Ukraine continues to be in a panic about a deadly outbreak of influenza still not confirmed as H1N1 swine flu.

The disease contagion may be showing signs of diminishing. But accounts of young and otherwise healthy victims succumbing continue to circulate, contributing to heightened political tensions in a country that will face a general election on January 17, 2010. The virus has become a pivotal issue. Sentiment within the Central European nation increasingly holds that the country’s medical systems and political leaders were slow to react or inadequate in their response to the outbreak. More than 95 victims have died this year.

Signaling the importance given to a show of concern, in the middle of the night on November 3, Prime Minister Yuliya Timoshenko, the Ukrainian foreign minister and the president’s chief of staff gathered at Kiev’s airport to share solemn words about the arrival of a shipment of Tamiflu, a drug effective against swine flu.

Near panic broke out on October 30 as deaths from flu and respiratory infections increased, leading to the announcement of a flu epidemic. Tymoshenko introduced travel restrictions, closed all schools and universities and banned mass gatherings for at least three weeks, and conducted a live TV session on October 31 with her cabinet, health officials and regional officials. Some officials have had to publicly denied rumors that a plague is afoot in the Central European homeland.

full story

http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com/index.php?article=11768&pageid=17&pagename=News

•  You Tube has a newsclip about the Ukrainian situation (Link)
•  Tymoshenko: Flu rate in Ukraine goes down (Link)
•  WHO studies A/H1N1 impact in Zhytomyr (Link)

Afghanistan
•  Schools close due to increasing flu (Link)
•  11 Afghans Die of Swine Flu, Troops Suffering  (Link)

Canada
•  Experience from previous pandemics suggest H1N1 may not have peaked: experts (Link)
•  Edmonton Theatre department loses founding father (Link)
•  Wealthy hospital donors jump the H1N1 queue (Link)
•  5 deaths confirmed in past week in Newfoundland (Link
•  Alberta province confirms 5 more deaths, total now 25 (Link)
•  Quebec: Woman dies from swine flu after vaccination  (Link and link)

India
•  Chandigarh doctor contracts swine flu (Link)

Moldova
•  3 deaths and tripling of cases in last few days (Link)

Serbia
•  Inpress: Serbia may declare flu epidemic (Link)

United States
•  H1N1 exposes weak leave policies (Link)
•  Video: CBS Questioning CDC fatality reports  (Link)
•  AZ: Recent spike in H1N1 cases has parents, teachers worried (Link)
•  DE: Delaware officials report 4th confirmed death (Link)
•  HI: No pandemic plan till September (Link)
•  IA: Two Polk County deaths bring H1N1 state total to 16 (Link)
•  KY: Kentucky records 20th death from H1N1, young man 20s, no prior health conditiions (Link)
•  MA: Advocates see homeless as priority for H1N1 vaccine (Link)
•  MI: Kalamazoo County HD inundated with phone calls (Link)
•  MI: 6 new deaths, including 2 children, total deaths now 28 in Michigan (Link)
•  MI: more than 10% of Michigan deaths had asthma (Link)
•  NC: deaths from H1N1 for two pregnant women and 3 other people (Link)
•  OR: up 113 hospitalizations and 7 deaths in 3 days (Link)
•  OR: Swine flu pandemic makes school nurse’s job even busier (Link)
•  TX: 17th death confirmed in Dallas (Link)
•  WI: 1st death in Wisconsin’s Grant County confirmed (Link)

General
•  Flu outbreaks could put Internet on life support (Link)
•  ”Supercourse” on Influenza A(H1N1) (Swine Flu): A Global Outbreak  (Link)

Commentary
•  Recombinomics: Reported Ukraine Fatalities Increase To 155 (Link)
•  Recombinomics: Total Destruction of Lungs in Ukraine Fatal H1N1 Cases (Link)
•  Recombinomics: Over 2000 Health Care Workers Ill in Ukraine (Link)
•  Recombinomics: Reported Ukraine Cases Top One Million – 174 Fatalities (Link)
•  Recombinomics: WHO Silence on Ukraine Sequences Raises Pandemic Concerns (Link)
•  Recombinomics: Pneumonia Death of Belarus Doctor Near Ukraine Border (Link)

readiness to provide Ukraine with humanitarian aid to fight the flu epidemic.

The Slovak Republic is ready to supply the second tranche of humanitarian aid. They will provide Ukraine with Slovak-made BioBelieve-Midi and BioBelieve-Kids worth 25,000 Euro. The drugs are certified in Ukraine.

The Ministry of Health of Croatia will supply concentrated oxygen.

Meanwhile, Hungary with provide germicides and 20,000 doses of swine flu vaccine worth USD 500,000.

http://www.isria.com/pages/8_November_2009_126.php

Afghanistan
•  Afghanistan now confirms 10 deaths in total from H1N1 (Link)

Austria
•  Pinoys in Austria more cautious after 1st reported A(H1N1) death (Link)

Bangladesh
•  Death toll of [laboratory-confirmed] A/H1N1 flu rises to 6 (Link)

Belarus
•  Call-in poll: 93% do not trust government stats/info (Link)

Bulgaria
•  Flu vaccination (Link)

Canada
•  3rd death confirmed in Newfoundland (Link)
•  Ukraine Pandemic Appeal (Link)

China
•  More than 8 mln Chinese inoculated with A/H1N1 flu vaccine (Link)

Denmark
•  Novel influenza virus found in minks (Link)
•  Influenza in other species: WHO (Link)

Egypt
•  H5N1 in birds (Link)

India
•  Two more swine flu cases in Chandigarh (Link)
•  Another Chandigarh doctor contracts swine flu (Link)
•  Another nation spinning the numbers (Link)
•  Critical case in Vadodara confirmed H1N1  (Link)

Macedonia
•  20 cases of H1N1 (Link)

Moldova
•  A/H1N1 flu death toll rises to 3 in Moldova (Link)
•  25 high school students with H1N1 in Chisinau (Link)

Myanmar
•  64 influenza A/H1N1 cases confirmed (Link)

Palestinian Territory
•  Second Palestinian died of A/H1N1 in West Bank (Link)

Poland
•  Poland distrustful of swine flu vaccination (Link)

Slovakia
•  Slovakia closes border crossings with Ukraine amid A/H1N1 fears (Link)
•  Slovakia reports first H1N1 death  (Link)
•  Border still open with the Ukraine (Link)

South Korea
•  Famous Korean actor Lee Kwang-gi’s 7 yr old son dies of H1N1 (Link)

Spain
•  Cases of influenza A triple in two weeks in Catalunya (Link)

Sweden
•  ”Politicians received cream to vaccination” (Link)
•  Only One Flu Shot for Most (Link)

Turkey
•  Turkey reports 27 A/H1N1 flu deaths (Link)

United Arab Emirates
•  UAE finalises H1N1 plan for Haj pilgrims (Link)

United States
•  US: Some doctors are just saying no to the swine flu vaccine (Link)
•  IN: H1N1 hits younger people hard (Link)
•  NV: Las Vegas Area Holds Clinics After Two Week Wait (Link)
•  NY: Swine flu clinics open around New York City, but get few visitors  (Link)
•  OR: Ready for anything (Link)

General
•  Spread of swine flu intense – study (Link)
•  Clorox Profit Rises 23% as Flu Concerns Spur Demand for Disinfectants (Link)
•  WHO: Infection of farmed animals with the pandemic virus (Link)

Commentary
•  Recombinomics: H1N1 Genetic Changes in RBD Raise Pandemic Concerns (Link)
•  Recombinomics: Reported Ukraine Cases Approach One Million (Link)

Sat Nov 7, 2009 10:12am EST

BRATISLAVA, Nov 7 (Reuters) – Slovakia said on Saturday it would close all but one road border crossing with Ukraine on Sunday because of Ukraine’s flu epidemic.

Vysne Nemecke, the biggest checkpoint, will be the only one to stay open.

“The reason is the continuing worsening of the epidemic situation in Ukraine,” Interior Minister Robert Kalinak told journalists. “This is intended to minimize any eventual outbreak of the disease.”

Kalinak said the EU member state’s decision was temporary and aimed to protect the bloc.

Doctors and hygienists will be stationed at the border to monitor passengers and have the powers to bar anyone suspected of being infected from entering the country.

Ukraine could delay a January presidential election until May next year because of its outbreak of H1N1 flu, which has killed more than 100 in recent weeks and infected more than 750,000 [ID:nL695938]. (Reporting by Martin Santa; editing by Andrew Roche)

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL7179665

Azerbaijan
•  First Swine Flu Case Reported (Link)

Belarus
•  Dictatorship is life-threatening (Link)

Canada
•  Ontario: Swine flu ‘on the wane’ (Link)
•  Edmonton father questions ER protocols where H1N1 mixes with well persons too (Link)

China
•  A/H1N1 vaccination program extends to all Beijingers (Link)
•  WHO Says Pandemic Flu on Rise in China, Japan (Link)
•  Chinese mainland reports one more death from A/H1N1 flu (Link)
•  Hong Kong reports 39 patients in hospital wards caught H1N1 (Link)

France
•  8 deaths since 03 november 2009 (Link)

India
•  Three swine flu deaths take India’s toll to 489 (Link)
•  Ludhiana reports another death, 39th from H1N1 (Link)
•  Tamil Nadu confirms 9 deaths there so far (Link)

Jordan
•  Pilgrims will leave for Mecca without swine flu vaccination (Link)

Mexico
•  Official warns of collapse in hospitals by AH1N1 (translated) (Link)
•  10 new deaths by A/H1N1 in Morelos (translated) (Link)

Moldova
•  Moldova reports 3rd death from H1N1, a man returned from Moscow (Link)

Mongolia
•  Mongolia to import H1N1 vaccine from China (Link)

Pakistan
•  Afghani migrant woman dies in Peshawar  (Link)

Poland
•  Polish news article from yesterday, translated (Link)

Russia
•  Russia’s swine flu death toll rises to 19 (Link)
•  Situation with A/H1N1/ grippe under control–Golikova (Link)

Saudi Arabia
•  Saudi Arabia Travel Alert November 05, 2009  (Link)
•  Saudi Arabia mandates all barbers wear masks (Link)

Sri Lanka
•  1st confirmed death from H1N1, in Kandy, 16 yr old boy (Link)

Turkey
•  A/H1N1 flu death toll rises to 23 in Turkey  (Link)

Ukraine
•  Flue death toll in Ukraine: 109 dead (Link)
•  Ukraine Radio International: Radio on demand (Link)
•  Crimea: Feodosiya is ready to meeting of flu (Link)
•  Blog: Ukraine Expected to Surpass 1 Million Infections in Only 10 Days; the U.S. took 10 weeks (Link)
•  Official: Ukrainian Election May Be Postponed Due To Swine Flu (Link)
•  135 dead and 317 persons in ‘grave condition’ (Link)

United Kingdom
•  Highest risk get H1N1 vaccine first under British system (Link)
•  Widow of swine flu victim in ‘lies’ anger as Scottish toll hits 32 (Link)

United States
•  US: Harvard School of Public Health Poll shows most tried and failed to get vaxx 1st time around (Link)
•  CDC: Monitoring Influenza Activity, Including 2009 H1N1 (Link)
•  AK: Island village hit by suspected swine flu (Link)
•  IA: Fighting the Good Fight (Link)
•  IL: Low vaccine supply raises ire  (Link)
•  NY: A Swine Flu Death confirmed (Link)
•  OH: Sheriff’s captain died Friday evening from H1N1 (Link)
•  OR: Fewer flu cases in Southern Oregon (Link)
•  OR: H1N1 lands local residents in ICU’s (Link)
•  PA: State offers to help schools give shots free (Link)
•  PA: DOH lists (2) Additional Deaths (Link)
•  PA: Geisinger confirms death resulting from H1N1 (Link)
•  SD: 4 more deaths in South Dakota confirmed, total now 13 (Link
•  TX: second death confirmed in Galveston in less than a week (Link)
•  TX: State defends withholding flu vaccine distribution info (Link)
•  WA: New priorities for flu vaccine (Link)
•  WI: Suspect arrested in Milwaukee theft of flu vaccine (Link)

General
•  A/H1N1 influenza death toll rises over 6,000, says WHO (Link)

Commentary
•  Recombinomics: National H1N1 Epidemic Declared in Bulgaria (Link)
•  UK Swine flu blog: How bonkers is this (Link)

The World Health Organization has forecasted three waves of A/H1N1 flu in Ukraine and in the world.

Yesterday at 13:39 | Interfax-Ukraine The World Health Organization (WHO) has forecasted three waves of A/H1N1 flu in Ukraine and in the world, Head of WHO office in Ukraine Ihor Pokanevych told Deutsche Welle on Nov. 5.

According to him, the first wave is being observed now, the second will come next spring, and the third during the autumn of 2010.

Pokanevych said that imposing quarantines and vaccination should be the main focus of flu A/H1N1 prevention in Ukraine. According to him, it would be reasonable to continue quarantine measures in Ukraine’s western regions and to impose quarantine in the regions where a rate of infections may soon exceed the epidemiological threshold.

Moreover, Pokanevych insisted on the need for the urgent immunization of the population against the A/H1N1 virus.

http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/52054/

Ukraine flu response ‘over the top’: expert (Link)
•  28 swine flu cases confirmed in Ukraine, 13 die of swine flu, says emergencies ministry (Link)
•  134 dead as of Nov. 6 – Government Chart (translated) (Link)
•  Swine flu in Przemysl (translated) (Link)
•  Pandemic politics (Link)

Azerbaijan
•  First Swine Flu Case Reported In Azerbaijan (Link)

Canada
•  Nova Scotia: Halifax firefighters, police jump H1N1 queue (Link)
•  Flu fells emergency workers in Calgary(Link)
•  First H1N1 death suspected in North B.C. (Link)

France
•  One transplanted man (translated)(Link)

India
•  Woman’s death 13th in Rajasthan (Link)
•  Gandhinagar’s health officials taking Tamiflu ‘as a precautionary measure’ (Link)

Pakistan
•  Swine flu surfaces in Pakistan (Link)

Russia
•  Flu situation in Russia not as bad as in Ukraine, but far from calm (Link)

Serbia
•  Kosovo has 3 H1N1 cases (Link)

Turkey
•  Turkey records two more A/H1N1 flu deaths (Link)

United Kingdom
•  160 pupils at a Scotland school hit by swine flu (Link)

United States
•  US: Goldman Sachs, Citigroup got swine flu vaccine(Link)
•  US: Flu shots for workers hit sticking point(Link)
•  US: Walmart – Risking Demerits or Spreading H1N1?(Link)
•  US: CDC Weekly Influenza Update (Link)
•  US: Most adults who want a swine-flu vaccine unable to get one (Link)
•  CDC: Pediatric Deaths (chart) (Link)
•  CA: 11th death confirmed in Bakersfield, prominent Kern County official (Link)
•  IL + IA: Illinois reports 8 new deaths, total now 36, and Iowa 3 new deaths (Link)
•  IL: 12-year-old probably fifth H1N1 death in Lake County (Link)
•  MN: Santas prepare for H1N1 flu threat (Link)
•  MS: Mississippi confirms 10 deaths, total may be 50% higher (Link)
•  NE: The Nebraska Medical Center is trying to manage the outbreak of the H1N1 virus (Link)
•  NY: upstate seeing all-time record levels of ILI for this time of year (Link)
•  OH: Toledo-Lucas County new mom perishes from H1N1 (Link)
•  OH: a NJ man, 53, died in Ohio from H1N1 (Link)
•  PA: Insight into Flu Vaccine Storage (Link)

Vietnam
•  Bird flu re-emerges in poultry (Link)

General
•  Global swine flu toll passes 6,000 mark: WHO(Link)
•  Models demonstrate effectiveness of social distancing (Link)
•  Actress Nicole Kidman caught the flu (Link)
•   Europe: Weekly ECDC report shows intense levels of H1N1 in Ireland et al  (Link)
•  Pandemic Flu Vaccine Campaigns May Be Undermined By Coincidental Medical Events (Link)
•  Flu Symptoms to Look for in Your Kitty (Link)

Commentary
•  Recombinomics: Reported Cases in Ukraine Double Again – 871,037 (Link)
•  Withheld Ukraine Sequences Raise Pandemic Concerns (Link)

Update: more death, illness

Yesterday at 14:10 | (Wire reports) Ukraine’s Health Ministry on Nov. 5 said the death toll of patients with flu-related and acute respiratory illnesses (ARI) had jumped to 95.

Deputy Health Minister Zinoviy Mytnik said told journalists during a press briefing that a total of 633, 877 cases of flu-related and ARI have been registered from Oct. 29 through Nov. 5.

Mytnik said 15 of 31 patient samples sent to London for laboratory analysis tested positive for the H1N1, or swine flu, virus.

Meanwhile, over 600 medical workers in Kyiv have fallen sick with the flue and acute respiratory illnesses, according to Kyiv deputy Mayor Iryna Kilchitskaya, who on Nov. 5 told a daily Kyiv newspaper that 200 of the afflicted are doctors.

In a related story, Ihor Pokanevych, head of the WHO office in Kyiv, told Deutsche Welle on Nov. 5 that in Ukraine, as in the rest of the world, there will be three waves of the swine flu virus: the first – which Ukraine is experiencing now, the second – in the spring, and the third – during the autumn of 2010.

Pokanevych noted that the current pandemic is complicated to sort out because it involves three strains of flu virus: two seasonal strains [of the Brisbane] flu and the swine flu, which as a result could lead the virus to mutate into a still more virulent, new virus.

http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/51972/

•  Swine flu cases confirmed in Khmelnytsky region (Link)
•  Nine children, seven pregnant women and six doctors among dead (Link)
•  Martial Law [may be] declared in Ukraine over mystery epidemic (Link)

Canada
•  Fears that countries would hoard vaccine in pandemics behind single supplier  (Link)
•  100 health workers repeat H1N1 shot (Link)
•  Alberta confirms 4 more deaths, total now 18 (Link)
•  115 deaths so far, top doctor warns of more, severe cases tripled in 1 week (Link)

China
•  China: HK investigating another human case of influenza A/H9 (Link)

France
•  Some ICU patients (translated) (Link)

India
•  Pune has 100th victim (Link)

Kyrgyzstan
•  11 confirmed cases (Link)

Russia
•  H5N1 in a bird in Moscow (Link)

South Korea
•  3 new deaths yesterday, total of 45 now (Link)

Turkey
•  4 new deaths confirmed, 19 total now (Link)

United Kingdom
•  England Weekly pandemic flu media update (Link)
•  Underlying conditions in 373 hospitalised cases (Link)
•  Healthy schoolchildren may be inoculated against swine flu (Link)
•  Northern Ireland: Two further NI swine flu deaths (Link)
•  Ireland: Four more deaths from swine flu (Link)

United States
•  Video: Wall Street Gets H1N1 Vaccine Before High Risk Citizens  (Link)
•  Banks Getting H1N1 Doses Before Many High-Risk Groups (Link)
•  AK: Fairbanks woman dies from swine flu in October (Link)
•  CA: H1N1 More Serious In CA. Than Originally Thought (Link)
•  IA: Cat Gets Swine Flu; First Reported Case In A Feline  (Link)
•  IL: H1N1 claims life in Peoria (Link)
•  IN: Indiana confirms 9 more deaths in past week bringing total to 19 (Link)
•  KY: 2 new deaths confirmed in Kentucky ‘overnight’, total now 17 (Link)
•  NC: 3 hospital workers didn’t take flu shot, resign  (Link)
•  NY: Large NYC employers getting swine flu vaccine (Link)
•  OR: Up another 68 hospitalizations and 3 deaths today (Link)
•  PA: Susquehanna Schools Charging for Swine Flu Vaccine (Link)
•  VA: Virginia confirms 4 more deaths, now totaling 21 (Link)
•  WI: 1st death confirmed in Kenosha, 16th in Wisconsin (Link)
•  WV: local doctor says she’s had H1N1 TWICE now (Link)

Vietnam
•  Swine flu death toll reaches 38, nearly 11,000 confirmed cases (Link)
•  New H5N1 outbreak in birds (Link)

General
•  WHO: Swine flu virus is top strain worldwide  (Link)
•  Dr. Greg Dworkin Interview: All You Ever Wanted to Know about Swine Flu (Link)
•  Line jumping called out in US and Canada (Link)

Lisa Schnirring  Staff Writer

Nov 3, 2009 (CIDRAP News) – The World Health Organization (WHO) said its team arrived in the Ukraine last night and met with the country’s health ministry today to discuss a dramatic spike in flulike illnesses and deaths, particularly in the western part of the country.

The Ukrainian health ministry has recorded more than 250,000 flulike illnesses, of which 235 patients needed treatment in intensive care units, the WHO said in a statement today. As of yesterday, 70 deaths had been reported.

The high level of illnesses activity and severe cases, combined with reports of hemorrhagic pneumonia cases, have raised some speculation that the virus might be behaving differently in the Ukraine, but further testing is just getting under way.

Laboratory testing at labs in the Ukraine have confirmed the pandemic H1N1 virus in samples taken from patients in two regions, the WHO said, adding that because the pandemic virus has become dominant throughout the world, most of the Ukrainian respiratory illnesses are probably caused by the novel H1N1 strain.

Though the highest illness rates have been seen in the western part of the country, illness activity is increasing rapidly in Kiev, the WHO reported.

The WHO’s field investigation team will start in the Lviv region, where the number of cases of severe respiratory illness has been especially high. Virologists from the WHO have started working with Ukrainian scientists at the National Influenza Centre and the Central Sanitary and Epidemiological Station, both in Kiev.

full story

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/swineflu/news/nov0309ukraine.html

Ukraine
•  Media blackout on the Ukranian mystery illness  (Link)
•  Swine Flu Mania In Kyiv (Link)
•  Swine flu reaches Kyiv, one death confirmed (Link)
•  Ukraine flu outbreak widens (Link)
•  Ukraine gripped by the A(H1N1) flu virus (Link)
•  Flu death toll in Ukraine reaches 81 – official (Link)
•  Two people with suspected swine flu symptoms hospitalized in Kyiv region, says governor (Link
•  Swine flu got to army (Link
•  Kyiv hits epidemic threshold (Link)
•  Forecast: Up to 12 million Ukrainians may be down with flu (Link)
•  Eighty-six people have died in Ukraine from flu and respiratory infections(Link)
•  Yushchenko slams Cabinet efforts in combating flu (Link)
•  Swine Flu Fears Spread From Ukraine To Afghanistan (Link)
•  Azerbaijan provides humanitarian aid to Ukraine to fight ’swine flu’(Link)
•  Georgia to render humanitarian aid to Ukraine(Link)
•  President’s address to the Ukrainian people (Link)
•  Tymoshenko says all Ukrainians will be provided with gauze masks in a week (Link)
•  Ukraine leader attacks rivals over flu epidemic  (Link)
•  Ukraine flu outbreak worries EU neighbors  (Link)
•  Ukraine Is ‘Fragile,’ Needs Consensus for Recovery, IMF Says (Link)
•  WHO Country Office, Ukraine  (Link)
•  A vaccine of despair – that’s what Onishchenko called the swine flu shot (Link)
•  Ukraine Nurses, Patients Make Masks as Flu Spreads (Link)

Belarus
•  7 die of swine flu, 19 of acute pneumonia (Link)
•  Secret document: Belarusians die from pneumonia complicated by swine flu (Link)
•  Government will be forced to declare an epidemic of influenza in Minsk (Link)

Bulgaria
•  Bulgaria: Ukraine neighbor now also being ’severely hit’
A(H1N1) Spills over Half of Bulgaria (Link)

Canada
•  Alberta probing why Calgary Flames scored H1N1 vaccine (Link)
•  Canada’s flu vaccine leftovers being sent overseas (Link)
•  Ontario: Pine Ridge Area resident dies from H1N1 (Link)
•  Newfoundland has 2nd death from H1N1 (Link)
•  3 more deaths in Ontario, likely H1N1(Link)
•  Alberta Health worker fired over Flames/H1N1 fiasco  (Link)

China
•  Mongolia’s A/H1N1 flu death toll rises to six (Link)

Finland
•  Second Swine Flu Fatality Confirmed in Finland (Link)
•  Spread of A/H1N1 flu speeding up in Finland (Link)

France
•  The circulation of influenza A (H1N1) in 2009 continues to intensify in all regions (Link)

India
•  Two swine flu deaths take toll to 477 (Link)
•  35 deaths in Pune’s Sassoon Hospital may be H1N1 variant (Link)
•  H (Link)

Nigeria
•  Avian Flu on the Rampage(Link)

Romania
•  New swine flu cases number 91 in 24 hours(Link)
•  Hospitals under quarantine to prevent spread of swine flu (Link)
•  Romanian health official resigns after saying 20,000 could die from swine flu  (Link)

Russia
•  Swine flu deaths rise to 14 – ministry (Link)
•  H (Link)

South Korea
•  South Korea swine flu toll rises to 45 (Link)
•  All Leave Cancelled for S. Korean soldiers (Link)
• Photo at link of soldiers in formation saluting with facemasks on(Link)

Tobago-Trinidad
•  Ministry: 210 swine flu cases, 5 deaths (Link)

United Kingdom
•  Weymouth school hit by swine flu as 50 pupils fall ill (Link)
•  Mum died thinking she had swine flu (Link)

United States
•  US: Proposed law would require pay for sick workers  (Link)
•  US: Achoo: Homland Security Officials Take On the Flu (Link)
•  US: Seasonal flu vaccine could run short, CDC says (Link)
•  CA: Swine-Flu Deaths Higher in the Elderly (Link)
•  IA: H1N1 confirmed in Iowa cat (Link)
•  IN: Commercial hogs with H1N1 (Link)
•  KY: Northern KY woman dies of swine flu  (Link)
•  OR: Family remembers son who died of H1N1 as ‘vibrant’  (Link)
•  RI: Uptick in flu cases reported (Link)
•  TX: U. TX Supercomputer helping to track H1N1 flu (Link)
•  IA: 4 more deaths in Iowa reported  (Link)
•  WA: 5th person in Spokane area to die of H1N1 (Link)
•  RI: Rhode Island DOH confirms woman’s death from H1N1 (Link)
•  FL: 5th death in St. Lucie County confirmed  (Link)
•  MN: 3 more deaths in Minnesota, plus one suspect ILI-death (Link)
• TX: Borderland/ El Paso lost 2 more to H1N1 (Link)
•  NJ: 20th death confirmed in New Jersey (Link)
•  NV: 2 more deaths confirmed last week (Link)
•  NM: 5 deaths from H1N1 confirmed in New Mexico in past week (Link)
•  LA: Louisiana reports 6 new deaths from H1N1, total now 30(Link)
•  CA: 2 more deaths in San Diego (Link)
•  OR up 84 hospitalizations and 3 deaths in one day (Link)
•  NH:Walgreen’s clerk refuses service due to flu (Link)
•  CA: 2 church members die in days near Yuba City  (Link)
•  H (Link)
•  H (Link)

Venezuela
•  Amazon Indian tribe hit by swine flu (Link)

General
•  Obesity is linked to swine flu complications (Link)
•  Flu dogma being rewritten by a strange virus no one pegged to trigger a pandemic(Link)

Commentary
•  Clusters of Hemorrhagic H1N1 Pneumonia in Ukraine (Link)
•  Reported Cases in Ukraine Double in Two Days (Link)

Lviv, November 3 (Interfax-Ukraine) – A total of 760 medical employees have come down with the flu and acute respiratory infections, chief of the healthcare department of Lviv city council, Volodymyr Zub, said at a press conference on Tuesday

“Fifteen of them are receiving in-patient treatment,” Zub said.

According to him, in particular, 198 doctors, 312 nurses and 257 other medical personnel have flu and acute respiratory infections.

He said that currently over 10% of the staff of the city’s medical establishments are ill, and moreover, their number is growing.

http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/51826/

•  Ukraine H1N1 Deaths and Hospitalizations Spike Higher (Link)
•  Ukraine Closes All Schools to Fight Swine Flu(Link)
•  Polish PM calls on EU for help fighting the flu epidemic (Link)
•  WHO Pandemic (H1N1) Ukraine – update (Link)

Afghanistan
•  WHO official supports H1N1 emergency measures (Link)

Argentina
•  22 yr old man dead from H1N1 in Buenos Aires area (Link)

Belarus
•  Secret document: Belarusians die from pneumonia complicated by swine flu (Link)

Canada
•  3 more dead in BC (Link)

Egypt
•  Avian influenza in birds throughout village (Link)

United States
•  US: Kids will need two doses of H1N1 flu vaccine (Link)
•  IA: Iowa confirmed 1st child’s death from H1N1 (Link)
•  ID: One man confirmed dead and another local coach ‘tested’ negative (Link)
•  IN: Mooresville wife, mother dies from H1N1 complications (Link)
•  KY: Kenton County woman died of H1N1 (Link)
•  NE: Omaha officials report 1 more death tied to flu (Link)
•  NY: another child death confirmed, in Rochester area (Link)
•  OR: 44 yr old man died of H1N1 in Oregon’s Yamhill County (Link)
•  OR: Hospitalizations up 47 in 2 days – up 263 in a week (Link)
•  PA: District to Discard 6K Doses of H1N1 Vaccine (Link)
•  PA: 2 Pa. Children Receive Tamiflu Overdoses (Link)
•  PA: Local kindergarten student dies of swine flu (Link)
•  PA: Volunteers needed for H1N1 vaccination clinic in W-B (Link)
•  VA: Is H1N1 Pushing Doctors To The Limit? (Link)

General
•  Pregnant women with swine flu more likely to need intensive care (Link)
•  Initial Results Show Pregnant Women Mount Strong Immune Response To One Dose of 2009 H1N1 Flu Vaccine (Link)
•  New Advice on Swine Flu for Pregnant Women (Link)
•  Opening and Mixing Tamiflu® Capsules with Liquids if Child Cannot Swallow Capsules  (Link)
•  Retracted Mask Study Adds to H1N1 Confusion(Link)
•  Doctors in Germany raise concerns about adjuvanted vaccines (Link)

(The flu community is watching the region of Ukraine, where H1N1 has explosed it seems over night. WHO denies reports of  the situation, but reports are coming in that say otherwise. -cottontop)

Ukraine
•  Ukraine Bans Crowds to Combat Swine Flu (Link)
•  Sixty-seven people die of flu in Ukraine (Link)
•  Ukraine Mystery Outbreak Sparks WHO Concern(Link)
•  WHO Sees No Outbreak Of Swine Flu in Ukraine (Link)
•  Only yesterday Ukrainians were not concerned with swine flu pandemic – telephone survey results (Link)
•  RSOE EDIS SITUATION UPDATE : 2009-11-01 03:03:33 – Ukraine (Link) ‘Ukraine’s swine flu epidemic is spreading at an alarming rate. The number of deaths has risen to nearly 50.

President Viktor Yushchenko made the announcement, having put the number of victims at 11 just 24 hours earlier. The latest figures suggest 150,000 are sick with H1N1. Schools, universities and playgroups have been closed for the next three weeks. Mass gatherings have also been banned. Panic buying of masks and flu remedies is sweeping the country according to local media reports.

The government also announced an emergency package of 40 million euros to go towards anti-swine flu measures. One woman queuing for medicine said: “What can I say? There is no medicine in the chemists. How come nobody prepared for this epidemic? Children are sick. The elderly are sick. There are no masks, not even basic pills. People are queuing and waiting for supplies to come, but nobody knows if they will come or not.” The price of flu medicines rose by as much as 300 per cent in Ukraine during the previous bird flu outbreak.’

•  Ukraine asks NATO for help (Link)
•  Promed mail, the Ukraine and H1N1 (Link)

(and from a vetern poster at Flu Wiki, DennisC)

Ukraine

The school nurse called me about noon. DD had a tempt of a 102. By the time I got there about 20 minutes later, her tempt was up to 103.9. I’m telling you, it was really, really creepy to see my daughter being led down the hall by the school nurse and she was wearing a mask. It was a surreal moment for me. The nurse seem to indicate that she was in the advanced stage of H1N1, cough, high temp, chills/aches, runny nose. But the kicker is that only yesterday DD had a mild cough. This morning, still had the mild cough and said she didn’t feel bad. She said it hit her on the bus, and got worse as the morning went on. A teacher, horrified at DD’s face being so red and hot to the touch, sent her to the nurse. Her temp was taken and she was masked. The nurse walked DD to the car for me, as DD was wobbly. I’m 4′10″ 100lbs, DD is 5′4″ and 120lbs. So if she fell, I’d be helpless to get her up. She couldn’t even walk straight. I’m trying very hard not to panic, I mean this is my child. I’m not “reading” about other children. I had H1N1 back in late August. The onset of symptoms was day by day, and finally about day 3 or 4 I was bedridden for 2 whole days. It took me 13 days to feel like I wanted to live, 15 days to where I started to feel somewhat normal. The cough lingered and lingered. I finally got DD’s tempt down 3 hours later. Between cold compress, tylenol, ice cream, and ice water, it subsided. 3 hours laters, it started to come back. The last thing she said to me before she went to sleep was: “Well, I don’t have to live in fear of it anymore.” My baby. It’s going to be a long night. DD is confined to her room, and if she comes out into the rest of the house she is to be masked, which scared DD 7 at first. I’m worried that the baby will get sick, but it’s going to happen. I’m hoping that because the girls were exposed to it while I was sick, it won’t effect them near as bad. I called her Dr. and they gave me the standard routine. The can’t see every person who has H1N1 symptoms. The can’t cope with the load ontop of seeing the regular patients. And besides, their book for the next week. So much for getting her Tamiflu. It’s alright though. I expected this. She has no unlying health issues that we know of (she just had a physical for sports) so I’ll sit up through the night and keep an eye on her, check her temp every two hours, keep her hydrated throughout the night. She’ll be o.k. But try telling that to DH. He thinks if a kid gets H1N1 it’s an automatic hospitalization. I told him to stop watching so much t.v.!