Recombinomics: US Emergency Declarations Raise Pandemic Concerns

Recombinomics Commentary 22:43
October 29, 2009
New York Gov. David Paterson has declared a state of emergency because of the rise in swine flu cases.

The executive order means that far more health care professionals – including dentists – will be permitted to administer vaccines with only brief training. The order is needed to suspend provisions of state law.

New York officials said the number of vaccine doses is also being increased. The federal government is ramping up availability of the vaccine, allowing the state to order twice as many doses as a week ago, a trend that’s expected to continue.

The above comments describe the declaration of a state of emergency in New York, which follows President Barack Obama’s declaration for the entire country.  Although these announcements are said to be anticipatory and an attempt to streamline treatment, evidence is mounting that these steps are in response to a rapidly accelerating spread of H1N1, leading to school closings, hospitalizations, and deaths, which are straining the health care system.

Nationally, the declaration is designed to reduce red tape associated with treatment and to increase drugs under regulatory review, such as Premavir, which is currently in clinical trials as an IV treatment for influenza.  However, like Tamiflu, H274Y seriously reduces the effectiveness of the drug, increasing concerns that widespread H274Y will seriously impact antiviral treatment, leading to more hospitalizations and deaths.

full story

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/10290902/US_Declarations.html

 

Canada
•  H1N1 vaccine flow will slow over next 2 weeks (Link)

Egypt
•  Egypt reports 4th death of A/H1N1 (Link)

Germany
•  Germany reports 2 more deaths, 1st in healthy person w/ no health issues (Link)

India
•  Pune reports 3 more children’s deaths  (Link)

Middle East
•  Kuwait has 2 more deaths, Qatar one more (Link)
•  Sauda Arabia: Saudis make flu plans for Mecca ritual (Link)

Switzerland
•  Switzerland restricts use of GSK swine flu vaccine (Link)

Ukraine
•  Swine flu fears on rise after numerous deaths (Link)
•  Ukraine reports 30 swine flu deaths (Link)
•  Ukraine closes all schools, cinemas over swine flu (Link)
•  Highest epidemic of swine flu in Ukraine! (Link)
•  Swine flu epidemic starts in Ukraine – health minister (Link)
•  WHO says it’s sending team to Ukraine to probe reports of serious H1N1 activity (Link)

United Kingdom
•  GPs’ swine flu vaccination target revealed  (Link)
•  The Quality and Outcomes Framework (Link)

United States
•  CDC gives new swine flu numbers for the U.S. (Link)
•  US: at least 19 more children died from H1N1 last week in the USA (Link)
•  AZ: another death counted in Arizona, 1st in Greenlee County (Link)
•  IN: Indiana confirms another death from H1N1  (Link)
•  IN: death of 22 yr old pregnant woman in Indiana from H1N1 (Link)
•  KY: 14th death confirmed in Kentucky, woman in her 30s  (Link)
•  MI: 2 more deaths in Michigan (Link)
•  OH: First grader gets swine flu shot without parents consent (Link)
•  OR: A Quarter of Sprague HS out sick; sports cancelled (Link)
•  OR: Armed robber to Keizer bartender: daughter has swine flu, need money (Link)
•  OR: Umatilla County has 3rd death confirmed, man in 30s (Link)
•  OR: Eugene H1N1 restrictions expanded (Link)
•  WA: Seattle area swine flu outbreak greater than spring, vaccine still in short supply (Link)

General
•  Statin drugs may lower deaths from flu: study (Link)
•  Swine flu cheaters getting vaccinated (Link)
•  WHO: Swine flu deaths jump by 700 in a week (Link)
•  Side effects not always due to swine flu shot  (Link)

Commentaries
•  Recombinomics: H1N1 in Swine in Iceland Raises Pandemic Concerns (Link)

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Scott McPherson: Underachieving virus, mixed Federal messages contribute to H1N1 swine flu vaccine debacle

In yesterday’s blog, I mentioned what I thought were the root causes of the H1N1v vaccine shortage/delay situation. 

So as I always try to do, I reached out to an expert to get his opinion and bounce theories off of him.  In this case, the expert is one of the top scientists in the field of vaccine research:  Dr. Greg Poland of the Mayo Clinic.

His introductory paragraph from the Mayo Clinic Website states:

Vaccine-preventable infectious diseases; vaccines against agents of bioterrorism; predictors of vaccine response; antigen processing and HLA presentation; vaccine immunogenetics; cancer vaccines.

I have been seeking Dr. Poland’s counsel for several years, and he has always proven himself to be receptive, affable, and eager to contribute.  He is, in short, a great guy, though I have never met him.  I feel as though I have, and one day I shall.

Anyway, Dr. Poland concurred with my belief that the two major factors that have contributed to the delays are a low-yield, difficult-to-grow virus; plus an “overly optimistic” Federal government spin on the vaccine situation.

full story

http://www.scottmcpherson.net/journal/2009/10/27/underachieving-virus-mixed-federal-messages-contribute-to-h1.html

 

Afganistan
•  Afghanistan reports first swine flu death (Link)

Canada
•  7 more deaths confirmed, plus 2 children …total now 96 (Link)
•  BC counted 3 more deaths in past week, 88 new ‘severe’ cases (Link)
•  Current H1N1 epidemic now 8X greater in BC than typical seasonal levels (Link)
•  H1N1 cases surging, and so are vaccinations (Link)

China
•  Chinese Mecca-bound pilgrims get swine flu shots  (Link)
•  China reports third H1N1 death (Link)

France
•  Serious cases during 19 to 25 october in France (translated) (Link)

India
•  H1N1 is mutating, turning deadlier (Link)
•  Mortality rate up even as H1N1 positive cases drop (Link)
•  Another pregnant woman, 23, died in Ahmedabad, total now 40 (Link)

Iran
•  22 deaths from H1N1 so far (Link)

South Korea
•  Hundreds of students sick and national exams coming up (Link)

Thailand
•  Thailand warns of A/H1N1, H5N1 and normal human flu outbreak during winter (Link)

United Kingdom
•  GPs warn winter vomiting bug cases rising at same time as swine flu (Link)
•  Two more Scots swine flu deaths (Link)

United States
•  U.S. may end up discarding unused H1N1 vaccine (Link)
•  Fighting Flu and Falsehoods; The Government’s new PR Campaign (Link)
•  School closings on track to exceed spring levels (Link)
•  CDC: Estimates of the Prevalence of Pandemic (H1N1) 2009, United States, April-July 2009 (Link)
•  30,000 hospitalized, and 2800 deaths between Aug.30 and Oct.17 (Link)
•  As flu shots arrive, officials hope delay is fixed (Link)
•  Swine flu closes more than 600 schools in U.S. (Link)
•  Caution on Additive Slows Vaccine (Link)
•  US: Americans ‘first’ before US donates H1N1 vaxx abroad (Link)
•  AL: much loved school principal lost to H1N1 in Bay Minette, Alabama (Link)
•  CA: San Diego counts two more deaths, total in area now 27 (Link)
•  FL: 5th death confirmed H1N1 in Polk County, 141st in Florida (Link)
•  ID: Idaho confirms 3 more deaths due to H1N1  (Link)
•  IL: Third suburban victim succumbs to H1N1 complications (Link)
•  KS: Kansas teenages death from H1N1-related causes confirmed (Link)
•  MD: 2 more deaths in Maryland and 1 more in Virginia (Link)
•  MN: flu line helps offset doctor visits, 2 more deaths confirmed in Minnesota (Link)
•  NJ: young man’s death, 17 yrs old, confirmed as H1N1 (Link)
•  NV: Nevada confirms 6 more H1N1 deaths (Link)
•  OR: H1N1 Hospitalizes Pregnant Woman In Portland (Link)
•  OR: 135 more Oregon hospitalizations in two days (Link)
•  RI: Rhode Island 12 yr old girl, Victoria Sousa, DID die of H1N1 (Link)
•  TX: Prisoners may get swine flu vaccines  (Link)
•  TX: Dallas County offers swine flu shots to kids starting Friday; 14th death announced (Link)
•  UT: Utah says 4 more patients died from H1N1 in past week (Link)
•  Washington, DC: Pandemic preparation faulted (Link)
•  Washington, DC: Malia, Sasha Obama get their swine flu shots (Link)
•  WI: Swine flu death reported in Oconto County (Link)
•  WI: Health officials confirm first H1N1 related flu death in Eau Claire County (Link)
•  WI: State of Wisconsin – H1N1 Situation Report (Oct 28, 2009) (Link)
•  WI: 4 more dead in Wisconsin or nearly 25% of all H1N1 deaths recorded since May (Link)
•  WY: 2 more flu-related deaths confirmed in Wyoming (Link)

Commentaries
•  Crofsblogs: Canada: Schools scramble for teachers as H1N1 tightens its grip (Link)
•  Nightline Video: On the Front Lines of the H1N1 Pandemic (Link)

General
•  Guidance in testing patients for flu (Link)
•  American Society for Microbiology: Daily Key Points (Link)
•  ANA Urges Nurses to Get H1N1 Vaccines (Link)
•  Vaccine Experts Prepare Swine Flu Guidance for WHO (Link)

Government may block internet during pandemic

Mon Oct 26, 2009 6:53pm EDT

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Securities exchanges have a sound network back-up if a severe pandemic keeps people home and clogging the Internet, but the Homeland Security Department has done little planning, Congressional investigators said on Monday.

The department does not even have a plan to start work on the issue, the General Accountability Office said.

But the Homeland Security Department accused the GAO of having unrealistic expectations of how the Internet could be managed if millions began to telework from home at the same time as bored or sick schoolchildren were playing online, sucking up valuable bandwidth.

Experts have for years pointed to the potential problem of Internet access during a severe pandemic, which would be a unique kind of emergency. It would be global, affecting many areas at once, and would last for weeks or months, unlike a disaster such as a hurricane or earthquake.

H1N1 swine flu has been declared a pandemic but is considered a moderate one. Health experts say a worse one — or a worsening of this one — could result in 40 percent absentee rates at work and school at any given time and closed offices, transportation links and other gathering places.

full article

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN2620750120091026

 

Canada
•  H1N1 confirmed in Toronto teen’s death (Link)
•  Many brave long lineups for swine flu vaccine (Link)
•  Ontario teen Evan Frustaglio died of swine flu: update  (Link)
•  Sask. hotel manager on ‘vendetta’ against swine flu (Link)
•  BC had 3 new deaths & 88 new severely ill since Oct. 20 (Link)
•  Toronto region has 5 severe cases in children, 2 more deaths (Link)
•  Ottawa considers vaccinating school-aged children as ‘high-priority’ (Link)
•   Saskatchewan 6 yr old lost to H1N1 mourned by father (Link)

Finland
•  Kindergarten closed in Finland as A/H1N1 flu spreads (Link)

India
•  India: Pune’s death toll reaches 92  (Link)
•  7 Bangalore doctors sick with H1N1 (Link)
•   India declares itself free from bird flu  (Link)

Indonesia
•  Endang Summoned by House of Representatives (translated) (Link)

Korea
•  Deaths point to growing flu epidemic (Link)

Russia
•  Russia confirms 2 deaths (Link)
•  Russia reports its first confirmed swine flu deaths; 4 people reported to have died (Link)

Turkey
•  Message to public, no kissing or handshaking for next 5 months  (Link)

Ukraine
•  Seven die from complications after unknown flu type in Ternopil region (Link)
•  Seven flu deaths reported near Lvov in the Ternopol region (Link)

United Kingdom
•  Northern Ireland: Swine flu jab boy rushed to hospital (Link)
•  Ten people critically ill with swine flu (Link)
•  Elton tour off (Link)
•  Tenth Irish swine flu death confirmed (Link)

United States
•  H1N1 flu ‘pushing hospitals to their limit’ (Link)
•  AZ: Flu clinic “overdoses” 7 children (Link)
•  AZ: Flagstaff flu clinic gives adult doses to 7 kids (Link)
•  CA: 900 get vaccinated for H1N1, others miss out for a 2nd time (Link)
•  CO: Avalanche Hockey goalie has the H1N1 (Link)
•  MN: Lesnar training partner: Brock couldn’t beat flu after 25 days (Link)
•  RI: Rhode Island 12 yr old girl dead after ILI (Link)
•  Washington, DC: President Obama’s children got the H1N1 vaccine (Link)

General
•  Sickest H1N1 Cases in Canada, Mexico Detailed in Medical Journal  (Link)
•  Preparing for the Sickest Patients With 2009 Influenza A(H1N1)  (Link)
•   Supercomputer predicts third H1N1 wave in spring (Link)

NPR: Swine Flu Vaccine Shortage: Why?

by Richard Knox

October 26, 2009

Millions of Americans already have been infected with swine flu. Forty-six states have widespread flu, and the president has declared a national emergency.

But only recently have U.S. health officials discovered why manufacturers can’t deliver as much swine flue vaccine as expected.

Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say for months, the companies didn’t realize how far short their vaccine “yields” were falling. That’s because they didn’t have the chemicals — called reagents — that would have told them how much active ingredient they had in their vaccine production vats.

full story

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114156775&ps=cprs

 

Canada
•  Federal government buying unadjuvanted vaccine from Australia for pregnant women (Link)
•  Ottawa-area child confirmed death from H1N1 (Link)

China
•  More than half of Chinese ‘don’t want swine flu shot’ (Link)

El Salvador
•  Co-infections of H1N1 & dengue (Link)

Indonesia
•  H5N1 Bird Outbreaks in Java, Bengkulu (Link)

Japan
•  Japanese Make A Robot That Acts Like It’s Dying Of H1N1 (Link)

Saudi Arabia
•  39th death, of boy, father outraged at treatment and non-H1N1 designation (Link)

South Korea
•  5 deaths confirmed, including an elementary school student (Link)

Turkey
•  1095 cases reported and 5 in hospitals and 1 in serious condition (Link)

United Kingdom
•  ‘Blackburn trio contract swine flu’ (Link)

United States
•  US: Northwest H1N1 death toll climbs (Link)
•  GOP Leader Promises Support in Swine Flu Outbreak (Link)
•  US: concern over lack of vaccines and extent of early flu season infection levels (Link)
•  US: SEC and Homeland Security need Web backup, GAO says (Link)
•  CA: Huge crowds turning out for swine flu vaccine  (Link)
•  CA: father/parent protests school policy regarding H1N1 notifications (Link)
•  CA: Palo Alto-area parents w/ children express concerns of H1N1 spreading locally (Link)
•  IA: Iowa’s political blamegame begins, & info confirming 1000 US deaths and 2400+ probables (Link)
•  KA: sudden loss of freshman girl while in Indianapolis on school trip (Link)
•  Park Nicollet shuts down flu-shot appointment line (Link)
•  ND: North Dakota confirms 1st death from H1N1 (Link)
•  NE: Omaha hospitals require masks and set new rules for visitors (Link)
•  NH: New Hampshire schools see surge of absenteeism (Link)
•  NJ: student’s ‘mystery death’ possibly H1N1  (Link)
•  NJ: Flu cancels Perfect Attendance contest for year in several districts (Link)
•  OH: One Ohio Valley School Closes Due To Flu  (Link)
•  OR: Metro tempers flare as vaccination lines grow, supplies run out (Link)
•  OR: 33 More Hospitalizations over the weekend  (Link)
•  PA: Philadelphia sees ‘rapid’ rise of H1N1 cases (Link)
•  TX: El Paso confirms county’s 8th death from H1N1 (Link)
•  WI: children’s musical studios close for the week due to ILI (Link)
•  WV: 17 yr old girl’s death may be 1st death in Monongalia County (Link)

Vietnam
•  Hanoi reported its first influenza A death Saturday, raising the country’s tally to 32 (Link)

Yemen
•  13 deaths, only one hospital prepared for H1N1 (Link)

Greece: Half of Greeks set to avoid swine flu jab

Almost one in two Greeks say they will not get the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available, despite the government’s plans to inoculate the entire population against the potentially fatal virus. According to a survey conducted by the University of Athens and the Opinion polling company, 33.3 percent of some 3,000 households questioned said they would «definitely not» be getting the jab, while 14.3 percent said they would «probably not» got to the special inoculation centers being set up around the country. One in five of those questioned said that there is «no chance» of them being infected by the virus, which has killed more than 3,000 people worldwide this year, in the next six months. One in three said that there is only «a small chance» that they will contract swine flu.

http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_2_05/10/2009_111276

 

Canada
•  Preteen died of H1N1 in Cornwall area Ontario (Link)
•  3 NBA Toronto Raptors players out with ILI  (Link)

Denmark
•  Minks infected with H3N2 (Link)

Greece
•  Greece will start vaccinating Nov. 10 (Link)
•  Greece will vaccinate entire population (Link)
•  Athens child died of probable H1N1 (Link)

India
•  13 new deaths, total now 444 dead from H1N1, 90 new cases (Link)
•  India’s toll now 444 (Link)
•  Tamil Nadu “concealing” cases and deaths according to source (Link)

Indonesia
•  Health Ministry To Reopen Namru (Link)

Israel
•  Israeli Company Says it Developed Super-Vaccine for Flu (Link)
•  Israeli Super-Vaccine for Flu Reported (but vaccine hasn’t been tested yet) (Link)
•  2 more deaths, total now 34 dead from H1N1  (Link)

Jordan
•  3rd death from H1N1 confirmed, 15 yr old girl (Link)

Lebanon
•  Pregnant woman died of H1N1 (Link)

Nepal
•  WHO gearing up anti-flu drive for winter (Link)

New Zealand
•  ESBL superbug infections in Auckland hospitals (Link)

Saudi Arabia
•  Saudi shuts two schools after swine flu deaths (Link)
•  Swine flu kills two Saudi youths (Link)
•  Swine flu outbreak at school spreads panic  (Link)

South Africa
•  Bird flu (H7N7?): farms quarantined (Link)

Sri Lanka
•  Prevention, quarantine best method to combat virus (Link)

United Kingdom
•  Swine flu claims two more Scots (Link)
•  Sussex cases up 300% in 4 weeks (Link)

United States
•  Washington, DC: Unplugged: H1N1 Cases Overestimated? (Link)
•  US: Push Is on for New Flu Drugs in Pipeline (Link)
•  AZ: Hopi artist succumbs to H1N1 (Link)
•  CA: 8 infected with rare form of typhus near U.S. Los Angeles (Link)
•  FL: Palm Beach Parents infuriated over wait for swine flu vaccine (Link)
•  IL: Illinois confirms 2 more deaths, and 66 ‘new’ ILI hospitalized (Link)
•  KY: 2 more deaths confirmed in Kentucky, total now 10 (Link)
•  MN: Hospital executive, 54, died of suspected H1N1 (Link)
•  NM: New Mexico’s capital, Santa Fe, health providers “slammed” by H1N1 (Link)
•  NY: Death of 5th grader (Link)
•  OR: After getting swine flu, boy nearly dies from bacterial meningitis (Link)
•  RI tracking swine flu through electronic records (Link)
•  WY: A physician’s assistant working long hours for us all (Link)

Vietnam
•  4 more deaths, 2 pregnant women, 1 infant, total deaths 31 (Link)

General
•  Brookings report on school closure and costs (Link)

Obama declares swine flu a national emergency

Sat Oct 24, 2009 6:46pm EDT

By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama has declared 2009 H1N1 swine flu a national emergency, the White House said on Saturday.

The declaration will make it easier for U.S. medical facilities to handle a surge in flu patients by allowing the waiver of some requirements of Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health insurance programs as needed, the White House said in a statement.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday that swine flu has become widespread in 46 of the 50 U.S. states, a level comparable to the peak of ordinary flu seasons but far earlier and with more waves of infection expected.

Obama signed the statement on Friday night.

full story

http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE59N19E20091024

 

Canada
•  Health Canada takes word of others H1N1 vaccine safe (Link)
•  Montreal has 3 critically ill and 40 new cases as ‘second wave’ arrives (Link)

China
•  Beijing’s first severe A/H1N1 flu case dies of other illnesses (Link)

Indonesia
•  Indonesia says no policy change on bird flu samples (Link)

Turkey
•  1st confirmed death of man 29 in Ankara/capital city (Link)

United States
•  CA: Frustration looms as H1N1 vaccines run out (Link)
•  MA: Dramatic increase in H1N1 seen (Link)
•  MI: Health Experts Surprised By School Closings (Link)
•  NY: Hand sanitizer in short supply as swine flu hits (Link)
•  TX: Mass swine flu vaccinations in the works in Dallas County (Link)
•  TX: That flu shot you meant to get? It could be too late (Link)
•  WI: Substitute teacher shortage (Link)

Vietnam
•  Seven more die from swine flu in Vietnam (Link)

General
•  UC Davis’ international effort to prevent new pandemics (Link)

U.K. Swine flu vaccine: drugs regulator casts doubt on one dose schedule

Two doses of the swine flu vaccine should be used despite British health officials deciding to give one dose in most cases, according to advice from drug regulators.

By Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor
Published: 3:29PM BST 23 Oct 2009

Pandemrix, the swine flu vaccine made by GlaxoSmithKline, is already being used in Britain with health and social care workers and critically ill patients in hospital having started to receive it this week.

From next week deliveries will be arriving in GP surgeries so they can begin to offer the vaccine to pregnant women and people with long-term conditions.

Government officials have advised that one dose of the vaccine is sufficient in people over the age of 10 and any children under that age who have long-term conditions should receive two doses.

Research trials have suggested that the majority of people have sufficient immunity against swine flu after one dose.

However, the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use said the evidence is not strong enough to recommend one dose for general use.

full story

http://tinyurl.com/yfscuv3

 

Australia
•  Teen swine flu victim’s muscles ‘melted’ (Link)

Canada
•  One more death in Ontario, total for province now 28 (Link)
•  Alberta confirms another death, total now 9 (Link)

Indonesia
•  Health Minister Promises International Cooperation (translated) (Link)

Ireland
•  Youth is Ireland’s ninth flu death (Link)
•  “Unprecedented” numbers sick with H1N1 (Link)

United Kingdom
•  Two more swine flu deaths in Wales (Link)
•  Sir Elton cancels arena concert (Link)
•  Cheerleader in flu jab horror (Link)

United States
•  AL: Nursing students get vaccinated as two more H1N1 deaths reported (Link)
•  DE: Delaware death of 15 yr old ruled H1N1-related(Link)
•  KY: two more deaths in Kentucky last week, total now 10 (Link)
•  MI: First death confirmed in Kalamazoo, Michigan (Link)
•  MN: Martin County Officials React To H1N1 Deaths (Link)
•  MN: Minnesota Mom Says Swine Flu Led to Son’s Death (Link)
•  MO: Health director suspends flu vaccine law (Link)
•  NC: Brunswick County confirmed 1st death, new mom (Link)
•  OR: 800 turned away from Multnomah County swine flu shot site (Link)
•  OR: Josephine County has its first H1N1 death (Link)
•  OR: 2 S. Oregon swine flu patients in critical condition (Link)
•  OR: Josephine County to declare State of Emergency – H1N1 (Link)
•  SC: Joe Wilson’s wife diagnosed with swine flu (Link)
•  TX: New Flu Deaths in Dallas & Tarrant (Link)
•  TX: Local Health District Offers Drive-Through FluMist Clinic Friday (Link)
•  WI: Second death in Winnebago County (Link)

General
•  Swine flu may protect against bird flu (Link)
•  Human transmits H1N1 flu to ferret(Link)
•  Nearly 5,000 H1N1 Flu Deaths Reported World-Wide (Link)
•  Washing hands won’t stop a respiratory virus (Link)
•  GSK’s flu vaccine delivers strong response in children with one shot(Link)

MSNBC: Wonder why H1N1 shots are late? Blame eggs

H1N1 slow to reproduce in eggs, a key part of antiquated vaccine process

updated 5:50 p.m. ET, Wed., Oct . 21, 2009

SWIFTWATER, Pa. – The federal government originally promised 120 million doses of swine flu vaccine by now. Only 13 million have come through.

As nervous Americans clamor for the vaccine, production is running several weeks behind schedule, and health officials blame the pressure on pharmaceutical companies to crank it out along with the ordinary flu vaccine, and a slow and antiquated process that relies on millions of chicken eggs.

There have been other bottlenecks, too: Factories that put the precious liquid into syringes have become backed up. And the government itself ran into a delay in developing the tests required to assess each batch before it is cleared for use.

full story

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33420826/ns/health-cold_and_flu/

 

Australia
•  Video : ICU experience from Sydney (Link)

Canada
•  Healthy Canadians asked to hold off on getting swine flu vaccine (Link)
•  Full efforts urged to stop A/H1N1 flu virus transmission from people to animals (Link)
•  3rd Tamiflu-resistant case since pandemic began (Link)

China
•  Massive flu vaccination underway (Link)

France
•  Death of a 38 years man (translated) (Link)

India
•  Hospitals get equipments for H1N1 (Link)
•  Death toll reaches 431, plus 112 new cases confirmed yesterday (Link)

Indonesia
•  Supari Claims New Health Minister Smuggled Virus  (Link)
•  Sickness in N. Sumatra factory workers (translated) (Link)
•  Indonesia Has 1,097 Swine Flu Cases (translated) (Link)
•  More Criticism of Endang (translated) (Link)

Ireland
•  Four more people with swine flu die
(Link)

Kenya
•  Researchers visiting students for introduction of H1N1 (Link)

United Kingdom
•  NHS told to brace itself over flu (Link)
•  DH warns of ‘unprecedented’ workload as swine flu cases double (Link)
•  Girl, eight, dies from swine flu
An eight-year-old girl from Norwich, who contracted swine flu, has died within 24 hours of falling ill (Link)
•  Quarter of critical swine flu patients under 16: Sir Liam Donaldson (Link)
•  UK’s death toll climbed 16 last week (Link)
•  2 more deaths confirmed in Wales, others mentioned as possible H1N1 (Link)

United States
•  Washington, DC: First Member of Congress Gets H1N1 (Link)
•  Problems with storage temps for vaccine (Link and link)
•  CA: Gov. Schwarzenegger deploys state’s N95 masks (Link)
•  CO: Coloradao launches website to help self-assessments on H1N1 (Link)
•  DE: First confirmed death from H1N1 in Delaware (Link)
•  FL: Swine flu claims 3 lives in Central Florida; survey shows 1 in 5 kids has flu-like virus (Link)
•  FL: death toll in Florida last week reached 131 (Link)
•  GA: CDC: 1 in 5 kids had flu this month (Link)
•  KS: state officials confirm 9th death
Kansas health officials confirm the ninth death in of a person infected with the H1N1 flu virus (Link)
•  MD: 18 yr old’s death was ‘swine flu’, so parents say doctors said (Link)
•  MN: 3 more Minnesota deaths, two children under 7 (Link)
•  OH: Boy with H1N1 was alert, talking until minutes before his death, mom says (Link)
•  PA: Children’s Hospital to conduct live Web chat on swine flu (Link)
•  SC: Greenville pastor likely to have been an H1N1 casualty (Link)
•  H (Link)

General
•  Washington Post-ABC News poll: Despite H1N1 fears, many worry about vaccination (Link)
•  Swine Flu Parties? Send Your Regrets, Experts Say (Link)
•   Pro-MED off tomorrow am. (Link)

Swine Flu Cases Overestimated?

CBS News Exclusive: Study Of State Results Finds H1N1 Not As Prevalent As Feared

By Sharyl Attkisson

CBS)  If you’ve been diagnosed “probable” or “presumed” 2009 H1N1 or “swine flu” in recent months, you may be surprised to know this: odds are you didn’t have H1N1 flu.

In fact, you probably didn’t have flu at all. That’s according to state-by-state test results obtained in a three-month-long CBS News investigation.

The ramifications of this finding are important. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Britain’s National Health Service, once you have H1N1 flu, you’re immune from future outbreaks of the same virus. Those who think they’ve had H1N1 flu — but haven’t — might mistakenly presume they’re immune. As a result, they might skip taking a vaccine that could help them, and expose themselves to others with H1N1 flu under the mistaken belief they won’t catch it. Parents might not keep sick children home from school, mistakenly believing they’ve already had H1N1 flu.

Why the uncertainty about who has and who hasn’t had H1N1 flu?

full story

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/21/cbsnews_investigates/main5404829.shtml

 

Canada
•  Canada: another BC school district sees H1N1 cases for first time (Link)

China
•  Three athletes with A/H1N1 doing well (Link)
•  Second wave of H1N1 infections hits China  (Link)
•  Beijing starts free A/H1N1 flu vaccination to students, medical staff, public servants (Link)

Cote D’ivore
•  Ivory Coast: H5N1-infected birds reported.
Avian Influenza (54): Cote D’ivore (Africa) Wild Birds (Link)

Croatia
•  Croatian minister of defence has heart attack (Link)

India
•  Death toll reaches 415, 2 confirmed, one more suspect death in Delhi (Link)
•  11 confirmed H1N1-affected soldiers in J-K, 2 more today (Link)
•  Seven swine flu deaths take India’s toll to 427 (Link)

Japan
•  Japan Confirms First Case of Swine Flu in Pigs at Osaka Farm (Link)

Russia
•  Swine flu on the rise in Russia’s Far East (Link)
•  Number of swine flu cases in Russia’s Krasnoyarsk rises to 70 (Link)

Serbia
•  Serbia confirms first H1N1 flu death (Link)

South Africa
•  Bird flu: farms quarantined (Link)

Taiwan
•  25th death reported (Link)

United Kingdom
•  Swine flu mass vaccination programme launched (Link)
•  Londerry: Second pupil with swine flu dies (Link)
•  Crawley girl, 9, may have died of swine flu (Link)

United States
•  US: Napolitano: More H1N1 vaccines coming (Link)
•  US: FDA launches website for reporting suspected fraudulent H1N1 (Swine) flu products (Link)
•  US: Homeland Security Hearing on Panflu Today (Link)
•  US: Tests show flu spreads from schools(Link)
•  US: AFA Physicians: H1N1 May Live Longer Than Expected (Link)
•  US: CDC says it’s difficult to predict future of any ‘form’ of flu (Link)
•  CA: 1st grader’s death from H1N1 in Vacaville still not certain (Link)
•  CO: Colorado reports 6 more deaths from flu (Link)
•  IL: 2nd Naperville patient has died of H1N1-related causes (Link)
•  MN: nurse-managed phone lines will provide new ways to get meds (Link)
•  OK: Ardmore-area parents think student who died was H1N1-related (Link)
•  OR: Oregon Congressman Walden likely sidelined by swine flu (Link)
•  TN: An EMT ‘miraculously’ survived H1N1, and he had no health insurance (Link)
•  TX: ranks at the bottom for obtaining vaxx for her people (Link)
•  TX: Health dept. says 14yr-old had underlying condition; family disagrees  (Link)
•  TX: Seasonal Flu Shots Are Getting Scarce (Link)
•  WA: 1st baby death confirmed in Washington (Link)

Texas: Health authorities troubled by number of healthy people dying from H1N1 virus

Pflugerville teen was among about one-third of children who die of swine flu despite no underlying medical conditions, CDC says.

Fourteen-year-old Jacob Moya was busing tables at the Texas Bible Institute in Columbus on July 8 when he felt run down and called his dad in Pflugerville. He resisted his father’s offer to get him, saying he would tough it out, said his father, Henry Moya.  Jacob died a month later from the H1N1 virus.

When health authorities confirmed Jacob’s death from the virus – more commonly called swine flu – they said that he had developed a staph infection during the course of his illness but that it was unknown whether he had significant underlying medical conditions. Henry Moya said his son had no underlying health problems when he contracted swine flu.

About a third of the children who have died from the H1N1 virus had no underlying health conditions, Llelwyn Grant, a spokesman for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in an e-mail Monday. Among hospitalized adults, recent CDC data show that more than 45 percent had no underlying health problems that would put them at an increased risk for complications from swine flu, Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said in a briefing with reporters last week.

full article

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/2009/10/20/1020swineflu.html

 

Iraq
•  Iraq to shut thousands of schools over H1N1 flu (Link)

United States
•  US: Farrakhan suspicious of H1N1 vaccine (Link)
•  US: Feds study swine flu vaccine dose for asthmatics (Link)
•  US: An Epidemic of Fear: How Panicked Parents Skipping Shots Endangers Us All (Link)
•  CA: 4 yr old boy died in Santa Barbara less than one week after 5 yr old girl in San Diego  (Link)
•  ID: 4 Possible H1N1 Deaths Sound Warning (Link)
•  IL: DeKalb County Records First H1N1 Death (Link)
•  IL: Flu-like illnesses take toll on St. Charles East High; school closing (Link and link)
•  OR: Ferret gets swine flu from its owner, a first (Link)
•  OR: H1N1 (or influenza) deaths up to 18 (Link)