Avian influenza - situation in China - update #H5N1 #BIRDFLU

24 January 2012 -The Ministry of Health of China has notified WHO of a human case of avian influenza A (H5N1) virus infection.‬‪

The case is a 39 year-old male from Guiyan City, Guizhou Province. He developed symptoms on 6 January 2012 and was admitted to hospital but was in critical condition and died on 22 January 2012.‬‪
The case was laboratory diagnosed by Guizhou CDC and confirmed by China CDC on 22 January 2012. Investigation into the source of infection is ongoing. Close contacts of the case are being monitored and to date all remain well.  http://www.who.int/csr/don/2012_01_24/en/index.html‬‪

Avian influenza - situation in Egypt - update #H5N1 #BIRDFLU

 

19 January 2012 -The Ministry of Health and Population of Egypt has notified WHO of two cases of human infection with avian influenza A (H5N1) virus.‪
The first case is a 2 year-old female from Cairo Governorate. She visited Helwan Fever Hospital as an outpatient on 30 October 2011 with symptoms of influenza-like-illness (ILI). The case was confirmed by RT-PCR at the Central Public Health Laboratory through periodic testing of samples collected from ILI outpatients from sentinel ILI surveillance sites. The epidemiological team investigated the case after confirmation of the laboratory test. Retrospective investigation through data collected from her family identified a positive history of exposure to backyard poultry. Samples from the case have been sent to the US Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3 (NAMRU-3) for further sequencing.
The second case is a 31 year-old male from Fayium governorate. He developed symptoms on 1 January 2012, received oseltamivir on 14 January 2012 and is still hospitalised under the critical care unit. The case was confirmed by the Central Public Health Laboratory, a National Influenza Center of the WHO Global Influenza Surveillance Network.
Epidemiological investigations into both the cases indicated that they had exposure to backyard poultry.
Of the 159 cases confirmed to date in Egypt, 55 have been fatal.  http://www.who.int/csr/don/2012_01_19b/en/index.html

Indonesia Ministry of Health: BIRD FLU CASE UPDATE #H5N1 #Birdflu

By: Puskom
January 10, 2012 | 6:30 pm
Ministry of Health, through the Directorate General of Disease Control and Environmental Health announced a new case of H5N1 have been confirmed by the Center for Biomedical and Health The basic technology, Health Research Agency.

The case on behalf of PD (male, 23 years) resident Sunter, North Jakarta, DKI Jakarta Province, who is a worker welding shops. PD experiencing symptoms of fever, cough and colds since 31 December 2011. To relieve the pain, he bought the drugs in a stall. Because the pain does not go away, on January 3, 2012, ambulatory patients to private hospitals in the area of ​​North Jakarta. On January 6, 2012, the patient experienced shortness of breath and was unconscious, so it must be transferred to the ICU. Subsequently, the patient was referred to referral hospitals AI, RSU Tangerang, Banten on January 7, 2012, but was not helped and the patient eventually died on the same day, at 22:50 pm.

To address this, epidemiological investigation has been done to the house of the patient and surrounding environment by Kemenkes Team and the local health office, and obtained the possibility of risk factors that direct contact with his own pet dove is sick and die.

With the increase of these cases, the cumulative number of bird flu in Indonesia since 2005 until this news broadcast is 183 cases with 151 deaths.

Director General of Disease Control and Environmental Health (PP & PL), Prof. dr. Tjandra Yoga Aditama, Sp (K), MARS, DTM & H, DTCE, vocal point as the International Health Regulations (IHR) have also been informed of this case to the WHO.

This information is published by the Center for Public Communication, Secretariat General of the Ministry of Health. For further information please contact via telephone number: 021-52907416-9, fax: 52921669, Response Quick Response Center (PTRC): 021-500567, or e-mail info@depkes.go.id, kontak@depkes.go. id.

Work Begins on Possible Vaccine Against Novel Flu Bug H5N1 #H3N2 #BIRDFLU

H3N2V whhich was mentioned in my vid..

Work Begins on Possible Vaccine Against Novel Flu Bug

Robert Lowes

January 4, 2012 — Taking no chances, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is laying the groundwork for a possible vaccine against a novel strain of a swine influenza virus that has surfaced in 5 states and sickened 12 individuals, mostly children, since July 2011, an agency official told Medscape Medical News Tuesday.

The strain, designated A(H3N2)v, is a variant of the A(H3N2) virus that circulates among humans on a seasonal basis. What makes it a variant is a gene from the pandemic 2009 influenza A(H1N1) virus that codes for matrix proteins found in the viral shell.

In Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Maine, the virus appeared to have spread from pigs to humans, according to the CDC. In Iowa and West Virginia, however, the evidence suggests limited human-to-human transmission. In general, the novel virus is no more severe than ordinary seasonal influenza, and all the people infected with it have recovered.
The CDC is encouraging public health agencies and clinicians to collect more nasopharyngeal swabs from patients presenting influenza-like illness for testing to determine whether the novel virus may be spreading on a sustained basis.
CDC spokesperson Thomas Skinner told Medscape Medical News that the agency already has prepared a "seed virus" obtained from A(H3N2)v specimens that drug manufacturers can use to develop a vaccine if needed. Preparing a seed virus involves genetically manipulating specimens to incorporate preferred features.
Because the new virus is different enough from the seasonal viruses now in circulation, the seasonal influenza vaccine for 2011-2012 "is not expected to provide significant protection" against the newcomer, according to a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report that the CDC published on December 23. The trivalent seasonal vaccine is formulated to protect against the 2009 pandemic virus, the regular A(H3N2) virus, and an influenza B strain.
CDC Could Be Preparing for 2012-2013 Influenza Season
So far, the evidence does not suggest that the A(H3N2)v strain is spreading freely through communities, which would create the need for a vaccine. The bug could fizzle out, according to Christine Layton, PhD, MPH, a public health researcher and influenza pandemic expert at RTI International in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

Dr. Christine Layton

"There have been past instances where a novel virus comes up and then goes back down," Dr. Layton told Medscape Medical News. "There may be something about the virus that [prevents] sustained human-to-human transmission."
If the A(H3N2)v virus ever takes off, she said, drug manufacturers would have a tough time turning out a corresponding monovalent vaccine "at the drop of a hat." Influenza vaccines are still mass-produced, for the most part, by being grown in chicken eggs. Together with testing and licensing a vaccine, this process easily can last 3 to 4 months.
A more likely scenario, said Dr. Layton, would be incorporating an A(H3N2)v strain in the trivalent seasonal vaccine for 2012-2013, assuming the novel virus becomes that much of a threat. Each February or so, an advisory panel of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends 3 strains of influenza that should make up the seasonal vaccine for the coming fall on the basis of what it expects to see circulating then. The CDC then develops the seed viruses for these 3 strains, which the FDA distributes to vaccine makers.  http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/756348

Shenzhen drivers Mingwei very hot bird flu #h5n1

Shenzhen drivers Mingwei very hot bird flu

  WASHINGTON H5N1 avian influenza in Hong Kong are both inside and outside attack.  While bird flu found in Hong Kong due to the wholesale market is still dead chickens chicken ban period on the occasion, the Guangdong Provincial Health Department announced yesterday late at night, adjacent to Shenzhen and Hong Kong, a 39-year-old bus driver surnamed Chen suspected bird flu, the current situation critical in the Bao'an District People's Hospital, the patient had no travel history, behind in the local cases of suspected cases, confirmed the Ministry of Health is pending for nearly three years, Guangdong Province, the first human cases of avian flu.
Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection announced after half past eleven last night, the Ministry of Health has received the notification of suspected bird flu cases than Guangdong Provincial Health Department announced late hourBao'an District of hospital stay
 。 Guangdong Provincial Health Department said the bus driver surnamed patients, who lives in Baoan manhole, on Wednesday (21) sudden onset of fever, since the drugs and to the A & E departments do not improve, to Sunday (25) Check Bao'an District People's Hospital, was diagnosed with severe pneumonia the next day transferred to the intensive care unit.
 Until last night, the provincial Center for Disease Control laboratory test results confirmed that the patient samples of the H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza were positive, the Ministry of Health has reported further confirmed, behind the suspected cases.

 

•  Patients still Bao'an District, Shenzhen People's Hospital for treatment.

  Patients currently in treatment, its household contacts are also subject to medical surveillance, no exceptions, and because epidemiological survey showed that patients with no history of travel within one month, and no history of contact with poultry, the authorities therefore highly concerned about the incident, the Ministry of Health World Health Organization has reported the incident, the Guangdong Provincial Health Department is to inform the Hong Kong and Macao health authorities of cases.
  Department of Microbiology, University of Hong Kong Assistant Professor Panlie Wen pointed out that the avian-human transmission is extremely moving, estimate the patient is in contact with chicken feces after the move, yet know whether there are variations, the need for gene sequencing tests. http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&ie=UTF8&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=auto&tl=en&twu=1&u=http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/news/20111231/00176_058.html&usg=ALkJrhhSirAZsRfjxA9zU6NNw4qHugv8rA

World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan, Macau's Chief Executive have a bird flu chat #h5n1 #birdflu

Chief Executive with the World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan to meet

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2011-12-28 19:15:00

 Source: Chief Executive's Office

  Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai today (28) at the Government House and the World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan to exchange views on regional trends in bird flu prevention measures and the related exchange of views on Australia.

  The Chief Executive stressed that the Government attach importance to protect the health of residents, will continue to closely adjacent regions of the H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses, and relevant departments have stepped up surveillance of the disease and take appropriate preventive measures, while continuing with the World Health organizations and neighboring areas to maintain close contact with the health sector, under the circumstances to deal with.

  He again thanked the World Health Organization's long-term health care in the Macau SAR affairs support and guidance and hope to continue to strengthen cooperation with the World Health Organization and implementation of the end of July this year, signed with the World Health Organization, traditional medicine cooperation agreement. 。 Government will invest resources to conduct research on Chinese medicine, training, etc., thus promoting the development of Chinese medicine production.

。 Margaret Chan said the World Health Organization and the Macao SAR long-term good cooperation will continue to support Macao's health care services and diversity.

 Executive Council and Chief Executive Office of the Secretary-General Ko Lan, accompanied by advisers met.   http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&ie=UTF8&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=auto&tl=en&twu=1&u=http://www.gcs.gov.mo/showNews.php%3FPageLang%3DC%26DataUcn%3D58380%26Member%3D0&usg=ALkJrhhmV-aUMB1oag6SiTVeavRT_bShIg

WHO: Influenza like illness in the United States of America

24 November 2011 - The United States Government has reported three cases of human infection with swine origin triple reassortant Influenza A H3N2. Between 10 and 13 November 2011, three children (aged 11 months, 2 years and 3 years) experienced onset of febrile respiratory illness. All three children had visited the same health care provider in Iowa State. None of them were hospitalized and all three have recovered.

Laboratory testing conducted on 18 November 2011 in the State Hygienic Laboratory at the University of Iowa showed a swine-origin triple reassortant influenza A (H3N2) (S-OtrH3N2) virus. This was confirmed by sequencing at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on 20 November.

The three children attend the same daycare facility. There is an ongoing investigation and to date, no epidemiological link to swine has been identified in any of the three children. Additional investigation is currently underway to identify and characterize the illness in other daycare attendees, family members, or other contacts, and to determine any exposure to swine.

These are 16th, 17th and 18th cases of human infection with swine origin triple reassortant influenza A (H3N2) detected in the United States since 2009, and the 8th, 9th, and 10th cases reported this year.

WHO is closely following the situation with the US Government, CDC and other partners.