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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
 Posted - 05/09/2009 : 20:15:56
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Update on Influenza A (H1N1) as on 9th May 2009
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18:23 IST
World Health Organization has reported 2384 laboratory confirmed cases of influenza A/H1N1 infection with 44 deaths from twenty four countries. There are 896 laboratory confirmed human cases in USA including two deaths. Mexico has reported 1112 cases including 42 deaths. The other countries which have reported laboratory confirmed cases with no deaths are: Austria (1), Canada (214), China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (1), Colombia (1), Costa Rica (1), Denmark (1), El Salvador (2), France (5), Germany (10), Guatemala (1), Ireland (1), Israel (6), Italy (5), Netherlands (2), New Zealand (5), Poland (1), Portugal (1), Republic of Korea (3), Spain (81), Sweden (1), Switzerland (1) and the United Kingdom (32).
Health screening of passengers coming from affected countries is continuing in 21 International airports at Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangalore, Calicut, Chennai, Cochin, Coimbatore, Delhi, Varanasi, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mangalore, Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Srinagar, Trichy and Trivandrum.
39,883 passengers have been screened on 8.5.2009. Around 7718 passengers were from affected countries. 179 doctors and 97 paramedics have been deployed to man 72 counters at the above airports. Till date about three lakh passengers have been screened.
So far samples of 30 persons have been tested and found negative for Influenza H1N1. Four samples are under process.
As of now, no case has been reported in India. The situation is being monitored.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2009 : 01:09:50
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Suspected H1N1 cases test negative
10 May 2009, 0405 hrs IST, TNN
Print Email Discuss Share Save Comment Text:
BANGALORE : No more speculations about the two persons suspected of being infected by the H1N1 flu virus. The test report of the two
admitted at Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases is negative for the virus.
Satyajit Chauhan, 30, of Hyderabad and Mahendra Reddy, 29, of Ananthpur were discharged on Saturday after two days. Superintendent of the institute Dr Shashidhar Buggi said throat and nasal swabs were sent to National Institute of Virology, Pune for lab confirmation. After receiving the negative reports, the two were discharged.
They have been diagnosed with upper respiratory tract infection, due to which there were symptoms of sore throat, common cough and irritation when they arrived at Bengaluru International Airport.
Chauhan and Reddy, travelling from the US, arrived at BIA on Wednesday. They complained of symptoms similar to those in persons infected with H1N1 flu virus and were referred to the institute after screening at the airport.
"They thought it was their responsibility to abide by the guidelines set by the health department for the safety of others. Both of them are now happy to go home," Dr Buggi said.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2009 : 06:46:10
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us reports third swine flu death
More than 2,200 cases of the virus have been reported across the US
The US has reported its third death from swine flu, as Costa Rica confirmed a fatality and three more countries found cases of the virus.
A man with a heart condition who died in the US state of Washington was found to have the virus, officials said.
A 53-year-old man became Costa Rica's first fatality from the flu.
On Saturday Australia, Norway and Japan all confirmed cases of the virus, which emerged in Mexico last month and has killed 48 people there.
Those who have died outside Mexico - three in the US, one in Canada and one in Costa Rica - are reported to have suffered from underlying ailments.
In the US, health officials said that the man in his 30s who died in Washington state last week had a heart condition.
The man who died in Costa Rica was also suffering from diabetes and lung disease, the country's health ministry said.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2009 : 06:52:34
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Japan confirms fourth case of Influenza AH1N1
Tokyo (AP): Japan confirmed its fourth case of Influenza AH1N1 on Sunday in a teenager who recently returned from a school trip to Canada with the three other Japanese who have contracted the virus.
The patient, who was not identified, is being quarantined at a hospital near the airport, the Japanese Health and Welfare Ministry said. He had been in Oakville, Ontario, since April 24 and returned on Friday on a Northwest Airlines flight from Detroit.
A lab at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases confirmed he had the same strain of the disease that has killed 53 people worldwide, most in Mexico, the epicenter of the disease.
Thousands more have been sickened by the virus, though its spread appears to be slowing. Still, Costa Rica reported the first swine flu death outside North America on Saturday, and the U.S. announced its third. Mexico, which shut down much of the country for several days to contain the outbreak, delayed the reopening of primary schools in some States.
Japanese authorities have been busy tracking travelers who arrived on the same flight as the four confirmed to have the virus.
The governments in China and Hong Kong said they had quarantined travelers who were on the flight and continued on to their countries.
Hong Kong is keeping two people under observation who have not shown any flu symptoms. China's Health Ministry said it had placed seven people under observation. Their conditions were not immediately known.
Taiwan's Centre for Disease Control, meanwhile, said 16 Taiwanese who had been on the flight all tested negative for the virus.
The three Japanese diagnosed with Influenza AH1N1 Saturday were being held at a hospital near the airport; it was not clear where the latest patient was being held. The country has taken 49 others who were on the plane to hospitals for further tests, and has tracked down all but four of the passengers on the flight who remained in Japan.
Medical staff wearing masks and rubber boots have been sent to the nation's major airports to isolate anyone suspected of being infected — as Japan strives to exploit the fact that it shares no land borders to stop the epidemic from spreading further.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 05/11/2009 : 11:08:47
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Update on Influenza a (H1N1) as on 11th May 2009
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18:3 IST
World Health Organization has reported 4379 laboratory confirmed cases of influenza A/H1N1 infection with 49 deaths from twenty nine countries (as on 10th May 2009). There are 2254 laboratory confirmed human cases in USA including two deaths. Mexico has reported 1626 cases including 45 deaths. Canada has reported 280 laboratory confirmed human cases, including one death. Costa Rica has reported eight laboratory confirmed human cases, including one death. The other countries which have reported laboratory confirmed cases with no deaths are: Argentina (1), Australia (1), Austria (1), Brazil (6), China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (1), Colombia (1), Denmark (1), El Salvador (2), France (12), Germany (11), Guatemala (1), Ireland (1), Israel (7), Italy (9), Japan (4), Netherlands (3), New Zealand (7), Panama (3), Poland (1), Portugal (1), Republic of Korea (3), Spain (93), Sweden (1), Switzerland (1) and the United Kingdom (39).
Health screening of passengers coming from affected countries is continuing in 21 International airports at Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangalore, Calicut, Chennai, Cochin, Coimbatore, Delhi, Varanasi, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mangalore, Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Srinagar, Trichy and Trivandrum.
38,165 passengers have been screened on 10.5.2009. Around 8006 passengers were from affected countries. One passenger who disembarked at Delhi Airport has been referred to the identified health facility. 185 doctors and 105 paramedics have been deployed to man 70 counters at the above airports. Till date about 3.8 lakh passengers have been screened.
So far samples of 38 persons have been tested and found negative for Influenza H1N1. Samples of two persons are under testing.
As of now, no case has been reported in India. The situation is being monitored. DS/GK
DS/GK
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 05/12/2009 : 15:14:44
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Despite curbs, pharmacies continue to sell swine flu medicine in Bangalore
Afshan Yasmeen
Union Health Ministry has restricted sale of Tamiflu in retail outlets
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10 capsules of the drug cost Rs.1,700
Centre has enough stock to be given free, if needed
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Bangalore: Despite an advisory issued by the Union Health Ministry that says chemists in India are not authorised to sell Oseltamivir Phosphate (Tamiflu) in retail outlets, several medical stores in Bangalore are selling this medicine to people across the counters.
The Hindu found that this medicine, the only known anti-viral drug for treatment of the Influenza A (H1N1) virus, was easily available in stores across the city. The staff of a popular store in Vijaynagar were even ready to sell it without a prescription from the doctor. A strip of 10 capsules manufactured by Roche, the first company that was issued a licence to manufacture the drug in India in October 2005, costs Rs. 1,700. “But we cannot give you a bill for the medicine as it is an imported drug,” a chemist at the store told this reporter.
Two other stores in Indiranagar also had the medicine on their shelves.
The Union Health Ministry’s advisory says indiscriminate use of this drug by people could result in the virus developing resistance to this only known treatment of the H1N1 influenza.
“The Government of India has adequate stock of this drug that shall be distributed free through the Public Health Network if required,” the advisory says.
Punitive action
The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) Surindra Singh told The Hindu over phone from Delhi that if the stores were found selling it, they would be raided and punished. “It is illegal to sell the drug in retail following the advisory as the virus could develop resistance to the drug if it is used indiscriminately. Apart from swine flu, this drug is also used as an anti-viral medicine for several other infections such avian flu (H5N1 virus) and also for poultry,” he said.
Revealing that several private hospitals had requested the Union Health Ministry to allow them to stock Tamiflu to ensure that they had adequate stocks in case of any eventuality, Dr. Singh said: “May be these chemists are giving it to their regular customers. But it is illegal.”
He said he had written to all the four zonal and two sub-zonal Drug Control offices in the country to direct the Karnataka Drugs Control officials to ensure that Tamiflu was not available in medical outlets in their jurisdiction.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 05/12/2009 : 23:07:30
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System to monitor swine flu draws praise
Staff Reporter
High alert in State against influenza
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Passengers fill out questionnaires
at airports
No case has tested positive so far
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MALAPPURAM: The Health authorities in the country have responded positively to the ‘swine flu’ alarm sounded by the World Health Organisation (WHO) by screening all passengers arriving at international airports from abroad.
Teams of Health officials led by doctors are screening passengers at the airports for symptoms of A(H1N1) influenza.
“We no longer call it swine flu obviously because of the disease’s association with pigs,” said Dr. K. Shailaja, Director of the State Health Services.
Medical teams that have been deployed at the three internationals airports in the State — Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Karipur — are issuing questionnaires to inbound passengers, and examining them for symptoms of flu.
“Any passenger with symptoms of fever, cough, sore throat, running nose, headache, fatigue, vomiting and diarrhoea
should be monitored carefully,” said M.K. Sreebiju, nodal officer of the monitoring cell at the Calicut International Airport. The questionnaire issued to passengers seeks answers to 11 questions, including their places of visit, contacts with people, and personal information such as complete address. However, many passengers find it difficult to fill out the questionnaire, as it is in English. A request by the Health authorities to issue questionnaires in regional languages, including Malayalam, is yet to be taken up by the Airports Authority of India.
About one lakh passengers who arrived in Kerala from different countries in the last two weeks have been screened for A(H1N1) influenza. About 500 of them came from the countries affected by the influenza. But none has tested
positive for A(H1N1) virus.
“But we cannot afford to be lethargic. We need to exercise great caution, as one undetected case can spread the disease like wildfire in the country,” said A.P. Parvathy, DMO in charge in Malappuram district.
The preparedness at the Calicut International Airport, Karipur, has won special praise of the national health authorities. A team of nine doctors is posted at Karipur airport to screen the passengers.
Though the passengers were put to some difficulty in the initial days, the cooperation of the airport staff has helped them to put the system in place. “We are trying to do our best to ensure that passengers are put to minimum difficulty during the screening process,” said Dr. Parvathy.
Within two weeks of the WHO alert, the Health authorities in Kerala have raised a fairly strong system to prevent the
transmission of virus. Quarantine wards have been arranged at different hospitals in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Malappuram districts, and special teams of doctors comprising a general physician, ENT surgeon, paediatrician and general surgeon have been formed to deal with any emergency.
The ‘throat swabs’ of a few suspected cases were sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune. None of the case tested positive.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 05/16/2009 : 04:44:11
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First H1N1 positive case in India
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12:56 IST
A 23 year old passenger who traveled from USA [Emirates Airline EK-202, departing New York on 11.5.2009 at 11.00 p.m. local time] transiting Dubai [Emirates Airline EK-524] arriving Hyderabad on 13.5.2009 at 3.00 a.m. IST] was quarantined at Hyderabad Airport on the morning of 13th May, 2009 as he was found having fever. Immediately he was shifted to the identified isolation facility under strict infection control. His samples have tested positive for Influenza A [H1N1].
He is on treatment with Oseltamivir and presently afebrile. All his local contacts have been traced. They are afebrile and their health status is being monitored. The Office of the concerned Airlines has been contacted to provide list of passengers who traveled with him in close proximity. Information of such passengers would be provided to the WHO and respective countries through Ministry of External Affairs.
All the passengers who traveled in the connecting flight from Dubai to Hyderabad have been identified and they are being contacted through Integrated Disease Surveillance Project and their health status would be monitored. These passengers are also being advised to remain under home quarantine for further period of seven days.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India appeals to all passengers who traveled in Flight EK-524 reaching Hyderabad on 13.5.2009 to self monitor for influenza like illness [fever, cough, difficulty in breathing] and to provide their contact details to Government of India on toll free No. 1075 or 1800-11-4377 or Outbreak Monitoring Cell of National Institute of Communicable Diseases at 011-23921401 or Department of Health, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh control room at Chest Hospital, Hyderabad No. 040-23814939 to enable public health authorities to monitor their health status.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 05/17/2009 : 03:51:59
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Swine flu: No cases yet vigil tight
16 May 2009, 2212 hrs IST, TNN
VARANASI: The district health administration continued to maintain a strict vigil on swine flu cases on Saturday, even though the district was yet to register a suspected case of highly infectious disease in the region.
"We are keeping a close watch on the situation and the district would remain on high alert till the spread of the virus is controlled in other parts of the world," said Dr Shaukat Kamal, assistant director, National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) in the region, while talking to TOI on Saturday. "So far, screening of as many as 229 air passengers has been completed at the Babatpur airport and no suspected case of H1N1 virus has been reported," he added.
It may be mentioned here that the district health administration has already witnessed availability of 45 swine flu protection kits besides 15 kits for taking samples of suspected cases of the virus in the region.
According to Dr RS Verma, chief medical officer, apart from hospitals and airports, all prominent hotels and lodges in the city are also being kept on high alert and have been asked to report any suspected case of swine flu in the region. "Recently, we organised a meeting with the hotel staff to make them aware of the swine flu symptoms. They were also instructed to report any suspected case to the health authorities in the region," he added.
Meanwhile, all the samples of serum taken from dead pigs in Chiraigaon block of the district have been found to be negative by the Chandpur divisional laboratory and they have been sent to Rae Bareli veterinary lab for further investigation.
According to Dr BB Singh, district veterinary officer, reports suggest that pigs in the block died due to high fever and heat stroke. "However, we are still maintaining a high alert, keeping in mind the long incubation period of the virus in pigs, who often serve as their host or reservoir," he concluded.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 05/18/2009 : 12:53:33
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Fellow passengers of Hyderabad swine flu patient hospitalised
18 May 2009, 2130 hrs IST, PTI
NEW DELHI: Two fellow passengers of the lone positive case for swine flu in India have been hospitalised with symptoms of the dreaded disease.
The Hyderabad resident, who had tested positive for swine flu after returning from the United States is being treated with Oseltamivir and is presently stable, a senior health ministry official said.
Two of his fellow passengers, who travelled in the same flight, were found to have cough and sore throat and as a matter of abundant precaution they are presently admitted in a hospital at Hyderabad, he added.
Meanwhile, so far samples of 66 people have been tested, including one which tested positive for swine flu. The rest have been found negative for the disease.
The screening of passengers coming from affected countries is continuing at all airports.
A total of 39,991 passengers have been screened till date out of which around 14,245 passengers were from affected countries. One passenger disembarking at Delhi airport has been referred to the identified health facility.
The World Health Organisation has reported 8,480 laboratory confirmed cases of influenza A/H1N1 infection from 39 countries.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 05/18/2009 : 13:06:12
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World Health Organization has reported 8480 laboratory confirmed cases of influenza A/H1N1 infection from 39 countries as on 17th May 2009. No further updates are available.
The passenger who had tested positive for Influenza A [H1N1] is on treatment with Oseltamivir and presently afebrile. Two of his Contacts, who travelled in the same flight, were found to have cough and sore throat and as a matter of abundant precaution they are presently admitted in the identified hospital at Hyderabad.
Health screening of passengers coming from affected countries is continuing in 21 International airports. 39991 passengers have been screened on 18.5.2009. Around 14245 passengers were from affected countries. One passenger disembarking at Delhi Airport has been referred to the identified health facility. 224 doctors and 91 paramedics have been deployed to man 76 counters at the above airports. Till date about 6.76 lakh passengers have been screened.
So far samples of 66 persons have been tested. This includes the one which tested positive for Influenza A [H1N1]. The rest have been found negative for Influenza H1N1.
The situation is being monitored.
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DS/GK |
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 05/18/2009 : 20:09:12
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Swine flu: ‘no need to panic’
Tirupur: With two persons admitted to hospital in Coimbatore with swine flu symptoms on Sunday, there is a sense of fear in the Tirupur knitwear cluster, which is frequented by foreign buyers daily.
Extra vigilant
Joint Director of Health Services M. Doraikannan, however, told The Hindu that there was no need to panic as health officials were extra vigilant at the entry points into the country (i.e. airports etc).
Regarding the cases reported in Coimbatore, Dr. Doraikannan said that the youth, who came from United States, and his mother based in the country, volunteered to get admitted to the Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital when they developed symptoms similar to the swine flu.
“Whether they are positive or not can be known only after the test reports of their blood serum samples sent to National Institute of Communicable Diseases, New Delhi, are received,” he added.
Medical advice
However, he cautioned that people with persistent fever, body pain, running nose and respiratory illness should seek expert medical advice available at the District Headquarters Hospital here as a preventive measure
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 05/18/2009 : 20:14:03
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Karnataka - Bangalore
Swine flu: Three quarantined for symptoms
Bangalore: Even as swine flu scare grips India, with the first confirmed Influenza A / H1N1 virus case being reported in Hyderabad, three persons with suspected flu symptoms were quarantined in Bangalore on Monday. While two men were isolated at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases (RJICD), a woman was home-quarantined as she had a four-month-old baby to attend.
The institute also collected samples of the three persons on Monday and sent them for the H1N1 tests to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) in Pune and Delhi. Authorities at the RJICD maintained that only one person was quarantined at the institute and his wife at home. They said the third person was not isolated as he was asymptomatic. But sources said all three were quarantined as their symptoms warranted isolation.
RJICD Director Shashidhar Buggi told The Hindu that the 32-year-old Bangalorean, who had gone to New York on April 26 and returned on May 10, reported to the RJICD with complaints of cough and throat irritation. “He came to us on May 13 when A.K. Sethi, Director (Administration) of the Directorate of General Health Services, visited the hospital. We had not collected any samples then as the symptoms were mild. But we had prescribed him some antibiotics and asked him to report to us if the symptoms aggravate,” he said.
“Though he is asymptomatic now, he insisted for tests as the company in which he is employed wanted him to get one done. He told us he was not allowed to report to work until he got the test done,” Dr. Buggi said.
He explained that the person who had returned from Sweden a week ago could have caught the infection from his wife, who was in the city and had cold and cough prior to her husband’s return from Sweden. “We suspect that the husband could have caught the infection from the wife and not vice-versa. But not wanting to take any chances, we have isolated him and sent the blood samples and throat swabs for tests. The reports are awaited in the next two days,” he said.
Sources said the RJICD was getting enquiries from various IT companies on the isolation charges and whether the institute is a Government-recognised facility to get the tests done.
As many as 51,019 persons have been screened at the Benguluru International Airport so far.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 05/18/2009 : 20:21:07
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Swine flu: Teams formed to monitor foreigners
19 May 2009, 0337 hrs IST, TNN
PATNA: With suspected case of swine flu reported from one place in India, the Bihar government has put district hospitals on alert and has also formed health check-up teams to monitor foreigners entering India from neighbouring Nepal.
"We have deputed such teams at all the entry points bordering Nepal," said director-in-chief, health services, S P Singh on Monday. He said that blood samples of such persons would be collected and sent to Delhi where the Centre had made elaborate arrangements to ascertain cases of swine flu.
He said that instructions have also been issued to the team members to convince suspected swine flu patients to remain confined in quarantine as a preventive measure.
The health department has also put Patna airport on the alert and asked the airport officials to direct its medical officers to keep a tab on passengers showing symptoms of flu.
Incidentally, the department has also kept sufficient stock of Tamiflu to tackle any emergency situation and even some district hospitals have been provided with the stock of the said drug, Singh said.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 05/19/2009 : 19:58:37
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H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu)
Site last updated May 19, 2009, 11:00 AM ET
H1N1 Flu Situation Update
Map of Weekly Flu Activity Estimates
(Including Novel H1N1):
See also FluView Weekly Surveillance Report
Full update with state case counts >>
(updated Mon-Fri)
A New Influenza Virus
Novel influenza A (H1N1) is a new flu virus of swine origin that was first detected in April, 2009. The virus is infecting people and is spreading from person-to-person, sparking a growing outbreak of illness in the United States. An increasing number of cases are being reported internationally as well.
It’s thought that novel influenza A (H1N1) flu spreads in the same way that regular seasonal influenza viruses spread; mainly through the coughs and sneezes of people who are sick with the virus.
It’s uncertain at this time how severe this novel H1N1 outbreak will be in terms of illness and death compared with other influenza viruses. Because this is a new virus, most people will not have immunity to it, and illness may be more severe and widespread as a result. In addition, currently there is no vaccine to protect against this novel H1N1 virus. CDC anticipates that there will be more cases, more hospitalizations and more deaths associated with this new virus in the coming days and weeks.
Novel influenza A (H1N1) activity is now being detected through CDC’s routine influenza surveillance systems and reported weekly in FluView. CDC tracks U.S. influenza activity through multiple systems across five categories. The fact that novel H1N1 activity is now detected through seasonal surveillance systems is an indication that there are higher levels of influenza-like illness in the United States than is normal for this time of year. About half of all influenza viruses being
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'Swine flu more dangerous than bird flu'
