October 14 news is here
UK flu data system launched
The largest flu monitoring system in Europe was launched by the Health Protection Agency at its annual conference last week.
The QFLU system will provide daily figures on the number of people going to their GPs suffering from a flu-like illness, the number of patients suffering from respiratory infections such as pneumonia and the number of people given antivirals. It has been designed by health surveillance experts and GPs to improve the UK’s preparedness for any future influenza pandemic.
The HPA said that in the event of a pandemic the system would be crucial in identifying areas of the country with a high number of flu outbreaks and coordinating NHS efforts…
Someone please read my post on the India page and get the article I posted ASAP. I do not know how to post properly and this needs to be seen. Thankyou.
Here you go witness. I think I did it right. This is indeed a scary article.
Sorry…that was me. Lost my cookies.
Thankyou Spirit in the Wind.
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — An 11-year-old Indonesian boy has died of the virulent H5N1 strain of bird flu, raising the national death toll from the disease to 53, the director of the hospital where the patient was being treated said Sunday.
The boy, who wasn’t named by officials, was admitted to the Sulianti Saroso Hospital for Infectious Diseases on Thursday and died Saturday night, said Director Dr. Santoso Suroso.
“The death of the boy has brought to 53 the number of people killed by the bird flu virus,” Suroso said.
Vietnam is the second worst hit at 42, but it has not recorded any deaths in 2006.
Experts say Indonesians will continue to die until the nation stops the rampant spread of infection among its hundreds of millions of backyard poultry.
Before the latest Indonesian fatality, there had been 253 confirmed cases of bird flu around the world, in Azerbaijan, Cambodia, China, Djibouti, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam, according to the World Health Organization’s Web site. Of those, 148 cases had been fatal.
I have a friend hiking in Nepal right now. I’m going to email him to see what’s happening on the ground. he can only check in every so often, but if I hear anythying I’ll post it. The statement that people keeled over “while grazing cattle” sounds just like 1918 all over again.
Witness/Anonymous very scary indeed. We need to check this out. Thanks.
Mystery disease kills 8 in Nepal “claimed eight lives including four children in far west Nepal in the past two weeks, …as over 400 people were reported sick with the disease…
According to the newspaper, those who died showed “strange symptoms” that included headaches and respiratory problems.Quoting local people, the newspaper reported that the victims died “wherever they caught the deadly disease”.
The newspaper quoted Shuvesh Raj Kayastha, chief of the Mahakali Zonal hospital in Mahendranagar, about 80-km south of Dadeldhura, as saying that the disease could be a viral infection. He feared that the disease could be similar to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).”
Comment-LauraB – at 07:33 -just like 1918 Yes, remember that the 1918 pandemic seems to have been started around Tibet and Nepal (as per the 1917 Lancet articles) and the epicenter of all this seems Q lake. As I understand it (or misunderstand it) the birds (bar geese) are on the move again right over that area.
Please feel free to correct me. 8 out of 400. Would that be a 2% CFR? This is disturbing. It doesn’t sound like a flu. Sounds worse- freaky fast.
what does freaky fast mean?
suespain – at 10:59 My guess—slang for holy-sh&t people get it and drop dead very quickly.
Nepal-Looks like a Hot Zone to me. WHO better parachute some people in there.
Kim, those were my words EXACTLY! I wonder if there is some translation problem. How can they know where it was contracted? It takes the WHO and CDC weeks to confirm H5N1 in a person!
Sounds like a job for RRS!(?)
Sounds like a job for BBRWFK!
whatever this thing is, it is serious for these poor people. Like all othere suspected clusters, it is suspect until proven otherwise-either by WHO, CDC etc or by world facts.
I’ve accepted for some time now that the next pandemic will be caused by H5N1 and that it will be worse than 1918-barring any unforseen miracles.
Oddly enough,once I accepted that, my anxiety/PPF went way down. I’m prepped mentally and prep-stuff wise. I have no qualms about probably dying-life is truly one day at a time for everyone everywhere-but have done all I can possibly do to make sure my kids and 2 grandsons can get through.
Speaking of the grandkids, I’ve had the newest one 7 weeks old-since Saturday morning.
Life for me right is great. Enjoy your weekend.
Here is followup on a news item posted 12 Oct, concerning a possible problem with birds at a location in Hungary. It was posted by DennisC at 16:20. A friend of a friend was able to translate the item, and here is the relevant info. We found it rather funny (not laughing at the growers’ loss of their crop, though).
According to eyewitnesses, over a hundred thousand birds swept the hills in Tallya. The starlings ate tons of grapes in a few minutes resulting in damages up to 10 million Forints. The birds have caused damage in this village of Zemplen before but no one has seen such a large flock before. The cloud of starlings was black. Many winegrowers didn’t need to harvest because there was nothing left. The vineyards lost millions of Forints. Owners tried to scare the birds away without success. The invasion could be blamed on the nice weather. “This is considered to be a good year for starlings, the fall migrating flocks are larger than usual,” said Zsolt Karcza, head of the Bird-banding Society. The starling invasion is not over since harvest is still in progress.
What is BBR WFK?
I think it means Bronco Bill’s Red Wine Flu Killer
Ha!
On the fence and leaning – at 10:56 Please feel free to correct me. 8 out of 400. Would that be a 2% CFR? This is disturbing. It doesn’t sound like a flu. Sounds worse- freaky fast.
There are many reports of people in 1918 leaving for work in the a.m. feeling fine, getting sick during the day, and dropping dead on the street on their way home. This doesn’t sound worse than flu to me. It sounds just like it from accounts I’ve read.
Dandeldhura (the spelling in the news report is incorrect) is only about 50km from the border with India, and about 150km to the south of China.
And of course it is right in the Himalayan range. Why am I not surprised that there are no doctors for hundreds of miles around?
LauraB - This is a scary situation in Nepal. I hope your friend can give us some insight.
GraceRN - Congratulations! Two grandsons? Couldn’t you share at least one with those of us who STILL don’t have grandkids?
I don’t think we know enough of anything to start figuring out CFR just yet. However, SARS tends to be much slower in onset than flu, so an apparently rapidly spreading respiratory disease that infects large numbers of people with fatalities in the young is very worrying.
Quote from “The Great Influenza”by John Barry.”They seemed to die of pneumonia,but it was a pneumonia accompanied by “strange symtoms” ,including bleeding from the nose.”Edna Mode,I agree, this sounds identical to historical accounts.The instant deaths of some ,I think ,are being caused ,according to John Barry’s book, by the bursting of the lungs.The account that made the deepest imprint on my mind when I read the book was, when someone was boarding a trolley.Didn’t the man in front of him on the street just die suddenly? One minute he seemed fine and the next he was dead? By the time he reached his stop, weren’t 6 people he was riding with on the trolley dead? I am looking for this account in the book, but so far have not been able to find it. If someone runs across it before I do, please post it. Those who have not read the book will understand why the grave concern over these people dying so suddenly.
This “dying in their tracks” while out working is very worrying. I believe we have not heard of this before in all of our reports here at fluwiki, but it does mirror the 1918 experience. If the reports are correct, the list of suspects is very few. If the reports are correct, this area needs attention from TPTB immediately.
One thing to remember is that there’s some pretty extreme poverty — and all the attendent issues, like low body weight and malnutrition and untreated chronic health conditions — in Nepal.
Seasonal flu could cause this in an impoverished, weakened population. Including the CFR.
Not time to panic yet. But definitely worthy watching.
Cygnet at 13:03-Good point. And the long-running insurgency there has made matters worse. So even if the reports are correct, you could be on the money.
The Black Plague had some stories of people sitting down to a meal completely healthy and dying sometime during the meal.
History Lover – at 12:46
LOL!
Nope-they’re all mine! They love their nana!
Now I have a new one to teach how to climb a tree, catch toads, look at worms, ants, spiders, taking fishin’…..
witness – at 12:58
your streetcar scene is at the beginning of chapter 21, p. 242. Scary business.
I thought I just posted this, and then it disappeared.
Medical Maven — my other thought is that if this thing does turn out to be H5N1 and it’s got a CFR of 2% that would actually be a relief. I can SIP and survive a pandemic with a CFR of 2%. 2% is not a civilization buster. 2% would not be fun, but the world would go on after it ran its course.
I’m not sure I’d want to live in a world after a worst case scenario.
Milo- Thankyou, I found the scene and posted it, but my post disappeared as well.
mag. 6.3 earthquake hit Hawaii!
http://tinyurl.com/y8wybb Nasty Bug Making the Rounds
British Columbia, Canada, October 14, 2006 - Medical Health Officer Dr. Lorna Medd says people who have been off work with flu like symptoms this past week can take comfort in knowing that they did not have any of the expected influenzas that could hit this region later on this year.
Dr. Medd says “We have had a rash of people who have been off work with respiratory illness, head cold and flu like symptoms. It has been a doozer.” Medd says its has swept through the commujnity quickly “Because of its rapid spread, a lot of people have been infected with this cold. It is a real bad one.”
http://tinyurl.com/vgf7r Preventing aggravation of allergy-like symptoms during Ramazan
Pakistan, Oct 13, 2006, The News International - ISLAMABAD: Unpredictable weather changes, respiratory viral infections, and unprecedented heat and humidity in August and September increased the misery of respiratory allergy and asthma patients throughout Punjab and parts of NWFP.
Lack of sleep and disturbed sleep patterns are also associated with an aggravation of allergy-like symptoms including sneezing, runny nose, and an occasional feeling of tightness in the chest. Excessive dietary habits including increased consumption of greasy and heavy foods also cause bloatedness, indigestion and abdominal discomfort. This, in turn, aggravates any episodes of difficulty in breathing.
Respiratory allergy patients should ensure that their nose remains open as a blocked nose leads to worsening of respiratory symptoms, and may even be a cause of an asthmatic attack. […] Frequent washing of the nose, best done by properly performing ablution, and application of oil or a lotion inside the nostrils discourages allergens and respiratory viruses from sticking to the nasal mucosa and causing nasal symptoms. …
A study undertaken last year has indicated the efficacy of a new anti-asthma drug, Montelukast, as an effective preventative measure for viral respiratory infections. Dr. Osman said, children treated with this drug in Islamabad, Lahore and other cities of Punjab during winter 2005, did not develop the classical symptoms of flu, and had far fewer exacerbations of asthma. This drug is available as the prototype costing about Rs. 100 per day, but the locally produced Montelukast is 5 to 8 times cheaper and almost as effective. However, a doctor’s prescription is paramount.
This is showing on the NewsNow link site as a bird flu story.
CDC, Flu Wiki And New Media by DemFromCT Sun Oct 15, 2006 at 10:48:53 AM PDT
One of the interesting things about blogs, wikis and “new media” (aka Web 2.0) is its ability to influence dialague and narrative way beyond the number of readers of a single post. Peter Daou (now working for Hillary Clinton) wrote this up in what he called Daou’s Triangle: media reads blogs, and the politicians and parties (and their staff) read media, while blogs write about politicians and parties. There are limits to this, of course, but there are also broader applications.
One such broader application is the use of the web to engage others outside the usual power centers to either discuss the unspeakable (like an H5N1 worldwide pandemic) or influence policy. Here, we give an example in the health field. As a founder and editor of Flu Wiki, we chose to engage citizenry to help follow, learn about and prepare for an eventual flu pandemic in hopes of moving beyond that which public health authorities were doing and could do. <snip>
Well, a year later, we’ve been cited by Science, the World Bank, BBC, PBS, WHO (to name a few) and this week, by the CDC.
More at http://tinyurl.com/yyqtof
(Hi team - I’m back! I have so missed you all. As a special treat I will start the news summaries again tonight - unless there is an overwhelming cry for no news summaries!)
AnnieB – at 15:41. The only cry you might hear is one of relief and boundless joy. Welcome back!
‘ditto’
AnnieB: A second to Milo’s comments. We have kept the news threads short for the past day or two, just so you could catch up more easily. We all LOVE your summaries!!!!!! :)
Welcome back, AnnieB Although the news has been pretty grim, we are delighted to have the summeries!
I missed you AnnieB! ?I love the summeries too!
cnn reporting 6.5 earthquake of the big island (oahu) hawaii. local news reporting stores running out of batteries and bottled water.
Canadian Press, October 13, 2006, SACKVILLE, N.B. — An outbreak of a gastrointestinal illness that has affected at least 100 people has caused officials to close Mount Allison University at least until Monday.
University spokesperson Sheila Blagrave said New Brunswick health officials asked the university on Friday to cancel classes and close public buildings because of a suspected outbreak of a Norwalk-type virus.
… Blagrave said the outbreak isn’t unusual. “This kind of thing happens all the time all over Canada,” said Blagrave. “A public health official told me that in New Brunswick there have been five day cares where it has happened…. One doesn’t want to speculate, but it could be this is a flu that will be hitting other areas and has already hit other areas’‘’.”
…
Earlier this month, 25 new cases of a gastrointestinal illness were reported at the University of Alberta, which brought the number of people who fell ill since classes began there in September to 115.
Erica Hendry, president of the Mount Alison student council, told the CBC that the outbreak isn’t confined to the university campus. “Basically, we’ve been made aware that it’s ouside of Mount Alison University, it’s into the community as well, so the high school has been affected and there’s been a lot of citizens who have checked themselves into the hospital,” she said.
http://tinyurl.com/y6jla7 Classes to resume Monday at N.B. university stricken by virus
Canadian Press, October 15, 2006, SACKVILLE, N.B. - Classes will resume Monday at a New Brunswick university plagued by an unknown virus…
McClatchie says public health officials should know Monday what exactly has hit the university, with symptoms including diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration. He says initial test results have ruled out a bacterial pathogen, such as E.coli.
AnnieB - Your summaries are invaluable and provide a vital update for very many of us. PLEASE continue them as you are able, and thank you for all of your past work.
More on sudden death from “The Influenza Pandemic of 1918″ by Virginia Aronson…
“In Rio de Janeiro one man asked another where the streetcar stoppped, thanked him, then fell over dead - from the Spanish flu.”
“In Cape Town, South Africa, seven riders on a train collapsed and died from the flu within a three-mile stretch.”
“In Cape Town, people who dared to walk the deserted streets were horrified as their neighbors collapsed and died right in front of them.”
Indonesia confirms 54th bird flu death
JAKARTA : A 67-year-old woman who was confirmed Monday as being infected with the bird flu virus died overnight, bringing Indonesia’s bird flu death toll to 54, the head of the team of doctors treating her said…
The Mount Allison University ‘mysterious outbreak’ is believed to be Norwalk virus according to CTV news tonight - http://tinyurl.com/ybr3tp Dillman said officials are awaiting test results.
“Right now preliminary testing from the department of health shows it to be a Norwalk-type virus, but we can’t confirm that. It takes a few days for these types of test to go through.”
I am about to create the News Summary for today then I will start a new thread so you might like to hold your posting for about 30 minutes. Cheers and thanks
(Just found this dated Oct 15)
“Town prepares for a flu pandemic seeks volunteers in case of outbreak” Medfield, MA
… “also hoping to recruit medical reserve corps members. Such corps are teams of local volunteers trained to help out in major public health emergencies. Medical professionals such as doctors, nurses, and pharmacists are encouraged to join; residents with no medical experience are also needed to fill administrative and support roles.”…
…”Health officials from across the region will follow up on Oct. 30 with an exercise simulating a pandemic at Framingham State College, Rheaume said.”