PLAGUES & PESTILENCES: Health Ministry Issues Warning As Jamaica Records Fourth Swine Flu-Related Death - The Number Of Confirmed Cases Now Up To 28!

March 6, 2016 - JAMAICA - The Ministry of Health is appealing to persons who fall within the high-risk groups for severe complications to seek treatment early if they experience symptoms of Influenza infection.

This comes as the country recorded its fourth Influenza A(H1N1) associated death. The latest patient is a pregnant woman who had other illnesses, including lung related complications.

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Winston De La Haye advises that persons with other illnesses usually experience more severe symptoms of Influenza A(H1N1) which can lead to a worsening of their pre-existing condition.

To date, four persons have died, all of whom had severe complications including heart and lung related illnesses.

The patient, a 29-year-old woman was pregnant with twins. She died at the University Hospital of the West Indies. In the meantime,
a hospital official says there have now been 28 cases of adults and seven children with the swine flu.

“Patients in the high risk groups usually have other illnesses made worse by the infection or a compromised immune system. We generally see the greatest effects in persons with non-communicable diseases such as heart and lung related illnesses and respiratory diseases such as asthma,” De La Haye said.

He says it is important that treatment for these persons is initiated early so that there is a greater chance of recovery.

“I am appealing to persons in the high risk group including pregnant women, young children, the elderly, those with non-communicable diseases and any illness or undergoing treatment that weakens the immune system to seek medical help as soon as they begin to notice symptoms,” he said.

Influenza presents with symptoms including fever, sore throat, cough, stuffy nose, headache and body aches and fatigue. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea may also be experienced.

  Since January, the Ministry of Health has confirmed 28 cases of Influenza A(H1N1). The death of any person who had any of the associated conditions of the flu is recorded as an H1N1 death.

The Centre for Disease Control’s National Centre for Health Statistics estimates that 56,979 persons die each year from influenza and pneumonia associated complications.

Individuals who wish to obtain more information may call the Ministry of Health or the nearest health centre.

Persons may also visit the ministry's website at moh.gov.jm and like and follow us on www.facebook.com/themohgovjm; https://twitter.com/themohgovjm; https://instagram.com/themohgovjm.

- Jamaica Gleaner.

PLAGUES & PESTILENCES: Jamaica Records Second Swine Flu-Related Death - The Number Of Confirmed Cases Now Up To 10!

February 29, 2016 - JAMAICA - The Health Ministry is reporting a second death linked to the H1N1 virus commonly called (Swine Flu).

At the same time, the number of confirmed cases is now up to 10.

Acting chief medical officer in the Health Ministry, Dr Winston De La Haye, says the second patient to have died was a 49-year-old woman who had "other complicating illnesses".

She died at the University Hospital of the West Indies on February 23.

However, De La Haye says the positive result from a test for H1N1 was received only yesterday.

The second patient to have died was a 49-year-old woman who had "other complicating illnesses".

Fifty-year-old medical doctor, Suzanna Roye, who was also admitted at the UHWI, was the first patient to die from H1N1-related issues.

In the meantime, De La Haye says Jamaica remains on high alert for a possible spread of the virus.

"What we really want to stress is persons to do the appropriate hygiene," he said.

The virus was first reported in Jamaica in early February.

Swine Flu is a category one illness which means that within 24 hours of suspecting a case of severe acute respiratory illness, medical practitioners must report it to the health authority. - Jamaica Gleaner.

PLAGUES & PESTILENCES: Jamaica Activates National Influenza Plan Following Spike In Swine Flu Cases - 10 H1N1 Cases Since The Start Of The Year, Including The Death Of A Female Doctor; Country On High Alert!

February 23, 2016 - JAMAICA - The Ministry of Health is putting measures in place to prepare the health sector for more influenza cases, following an increase in cases of H1N1, commonly referred to as Swine Flu, and one death linked to that illness.

And Minister of Health Horace Dalley says he has instructed the National Emergency Operations Centre team to activate the national influenza plan.

“We have been reviewing our systems to ensure that we are able to manage any increase in cases that may come at our public health facilities. The team has been instructed to ensure that the necessary resources are put in place across all the Regional Health Authorities,” he said.

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Winston De La Haye says the ministry has been monitoring symptoms associated with influenza viruses through its surveillance system and has noted an increase in cases over the past six weeks.

Minister of Health Horace Dalley (Photo: Jamaica Gleaner)

As a result doctors have been advised to report cases of influenza on suspicion within 24 hours.

“We have confirmed 10 cases since the start of the year and so far identified two strains of influenza viruses that are circulating among the population. Nine of the ten cases are H1N1. That nine includes one death. We have been strengthening our systems and increasing our supplies of medication to deal with this increase,” Dr. De La Haye said.

Over the weekend, a female doctor who was infected with H1N1, died in hospital. It was the first H1N1-related death in Jamaica.

Doctor first to die from swine flu-related issues, illness now on high alert list #Jamaica #H1N1 https://t.co/e9T3ilSagR

— Jan Voordouw (@JanVoordouw) February 21, 2016

The ministry says additional supplies of Tami Flu, used to treat H1N1, have been acquired with more supplies to come. But Dr. De La Haye noted that Tamiflu is only used to treat symptoms in severely affected patients and does not prevent illness.

Other measures put in place include: frontline staff being offered the flu vaccine, isolation areas in hospitals prepared, additional equipment, testing capacity being increased and increased public education.

Don't ignore Swine Flu symptoms. Be Alert, Be Healthy!#SwineFlu #HealthyIndia pic.twitter.com/mvua8kVS2t

— Mera Medicare (@MeraMedicare) March 23, 2015

Dr. De La Haye is urging citizens to also take steps to protect themselves and others from infection by observing proper hygiene practices.

Influenza is a viral respiratory illness that presents with symptoms including fever, sore throat, cough, stuffy nose, headache and body aches and fatigue. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea may also be experienced.Influenza viruses are mainly spread from person to person through droplets produced while coughing or sneezing, or by persons touching surfaces contaminated with droplets. - Caribbean 360.

PLAGUES & PESTILENCES: Swine Flu Cases Increase In Trinidad And Tobago - Claims Sixth Victim; 68 Other Laboratory Reports Of The Virus!

January 22, 2016 - TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO - A 61-year-old man has become the sixth person in Trinidad and Tobago to die after contracting swine flu.

The Ministry of Health announced yesterday that Jewan Maharaj passed away due to complications from a combination of hypertension and H1N1, after 18 days in the Intensive Care Unit of the Sangre Grande District Health Facility.

In addition to the six confirmed deaths, health officials say there are 68 laboratory reports of the virus in the twin-island republic.

The Ministry of Health has reminded citizens that influenza can cause severe illness in some people, including the elderly, infants, young children and pregnant women, as well as those with chronic medical conditions, such as heart, lung, kidney disease, hypertension and diabetes.

It has therefore advised anyone symptoms of the flu, difficulty breathing, chest tightness, the inability to eat or drink, persistent vomiting, or confusion to seek immediate medical attention.

The ministry said vaccination is especially important for people at higher risk of serious complications of influenza and for people who live with or care for high risk individuals.

“Safe and effective vaccines that can prevent influenza or reduce the severity of illness are available at local health centres,” it said, further stressing that after vaccination, people should still take preventative measures to reduce the spread of viruses.

Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Clive Tilluckdharry said yesterday there are approximately 46,000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine available in Trinidad and Tobago.

Influenza can spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes and droplets containing viruses get into the air and are inhaled by persons nearby. They can also become infected by touching surfaces such as doorknobs and desks contaminated with flu viruses and then touching their eyes, mouth or nose.

Tips to avoid spreading infectious diseases like influenza include: covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, or coughing and sneezing into the crook of your elbow; washing hands with soap and water regularly; and avoiding close contact with people who have flu-like symptoms. - Caribbean 360.

PLAGUES & PESTILENCES: Zika Virus Spreads To The Caribbean - Barbados Reports Suspected Cases Of Zika And H1N1 Viruses!

January 12, 2016 - BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS - Health authorities in Barbados have reported eight suspected cases of the H1N1 and Zika viruses.

Minister of Health John Boyce said samples have been sent to the Caribbean Public Health Agency for confirmatory testing.

And he has cautioned the population not to panic.

The minister said that although he is aware that members of the public would be concerned whenever a new disease emerged, Barbadians should use simple measures to prevent mosquito breeding around their homes, business places and communities.

“The fact that the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which transmits the Zika virus, is the same mosquito that spreads dengue fever and chikungunya, we are all very familiar with the prevention and control measures which we need to undertake…Inspect your surroundings to search out and remove mosquito breeding places on your properties.

Minister of Health John Boyce.

The Ministry of Health recommends that this should be done once per week,” Boyce said.

The Zika virus was reported in the Caribbean region for the first time in June 2015. It is a mild febrile viral illness that is transmitted by the bite of an Aedes aegypti mosquito. Illness resulting from infection is usually mild, and it is not considered to be as severe as Dengue Fever or Chikungunya.

The H1N1 virus, commonly referred to as the swine flu virus, is transmitted easily from person to person via droplets and small particles produced when infected people cough or sneeze.

Symptoms are similar to those of the seasonal flu and include: cough, fever, sore throat, stuffy or runny nose, body aches, headaches, chills and fatigue.

Meantime, Boyce said that to combat Zika and other mosquito-borne illnesses, the Environmental Health Department would continue to carry out prevention and control activities, such as house to house inspections, surveillance at ports of entry and fogging in high risk areas.

In addition, the ministry will continue its epidemiological surveillance to collect and analyze data from various sources, including private and public sector facilities, on a weekly basis to gather information for planning a response. - Caribbean 360.

PLAGUES & PESTILENCES: The H1N1 Flu Pandemic - The "Swine Flu" Strain Returns; Dramatic Rise In Deaths Of Young Adults, Children In The United States!

February 19, 2014 - UNITED STATES - The H1N1 virus responsible for the 2009 global pandemic is back. State health officials from across the country say the resurgence is resulting in a dramatic rise in flu deaths in young and middle-aged adults and in children this season.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images - A sign advertising flu shots hangs in a Walgreens Pharmacy. Public health
officials are encouraging residents to get flu shots as an aggressive strain of the H1N1 "swine flu"
has killed 15 people in the San Francisco Bay Area.

While the reported death tolls so far are only a fraction of what they were four years ago, they are significantly higher than last year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the flu has been killing at epidemic levels since mid-January.

With one month to six weeks to go in the flu season, which typically ends in March or April, the CDC said the number of people visiting doctors and hospitals for flu-like symptoms is declining overall, but some states are continuing to see high levels of flu activity or even increases in activity. Although the flu usually disproportionately affects the very old and the very young, this season 60 percent of those hospitalized for influenza have been age 18 to 64.

“These severe flu outcomes are a reminder that flu can be a very serious disease for anyone, including young, previously healthy adults,” CDC spokesman Jason McDonald said.

H1N1, which is also known as the “swine flu” because it was originally a respiratory illness in pigs, has been popping up in some patients seasonally for the past few years, but this is the first flu season since the 2009 pandemic in which it has been circulating so widely.

The outbreak has been especially severe in California. There have been 243 deaths of residents younger than 65 so far this year. An additional 41 cases were reported but have not been confirmed. In the 2012-13 season, there were 26 deaths by this time, and in the 2011-12 season there were nine deaths. In the 2009-10 season, there were 527 deaths.

Surveillance reports from the health departments in Virginia and Maryland show that the flu is widespread in the region, but the two states and the District of Columbia do not track adult deaths from the flu. The District has seen a surge in flu cases in the past month, with 90 percent being H1N1. Virginia reported that one child died from flu this season, while Maryland and the District had no child deaths.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, some hospitals have been so inundated with patients complaining of flu-like symptoms that triage tents have been set up on their lawns to prevent them from spreading the virus to others in the medical centers. In Sacramento, intensive care units are overflowing with those with breathing issues, water in their lungs, organ failure or other complications from the flu.

Online, residents are swapping stories via social media of people who have died of the flu, and doctors and public officials are seizing on the panic to urge the unvaccinated to get a flu shot immediately. (It takes about two weeks after the shot for the antibodies to develop.)

The death of Nancy Pinnella, a 47-year-old sales manager who worked at Sacramento’s News10, an ABC affiliate, has served as a cautionary tale to many. Pinnella left work Jan. 21 saying that she wasn’t feeling well, was hospitalized the next day and died three days later. Family members told News10 that Pinnella was in great health before she got the flu and did not get a flu shot.

Her story has resulted in an outpouring of sympathy from around the world. California’s first lady, Anne Gust Brown, wife of Gov. Jerry Brown (D), tweeted that she went to CVS and got her first flu shot ever “after reading the heartbreaking story of Nancy Pinnella.”

North Carolina also appears to be looking at a possible record year for flu deaths. The number of deaths stands at 64. Last year, the state had 59 deaths the whole season, and in 2012 it had only nine.

In a study of Duke University Medical Center patients published this month, researchers found that those hospitalized for the flu between Nov. 1 and Jan. 8 were much younger — with an average age of 28.5 years — and more likely to have serious complications than those who had H1N1 in the past. About 40 percent of the patients this year ended up needing intensive care, compared with 20 percent in 2009.

“We don’t know why, but it is worrisome,” said Jelena Catania, an infectious diseases fellow at Duke and a co-author of the study, published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Laurie Forlano, deputy state epidemiologist for Virginia, said that although it’s too early to draw any conclusions, there are indications that the population being affected in her state is also skewing toward young adults. She said that H1N1 was included in this year’s flu vaccine, so some of those who are coming down with the flu may not have gotten the vaccine. The vaccine’s efficacy rate is usually in the 50 to 70 percent range.

“It’s never perfect, but for some people, getting the vaccine is a matter of life and death,” she said.

Scientists have been working on a universal flu vaccine, which would provide long-term protection and remove the need to get one every year, but even the most optimistic say such a product is years away.

Meanwhile, the severity of this year’s flu is renewing the controversy over mandatory flu vaccinations.

In Rhode Island, the state has proposed a regulation that would require annual flu vaccines for children up to age 5 and would require those with exemptions to stay out of day care during outbreaks. Opponents, which include the American Civil Liberties Union, say parents should have the right to choose the best medical treatment for their children. A similar debate took place in New York City in December, when the board of health voted in favor of a mandatory vaccine for children younger than 6.

The reemergence of H1N1 in the United States comes as even more virulent strains that are combinations of several genetic strains begin to appear around the world.

In recent months, the World Health Organization has been tracking more than 300 cases, mostly in China, of people infected by a dangerous avian influenza strain, H7N9. A quarter of those infected are estimated to have died, but so far the WHO says there is no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission.

This month, there was more alarming news: Chinese officials, writing in the journal Lancet, said they identified yet another brand-new bird flu, H10N8, in a 73-year-old woman in Nanchang, a city in the southeastern part of the country. Researchers hypothesize that the woman, the first known death from this strain, may have contracted the virus while at a poultry market. The scientists warned that the virus could become extremely dangerous if it developed the ability to be transmitted from human to human.

“The pandemic potential of this novel virus should not be underestimated,” the researchers concluded. - Washington Post.

PLAGUES & PESTILENCES: The H1N1 Flu Pandemic - H1N1 Fears Spur Extra Flu Vaccine Demand; California Deaths From H1N1 Rise To 146; 5 More Flu Deaths Reported In San Diego; Flu Deaths In Saskatchewan Hit 16, Surpass Pandemic Year; And H1N1 Cases Hit Central Mexico!

January 27, 2014 - NORTH AMERICA - Achy, shaky, hot and cold? Didja get a flu shot? Didja?  “We’re seeing a lot of influenza, just like nationwide,” Lee County Health Department Administrator Cathy Ferguson said.  The same is true in Whiteside County, health department officials there said.  And like the rest of the nation, the H1N1, or swine flu strain, is back, Ferguson said.  Typical influenza hits infants and people older than 65 the hardest.

H1N1, which caused a nationwide pandemic in 2009, tends to expand that pool to young adults, pregnant women, older children, and people with chronic diseases.  Although health officials are seeing about the usual number of cases for this time of year, they are seeing it in more people younger than 65, said Joan Saunders, Whiteside County’s head of infectious diseases.  Statewide, at least seven people, most in Cook County, have died this season, while 450 have been hospitalized, Illinois Department of Public Health spokeswoman Melaney Arnold said Thursday.  The flu has put at least a couple of people in the hospital in Lee County, Ferguson said. The state notifies her office of confirmed cases only when they’re bad enough to put the victim in ICU – the only cases required to be reported to the Department of Public Health, she said.  Those 450 cases are barely the tip of the iceberg, though, since most people suffer through the illness alone, many without seeing a doctor.  Although the season is nearly half over, it’s not too late to get immunized.  The Department of Public Health recommends anyone 6 months and older get a flu shot, since the more people vaccinated, the less likely it is to spread.  Vaccines, including the flu mist, still are available at the Lee County Health Department, Ferguson said.  Whiteside County, which has given more than 3,000 vaccines this season, is out, though, and so is advising people to go to their local pharmacies or physicians, Saunders said.  The vaccine takes about 2 weeks to take effect, so sooner is better than later.  And if you do get achy, shaky, hot and cold?  “Stay home!” Saunders said. - Sauk Valley.

H1N1 Fears Spur Extra Flu Vaccine Demand.

Community Health Nurse Amy Beck injects a patient with a H1N1 vaccine during a flu shot program
in Calgary on Oct. 26, 2009. (Jeff McIntosh/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Canada will ship out more influenza vaccine this season than it has since the H1N1 pandemic swept the country four years ago, with nearly every province and territory placing late-season orders to satisfy a surprising surge in demand for the flu shot.  The 2013-2014 season marks the first time since the pandemic that Canada has been forced to track down extra vaccine, above and beyond a five-per-cent cushion built into the country’s contracts with vaccine makers, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

“With this season – for whatever reason and we can only theorize – but there has been a lot more uptake, a lot more demand by Canadians,” said Dr. Gregory Taylor, Canada’s deputy chief public health officer.  Only Nova Scotia and Nunavut declined to snap up more vaccine when Ottawa secured more than 400,000 extra doses earlier this month, according to an informal survey by The Globe and Mail.  Newfoundland and Labrador increased its vaccine supply by the largest amount – 62 per cent – by requesting an extra 80,000 doses on top of the 130,000 it ordered at the start of the influenza season. Saskatchewan and Manitoba were not far behind, increasing their stockpiles by 53 per cent and 29 per cent, respectively.  Canada had already ordered approximately 10.8 million doses at the start of the season, about the same size of the order it placed at the beginning of the 2010-2011 season and more than any year since, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).  The demand is particularly puzzling because, as public health officials have been stressing, this has been a typical flu season.  That raises a question that is as difficult to answer as the flu virus is to predict: What makes Canadians clamour for flu shots one year and eschew them the next?  “It’s really quite unusual,” Dr. Michael Gardam, one of the country’s top flu specialists, said of the late-season purchases. “It’s been a very average season. ”

The prevalence of H1N1 this year could explain the surge, experts say.  More than 90 per cent of the flu cases detected this year have been H1N1, now considered a regular seasonal flu virus.  Some provinces have been hit harder than others: Saskatchewan, for instance, announced Friday that 16 people in the province had died of the H1N1 strain of the flu, one more than in the pandemic season of 2009-2010.  “The word H1N1 is scarier than regular flu and that drives demand,” said Dr. Allison McGeer, director of infection control at Toronto’s Mount Sinai hospital.  H1N1 also tends to strike people between the ages of 20 and 64. Last year, H3N2 dominated and hit more seniors. Both strains are included in this year’s flu vaccine, along with a type of influenza B.  Media reports of adults in this younger age group contracting the flu, falling seriously ill and dying, prompted a stampede to flu clinics, particularly in the western provinces in the last week of December and first week of January.  “It was the spike after Christmas in H1N1, the shift in morbidity and mortality to a younger age group and the media attention that that garnered,” said Dr. Perry Kendall, the provincial health officer for British Columbia.  Still, January and February are not the best time to get the flu shot. Full protection does not kick in until two weeks after the shot is administered. Those who receive the vaccine today would have gone unshielded through much of the flu season.  “Waiting until that moment to get your flu shot, it’s not entirely worthless, but frankly there’s a reasonable chance it’s not going to help you much,” said Dr. Gardam, who is the director of infection prevention and control at Toronto’s University Health Network. “The analogy I give is, you’ve never bought fire insurance, now your drapes are on fire and you’re frantically calling State Farm. You’re kind of too late.” - The Globe and Mail.

California Deaths From H1N1 Rise To 146.

Influenza claimed 50 more young lives in California this week, proving that a potent virus that arrived a virtual stranger in 2009 has gained the lead role in our winter dance with the disease.  The H1N1 virus -- the swine flu bug -- is circulating through susceptible groups, especially among a younger generation that often goes without vaccinations and had not been exposed to this strain, health authorities said Friday.  H1N1 has largely replaced last year's H3N2 strain and has already killed nearly 40 percent more people than last year's total, even though flu season has yet to reach its peak.

In California, it has claimed the lives of 95 adults younger than 65, and 51 more deaths await confirmation as flu related. That would bring the total to 146 deaths, state epidemiologist Dr. Gil Chavez reported at a Friday news conference. The nine Bay Area counties and Santa Cruz County have reported 32 flu-related deaths this season.  That's a pattern similar to what was seen when H1N1 last circled the globe.  "The elderly, like in 2009, are not overwhelmingly getting infected," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. "They are seemingly protected from it."  In contrast, at this time last year, H3N2 dominated and killed many elders -- but only nine deaths were reported among Californians under 65.  The state does not track flu deaths for residents over 65, so information about the impact on that age group is mostly anecdotal.  Among this year's victims were 23-year-old Matthew Walker, of Santa Rosa, a healthy young man who enjoyed windsurfing and skateboarding. The experience of losing a son, his father, Cliff Walker, told NBC Bay Area, was "a ragged roller coaster ride, with a bad ending."

All but one of this year's deaths have been linked to the H1N1 virus. Most occurred in Californians who, unlike Walker, had a pre-existing medical condition, such as chronic heart disease, asthma or a suppressed immune system, or were pregnant, according to Chavez.  One of the newly reported deaths was a child who lived in Riverside County. In all, the illness has claimed the lives of three children under age 10, including one in San Mateo County.  Despite such tragedies, the good news is that H1N1 is less deadly than it was during the peak of the 2009 pandemic, and that is because we're better protected, Fauci said. It is one of the strains included in the current flu vaccine, which usually shields people exposed to the virus. And many who have been sick before have developed antibodies to it.  There are several reasons why younger people seem so vulnerable. Significantly, as a group, they are less likely to be vaccinated than elders.  Some scientists think the genetic structure of H1N1 targets the lungs, while H3N2 tended to attack the upper respiratory system. A mutation in an amino acid called D225G might allow H1N1 to bind more effectively to lung cells, making us more susceptible to pneumonia and death.  And younger people may have not acquired immunity through previous exposure. Forms of the H1N1 virus were detected in the 1930s, then in the mid-1950s and again in 1971, according to flu tracker and biomedical researcher Henry Niman of the Pennsylvania company Recombinomics, Inc. It appeared again -- in significantly altered form -- in 2009.  This year, more than 95 percent of the circulating flu viruses are H1N1, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention That's much higher than in any of the previous three flu seasons.  "It has knocked the other strains off the map," said Fauci. - Mercury News.

Flu Deaths In Saskatchewan Hit 16, Surpass Pandemic Year.

The number of flu-related deaths in Saskatchewan is up to 16 from 12, surpassing the number of people
who died in the 2009 pandemic. | shutterstock

The number of flu-related deaths in Saskatchewan is up to 16 from 12, surpassing the number of people who died in the 2009 pandemic.  Fifteen people died in Saskatchewan during that H1N1 outbreak.  Dr. Denise Werker, the province's deputy medical health officer, says there have been more than 1,100 lab confirmed cases of flu this year and 57 people have been admitted to intensive care.  "What we are seeing is an incredible toll this season in terms of influenza and that is related most likely to the H1N1 virus, the strain that is circulating this season," she said Friday.  There's an unusual shift in the people affected, Werker added.  "What's interesting in terms of the admissions and deaths is that men are two times more likely to have been admitted to intensive care and to die as compared to women," she said.  "And that risk is not experienced in the laboratory confirmations where we have a ratio that's 50-50 between men and women. For some reason, men seem to be more at risk for being admitted to hospital with severe illness and also to die."

Werker said there is no concrete evidence as to why men are dying more than women. She speculates that it might be because men are less likely to get vaccinated or could be more genetically predisposed. There is always the question of an underlying health condition as well.  Werker noted that none of the 16 people who died were vaccinated. About 75 per cent of them had other health issues.  The people who were admitted to intensive care or who died range in age from under one to 86 years old. The average age is mid-50s, she said.  The doctor said she is puzzled to see the numbers in Saskatchewan, because other provinces don't seem to be having the same experience. But that might just be because Saskatchewan is more timely in reporting cases than other jurisdictions, she suggested.  The flu season has probably peaked in Saskatchewan overall, Werker said, but she cautioned that influenza is just beginning to take off in the northern part of the province.  "My concern is that we have just peaked and that we may get more deaths on the other side of the slope," she said.  "We have an enormous opportunity to prevent more deaths by people getting vaccinated. During pandemic, our vaccine coverage rates were 50 per cent.  "We have not achieved that this season." - Huffington Post.

5 More Flu Deaths Reported In San Diego.

Courtesy: County News Center.

Influenza activity in the region remains elevated, and five more deaths have been reported, the County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) announced Thursday. The new flu-related deaths raise the total reported locally this season to 12. The people who died ranged in age from 35 to 91 years old and all had underlying medical conditions. Last season, 65 flu-related deaths were reported in the county. For the week ending January 18, 2014, HHSA reported the following:

• Emergency department visits for influenza-like illness: 10 percent of visits (down from 11 percent the previous week; the figure has been revised since the last report)
• Lab-confirmed influenza cases for the week: 545 (down from 704 the previous week; the figure has been revised since the last report)
• Total lab-confirmed influenza cases to date this season: 1,965

The latest statistics involving children as of January 23, 2014:

• 11 patients are currently at Rady Children’s Hospital with influenza. 
• 2 patients have been admitted into the ICU (Intensive Care Unit).
• In the Emergency Department, approximately 10-15% of patients we are seeing have influenza or influenza-like illness.
• Since January 1, 13 patients have been admitted to our Intensive Care Unit with Influenza.
• Since January 1, almost a quarter of the patients we have tested for influenza have been admitted to the hospital.

“Influenza is widespread in San Diego and if you have not gotten vaccinated it’s not too late to do it,” said Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County public health officer.  “The predominant influenza virus circulating in San Diego this season is Pandemic H1N1.  This is similar to the flu seen in other parts of the country.” Compared to last season, a significantly higher proportion of young and middle-aged adults are being reported with flu, which is expected with H1N1.  More San Diegans have required intensive care for influenza than at this time last year, with 92 cases reported so far this season.  There were 116 intensive care cases reported for all of last season. - Patch.

H1N1 Cases Hit Central Mexico.

The state of San Luis Potosí has registered the largest number of H1N1 influenza cases so far this flu season at 250 cases, followed by Jalisco with 219, Nuevo León with 109, Mexico City with 104 and Mexico State with 91, the Health Secretariat reported on Saturday.  Nevertheless, the 4 percent death rate from the H1N1 influenza in San Luis Potosí remains less than half the national average of 8.8 percent.  The Health Secretariat reported that 10 people have died from H1N1 influenza in San Luis Potosí — up from five the previous week.  In Hidalgo, 12 people have died from the disease and 86 have been infected, despite the fact that the previous week the Health Secretariat had reported only 23 infections and two deaths.  Hidalgo Health Subsecretary Ana María Tavares advised people to immediately see a doctor if they have a fever of more than 39°C (102°F), as well as if they present symptoms such as difficulty breathing and coughing, adding that those who died from the disease waited three days to see a doctor after their symptoms first appeared.  According to Tavares, between Jan. 1 and 24, 92 flu cases have been registered in Hidalgo, of which 86 correspond to the H1N1 strain. She added that six of the 12 people who have died of the disease were treated at hospitals managed by the Health Secretariat, with the other six at the hospitals run by the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS).  Public health authorities say that cold weather is helping spread the flu and other respiratory ailments, adding that the numbers are expected to go up in the coming days.  One of the disease control strategies that the Hidalgo Health Secretariat has employed to fight the disease is to install vaccination centers in shopping malls and transit centers in the cities of Pachuca and Tulancingo. - The News.

PLAGUES & PESTILENCES: The H1N1 Pandemic Hits The United States As Flu Season Is Getting WORSE - CDC Says Illness Has Now Spread To At Least 40 American States; 95 Flu Deaths In California; 20 Children As Death Toll Doubles And It Is Not Yet Peak Season!

January 18, 2014 - UNITED STATES - State health officials expressed growing concern Friday over the number of deaths reported four months into flu season, saying that with one week left until normal peak period, the number of fatal cases statewide is rapidly approaching last year's entire total.

The California Department of Public Health reported a significant increase in the statewide number of flu deaths, declaring a total of 45 confirmed flu-related cases and an additional 50 pending. Officials were alarmed at the prospect of approaching 100 deaths so early in the season, when the number stood in single digits at this time last year -- five fatal cases in total.

"This appears to be a pretty severe season in terms of looking at mortality as a measure of severity." said Gil Chavez, deputy director and epidemiologist for the CDPH. "We have 45 confirmed and 50 under investigation -- that's 95 right there and we're not even to the peak of flu season."

Included in the confirmed total of 45 are two pediatric cases, Chavez said. He could not speak to whether the children -- one in San Mateo County and one in Los Angeles County -- had underlying medical conditions before their infection.

Officials said that of the 95 deaths either confirmed or under investigation as flu-related, a large majority of the victims were unvaccinated or had underlying conditions that put them at increased risk. Although officials did not have a specific number, they said most of the deaths were due to swine flu, also known as H1N1. They also could not immediately estimate what percentage of Californians have been vaccinated, calling the figure a "constantly moving target" that is calculated at the end of the season.

Dr. James Watt, chief of the CDPH Division of Communicable Disease Control, said that in general, the patients most vulnerable to the flu, particularly the swine flu, appear to be those with lung disease, heart disease, cancer, HIV infection, pregnant women, and residents who are obese.

A dose of intranasal vaccine is prepared at a San Jose elementary school during the H1N1 swine flu
outbreak in November 2009. (Gary Reyes/Staff file)

"We do know that unlike previous years, H1N1 is the predominant strain circulating, and when H1N1 predominates, there appears to be more fatalities," Chavez said. "We continue to be interested in getting as many people as vaccinated as possible. It's the one thing that is foremost in our agenda."

Chavez added that in addition to spotting vaccination shortages so they can intervene with a stronger supply, the CDPH is enhancing their monitoring of the epidemic by assisting the medical community in planning if facilities get overwhelmed with patients, and working with private industry to ensure the availability of antiviral medication.

Chavez and Watt agreed antivirals can work to treat influenza strains even if it's been several days since the onset, and recommended two antiviral medications, Tamiflu and Relenza, to treat this season's strain. They discouraged the use of antiviral Amantadine, citing various levels of resistance in this year's strain.

Officials are hopeful that the spread of the virus will taper as residents take steps to get themselves vaccinated and seek adequate treatment and isolation if they already have the flu. The normal peak season, after all, doesn't start until late January.

"What we don't know is if this is going to abate and we have equal mortality rates that just happened to peak early," Chavez said. "But as of now, we can certainly say that this is a season that started sooner." - Mercury News.


Flu activity continues to climb in the U.S., with 40 states now reporting widespread disease activity during the week of January 5 through 11 -- up from 35 states from last week’s report.

Each Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention releases new data on U.S. flu activity that the agency culls from state health departments on disease cases that occurred one week prior.

Ten children died of flu during the second week of 2014 according to the new figures, a number that doubles the entire count of this year’s 2013-2014 flu season to date, raising the toll to 20 pediatric deaths.

During the 2012-2013 flu season, which started early and was especially severe, 169 children died.

The CDC does not track exact number of adult death rates, but this week the flu season reached “epidemic” status because 7.5 percent of all U.S. deaths during the second week of January were due to flu and pneumonia illnesses, surpassing the CDC’s epidemic threshold of 7.2 percent.

Last week, about 6.9 percent of deaths were attributed to flu and pneumonia.

Typically flu hits young children and seniors over 65 the hardest, but this year’s primary disease-causing strain -- H1N1 -- also affects healthy young people between the ages of 18 and 64, Dr. Susan Rehm, medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID), told CBS News.

H1N1 was the strain responsible for the 2009 “swine” flu pandemic that killed more than 200,000 people worldwide.

The number of states with high disease activity fell from 20 states to 14 states in the latest report. But that doesn't necessarily mean the worst is behind us.

The flu season can be unpredictable, said Rehm, and while the CDC’s numbers reflect disease that has already happened, the agency can’t predict whether the flu season will get worse. Flu typically peaks between January and March.

“We won’t know when the peak is until we’re past it,” she said. That’s why, “It’s important to remember it’s not too late to get a flu vaccine.”


WATCH: Flu season getting worse in the United States.

The CDC recommends that all people age 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine, including pregnant women. Estimates released in December by the CDC found only 40 percent of Americans have gotten a flu shot this year. Besides vaccination, taking daily actions like washing your hands with soap and water, covering your nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing and staying home when you’re sick can reduce the spread of illness, Rehm pointed out.

Signs you have the flu include fever, aches, chills and tiredness that come on suddenly, with emphasis on the sudden onset, said Rehm. Otherwise it might be the common cold or another illness.

If you do have flu, a doctor could prescribe antiviral medications like Tamiflu and Relenza, which can reduce the severity of the disease and help prevent some of the more serious complications that lead to hospitalization, especially when taken within the first 48 hours of infection.

If you are feeling sick this flu season -- whether its influenza or the common, cold -- resist the urge to call your doctors to demand antibiotics, CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook warned last week.

“Viruses, are not treatable by antibiotics,” said LaPook. “Every year I have to talk over and over again to patients about this.” - CBS News.

PLAGUES & PESTILENCES: Flu Season Getting WORSE - CDC Says Illness Has Now Spread To At Least 35 American States!

January 11, 2014 - UNITED STATES - Flu season is ramping up in the United States, with the illness now widespread in at least 35 states, up from 25 in the previous week, according to a report released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

FILE: Oct. 17, 2012: A flu shot is administered in Jackson, Miss. (AP)

Lyn Finelli, a flu expert with the CDC, said the agency's weekly report shows "We're in the thick of flu season." She told The Associated Press that the season likely hasn't peaked, but that it's too soon to know if it will be worse than normal.

The numbers aren't as high so far as last year, when flu season started early. The number of people seeking medical care for the flu climbed to more than 4 percent of all doctor visits last week, a near doubling from two weeks earlier.

State health officials in North Carolina reported Thursday that the death toll from the seasonal flu outbreak had risen to 21, 19 of which were young and middle-aged adults, most of whom had underlying medical conditions. Only two deaths have been reported in persons over 65.

Health officials said flu activity has been widespread in North Carolina since mid-December. Flu season typically peaks during January and February.

In Washington, health officials said Friday there have been 11 flu deaths in the state this season. Five of the deaths have been in King County, which can be expected as the population center of the state. There were 54 official flu deaths in the state last season.

Washington Health Department Spokesman Marqise Allen said the number is not unusual, but the department urges everyone over the age of 6 months to have a vaccination. The swine flu has been the most common strain, and the current vaccine available covers the H1N1 virus.

In Nevada, five people have died in Washoe County, and the Southern Nevada Health District reported that two middle-aged people and one elderly person have died in Clark County.

"These deaths serve as a stark reminder of what a serious illness flu can be and the importance of taking preventive measures," said Dr. Joe Iser, chief health officer of the Southern Nevada Health District.

Health officials say it's not too late to get a flu vaccination. Flu season generally peaks in January or February, but it can continue well into spring. Besides being vaccinated, they recommend frequent hand-washing and covering your nose and mouth when you sneeze or cough to stem the spread of germs.

People who are healthy should avoid close contact with someone who is sick, and those who do fall ill should stay home to prevent spreading the virus to others. - FOX News.

PLAGUES & PESTILENCES: Flu Season Getting WORSE - More H1N1 Cases Confirmed In Canada, Death Count Rising And Two Women Die Of Flu Virus In Contra Costa, Santa Clara Counties In California!

January 08, 2014 - NORTH AMERICA - H1N1 has been blamed for the deaths of 10 people in Alberta, and health officials worry the flu strain might be making its way east and are encouraging people to get the flu shot.

More H1N1 Cases Confirmed In Canada, Death Count Rising.

In Saskatchewan, six people have now died after contracting influenza.

Quebec's public health director, Horace Arruda, said the H1N1 strain is the most widespread, and those who got the flu shot in 2009 -- when a pandemic of H1N1 killed about 300 people in the province due to complications -- are no longer protected.

There are two confirmed cases of H1N1 in Nova Scotia, the province's deputy chief medical officer of health says.

Frank Atherton said H1N1 is a strain of the flu virus seen every year, but residents should take precautions.

"Early indications from other provinces suggest that some serious infections are occurring in young and middle-age adults and children under five during this flu season," Atherton said in a statement. "This underlines the importance of everyone getting a flu shot."

People line up for flu shots at the Northgate Health Clinic in Edmonton, Alta., on Sunday Jan. 5, 2014.
Perry Mah/QMI Agency

Alberta's chief medical officer of health James Talbot said Monday the province has had 300 hospitalizations linked to the flu this season, including 40 patients in intensive care units.

Virtually all of the influenza seen in Alberta this year has been the H1N1 strain, he said, which is a component of the vaccine currently being offered.

Those reported dead have been between the ages of 18 and 64.

Talbot expects the flu to peak in late January or early February. - Toronto Sun.

Okanagan Woman In British Columbia Dies From Virus.

The Interior Health authority says a woman from British Columbia's Okanagan has died after she contracted the same strain of flu that has claimed the lives of 16 people in the Prairies.

Senior medical officer Dr. Rob Parker says lab reports confirm the woman who was in her 50s had the H1N1 virus.

The virus that has claimed the lives of six people in Saskatchewan and 10 people in Alberta is also making its presence felt in southwestern B.C.


WATCH: Okanagan woman dies from H1N1 virus.

Two separate health authorities in the Metro Vancouver have reported that more than 20 people have been hospitalized with the virus.

Provincial medical health officer Dr. Perry Kendall says medical officials still don't know whether one death in the Vancouver area can be blamed on the flu.

Parker says some pharmacies could see temporary shortages of the vaccination because the supply is tight. - Huffington Post.

Women Die Of H1N1 In Contra Costa, Santa Clara Counties In California.

Two Bay Area women have died so far this year as a result of the H1N1 virus, health departments reported.

The Contra Costa County Health Department said on Monday that a 48-year-old woman with underlying conditions has died of the H1N1 virus. The death, which officials said occurred in the past seven days, is the county's first flu-related death this flu season. The woman's city of residence is being withheld by officials at this time. Health officials also report 17 cases of severe flu in Contra Costa County this season.

The Santa Clara County Health Department on Friday also reported its first flu-related death this season -- a 41-year-old woman who died of the H1N1 virus on Dec. 23, 2013. Seven other severe flu cases have been reported to date in Santa Clara County.


WATCH: Two Bay Area women have died so far this year as a result of the H1N1 virus, health departments reported. 

Marin County says 10 to 20 percent of people who have been tested for flu-like symptoms have tested positive for H1N1. Ten H1N1 cases have been reported there.

Seeing an overall spike in flu cases in California and across the country, officials are urging people to get their annual flu shots, the California Department of Public Health recently said.

Counties across the state and the nation are reporting an increase in the number of cases, particularly of the H1N1 virus that caused a worldwide pandemic in 2009.

In addition to getting a vaccination, it is important to practice good health habits, including staying home when you’re sick, covering your coughs and sneezes, washing your hands with soap and water, eating a nutritious diet and getting enough sleep. - NBC Bay Area.

PLAGUES & PESTILENCES: Flu Season Getting WORSE - Deadly H1N1 Spreading Across The U.S. As More Deaths Are Reported In Several States!

January 06, 2014 - UNITED STATES - The calendar says 2014, but health officials and flu victims might feel like it’s 2009 all over again. The H1N1 flu strain — which was responsible for the 2009 swine flu pandemic — has dominated this season’s flu scene, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“[Usually] the most common problem from the flu isn’t the virus itself, but the bacteria and pneumonia that the virus sets you up for,” Bruce Hirsch, M.D., an infectious disease specialist at North Shore Long Island Jewish Hospital in New York, told weather.com. “(But) this season — unlike few others — we’re seeing this H1N1 flu cause viral pneumonia in and of itself and causing an occasionally fatal flu in young adults who would not be otherwise vulnerable."

“H1N1 seems to be a character — a bad actor — and causing more problems [than other flu strains],” said Dr. Hirsch. “So far the outbreak of this flu season seem to me, as an infectious disease practitioner, to be more dramatic and more severe. It seems to be a little bit of an explosive onset, and what I’ve seen in my patients is a few cases trickling in and then boom! It’s much more common.”


WATCH: Deadly Flu Season Getting WORSE?

Late last month, health officials in Texas confirmed that the H1N1 flu killed six people. Officials expressed some concern because this year’s flu vaccine is designed to help prevent H1N1 cases.

Texas isn’t the only state dealing with H1N1 cases. Here are some of the states battling the swine flu:

• Michigan. Swine flu has killed three adults, and infected about a dozen more child and adults. These patients remain on life support, according to The Detroit Free Press.
• California. Last week, Santa Clara Health Department officials reported the state’s first flu death of the season. The victim tested positive for the H1N1 strain, and other counties have also reported positive tests for the virus. In addition to seven cases in Santa Clara County, Marin County and Contra Costa County have reported several cases of swine flu, according to NBC Bay Area.
• Oregon. Health officials confirmed two deaths from H1N1 flu, and another 81 hospitalizations, according to King 5 News.
• Utah. Utah officials warn that swine flu is on the rise, and could be responsible for the first two flu deaths reported last week, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.
• North Carolina. The flu has killed 13 people in North Carolina, according to USA Today.

The CDC reports that the flu is now widespread in more than half of the country, with many states reporting severe outbreaks. As of the last weekly flu advisory report, widespread activity has been reported in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington state and Wyoming. - TWC.

PLAGUES & PESTILENCES: H1N1 Pandemic - H1N1 Flu Surge In British Columbia Lower Mainland Lands People In ICUs As 3 More Die Of The Flu Virus In Michigan, With Dozen Others On Life Support!

January 04, 2014 - NORTH AMERICA - The number of people hospitalized due to a severe form of H1N1 influenza, or swine flu, this winter is climbing in North America, according to health officials.

H1N1 Flu Surge In British Columbia Lower Mainland Lands People In ICUs.

The chief medical officer for a B.C. Lower Mainland health authority says that more than a dozen patients are in intensive care, some on ventilators, because of the H1N1 flu virus.

Dr. Paul Van Buynder, with Fraser Health, said Friday that 15 patients, many of them otherwise healthy, young people, were recently admitted to hospitals in the region.

"It is a lot for us at this particular time, especially because there is not a lot of circulating disease in the community at this point, and so we're worried that this has happened to so many people so quickly," he said.

He says the ages of the patients turning up with H1N1 flu span the spectrum, and include those in their 30s. He also said at least one of the patients is pregnant, and also that one person may have died from this flu strain.

"I have one person who hasn't been confirmed, but I'm pretty sure did pass away from this," Van Buynder told CBC News.

Van Buynder said medical officials are seeing small pockets of H1N1 breaking out across the region, in a pattern mirroring the flu's spread in Alberta, Ontario and Texas.

The H1N1 flu outbreak of 2009, which the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic, prompted mass immunizations across Canada.

Van Buynder said anyone visiting a hospital or health facility in B.C. will either need to wear a mask, or be vaccinated against the flu — and he said that previous vaccinations against H1N1 may not help anymore due to mutations in the virus.

"Certainly we don't think everybody should be reassured by previously being vaccinated, and we'd like them to make sure that they go out and get it again," he said.

Fraser Health serves more than 1.6 million people from Burnaby to Hope, to Boston Bar. - CBC.

3 More Die Of H1N1 Flu In Michigan, With Dozen Others On Life Support.

Potentially deadly H1N1 — the influenza virus strain behind the 2009 pandemic — continues its resurgence in Michigan, with three more deaths reported by hospital officials.

About a dozen adults and children — patients who previously were healthy — have been on life support at the University of Michigan Health System’s hospitals because of the virus, according to the hospital system.

Three adults have died, according to a health system spokeswoman. An infant from central Michigan also has died from H1N1, according to the Michigan Department of Community Health.

“These deaths are among previously healthy individuals. This is not the group that the public usually thinks about as being susceptible to serious illness with influenza,” said Dr. Matt Davis, chief medical executive for the state health department and a U-M professor of pediatrics and communicable diseases and of internal medicine.

Many of the hospitalized patients were transferred to U-M from other hospitals because their flu was so severe.


WATCH: H1N1 targeting young adults this flu season.

In addition to traditional ventilators, the U-M health system offers extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO, technology for patients who can no longer breathe on their own. The machinery supports not only the patient’s lungs, as a ventilator does, but also the heart, Davis said.

It appears the sickest patients either didn’t get the flu vaccine or received it shortly before getting sick, said Dr. Sandro Cinti, an infectious diseases doctor at U-M and at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. It takes two full weeks for the vaccine to be fully effective.

“This looks like 2009, but this time we have a vaccine,” he said.

At the same time, patients in less-severe condition are recuperating in other area hospitals. According to state surveillance reports, 11 Michigan hospitals — part of monitoring efforts — reported 121 hospitalizations because of flu as of Saturday.

Flu activity was slow in the fall but surged in the final weeks of December, prompting the Michigan Department of Community Health to upgrade its flu activity reporting to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from “local” activity to “regional.”

Cinti said it’s tough to predict the trajectory of flu season going forward.

Extreme cold weather might shut down schools, which can be flu hot spots. But it also forces people to stay inside and in close proximity with those who might be infected.

The key, he said, is not the weather — it’s prevention.

(Chuck Stoody/The Canadian Press)

But some consumers remain reluctant, fearing they will get the flu from the flu shot or that vaccines cause autism — theories that research repeatedly has proven wrong, said Cinti, who also cared for patients in the 2009 pandemic before a vaccine became available.

Maria Young hears it too — what she calls “old wives’ tales.”

Young is the owner of University Pharmacy on the Wayne State University campus. It administers more than 5,000 vaccines or more each year, but there’s still plenty of resistance, too.

Some clients — even police officers and firefighters — are still squeamish about needles. And there’s a push back against public health campaigns and doctors’ advice, she said.

“People just don’t like to be told what to do,” she said. - The Times Herald.

PLAGUES & PESTILENCES: Cases Of H1N1 Are Increasing Across The United States - Outbreak Of Two Dozen Cases In Chicago; H1N1 Claims Another Life Iin Texas; And Infant Dies In Michigan!

December 27, 2013 - UNITED STATES - Here are the latest updates on the outbreak of the H1N1 flu virus across the United States:

Outbreak Of Two Dozen Cases In Chicago.

Nearly two dozen cases of the potentially deadly H1N1 flu virus have been confirmed in the Chicago area, CBS 2 has learned. Finding the flu virus among patients at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood is keeping special machines working overtime right now. Seven patients at Loyola tested positive for Influenza A on Christmas Eve. Five of them had the H1N1 strain known as swine flu.

 They’ve detected a sudden burst of the 2009 swine flu spreading right here in the Chicago area. Microbiologist Paul Schreckenberger says last week alone, 21 patients tested positive for Influenza A. All but one of those cases were the 2009 H1N1 swine flu. “We don’t know why it’s emerging,” Schreckenberger says. He says people may have gotten a false sense of security over the last couple of flu seasons, which were comparatively mild. In Texas, the rush is on for flu shots. The very flu shots that Texans Dustin Wright, and his wife, Ashley, never received. Dustin was hit with H1N1 flu strain, or swine flu, and he died Dec. 5. “You don’t think it will happen to you,” Ashley says. H1N1 is causing 80 percent of the flu infections this year in Texas.

It’s the same strain that triggered a nationwide pandemic in 2009. But at that time, it was new. Now, it’s not, and the current flu vaccine offers protection. “That really is, in terms of prevention and protection, the best method, in terms of reducing transmission or spread of influenza,” Rush University Medical Center physician Alexander Tomich says. But remember, it takes two weeks after you get the shot to build up the anti-bodies that provide protection from the flu. So, the earlier you get it the better. According to the Centers for Disease Control, less than half of all Americans get a flu shot each year. - CBS.

H1N1 Claims Another Life Iin Texas.

A Houston teenager has died of the H1N1 flu virus. Health officials aren’t divulging much in the way of details but they are sounding the alarm. “Well people should be concerned because influenza is a preventable illness. It’s a miserable illness. Most people will do just fine and recover in about a week but some people could go on and develop a very serious illness,” said Kathy Barton with the City of Houston’s Department of Health and Human Services.

Or as in this sad case, die. As a matter of fact thirty thousand people will die of influenza in this country this year and the strain that is showing up the most in labs this year is the H1N1. Houston now has its first death.  Harris County has had three deaths. Montgomery County has four suspected and Jefferson County has had two cases but no deaths. The flu season has been bad this year and especially bad in Texas. Officials are reporting a spike in flu cases in Texas with more than a dozen deaths in the Houston area, most of which were caused by the H1N1 strain that’s also known as the swine flu.

According to a count compiled by KHOU in Houston, 13 people have died in the Greater Houston, including a teenager. According to the Centers for Disease Control it is widespread. But it has tapered off over the Christmas vacation. Officials expect to see more cases as kids head back to school so here’s some advice. Get flu shot.  Practice good social hygiene. Maintain good space between you and other people.  Cover your cough or sneeze. Wash your hands.  Don’t touch your face and if sick stay home. Health officials really hammer home point number one. “The H1N1 is covered in this year’s vaccine formulation and it’s important for kids to get their shot’s because children are infections for two to three days before they start showing symptoms,” said Barton. And the H1N1 is most prevalent in kids. - FOX.

Infant Dies In Michigan, Cases Increasing.

A central Michigan infant has died of H1N1 as flu season begins to sweep the state and public health officials step up their calls for vaccination. Earlier today, the Michigan Department of Community Health upgraded the level of flu activity from “local” to “regional” because flu cases have been reported throughout more areas of the state. The uptick of cases reflects a national surge as well, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“H1N1 seems to be rearing its ugly head this year,” said Bob Swanson, director of the immunization division of the Michigan Department of Community Health. “We want to head that off, and the only way to do that is with the vaccine.” Last season, flu killed seven Michigan children, the highest number since 2004, when reporting such deaths became mandatory.  And public health officials said they’ve noticed that H1N1, one of the most widely circulated strains this year, seems to target young and middle-age adults – a demographic that might feel immune to the worst effects of flu.

Very often, flu season is most deadly for the very young, elderly people and those with underlying health conditions. The actual number of flu cases is impossible to know. Most aren’t required to be reported. But at least 45 people had been hospitalized for suspected flu by today in eight Michigan hospitals that report data as part of the state’s surveillance effort. As holiday gatherings continue, those numbers are expected to increase.

“We really encourage people to stay home over the holidays if they’re sick, but that’s the time people don’t want to miss out on visiting,” said Oakland County’s health officer, Kathy Forzley. “We’re probably still on the upswing of cases,” said Susan Peters, a state epidemiologist. Last year, about 40.8% of Michiganders older than 6 months were vaccinated, lower than the national average of 45%, the state health department’s Swanson said.

This year, at least 3.3 million doses of the flu vaccine have been shipped to Michigan, far short of what is needed to boost the vaccination rate even to the national average, though more can be shipped, Swanson said. At least 1.7 million were administered by Dec. 20 – about 260,000 more than by the same time in 2012, Swanson said. “Here’s my fear: We wait too long,” he said, noting that the vaccine takes 10 days to two weeks to be effective. - WZZM13.

PLAGUES & PESTILENCES: Swine Flu - H1N1 Killed 10 Times More Than Estimated!

November 27, 2013 - HEALTH - The 2009 H1N1 "swine flu" epidemic killed up to 203,000 people across the globe - a death toll 10 times greater than initially estimated by the World Health Organization, researchers say.

In a study published Tuesday in the journal PLOS Medicine, epidemiologists used data on respiratory deaths in 20 nations to calculate a global mortality rate for the pandemic.

Prior to this research, the WHO counted just 18,631 lab-confirmed cases of H1N1, a viral infection of the airways.

"This study confirms that the H1N1 virus killed many more people globally than originally believed," read a statement from Lone Simonsen, a research professor in the Department of Global Health at George Washington University.

"We also found that the mortality burden of this pandemic fell most heavily on younger people and those living in certain parts of the Americas," Simonsen said.

The 2009 pandemic was far from the worst such outbreak. In 1918, the Spanish influenza pandemic killed 50 million people, roughly 2 percent of the world population at that time.

Nevertheless, researchers said it was important for health care providers to understand the full impact of recent flu pandemics.

The relatively modest number of deaths estimated by the WHO prompted some to question whether the overall response to the 2009 outbreak was excessive. However, Simonsen and her colleagues argued that lab-confirmed influenza deaths would underestimate the broad reach of the illness.

"Many influenza-related deaths result from secondary bacterial infections or from exacerbation of preexisting chronic conditions, and are not recorded as related to influenza infection," authors wrote.

Among the findings that surprised researchers was the age and geographic distribution of deaths. Most of the people who died - 62 per cent to 85 per cent - were younger than age 65. Traditionally, seasonal influenza hits seniors the hardest.

Researchers also calculated that flu-related deaths were 20 times greater in Central and South America than in European countries. That finding stood in sharp contrast to an earlier US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that heaviest mortality rates occurred in Africa and Southeast Asia, and that death rates in the Americas were lower.

The research was funded by the WHO and relied on viral illness and mortality data from 20 nations from 2005 to 2009. The sampled nations represented 35 per cent of the world's population, and researchers then used statistical methods to calculate mortality rates for all nations.

The authors noted that their conclusions were limited by a lack of data from poor nations, and other factors.

"The true total mortality burden is likely to be even higher because deaths that occurred late in the winter of 2009-2010 and in later pandemic waves were missed in this analysis, and only pandemic influenza deaths that were recorded as respiratory deaths were included," authors wrote.

Researchers said that if deaths due to cardiovascular disease and other causes were included, the death toll might be as high as 400,000. - Stuff.