Influenza Virus Mashup

Via The Australian: Second ship awaiting swine flu test results heading towards Sydney. Excerpt:

A cruise ship from Sydney has been turned away from its final destination in New Caledonia pending the results of swine flu tests on up to five passengers. 

The Dawn Princess departed Sydney early on May 24 with nearly 2,000 passengers aboard for a 13-day South Pacific cruise due to conclude in Sydney on Friday. 

Crew informed New Caledonia authorities before its intended arrival at Lifou on Tuesday that four or five passengers were suffering from flu-like symptoms. 

“As part of our standard pre-arrival health reporting procedures, we share with these authorities incidents of illness onboard,” Carnival Australia spokesman Anthony Fisk told AAP. 

“And we reported that some people onboard had flu-like symptoms. 

“We anchored and they asked us not to disembark any passengers.” 

Officials from New Caledonia ordered the Dawn Princess to anchor offshore while it sent a tender to collect swabs taken from the suspected swine flu victims. 

“We have cooperated with New Caledonian officials who have taken off some swabs that we’ve collected in relation to working out what strain of flu we might have on board,” Mr Fisk said. 

Those samples will be flown to Sydney and tested before the ship arrives to Sydney on Friday. 

The ship has travelled to ports in Fiji and Vanuatu before heading to Lifou. It will now make its way back to Sydney.

Via Panama-Guide.com: Now 148 Confirmed Cases of H1N1 Influenza Virus in Panama. Excerpt:

Panama’s Ministry of Health (MINSA) reported yesterday there are now a total of 148 confirmed cases of H1N1 influenza virus in Panama. 

Of those cases 96 (65%) are minors under 15 years of age and 39 (26%) are between 20-49 years of age. The majority of the cases are concentrated in the densely populated areas of Panama City and San Miguelito. 

Outside of the capital city there have been 23 cases in Colón, eight cases in the Western part of the province of Panama (Arraiján), and one case in Penonomé. 

Of all confirmed cases, 81 (62%) have recovered and have been cleared by health authorities to return to their daily activities, and at this time there are no patients hospitalized.

Via the Sydney Morning Herald, where it’s already Tuesday afternoon: Australia’s swine flu cases rise to 407. Excerpt:

Australia’s swine flu tally stands at 407 on Tuesday, the federal government says. 

The figure is up slightly from 401 overnight. Victoria has reported 306 confirmed cases, followed by NSW (64), Queensland (24), South Australia (6), ACT (4), Western Australia (1), Tasmania (1) and Northern Territory (1).

I wish we could get some informed speculation on why Victoria state has so many cases compared to the rest of the country.

Via The Straits Times, a report from Central America: 2 suspected flu patients flee. Excerpt:

Honduran health officials say two suspected swine flu patients have fled from a public hospital in the capital of Tegucigalpa. 

Hospital director Ruben Palma says the men refused to remain hospitalised and disappeared on Monday as doctors awaited their test results. 

Mr Palma declined to identify the two patients, both of whom spent several days in the Thorax Institute hospital before escaping. One of the men had recently been deported from the United States. 

Honduras has reported two confirmed cases of swine flu, not including the two patients.

Via CBCnews.ca: Third person in Canada to die with swine flu was from Ontario. Excerpt:

A third person with swine flu has died in Canada, a spokesman for Ontario’s health minister said Monday. 

An unidentified person who had been hospitalized with swine flu infection died Sunday afternoon, Steve Erwin said. The person had a number of medical conditions, he said. 

It’s unclear exactly how much the infection with the H1N1 flu virus contributed to the death, Erwin said. 

On April 28, a woman from the northern Alberta community of Gift Lake was the first to die from swine flu. She had chronic pre-existing health problems and had not travelled to Mexico, officials said. 

Last month, a 44-year-old Toronto man was the second person to die after contracting human swine flu. 

As of Monday, Ontario had 715 laboratory-confirmed cases of swine flu, up 89 from Friday, the Public Health Agency of Canada said.

Here’s the PHAC Surveillance - H1N1 Flu Virus (Human Swine Flu). Excerpt:

As of June 1st 2009, a total of 1,530 laboratory-confirmed cases of H1N1 flu virus have been reported in 9 provinces and 3 territories in Canada.

Those cases include 194 confirmed since May 29 and 2 deaths. Canadian media have very little to say about H1N1 these days.

Via The Times of India: TN woman, son contract swine flu virus. Excerpt:

A 34-year-old woman and her five-year-old son from Tamil Nadu, who returned from the US on May 28, have become India’s latest victims of the deadly H1N1 influenza virus — an infection that has spread to 55 countries, taken 99 lives and infected 15,510 people globally. 

Interestingly, the woman’s eight-year-old daughter who had also travelled with them tested negative for H1N1 infection. All three have been put in quarantine at an isolation facility in Coimbatore and have been administered Tamiflu — the only known antiviral effective against swine flu. 

Sources said the woman and her children had gone to visit her husband who works in Boston. Speaking to TOI, health secretary Naresh Dayal said, “The family was checked for fever both in US and Chennai and they had tested negative. They started getting symptoms only after they reached Coimbatore.” 

India is now trying to track down around 55 domestic passengers who had travelled with this family on the Kingfisher flight IT-2901 from Chennai to Coimbatore.

From the Australian Department of Health, the National Case Update: Health Emergency - H1N1 Influenza 09 (Human Swine Influenza) Outbreak. Excerpt:

The total of confirmed Human Swine Influenza cases in Australia as at 0500 AEST remains at 401. All Australian states and territories now have at least one confirmed case. 

The breakdown is: ACT 4, NSW 64, SA 6, Qld 18, Tas 1, Vic 306, WA 1, NT 1

Via Ha’aretz: Seven more Israelis diagnosed with swine flu. Excerpt:

Seven Israelis were diagnosed with swine flu on Monday, bringing the total local cases to date to 33. 

The Health Ministry said that all the new patients, who range in age from 19 to 54 years old, are in good condition, and one has already been released from the hospital.

Via the Los Angeles Times: Swine flu deaths reported in L.A., San Bernardino County [Updated]. Excerpt:

Los Angeles County health officials today announced the first confirmed death in the county of a person infected with swine flu. 

A middle-aged woman infected with the H1N1 virus, who also had underlying health problems, died in late May, county health officer Jonathan Fielding said in a statement. 

[Updated at 12:22 p.m.:The state also reported that a middle-aged man from San Bernardino County also died of the flu.] 

“Every death is regrettable, but given the number of H1N1 cases in Los Angeles, identifying the new H1N1 strain in someone who passed away with severe respiratory disease is not unexpected,” Fielding said.