H1N1 flu victim collapsed on way to hospital [Latest H1N1 updates downthread]

GuelphMercury.com ^ | June 24, 2009 | Raveena Aulakh

[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.

[LucyT]

Adding to your article:

August 4, 2009

THE H1N1 flu virus has mutated into a form resistant to the Australian-developed antiviral drug Relenza.

Researchers said the mutation posed little threat to humans yet: the virus was not a strain of swine or bird flu, and it was found only in the lab, not in patients.

There are no known strains of Relenza-resistant influenza in humans. In contrast, virtually all the flu cases in the US and Europe last year, much of Australia’s seasonal flu and even a few cases of swine flu have proven resistant to the other leading antiviral drug, Tamiflu.

http://tinyurl.com/molzxo

[DvdMom]

That is good planning . I wish more schools would take that approach .

[DvdMom]

Thanks :)

[DvdMom]

NY Times: Op-Ed Contributors

Ready for Swine Flu, Round 2?

Published: August 1, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/opinion/02swinefluintro.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&ref=opinion&adxnnlx=1249214932-JizhLXP2Edh9Ixx6RygXrA

History suggests that we are likely to experience a much bigger, second wave of H1N1 influenza pandemic in the fall. Four experts discuss different areas that will play a role in the public health response.

[DvdMom]

UK:

SWINE FLU DEAD WILL BE KEPT IN FREEZER TRUCKS

The number of swine victims in hospital continues to rise

Saturday August 1,2009
By Donna Bowater
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/117577/Swine-flu-dead-will-be-kept-in-freezer-trucks

FREEZER lorries could be lined up outside hospitals to help store the corpses of swine flu victims, a GP has warned.

Dr Nigel Higson said mortuaries would not be able to cope with the predicted 65,000 deaths.

Dr Higson, of Hove, East Sussex, predicted the pandemic would get worse, despite the Health Protection Agency reporting earlier this week that the increase in the number of new cases was slowing.

Writing in his online blog, he said: “I remember the pictures of freezer lorries parked outside the Royal Sussex County Hospital a few winters ago holding those who had died in an outbreak of seasonal flu. This year there may be many such freezer lorries.

“With the large numbers of ­people infected, even though the number per thousand dying will be small, there will still be thousands of deaths.

[DvdMom]

TX:

Schools revamp swine flu plans for fall

Health officials say sick children will be sent home for at least a week

By CINDY GEORGE HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Aug. 1, 2009, 10:02PM
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/health/6557550.html

[DvdMom]

Jamaica records third Influenza A H1N1 virus death
http://www.radiojamaica.com/content/view/20345/26/
01 August 2009

Jamaica has recorded another death from the Influenza A H1N1 virus.

The number of deaths now stands at three.

The Ministry of Health on Friday night reported that the latest case involved a patient who had underlying medical conditions.

As was the case with the other two deaths, the Ministry did not provide details.

In the meantime, the number of confirmed cases of the virus has increased.

The figure is now at 62.

This is six more, than was reported on Tuesday.

Health Minister Ruddy Spencer, has again appealed to persons who may fall within the high risk group for complications from H1N1 and who experience flu-like symptoms, to immediately seek medical attention.

The group includes persons with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, obesity, asthma and hypertension, children under five and pregnant women.

[DvdMom]

Ireland:

Hospitals to open separate emergency units for swine flu

Sunday, August 02, 2009
By Susan Mitchell
http://www.thepost.ie/post/pages/p/story.aspx-qqqt=IRELAND-qqqm=news-qqqid=43532-qqqx=1.asp

Hospitals are introducing special measures, including the establishment of separate units to manage the 20,000-plus patients expected to present with the H1N1 pandemic strain in the coming months.

Mr Niall O’Connor, spokesman for the Irish Association for Emergency Medicine, said there had been a gradual increase in the number of people presenting with symptoms of the so-called swine flu at emergency departments.

He said there was concern among emergency medicine doctors that the ongoing overcrowding at emergency departments would hinder efforts to deal with an upsurge in swine flu. The Department of Health has estimated that between 20,000 and 25,000 people will be hospitalised with swine flu over a four-month period.

These estimates are based on 1 million people in Ireland becoming infected with swine flu and between 1-2 per cent of these requiring hospitalisation.

O’Connor, a consultant in emergency medicine at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, said treatment for swine flu patients who required hospitalisation had ranged from five days to several weeks in other countries.

‘‘It will place huge strain on an already creaking hospital system,” said O’Connor, who said that the issue of staffing levels posed a significant challenge for hospitals. Despite assurances from the HSE that the recruitment embargo did not apply to frontline staff, O’Connor said that was not the experience of many hospitals.

Healthcare workers will undoubtedly be hit by the virus, and O’Connor said it was vital for frontline staff to be replaced in a ‘‘timely and expeditious fashion’’. He said that, while the HSE contingency plan for swine flu ‘‘may look great on paper, if we don’t have the staff to implement it, then it will not be effective’’.

By last week, 19patients had been admitted to hospital with swine flu. Many had underlying health problems, and three required treatment in intensive care.

[Myrddin]

Towards the end of the school year our superintendent directed all teachers to have at least two weeks worth of classroom instruction to be put on the school web site in case of an outbreak of H1N1 flu.

In a normal curriculum, the syllabus covers a full semester or year. The two weeks of instruction necessarily is a sliding window that tracks the classroom progress. It's kind of a silly request from clueless superintendent.

[DvdMom]

According to this mware’s superintendent is correct .

http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/community/commitigation.html#app6

[DvdMom]

“Pandemic influenza can be battled with vitamin D ... Cannell began to study the effects of vitamin D, he immediately realized that the Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) of the U.S. Government’s Institute of Medicine (IOM) was placing many Americans at risk.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zizxoMZcU8U

http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/cannellBiography.shtml

[DvdMom]

“CDC anticipates H1N1 pandemic”
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2009/08/02/CDC-anticipates-H1N1-pandemic/UPI-47401249259099/

[DvdMom]

the median age of those who died In California of the H1N1 virus is 36

Orange Co, California

http://www.myfoxla.com/dpp/news/local/Another_OC_Resident_Dies_from_Swine_Flu_20090731

Another OC Resident Dies
from Swine Flu

Updated: Friday, 31 Jul 2009, 7:36 PM PDT
Published : Friday, 31 Jul 2009, 7:27 PM PDT
Text Story by: CNS
Posted By: Tony Spearman
Santa Ana (myFOXla.com) - Swine flu claimed the life of a 13th Orange County resident this month, authorities confirmed on Friday.
Officials did not disclose details about the latest victim, but the median age of those who died of the H1N1 virus is 36, according to Deanne Thompson of the Orange County Health Care Agency. The victims have ranged in age from 5 to 75, she added.

[DvdMom]

FOX NEWS MILITARY MASS QUARANTINES

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtGofsHaj3M

This is from Fox News 07/29/2009.

[Myrddin]

I'm not questioning the advisability of having online course work to keep sick students away from the classroom. I'm questioning the naivete of expecting two weeks of comprehensive instruction synchronized to the current calendar as students need to stay away from the classroom. That is not a trivial undertaking. Of course, it's possible that my own standards for classroom instruction are significantly higher than the typical public school classroom.

[mware]

Myrddin, I teach Life Science.

The impression that I got was that this two week schedule would be used in case the entire school had to be closed.

Any student who is out for over two weeks is entitled to home instruction as long as they were not contagious.

It seems the plan would be for the students to take home their text books and follow the reading assignments.

As it is our school requires all teachers to put out a weekly schedule. We also have the ablilty to post any attachments (ie homework/notes)to the same site.

[A.Hun]

Thanks for the ping. Please add me to ya’lls ping list.

[Myrddin]

As it is our school requires all teachers to put out a weekly schedule. We also have the ablilty to post any attachments (ie homework/notes)to the same site.

So you're already putting up a week anyway. One more week isn't a big deal...you could even do that from home during the first week the school is closed.

Is "Life Science" the modern term for biology? We just called it biology, chemistry and physics when I was in school. The web approach is fine except for lab work.

[mware]

Yes, Life Science is the catch phrase for Biology.

6th graders take Earth Science (Geology, meteorology, astronomy)

7th grade - Life Science

8th grade Physical Science (Chemistry, Physics)