Posted on 06/24/2009 8:04:24 AM PDT by metmom
Swine flu: London on brink of epidemic as NHS plans are in disarray
Swine flu: NHS ‘muddle’ as London on brink of epidemic
A leaked NHS memo criticises emergency swine flu planning while the Chief Medical Officer says London is almost in an H1N1 epidemic
By Tim EdwardsFIRST POSTED JULY 10, 2009A leaked memo has revealed that senior NHS officials consider emergency plans to combat the swine flu pandemic in Britain are muddled and pointless.
[snip]
Meanwhile, the New Scientist reports three ominous developments:
• Southern hemisphere countries have reported that H1N1 is replacing regular seasonal flu, rendering seasonal vaccines built up over the past year useless. In Victoria, Australia’s hardest-hit state, 99 per cent of all flu cases are H1N1. It is a similar story in Chile and Argentina.
This is exactly what happened during the notorious Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 and is bad news because the northern hemisphere will move into the autumn and the flu season proper with potentially useless seasonal flu vaccines.
• Last week three cases of Tamiflu-resistant H1N1 were discovered. While two of these cases were in people using the drug, the other was found in a girl who had never used Tamiflu, suggesting a Tamiflu-resistant strain of swine flu could be circulating already.
• A mutation in the virus discovered in a sample from Shanghai, China, helps H1N1 replicate more efficiently, potentially making it more contagious and nastier.
Yes, lots of bad reports coming out of the UK...”the center does not hold.”
Australia had around a 40% absentee rate in the schools recently.
Do a search on vit D and Flu for some interesting reading.
I think I read that CDC was reporting 99% of testing in US was this H1N1 now.
“Strange how this flu is hitting those under 30 y/o”
You might want to read John Barry’s book The Great Influenza. This is the same pattern.
I’ll check out the book. Thanks.
I noticed that you mentioned Vitamin D and the flu. Just tried to do a search and my crummy laptop keeps “timing out.”
I’ve also heard that Vit.D is better than a flu shot but don’t remember the dosage. Do you know?
Here’s one link.
Vitamin D: IOM studies boost in vitamin D requirements
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2241803/posts
Thanks for the link! Still can’t do a search...(cheap equipment)
“a Tamiflu-resistant strain of swine flu could be circulating already”
YIKES!
UK:
Everyone to get swine flu jab
Last updated: 7/12/2009 11:41:00 AM
http://www.eadt.co.uk/content/eadt/news/story.aspx?brand=EADOnline&category=News&tBrand=EADOnline&tCategory=xDefault&itemid=IPED12%20Jul%202009%2011%3A41%3A54%3A487
HEALTH chiefs are preparing to vaccinate the entire population against swine flu, it emerged today.
The news comes just days after it was revealed that health bosses in East Anglia were planning to vaccinate everyone in the region.
In what would be the biggest vaccination programme of the last 50 years, experts are already drawing up a priority list of patients to be given immunity before the bug becomes more virulent.
It comes after the first British patient without underlying health problems died in Essex after contracting swine flu, taking the number of swine flu-linked deaths in the UK to 15.
Peter Holden, the British Medical Association’s lead negotiator on swine flu, said: “The high risk groups will be done at GPs’ surgeries.
“People are still making decisions over this, but we want to get cracking before we get a second wave, which is traditionally far more virulent.”
He added: “If the virus does (mutate), it can get a lot more nasty, and the idea is to give people immunity.
“But the sheer logistics of dealing with 60 million people can’t be underestimated.’’
The latest swine flu-linked death happened at Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, NHS East of England.
Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson warned yesterday that other healthy people were at risk of dying from the disease.
He said: “As with all flu-like viruses, some people are at higher risk than others. Unfortunately, people who are otherwise healthy could also become seriously ill or, sadly, die.’’
Young Indiana man dies of swine flu
Published: July 12, 2009 at 1:31 AM
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/07/12/Young-Indiana-man-dies-of-swine-flu/UPI-13131247376711/
CINCINNATI, July 12 (UPI) — A 19-year-old man has become the first person in Indiana to die of swine flu, health officials said.
Matthew McIntosh died in a hospital in Cincinnati after collapsing in a barn in Dearborn County in southeastern Indiana, The Indianapolis Star reported Saturday.
McIntosh’s death was unusual because he was healthy with no underlying illness, health officials said. Most of the 211 people believed to have died from infection with the H1N1 virus have suffered from conditions that made them vulnerable.
O’Dell Owens, the coroner in Hamilton County, Ohio, said an autopsy showed McIntosh had no other adverse health conditions. Owens said McIntosh’s sister, who became ill around the same time and is in intensive care, tested negative for H1N1, but McIntosh tested positive.
UK’s first ‘fit’ swine-flu victim had agonising week-long battle before he died
By Jo Macfarlane
Last updated at 11:36 PM on 11th July 2009
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1199107/Week-long-battle-UKs-fit-swine-flu-victim.html?ITO=1490
The only Briton to die of swine flu and not to have underlying health problems fought for life for nine days.
He was admitted to Basildon Hospital in Essex on July 1 and was placed in isolation in the intensive care unit.
The man, who came from the local area, was understood to have been in full health before contracting the virus. Despite this, he lost his battle against the flu strain on Friday morning.
A hospital spokeswoman could not confirm whether he had been given Tamiflu.
Doctors concluded that he died of the H1N1 flu strain but the case has been referred to the coroner’s office for a post-mortem examination to determine the exact cause of death.
There have been 15 swine flu-related deaths so far in the UK but this latest case has raised fears that the strain is becoming more virulent.
Disney visitors report flu-like symptoms
ORLANDO, Fla., July 11 (UPI) —
Several Mississippi tourists who bussed to Florida’s Walt Disney World were treated after complaining of flu-like symptoms, a hospital official says.
Samantha O’Lenick, spokeswoman for Florida Hospital in Celebration, Fla., said the ailing passengers were treated with antivirals and released, while the remaining bus passengers were provided with fluids and antibacterial sanitizer, the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel reported Friday.
An unidentified passenger on the bus said the tourists from Meridian, Miss., had been staying at Walt Disney World since Monday.
Orange County Health Department spokesman Dain Weister said a child in the Mississippi group underwent a test that determined the influenza virus was present in his/her system.
Weister told the Sentinel several other children in the group later reported feeling ill, prompting the hospital visit.
Jim Knight, whose Knight Coach bus line was transporting the tourists, said up to 14 people reported being ill.
http://www.timesoftheinternet.com/91304.html
NZ Article Strength of swine flu has been underestimated - experts
http://www.3news.co.nz/News/HealthNews/Strength-of-swine-flu-has-been-underestimated-—experts/tabid/420/articleID/112145/cat/58/Default.aspx
11 Jul 2009
The number of confirmed deaths from swine flu has risen to seven, with confirmation today a Taranaki man died from the virus.
The latest death comes as experts are warning we may be being too complacent about H1N1 – it is now the dominant strain affecting 75 percent of all flu patients.
If you are not one of the 1,500 people currently sick with swine flu, chances are you are sick of hearing about it – but experts say now is not the time to be complacent.
Virologist Sue Huang says in the last week, swine flu has become the dominant strain.
“It has jumped from around 15, 20 percent three weeks ago, now it is around 78 percent,” she says.
New research shows we may have been underestimating the strength of swine flu, and that approximately as many people are dying from it in countries like Canada and the United States as were in the first flush in Mexico.
Mathematical Biologist Professor Mick Roberts has been mathematically tracking the virus and says it is too early to say exactly how deadly this strain is.
“Flu has a nasty habit of mutating and changing, therefore we just have to wait and see,” he says.
The spike in cases has seen hospitals implementing new measures to try and manage the epidemic.
At Auckland’s Middlemore Hospital they are restricting the number of visitors per patient to two, in the hope of reducing the risk of the virus being brought into the hospital.
They are restricting – where possible – the entry of children under five.
“The issue with kids under five is that unlike adults they are not so good at blowing their nose and washing their hands,” says Chief Medical Officer Don Mackey.
“So they’re actually quite potent carriers of the flu around the place.”
Middlemore is the first hospital to implement these measures, but 3 News understand other Hospitals have similar plans, which could be in place as early as next week.
Very sad. I wonder if his sister had the same symptoms that he had? (Article doesn’t say.)
Also strange that she tested negative but is in intensive care because she’s “ill”? Ill with what?
Have you guys seen this thread?
DvdMom has been doing a great job of keeping everyone updated with articles from different sources for this thread.
It looks like the swine flu is getting ready to hit hard this fall and winter. It might be good for people to keep in mind as they’re making their survival preparations.
If this is as bad as it has the potential to be, it would be good to be able to hole up at home and be able to not have to go ANYWHERE for an extended period of time.
I think she could have the swine flu . The test can say negative then later when the patient is near death they then test postive for the swine flu. The story in Utah the women kept testing negative ( even though she was the caregiver for her Mom who tested postive ) who died comes to mind .
Another Pregnant Woman Has H1N1
July 12, 2009 - 10:54 PM
Al Pefley
For the second time in recent days another pregnant woman in Palm Beach County has been diagnosed with theH1N1 virus, also known as swine flu.
In this case the woman got so sick, so fast that her husband knew she had to go straight to the emergency room.
This was no ordinary flu. A spokesman with the Palm Beach County Health Department confirmed for us tonight that this pregnant woman, Aubrey Opdyke of West Palm Beach, does in fact have the H1N1 virus.
They got the test results back which confirmed it late Friday.
“She’s fighting and I have a belief that she will make it through this,” said the woman’s husband Bryan Opdyke.
He showed us a photo of Aubrey and himself in happier times, a wedding photo taken at the beach in May of last year.
“There’s a whole lot of praying going on,” Bryan said.
Now, this 27 year old West Palm Beach woman is in the ICU at Wellington Regional Medical Center, on life-support, and according to her husband she is in a drug-induced coma battling the effects of the H1N1 virus.
Aubrey is 26 weeks pregnant, with a baby girl.
“It doesn’t look like we’re gonna have to do an emergency C-section unless for some reason Aubrey starts to go downhill,” he said.
Aubrey has been hospitalized for the past week at Wellington Regional with H1N1, where doctors are treating her with a prescription drug Tamiflu.
“She started feeling a bit of a sore throat. She started coughing a little bit, so she went to the doctor, they checked her out and nothing checked out as anything major,” Bryan explained.
So she went home. That was about two weeks ago. But instead of getting better, she got worse.
“I was talking to her, she wasn’t responsive, she was disoriented. She couldn’t answer basic simple questions, so I told her get dressed, we’re going to the hospital,” Bryan said.
He took her to the emergency room last Sunday July 5 and she’s been in the hospital ever since.
“They’re just gonna try to keep the baby in as long as possible and they’re gonna try and save Aubrey and if they can save her and the baby, like I said that’s a bonus at this point. I would love to have both of ‘em,” Bryan said.
Bryan works as a driver for UPS, his wife is a waitress at a restaurant in West Palm Beach.
She is now the second pregnant mother to be hospitalized with H1N1 in our area. Another woman passed away June 27, but doctors saved the baby and delivered it prematurely.
“We’re at the hospital every day. The range of emotions are huge at this point. It’s draining, but we’re just trying to get through it,” Bryan said.
Bryan says doctors give his wife a 50-60% chance of survival right now. He says she’s in critical but stable condition.
He says Aubrey has shown some small signs of improvement, but he says it’s possible she could be hospitalized for up to a month yet.
He says doctors want to keep the unborn baby in the mother for another two weeks until at least 28 weeks, because the baby’s chances of survival would be greater at 28 weeks.
So far, Palm Beach County has had 146 confirmed cases of H1N1.
http://www.cbs12.com/news/woman-4719600-pregnant-h1n1.html
Had this woman’s doctor put her on Tamiflu when she first became ill - at least a week before she was taken to the emergency room - perhaps she wouldn’t be in a medically induced coma now.
OHIO
‘Good chance’ H1N1 will be part of flu season
http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/4627251
By CHRISTINE L. PRATT
Staff Writer
MILLERSBURG — Who would care for your children if schools closed?
How would you respond to an inability to report to work?
Are you prepared to be isolated for up to two weeks?
Recognizing a lull in media coverage of the H1N1 pandemic, but not intent on inducing undue panic, Holmes County’s health commissioner is encouraging residents to take advantage of a window of opportunity to prepare for a likely resurgence of the virus as part of the regular flu season.
“Because we’re not hearing about H1N1 in the news, the misconception is it’s gone,” said Dr. D.J. McFadden.
snip
“If H1N1 is the dominant flu strain this winter, we could see a much different picture,” said McFadden, adding he expects to see a vaccine for it no earlier than the start of 2010. “It could (continue to) act like the normal flu, and that would be great, but it might not.”
Besides having no vaccine for the strain or a relative thereof, McFadden said, people will be more susceptible to H1N1 because it is new and there is no natural immunity to it.
Already the virus has become part of the seasonal flu outbreak in the southern hemisphere, he said, noting “the concern is, as it circulates and drifts (from its original makeup) a bit, it will cause a more aggressive immune response.” That’s what could cause morbidity and mortality rates to climb at an accelerated rate.
“Let’s not count on a vaccine and use basic public health we’ve used for centuries before then,” he said. “We have a unique opportunity right now. We see where we were in the spring. Now, we’ve had the first death in Ohio. There’s a relatively good chance H1N1 will be a major player in this fall’s flu season. We have no vaccine. So we need to start planning in our family.”
There is no better time than the present to make healthy lifestyle changes — shedding extra pounds, eating right, stopping smoking, getting proper sleep. All can be factors in building a healthy immune system that is better prepared to serve as the first line of defense.
“These are things we don’t think about every year, but this year we don’t have the luxury to rely on a vaccine for H1N1,” he said, anticipating vaccines for other flu strains will be available and should be employed as in the past.
It also will be “even more important to practice social distancing” throughout the flu season. “Don’t go to work or school if you’re sick and practice basic hygiene — wash hands, cover coughs,” McFadden said.
To that end, families can anticipate the best, but should be prepared for the worst — the need to be isolated from others and the possibility spread of the virus could interrupt and shut down services on which people rely daily.
He suggests families have stores of food and necessary supplies to last a full two weeks, if necessary. These include water, batteries, a flashlight, medications, pet food, extra clothing and bedding, diapers and formula, a can opener, entertainment for children and spare cash.
It also is a good time to revise a list of essential contacts, allergies and medications and devise backup plans for who would be available to care for children and elderly members of the family should daily routines be interrupted by the virus. Employees should also talk with their employers to discuss the possibility of working from home in the event an H1N1 infection prevents them from leaving the house.
Additional tips on planning and preparing for an H1N1 epidemic are available online at www.pandemicflu.gov.
Reporter Christine L. Pratt can be reached at 330-674-1811 or e-mail cpratt@the-daily-record.com.
Canada:
Health Critic says more information should be released about H1 N1 cases
CJOB News Team reporting
7/13/2009
http://www.cjob.com/News/Local/Story.aspx?ID=1114267
The provincial Tory Health Critic has a bone to pick with Manitoba Health over the information released about H1 N1 flu cases.
Myrna Driedger says she doesn’t understand why the province doesn’t report the region, gender and age associated with H1 N1 cases as is done in Ontario.
Driedger says that information shows patterns of disease, doesn’t breach patient confidentiality and shouldn’t be hidden.
Manitoba Health says it’s trying to protect personal health information and will tell the public what it needs to know.
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