douglas, Saskatchewan’s chief veterinary officer.

The virus is not connected to the H1N1 strain, sometimes referred to as swine flu, that has killed more than 400 people worldwide. That strain is believed to have begun in Mexico and has been labeled a pandemic by the World Health Organization.

There are no signs of increased illness in the hog herd, Douglas added.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N08342126.htm

 

Argentina
•  Emphasize the Importance of Efficient Adminstration of the Drug  (Link)
•  Assessing the Progress of the Virus in More That 300 Community Kitchens (Link)
•  Cabinet Chief Recovers from Flu A  (Link)
•  Argentines question government as flu spreads (Link)
•  Government will take a long weekend “Health Holiday” to curb flu (translated) (Link)

Canada
•  First Nations pandemic teams bracing for fall flu carnage (Link)
•  Swine Flu Deaths Hit 3 Canadian Provinces  (Link)
•  Healthy pastor latest victim of swine flu  (Link)

Chinese
•  Swine flu family’s Chinese protest (Link)

Indonesia
•  Husband/wife suspect H1N1 (translated) (Link)
•  A new Indonesian bird flu suspect dies (Link)
•  N, 14 Years Old, Bird Flu Positive (translated) (Link)

Jamaica
•  Swine Flu death (Link)

New Zealand
•  Clinics struggle to cope with swine flu rush  (Link)

Palestinian Territories
•  Palestinian fatwa bans marriage without A/H1N1-free proof (Link)

Paraguay
•  Paraguay reports 3 new deaths due to A/H1N1 flu (Link)

Thailand
•  Thailand reports 9th death from A/H1N1 flu (Link and link)
•  Flu patient develops meningitis (Link)

United Kingdom
•  Three more die as swine flu cases pass 7,500 in the UK (Link)
•  Swine flu cases to double every three days in Wales  (Link)
•  Call to appoint swine flu friends  (Link)
•  REDBRIDGE: New swine flu warning issued (Link)

United States
•  Swine flu quarantine grows at San Quentin (Link)
•  CA: First death of H1N1 in [Stanislaus] county confirmed (Link)
•  NV: Clark County Man Dies Of H1N1 Virus (Link)
•  Mixed Marks for Swine Flu Updates (Link)
•  Influenza monitoring by the US military – DoD-GEIS (Link)
•  Mysterious Death of Local Musician Investigated (Link)
•  O.C. has most swine flu deaths in state (Link)
•  19-Year-Old Is Orange County’s First Swine Flu Related Death (Link)

General News
•  WHO will urge most countries to stop H1N1 testing (Link)
•  WHO sees little Tamiflu-resistant H1N1 flu spread (Link)
•  International Agencies Try to End Flu Naming Wars (Link)