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 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 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 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.
Here is the Pan American Health Organization’s Update. Influenza A (H1N1) Regional Report (29 May 2009). Excerpt (bolding in original text):
Up to 29 May 2009, 15,871 confirmed cases of the new virus influenza A (H1N1) infection, including 113 deaths, have been notified in 19 countries of the Americas: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, United States, Uruguay and Venezuela.
The date of the onset of symptoms of the first confirmed case was 28 March 2009 in the United States.
WHO is not recommending any travel restrictions related to the outbreak of the Influenza A (H1N1) virus.
In the Americas Region, there were 1,471 confirmed cases more than the previous day.
Paraguay and Venezuela have been reported their first cases (5 cases and 1 case respectively), increasing to 19 the countries affected in the Region of the Americas
Via GazetteXtra.com, an AP report: Wisconsin has most swine flu cases in nation. Excerpt:
Wisconsin has more confirmed cases of the swine flu than any other state. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday reported 1,430 confirmed cases.
Wisconsin officials say the number of cases here is nothing to worry about. They say the number largely reflects the state’s efficiency in testing suspected cases.
Department of Health Services spokesman Seth Boffeli says the Wisconsin cases have been relatively mild.
I’ve started to rely on Xinhua’s World Tackles Influenza A(H1N1) site as the best way to get a quick overview of the current situation. The only drawback: A quick overview leaves me feeling stunned.
Via Cachando Chile, a bilingual blog: AH1N1 in Chile, a Scientist’s Perspective. It’s a very informative interview, with links to a four-part series of posts on H1N1 in Chile. This blog is a welcome discovery.
By Diane Rutherford
Story Published: May 29, 2009 at 12:54 PM EDT
Jefferson County has its first case of H1N1 influenza, also known as swine flu, according to public health officials.
The Jefferson County Public Health Service said Friday that it was notified by the Wadsworth State Laboratory in Albany about the positive test result.
The health department says the unnamed person who had the flu is an adult, was not hospitalized and recovered from the illness at home.
According to officials, they expected they would eventually see a confirmed case in Jefferson County because H1N1 has continued to spread throughout New York and the U.S.
The Jefferson County Public Health Service says it’s continuing to conduct active surveillance of local hospitals and schools to identify clusters of flu-like illness.
As of Friday, the department has received no reports of an increase in flu-like ilness in the county.
Earlier this month, a state laboratory confirmed a single case of swine flu in Lewis County.
That person did not require hospitalization
http://www.wwnytv.com/news/local/46472997.html
A Lebanese resident in Spain and two Canadians arrived in Lebanon a week ago suffering from the flu virus. We have put in quarantine and a blood test that we have made each day have been positive” in the influenza A (H1N1 ), he continued.
“The virus does not exist locally. The cases detected from abroad,” he insisted later at a press conference.
“The Lebanese and two Canadians visiting Lebanon, a woman and her child were treated in time. They are unharmed,” said the Minister.
He said that the Lebanese and 21 of its citizens “were training in a center in Spain, where cases of swine influenza have been detected in Spain after their departure, which led the (Lebanese) examining all passengers on the plane on which they were. ” Only one case was recorded.
automatic translation from french
http://www.romandie.com/ats/news/090530090956.tbfeyei3.asp
