Influenza Virus Mashup

(Mon, 30 May 2011 19:27:00 +0000)

# 5585

My thanks to Crof for the head’s up on this study which just appeared in the CMAJ, that looks at two cases of NDM-1 recently detected in Ontario – one of which appears to have been locally acquired.

NDM-1, or New Delhi metallo-ß-lactamase-1, is an  enzyme that can confer resistance to certain gram negative bacteria like E.coli and Klebsiella against a class of antibiotics called carbapenems.

Of particular concern, the gene (bla_NDM-1) that encodes this enzyme is carried by a plasmid – a snippet of portable DNA  - that can be horizontally transferred to other types of bacteria (see Study: Adaptation Of Plasmids To New Bacterial Species).

The NDM-1 enzyme made headlines last August when a Lancet Infectious Diseases article was published on its growing prevalence on the Indian sub-continent and its recent importation into the UK, US, and other countries.

In April of 2011, the same researchers published a new study (again in The Lancet) that found the NDM-1 enzyme in 4% of New Delhi’s sampled drinking water sources, and 30 per cent of the sewage tested (see Lancet Study: NDM-1 In New Delhi Water Supply) and perhaps most importantly – identified 11 new species of bacteria carrying the NDM-1 gene, including strains which cause cholera and dysentery.

While there have been scattered instances of NDM-1 bacterial infections detected in the United States and in Canada, practically all of them can be traced back to travel to India or Pakistan.

Today’s report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal highlights two cases of NDM-1 urinary tract colonization in Canada. In each case the patients were asymptomatic, no further spread (in-hospital or to family contacts) was detected, and antibiotics were withheld to avoid giving the bacteria an opportunity to develop further resistance.

One subject had recently traveled to India, while the other had not traveled outside of Ontario for at least 10 years and is believed to be the first documented instance of local acquisition of NDM-1.

Additionally, both cases involved bacterial strains (Morganella & Providencia) not normally associated with NDM-1, and both cases illustrate the difficulties in identifying organisms that produce NDM-1 with current laboratory testing protocols.

You can read the details in:

New Delhi metallo-ß-lactamase-1: local acquisition in Ontario, Canada, and challenges in detection

Julianne V. Kus, Manal Tadros, Andrew Simor, Donald E. Low, Allison J. McGeer, Barbara M. Willey, Cindy Larocque, Karen Pike, Iris-Ann Edwards, Helen Dedier, Roberto Melano, David A. Boyd, Michael R. Mulvey, Lisa Louie, Christopher Okeahialam, Mark Bayley, Cynthia Whitehead, Denyse Richardson, Lesley Carr, Fatema Jinnah and Susan M. Poutanen

Today’s report should not inspire undo public alarm, as the risk to the public is very low. This should, however, serve as a reminder to hospitals and health care facilities that NDM-1 is a growing concern.

Doctors will now have to consider that a history of recent foreign travel, while still the most common route of NDM-1 acquisition in North America, is no longer a firm prerequisite for infection.

And hospitals will have to gear up to deal with the the patient screening and infection control challenges that a new resistant pathogen presents, while laboratories will have to develop new testing protocols.

The NDM-1 enzyme was first identified in a Klebsiella pneumoniae isolate from a native of India, who was then a resident in Sweden, just three years ago. Since then it has been detected in bacteria in India, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Japan and Brazil.

While the end of the antibiotic era is not yet at hand, the fear is we may be drawing closer to that day.  Which is why we watch reports of bacterial resistance with such great interest.

For a far more complete (and eye-opening) discussion of antimicrobial resistance issues, I can think of no better primer than Maryn McKenna’s book SUPERBUG: The Fatal Menace of MRSA.

And Maryn’s SUPERBUG Blog, now part of Wired Science Blogs, continues to provide the best day-to-day coverage of these issues.

Via The Copenhagen Post: Authorities: dangerous bacteria in Spanish cukes. Excerpt:

The bacteria is being blamed for causing upwards of 10 cases of a life-threatening stomach influenza in Denmark. Scores more have become infected in Germany since mid-May, according to press in that country. 

At least three Danes infected with the bacteria have also experienced kidney failure. 

Washing does not necessarily remove the bacteria from vegetables, but heating does kill it, according to national lab Statens Serum Institut. 

Health authorities advise people to discard food they believe may be carrying the bacteria. 

Danish supermarkets have already begun removing potentially tainted products from their shelves.

(Mon, 30 May 2011 12:28:00 +0000)

# 5584

Credit- Wikipedia.

Over the past couple of years concerns have been raised over the consumption of so-called `energy drinks’, particularly among children and teenagers.

These drinks, which usually contain significant doses of caffeine and sugar, along with B vitamins, amino acids, and herbs like acai and Yerba Mate, are supposed to increase alertness and energy.

Some brands – which may only be legally sold to adults – contain 10%-12% alcohol.

Non-alcoholic versions are often used as `mixers’ for alcohol - a practice reportedly favored by college and teenage drinkers because the caffeine helps produce a `better buzz’.

The downside is, it can fool imbibers into believing they are sober when they are not, which can lead to even more drinking and risky behavior.

 

 

Last year these alcohol laced energy drinks came under heavy scrutiny when colleges and universities around the country began to report injuries and blackouts related to the drink’s use.

The state of Washington banned an alcoholic energy drink called  Four Loko after nine under-aged university students (aged 17 – 19) from Central Washington University fell ill at a house party and were hospitalized. 

 

A number of colleges have recently banned these types of drinks from campus.

But even non-alcoholic energy beverages (EBs) have raised concerns. 

Excessive consumption has been linked to increased heart rates, hypertension, exacerbation of psychiatric symptoms, and very rarely - sudden cardiac death (cite - Mayo Clinic Proceedings Oct 29, 2010 :Energy Beverages: Content and Safety).

The Mayo report, which recommends the consumption of no more than 1 can (500ml) of EBs a day, concludes:

Limited ingestion of EBs by healthy people is not likely to cause major adverse effects, but binge consumption or consumption with alcohol may lead to adverse events. Individuals with medical illnesses, especially underlying heart disease, should check with their physician before using EBs, because they may exacerbate their condition.

Today, from the American Academy of Pediatrics, we get a stronger warning via this cautionary report on the the dangers inherent in the use of `energy & sports’ drinks by children and teenagers.  

The report – which is available online and for free – is called:

Clinical Report—Sports Drinks and Energy Drinks for Children and Adolescents: Are They Appropriate?

COMMITTEE ON NUTRITION AND THE COUNCIL ON SPORTS MEDICINE AND FITNESS

The `money quote’ from the abstract reads:

Rigorous review and analysis of the literature reveal that caffeine and other stimulant substances contained in energy drinks have no place in the diet of children and adolescents.

 

Furthermore, frequent or excessive intake of caloric sports drinks can substantially increase the risk for overweight or obesity in children and adolescents.

This report offers the following clinical guidance to pediatricians:

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: GUIDANCE FOR THE PEDIATRICIAN

Regarding consumption of sports and energy drinks by children and adolescents, the pediatrician is encouraged to:

● Improve the education of children and adolescents and their parents in the area of sports and energy drinks. This education must high-
light the difference between sports drinks and energy drinks and their associated potential
health risks.

 

● Understand that energy drinks pose potential health risks primarily because of stimulant con-
tent; therefore, they are not appropriate for children and adolescents and should never be consumed.

● Counsel that routine ingestion of carbohydrate-containing sports drinks by children and adolescents
should be avoided or restricted. Intake can lead to excessive caloric consumption and an increased risk
of overweight and obesity as well as dental erosion.

 

● Educate patients and families that sports drinks have a specific limited function for child and adolescent athletes. These drinks should be ingested when there is a need for more rapid replenishment of carbohydrates and/or electrolytes in combination with water during periods of prolonged, vigorous sports participation or other intense physical activity.

 

● Promote water, not sports or energy drinks, as the principal source of hydration for children and adolescents.

According to a Reuters report this weekend (Stay away from energy drinks, doctors say), the sale of non-alcoholic energy drinks will approach $9 billion dollars in the United States this year – with half of that sold to children and young adults.

A factoid that many parents are probably unaware of given that the use of these types of drinks appears to be a generational phenomenon. 

Hopefully this report, and the resultant press coverage, will serve as impetus for parents to discuss the risks of  consuming these types of beverages with their children.

(Sun, 29 May 2011 15:02:00 +0000)

# 5582

With the 2010-2011 northern hemisphere flu season at its end, the World Health Organization has released a summary of global influenza trends over the past six months.

This summary appears in the latest Weekly Epidemiological Record 2011, 86, 221–232 and on the WHO’s Global Alert and Response (GAR) page.

I’ve excerpted a few passages (and reformatted for readability), but the entire report is worth reading.  I’ll return with some brief comments:

 

Summary review of the 2010-2011 northern hemisphere winter influenza season

This review summarizes the chronology, epidemiology, and virology of the northern hemisphere temperate regions’ winter influenza season encompassing the time period from October 2010 through the end of April 2011.

 

It is an expanded version of the WHO Weekly Epidemiological Record (WER) 27 May 2011, vol. 86 (pp 221-232).

 

Summary points

• The winter influenza season in the temperate countries of the northern hemisphere began in late October in Asia, a month later in Europe and North America, but was largely over by the end of April.

 
• The most commonly detected virus was different in North America, where influenza A(H3N2) and influenza type B co-circulated with influenza A(H1N1)2009, and Europe, where influenza A(H1N1)2009 was by far the most commonly detected virus.

• Although it was no longer the predominant influenza virus circulating in many parts of the world, H1N1 (2009) otherwise behaved much the same way as it had during the pandemic in terms of the age group most affect and the clinical pattern of illness.

• The impact of the influenza season in some areas where H1N1 (2009) was the predominant virus was more than in the previous year, most notably in the United Kingdom (UK) where intensive care units were stressed by large numbers of cases requiring ventilatory support.

• More than 90% of viruses detected around the world were similar antigenically to those found in the seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine.

 
• Antiviral resistance in influenza A(H1N1)2009 remained at a very low level. There were case reports with no history of exposure to antiviral medications, consistent with some community transmission of resistant virus.

<SNIP>

Conclusions

Influenza A(H1N1)2009 continues to circulate widely. However in contrast to the pattern observed during the pandemic, the virus is now co-circulating with other influenza viruses and was not the predominant influenza A virus in many countries.

 

Circulation this season occurred during the expected influenza seasonal time frame with no out-of-season community transmission reported in temperate northern countries. The pattern of association between severe disease and age was similar to that observed previously.

 

Influenza A(H1N1)2009 continues to be more of a problem for young and middle-aged adults, while influenza A(H3N2) causes more severe disease in adults over the age of 65 years. Influenza type B appears to disproportionately affect young children.

 

A few countries appeared to have a higher number of severe cases compared to last year for reasons that are unclear. This was most notable in the UK though this observation may well be a surveillance artefact related to the active surveillance for severe disease that was carried out there.

 

All three circulating viruses demonstrated very little antigenic drift over the last year and were closely related to the three strains contained in the seasonal influenza vaccine. In addition, all but a very small percentage of viruses tested remain sensitive to neuraminidase inhibitors.

 

This reemphasises the need to continue to vaccinate and to treat early patients at high risk for developing severe disease, including those at the extremes of age, those with certain chronic medical illness, and pregnant women.

 

While admittedly a convoluted flu season, with four flu strains (five if you count the few remnants of seasonal H1N1) in circulation, and widely varying impacts around the world – some `good news’ stands out.

First, the feared rise in antiviral resistance for the 2009 H1N1 virus has not yet happened, with 98% of the samples testing still sensitive to oseltamivir.

 

However, since there were a few cases of oseltamivir resistance with no known exposure to the drug, concerns over possible limited community transmission of a resistant virus remain.

 

 

Second, while scattered mutations in the 2009 H1N1 virus have been detected, the vast majority of viruses tested remain antigenically similar to the current tri-valent influenza vaccine.

 

The chart below illustrates 99% of the H1N1 (2009) and 96% of the  H3N2 viruses tested were antigenically similar to the current vaccine.

With two main lineages of B viruses that co-circulate each year, scientists must decide which strain to include in the vaccine. Some years they guess wrong, but this year nearly 91% of B viruses tested were a match (B Victoria) for vaccine strain.

While no guarantees can be made for what these influenza viruses will do in the next 6 to 12 months, for now they are behaving pretty much as scientists predicted.

The best news is that the vaccine being produced for the 2011-2012 flu season (Southern & Northern Hemisphere) appears to be an excellent match for 90% of the flu viruses currently circulating.

Of course, the only constant with influenza viruses is change.  

And so we will watch the progress of the upcoming flu season south of the equator with great interest. What happens in Australia, New Zealand, South American, and South Africa can often tell us a lot about the kind of flu season we may see in the fall.

Stay tuned.

(Sun, 29 May 2011 03:55:49 GMT)

Reminder: Please do not post whole articles, just snippets and links, and do not post articles from the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Thanks!

Germany

?  [H7] Avian influenza: 40 000 animals killed (Link)

?  H (Link)

News for May 29, 2011 is here.

Thanks to all of the newshounds! Special thanks to the newshound volunteers who translate international stories - thanks for keeping us all informed!

Other useful links:

WHO A(H1N1) Site

WHO H5N1 human case totals, last updated May 13, 2011
Charts and Graphs on H5N1 from WHO
Google Flu Trends (U.S.)
CDC Weekly Influenza Summary
Map of seasonal influenza in the U.S.
CIDPC (Canada) Weekly FluWatch
UK RCGP Weekly Data on Communicable and Respiratory Diseases
Flu Wiki Main Page

(Sun, 29 May 2011 03:55:30 GMT)

Reminder: Please do not post whole articles, just snippets and links, and do not post articles from the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Thanks!

?  H (Link)

News for May 28, 2011 is here.

Thanks to all of the newshounds! Special thanks to the newshound volunteers who translate international stories - thanks for keeping us all informed!

Other useful links:

WHO A(H1N1) Site

WHO H5N1 human case totals, last updated May 13, 2011
Charts and Graphs on H5N1 from WHO
Google Flu Trends (U.S.)
CDC Weekly Influenza Summary
Map of seasonal influenza in the U.S.
CIDPC (Canada) Weekly FluWatch
UK RCGP Weekly Data on Communicable and Respiratory Diseases
Flu Wiki Main Page

Via Todayonline.com, a Reuters report: Vietnam halts bird flu vaccination. Excerpt:

The Vietnamese government said it had halted the nationwide vaccination of poultry against bird flu, saying a new type of the H5N1 virus had rendered the vaccine ineffective. 

“Based on post-vaccination surveillance results, a new clade of the H5N1 virus has appeared in Vietnam since 2010,” the government said on Thursday. 

Vietnam had planned to use a vaccine imported from China for its vaccination this year but the vaccine did not work against the new variety, the Animal Health Department said. 

The new type has been circulating in northern provinces, coastal provinces in the central region as well as in the Central Highlands, while the old type of the virus remains active in southern provinces. 

Vietnam first detected the H5N1 virus in poultry in 2003. The virus has since infected 553 people in 15 countries and killed 323, most of them in Asia, including 59 in Vietnam, based on a World Health Organization tally.

The Vietnamese have really tried hard to suppress H5N1, both in poultry and in people. But despite their experience and their efforts, it keeps coming back. This latest development is discouraging.

(Sat, 28 May 2011 12:19:00 +0000)

# 5581

Not that I’m trying to promote paranoia, but a recurring theme in this blog is that nature’s laboratory is open 24/7, and that it is constantly trying out new genetic combinations looking for an evolutionary advantage.

We see this with growing antimicrobial resistance in bacteria (see here, here, and here), emerging anti-viral resistance in influenza viruses (here and here), and even resistance in mosquitoes to DEET repellant (see From the `Nature Bats Last’ Dept).

If you build a better mousetrap, nature will begin work on constructing a better mouse.

Viruses - which generally leave behind some degree of post-infection immunity - must change over time to evade that immune response, else they would run out of susceptible hosts.  

Nowhere is that more apparent than in the world of influenza, where flu viruses mutate at an astonishing rate, and thus are able to spark global epidemics every year.

Adding to this constantly evolving pool of human influenzas are rare introductions of new, `novel’ viruses that can jump from other species (usually avian or porcine).

In The (Swine) Influenza Reassortment Puzzle last December, I wrote about the 19 (now 20) detected human infections by novel swine viruses in the United states.   This from the CDC report”:

Reported Human Infections with Swine Origin Influenza Viruses (SOIV) in the United States since 2005

Of the 19 human cases reported since 2005, 12 have been trH1N1 viruses, six have been trH3N2 viruses and one has been a trH1N2 virus. All 19 persons infected with swine viruses recovered from their illness. Twelve cases occurred in children (persons younger than 19) and 7 cases occurred in adults. In 15 cases, exposure to swine has been identified.

The H1N1 virus that sparked the 2009 pandemic was a descendent of a triple reassorted H1N1 swine flu virus that first appeared in American swine herds in 1998.  It apparently bounced around in swine herds for a decade before finding the right genetic mutations to adapt to humans.

But H1N1 isn’t the only swine flu virus out there.  Known Swine influenza A viruses include H1N1, H1N2, H3N1, H3N2, and H2N3.

But for sheer diversity of influenza viruses, we look to avian species for the mother lode. 

Ducks, geese, and other aquatic birds are believed to be the natural reservoir – and the ultimate source – of all influenza A viruses.

 

 

While we’ve been focused on the H5N1 avian flu virus for a number of years, other avian strains (like the H7s, H9s, and H11s) have demonstrated the ability to infect humans as well.

Which brings us to this dispatch from the CDC’s EID Journal from the People’s Republic of China, that tells us of the discovery of a new reassortment of the avian H5 virus in domestic ducks.

Novel Reassortant Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N5) Viruses in Domestic Ducks, China

Min Gu, Wenbo Liu, Yongzhong Cao, Daxin Peng, Xiaobo Wang, Hongquan Wan, Guo Zhao, Quangang Xu, Wei Zhang, Qingqing Song, Yanfang Li, and Xiufan Liu

Abstract

In China, domestic ducks and wild birds often share the same water, in which influenza viruses replicate preferentially. Isolation of 2 novel reassortant highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N5) viruses from apparently healthy domestic ducks highlights the role of these ducks as reassortment vessels. Such new subtypes of influenza viruses may pose a pandemic threat.

(Continue . . . )

Undoubtedly, influenza reassortments like these happen all the time and outside the view of scientists. Most are viral flashes in the pan, are unable to compete with more biologically fit flu viruses, and so we rarely learn of them.

But occasionally, the right genetic combination will be generated, and a new emerging virus is born. 

The authors of this study write:

Ducks have been considered “Trojan horses” for influenza (H5N1) because of their pivotal role in virus propagation and evolution (11–13).

 

In our study, the 2 reassortant influenza viruses (008 [H5N5] and 031 [H5N5]) and their 3 possible parent viruses (108 [H5N1], 909 [H5N1], and 013 [H6N5]) were all isolated from apparently healthy domestic ducks.

 

We speculate that domestic ducks may serve as reassortant vessels for creating new subtypes of influenza viruses. In view of the practice of raising ducks in a free-range system, these novel strains could be transmitted to other domestic poultry and even humans.

 

There is evidence that these subtype H5N5 viruses have been transmitted to terrestrial poultry (Zhao et al., unpub. data). Thus, the role of domestic ducks in the influenza virus ecosystem should not be neglected.

 

Systematic surveillance should be instituted to identify emerging HPAI (H5N5) viruses and to reduce their potential threat to animal and human health.

Whether the H5N5 virus has evolutionary `legs’, and will ever pose a threat to poultry or humans, is unknown at this time.

All we really know is that it is a novel reassortment that was detected in two healthy ducks in eastern China in December 2008 and January 2009, and that it is highly pathogenic in poultry and moderately pathogenic in mice.

But what this does show is that without good systematic global surveillance of human, avian, and swine populations, we have no way of knowing what other emerging viruses might be fluing just under our radar.

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) – An avian flu outbreak that has halted ostrich meat exports from South Africa has spread to a total of eight farms despite the preventive slaughter of 10,000 birds, officials said Tuesday.

The outbreak, which was first detected on April 9 in South Africa’s Western Cape province, has affected the entire Klein Karoo Valley, home to about 70 percent of the country’s ostrich industry (Snip) “The impact in the Klein Karoo Valley is quite serious as this is the hub of ostrich production and the economy of the area is based on this,” (Snip)

Some 10,000 ostriches have been culled to stop the spread of the virus, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), and preventive slaughter will continue until the outbreak is contained, the department said.

The South African Ostrich Business Chamber has said the strain of the virus is not dangerous to humans but is threatening the country’s ostrich industry, which represents some 65 percent of the world’s ostrich meat production. Continued:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110524/wl_africa_afp/safricaflufooddiseaseanimal

Australia
• Health experts warn of bad flu season (Link)
• Cannberra: Flu vaccinations urged as winter’s woes hit (Link)

Brazil
• Outbreak of pneumonia in the House of Representatives, already reaches 48 cases (Link)

Canada
• Nova Scotia Tamiflu stockpile set to expire (Link)

China
• China clear on H1N1 (Link)

France
• Reunion Island: The flu is back in Reunion (translated) (Link)

Germany
• Low path H7 in domestic birds (Link)

Iraq
• Nineveh bans import of birds from 19 countries (Link)

Jamaica
• Swine flu still killing in Jamaica (Link)

• Gov’t confirms two deaths since January (Link)

Japan
• 10 million doses of avian flu vaccine expire a year (Link)

Mexico
• Mexico Social Distancing Reduced Flu Transmission: H1N1 Study Shows Closing Schools, Other Measures Effective (Link)

South Africa
• Ostrich culling continues (Link)

• Flu early but not automatically worse than before (Link)

United Kingdom
• More swine flu deaths last winter than during pandemic (Link)

• Britain totals up swine flu deaths (Link)

United States
• AK: ProMED: Undiagnosed die-off, avian – USA: (Alaska) (Link)

Venezuela
• Zulia: Maintain surveillance to eradicate the influenza A virus (translated) (Link)

• Vietnam says vaccination against transformed bird flu type ineffective (Link)
• Vietnam halts bird flu vaccination due to new type (Link)

Research
• Easy-to-Use, Portable Flu Diagnosis (Link)
• Vuvuzelas ‘may help spread disease’ (Link)

• CIDRAP: Study boosts evidence that flu raises heart-attack risk (Link)
• CDC: Novel Reassortant Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N5) Viruses in Domestic Ducks, China (Link)
• Flu Viruses Shows Increasing Viral Diversity In Long-Term Study (Link)
• Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis Receive Less Protection from Pandemic Influenza With H1N1 Vaccine, Study Shows (Link)

• Flu viruses rode on pig imports into southern China: study (Link)
• Long-term evolution and transmission dynamics of swine influenza A virus (Link)
• CIDRAP: Pandemic H1N1 hit patients harder than seasonal flu (Link)
• CIDRAP: Phase 3 trial shows good immune response to GSK H5N1 vaccine (Link)

General
• H1N1 Flu Virus Threatens the Caribbean Once Again (Link)

(Fri, 27 May 2011 16:58:00 +0000)

# 5580

Today is day six of National Hurricane Preparedness Week, and the focus today is on preparedness.

One of the toughest jobs for emergency planners is to get the public to prepare for a disaster while the sun is still shining.  Until a threat looms large, most people simply don’t bother.

But by that time, it may be too late.

Essential items often disappear from store shelves in advance of a storm, and frankly, it takes time and serious thought to decide what really is important, and what isn’t.

Now, before a storm approaches, is the time to prepare. 

Craig Fugate, Director of FEMA, brings us today’s PSA on preparing for the storm.

You’ll also find a series of informative hurricane blogs on the FEMA Blog Site this week, including:

May 26, 2011

First there were Zombies; then came Hurricanes!

Posted by: Craig Fugate, FEMA Administrator and Ali S. Khan, Assistant Surgeon General and Director, Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, CDC

With June 1 only days away, FEMA, CDC and the rest of the team are busy preparing for the upcoming hurricane season. And now that you’ve taken the necessary precautions to prepare for a zombie apocalypse, you can start preparing for hurricane season, too. In recognition of Hurricane Preparedness Week, we want to remind you of some simple steps you can take.  The same steps that we described in our zombie post (get a kit, make a plan, be informed) are key to getting prepared for a hurricane as well.

Get a Kit and Stock Up

(Continue . . . )

Ready.gov and the FEMA website have numerous resources available to help you and your family create, and implement, a disaster plan.

And NOAA joins in in reminding coastal residents, it is important to . . .

“Preventing the loss of life and minimizing the damage to property from hurricanes are responsibilities that are shared by all.”

Throughout this Web site, information has been provided regarding actions that you can take based on specific hurricane hazards. The most important thing that you can do is to be informed and prepared. Disaster prevention includes both being prepared as well as reducing damages (mitigation).

Disaster Prevention should include:

• Developing a Family Plan
• Creating a Disaster Supply Kit
• Having a Place to Go
• Securing your Home
• Having a Pet Plan

Last March NOAA, FEMA, and the American Red Cross released an updated preparedness guide for the 2011 tropical season.

Although only 12 pages in length, this colorful PDF file packs a lot of clear, concise information on tropical storms and the threats they contain; winds, floods, surge tides, and tornadoes.

To become better prepared as an individual, family, business owner, or community to deal with hurricanes, or any other type of disaster: visit the following preparedness sites.

FEMA http://www.fema.gov/index.shtm

READY.GOV http://www.ready.gov/

AMERICAN RED CROSS http://www.redcross.org/

And lastly, you may wish to revisit some of my preparedness essays, including:

In An Emergency, Who Has Your Back?

An Appropriate Level Of Preparedness