Remember The Swine Flu?

[Doc Com]

MRSA is a far more serious problem Doc at least in the UK. It killed my father so I'm particularly 'laissez faire' about swine flu.

You are so correct. And I am so sorry to hear about your father.

Any hospital stay exposes you to MRSA. That patients will catch it is almost a given. Any wound, surgery, or exposed injuries are so prone to getting it.

It is especially rampant in nursing homes and such.

The big bug we are fighting now in VRE, Vancomycin resistant. This is what is typically used to fight MRSA.

See how smart viruses and germs are? The evolve and mutate quicker than we can come up with new defenses.

Just within a few days, I related how 3 boyscouts tested positive from a Boy Scout camp here in NC (they were from Georgia and Florida) and now this issue with a local hospital.

I know the director of that department who would have permitted a person to go from one hospital of treating adults to another hospital (all with in the same system thanks to mergers and buyouts) of a such a controlled environment of a NICU (neonatal intensive care unit).

And how many people at the other hospital did she expose? Other patients, co-workers and staff? I have not heard any news from there yet.

This is definitely the time of year that I would wear a mask around anyone coming in with respiratory or flu-like symptoms. The best thing you can do? Put a mask on the patient! And insist they wear that mask until the test results come back.

Seriously, I just hope and pray that this all comes out well.

and,

just saw this.

U.S. swine flu cases top 21,000 as deaths rise
CDC: Most illnesses occuring in Northeast as cool spring prolongs activity

This is the middle of June, going into July. This is not the typical flu season. This is hit the beach, the clubs, etc. time of year. That is what makes this whole episode particularly of concern to the health community. There are a great deal more to have to deal with this time of year than to diverting resources to this problem.

I just pays (at least for me) to know this is still an issue and a concern. Especially here in North Carolina. Confirmed cases are jumping. My wife and I both work in Hospitals. One hospital I was at required me to not only cover the ER but also the ICU's and go to high risk deliveries. I am so glad I am not in that environment at present.

[Domainx09]

More than 56,000 people died from the flu in the United States in 2006, the most recent year for which data is available.

In 2005, the flu killed 63,001 people in the United States.

An average of 36,171 people died each year of flu in the United States from 1993 to 2003, according to a recent CDC study.

(CNSNews.com)

[therunner]

What about the "dengue"...it kills and it has more mortar rate than this and no one says anything...why? because the news says what they want to sell...

[Doc Com]

Thanks guys.

I love it when people spend time to research shit I already know.

You miss the whole point.

June 19 is NOT flu season.

Have a good summer.

What about the "dengue"...it kills and it has more mortar rate than this and no one says anything...why? because the news says what they want to sell...

So we make Portland concrete and cement from the bodies of those who die from denge fever?

[petrosc]

What about the "dengue"...it kills and it has more mortar rate than this and no one says anything...why? because the news says what they want to sell...

you meant to say Lethality rate not mortality rate

FYI - Mortality rate is the number of deaths caused by a certain disease in a population
- Lethality rate is the number of deaths among those who already carry the illness.

So even though Dengue has a high lethality rate (many of those who catch it will die), it has a pretty low mortality rate (how many people die in the US per 100,000 in the population? not that many because there are not that many occurrences of the dengue fever)

Dengue is a tropical illness, and not only is it not a pandemic, in reality it is quite hard to become one. Mostly due to the fact that it's pretty fast to kill it's victims and they do not have "enough time" to spread the virus around.

Swine Flu is serious and its not because the news say what they want to sell. WHO does not want to sell news and they certainly do not want to cause panic for no reason. Believe me, the Dengue fever is much more interesting than flu and when even a tiny epidemic pops in the US it will be all over the news.

Flu is a very serious yet very underestimated disease.
Asian Flu 1956 - up to 4 million victims in 2 years
Hong Kong flu 1968 - 1 million people in 1 year
Spanish Flu 1918 - 1% of the earth's population was killed in 2 years. 50-100million people

[JuniperPark]

Not sure if this made national news yet, but here in San Diego a very healthy 20 year old female just died from swine flu. She died 48 hours after her first symptom, on her way home from work at Kentucky Fried Chicken. Her brother (who is her rooommate)
has it and is in the hospital.

The big numbers of flu deaths are mostly people who were old and otherwise ill. This was a very healthy 20 year old, who was serving food while infected. Yikes!

[Doc Com]

Thanks for the comments.

The issue, I repeat, is this is still prevalent and still a concern because this is not flu season.

Everything that people are describing are normal death rates from normal flu during normal flu season.

Nothing about this is normal.

It is a mutated virus that has passed from animal to human, again not the normal flu bug.

Fortunately in my immediate area there has not been deaths. Meanwhile, the confirmed cases in North Carolina are climbing, not decreasing.

Just read this on msnbc.com

Continued spread signals ‘something different’ happening with new strain

WASHINGTON - America's count of swine flu cases has risen to 21,449 cases and the number of deaths have nearly doubled to 87.

The continued spread signals the new strain of H1N1 flu is causing “something different” to happen in the United States this year — perhaps an extended year-round flu season that disproportionately hits young people, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The latest numbers, released Friday by the CDC is a jump from last week's count of 18,000 cases and 44 deaths.

continuing-

Summer of flu
"The United States will likely continue to see influenza activity through the summer, and at this point we're anticipating that we will see the novel H1N1 continue with activity probably all the way into our flu season in the fall and winter. The amount of activity we expect to be low, and then pick up later."

One worrying pattern: health care workers are being infected, and most reported they did little or nothing to protect themselves, the CDC's Dr. Mike Bell said.

Again, this is why I wanted to state earlier that you have the right to ask the health care worker to wash their hands before touching you. Health care workers carry germs, viruses, and disease and can spread it to you - surprise!

[Doc Com]

Sorry to report that North Carolina's first Swine Flu death has occurred.

By coincidence, the death took place at the same hospital that I earlier reported the cross contamination in the Neonatal Intensive Care.

The man had a heart procedure done at this hospital not too long ago. He developed pneumonia and came back to the hospital.

He deteriorated during the present stay. It was confirmed today that the cause of death was H1N1, Swine Flu.

There are a total of 179 confirmed cases in North Carolina.

If you have flu like symptoms, seek help immediately.

Ask yourself:
Is the later part of June normal flu season?

Protect yourself and others around you.
Wash you hands, cover your mouth when you cough and sneeze.

If hospitalized for any reason, know your rights
Ask staff to wash hands

If you are immunocompromised (chemo therapy, radiation therapy, carcinomas) insist that those around you wear a mask, a simple surgical mask may suffice.

[Doc Com]

Unfortunately, a Second Swine Flu death has been reported at the same hospital in Greensboro where the 33 babies were exposed to this disease.

The second death was the patient originally admitted to the hospital and identified as the person who was being treated initially as an asthma attack. This patient is the one who infected a Respiratory Therapist who then went to the women's center. That Respiratory Therapist has tested positive to the swine flu. The therapist is at home recovering.

All infants exposed have been treated with tamiflu and had been closely monitored.

Here is the press release from the local news:

Second Guilford County H1N1 Patient Dies
Forsyth County Confirms First Cases Of H1N1

[Doc Com]

A case of how viruses mutate and fight for survival, just like all living things.

Drug-resistant swine flu seen in Danish patient
Patient had been taking Tamiflu as a preventive measure

[amcdonald]

In Manitoba here population 1.2 million there has been 458 confirmed cases, although many more cases are suspected as there is currently an outbreak on manitoba first nation reservations. 3 deaths. an older lady with pre-existing health conditions, a healthy 40 something year old man, and a child under 18. At one point the local news was reporting 35 people with the virus on ventilators in city hospitals.

Interesting to get peoples take on this. I ask occasionally. I would say most people think its blown out of proportion and get quiet upset about it, and sometimes refuse to hear anything. which I personally find a little odd. Being educated about something never hurt anybody. why not just have an open mind learn a little bit and be prepared if something like this should get out of hand, now or in the future.If not for yourself then maybe your kids. There's never time to learn when you are smack dab in the middle of any type of emergency. I am not saying panic. I guess I am saying if you have faith in your Government then have faith they wouldn't steer you in the wrong direction about a health crisis.


just my 2 cents.

[Domainx09]

I don't see what this has to do with advertising or services.

[Doc Com]

I don't see what this has to do with advertising or services.

Flu.Travel and mCDC.mobi.

Someone sent me a PM indicating that San Diego now has 400 Swine Flu cases.

I did just read of two more Swine Flu deaths in San Diego county.

3 deaths. an older lady with pre-existing health conditions, a healthy 40 something year old man, and a child under 18. At one point the local news was reporting 35 people with the virus on ventilators in city hospitals.

I am afraid that if the Ventilator part is true and it is directly related to Swine Flu, the outcome may not be favorable. Again, IF they are directly related to Swine Flu.

A key point that you featured - healthy, young people are falling victim. Yes, every one wants to point out the number of deaths per year for regular flu. Those victims are primarily the elderly and frail.

This virus is taking out many young people and children.

I am not reporting fear and panic.

I am letting every one know that this is a real problem that still exists and is not going away any time soon.

Below is a study of how rapidly a disease can spread - an example.

from March and April last year (2008), 2 million people flew from Mexico to more than 1,000 cities worldwide in 164 countries.

This was purely for analysis sake and for forecasting.

Swine flu’s spread tracked through air travel
Study suggests just how widely — and quickly — a new disease can spread

[Doc Com]

Word coming in from the local scene:

Another summer camp is closing after two campers and five staff members have tested positive for H1N1, Swine Flu.

These were staffers and campers who attended the camp from June 22-26.

The camp is also contacting the parents of those children who attended that week to inform them their child may have been exposed.

The camp, Camp Caraway, is owned by the Baptist State Convention.

It is odd how NC was one of the last states to get its first case but now has accelerated to 255 confirmed cases. Locally, we have had two deaths.

mCDC.mobi will not only give you official WHO and CDC information, there are links to your state health departments.

Be safe. Be informed.

[Doc Com]

Officials to step up swine flu resistance testing
San Francisco teenager had a strain resistant to Tamiflu

Whenever a new bug comes along, one thing many health officials ponder is,

how long will it be before the virus mutates?

One of the toughest things to do is keep up with the ever changing molecular structure.

HIV, Tuberculosis, Staph Infections are but a few of the more common ones that have been in the news lately.

Much of this is a direct result of over prescribing of antibiotics.

Now Swine Flu.

Keeping everything in perspective, July is not typical Swine Flu season.

If you read the article, you will find a total of three people have developed a resistance to Tamiflu, the drug used to combat Swine Flu?

Why are these people resistant?

Well, each one had been give a dose of Tamiflu when they had been exposed to someone with Swine Flu. These people did not have swine flu initially. When they did get the virus, Tamiflu had no effect at all on eradicating the bug. The virus had already been exposed to Tamiflu and had now mutated and changed its structure to be resistant to Tamiflu.

Viruses and bacteria and single cell creatures were here before mankind.

They will be here when we are gone.



ATLANTA - U.S. health officials are stepping up testing of swine flu cases for Tamiflu resistance, now that an American has come down with a resistant strain.

A California teenager was diagnosed with swine flu last month after arriving in Hong Kong on June 11, and has since recovered. The 16-year-old is a San Francisco resident and likely was infected in the United States, health officials said Tuesday.

Her illness was mild, but noteworthy. She’s just the third person in the world to be diagnosed with a strain resistant to Tamiflu, the primary pharmaceutical weapon against the new virus.

Read More

[Doc Com]

New Swine Flu Strain Found In Saskatchewan; Canadian Medics Warn Of Influenza Incidents Hike In Fall

Read more: http://www.allheadlinenews.com/artic...xzz0KvLQCrNA&C

As of July 3, there had been 8,883 confirmed cases of the H1N1 flu virus, or swine flu, across Canada, 663 of which have led to hospitalization, and 29 of which have ended in death.

Alberta recorded 27 new confirmed H1N1 flu cases over the weekend, bringing that province's total to 1,098. Of those, 55 people have been hospitalized.

Meanwhile, swine flu is showing signs that it can move outside the respiratory tract to other parts of the body, something regular flu viruses normally do not do.



New Swine Flu Strain Found in Canada

http://www.dbtechno.com/health/2009/...und-in-canada/

Drug makers are rushing to mass produce a vaccine for the virus, but if it is mutating, then their vaccines may not be effective.

Since the virus was identified back in April, more than 500,000 cases of it have been reported spanning more than 70 countries.

[Doc Com]

There are several oddities about this flu as pointed out in this piece.

Vaccine go-ahead given for ‘unstoppable’ flu
Health care workers should be first in line in all countries, WHO official says

"Obesity has been observed to be one of the risk factors for more severe reaction to H1N1" -- something never before seen, Kieny added. It is not clear if obese people may have undiagnosed health problems that make them susceptible, or if obesity in and of itself is a risk.

On Friday, a team at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the University of Michigan reported that nine out of 10 patients treated in an intensive care unit there were obese. They also had unusual symptoms such as blood clots in the lungs and multiple organ failure.

None have recovered and three died.

As I pointed out previously, the virus is mutating and changing rapidly which makes it difficult to control or prevent. And a handful of people have developed a drug resistant strain.

This virus also has the affinity for lungs. Lungs are a dark, constantly moist, always warm environment that is perfect for growing out organisms. It is the human Petri dish.

The work by Dr. Yoshihiro Kawaoka also supports other studies that this new H1N1 strain does not stay in the nose and throat, as do most seasonal viruses.

"The H1N1 virus replicates significantly better in the lungs," Kawaoka said. Other studies have also shown it can cause gastrointestinal effects, and that it targets people not usually thought of as being at high risk.

[JuniperPark]

Well guess what, I got the flu this week.

Not sure which one because it's reasonably mild, but we have have 2 military ship in port that cannot deploy because many of the crew have swine flu, and there has been a swine flu outbreak at 2 of the local prisons.

I've never had the flu in the middle of summer before.

[Doc Com]

In the United States, significant novel H1N1 illness has continued into the summer, with localized and in some cases intense outbreaks occurring. The United States continues to report the largest number of novel H1N1 cases of any country worldwide, however, most people who have become ill have recovered without requiring medical treatment.

Learn more >>

U.S. Human Cases of H1N1 Flu Infection

As of 11:00 AM ET on July 17, 2009, CDC is reporting 40,617 confirmed and probable cases and 263 deaths in 55 states and territories (including the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.):
States and
Territories Confirmed and Probable Cases Deaths
States
Alabama
477 cases
0 deaths

Alaska

218 cases

0 deaths

Arizona

762 cases

11 deaths

Arkansas

47 cases

0 deaths

California

3161 cases

52 deaths

Colorado

155 cases

0 deaths

Connecticut

1581 cases

7 deaths

Delaware

364 cases

0 deaths

Florida

2188 cases

12 deaths

Georgia

174 cases

1 death

Hawaii

722 cases

1 death

Idaho

143 cases

0 deaths

Illinois

3357 cases

15 deaths

Indiana

282 cases

1 death

Iowa

165 cases

0 deaths

Kansas

186 cases

0 deaths

Kentucky

143 cases

0 deaths

Louisiana

232 cases

0 deaths

Maine

133 cases

0 deaths

Maryland

732 cases

3 deaths

Massachusetts

1343 cases

5 deaths

Michigan

515 cases

8 deaths

Minnesota

660 cases

3 deaths

Mississippi

219 cases

0 deaths

Missouri

70 cases

1 death

Montana

94 cases

0 deaths

Nebraska

264 cases

1 death

Nevada

406 cases

0 deaths

New Hampshire

247 cases

0 deaths

New Jersey

1350 cases

14 deaths

New Mexico

232 cases

0 deaths

New York

2670 cases

57 deaths

North Carolina

395 cases

4 deaths

North Dakota

61 cases

0 deaths

Ohio

161 cases

1 death

Oklahoma

176 cases

1 death

Oregon

465 cases

5 deaths

Pennsylvania

1914 cases

8 deaths

Rhode Island

188 cases

2 deaths

South Carolina

244 cases

0 deaths

South Dakota

39 cases

0 deaths

Tennessee

247 cases

1 death

Texas

4975 cases

24 deaths

Utah

966 cases

14 deaths

Vermont

59 cases

0 deaths

Virginia

319 cases

2 deaths

Washington

636 cases

4 deaths

Washington, D.C.

45 cases

0 deaths

West Virginia

227 cases

0 deaths

Wisconsin

6031 cases

5 deaths

Wyoming

106 cases

0 deaths



40,617 cases

263 deaths

[JuniperPark]

I'm doing much better today, it was fairly mild, but 2 more people died from Swine Flu in my city this week, one of them was 25, the other 57.