Swine Flu Virus

[peterparker]

Ano ba ang pinagkaiba nito sa Human flu? para kasing masyadong maraming natatakot dito? Siguro naman karamihan dito sa MTC nagka flu na even once in their lives, gumaling naman tayo, etong bagong strain gumagaling din naman. sa tingin ko pareho lang. so may ilang namamatay? wala pa bang namatay sa common human flu?

 

 

Seasonal influenza occurs every year and the viruses change each year - but many people have some immunity to the circulating virus which helps limit infections. Some countries also use seasonal influenza vaccines to reduce illness and deaths.

 

But influenza A(H1N1) is a new virus and one to which most people have no or little immunity and, therefore, this virus could cause more infections than are seen with seasonal flu. WHO is working closely with manufacturers to expedite the development of a safe and effective vaccine but it will be some months before it is available.

 

The new influenza A(H1N1) appears to be as contagious as seasonal influenza, and is spreading fast particularly among young people (from ages 10 to 45). The severity of the disease ranges from very mild symptoms to severe illnesses that can result in death. The majority of people who contract the virus experience the milder disease and recover without antiviral treatment or medical care. Of the more serious cases, more than half of hospitalized people had underlying health conditions or weak immune systems.

 

 

 

:mtc:

Edited June 24, 2009 by peterparker

[Kurtsky Keigee]

Seasonal influenza occurs every year and the viruses change each year - but many people have some immunity to the circulating virus which helps limit infections. Some countries also use seasonal influenza vaccines to reduce illness and deaths.

 

But influenza A(H1N1) is a new virus and one to which most people have no or little immunity and, therefore, this virus could cause more infections than are seen with seasonal flu. WHO is working closely with manufacturers to expedite the development of a safe and effective vaccine but it will be some months before it is available.

 

The new influenza A(H1N1) appears to be as contagious as seasonal influenza, and is spreading fast particularly among young people (from ages 10 to 45). The severity of the disease ranges from very mild symptoms to severe illnesses that can result in death. The majority of people who contract the virus experience the milder disease and recover without antiviral treatment or medical care. Of the more serious cases, more than half of hospitalized people had underlying health conditions or weak immune systems.

 

 

 

:mtc:

 

they say the anvirus or vaccine can be really expensive

[Kurtsky Keigee]

Sen. Estrada’s 2 kids survive H1N1

 

By Maila Ager

INQUIRER.net

First Posted 17:01:00 06/24/2009

 

Filed Under: Diseases, Health, Swine Flu

 

MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE) Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada’s two teenage children were stricken with a mild case of Influenza A(H1N1), but have fully recovered from the disease.

 

Estrada said his 19-year-old daughter could have gotten the disease from the De La Salle University in Manila, the first school in the capital to have a confirmed case of A(H1N1).

 

The senator said his daughter could have infected her 15-year-old brother.

 

Estrada said his two children were hospitalized for three days and were on home quarantine for 10 days.

 

“Hindi dapat overacting sa A(H1N1) dahil hindit ito nakakamatay. Yung namamataymay mga underlying causes [We shouldn’t be overacting on A(H1N1) because it is fatal only to those with underlying causes],” he said.

 

“It’s not life threatening so we should not panic,” he said.

 

Estrada had just returned to the country from a trip to the Middle East.

 

The Department of Health (DoH) confirmed 131 new cases of the Influenza A(H1N1) virus on Wednesday, the most number of cases confirmed in a day so far, bringing the total number of cases to 604.

[stonecoldrock]

so should we panic that 600 out of around 80 million filipinos have h1n1 thats around (6.7 x 10 raised to -5)%. I wonder why they dont give tallies on how many filipinoes currently have the seasonal flu or dengue or even hiv?

[peterparker]

peeps, we should all be worried IF and WHEN this novel virus mutates into a more virulent and deadly strain..

 

then most probably we will see more cases and casualties/mortalities..

 

 

 

:mtc:

[angel_by_day]

a new strain has already been discovered although im not sure of its virulence. maybe pp can post details.

the second wave has yet to hit, and heaven forbid, is far worse than what we have now.

this occurs when, as mentioned, the virus has spread to countless hosts and has found a way to adapt by mutating into a deadlier strain.

 

and we could only pray. and prepare.

[Kurtsky Keigee]

kaya minsan i dont know what to believe. sabi rin ng mga friends ko its too over hyped by media and wala daw silang pakialam sa h1n1 na yan.

ako naman, syempre nakakatakot

[mr_kindred23]

hmm askd ko lang,.medyo nalito lang me.....whats the diff sa common na trangkaso...kaso mostly they say na ang sintomas is same sa trangkaso....how would you determine its already h1n1 na...as trangkaso....ubo,sipon at l agnat....sorry talagang nalito at naguguluhan lang me...minsan kasi magkatrangkaso kalang sabihin na ng iba h1n1 na un.....thanks in return

[Kurtsky Keigee]

Duque said 734 of the 861 reported cases since May have recovered, which represents a recovery rate of 74 percent.

[peterparker]

The newly identified H1N1 virus strain -- a mutation from the A(H1N1) swine flu pandemic isolate -- may or may not prove more lethal or infectious, but scientists are concerned and vaccine efforts continue.

 

i guess we`ll just have to wait and see if there will be a spike in cases and/or mortalities from AH1N1 flu..

 

 

 

:mtc:

[Kurtsky Keigee]

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/...-recover----DoH

H1N1 cases up to 1,709, 85% recover -- DoH

 

By Norman Bordadora

Philippine Daily Inquirer

First Posted 17:13:00 07/01/2009

 

Filed Under: Swine Flu, Health, Diseases

 

MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippines’ running tally of confirmed cases of the Influenza A(H1N1) virus has reached 1,709, but the Department of Health (DoH) said 1,485 of that number, or 86 percent, have recovered and all were mild cases.

 

Health Undersecretary Mario Villaverde said on Wednesday that the DoH was expecting more "mild" cases to be confirmed in the coming weeks.

 

“I cannot say if we have peaked but I think the cases would still increase,” Villaverde told a news conference.

 

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said there were 1,709 confirmed H1N1 flu cases from the first week of May until June 27.

 

“As we anticipate more cases in the coming months, we must institute effective mitigation measures to save lives and prevent deaths to reduce the impact of the pandemic to our nation and economy,” he said.

 

Duque said 86 percent or 1,485 cases have fully recovered while the remaining 224 were still being treated—most of them under home management.

 

Villaverde said Duque ordered government hospitals and community health centers to be prepared for the “surge in mild cases.”

 

Of the total cases, 92 percent are Filipinos while the rest are foreigners, mostly from the United States (17 cases), Japan (8), China (4), Korea (3s), German (2 cases) and one each from Australia, Canada, India, Iran, Lebanon, Sweden, Thailand and Turkey, said Duque.

 

About 17 percent or 285 cases have traveled to countries with A(H1N) cases such as the US, China, Japan and Singapore, he said.

 

By region, Metro Manila had the highest number of A(H1N1) cases, 72 percent of the total number of cases, Villaverde said.

[flickers]

i personally think naeexaggerate ang AH1N1. most of those infected only contracted mild symptoms no different from the usual flu. ngayong rainy season, we should be more concerned about dengue and leptospirosis. on a side note, even more people are dying from complications of hypertension and diabetes.

just stating an opinion.

[Kurtsky Keigee]

Prepare for possible 2nd H1NI wave

 

By Dona Pazzibugan

Philippine Daily Inquirer

First Posted 20:11:00 08/25/2009

 

Filed Under: Swine Flu, Health, Epidemic and Plague

 

MANILA, Philippines—Government health workers have been told to prepare for a possible second wave of the Influenza A(H1N1) flu virus pandemic.

 

Dr. Eric Tayag, chief of the Department of Health's National Epidemiology Center, said Tuesday the DoH would step up its surveillance of clusters of and serious flu cases especially among the high-risk groups such as those with pre-existing illness, the elderly, the very young and pregnant women.

 

“We're getting prepared by continuing our monitoring. Secretary (Francisco) Duque has instructed us to enhance surveillance,” Tayag told reporters before he met with regional epidemiologists to discuss readiness measures.

 

“We are visiting the regions and critical hospitals to prepare their surge capacity (for flu patients). They would need equipment like ventilators,” he added.

 

The World Health Organization has warned about a possible deadlier second wave of the novel H1N1 flu pandemic since the northern hemisphere, including the United States, is entering into the winter season when flu thrives.

 

Tayag said in the southern hemisphere, H1N1 flu cases have not abated.

 

The official DoH tally as of July 25, 2009 reported that 25 persons have died out of 4,181 confirmed H1N1 cases in the Philippines.

 

Tayag admitted the DoH is only testing suspected H1N1 cases which belong to the high-risk groups and that they no longer do contract tracing of confirmed cases.

 

“But we also believe that (the transmission) has really gone down,” he said.

 

He said it was understandable that the United States is concerned about a possible second wave of the H1N1 pandemic since school would open in September just as the winter season sets in.

 

“They are rushing the vaccines in time for school,” he said.

 

But while there are announcements that the H1N1 vaccines are expected to come out in October, Tayag said the more pragmatic expectation is in January next year.

 

“We hope that before the second wave, we have already had our workers vaccinated,” he said.

 

The DoH has said that the novel flu virus caused only mild illness in the majority of affected patients, who managed to recover even without medical treatment.

 

Health officials however asked the public not to take flu-like symptoms for granted especially if they have underlying illnesses and belong to the high-risk groups like the pregnant, the very young and the elderly.

[peterparker]

WHO warns of severe form of swine flu

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Doctors are reporting a severe form of swine flu that goes straight to the lungs, causing severe illness in otherwise healthy young people and requiring expensive hospital treatment, the World Health Organization said on Friday.

 

Some countries are reporting that as many as 15 percent of patients infected with the new H1N1 pandemic virus need hospital care, further straining already overburdened healthcare systems, WHO said in an update on the pandemic.

 

"During the winter season in the southern hemisphere, several countries have viewed the need for intensive care as the greatest burden on health services," it said.

 

"Preparedness measures need to anticipate this increased demand on intensive care units, which could be overwhelmed by a sudden surge in the number of severe cases."

 

Earlier, WHO reported that H1N1 had reached epidemic levels in Japan, signaling an early start to what may be a long influenza season this year, and that it was also worsening in tropical regions.

 

"Perhaps most significantly, clinicians from around the world are reporting a very severe form of disease, also in young and otherwise healthy people, which is rarely seen during seasonal influenza infections," WHO said.

 

"In these patients, the virus directly infects the lung, causing severe respiratory failure. Saving these lives depends on highly specialized and demanding care in intensive care units, usually with long and costly stays."

 

MINORITIES AT RISK

 

Minority groups and indigenous populations may also have a higher risk of being severely ill with H1N1.

 

"In some studies, the risk in these groups is four to five times higher than in the general population," WHO said.

 

"Although the reasons are not fully understood, possible explanations include lower standards of living and poor overall health status, including a high prevalence of conditions such as asthma, diabetes and hypertension."

 

WHO said it was advising countries in the Northern Hemisphere to prepare for a second wave of pandemic spread. "Countries with tropical climates, where the pandemic virus arrived later than elsewhere, also need to prepare for an increasing number of cases," it said.

 

Every year, seasonal flu infects between 5 percent and 20 percent of a given population and kills between 250,000 and 500,000 people globally. Because hardly anyone has immunity to the new H1N1 virus, experts believe it will infect far more people than usual, as much as a third of the population.

 

It also disproportionately affects younger people, unlike seasonal flu which mainly burdens the elderly, and thus may cause more severe illness and deaths among young adults and children than seasonal flu does.

 

"Data continue to show that certain medical conditions increase the risk of severe and fatal illness. These include respiratory disease, notably asthma, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and immunosuppression," WHO said.

 

"When anticipating the impact of the pandemic as more people become infected, health officials need to be aware that many of these predisposing conditions have become much more widespread in recent decades, thus increasing the pool of vulnerable people."

 

WHO estimates that more than 230 million people globally have asthma, and more than 220 million have diabetes. Obesity may also worsen the risk of severe infection, WHO said.

 

The good news -- people infected with AIDS virus do not seem to be at special risk from H1N1, WHO

 

 

:mtc:

[cheezy]

Swine Virus update. (from www.thesun.co.uk) By CHRIS POLLARD. Published: 11 Jan 2010

 

Swine flu 'a false pandemic' claim.

 

A LEADING health expert says the swine flu scare was a "false pandemic" led by drugs companies that stood to make billions from vaccines.

 

Wolfgang Wodarg, head of health at the Council of Europe, claims major firms organised a "campaign of panic" to put pressure on the World Health Organisation to declare a pandemic.

 

He believes it is "one of the greatest medicine scandals of the century" — and has called for an inquiry.

 

An emergency debate on the issue will be held by the Council later this month.

 

Dr Wodarg said: "It's just a normal kind of flu. It does not cause a tenth of deaths caused by the classic seasonal flu.

 

"The great campaign of panic we have seen provided a golden opportunity for representatives from labs who knew they would hit the jackpot in the case of a pandemic being declared.

 

"We want to clarify everything that brought about this massive operation of disinformation. We want to know who made decisions, on the basis of what evidence, and precisely how the influence of the pharmaceutical industry came to bear on the decision-making."

 

He added: "A group of people in the WHO is associated very closely with the pharmaceutical industry."

 

The WHO has recently reaffirmed its stance that the pandemic is not over. However, the number of swine flu deaths is dramatically lower than expected.

 

Last year, Dr Wodarg raised concerns about swine flu vaccines, saying they could cause dangerous allergic reactions.

 

In an interview with France's L'Humanite, he said: "The vaccines were developed too quickly. Some ingredients (adjuvants) were insufficiently tested.

 

"But there is worse to come. The vaccine developed by Novartis was produced in a bioreactor from cancerous cells — a technique that had never been used until now.

 

"This was not necessary. It has also led to a considerable mismanagement of public money.

 

"The time has come at last for us to make demands on governments. The purpose of the inquiry is to prevent more false alarms of this type in the future.

 

"We must make sure people can rely on the analysis and the expertise of national and international public institutions. The latter are now discredited, because millions of people have been vaccinated with products with inherent possible health risks."

 

He added: "In Germany this has cost about 700million Euros. But it is very difficult to know the exact figures because we are talking about vaccines resold to foreign countries, and most firms do not communicate due to the principles of 'trade secrets'."

 

It is believed the British government is desperately trying to offload up to £1billion of swine flu vaccine, ordered at the height of the scare.