Posted on 06/24/2009 8:04:24 AM PDT by metmom
Within minutes, six-year-old Rubjit Thindal went from happily chatting in the back seat of the car to collapsing and dying in her father's arms.
"If we had known it was so serious, we would have called 911,'' Kuldip Thindal, Rubjit's distraught mother, said in Punjabi yesterday. "She just had a stomach ache -- she wasn't even crying.''
Rubjit was pronounced dead at hospital barely 24 hours after showing signs of a fever. Later, doctors told her parents she had the H1N1 influenza virus. She is believed to be the youngest person in Canada with the virus to have died.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.guelphmercury.com ...
Ukraine flu outbreak widens, Kiev announces control moves - Summary
Posted : Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:10:29 GMT
By : dpa
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/293225,ukraine-flu-outbreak-widens-kiev-announces-control-moves—summary.html
Kiev - Ukraine’s deadly flu outbreak widened on Wednesday, as government officials announced new emergency measures in an attempt to control the spread of the illness. More than 478,000 people were registered with national health authorities as suffering from the flu, of whom 17 had confirmed cases of swine flu, Health Ministry spokeswoman Lyudmila Luharska said.
The nationwide death count from flu-related illnesses since late October stood at 86, Luharska said at a Kiev press conference, according to the Ukrainska Pravda website.
Flu infection was highest in Ukraine’s western Lviv, Ternopil and Ivano-Frankivsk provinces, where reports of flu to health authorities had doubled since the weekend, she said.
Four deaths from the virulent swine flu strain were confirmed as of Thursday, Luharska said.
One man who died of swine flu was a Kiev resident, the news agency Interfax reported. A second person in the Ukrainian capital was suspected of having been infected with swine flu.
The Kiev swine flu death marked the first jump of swine flu from Ukraine’s western provinces, where the flu outbreak has been concentrated so far, to Kiev, Ukraine’s largest metropolitan area.
Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said at a meeting that her government would enact more emergency measures to control the disease’s spread and to combat retail shortages of anti-flu drugs and protective anti-infection masks.
Tymoshenko said the government would prepare a plan “within a week” to establish a nationwide chain of state-run drug sales centres to combat what she called hoarding and price-gouging by the private health industry, according to a report by the Korrespondent website.
The centres, each offering a limited assortment of some 100 basic anti-cold and flu drugs, would operate in government-run hospitals and clinics, and sell medical supplies at a marginal price mark-up, Tymoshenko said.
Tymoshenko also instructed Foreign Minister Petro Poroshenko to obtain a “special pandemic price” in negotiations with international drug companies for emergency deliveries of anti-flu drugs to Ukraine, according to an Interfax report.
Government textile and clothes factories have received 1 million metres of gauze and cheesecloth from state reserves, Tymoshenko said,and emergency production of surgical masks was beginning, according to a TSN television news report.
Initial deliveries of cloth masks would reach the general public in seven days, “sufficient to provide every Ukrainian citizen two masks,” she said.
Factories in Kharkiv and the hard-hit Lviv region would produce the masks, according to Ukrainian media reports. Tymoshenko on Monday said that if necessary, her government would commit 6 million metres of gauze and cheesecloth to the emergency mask production programme.
Tymoshenko was scheduled to travel to the Lviv province, the epicentre of the flu outbreak, on Thursday afternoon, according to a Cabinet of Ministers statement.
Ukraine
The epidemic has already killed 86 Ukrainians
04/Nov/09
In connection with the epidemic of influenza and acute respiratory infections (ARI) to date in Ukraine, 86 people died.
According to an UNIAN correspondent, the director of the Department of motherhood, childhood and sanatorium of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine Raisa MOISEENKO announced today at a press conference in Kiev.
She noted that everyone must observe the basic rules of conduct that will not the flu and colds.
“What is important today for all the decline in air temperature to avoid hypothermia is an organism. Because it is a major factor in the risk of contracting. People should dress well. Second - do not stay in areas with large concentrations of people. At present, we can see fewer people on the streets. We are pleased that embraced our call. Third - all-important question - the correct, high-quality, fortified food, “- said R. MOISEENKO.
She also underlined the critical importance of hand washing and mask treatment.
“People bought everything that can be redeemed, those masks, which are driven out, in the rush immediately toss a pharmacy network. A huge request to people who wish to protect themselves Mask regime - four layers of gauze, needle with thread, four ropes - everything “- R. MOISEENKO advised, adding that every two hours should disinfect the mask, exposing the heat treatment, because it accumulates all of the harmful environment.
http://www.unian.net/rus/news/news-345027.html
sambucol’s website notes the site below, for background...
http://www.blackelderberry.info/index.cfm?id=376
3rd study down is of interest - in seasonal flu — iirc, tamiflu cut the duration of illness by 1.5 days, vs elderberry that cut it by 3-4 days. also note that it impairs the ability of the virus to attach to cells, vs tamiflu that impairs the ability of the virus to get out of an infected cell - H vs N.
hattip pathfinder & PFI Poster Homebody
‘H1N1 virus nothing like the flu’
Posted By JENNIFER HAMILTON-MCCHARLES, THE NUGGET
Posted 2 hours ago
Victims of the H1N1 virus say symptoms put the illness in a league of its own.
Rosemary Elson was confirmed to have H1N1, along with her husband and five children, in July.
They arrived at the hospital’s emergency department, underwent numerous blood tests and nose and mouth swabs and were told it’s the swine flu.
The family was quarantined in their home for two weeks. They relied on friends and family to drop off milk and fresh meat at their front door.
The H1N1 virus is nothing like the flu. You’re going to know if you get H1N1,” Elson said Tuesday.
I couldn’t move, I kept passing out and I was in so much pain. It felt like the bottom of my stomach was going to fall out. My ankle, knees and every joint in my body hurt,” she said.
While medical officials say there are varying degrees of symptoms, Elson described a severe reaction.
You just don’t get a fever . . . your entire head feels like it’s cooking.
There’s also this poison taste in the back of your throat. And forget about swallowing, because it feels like your swallowing golf balls.”
Elson sympathizes with those in hospital who are suffering from the virus and encourages parents to get their children vaccinated.
She said she attempted to get her children vaccinated, but the lineup was too long.
They have yet to return to a clinic and two of her children have influenza-like symptoms.
Elson said the fever and stomach cramping have returned. She said she and her five-and nine-year-olds are back in quarantine.
Something is coming back through the house again,” Elson said. But we’re trying to avoid the hospital’s emergency room at all costs.”
Elson said since the pandemic hit Ontario, everyone who has fallen ill cites H1N1 as the cause.
She said now that the local health unit has tapped out its supply, she fears people’s concern will escalate.
Dr. Jim Chirico, the district’s medical officer of health, said the 19,500 doses of the vaccine have been either administered or distributed to doctors.
He said the health unit has yet to receive more supply and all high risk and general H1N1 clinics are postponed until further notice.
Pregnant women and new mothers are now the focus. The health unit received 800 doses of the unadjuvanted vaccine.
Special clinics are being held this week in North Bay, Parry Sound, Mattawa, Sturgeon Falls and Burk’s Falls for pregnant women and women who gave birth within the last six weeks.
Chirico said if there is any unadjuvanted vaccine left the health unit will distribute it among area doctors and he’s trying to get more adjuvanted vaccine from the province.
http://northbaynugget.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2159930
That would be the age group least eligible for the shot if I recall correctly.
Yes , you are correct :)
RI:
Fund created to defray funeral costs for swine-flu victim
9:20 AM Wed, Nov 04, 2009 | Permalink
Kate Bramson
http://newsblog.projo.com/2009/11/fund-created-to-defray-funeral.html
LINCOLN, R.I. — Melissa Gabriele knows funerals are expensive, and she was worried about how a friend she has known since junior high would pay for her daughter’s funeral after the girl died over the weekend.
The friend’s daughter — Skyla J. Reposa-Alves, a seventh-grader at Lincoln Middle School — had swine flu and was the second Rhode Island child to succumb to the virus within a week. Her funeral is set for Friday, which would have been Skyla’s 13th birthday. It will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Bellows-Falso Funeral Chapel, 160 River Rd., Lincoln.
Gabriele has worked to set up a memorial fund to help defray the family’s costs for the funeral, she said. The Lincoln resident attended Lincoln Junior-Senior High School with Reposa-Alves’ mother, Carla Alves.
Gabriele asks people to contribute to the Skyla J. Reposa-Alves Memorial Fund at the Pawtucket Credit Union, 571 Smithfield Ave., Pawtucket, RI 02860.
Ukraine
Expert: improper use of Tamiflu more harm than help
04/Nov/09
The drug “Tamiflu” should be used only after consultation with the doctor, since its improper use can be very dangerous for human organism.
This belief in an interview to UNIAN made deputy chief state sanitary inspector of Poland Jan ORGELBRAND.
He noted that this drug can be used within 48 hours after virus infection, noting that one can not “abuse” with its use.
“Too frequent use leads to the fact that the virus ceases to react to it, which is very dangerous. After all, if the virus gets used to the drug, you have nothing left to treat influenza ...», - he said.
Ya ORGELBRAND also stressed that there is no sense to take the medicine after two days of the onset of the virus in the body.
“Moreover, the application after 48 hours only leads to the fact that the virus develops to the drug” immunity “”, - he said.
Director, Department of medicine and pharmacy of the Ministry of Health of Poland Artur Peleg told UNIAN that Tamiflu - is today the strongest drugs influenza infection, noting that they can treat not only the so-called “California” flu.
According to him, the drug was used in Poland for the treatment of patients as A/H1N1, and ordinary flu.
A. Peleg also noted that inappropriate use of Tamiflu could do more harm than help the patient. He called for a drug only after consultation with the doctor.
“If we want to preserve the effectiveness of this treatment, it is not necessary for them to abuse, it must be under medical supervision”, - he said.
http://www.unian.net/rus/news/news-345033.html
Gitmo Inmates Will Not Get H1N1 Vaccine
White House spokesman says Gitmo detainees will not get swine flu vaccines amid criticism.
7:36 p.m. CST, November 3, 2009
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/sns-health-swine-flu-gitmo-detainees,0,2531102.story
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says detainees at Guantanamo Bay are not yet receiving vaccinations against the swine flu.
H1N1 Flu Confirmed In Iowa Cat
11/04/2009 10:20AM
A cat in Iowa has tested positive for the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus, state officials confirmed this morning, marking the first time a cat has been diagnosed with this strain of influenza.
The cat, which has recovered, is believed to have caught the virus from someone in the household who was sick with H1N1. There are no indications that the cat passed the virus on to any other animals or people.
Prior to this diagnosis, the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus had been found in humans, pigs, birds and ferrets.
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) are reminding pet owners that some viruses can pass between people and animals, so this was not an altogether unexpected event. Pet owners should monitor their pets’ health very closely, no matter what type of animal, and visit a veterinarian if there are any signs of illness.
The AVMA is actively tracking all instances of H1N1 in animals and posting updates on our Web site at www.avma.org/public_health/influenza/new_virus.
For more information, contact Michael San Filippo, AVMA media relations assistant, at 847-285-6687 (office), 847-732-6194 (cell), or msanfilippo@avma.org.
http://www.cattlenetwork.com/H1N1-Flu-Confirmed-In-Iowa-Cat/2009-11-04/Article.aspx?oid=932004
Adding to the thread:
Dirty, or unwashed, hands are a major source of infections.
This is true even in hospitals where, presumably, much more care is taken to scrub and disinfect hands than almost anywhere else.
The “WHO Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care (advanced draft),” states that:
“Failure to comply with hand hygiene is considered the leading cause of healthcare-associated infections.”
“Each year, at least two million patients in the USA acquire one or more healthcare-associated infections during their stay in hospital.”
“Every day 247 people die in the USA as a result of a health-associated infection.”
The number of infections passed by unwashed hands is probably much higher outside the hospital setting; infectious diseases, many caused by unclean hands, are the leading causes of death and disease worldwide and the third leading cause of death in the United States.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that “hand washing is the single most important means of preventing the spread of infection.”
“To reduce the number of contagious infections spread by hand from person to person, experts recommend washing hands with soap and water for 20 seconds after using the bathroom, after touching a dog or cat, coughing or sneezing, changing diapers, handling money or before handling food or eating.”
http://www.harrisinteractive.com/NEWS/allnewsbydate.asp?NewsID=1000
This is not good news. One of the more dangerous aspects of the H5N1 Avian flu is the wide range of animals it infects, giving it more animal vectors it can live and mutate in. H5N1 was almost unique, in that it can live in both cats and dogs and fish, which have drastically different immune systems.
It would be desirable for someone to develop a “vector list”, of animals that carry H1N1, if for no other reason than both personal avoidance, and so that you can watch your pet for symptoms, while keeping them away from animals that might make them ill as well.
Pet ferret dies of H1N1 in Nebraska
(10/29/2009)
By Ginger ten Bensel
Several Nebraskans have died from complications of the H1N1 Virus. Countless others have gotten sick. Now we are hearing from one Hastings family who said their pets have gotten sick. One of them has died.
Four members of the DeVoll family came down with the flu three weeks ago. They are recovering. The outcome was not so good for their pet ferret. The family has 4 ferrets. All the animals became sick with H1N1 when family members did. Ferrets have the same respiratory system as humans. That allows them to get the virus. Birds and pigs can get it as well.
The DeVoll family said they had no idea their ferrets were at risk. “It was definitely a shock it was unexpected. I just never thought that Stormy would die from the H1N1,” said Kristine DeVoll. The state public health veterinarian said it is not unexpected, but it is rare. Only 2 ferrets in the nation have died from H1N1. That includes Stormy.
“The respiratory system of ferrets and people are quite similar and they are used as a laboratory model for influenza virus research in humans,” said Dr. Annette Bredthauer. Testing was done by the University of Nebraska Veterinary Diagnostic Lab where the ferret tested positive for H1N1. Now a sample has been forwarded on to the National Lab in Ames, Iowa for confirmation. Dr. Bredthauer went on to say the H1N1 virus does not affect dogs and cats. So those pets are safe.
http://new.khastv.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=18916&storytopic=4
This article is wrong :(
It said H1N1 doesn’t affect dogs and cats .
I just posted an article about an H1N1 Postive cat ....
Thanks , I appreciate your insight in these matters :)
9 new flu-related deaths reported in Colorado
http://www.kdvr.com/news/kdvr-flu-deaths-110409,0,4787276.story
November 4, 2009
Nine more flu-related deaths were reported in Colorado, bringing the total number to 34 deaths so far this season.
The state health department said in its weekly report Wednesday that about 1,550 people have been hospitalized with the flu this season.
Nearly 900 of those illnesses were confirmed to be the H1N1 virus, but health officials say that’s the only strain of influenza they’ve seen so far this year.
The latest statistics are for the week that ended Saturday, October 31, 2009.
People in the 25-49 age group account for 14 of the 34 deaths. The number of deaths among those 18 and under was unchanged at seven.
Monitoring by Kaiser Permanente hospitals and clinics showed a decline in flu-like cases in the Denver-Boulder area for the third straight week.
We have gone into what I call “cruise mode”. Cruises have hand sanitizer everywhere. You use it every time you go on/off the ships, and everytime you eat. Hand sanitizer is located all over ships.
Our cruise mode includes hand santizer everytime they get into the car. Their school has hand sanitizer in every room, so my kids say they just squirt their hands whenever they leave a room.
Of course this is in addition to regular hand washing.
My daughters have both been sick 1 time since we started this routine. Each time, no one else in the family got sick. Of course, I also used lysol throughout the house when we had a sick kid, especially on the computers.
Last year, we had a really sick year. Even without H1N1 going around, we needed to do more to keep us healthy. Before H1N1, I started researching vitamins to increase the immune system. We’ve been taking those since.
Thank you so much for the mp3 link to Niman’s interview. I downloaded it yesterday and listened to it on my commute back home. Niman got over my head using some of the terminology, but if I understood him on one thing, something should be coming out today or tomorrow addressing the apparent differences showing up in the Ukraine. I found Niman difficult to understand. He talks in a very jittery manner, flitting from tangent to tangent. I wish he would slow down and stay on one point at a time. Hopefully, I can find more of his podcast interviews to listen to. I want to hear what he has to say.
Very interesting.........
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