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 ...
Prayers , I hope you are doing better :)
identification of previously reported Brooke County West Virginia death....
Swine Flu Victim’s Family Speaks
For days, 33-year-old Lisa Briggs had symptoms. Chills, fatigue, spiking fevers, but she didn’t want to go to the hospital.
“She didn’t want to be in the hospital away from the kids,” said her husband, Craig Briggs.
On Halloween night, Lisa, a mother of two, agreed to go to the hospital.
After days in Wheeling Hospital, Lisa was life-flighted to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, W.V. Her condition was so bad she was quarantined in a glass room.
“She was in an isolation room. The did a wash out of her lungs and she did test positive for swine flu,” said Briggs.
Doctors also discovered that Lisa has bacterial pnuemonia. Doctors induced a coma after her condition deteriorated. Before she went under her husband of 11 years came to her side.
“I just told her I loved her and to get better,” said Briggs.
She never regained consciousness.
“We saw them do CPR on her and everything,” said Briggs
On Nov. 14 at 10:35 a.m. the doctor told Lisa’s family she had passed.
“His exact words were, ‘she played good ball, but the game was over’,” said Briggs.
Lisa and her husband had just bought a new house in Weirton, W.V. She never lived in it.
Now her family fills the walls of their new home with lasting memories of her.
“She loved kids, pretty much her life revolved around me, the kids and church,” said Briggs.
It’s unclear where she contracted the virus.
Her husband, Chris, tells NEWS9 that her only underlying medical condition was sleep apnea.
http://www.wtov9.com/news/21767083/detail.html
Tanzania:
District closes all schools as swine flu spread
2009-12-01 07:04:00
By Frederick Katulanda, Mwanza
http://thecitizen.co.tz/newe.php?id=15947
The Government has closed down all 150 primary schools and 27 secondary schools in Kwimba district, Mwanza region, to prevent a further spread of swine flu. This was after 221 residents tested positive for the scourge.
Kwimba District Commissioner Ryoba Kangoye, told the visiting Mwanza Regional Commissioner Abbas Kandoro, who was on a tour of the most affected Ilula Primary School yesterday, that the closure of schools follows tests indicating that some 120 pupils have been infected with the H1N1, the virus that causes swine flu.
Mr Kangoye said authorities resolved to close down all the district’s 25 ward schools as a preemptive measure, due to the concern that the learning institutions might easily end up being breeding sites for the virus.
Form 1 and 6 students, however, would not be affected by the order, he said, though he could not immediately give their number.
“We have not quarantined the entire district yet, for such a move would grind to a halt various socio-economic activities,” he said, adding that authorities were, however, determined to ensure the pandemic is eradicated in the district.
More people suspected to have contracted swine flu were tested at a makeshift health facility at Ilula village in Kwimba district, the Mwanza regional medical officer, Dr Meshack Massi, said yesterday.
The doctor revealed that of the 221 swine flu patients, 30 had signs indicating that they have contracted the new strain of influenza ‘A’ virus subtype H1N1 that was first detected in March this year in Veracruz, Mexico.
The number of cases in Kwimba increased after 79 new patients reported at the health facility, he said, adding that samples of 60 cases have already been sent to the National Institute Medical Research (NIMR) in Dar es Salaam for further examination.
Samples of 142 patients, including 120 primary school pupils and 22 villagers, scrutinised about a fortnight ago, tested positive.
“Only 30 out of the 41 patients admitted to the health facility are still receiving treatment there,” he said, emphasising that the admitted patients were only those who were in critical condition. He added:
“The remaining patients have symptoms of the disease, but their condition is not serious; we check them up regularly and give them the necessary medication before advising them to go home,” he explained.
Meanwhile, RC Kandoro visited the swine flu patients at the villages before addressing public rallies in which he urged the villagers to adhere to advice given by the medical personnel.
When he addressed Ilula and Mwanangwa villagers that border the ill-fated primary Ilula primary school, the RC said the disease could easily be eradicated if every one adhered to rules of hygiene, including washing hands and closing their mouths and noses with a handkerchief when coughing or sneezing.
“Should we fail to abide by such simple rules, the virus will be remain here for ever, as we will be infecting each other,” he cautioned.
Speaking during the same rallies, DC Kangoye announced a ban on public gatherings in Kwimba district, including those meant for cattle auctioning, pointing out that large groups of people would fuel the pandemic.
Swine flu first broke out in Veracruz, Mexico, where evidence indicated that there had been an ongoing epidemic for months before it was officially recognised.
Despite the Mexican government’s efforts to close down most of Mexico City’s public and private facilities in an attempt to contain the virus, it still spread globally.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the swine flu outbreak a pandemic in June this year and statistics indicate that 7,909 deaths were been confirmed worldwide by Wednesday.
Similar to other influenza viruses, H1N1 is typically transmitted from person to person through respiratory droplets. Symptoms usually last between four and six days.
While only mild symptoms are experienced by a majority of the victims, some cases can be severe. The symptoms may include fever, sore throat, cough, headache, muscle or joint pains, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.
Asthmatics, diabetics and those with obesity, heart disease, the immunocompromised, children with neurodevelopmental conditions and pregnant women are at a higher risk.
It is recommended that those with symptoms stay home, away from school, work, and crowded places to avoid spreading the infection.
Rocker poulsen collapses onstage
30 November 2009 @ 10:57 pm BST
Danish rocker MICHAEL POULSEN is recovering after collapsing onstage at a concert in the Netherlands.
Fans looked on in horror as the Volbeat frontman fell midway through the band’s performance in Tilburg on Sunday (29Nov09).
Poulsen was taken to a nearby hospital where doctors reprimanded him for attempting to play through a nasty bout of influenza.
The singer reveals, “I’m on my feet again, and I’m doing fine. I got really sick when the tour started, (expletive)/puking all over the place, muscle ache and high fever, and couldn’t really eat anything without feeling bad. But that had happened so many times before, and nothing was going stop me doing what I love the most - being on stage.
“Ten minutes before stage time, I felt really bad and dizzy, and my whole body was really heavy, and I felt weak and I had chest pain while breathing.
“I only remember playing the first two songs. Every time I was trying to breathe, I felt dizzy. I couldn’t do my vocals well or move well since the energy was simply not there. It ended with a collapse, and I was rushed to the nearest hospital. The doctors said that it was crazy to play the shows while I was sick. All the tests they did at the hospital was fine, and everything looked good. Actually I’m in really good shape and my heart and blood is fine.”
Volbeat are due back onstage in the U.S. on 5 December (09) where they’ll support metal icons Metallica.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/contents/20091130/rocker-poulsen-collapses-onstage.htm
Texas
Deaths by county reported for Week 46, 11/15/09 – 11/21/09
1-Cochran*
1-El Paso
1-Lubbock
2-Hidalgo
2-Tarrant
7-Total
* First death in county
Five additional H1N1 or swine flu virus-related deaths were reported in the state this past week, officials said Monday.
That brings the total number of deaths from the virus statewide to 59 since April, when the flu virus was first identified, officials said.
Of the 59 H1N1-related deaths, 54 have been investigated. Of those:
•More than 60 percent were men. •The average age was 44 years old. •The age range of those who died was between 3 months and 73 years old. •About 46 percent - or 25 people - were between the ages of 45 and 64. About 7 percent - or four people - were between the ages of 0 and 17, and 11 percent - or six people - were over the age of 65.
Of those who died, 43 people had at least one underlying health condition, such as asthma, diabetes or a disorder that suppresses their immune system. Those who died over the holiday weekend were between the ages of 23 and 59, and all had an underlying health condition.
Twitter @TreedinAA.
Death of 40-year-old Sault teacher has school in mourning
Posted By Michael Purvis
Updated 6 hours ago
http://www.saultstar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2199751
Taunya Richardson will miss Rita De Marco’s laugh, and her smile, but most of all, she’ll miss her 40-year-old friend’s singing voice.
“She would be one of the first people to call and she would sing Happy Birthday to me every year,” said Richardson, a close friend of the elementary school teacher. “She never forgot, and she always sang.”
De Marco died unexpectedly Friday from what family members described as a week-long illness that started out as the flu.
Counsellors and school board officials were at St. Bernadette Catholic school Monday to help students and staff cope with the Grade 4 teacher’s death.
John Stadnyk, director of education for the Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board, said students were emotional.
“The parents of the class were contacted (Sunday), so I think the parents talked with the children and we had several of the parents here this morning with the kids,” said Stadnyk.
He said the board’s ‘pastoral response team,’ met with staff at the school on Sunday.
De Marco was a “happy, outgoing and boisterous,” woman who returned to school later in life to fulfill her dream of being a teacher, said her sister, Maria Caputo.
De Marco had no children and never married, but “loved being around kids,” said Caputo. “All of her students were like her children and every year she got a new batch.”
Caputo said her sister, who lived with and cared for her elderly parents, fell ill with the flu about eight days before her death. She was admitted to Sault Area Hospital’s intensive care unit on Nov. 21 with pneumonia.
“It was supposed to be just 48 hours, but she didn’t come out of it,” said Caputo. “Finally her heart just couldn’t take it anymore.”
Caputo said her sister died of a streptococcus A infection.
Caputo said family weren’t told if the flu De Marco came down with was H1N1. While public health officials can’t comment on individual cases, Dr. Allan Northan, the region’s medical officer of health, said no H1N1 deaths are currently suspected in Algoma, and he knows of none that have taken place.
Caputo said her sister had been a teacher for eight years. She started out on the supply list, before securing her own classroom at St. John, then at St. Francis and finally at St. Bernadette.
Richardson, who met De Marco just shy of 10 years ago when they were placed together on a Bon Soo Sno Madness team, said De Marco was always there for friends who were going through difficult times.
“She loved life and she embraced it,” said Richardson.
A wake is scheduled for today at Northwood Funeral Home and Cremation Centre, with a funeral mass scheduled for Wednesday at 2 p.m.
Mother’s Instinct Saves Daughter
posted: 10 HOURS 7 MINUTES (Nov. 30)
http://news.aol.com/health/article/mother-andrea-samples-instinct-saves/790751
Thanh Nien Daily (6% of patients ‘’were resistant to oseltamivir’’)
Vietnam to produce Russian-developed swine flu antiviral drug - Thanh Nien Daily
Last Updated: Tuesday, December 1, 2009 10:18:40 Vietnam (GMT+07)
Vietnam to produce Russian-developed swine flu antiviral drug
A research group from the Hanoi University of Pharmacy has said that they would produce an antiviral drug developed by Russia specifically for swine flu and avian flu next year.
Fludon H1, or Arbidol, which has been licensed for manufacture and distribution in many countries, will offer treatment for influenza A (H1N1) virus and H5N1 virus with the same efficiency as Tamiflu and Zanamivir drugs, said Nguyen Hai Nam, who leads the research team.
However, the Vietnamese alternative will be four to five times cheaper than the common Tamiflu, Nam said.
Meawhile, Truong Quoc Cuong, head of the health ministry’s Drug Administration of Vietnam, on Sunday said they had ordered one million 30g doses of Tamiflu for children.
Latest statistics at the Central Hospital of Tropical Diseases showed that children account for three percent of swine flu patients, but antiviral drugs for pediatric patients were not yet available, Cuong said.
Doctors, therefore, have to break the adults’ 75mg dosage of Tamiflu to treat children, he added.
The agency has also placed orders for 10,000 boxes of Relenza (Zanamivir) as an alternative for H1N1-positive patients whose bodies are resistant to or slow to respond to Tamiflu, Cuong said.
He said studies showed patients with this resistance account for six percent of the total, but there was no other drug than Tamiflu available in Vietnam at present.
Since the epidemic was first detected here in May, it has killed 44 people nationwide. A 59-year-old man with mental disorders in the northern province of Quang Ninh was the latest victim, the health ministry said Sunday.
Source: http://www.thanhniennews.com/healthy/?catid=8&newsid=53999
S-2 Flu
Joined: 03 Dec 2006
Posts: 1641
Location: Alabama
Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2009 5:55 am Post subject: Daily Fatality Summary
DAILY FATALITY SUMMARY (Reports posted on november 30)
UNITED STATES—8*
Alabama 2
Florida 1
Michigan 1
New York 1
Ohio 2
Texas 1
CANADA—3
Alberta1
Quebec 2
WORLDWIDE—67
Egypt 1
Germany 2
Hungary 1
India 2
Isreal 2
Libya 1*
Lithuania 4
Poland 6
Portugal 2
Serbia 6
Slovenia 4
Turkey 34*
United Kingdom 2
NOTES: The US has 2205 fatalities with 304 pediatric cases.The reason for the big jump in the child death tally is that the CDC reported 27 pediatric deaths this week,the highest one week toll yet.Much reporting omits details so that we had only seven counted for the week.Add two for the 30th and we get the big jump in the pediatric count.Given the lower death toll lately,it is strange that the weekly CDC pediatric tally should set a record.
Libya had it`s first fatality.
Turkey continues to show disturbing figures.The death toll rose 34 to 195 in the past few days.Officially there are 297 hospitalized with 100 in ICU.These hospitalization data are probably old but that is a large percentage in IC.
http://www.singtomeohmuse.com/viewforum.php?f=1
DAILY H1N1 REPORTS DECEMBER 1 ,2009
Swine flu causes deaths in Northern Africa
http://www.africanews.com/site/Swine_flu_causes_deaths_in_Northern_Africa/list_messages/28297
1 December 2009
The H1N1 influenza is currently causing havoc in northern Africa notably in Egypt, Morocco, Libya and Algeria, according to recent statements released by the health ministries of these countries.
After Algeria’s tragedy of three deaths over the weekend, Morocco announced its first swine flu victim – a 24-year-old pregnant woman from the northern city of Tangier.
She died on Sunday after contracting the H1N1 virus, the country’s health ministry said on Monday.
Eighty-three new cases of the disease were diagnosed over the weekend, bringing the total to 1,710 cases in Morocco.
Egypt reported one more death case of A/H1N1 flu on Monday, bringing the country’s death toll from the virus to 21, Al-Ahram daily said.
A 28-year-old man died of the virus on Monday in a hospital in Helwan, south of Cairo, after suffering from fever, dyspnea and obesity, the report said.
Up till now, Egypt has reported more than 3,000 cases of the flu. Its first case was reported in June of a 12-year-old Egyptian-American girl coming from the United States via the Netherlands.
The first death case was confirmed on July 19 of a 28-year-old Egyptian woman, who came back from Saudi Arabia after making Umrah (pilgrimage to Mecca at any time of the year).
On Monday Libyan health officials reported the country’s first death due to swine flu. Authorities say the victim was a 40-year-old pregnant woman.
The woman was said to have experienced side effects common with the Influenza A(H1N1) virus that ranged from shortness of breath to a dry cough and fever.
76-Year-Old with Swine Flu Dies at Ichilov Hospital (Israel)
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/175618
Dec/01/09
A 76-year-old man diagnosed with the H1N1 swine flu virus died Tuesday at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv. He had other illnesses as well.
The Health Ministry said although it cannot be proven conclusively, the man’s death is being added to the more than 60 attributed to the virus among thousands to have been diagnosed with the illness in Israel.
Dien Bien Phu bird flu death is fifth of the year (Vietnam)
http://www.thanhniennews.com/healthy/?catid=8&newsid=54002
A man with bird flu has died in northern Vietnam, after nearly six months of having no case recorded in the country, the health ministry said Monday.
The victim, a 23-year-old man in Dien Bien Province’s Dien Bien Phu Town, had duck blood pudding a week before he fell sick on November 18 with symptoms of high fever, cough and respiratory difficulties, according to the ministry’s Department of Preventive Health and Environment.
He was admitted to the provincial Dien Bien General Hospital on November 26 and died of pneumonia two days later.
A test conducted by the Hanoi-based National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology on Sunday showed that he was inflicted with the H5N1 virus.
Dien Bien Province had reported bird flu outbreaks at Noong Luong and Thanh Yen communes on October 21, but no human being had been infected thus far.
According to the Ministry of Health, five people with bird flu have died so far this year, bringing the country’s death toll to 57.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Animal Health Department in June said Vietnam has successfully curbed the spread of the bird flu as well as two other livestock diseases: foot-and-mouth and blue ear pig.
Michigan H1N1 (swine) flu death toll at 59
http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=news/health&id=7146538
12/01/09
Michigan health officials say influenza has killed 59 people in the state since April 1 and 49 since Sept. 1, when swine flu began gaining steam.
The Michigan Community Health Department said Monday that 25,074 flu cases were reported in the state from Nov. 15-21.
Since Sept. 1, officials say 1,660 people have been hospitalized in Michigan for the flu. State medical epidemiologist Dr. Eden Wells says the department has received fewer reports of influenza during the past two weeks but it’s too early to say the state has “peaked.”
The department says Michigan authorities have allocated at least 2.2 million doses of the vaccine for the H1N1 virus, which causes swine flu. That means medical personnel have received permission to receive that number of doses.
Lenser Marc E. Reshovsky dies
30/Nov/09
Cinematographer and still photographer Marc E. Reshovsky, A.S.C. , who shot films, TV shows and musicvideos, died Nov. 20 in Seattle of complications from influenza. He was 52.
Reshovsky shot films in including “Red Rock West,” “Wild Orchid II,” “Set It Off” and “Teen Witch.”
He also worked as camera operator on films such as “Madonna: Truth or Dare,” “U2: Rattle and Hum” and “Dave Matthews Band: The Gorge.”
Born in Los Angeles, he graduated from UCLA.
He received the Eastman Kodak Lifetime Achievement Award in Music Video Cinematography and was nominated for Cinematography for EnVogue’s Free your Mind music video. He later won the M.V.P.A. Award for the same video, directed by Mark Romanek. He worked Oscar-winning shorts “Trevor” and “Lieberman in Love,” and won the A.S.C. Cinematographer Award in 1997 for 3rd Rock from the Sun (3D Special Dream Sequence) and was nominated for an ACE Award for Best Cinematography in 1992 for the pilot of Red Shoe Diaries.
Marc is survived by his sons; Zachary and Rory, his partner Taylor Bruce and his faithful dog Mochi.
Man in 70s Halton’s third H1N1 death (Canada)
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/682373
December 01, 2009
Halton Region is reporting its third death from the H1N1 influenza virus, a man in his 70s.
Dr. Bob Nosal, the region’s medical officer of health, said the man had underlying medical conditions.
He had been admitted to hospital and died there recently.
Halton will continue to offer H1N1 vaccines at public clinics until Dec. 15.
And starting Thursday in Burlington and Oakville, it will also offer seasonal flu shots.
Nosal said it’s safe to have both shots at the same time — one vaccine in one arm and one in the other — if people wish.
“They are both safe, effective vaccines,” he said.
So far, Halton Region has immunized about 25 to 30 per cent of its 470,000 residents — 77,000 of them immunized directly through the public health clinics.
In Hamilton, the H1N1 vaccination clinics will close on Friday since both the demand for the vaccine and the number of H1N1 cases have decreased dramatically as the second wave of the pandemic flu winds down.
Health Ministry confirms 431 deaths of flu (Ukraine)
http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/54013/
The Health Ministry has confirmed 431 deaths of influenza and acute respiratory viral infections in 24 regions, the city of Kyiv, the city of Sevastopol, and in the Crimea from Oct. 29 through Nov. 30, according to the statement by the Health Ministry.
According to the statement, since Oct. 29, a total of 96 lethal cases have been registered in Lviv region, 44 lethal cases have been registered in Ivano-Frankivsk region, 25 cases in Chernivtsi region, 24 cases in Ternopil region, 29 cases in Donetsk region, 24 cases in the city of Kyiv, 22 cases in Khmelnytskyi region, 21 cases in Kyiv region, 19 lethal cases in Chernihiv region, 17 cases in Volyn region, and 12 cases have been registered in each Zakarpattia region and Poltava region.
11 people have died of influenza and acute respiratory viral infections in Rivne region since Oct. 29, nine people in Vinnytsia region, eight people in each Kharkiv region and in Cherkasy region, nine people in Dnipropetrovsk region, seven people in each Sumy region, Zhytomyr region, eight people in Kirovohrad region, five people in Kherson region, and four people in Zaporizhia region.
Seven person died of influenza and acute respiratory viral infections in each the Crimea, the city of Sevastopol, Mykolaiv region, Odesa region, and Luhansk region.
Seven people have died in the past 24 hours.
In general, 1,841,927 people have fallen ill with influenza and acute respiratory viral infections since Oct. 29, 30,992 people for the last 24 hours.
Since the epidemic 111,865 people have been taken to hospitals and 87,083 people have been discharged since the start of the flu epidemic.
Comment
The death rate for people hospitalised for the new H1N1 in the US is about 5 - 10%. If over 100,000 people have really been hospitalised for this in Ukraine, then we would expect 5 - 10 thousand deaths.
Three Hungarian H1N1 patients die in hospital
http://www.caboodle.hu/nc/news/news_archive/single_page/article/11/three_hungar-2/?cHash=446b16aa36
2009-12-01
An 18-year-old H1N1 male patient died in hospital in Karcag (E) on Monday, the public health authority ANTSZ told MTI.
Another man (52), who was hospitalised with new flu in Pecs (S), died later in the day, while samples from a third man who died in the same hospital five days ago also tested positive for the H1N1 virus, ANTSZ reported.
Meanwhile, another nursery was closed in W Hungary’s Szekesfehervar due to a rapid increase in the number of children reporting flu-like symptoms, Ferenc Almasi, the local public health officer, told MTI. During the past weeks, several schools and kindergartens in the region were temporarily closed down due to an outbreak of flu.
Hungarian health authorities declared a flu epidemic on November 18, when the weekly number of patients had reached 22,000. About one third of the 340 samples taken by that time had tested positive for H1N1.
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