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Swine flu’s edge: lesions in lungs
http://www.theage.com.au/world/swine-flus-edge-lesions-in-lungs-20090714-djfx.html
July 14, 2009 - 11:17AM
The way swine flu multiplies in the respiratory system is more severe than ordinary winter flu, a new study in animals finds.

Tests in monkeys, mice and ferrets show that swine flu thrives in greater numbers throughout the respiratory system, including the lungs, and causes lesions, instead of staying in the nose and throat as seasonal flu does.

In addition, blood tests show many people born before the 1918 flu pandemic seem to have immunity to swine flu but not to the seasonal flu that hits every year.

The research by a top University of Wisconsin flu researcher was released on Monday and will be published in the journal Nature.

“I’m very concerned because clearly the (swine flu) virus is different from seasonal influenza,” said study lead author Yoshishiro Kawaoka. “It’s a lot more severe.”

But it is still not as severe as the 1918 influenza, he said.

With only a few months since swine flu was identified, doctors are still trying to get a handle on this flu strain and how it differs from the yearly seasonal flu.

The latest study paints a more pessimistic picture of the flu’s strength and the vulnerability of the elderly than how federal US health officials have been portraying the situation.

Officials at the federal Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on Monday that swine flu is behaving differently to seasonal flu and they are not comparing its virulence to the run-of-the-mill influenza, which kills about 36,000 Americans a year. The CDC had no immediate comment on the Nature study.

Unlike seasonal flu, the new swine flu is continuing into the northern summer, and has caused severe illness mostly in younger people instead of the elderly, the CDC said.

The CDC’s Dr. Anne Schuchat said late last month that people aged over 65, and maybe people over 50 “are less likely to get ill with this virus even when they’re in a family with somebody who has it.”

A CDC study in May also found that one-third of older people had some immunity to swine flu.

Kawaoka did not find that. He checked blood samples from a wide number of age groups. With two exceptions, he found only people who were born before the 1918 pandemic to have immunity.

W. Paul Glezen, a flu epidemiologist at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, who was not part of the study, said he would tend to agree with the earlier CDC study on immunity, especially since the latest figures show younger people became sicker.

Glezen also agreed with Kawaoka that the swine flu “appears to be more virulent than the seasonal” flu.

For his study, Kawaoka tested three monkeys with swine flu and three with seasonal flu. His data showed at least twice as much virus appeared in all parts of the lungs, the tonsils, windpipe and nose for the swine flu-infected monkey

Swine flu cases expected to spike when school starts
Posted On: Tuesday, Jul. 14 2009
By Rebecca LaFlure
Killeen Daily Herald

http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=34532

A spike in swine flu cases is likely once school starts in August, local health officials say. Area hospitals have taken steps to contain the virus as they brace for a possible surge in patients.

“I expect that we’ll see a second wave if not in August, definitely in September,” said Shirley Hudley, an infection control prevention nurse at Metroplex Hospital in Killeen.

“I believe that once we hit the second wave, we will see a decline in numbers, but we’re going to see an increase before any of that happens.”

The H1N1 virus has steadily spread across Central Texas. As of last week, 172 confirmed cases have been reported in Bell County, with one resulting in death.

In June, the Killeen Independent School District announced its first confirmed swine flu case, which was at Rancier Middle School.

The possible resurgence of swine flu this fall would come during the start of the regular flu season. Health officials expect to see a combination of both the H1N1 virus and seasonal flu.

Currently, Metroplex Hospital is preparing for an increased demand, Hudley said. The biggest step is to make sure the hospital has the proper supplies to treat and prevent the spread of both swine and seasonal flu.

The symptoms of H1N1 flu are similar to the symptoms of regular seasonal influenza; they include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Some people also have reported a runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

“We make sure we have enough supply of the (seasonal) flu vaccine for our employees to start out with, and enough masks and enough hand wash gel to prevent spread, even to our employees,” she said.

The federal government recently allotted $350 million to help the country prepare for the H1N1 flu virus and seasonal flu.

A swine flu vaccine could be available by October, but details are still up in the air.

Danielle Schmitz, executive director of the Central Texas Regional Advisory Council, said so far, swine flu has been about as dangerous as regular seasonal flu and not as severe as originally thought. Just how problematic it will be during the fall is undetermined.

For now, local health officials urge people to take steps to help stop the spread of the virus.

“The biggest part here is: Stay away from people who are sick,” Hudley said.

“People also need to remember to wash their hands frequently with soap and water, use alcohol-based hand sanitizers, and make sure to avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth. If they do, they should wash their hands immediately.”

Also, adopting other healthy habits can help build immunity to the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises people to get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage stress, drink plenty of fluids and eat nutritious food.

For more information on the swine flu, go to www.bellcountyhealth.org, www.dshs.state.tx.us/swineflu or www.cdc.gov.