Canada on alert after respiratory illnesses reported in Mexico

Calgary Herald ^ | April 22, 2009 | Canwest News Service

[justsaynomore]

OTTAWA — The Public Health Agency of Canada has told quarantine services to be on alert for travellers returning from Mexico after a number of severe respiratory illnesses (SRI) were reported in some regions of the country.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/Health/Canada+alert+after+respiratory+illnesses+reported+Mexico/1523180/story.html

[justsaynomore]

A heads up for anyone who has recently traveled to Mexico or knows someone who has.

[blam]

"PHAC, in an April 20 report, said Mexican officials informed the Canadian health agency that the "case-fatality rate was relatively high" and that most cases involved healthy adults between the ages of 25 and 44. A number of health-care workers were also affected."

"Although no cause has been confirmed, some samples were positive for influenza A and B."

[justsaynomore]

I also saw this today, just seemed unusual to hear about this again - Swine Flu Sickens 2 California Kids.

CDC Believes Flu Was Contracted in Person-to-Person Spread

http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/20090421/swine-flu-sickens-2-california-kids

[Judith Anne]

FTA: Although no cause has been confirmed, some samples were positive for influenza A and B.

I went to the original article to read the whole thing, no mention made of numbers ill or deceased.

This will be something to keep an eye on. Lots of acreage between Canada and Mexico.

[max americana]

> A heads up for anyone who has recently traveled to Mexico or knows someone who has.

In downtown L.A., that’s pretty much everyone.

[bgill]

Interesting how it skips over the US.

[McGavin999]

Oh great! We had illegals bringing that in here a couple of years ago and I almost died. Seriously, I got so sick I couldn’t breathe and couldn’t even get to the phone to call for help. Bad stuff!

[Judith Anne]

Wondering what you may have heard.

[Kimberly GG]

Can’t be THAT serious...our CDC hasn’t warned us.

/sarcasm off

[BenLurkin]

Remind me not to take public transportation again.

[blam]

"This will be something to keep an eye on. Lots of acreage between Canada and Mexico."

Yup. I think I'll lock the gate and stay home for the next few days.

[AuntB]

“Can’t be THAT serious...our CDC hasn’t warned us.

/sarcasm off”

Be careful, you’ll get on Janet’s list of racists! If you don’t like 3rd world diseases, ya must be some sort of terrorist!

[Kimberly GG]

LOL...I think we’re ALL already on Janet’s list ;)

(and dang proud of it)

[Judith Anne]

I’ve thought about that, too...

[justsaynomore]

Numbers are starting to come in - this report (in Spanish) indicates 500 healthcare workers: http://www.elmanana.com.mx/notas.asp?id=117125

Rough translation:
500 cases reported in Mexico City
Thursday, April 23, 2009
The contagion has affected workers and employees of major public hospitals in the Capital, such as the Juarez Hospital, General Hospital, National Institute of Respiratory Diseases, and hospitals in the area of Tlalpan

MEXICO CITY .- At least 500 employees of the Health sector in Mexico City are infected with influenza virus, reported Antonio Sanchez Arriaga, general secretary of the National Independent Union of Health Workers.

The contagion has affected workers and employees of major public hospitals in the Capital, such as the Juarez Hospital, General Hospital, National Institute of Respiratory Diseases, and hospitals in the area of Tlalpan, where the National Institute Cardiology, the National Nutrition Institute and the Hospital Manuel Gea González, in addition to the Red Cross Polanco.

[justsaynomore]

And this...
Canadians returning from Mexico urged to be on alert for flu-like symptoms

20 die from severe respiratory illness in Mexico

Last Updated: Thursday, April 23, 2009 | 9:30 AM ET
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/04/23/respiratory-illness-flu-mexico.html

excerpt:

Canadians who have recently returned from Mexico should be on alert for flu-like symptoms that could be connected to a severe respiratory illness, according to an advisory sent to health services across Canada.
[snip]

A severe respiratory illness appears to have infected hundreds in south and central areas of Mexico, according to Mexican health officials.

The illness has killed at least 20 people in Mexico, mostly men between the ages of 25 and 44, according to a public advisory sent out by Canadian health authorities.

Hundreds of people have also reportedly been hospitalized and health-care workers have also been infected.

[snip]

Mexican health authorities said that many of those diagnosed with the illness have had to be put on ventilators.

[Judith Anne]

If they are admitting 500 infected health care workers, there are FAR more, esp. ancillary personnel (housekeeping, laundry, food prep, clerical, etc.).

And if there are 500+ HCW infected, then the general pop numbers must be huge.

Mexico City has, last I heard, a population of over 13 million. I don’t want to Google it right now, but this represents a serious threat to the USA.

[neverdem]

Some more details:

Canada Issues Alert on Severe Respiratory Disease in Mexico

Silent Human Spread of Swine H1N1 in Southern California

The CDC has promptly released the HA (EPI176470), NA(EPI176472), and M(EPI176471) gene sequences of A/California/04/2009 from 10M (at GISAID). These sequences confirm that the NA and M gene have a Eurasian swine origin, while the HA sequences is North American swine. The presence of S31N in the M gene, which is common in European swine, confers resistance to amantadine and rimantadine. Release of the sequences from the other isolate would be useful to determine how long these viruses have been in human populations.

The efficient transmission of swine H1N1 in a human population raises concerns of further evolution and adaptation through the exchange of genetic information with human seasonal flu via reassortment and recombination (including H274Y).

Recombination between swine H1N1 and seasonal H1N1 generated the 1918 pandemic strain, which is cause for concern.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong. H1N1 is a description of the Influenza virus that expresses the main or first described variants of the hemagglutanin and neuramidinase glycoproteins on the surface of these microbes.

HA (EPI176470) is the HemAgglutanin epitope, an antigenic detertimant, designated 176470.

NA(EPI176472) is the NeurAmidinase epitope designated 176472. All corrections are always appreciated. I'm trying to teach myself micro since med school over two decades ago.

[justsaynomore]

“The C.D.C. requested doctors in the San Diego metro area, including the Imperial counties that border on Mexico, to take samples from any patients displaying flu-like symptoms.”

“The viruses in these two patients demonstrate antiviral resistance to amantadine and rimantadine...”

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm58d0421a1.htm

Hopefully this just a late flu season for Mexico, but I think it’s not a bad idea to be vigilant nonetheless. Does anyone know how to link this on the news sidebar?