Influenza Virus Mashup

Via the Saudi Gazette: Swine flu cases now 16 as DOH finds two more. Excerpt:

The number of confirmed cases of Influenza A(H1N1) in the Philippines has risen to 16, the Department of Health reported Saturday. 

In a press briefing Saturday noon, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said two more patients were found positive – a 51-year-old woman and a 21-year-old man, both of whom arrived in Manila on May 26. 

“Both had a history of travel to the United States … Both are Filipinos,” he said, but did not give further details about the two. 

He added that there were 29 new cases under observation as of Saturday. 

Duque said that since May 1, the Department of Health has placed 240 people under observation. Of these, 16 were found positive for the virus, 19 have pending laboratory results, and 205 tested negative and have been discharged. 

Meanwhile, Duque elaborated on a “four-level response system” for the public, especially with the new school year set to start on June 1.

Via the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control: ECDC situation report on Influenza A(H1N1), 30 May:

In the past 24 hours, 45 new cases were confirmed in the EU and EFTA countries. Hungary reported its first confirmed case.

The complete situation report is available on the page as a PDF. It also notes one case in Sweden, two in Switzerland, three in Germany, 14 in the UK, and 24 in Spain.

Via the Sydney Morning Herald, a report datelined May 31: Tougher quarantine orders. Excerpt: 

Swine flu patients in NSW could be forced to comply with government health orders under new powers announced by Health Minister John Della Bosca yesterday. 

The state’s chief health officer, Kerry Chant, said her “last resort” powers would enforce exclusions or quarantines of infected people only if they resisted health guidelines and were a risk to public health. 

“I can assure the community that if we see the situation warrants the use of those powers we will have no hesitation in using them,” Dr Chant said. 

There were 54 confirmed cases of swine flu in NSW yesterday, including a traveller returning from India, which had not previously been nominated as an infected country. 

No cases of community transmission have been detected in NSW but more than 40 of the state’s cases were linked to the Pacific Dawn cruise ship, which docked in Brisbane yesterday amid cries of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie - oink, oink, oink!” from some of the 83 disembarking passengers.

Non-soccer fans should be aware that fans watching a game may often encourage their side with choruses of “Ozzie, ozzie, ozzie - oi, oi, oi!”

Here is today’s HPA - Update on confirmed swine flu cases. Excerpt:

11 further patients under investigation in England have today been confirmed with swine flu. Together with the two cases in Scotland announced by the Scottish Government yesterday (May 29 2009) and one further case in Scotland the current total number of confirmed UK cases is now 229.

Via O Globo: Brasil registra 4 casos de gripe suína contraídos por contato com pacientes vindos do exterior. [Brazil records 4 swine flu cases caused by contact with patients from outside the country.] Excerpt, with my very crude translation below:

Mais uma pessoa passou a ter sintomas similares ao da gripe suína e foi incluída entre os casos suspeitos pelo Ministério da Saúde, elevando de 18 para 19 os casos de suspeita da Influenza A (H1N1) em 10 estados do país. Nesta sexta-feira, foi confirmado o 16º caso da doença. Trata-se de um paciente de São Paulo que se contaminou em contato com outra pessoa infectada pelo vírus H1N1.

One more person has shown symptoms of swine flu and has been included by the Health Department among suspected cases. This raises the total of suspected cases to 19, in 10 states across the country. The 16th confirmed case was reported on Friday. One Sao Paulo patient is under treatment after being infected by another person with the H1N1 virus.

Via Bird Flu Information Corner, some good news from Detik: Bali ::: Japanese tourist tested negative H1N1 flu. Excerpt:

Bali is still safe from H1N1 flu or swine flu. A Japanese tourist, Kuri Akira (50), who was treated at Sanglah hospital Denpasar, tested negative H1N1 flu. Physical examination showed a good condition, no fever, coughing, cold and sneezing.

Via Hong Kong’s government website: Swine flu tally grows to 23. Excerpt:

Hong Kong’s H1N1 tally has grown to 23 with three new imported cases confirmed today, the Department of Health says.
  

The first case involves a 21-year-old man who stayed in the US May 15 to 27 and returned to Hong Kong May 28 from New York on flight CO099. He wore a face mask during the flight and sat in row 23. He took the Airport Express to Tsing Yi where he took a taxi to his home in Cheung Hang Estate, Kwai Tsing.
  

He developed a fever and sore throat after arriving home. He consulted a private doctor yesterday morning and was sent to Princess Margaret Hospital by ambulance. His family members are asymptomatic.

The report provides the same details about the other cases—presumably so people on the flight, or living in the patient’s neighbourhood, will alert authorities if they start feeling ill.

Via the Jerusalem Post: Two Israeli women diagnosed with swine-flu. Excerpt:

Two Israeli women were diagnosed with swine-fluon Saturday evening, Army Radio reported. 

The women, in their sixties, recently returned to Israel from the US. 

According to the report, they are in good condition and are being treated at Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva and in Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital.

Via CIDRAP, Maryn McKenna writes a must-read article: New flu virus may bring summer of discontent. Excerpt:

With summer temperatures settling in across the United States, health authorities are conceding that the novel H1N1 flu virus may continue circulating through the summer, rather than quieting down as seasonal flu strains do. 

That could pose major challenges for surveillance of the new flu’s spread, because some important disease indicators, such as school absenteeism, cannot be used during the summer. 

It will also tug research on the strain toward an aspect of flu that is not well understood despite years of inquiry: why influenza is a seasonal infection. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) signaled yesterday that it does not expect the novel virus to mimic seasonal flu’s usual summer hiatus.

“There are some aspects of what we’re seeing that are very different from seasonal patterns,” Dr. Anne Schuchat, the CDC’s interim deputy director for science and public health programs, said at the agency’s Thursday press briefing. 

“This virus is circulating much later than the annual flu viruses. We’re really not seeing much of any other seasonal flu viruses anymore. But we are continuing to see this strain circulate, even though of course we’re almost at June.”

Read the whole story, which includes links to three important articles.

Via the Australian health department: Health Emergency - H1N1 Influenza 09 (Human Swine Influenza) Outbreak. Excerpt:

There were 45 further confirmed cases of H1N1 Influenza 09 (Human Swine Influenza) reported since this morning. 

These cases include a further 35 cases from Victoria as well as the first case recorded in North Queensland and six new cases recorded in NSW. 

The new cases in Victoria have confirmed the trend of the virus which is predominantly affecting school-aged children and being relatively mild in its impact. Twenty-six of the 35 new cases in Victoria were aged from five to 18. 

There are also now three confirmed cases in country Victoria – in the Macedon Ranges Shire, Mitchell Shire and Indigo Shire. These new cases were not unexpected given the continuing spread of the virus in the community in Victoria.

The update provides more details (including Tasmania’s first case) and says the total number of cases in Australia is now 254.