Flu
British farmer dies from rabbit flu
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An apparently healthy young farmer in Britain has died from rabbit flu.
John Freeman, a 29-year-old farmer, died earlier this month from blood poisoning which he contracted from a rabbit he picked up on his farm after shooting it.
Mr. Freeman of Aspall near Stowmarket in Suffolk, is believed to be Britain’s first rabbit flu victim.
H5 and N1 avian influenza found in two samples from wild mute swans in Michigan
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The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Interior has announced that routine surveillance has indicated the presence of H5 and N1 avian influenza subtypes in samples from two wild mute swans in Michigan.
Testing has ruled out the possibility of this being the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain that has spread through birds in Asia, Europe and Africa. Test results thus far indicate this is low pathogenicity avian influenza, which poses no threat to human health.
The swans were sampled as part of the expanded avian influenza surveillance program. They were showing no signs of sickness, which suggests that this is low pathogenicity avian influenza. Additionally, genetic analysis of the virus conducted at USDA’s National Veterinary Services laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa, suggests that it is similar to a low pathogenicity strain that has been found in North America.
The Facts and Fictions About Flu and Colds
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Considering how common they are, colds and flu are the subject of a great many misconceptions. Dr. Seth Feltheimer, an associate attending physician, and Patricia Ciminera, nurse practitioner at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, offer their insights and expertise on these sources of misery.
First, the differences: a cold is usually an upper respiratory tract infection with symptoms including a sore throat, head congestion, sinus pain and low-grade fever. On the other hand, the flu is generally marked by a higher fever, a sore throat, a cough and body aches. A common cold usually lasts two to three days while the flu can take as long as a week. Unlike colds, the flu can lead to more serious complications and even hospitalization, especially in high-risk individuals like asthmatics and the elderly.
Now, the facts and fictions:
World Bank gives Laos $2 million for bird flu
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The World Bank said on Monday it had granted $2 million to Laos to help the country prepare for outbreaks of bird flu, which has spread through birds in Asia, Europe and Africa.
The grant funding is the first to be approved from the multidonor Avian and Human Influenza Facility managed by the World Bank.
China confirms human bird flu case from 2003
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China confirmed on Tuesday that the country’s first human case of the H5N1 bird flu virus in 2003 was two years earlier than originally reported, prompting the UN’s health agency to call for greater transparency.
The case had spurred questions about whether there might have been other human H5N1 infections in China prior to what had been its first reported human case, near the end of 2005.
Eight Chinese researchers published a letter in The New England Journal of Medicine in June saying a 24-year-old soldier, who was admitted to hospital in November 2003 for respiratory distress and pneumonia and later died, had been infected with H5N1.
Indonesia tests 7 for bird flu from same village
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Seven Indonesians from the same village in North Sumatra have been hospitalised and are being tested for bird flu, an official said on Wednesday, raising fears of new cluster cases in the country.
The group comes from Karo district in North Sumatra province where bird flu killed as many as seven people in an extended family in May, triggering fears the H5N1 bird flu virus had mutated into a form that could spread easily between people.
“Whether it is a new cluster or not, that must be scientifically proved,” said Runizar Ruesin, head of the bird flu information centre at Indonesia’s health ministry.
Thailand confirms case of human infection with H5N1 avian influenza
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The Ministry of Public Health in Thailand has confirmed a case of human infection with H5N1 avian influenza.
The patient, a 17-year-old man from Thap Khlo district of Phichit province in the north, developed symptoms on 15 July, was hospitalized on 20 July and died on 24 July.
Antibiotics should not used to treat a runny nose
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Antibiotics should not be given to patients with acute purulent rhinitis (a runny nose with coloured discharge), a familiar feature of the common cold, concludes a study published on the British Medical Journal website.
General practitioners often prescribe antibiotics for respiratory tract infections when nasal discharge is purulent. Most guidelines recommend against their use for this condition, but this advice is based on one study that showed no effect.
So researchers in New Zealand searched the scientific literature for trials comparing antibiotics with placebo for acute purulent rhinitis (duration less than 10 days).
School Flu Immunization Reduced Student Absences
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Results from a new study found that free, on-site, mass flu immunization had a positive impact on school attendance. With the help of school nurses, more students may be able to avoid getting sick in the next flu season. The study is published in the latest issue of The Journal of School Nursing.
School nurses in Indiana, where the study was conducted, found that schools that have a high population of children with a low socioeconomic status were showing a higher absentee rate caused by influenza. Many of these children lived in multifamily dwellings, where there is increased person-to-person contact, which promotes the spread of bacteria and viruses. Although influenza vaccines were available in the community, these families often did not have the funds or transportation to receive preventive health care.
The benchmark attendance rate for the state of Indiana in the 95th percentile is 97.8%. School nurses noted that none of the local Title 1 schools met this benchmark. Title 1 is a federal entitlement program allocated on the basis of student enrollment and census poverty data. As part of the No Child Left Behind Act, children should have the opportunity to obtain a high quality education and to reach grade-level proficiency.
Indonesia doctor urges fast bird flu test in humans
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A rapid test for bird flu infections in humans is key for existing treatments to be more effective, a doctor from a hospital in the Indonesian capital treating patients with the disease said on Thursday.
Santoso Soeroso, director of Sulianti Saroso hospital for infectious diseases, said the average time it took for patients with the disease to get to his hospital was 5.7 days.
Tamiflu, a drug made by Swiss giant Roche AG, which has been used successfully to treat some patients, rapidly loses its effectiveness if not used in early stages of the disease.
Only fraction of bird flu aid pledges received
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Only a fraction of the nearly $1.9 billion pledged by international donors in January to help the developing world prepare for a bird flu pandemic has been paid out so far, the United Nations said on Monday.
In a joint report with the World Bank, the U.N. bird flu coordinator David Nabarro said donor countries had allocated $1.15 billion for bird flu aid from their budgets by the end of April, but had transferred just $331 million to recipients.
Although the virus affects mostly wild birds, experts fear it may change into a form that can be easily transmitted among humans, sweeping the world and killing millions within weeks or months.
Europe may have delay and shortage of flu vaccine
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The UK’s general practitioners (GPs) were warned on Thursday to expect delays and possible shortages of the seasonal influenza vaccine as manufacturers struggle to produce one of the strains needed for this year’s product.
In a letter sent to GPs today, England’s Chief Medical Officer, Liam Donaldson congratulates them on vaccinating a record number of people in 2005, but warns that problems lie ahead this year.
The Department of Health (DoH) said: “The letter also informs GPs of the latest situation on vaccine supply for the forthcoming flu season. This follows advice from the UK Vaccine Industry Group (UVIG) that there are likely to be Europe-wide delays in deliveries of influenza vaccine and that there may be shortages, as manufacturers are encountering problems growing one of the vaccine virus strains recommended for this year’s seasonal flu vaccine.”
Australian team test new bird flu vaccine
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Australian researchers have begun a trial to test the effectiveness of a new vaccine to protect against the potentially deadly bird flu.
The Vaccine Trials Group at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research and Princess Margaret Hospital for Children is recruiting 150 adult volunteers to participate in the study.
Study leader, Dr Peter Richmond, said the Australian-developed vaccine has shown encouraging results in early trials.
China and bird flu - the plot thickens
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The plot has thickened when it comes to China and bird flu.
It appears one of the researchers who reported that a Chinese man may have died from avian influenza before anyone else in China was known to have the disease, has denied trying to retract the article.
Dr. Wu Chun Cao of the State Key Laboratory of Pathogens and Biosecurity in Beijing says that e-mails bearing his name sent to the The New England Journal of Medicine were not written or sent by him.
USDA trains foreign scientists on diagnostic testing for highly pathogenic Avian Influenza
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USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Administrator Ron DeHaven today announced the training of 24 scientists from 19 countries on diagnostic testing for highly pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).
The workshop is scheduled for June 19-23 at USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa. It is the third in a series of train-the-trainers workshops on HPAI testing and diagnostics.
“This is just one example of how we are working to prevent or slow the spread of high pathogencity avian influenza,“said DeHaven. “The goal is to assist senior-level veterinarians and poultry disease experts from countries that either have discovered HPAI, or are at high risk for the disease. When they return to their countries, they are better equipped to train their colleagues in lab procedures and protocols.”
