Archive for the ‘Influenza’ Category
H1N1 still hanging around in mid 2010? This from India.
Posted by forsythkid on July 29, 2010
The district had been under grip of Swine flu in July and August last year (2009) with more than 100 people losing their lives. However, the intensity of the decease was reduced after February this year, Dr Dalvi said.
This information was from newKerala.com.
Posted in Influenza | Tagged: Danomanno, Forsythkid, H1N1, India | 1 Comment »
The 2010-11 Coming Flu Season
Posted by forsythkid on July 15, 2010
In North America, the flu season is generally considered to be most active between the months of October to May during which time the virus sees a tenfold increase. It is actually active all year long, but right now, in mid July, levels are thankfully very low even in places like Australia which is just now entering its peak season. An emergency committee of 15 scientists headed by Australian infectious diseases expert John Mackenzie was cautiously optimistic concerning the A(H1N1) flu virus and may call an official end to the pandemic alert sometime in august.
This could bode well for the United States at a time when almost everyone could use a break or two.
Posted in Health, Influenza | Tagged: Australia flu season, Danomanno, Flu, Forsythkid | 1 Comment »
Random Thoughts for December 10, 2009
Posted by forsythkid on December 10, 2009
Flu Advertising Blitz
I’ve noticed that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services launched a new ad campaign Monday to encourage Americans to get vaccinated against Swine Flu. The campaign, titled “Together We Can All Fight the Flu,” features television, radio, online and outdoor banner public service announcements that target specific at-risk groups, such as pregnant women and young people, as well as the general public. HHS will also release Spanish-language versions of several ads.
So what gives? I thought the flu deal was on the wane! Is this another case where I need to read between the lines? There have been hints and rumors of a deadly form of bird flu occurring in some regions of China. Also some new reports of a deadly form of dog flu called H2N8! One report even had it that doctors feared a coming together of the current swine flu with a form of MRSA or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus that is responsible for many deaths in hospitals (see Docs Fear Deadly Combo of Flu, MRSA). This could be very disturbing news as we are yet to get into the meat of the flu season in America and already ten thousand are dead! I am, however, very impressed with the way in the the Chinese have proven resistant to the Swine Flu. While America has suffered about ten thousand deaths out of a population of 304 million citizens, China has only had 125 of its citizens die out of a population of 1.3 billion! What do they know we don’t? Could it be they are lying? Naw!
MiFi 2200 Wireless Internet a Good Bargain
Originally developed by Novatel Wireless and released in May 2009. The Intelligent Mobile Hotspot or MiFi 2200 was made available to me recently from a Verizon supplier to check out. The little black device is intended to create a ‘mobile cloud of communication’ ability for those on the run. It will connect up to five Wi-Fi devices together to enable a laptop, for instance, to communicate to other Wifi enabled devices like printers and cameras. The unit also can allow the users to surf the internet by communicating over nearby cell towers. The actual performance is access speeds that are comparable to DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) connections that many people use. (This speed is good for casual surfing of the internet and allows the user to upload or download documents and pictures for storage or printing but lags behind if you try to manage particularly large file sizes like Hi-Def video for instance). Still, for some people who literally work out of their autos, this is a very cool device to own as they can access to the internet cheaply and while they are onsite. Real Estate agents, for instance, would find it very nice to be able to transmit legal documents back and forth to their home office and to customers. For anyone living in the Forsyth Missouri area, I would encourage them to pay a visit to the Verizon office in town. Ask for the agent named Kelly as she treated me very professionally and was able to answer all my questions.
Let’s Hope Those Obama Dollars Keep On a Coming!
At a time in our nation’s history when so much seems to happening all at one time. I am ever so thankful that we have installed, as our leader, a man with such deep pockets. I am referring to, of course, the apparently limitless money he is able to throw at all sorts of problems currently faced by the America people. Just recently the amount borrowed by the General Fund stands at $12,193,059,906,592 (that’s 12 trillion) and it’s increasing at the rate of about half a million every ten seconds! Yes, sir, it will take some mighty deep pockets to get us out of this mess.
US, UK and France Ready to Seek New Sanctions Against Iran
Now here is a real surprise. Iran has done just about every thing it could possibly do to alienate the rest of the civilized world in its protracted, constant and intentional deceptions concerning the goal of nuclear weapon capability. Nothing coming out of the leadership bears any resemblance to the truth as they really don’t understand the difference between telling the truth and lying their asses off. I’m sorry, but everyone I think suspects what the eventual outcome on this issue will be. I do not have to speak it or write about it, but let me make myself clear. I would not trust an Iranian official with the cleaning of a cesspool much less the governing of a people. It’s very sad to me that the citizens Iran are forced to put up with nut jobs year after year.
The Real Solution to Global Warming
After listening now to politicians, scientists and other so-called experts like Al Gore, I have come to a conclusion sort of. When you clear away all the claims that we need to reduce this or clean up that, the principal cause of the world’s problem not only is not addressed but gets worst ever day. I’m speaking of the out of control growth of human beings on a planet that, at some point will reach critical level no matter what else might be done. The world population stands at somewhere close to 7 billion! No one really knows for sure and it is growing at close to 2% per year. Now I am no scientist but it seems to me that at some point we will have just too many people competing for too few resources. At that point, I would guess a mass die off the likes of which this world has never seen will occur. Like a California fire in a forest with centuries of accumulated brush, once a ‘viral fire’ gets really going it will be very hard to stop. Then, with millions upon millions of dead and dying there will occur additional not so great to think about consequences. Water supplies will become tainted. New forms of disease will become prevalent and those who exist in the midst of choas will essentially stampede to new locations. Like a macabre Romper Room run amok!
What I have not heard from anyone of note are the plans for doing something about slowing the population growth especially in those countries that already are stressed to the limit. While here in America we do consume a disproportionate amount of resources per captia, part of that reason is the fact that we have kept our numbers relatively low on a square mile per human basis. (In America we have a population density of something like 85 people per square mile while places like India are standing elbow to elbow with 851 per square mile and and even china with all its land mass is at choaked at 352). Just imagine 851 hungry and needy standing in a single square mile section of land! How do you properyl feed and care for such a mass of humanity? Now imagine that number skyrocketing to over a thousand in just ten years which it will at a 2% rate of growth! My feeling is at the end of the day, it will not matter how much money developed nations throw their way, the end result will be the same. So next time someone is on their soapbox spewing the need to this or that, ask them what the population of earth will be in another 20 years?
Posted in Health, Influenza, Political, Politics | Tagged: Bird Flu, China, Dog Flu, Flu, MiFi, MRSA, population growth, Random thoughts | Leave a Comment »
Panic in Ukraine over swine flu
Posted by forsythkid on November 3, 2009
Story by Svitlana Dorosh
BBC Ukrainian Service, Kiev
Officials in Ukraine have closed schools for three weeks, imposed travel restrictions and are limiting public events as the country battles to stop the spread of swine flu.
More than 60 people are believed to have died of respiratory problems in the past week, and the measures are among the toughest to be implemented in Europe to tackle the virus.
It’s still not clear whether all the deaths were caused by swine flu, but the news has sparked panic, and people have started wearing masks across the country.
Appeal for calm
The Ukrainian health minister Vasyl Knyazevych has asked the media only to report the comments of medical experts following a series of misleading reports which fueled public anxiety.
On national television, he said Ukraine had the same problems as the rest of the world.
He also called on fellow politicians to give people ‘a week of silence,’ and said there was no need for panic.
However, his calls may already be too late.
255,000 cases of flu and acute respiratory problems have been registered among the 46m population. 15,000 have been hospitalized.
The World Health Organization says there is no evidence to suggest that Ukraine had a bad outbreak of swine flu, but it has agreed to send a team there to help the country cope.
President Viktor Yushchenko has also appealed for international help.
Government response
The government has faced growing criticism of its handling of the outbreak.
Some opposition politicians have been particularly critical of the health minister who they not only want to be sacked, but jailed.
Opposition politicians from the Party of the Regions say the first reported cases were at the beginning of October, but by middle of the month there had already been confirmed deaths.
They say the authorities should have provided accurate information about the outbreak so that Ukrainians could seek appropriate medical help.
Instead, the opposition says, many people have resorted to self-treatment.
Experts say Ukraine was unprepared for the swine flu outbreak, and the hunt for political scapegoats is likely to continue.
The opposition leader, Viktor Yanukovych, has called on parliament to scrutinize the government’s actions.
Investigation calls
The influential National Security and Defense Council has called on the judiciary to investigate why Ukraine was unable to prevent the outbreak.
President Viktor Yushchenko has even asked the country’s security service to look at whether pharmacies are guilty of price-fixing anti-flu medications. Critics have also rounded on Ukrainian television channels which they say have wall-to-wall coverage of Ukraine’s leading politicians, but not leading medical specialists.
This, they say, is exacerbating public concern rather than allaying popular fears.
Some analysts say swine flu is being used by the President and his arch rival the Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko to score political points ahead of presidential elections in January.
Supporters of Prime Minister Tymoshenko, who remains at bitter loggerheads with the President, say he is trying to blame her government for the situation.
Playing politics
Aware of the electoral sensitivities, she assured the Ukrainian public that she stood with them, and took “every responsibility for the government’s handling of swine flu on herself.”
“The world has given us not one, but two great trials – first, the financial crisis and now this horrible flu.”
Ukraine’s leading political analysts say the handling of swine flu has become one of the key electoral issues.
According to them, rival candidates are seeking to take the initiative in battling the spread of the virus.
“The swine flu outbreak has overshadowed all the other negative campaigning we were seeing, especially around Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko,” says Vitaly Kulyk, a political scientist at Kiev’s Centre for Civil Society.
“The main players are using the flu in their propaganda war,” he adds.
Appeals for help
Opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych, whose party is backed by Ukraine’s most powerful oligarch, has called on Ukrainians to donate to a special fund which was set up by his party.
He said he wanted to hold a TV marathon to raise funds to fight the epidemic.
The first aircraft to arrive in Ukraine from Switzerland carrying emergency medical supplies, was met by the country’s leadership.
They demonstrated how to put face masks on in front of cameras.
Many Ukrainians however, are asking why their government did not act sooner.
It was evident in May or June that swine flu was spreading around the world, they say, yet Ukraine failed to stockpile sufficient supplies of medication.
Only now, when Ukraine faces an epidemic of swine flu, has the government started to act.
Posted in Health, Influenza, Swine Flu | Tagged: flu panic, Ukriane | Leave a Comment »
Some Studies Show the Flu is Peaking, but….
Posted by forsythkid on October 22, 2009
According to flu statistician Sherry Towers and Zhilan Feng of Purdue University, computers model show that the number of flu infections may be peaking for the week ending October 25, 2009. Federal health officials, however, have continued to encourage citizens to go out and get vaccinated as soon as the H1N1 vaccine becomes available. The U.S. is expected to have about 50 million does ready by the middle of November with as much as 150 million available by the end of the year. The reason for this delay was due to the fact that the H1N1 virus does not grow as quickly in chicken eggs as does the regular flu. This has lead to less protein being available for inclusion in a vaccine.
This idea of peaking does not mean that we are out of the woods as the CDC wants to be clear ‘that trying to predict what any form of flu will do in the future is most likely an exercise in futility.’ So, they are encouraging everyone to continue getting the regular flu shots and the H1N1 shots as they become available.
CDC researchers have been studying the 1957 Asian flu pandemic in an attempt to get a handle on what the flu might do. In that outbreak, there was an initial wave of cases in September and October just like we are seeing today. Then, in January there was another jump in cases nationwide. So the bottom line is that a vaccine, even if it is late in arrival, might have a positive impact.
Posted in Health, Influenza | Tagged: CDC, Flu infections peaking, Influenza | Leave a Comment »
World Flu Report: Is This The Calm Before The Storm?
Posted by forsythkid on October 8, 2009
I took note of a recent story on the internet pertaining to how docile the H1N1 flu appears to have become. The story in the New York Times described how many areas of the country, like New York City which experienced a heavy caseload in the spring, are now at more or less ‘normal’ flu levels. And, with widespread availability of a vaccine only just weeks away, many feel that the worst may be over. So, maybe this flu thing is all becoming yesterdays news….how nice and warm that would make us all feel.
But, hold on just a minute. There may be something wrong with this picture! After all, isn’t the H1N1 virus a ‘novel’ virus that just arrived on the scene? Over the past few months, it has it not insinuated and infiltrated its way all over the globe. Even remote areas like the Tibetan plateau are even now experiencing their first cases. Like some unwanted dust storm, the viral dust is now everywhere us humans live. Some of these minuscule virus particles may even now be mixing it up in pigs along with the more deadly avian strain of the flu. This could bode ill for the future.
For now the current vaccine appears to be working rather well as the H1N1 virus has remained remarkably stable since it first appeared in early spring. Wither or not it stays that way is what has some health specialists a little worried. It becomes a waiting game to see what happens next and the longer time goes on with it changing the better for all concerned. According to the United Nation’s senior technical expert on influenza, Dr. Julie Hall, it takes two to three years for a new influenza virus to infect enough of a population to create broad immunity (from that particular strain). It could then fade int the background and be just another part of the regular form of flu that goes around each year.
However, some experts warn, it is also possible that the virus will recombine; swapping genetic material with other flu viruses such as the seasonal H3N2 virus. A special concern is that someone could become infected with both the H1N1 swine flu virus and the H5N1 avian flu virus at the same time. They could then combine to create an especially virulent new virus “that would have very unpleasant consequences for humanity,” United Nations special pandemic coordinator Dr. David Nabarro told a World Bank briefing in recent weeks. The bird flu, which is still circulating and has now infected 442 people, killing 262 of them, since 2003. Right now it is very difficult for people to catch this form of the flu. But as the numbers testify, when they do, it is extremely deadly. If a new virus had H1N1′s infectivity and H5N1′s deadliness, it could be devastating for everyone worldwide. So, is the clock ticking for or against humanity?
Posted in Health, Influenza | Tagged: Avian flu, Swine Flu | Leave a Comment »
Some Flu Deaths Are Linked to Underlying Bacterial Infections!
Posted by forsythkid on September 30, 2009
It has been discovered that some of the people who have died from the H1N1 virus, apparently did so due in part to the fact that they already had an underlying and complicating bacterial infection.
A recent CDC study of 77 patients who died, 29% also had bacterial infection that may have been a contributing factor. Half of those fatal cases were infected with Streptococcus pneumoniae or strep throat. If true, this means that while the so-called Swine Flu is no more virulent than the normal flu it may become more deadly if other infections exist. Strep throat is most common in school age children and this may then explain why most of the fatalities are in this age group.
This same report noted that in the previous pandemics of 1918, 1957 and 1968, many of the patients who died were also infected with S. pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Staphylococcus aureus as well as the group A Streptococcus which causes strep throat.
That said, it may not be a bad idea to also ask your doctor about getting a pneumococcal vaccine.
Posted in Influenza | Tagged: 2nd bug linked to deaths, Flu deaths | 1 Comment »
H1N1 plus H5N1 May Equal Trouble Brewing Soon
Posted by forsythkid on September 22, 2009
This latest flu map shows the southeastern tier of states is now well involved with the spread of the H1N1 flu. While the current strain remains on the mild side, that is no guarantee that it will remain so. I feel, increasingly like a person in a gas filled room waiting for someone to strike a match.
I feel this way because once the virus becomes firmly established in the Midwest, it will then have a better chance to also impact the so-called ‘mega pig farms’ where large numbers of hogs are maintained in close quarters. Pigs can get infected with the flu just like humans. But, even more significantly, pigs can become infected with both human and avian forms of the flu virus at the same time. If an H1N1 (swine) virus should happen to have infected a pig that was already sick with an H5N1 (avian) strain… and, if gene re-assortment occurs, there is a possibility for a whole new strain to emerge. This ‘new’ virus could theoretically be more virulent and more infectious. Current vaccines would have no effect and we could have another ‘1918 meltdown’ all over again. Now, I’m not saying that any such thing will occur, but I tell you I feel like we are just asking for trouble with the way we manage pig production. They are, after all, a proven link from us to the bird form of flu which has proven to be deadly.
One after thought. The states with the highest population of mega pig farms are concentrated in the Midwest. States which will become increasingly involved with the H1N1 virus soon.
Posted in Health, Influenza | Tagged: Avian flu, Flu, Influenza, re-assortment, Swine Flu | Leave a Comment »
Confirmed Flu Cases by US County as of August 17, 2009
Posted by forsythkid on September 17, 2009
Posted in Influenza | Tagged: Flu map | Leave a Comment »
Flu Watch – Week 35 – Flu Rise Exponential – Week Ending Sept 5, 2009
Posted by forsythkid on September 14, 2009
The chart at right speaks for itself. The Swine Flu seems to be on the move here in the United States. Make sure you get your shots, especially if you are a person at risk. The latest information I have is that just one shot will work for young or old. Remember, so far the flu is mild so there is no reason to get excited.
Also, watch out for web sites that overcharge for masks. Recent studies support the notion that simple paper surgical masks will works just as well as the N95 numbers that cost a lot more.
One source I found has simple mask for a good price. I am only offering advice. Please check with your doctor for his or her recommendations as to might work the best for you and your family.
Posted in Influenza | Tagged: Flu infections | Leave a Comment »
