Mentor Gemilang - "Let's Go Green"

Dengue death cases increases by 65% in 2010

2010-10-16T16:08:00.002+05:30

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 10- Dengue cases have doubled over the past 10 years, with the situation turning significantly worse this year compared with the previous year, a health official said.

The disease has in fact become the fastest-growing mosquito- born disease in the world, Shin Young-soo, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Western Pacific, told a press conference here on Sunday.

While the reason for the deteriorating situation was unknown, Shin said it could be caused by rising temperature, rain amount and urbanization.

However, the increasing number recorded could be due to better surveillance developed over the years, said Shin.

While pointing out that the dengue situation has worsened over the last three years in Malaysia, Shin also said that the Philippines and Laos were severely attacked by the disease this year.

According to the Malaysian Health Ministry, a total of 37,419 dengue cases were reported in the country from January to Oct. 2, an increase of 17 percent or 5,411 cases compared with 32,008 cases recorded in the same period last year.

During the period, 117 death cases were reported, a surge of 65 percent or an increase of 46 cases compared with the same period last year.

Earlier this week, the WHO warned that 2.5 billion people around the globe are estimated to be threatened by the fatal disease, with 70 percent of the cases originating from Asia.

According to the WHO, many dengue cases were reported in Southeast Asian and South Asian countries during the first eight months of 2010, with 60,000 cases recorded in Indonesia, 58,000 in Thailand and 27,000 in Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai said that the ministry had obtained the approval from the Malaysian National Biosafety Board to release the genetic-modified mosquitoes into the environment.

The Malaysian government is researching on the possibility of using genetic-modified mosquitoes to eradicate the spread of dengue, a way deemed most effective and fast in reducing dengue cases.

According to the ministry, the genetic-modified mosquitoes, all male, will still mate with other female mosquitoes but the wigglers, or mosquito larvaes, will not be able to survive.

A/H1N1 pandemic death toll rises to 12,220, says WHO

2010-01-02T21:22:00.000+05:30

GENEVA, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- The global death toll of the A/H1N1 pandemic influenza has risen to at least 12,220, an increase of over 700 in a week, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a weekly update on Wednesday.

The death toll in the Americas remains at some 6,670, with no new deaths reported in the past week. But more deaths were recorded in all the other five regions, notably in Europe and the Western Pacific, the UN agency said.

According to the WHO's tally, A/H1N1 pandemic deaths in Europe increased more than 300 from a week ago, reaching at least 2,422, while the number of deaths in the Western Pacific rose to 1,249, from 1,030 last week.

The pandemic death numbers in South-East Asia, East Mediterranean and Affica increased to 1,056, 693 and 130 respectively.

The reported number of fatal cases is an under representation of the actual numbers as many deaths are never tested or recognized as influenza related, the WHO has noted.

The H1N1 flu virus was first identified in North America in April, and the WHO declared the new influenza as a pandemic in June. So far the virus has caused infections in more than 208 countries and overseas territories or communities.

WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan warned on Tuesday that the A/H1N1 pandemic influenza is not over yet and the world needs to continue monitoring the evolution of the disease in 2010.

Although the pandemic has passed its peak in many countries in the northern hemisphere, notably in the United States, Canada and parts of Europe, but "it's too premature, too early for us to say we have come to an end of the pandemic influenza worldwide," Chan told a press conference in Geneva.

She said the WHO and its members states should continue to monitor the evolution of this pandemic for the next six to 12 months, given the fact that flu viruses change constantly and the current "moderate" pandemic could become more fatal.

India's swine flu toll reaches 606, over 19,000 affected

2009-12-06T11:08:00.000+05:30

Six swine flu deaths, three of them in Rajasthan alone, were reported Friday, taking the toll from influenza A (H1N1) virus in India to 606, health authorities said here.

Also, a record 290 new cases were reported in the country, taking the total number of people affected with the contagious flu to 19,162.

With the three deaths, the toll in Rajasthan has gone up to 57. Two deaths were also reported from the national capital, taking the total toll in the Indian capital to 28.

One death was reported from Gujarat, taking the number of deaths due to Influenza A (H1N1) virus in the state to 47.

Meanwhile, Delhi reported 186 cases of swine flu Friday -- the highest for a single day - taking the number of people affected with the virus to 5,603. The national capital Thursday reported 176 cases of swine flu.

The number of people affected with the virus in Delhi is now the highest in the country.

'Till date, samples from 90,068 people have been tested for Influenza A (H1N1) in government laboratories and a few private laboratories across the country and 19,162 of them have been found positive,' said a statement issued here.

China reports fast rise of A/H1N1 flu deaths

The Chinese mainland saw a faster increase of deaths from the A/H1N1 influenza in the past weeks, according to the Ministry of Health. Among 200 deaths from the A/H1N1 flu, 194 were reported last month.

About 89.3 percent of all the flu cases reported last month were of the A/H1N1 strain, up 12.4 percent from the previous month, the health ministry said Friday.

As of Monday, nearly 27 million people nationwide had been inoculated with China-made A/H1N1 vaccine, according to the ministry.

8,768 people worldwide have been killed by A/H1N1 influenza - WHO

2009-12-06T11:05:00.001+05:30

GENEVA, Dec. 4 -- At least 8,768 people worldwide have been killed by A/H1N1 influenza, an increase of 942 in the past week, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a latest update on Friday.

Of all the deaths, 5,878 occurred in the Americas, and at least 918 occurred in Europe. The other four WHO regions, South-East Asia, West Pacific, East Mediterranean and Africa reported 766, 706, 392 and 108 deaths respectively.

The H1N1 flu virus was first identified in North America in April, and the WHO declared the new influenza as a pandemic in June. So far the virus has caused infections in more than 207 countries and overseas territories or communities.
A/H1N1 influenza death toll rises to 8,768, says WHO

Currently A/H1N1 pandemic activity continues to evolve mostly in the cold northern hemisphere, with little activity reported in the southern hemisphere, the WHO said.

The early arriving winter influenza season continues to intensify across central Europe and in parts of central, eastern, and southern Asia. But disease activity has peaked and is declining in North America and has either recently peaked or is currently peaking in much of western and northern Europe.

In both Canada and the United States, influenza virus circulation remains active and geographically widespread. However, disease activity appears to have peaked in past three to four weeks, the WHO said.

In western and northern Europe the peak of disease activity has passed in Belgium, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and parts of Britain (Northern Ireland, Wales). Activity may be peaking or plateauing in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Sweden and Denmark.

Influenza activity continues to increase in much of Central Europe in the region between the Baltic and Balkan countries and from Germany to Romania. In Eastern Europe, recent peaks or plateaus in disease activity have also been observed in Ukraine, Belarus, Bulgaria and the Republic of Moldova. In the Russian Federation, influenza activity remains active and intense in some regions, with an overall increasing trend.

In Western and Central Asia, influenza transmission remains active. Disease activity continues to increase in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Iran and Iraq, while activity may have peaked in Israel, Jordan, and Afghanistan.

In East Asia, increasing influenza-like-illness or respiratory disease activity has been reported in southern China and Japan. A recent decline in activity has been observed in northern China.

In South and Southeast Asia, influenza activity continues to increase in the north-western parts of India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Cambodia, while activity in the rest of the region remains low.

At this point, it is still early to say whether pandemic activity is peaking in the northern hemisphere as a whole, and it is also not possible to predict what the situation will be like in the spring time, WHO's top flu expert Dr. Keiji Fukuda told reporters on Thursday.

Second wave of A/H1N1 outbreak in Thailand and Malaysia

2009-11-20T19:11:00.000+05:30

BANGKOK (Xinhua) -- The second round of the A/H1N1 influenza outbreak in Thailand has started, Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai said Thursday.

In the countryside the A/H1N1 virus is spreading in schools as the winter is affecting Thailand, the minister said.

Also, the people's gathering at festivals during the winter time has contributed to the second outbreak of the new flu, Witthaya said.

Hence, public health agencies nationwide have been instructed to strictly implement preventive measures for four months from November to February to curb the outbreak, he said.

These preventive steps include wearing a face mask, often washing hands, avoiding crowded places, and suspending working or class after developing flu-liked symptoms.

Students, working people, elders, and those with chronic diseases will be closely monitored, the minister said.

On Wednesday the Bureau of Epidemiology reported one more death case due to the A/H1N1 contraction, bringing the country's death toll from the new virus to 185.

Thailand had its first two confirmed patients on May 12.

H1N1 Situation in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 19 (Bernama) -- An Influenza A(H1N1) cluster was reported at the Sekolah Kebangsaan Paya Bungor, Kuantan, last week, Health Ministry director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican said.

In a statement, he said the district health office had taken the necessary measures to address the matter.

Meanwhile, he said the death toll from H1N1 in the country remained at 77, with no new deaths reported.

Last week, 619 new patients were hospitalised with the influenza-like illness (ILI).

Up to Nov 14, 448 ILI cases were still being treated at 62 hospitals nationwide, he said.

On the global H1N1 situation, Dr Ismail said as at Nov 8, there were 503,536 confirmed H1N1 cases with 6,260 deaths in 206 countries.

He said the transmissions in the northern hemisphere countries such as North America, West Canada, Europe and Asia showed an unusual increase of ILI cases.

The surveillance in those countries showed that the percentage of the H1N1 virus detected was higher compared to seasonal influenza virus.

Global Death Toll Due To A(H1N1) Exeeds 6000 - WHO

2009-11-07T23:16:00.001+05:30

THE number of swine flu deaths has grown by more than 370 over a week to pass 6000, as the pandemic spread into more than 199 countries and territories, World Health Organisation data showed.

The A(H1N1) pandemic is currently being fuelled by "intense and persistent'' transmission in North America and an "unusually early'' start to winter flu season in Europe as well as in central and western Asia, a WHO statement said.

The death toll recorded on November 1 reached at least 6071, it added.

The Americas region accounts for nearly three quarters of the global toll with 4399 deaths, an increase of 224 in a week.

The proportion of recorded visits to doctors in North America due to influenza-like illness exceeded levels seen over the past six flu seasons, according to the UN health agency.

Just 42 per cent of samples tested there were positive for influenza, but all of them were for the pandemic A(H1N1) strain.

The WHO also highlighted signs of "increasing and active transmission'' of pandemic influenza virus across Northern and Eastern Europe, including Ukraine and Belarus, as well as in eastern Russia.

Second Wave Of Influenza H1N1 To Hit Thailand And Malaysia In Mid- November

2009-11-05T09:06:00.003+05:30

BANGKOK, Nov. 4 Thailand's public health ministry Wednesday reported two more deaths from the A/H1N1 flu, which raised the death toll from the new flu to 184.

The two new victims occurred during a period of Oct. 18 to 31, the public health ministry said. Those, who have congenital diseases and are pregnant women, are the most risky groups, Thai News Agency reported.

Meanwhile, Paijit Warachit, public health permanent secretary, said the ministry has adjusted a system of viral drug management to ensure flu patients can access to the drug in time.

Also, the ministry has instructed every hospital to continue closely monitoring those, who develop the A/H1N1 flu-like symptoms, he said.

Earlier, The Public Health Ministry expects the second round of Type A (H1N1) influenza outbreak is expected to hit the country in the middle of this month but with less severity, public health permanent secretary Paijit Warachit said on Monday.

Mr Paijit said less severity of the flu is anticipated on the grounds that people have acquired enough knowledge and experience to cope with it.

Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kachornprasart, chairman of the committee on prevention and control of H1N1 pandemic, said during April 28-Oct 24 this year H1N1 flu spread to all provinces and nearly all districts of the country.

It was believed 6 million Thai people had contracted the flu and developed immunity against it.

The death toll from the flu in Thailand was 182, 90 men and 92 women, most of them between 31-40 years of age. They constituted about 3 per cent of the death toll worldwide, Maj-Gen Sanan said.

Maj-Gen Sanan said stricter measures must be taken to cope with the second round of pandemic. The Disease Control Department has ordered a total of 5 million doses of H1N1 vaccine, he added.

On the distribution of the vaccine, priorities will be given to public health staff, pregnant women, people weighing more than 100 kilogrammes, people aged below six months and above 64 years, and those with brain problems.

Obama declares H1N1 a national emergency

2009-10-26T14:07:00.000+05:30

WASHINGTON (Oct 25): US President Barack Obama has declared 2009 H1N1 swine flu a national emergency, the White House said on Saturday.

The declaration will make it easier for US medical facilities to handle a surge in flu patients by allowing the waiver of some requirements of Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health insurance programs as needed, the White House said in a statement.

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday that H1N1 has become widespread in 46 of the 50 US states, a level comparable to the peak of ordinary flu seasons but far earlier and with more waves of infection expected.
Obama signed the statement on Friday night.

The White House statement said the declaration was intended to prepare the country in case of "a rapid increase in illness that may overburden health care resources." It was similar to disaster declarations issued before hurricanes hit coastal areas.
"It's important to note that this is a proactive measure -- not a response to a new development," an administration official said.

"H1N1 is moving rapidly, as expected. By the time regions or healthcare systems recognise they are becoming overburdened, they need to implement disaster plans quickly," he said.

Seasonal flu normally peaks sometime between late November and early March and kills about 36,000 Americans in an average year.

H1N1 has hit young adults and children the hardest, while seasonal flu normally is more dangerous for people over age 65.

H1N1, declared a public health emergency earlier in the year, has killed more than 1,000 people in the United States and put more than 20,000 in the hospital since it emerged earlier this year, the CDC said. But health officials are quick to note that the actual number of cases cannot be measured.

The new declaration clears the way for waivers of federal requirements that, for example, could prevent hospitals from establishing off-site, alternate care facilities that could help them deal with emergency department demands, the White House said.

The Health and Human Services Department is trying to deliver vaccines against H1N1 but says production is falling short of projections because companies are having trouble making them.

HHS has also moved to make available stockpiles of antiviral drugs oseltamivir, made by Roche AG under the brand name Tamiflu, and zanamivir, an inhaled drug made by GlaxoSmithKline under the brand name Relenza.

On Friday the US Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorisation for an experimental new drug called peramivir, made by Biocryst Pharmaceuticals Inc and licensed to Shionogi & Co Ltd.

The authorisation allows the intravenous drug to be used in hospitalised patients who cannot take pills or inhale Relenza or when Tamiflu or Relenza do not seem to be helping. - Reuters

A/H1N1 influenza death toll rises over 4,700, says WHO

2009-10-17T07:05:00.001+05:30

At least 4,735 people worldwide have been killed by the A/H1N1 influenza since the new flu virus was identified in April, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a latest update on Friday.

Of all the deaths, 3,406 occurred in the Americas, 530 occurred in South-East Asia and 432 occurred in the West Pacific. The other three WHO regions, Europe, East Mediterranean and Africa reported 207, 90 and 70 deaths respectively.

The WHO, which declared the A/H1N1 flu as a pandemic in June, said the total number of lab confirmed cases worldwide is now over399,232, but this case count is significantly lower than the actual number of cases that have occurred because many countries have stopped testing and reporting individual cases.

Influenza activity continues to increase in the northern temperate zones across the world, according to the UN agency.

But influenza rates in the temperate zones of the Southern Hemisphere have all returned to below baseline levels and very few detections of pandemic H1N1 2009 virus are being reported.

So far there is still no signs showing the H1N1 flu virus has mutated into a more dangerous form than the one first discovered in Mexico and the United States in April, the WHO said.

Signs of second H1N1 wave emerging

2009-10-15T00:02:00.003+05:30

SINGAPORE, Oct 14 — The number of people in hospital for Influenza A (H1N1) in Singapore is down to six, but there are troubling signs that a second wave could be gathering.

Polyclinic attendances are creeping up, and patients with upper respiratory tract infections hit more than 13,000 for the past two weeks, up from more than 11,000 early last month. Asked if this could signal the start of a second wave of the virus here, the head of the Communicable Disease Centre (CDC), Associate Professor Leo Yee Sin, said: “It may.”

Although the percentage of patients with influenza-like illness has dropped to 16 per cent, Singapore is closely monitoring the situation, she added.
With the northern hemisphere winter nearing, countries like the United States, Mexico and Britain are starting to see an expected resurgence of H1N1, with cases climbing rapidly.

Dr Wong Sin Yew, an infectious diseases physician in private practice and former head of the CDC, said although it was hard to say for certain if a fresh surge in H1N1 cases was occurring, the increasing numbers around the world is an indication of its inevitability.

“The writing is on the wall,” he said.

In the northern hemisphere, the outbreaks have been mild, though the increase is coming earlier than the traditional winter flu season, which raises concern that the numbers may soar in coming months.

Singapore has traditional peaks for seasonal flu from May to June and December to January.
General practitioners told The Straits Times they had seen a slight increase in the number of patients with flu-like symptoms.

But Dr Vincent Chia, deputy director of Healthway Medical, said this could also be due to the recent rainy weather or the current school examination period, when more students tend to fall ill.

At the peak of the H1N1 outbreak in August, the number of people hospitalised with the virus was 74.

Polyclinic attendances were at 24,477 a week, compared to 13,496 last week. Almost all the influenza cases now are likely to be H1N1.

At a press conference yesterday, Leo said data from more than 100 H1N1 patients showed that only one in two had a temperature of more than 38.1 degrees Celsius, so fever is not the only indicator of H1N1.

She urged that those in the high-risk group receive Tamiflu if they have flu-like symptoms but not a high fever.

She also urged children, pregnant women, and those who were obese or had underlying conditions to go for the seasonal flu and H1N1 vaccinations, when they are available in the coming weeks.

On another matter, infectious diseases experts from four public hospitals have come together for the first time to collaborate on two clinical studies.

One will study if a higher dosage of anti-viral drug Tamiflu is effective for some patients, especially those who are overweight.

The other will study if dengue patients whose blood platelet count drops to below 20,000 per ml, compared to the normal count of 150,000 to 450,000 per ml, will benefit from a platelet transfusion. — The Straits Times

Second wave of H1N1 outbreak emerging in Taiwan 14th October 2009

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) warned Wednesday that a second wave of the influenza A (H1N1) outbreak is emerging in Taiwan after the previous one peaked in early September.

According to CDC Director-General Steve Kuo, the H1N1 situation has been moderating over the past five weeks since the previous peak but a slight jump in the number of patients diagnosed with the new flu strain recently signals the beginning of the second wave.

Statistics released Wednesday by the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) show that there was one more patient hospitalized with the H1N1 flu strain than a day earlier, bringing to 355 the total number of such cases since the outbreak began.
While 16 of the patients remained in the hospital, 315 had recovered and been discharged, and 24 others had died, the CECC said.

Meanwhile, 442 classes in 294 schools around the country remained suspended because of H1N1 infections among students. The number of affected classes accounted for 0.29 percent of the total, according to the CECC.

Although epidemiologists have predicted that the second peak would appear in November, Department of Health (DOH) Minister Yaung Chih-liang said it is hard to predict when the peak will be and that the DOH will continue to monitor the situation closely.

To help the public prepare for the epidemic, the DOH will distribute 5 million masks in inventory to 100,000 low-income families beginning Nov. 1, Yaung said.

Also, the CECC is expected to make public details regarding its H1N1 vaccination program on Oct. 20, when the results of human clinical trials for the H1N1 vaccine produced by local vaccine manufacturer Adimmune Corp. are expected to be released, DOH Deputy Minister Chang Shen-chwen said.

While people under 10 years of age will probably have to receive two shots, those aged 10 years and older will likely need only one to be protected against the disease, Chang said.

The number of schools in Japan closed because of the swine flu pandemic nearly doubled by Oct. 10 from a week earlier, according to figures from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

School Closures At The Highest Due To Influenza A(H1N1) In Japan

Almost 6,480 schools, kindergartens and day-care centers were fully or partially closed because of the influenza outbreak, the report said. Tokyo had the highest number, with 752 schools affected last week. Japan had 52,956 schools and kindergartens in May this year, according to the Education Ministry.

School closures are at the highest since January 2000 when 4,131 schools were closed, said Takeshi Enami, Deputy Director of the division of infectious diseases at the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

There were 3,403 educational centers closed between Sept. 27 and Oct. 3, according to another report from the ministry.

More than 15,000 cases of swine flu have been confirmed in Japan, according to the Infectious Disease Surveillance Center. There were 24 deaths as of Oct. 14, according to the health ministry Web site. Of those, six were under the age of 20.

Many schools are closed in Japan during the flu season, the ministry said on its web site. Schools may be required to close if they are in an infected area, even if no students or staff develop flu symptoms, according to the ministry.

NOTE:-

The WHO, which declared H1N1 a global pandemic in June, says a third of the world`s population of nearly 7 billion people could catch it.

Thailand Public Health Ministry concerned over possible bird flu and swine flu outbreaks.

2009-10-11T08:21:00.002+05:30

Deputy Public Health Minister Manit Nop-amornbodi has expressed his concerns over the second-phase outbreak of the influenza A (H1N1) and the return of avian influenza (H5N1) during this period.

Mr Manit stated that although there was no swine flu fatality according to the latest report of the Ministry of Public Health last Tuesday, the ministry still encouraged people to prevent themselves from being infected by the disease continuously.

People with flu-like symptoms are suggested to stay home until they fully recover. The deputy minister also warned that climate change and a semester break might cause the new virus to spread in the country again.

Regarding a new outbreak of bird flu, Mr Manit said the ministry had assigned provincial public health offices nationwide to monitor the situation closely and provide treatments for patients in time.

Other reports

The total number of deaths from the A(H1N1) flu stands at 165. The ministry will not give a weekly report on deaths, but will instead report the situation with the disease on its website on a weekly basis.

He attributed the drop in the number of deaths to the work of village health volunteers, saying they have been able to effectively introduce protective measures against the flu.

However, this was not confirmation that the flu threat will totally disappear, he said. Implementation of preventive measures against the flu will continue.

Experts caution for third wave of H1N1 virus in Texas

2009-09-29T20:38:00.003+05:30

Experts say the H1N1 flu outbreak is serious, and the state is getting serious about who get the virus. Medical doctors don't want to see people in a hospital unless they're seriously ill.

The Texas State Health Department is asking those who feel they may have the virus to please contact their doctor or a health clinic before seeking medical attention.

Experts say the majority of cases do not require hospital treatment, and that this type of virus usually comes in waves, which means there could be a third outbreak after the first of the year.

China Updates : The Chinese mainland had reported 18,285 confirmed cases of A/H1N1 influenza by Monday, about 73.3 percent of which had recovered, according to a notice on the website of the Ministry of Health (MOH). No deaths have been reported.

India Updates : Five swine flu deaths including the first in Chandigarh were reported Monday taking the total death toll due to the Influenza A (H1N1) virus in India to 303, health authorities said here.

Till date, 41,439 persons have been tested for swine flu and 23.8 percent of them have been found positive.

The World Health Organisation, which declared a swine flu pandemic in June, said the total number of laboratory confirmed cases worldwide is now over 318,925, but this estimate is significantly lower than the actual number of cases that have occurred, as many countries have stopped testing and reporting individual cases, particularly the milder ones. Nearly 4,000 people have died of H1NI across the globe.

"Ministry of Health, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, recommends that elderly, pregnant women, people with chronic diseases and children should postpone the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages this year for their own safety," the advisory from Saudi Arabia said.

The country has written to several swine flu-affected countries, including India.

"The Saudi government has advised that pilgrims planning to attend the Hajj must be vaccinated against seasonal flu at least two weeks before travelling to the holy places," the advisory said.

Malaysia Updates : Pada hari ini, seramai 324 pesakit baru dengan gejala influenza-like illness (ILI) telah dimasukkan ke hospital untuk rawatan dan 132 kes telah didiscaj. Jumlah semasa kes ILI yang dirawat di seluruhan negara sehingga hari ini adalah sebanyak 896 iaitu di 81 buah hospital (termasuk 6 hospital swasta) . Daripada jumlah kes ILI yang sedang dirawat, hanya 137 pesakit atau 15.3% merupakan kes influenza A (H1N1) disahkan melalui ujian makmal.

US: The second wave gets serious

2009-09-27T07:33:00.002+05:30

After months of warnings and frantic preparations, the second wave of the swine flu pandemic is starting to be felt around the country, as doctors, health clinics, hospitals and schools are reporting rapidly increasing numbers of patients experiencing flu symptoms.

"H1N1 is spreading widely throughout the U.S.," said Thomas R. Frieden, director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta during a briefing on Friday. At least 26 states, including Maryland and Virginia, are now reporting widespread flu activity, up from 21 a week earlier, the CDC reported. "H1N1 activity is now widespread," Frieden said.

While so far most cases are mild, and the health-care system is handling the load, officials say the number of people seeking treatment for the flu is unprecedented for this time of year. Even though some parts of the Southeast that started seeing a surge of cases first now seem to be showing a decline in cases, that could be a temporary reprieve, Frieden said. And other parts of the country are likely just starting to feel the second wave.

Maryland health authorities on Friday said a Baltimore-area youth with an underlying health problem had died of swine flu, the state's first such fatality involving a youth.

Despite new federal guidelines aimed at keeping schools open, the pandemic has already prompted scattered school closings around the country in recent weeks, including 42 schools that closed in eight states on Friday, affecting more than 16,000 students.

Many colleges and universities have been hit particularly hard, forcing some to open separate dorms for sick students. Ninety-one percent of the 267 colleges and universities being surveyed by the American College Health Association are now reporting cases.

At the Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center, the number of patients coming in each day shot up from about 180 to a peak of more than 400, prompting officials to erect a 2,500-square foot tent in the parking lot to handle the surge. More than 300 patients are still coming in every day.

"What we initially did was try to bring in extra folks, but you soon run out of extra people and extra spaces to put people," said Barry Gilmore, the hospital's medical director for emergency services.

Doctors, nurses, paramedics or other workers screen patients in the tent and decide who can safely go home. Anyone with other health problems that put them at risk, such as asthma, heart disease or kidney disease, is sent immediately to the emergency room. All patients who are sent home are contacted within 24 to 48 hours to make sure they are recovering.

"We are mostly dealing with the worried well or kids who are mildly ill but not severely ill," he said..New York Times, Sept 26

A(H1N1) Flu Updates -Sept 26, 2009

2009-09-26T15:35:00.005+05:30

There were 282 new patients with influenza like sickness admitted to hospitals today in Malaysia with a coleective total of 856 patients still receiving treatment in hospitals. About 21% are confirmed with influenza A H1N1).

Yesterday, Sept 25, total of 192 new patients with influenze-like illness were admitted to hospital. Death tolls remains at 77 and total cases at 7066 (last update on Sept 21).

Record shows increased of influenza like sickness after the 'Hari Raya' festival break....(second wave arriving in Malaysia?)

Latest Updates On A (H1N1) Virus

2009-09-24T10:59:00.002+05:30

Preliminary results from some studies have found that seasonal flu shots may increase the risk of catching Influenza A(H1N1), Canadian scientists said Wednesday.

About 2,000 people from four Canadian provinces were involved in the separate studies, which showed that people who had received the seasonal flu vaccine in the past were more likely to get sick with the A(H1N1) virus, China’s Xinhua news agency reported Wednesday, citing the scientists as saying.

Researchers know that, theoretically, when people are exposed to bacteria or a virus, it can stimulate the immune system to create antibodies that facilitate the entry of another strain of the virus.

Dengue fever is one example, scientists say. But experts stressed that these are very preliminary results and need to be validated.

The main reason is because A(H1N1) may be the dominant strain of influenza circulating when the fall flu season hits, meaning it could be a waste of time and resources to mount a seasonal flu vaccine campaign.

Sept 25, 2009 - The Chinese mainland confirmed 1,387 new cases of the swine flu in the 48 hours ending 3 pm yesterday, bringing the total number to 15,968, according to the Ministry of Health. Of the new cases, only six were "imported cases," while the rest were all infected on the Chinese mainland, the ministry said yesterday.

So far, no deaths from A-H1N1 virus have been reported on the Chinese mainland, but Taiwan has reported 17 deaths, of whom two were pregnant women.

INDIA Updates - Nine swine flu deaths in the country Friday, including five from Maharashtra, took the toll due to influenza A (H1N1) in India to 286, health authorities said. Other than Maharashtra, two deaths were reported from Surat (Gujarat), one from Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu) and another from Mysore (Karnataka).

With the latest casualties, the toll in Maharashtra has jumped to 117, highest so far in the country. The Karnataka toll has risen to 86, Gujarat has 28 fatalities and Tamil Nadu has reported four deaths.

At least 305 fresh cases were reported Friday that took the total number of people infected with the virus in the country to 9,284. Of the fresh cases, Delhi tops the chart with 154 cases followed by Maharashtra (39) and Andhra Pradesh (32).

Sept 21, 2009 - Brazil has been the worst affected country the pandemic H1N1 flu as it surged ahead of all other countries and increased at an astounding pace to 1024 casualties. The ratio of swine flu casualties compared to cases is also significantly high as the casualties are merely from 16668 cases. However, the health ministry of Brazil has said that the number of serious cases of swine flu is decreasing gradually.

442 new H1N1-related deaths in past 1 week

2009-09-23T10:49:00.008+05:30

Sept 21/9 Updates : Total Global H1N1 Cases: 344890 with 3718 deaths whereas WHO reported 296,471 H1N1 cases with 3,486 deaths.

Across the world, 442 new H1N1-related deaths have been reported during the past 7 days, the highest one-week death count since the third week of August. This figure represents an average of 63.1 deaths per day, and an increase of 11% over the week before. Brazil accounted for 40% of those deaths, with an astounding 176 new deaths this week, pushing them over the 1000-death mark. Fortunately for them, their Winter season has just come to an end, and perhaps their death rate will slow down as well. The second-most infected nation this week was India, who confirmed 66 new deaths, an increase of 35% since last week.

The United States (including Puerto Rico) had 59 new deaths this week. For the fourth straight week, California leads the list with 15 new deaths, while Florida confirmed 10 more. Addional deaths were reported in: TX (8), TN (4), MS (4), GA (3), NC (2), NM (2), NV (2), WA (2), AK (1), AZ (1), LA (1), MI (1), MO (1), OK (1). Puerto Rico also had 1 more swine flu death.

Elsewhere around the world, Colombia confirmed 20 new deaths for an increase of 44%, while South Africa confirmed 16 more, for an increase of 52%. 12 new deaths came out of Peru, and 11 came out of Thailand. Additional deaths were reported in the following countries: Mexico (9), Spain (6), Bolivia (6), Oman (5), Costa Rica (4), Dominican Republic (4), Australia (3), United Kingdom (3, French Territories (3), Canada (3), Vietnam (3), Taiwan (3), Hong Kong (3), South Korea (2), Japan (2), Malaysia (2), Saudi Arabia (2), Iran (2), El Salvador (2), Nicaragua (2), Netherlands (2), Greece (1), Italy (1), Israel (1), Norway (1), Kuwait (1), Yemen (1), Malta (1).

Mozambique announced their first and second swine flu deaths, while Luxembourg and Solomon Islands both announced their very first H1N1 deaths. -flucount.org

The swine flu virus had apparently not yet mutated into a more serious disease

2009-09-21T20:29:00.001+05:30

Sept 21, 2009 – The head of the World Health Organization said Monday that the swine flu virus had apparently not yet mutated into a more serious disease and that the development of vaccines was proceeding on track.

The vaccines for (A)H1N1 influenza produced so far have been very effective, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said at the opening ceremony for the organisation's annual Western Pacific meeting in Hong Kong.

"The virus can mutate any time. But from April to now, we can see from the data given to us by laboratories worldwide that the virus is still very similar (to the previous state)," Chan told reporters.

Ideally, three billion doses of vaccines could be produced worldwide annually, she added, noting that China had already begun to vaccinate people.

She also said the Hong Kong government could relax its measures against a swine flu outbreak "step-by-step", advising them in the long-run to focus resources on saving patients and reducing the number of serious cases.

Chan said that only high-risk patients such as the elderly, the obese and those with underlying illnesses would be severely affected by the disease.

Top of the agenda for the WHO's meeting this week will be how to combat the swine flu pandemic in developing nations.

While the Americas still has the highest death toll from the virus, cases are expected to increase in the region as the northern hemisphere enters winter.

There are fears that poorer countries will not get enough vaccines, despite a pledge last week by the United States and eight other nations to make 10 percent of their swine flu vaccine supply available to others in need.

Developing countries are not only unable to produce the vaccine for the A(H1N1) flu virus but their people are more vulnerable to infection because of poverty, crowded living conditions and lack of healthcare, according to the WHO.

In the Western Pacific there are about a million people living in poor conditions without access to healthcare, WHO regional director Shin Young-soo told reporters Sunday.

ONE out of every four people with influenza symptoms are suffering from the endemic (H1N1) 2009.

2009-09-20T20:10:00.005+05:30

During the initial stages of the release of the H1N1 vaccine, every country will be scrambling to obtain sufficient quantities of it. With stocks in very high demand, where does Malaysia stand in the global distribution of the vaccine?

World Lab-Verified Swine Flu A(H1N1) Infections

Country # Cases # Deaths

1. Brazil 16,668 / 1024
2. U.S. 44,522 / 667
3. Argentina 8,851 / 514
4. India 7,672 / 238
5. Mexico 25,214 / 218
6. Australia 36,210 / 172
7. Thailand 19,068 / 153
8. Peru 7,312 / 121
9. United Kingdom 13,471 / 79
10.Malaysia 7,066 / 77
11.Venezuela 1,316 / 72
12.Colombia 1,090 / 65
13.Ecuador 1,650 / 55
14.Paraguay 480 / 52
15.South Africa 11,253 / 47

+Saudi Arabia 4,119 / 28

Global Count: 339,458 CASES WITH 3,642 DEATHS

ONE out of every four people in Malaysia displaying influenza symptoms are suffering from the endemic (H1N1) 2009.

“If you see people having flu, fever or cough, there is a one in four chance they are H1N1 (positive),” says Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.

In fact, the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) projections are even grimmer – the virus could eventually infect two billion people or about a third of the world’s population.

Lab workers check chicken eggs that are being used to develop H1N1 flu vaccine at the Shanghai Institute of Biological Products in China

WHO spokesperson Aphaluck Bhatiasevi said in a statement that by the end of a pandemic, anywhere between 15% and 45% of a population would have been infected by the new pandemic virus. “Thirty per cent is a midpoint estimate and 30% of the world’s population is two billion,” she said.

Faced with such a grim scenario, vaccine manufacturers worldwide are doing their best to have their H1N1 vaccines ready as soon as possible. In fact, Sinovac Biotech Ltd, a China-based biopharmaceutical company, is the first in the world to have obtained a production licence for its H1N1 vaccine named PANFLU.1. It was expected to have delivered 3.3 million doses before Sept 15 for China’s needs.

Other companies worldwide have already started or completed clinical trials and are awaiting approval, and the vaccines should be shipped out by the end of the month.
However, with such a widespread pandemic, countries around the world are scrambling to obtain sufficient quantities of the vaccine, and in the initial stages of its release, stocks are going to be in very high demand.

A source says that Malaysia is not high on the list of countries that will be given the vaccine first. As most vaccines are manufactured in more developed countries, they will serve the local demand and the richer countries first “before they cater to our needs”, he adds. However, there are other countries lower on the “priority list” than Malaysia.

But Liow assures Malaysians that orders have been placed for 400,000 doses of the vaccine and we will be receiving the first 40,000 by the end of next month. The remaining 360,000 doses are expected to arrive in January next year. He says the vaccines are being sourced from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and will cost the government RM14mil.

The ministry will be selective when sourcing for the vaccines, Liow assures.
“Every country is grabbing the H1N1 vaccines and we have to place bookings early. But at the same time, we are looking for the best quality vaccines.
“We are trying to get as many sources as possible such as China and Taiwan, so in case of an emergency, we can get vaccines.”

He says Malaysia does not have production facilities for vaccines but is in the process of building one. “9bio has been directed to set up a vaccine-producing plant. This is a government-linked company set up under the Finance Ministry,” he adds.

With the vaccines in hand, the next important question is who would be vaccinated first. WHO has advised that healthcare workers should be the first in line and Malaysia will be following this guideline.

“Because there are limited stocks, we have to be very sure of the target group. We will be treating doctors and nurses first and also high-risk groups such as pregnant mothers,” Liow says.

Health Ministry Disease Control Division director Datuk Dr Hasan Abdul Rahman says that according to WHO experts, the priority of recipients depends on the local situation.

If the priority is to protect frontliners, then healthcare workers are vaccinated first, followed by essential services such as the police, he says. But if the purpose is to reduce deaths, then it should also be administered to high-risk groups such as pregnant women, those with chronic diseases and those below 24 years of age. But if further transmission is to be prevented, 85% of the population should be vaccinated.

One of the concerns about the vaccine is its safety as there have been instances in the past where a new vaccine caused unwanted side effects. A notable case involved a mass vaccination programme – also for a strain of the H1N1 virus – in the United States in 1976.

Not only did it result in deaths, it also increased the risk of developing Guillain-Barré syndrome. The programme was discontinued but only after approximately 48 million Americans or about 22% of the population had received the shots.

Dr Hasan puts such fears to rest, saying that the new vaccine is not exactly new, and the way it is produced is similar to that of seasonal influenza vaccines.

“Even though it is a new virus, it is still an influenza virus. They (pharmaceutical companies) have been producing seasonal vaccines every six months, so they have the technology and safety record. So it is not totally new but has some variations,” he says.

Nevertheless, before each vaccine can be used, it has to undergo clinical trials to ensure its safety. The results of the trials are then scrutinised by health authorities and once the findings are confirmed, the product will receive authorisation for general use.

Dr Hasan says Malaysia does not necessarily have to conduct clinical trials locally.
“Certain countries such as Australia, the US or those in the European Union have already done the studies. We can use the same information to register the vaccine in Malaysia.

“Our requirements and standards are the same, so if it is registered in the EU, for example, we can use it here as well. If we do this, we can save time – and that matters here,” he says.

He adds that most vaccines are undergoing clinical trials at the moment and are expected to fully comply with EU requirements by October.

In the case of any new vaccine, there is the possibility of side effects, he says.

“In this kind of situation, those taking the new vaccine will have to sign a consent form. However, you have to weigh which of the risks is bigger – the risk of complications from the disease or the risk of side effects from the medication. The majority of side effects are very mild, so if you ask me, I will take it,” says Dr Hasan.

Liow is warning of a second wave of H1N1 cases that may arise with the rainy season in the later part of the year – a situation that the WHO has warned everyone of as well.

The ministry is taking steps to reduce its effects or even prevent it from happening altogether, he says.

The first step is to increase surveillance so they will know if it is spreading at the community level to ensure early detection. Secondly, the number of treatment centres will be increased.

Liow says the Cabinet has recently approved a budget of RM158mil to increase the capacity of beds and upgrade ICU units in all hospitals.

Finally, he says, it is important that the awareness level of the people be high and they know the proper safeguards to prevent the spread of the disease – something which has been done since the start of the pandemic.

Dr Hasan says that a second wave of infections can occur if the virus is re-introduced and the people become complacent.

“The northern hemisphere is going into winter and traditionally, influenza activity increases then,” he says.

Another measure that Dr Hasan recommends is to take the seasonal influenza jab on top of the H1N1-specific vaccinations.

“If I am vaccinated against one or both, the likelihood of two different viruses infecting my body is low. Without it, a person may be infected by both viruses, and when they meet in the body, it can change into a new, mutated strain,” he says.
At the end of the day, personal hygiene is still one of the most effective ways to control the disease, says Dr Hasan.

“We have to continue to increase our commitment. All Malaysians are advised to remain vigilant and to take preventative measures. Take care of your personal hygiene, practise cough etiquette, see a doctor promptly and get the right antiviral medication,” Liow reiterates.

“It is important to repeat this piece of advice to ensure the people understand their respective responsibilities,” he says.

Influenza A(H1N1): Death toll increases to 77 in Malaysia

2009-09-19T10:33:00.002+05:30

WHO warns of major shortfall in swine flu vaccine

GENEVA (AFP) - – Production of swine flu vaccines will fall "substantially" short of the amount needed to protect the global population, the World Health Organisation warned Friday as the pandemic death toll rose.

"Current supplies of pandemic vaccine are inadequate for a world population in which virtually everyone is susceptible to infection by a new and readily contagious virus," WHO director general Margaret Chan said in a statement.

Despite new evidence that only one dose of the vaccines currently being tested will be enough for most people, WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said output next year will be "substantially less" than the 4.9 billion doses annual production forecast.

Some 25 pharmaceutical laboratories working on vaccines have indicated that weekly production is lower than 94 million doses, he said.

In May, the WHO had forecast a weekly output of 94.3 million doses if full scale vaccine production was launched.

But pharmaceutical companies have in recent weeks slashed their production expectations due to poorer than expected yields from the so-called "seed virus" strains developed by WHO-approved laboratories.

Amid growing fears that poorer nations will not get enough vaccines, the United States led nine countries which on Thursday pledged to make 10 percent of their swine flu vaccine supply available to other nations in need.

The UN health agency's chief applauded the move by the United States, Australia, Brazil, Britain, France, Italy, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland.

"Given that current demand outstrips supply, these donations, together with the doses pledged by manufacturers, will help increase supplies of pandemic vaccines to populations that would otherwise not have access," said Chan.

Swine flu cases are expected to increase as the Northern Hemisphere enters its winter season. Britain has already reported a new surge in caseload.

The WHO also announced Friday that the global flu death toll has reached 3,486, up 281 from a week ago.

The UN agency said the Americas region still has the highest death toll, at 2,625. The Asia-Pacific reported 620 fatalities, while Europe recorded at least 140 deaths. In the Middle East, 61 people succumbed to the virus while in Africa, 40 people have died from it.

The WHO also said flu activity was "above the seasonal baseline" in the United States and that it has reached epidemic levels in France and Japan.

Transmission is rife in central and south America and Asia, it added, while in temperate regions of the Southern Hemisphere, such as Australia and South Africa, flu activity is declining.

Experts have previously predicted that about one third of the world's population of more than 6.5 billion people could be affected by A(H1N1). But they stress that so far most victims are suffering only mild symptoms.

Influenza A(H1N1): Death toll now 76 in Malaysia

2009-09-17T00:52:00.002+05:30

KUALA LUMPUR: Two new deaths were registered yesterday due to Influenza A(H1N1), bringing the number of deaths till now to 76.

Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican said the victims were a 45-year-old woman from Sabah who had high fever and a 19-year-old girl from Bentong, Pahang.

Meanwhile, 156 new patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) were admitted to hospital today for treatment while 189 cases were discharged.

"This makes the remaining ILI cases number 881 being treated in 98 hospitals including 11 private hospitals. Of this number, only 141 patients (19 per cent) were confirmed positive for H1N1," he said.

Dr Mohd Ismail said of the 141 H1N1 cases, 37 cases were in the ICU where four were new admittances and four cases had left the ICU.

"Of the 37 cases in ICU, 28 (76 per cent) had high risk factors that is chronic illness (nine), respiratory illness (three), obesity (six), children below the age of five (eight) and pregnancy (two)," he said.

Dr Mohd Ismail said while Muslims were busy make preparations for Hari Raya, the ministry wanted to advise people to practice self-hygiene, not to be indifferent and to seek immediate treatment if they have Influenza A (H1N1).

"People are encouraged to have with them the H1N1 kit (nose and mouth mask, tissues and sanitizer) wherever they go while shopping, on public transportation or celebrating at homes of relatives and friends and also to keep up-to-date on latest developments about the Influenza A (H1N1) pandemic and steps suggested by the ministry from time to time," he said.

Tens of millions of people could be infected with swine flu in China

BEIJING — Tens of millions of people could be infected with swine flu in China in the coming months, a health ministry official said Friday, adding that fatalities would be "unavoidable".

The world's most populous nation, at 1.3 billion, has so far reported nearly 7,000 cases of A(H1N1) influenza but no deaths. It soon plans to launch a nationwide vaccination programme to prevent mass outbreaks of the virus.

"According to expert estimates, our nation during the autumn season might have several tens of millions infected with A(H1N1)," Liang Wannian, deputy director of the ministry's health emergency office, told a press conference.

Liang said of that total, "half of them could experience clinical symptoms, several millions will seek medical help, and serious cases and fatalities will be unavoidable."

The spread of A(H1N1) influenza in China has gathered pace as the autumn months approach, Liang said, with more than half of the nation's nearly 7,000 cases detected between August 24 and September 10.

Of those cases, nearly 95 percent were homegrown, whereas the vast majority of cases reported from June to August originated abroad, he said.

"The situation we face is not optimistic," Liang said, noting that the virus had been found in all of China's 31 provinces and regions.

"We are facing severe challenges in our prevention and control work."

The World Health Organization (WHO) said last week that more than 2,800 people had so far died around the globe from swine flu. The virus has been detected in nearly every country.

"What we must work to prevent is a peak explosion of infections in a short period of time -- if this happens, it will be very dangerous," Liang said.

"If we see a large number of people infected in a short period of time, then a lot of people are going to seek medical help and our health system will not be able to handle this."

The State Council, or cabinet, on Thursday issued new regulations on handling A(H1N1) outbreaks, ordering the ministries of health and education, and the food and drug administration to coordinate prevention and control.

Such efforts will focus on schools as China has witnessed more than 200 "large-scale" outbreaks of swine flu since June, with over 85 percent of them occurring in schools or at school-related activities, Liang said.

CHINA A(H1N1)flu - 10,000 confirmed cases now!

SHANGHAI — China looked set for a tough winter as confirmed cases of H1N1 flu reached 10,000 across the country this week and they appeared to by multiplying fast.

"In the last week or so, the increase has been quite quick," Vivian Tan, communications director for the World Health Organization in Beijing, said in an interview.

China was the first country in the world to develop an H1N1 vaccine, and although it was rushed into production earlier this month it is expected to produce enough serum to vaccinate only about five per cent of the country's 1.3 billion citizens. "Quite frankly the production capacity is not enough," Tan said.

Throughout the summer, H1N1 appeared to be confined to China's big cities, but health officials now say it is moving into rural areas and all 31 provinces and regions have reported cases.

China has so far recorded no H1N1 fatalities.

A(H1N1)is like avian flu on steroids.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Autopsies on people who have died from the new pandemic H1N1 flu show this virus is different from seasonal influenza, even if it has not yet caused more deaths, experts told a meeting on Tuesday.

Americans who died from swine flu had infections deep in their lungs, Dr. Sherif Zaki of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told a meeting of flu experts, including damage to the alveoli -- the structures in the lung that deliver oxygen to the blood.

This in turn caused what is known as acute respiratory distress syndrome -- an often fatal development that leaves patients gasping for breath.

The World Health Organization has confirmed 3,205 deaths globally from swine flu but experts agree all estimates of the extent of the pandemic are grossly understated because so few patients are ever actually tested.

Seasonal flu kills, too -- about 250,000 to 500,000 cases a year globally, according to the WHO. But not in the same way as swine flu, which unlike seasonal flu frequently causes severe disease in young adults and children.

"It is very rarely you see what we call diffuse alveolar damage in fatal seasonal influenza," Zaki told a meeting sponsored by the U.S. Institute of Medicine, which advises government on health matters.

Seasonal flu causes bronchitis and other upper respiratory disease. But Zaki, the chief infectious disease pathologist at CDC, said the new virus had burrowed into the lungs of the 90 or so people he examined after they died, and they had huge amounts of the virus in their blood.

"This is almost exactly what we see with avian flu," Zaki said. "This looks like avian flu on steroids."

Influenza A (H1N1) Updates - 74 th victim in Malaysia

2009-09-12T00:03:00.002+05:30

KUALA LUMPUR, Fri: After seven days with no record of deaths due to Influenza A (H1N1), today a death was registered bringing the total now to 74.

Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican said the victim was a disabled 19-year-old male from Gerik, Perak.

198 new patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) symptoms had been admitted into hospital for treatment while 190 had been discharged.

"This leads to 1,104 patients with ILI being treated in 101 hospitals, including eight private hospitals, throughout the country. Of the patients being treated just 261 patients (23.6 per cent) were positive for H1N1," he said.

He said of the 261 patients tested positive for H1N1, 41 were in the intensive care unit (ICU), of which eight were new cases while six patients had been taken out of the ICU.

"Of the 41 patients in the ICU, 32 (78 per cent) had risk factors. The breakdown of the risk factors are chronic illness (13 patients), chronic respiratory illness (one), obesity (nine), children below five years (eight) and pregnancy (one)," he said.

Dr Mohd Ismail also said till now there was no vaccine in the market that could protect a person from Influenza A (H1N1) as the vaccine was being tested at the clinical stage and that Malaysia would get the vaccine as soon as it was marketed.

He said those who wanted to perform the haj or umrah were required to take the Seasonal Flu and Meningitis vaccine.

Chinese football team quarantined over swine flu

BEIJING (AP): China's football authorities may suspend the Super League after an outbreak of swine flu at one team.

Players and staff of Chongqing Lifan, including Dutch coach Arie Haan, were confined to their training base in western China after 11 players tested positive for the H1N1 virus, the newspaper Titan Sports reported Friday.

Chinese Football Association organizers are considering a series of contingencies for further outbreaks, including suspending the season, Titan said, citing association documents.

Such quarantines are usually lifted after one week if no one else tests positive for the virus. Chongqing's confinement began on Thursday, it said.

Game schedules will merely be adjusted if only one or two teams are affected, the paper said.

China has not been particularly hard hit by swine flu, although officials warn the virus is continuing to spread. A total of 6,968 cases, out of a population of 1.3 billion people, have been reported as of Thursday, none of them fatal.

WHO warns of winter H1N1 flu surge in Asia

2009-09-11T00:37:00.000+05:30

The World Health Organization on Wednesday urged Asian countries to prepare for a surge in H1N1 flu cases as the northern hemisphere's winter approaches.

Much of Asia has so far been hit relatively lightly, but the WHO said hospitals in the region should be prepared for "a surge of severe cases requiring active case management".

"A winter surge is a real possibility in the Southeast Asia region," WHO director for Southeast Asia, Samlee Plianbangchang, said in Kathmandu, where health ministers from 11 countries in the region are meeting.

The UN agency considers Southeast Asia to include Bangladesh, Bhutan, North Korea, India, Indonesia, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and East Timor.

"It is important to allocate appropriate resources and maintain the overall pandemic preparedness," he said, according to a statement issued by the UN health agency.

At least 2,837 people around the world have died from the H1N1 flu virus since it emerged in April, according to the latest WHO figures.

The UN health agency said it had given technological and financial assistance to three major vaccine manufacturers in the region, but that new vaccines may not be available before the winter sets in.

Instead, it urged more public information to slow the spread of the disease.

"The importance of public health measures such as frequent hand-washing, respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette... need to be emphasised to the public," the WHO statement said.

H1N1 flu situation in China "grim"

2009-09-11T00:35:00.000+05:30

China's health minister said Tuesday the A(H1N1) flu situation in the world's most populous nation was "grim," as the number of cases surged rapidly at the start of the school year, with winter on the way.

The minister, Chen Zhu, told reporters that Beijing would this week launch its nationwide vaccination programme, making it the first country in the world to do so, but warned that supply would likely fall far short of demand.

"There are recent developments in A(H1N1) flu and we are faced with a grim situation," Chen told reporters. He said there had been a sudden surge in cases, emphasising that in the past week, 95 percent of new infections were domestic and not imported from abroad.

There had also been a fast rise in cluster outbreaks, Chen said, with the start of the new academic year bringing students together in close proximity.

China has so far reported 5,592 cases of A(H1N1) flu but no deaths.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said Friday that at least 2,837 people had died from A(H1N1) flu globally.

Authorities are particularly concerned there will be a second wave of the pandemic with the onset of the autumn and winter flu season in the northern hemisphere.

Chen said an additional worry was the upcoming week-long October national holiday, with huge celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of communist China and 200 million people expected to travel around the country.

"China will be facing a grim situation in the prevention and control of the A(H1N1) flu," he said.

The government plans to vaccinate 65 million people, or five percent of the total population, before year's end. But Chen warned the production capacity of Chinese vaccine companies was limited.

"The supply will fall far short of demand if compared to the demand of 1.3 billion people," he said.

Chen said priority would be given to children aged five to 19, those with chronic respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, medical workers, quarantine officials, those working in railway and aviation sectors, soldiers and police.

He added Chinese authorities were following the progress of clinical trials abroad with regards to vaccines for pregnant women.

Expert Warns Of Further Spread Of A (H1N1) Flu In China

2009-09-09T01:42:00.003+05:30

BEIJING, Sept 8 (Bernama) -- A leading expert warns A/H1N1 Influenza is spreading to medium and small cities as the autumn school semester gets under way in China, China's Xinhua news agency said citing a local media report Tuesday.

A growing number of recent flu cases in middle and primary schools in medium and small cities and the western parts of China indicated the spread of the A/H1N1 virus, Zeng Guang, a leading epidemiology expert at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention was quoted as saying by Tuesday's People's Daily.

"And the flu may spread from schools to factories and companies and places thronging with people," said Zeng.

The northwestern Shaanxi Province reported another 11 students diagnosed with A/H1N1 influenza at the Xi'an University of Arts and Science Monday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases on the campus to 40.

Similar outbreaks have been reported at schools in other regions, including Fujian, Shandong, Henan and Sichuan provinces.

The Chinese mainland reported its first critical case of A/H1N1 flu on Aug. 13 in the southern province of Guangdong. Similar cases were found in Shanghai Municipality and Zhejiang Province.

China has vowed to strengthen prevention and control of the A/H1N1 virus in the run-up to National Day holiday which begin on Oct 1.

A statement released following a State Council meeting on Monday said medical staff, technical equipment and materials should be ready at any moment in case of an influenza emergency -- especially around National Day.

By Monday night, 5,592 cases of A/H1N1 flu had been reported on the Chinese mainland, of whom 3,852 have recovered.

Malaysia Updates

KUALA LUMPUR, Tues: Malaysia recorded no death due to Influenza A (H1N1) for the fifth consecutive day, with the death toll still at 73.

However, Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican said 126 new patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) were admitted to hospitals today.

He also said 40 of the 372 confirmed H1N1 patients were still in the intensive care unit and they included 25 risk factor cases like those with chronic illness and respiratory problems, obesity and children or babies.

WHO Updates

GENEVA, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- The A/H1N1 pandemic has killed at least 2,837 people worldwide since the new flu virus first emerged in April, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Friday.

Of all the deaths, 2,234 occurred in the Americas, followed by the West Pacific region, with 279 deaths. The other four WHO regional offices, South-East Asia, Europe, East Mediterranean and Africa reported 188, 104, 21 and 11 deaths respectively.

The WHO's recorded number of lab confirmed A/H1N1 cases worldwide is more than 254,206, but it actually understates the real number of cases as countries are no longer required to test and report individual cases, the U.N. agency said.

The A/H1N1 virus continues to be the predominant circulating virus of influenza, both in the northern and southern hemisphere, but there are still no signs that the virus has mutated into a more virulent or lethal form, the agency said.

Although the virus can cause severe and fatal illness, also in young and healthy people, the number of such cases remains small, the WHO has said.

Hong Kong Updates

HONG KONG, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong confirmed 384 new cases of influenza A/H1N1 in the 24 hours up to 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, bringing the number of the region's cumulative cases to 14,077, Hong Kong health authorities said.

The new cases involved 197 males and 187 females, aged between six months and 84 years, said a spokesman from the Department of Health of Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong's Hospital Authority said currently a total of 172 confirmed cases are staying in public hospitals for treatment. Among them, 153 cases are in stable condition, 10 in serious and 9 in critical condition.

Europe Updates

STOCKHOLM, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- A European health agency said Saturday that 46 new A/H1N1 flu cases were confirmed in European countries within the last 24 hours.

The news cases were reported from two countries, 24 from Luxembourg and the rest from Switzerland, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said in its daily situation report.

The cumulative number of confirmed cases of the A/H1N1 flu virus in the EU (European Union) and EFTA (European Free Trade Association) countries increased to 48,269, with 16,835 cases in Germany, 13,192 in Britain, 2,624 in Portugal, 2058 in Italy and 1,839 in Greece, the ECDC said.

The ECDC publishes a daily situation report about the H1N1 flu cases in the EU and EFTA countries based on official information from these countries.

A(H1N1) death toll in Malaysia now at 73.

2009-09-03T23:28:00.003+05:30

Health authorities have confirmed another death due to Influenza A (H1N1), this time involving a victim who was not in the high risk category, with the death toll now at 73.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican said the 25-year-old woman from Betong, Sarawak was admitted to the district hospital for fever, cough and sore throat and had previously sought treatment for a similar illness from the same hospital.

“On Aug 31, she received anti-viral treatment . She however died the next day (Sept 1) due to severe pneumonia with H1N1 infection,” he said on Thursday.

He added that laboratory test results confirmed that the victim had been infected with A(H1N1).

Dr Ismail said that in the past 24 hours, 266 new patients with influenza-like illness had been admitted to hospitals while 293 patients were discharged.

There are currenly 1,211 patients being treated in hospitals nationwide, including 11 private hospitals, and only 230 are confirmed A(H1N1) patients.

Dr Ismail said there were 41 cases in intensive care units, including five new admissions

3 million may have caught swine flu

More than three million people in Thailand may have caught the A/H1N1 flu and have recovered by themselves, the Public Health Ministry reported on Thursday.

Health deputy permanent secretary Paichit Varachit said the swine flu outbreak can still intensify in the country, especially in the rural areas of the 15 northern and northeastern provinces.

Some of them are Chiang Mai, Phrae, Lampang, Lamphun, Uttaradit, Phetchabun, Tak, Sukhothai, Khon Kaen, Mahasarakham, Roi Et and Suphan Buri.

"People should not take the outbreak too lightly and they should follow the ministry's sanitary measures. Those with severe flu symptoms should see a doctor immediately," Dr Paichit said.

The country's death toll from swine flu infection rose to 130 last week, up by 11.