In this update:
[1] Thailand: 1st case of mother-to-child transmission of flu
[2] Thailand: 8877 confirmed cases and 65 confirmed deaths
[3] Viet Nam: 612 confirmed cases, H5N1 suspected
******[1] Thailand: 1st case of mother-to-child transmission of flu
Date: Mon 27 Jul 2009
Source: Bangkok Post [edited]
<http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/health/150291/mother-to-child-transmission-of-flu-reported-to-who>
Mother-to-child transmission of flu reported to WHO
---------------------------------------------------
The Public Health Ministry reported Thailand's
1st case of a foetus being infected with the
A(H1N1) virus to World Health Organisation [WHO]
on Monday [27 Jul 2009], a day after the case was brought to public attention.
Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai said
the baby was born premature. The 26-year-old
mother had H1N1 flu and gave birth only 7 months
into her term. The prenatal infection was a case
study, because it is the 1st case in Thailand, he said.
It was not clear at this stage how the baby
contracted the virus -- whether from the mother's
amniotic fluid or through the umbilical chord, Dr
Witthaya said. He said the ministry had informed
the WHO but there was still no need for any new
measures. Pregnant women were already listed as a
risk group and would get priority in receiving the flu vaccine.
The woman was airlifted from Ratchaburi Hospital
to Chulalongkorn Hospital where she gave birth by
caesarean section. The mother was in a critical
condition and could not breathe by herself. She
relied on a respiratory support system. The
baby's condition had improved, according to
Deputy Public Health Minister Manit Nopamornbodee.
Dr Witthaya refused to comment on the
distribution of anti-viral oseltamivir tablets
that were sent to clinics in Ratchaburi province,
which has highest recorded death toll from the
virus -- 7 of the 44 confirmed deaths have been
in Ratchaburi. Dr Witthaya said distribution
began only 2 days ago, so an assessment of the
scheme was not possible. About 30 percent of the
flu patients who died had received medication too late to help them, he said.
The director of Ratchaburi hospital, Dr Thanin
Panthutecha, reported that another woman who was
7 months pregnant and was admitted to the
hospital on Sunday [26 Jul 2009] had been
confirmed as having H1N1 flu. The 30-year-old
woman had a high fever and was an asthmatic, but
she was able to breathe on her own. She was given
oseltamivir tablets, and the baby would also
receive the medication through the mother, he said.
"The baby is in a normal condition," he said. The
anti-viral medicine would not affect the child's development.
--
Communicated by:
PRO/MBDS
<promed-mbds@promedmail.org>
******[2] Thailand: 8877 confirmed cases and 65 confirmed deaths
Date: Wed 29 Jul 2009
Source: Bangkok Post [edited]
<http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/health/150482/flu-death-toll-rises-to-65>
Flu death toll rises to 65
--------------------------
A total of 21 more people have died of the
A(H1N1) flu, bringing the country's death toll to
65, the Public Health Ministry announced on
Wednesday [29 Jul 2009]. Paichit Warachit, deputy
permanent secretary for public health, said the
total number of confirmed infections was 8877, up
from 6776 last Wednesday, 22 Jul [2009], when the death toll was 44.
The Public Health Ministry announces the latest
information on the H1N1 flu virus, including the
death toll and total number of people infected, every Wednesday.
--
Communicated by:
PRO/MBDS
<promed-mbds@promedmail.org>
[From the 1st newswire above, this is the 1st
case reported mother to child transmission of
H1N1 virus in Thailand. It underscores an issue
that pregnant women may be high priority group
for pandemic H1N1 vaccine. Since the beginning of
H1N1 outbreak (April May 2009), severe illness
among pregnant women and infants have been
reported, see
<http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5818a3.htm>.
Also, 15 out of 266 (6 percent) of H1N1 death
cases in the US were pregnant women while
pregnant women are account for one percent of the US population, see
<http://www.internationalsos.com/pandemicpreparedness/CatLevel.aspx?li=1&languageID=ENG&catID=1&l=1>.
According to the latest Weekly Epidemiological
Surveillance Report (WESR) of the Bureau of
Epidemiology, Ministry of Public Health,
Thailand, dated 29 Jul 2009, there are 8879
cumulative cases since the beginning of 2009 of
H1N1 confirmed cases and 65 confirmed deaths. The
highest percentage of cases was found in age
group 11-20 (45.7 percent, following by age group
6-10 (15.6 percent) and age group 21-30 (13.9
percent). See <http://203.157.15.4/Flu/situation/y52/flu_200907291523.pdf>.
The latest World Health Organization (WHO)'s
pandemic H1N1 2009 update on 27 Jul 2009 reported
134 503 cases and 816 death cases (see
<http://www.who.int/csr/don/2009_07_27/en/index.html>).
For a map of Thailand showing the geographic
regions,
see
<http://thailandforvisitors.com/general/regions.html>.
For the interactive HealthMap/ProMED-mail map
with links to other ProMED-mail and PRO/MBDS
postings in Thailand and neighboring countries,
see <http://healthmap.org/r/00CU> - Mod.SCM]
******
[3] Viet Nam: 612 confirmed cases, H5N1 suspected
Date: Mon 27 Jul 2009
Source: LookAtVietnam, VietNamNet/SGGP (Liberated Saigon) report [edited]
<http://www.lookatvietnam.com/2009/07/ministry-cautions-about-swine-flu-spread-on-public-vehicles.html>
Ministry cautions about swine flu spread on public vehicles
-----------------------------------------------------------
After 3 people with swine flu were found
traveling by train from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi
on 26 Jul 2009, the Ministry of Health has
sounded a warning about the threat of contracting
[influenza pandemic (H1N1) virus infection] by
using public transport. The passengers on the
train were told to isolate themselves in their
homes, monitor their health conditions, and
inform health authorities immediately if they
suffer flu symptoms of fever, cough, and sore throat.
Meanwhile, the disease continues to spread in
Viet Nam, with 45 more new cases reported on 26
Jul 2009, taking the total number so far to 612,
health officials said. The Department of
Preventive Medicine in the southern province of
Binh Duong said an expatriate working for THP
Company tested positive for the virus and he is
also suspected of transmitting it to a colleague.
Health authorities have quarantined them as well
as a 3rd person with flu symptoms who had been in contact with them.
The deputy director of the Department of
Preventive Health in the central province of Ha
Tinh, Nguyen Luong Tam, confirmed on 26 Jul 2009
that a 30-year-old man died of bird flu [?H5N1 -
Mod.MPP] at the General Hospital. The man had
been rushed to hospital the previous day with
pneumonia, high fever, headache, muscular and
joint pain, cough, breathing difficulty, and
vomiting. Doctors diagnosed him as having avian
influenza and isolated him. They found his lung
to be seriously damaged. He died on 26 Jul 2009.
Health workers later found diseased poultry at
the man's house. He also had contact with a
female relative, a teacher at Ngo Thoi Nhiem
private High School in District 9, where 73
students and 5 teachers have contracted swine flu
[that is, influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus infection].
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Mary Marshall
[This suspected case of avian influenza A (H5N1)
virus infection, if confirmed, will become the
112th case and the 57th death to have occurred in
Viet Nam. The most recent previous case died on
27 Apr 2009 in Thanh Hoa province.
The concern in the current (suspected) case is
that there is a potential epidemiological link
with an outbreak of influenza pandemic (H1N1)
2009 virus infection among teachers and children
at a school in the same province.
Confirmation of the H5N1 diagnosis is awaited as
are more details of the investigation of the
outbreak at Ngo Thoi Nhiem private High School.
A map of the provinces of Viet Nam, showing Ha
Tinh province in the central region, can be accessed at
<http://www.angelfire.com/co/hongnam/vnmap.html>.
The HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of Viet
Nam is available at <http://healthmap.org/r/008c>. - Mod.CP]
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