Definition of Infected (H1N1)

Below about definition of H1N1.

Suspect Case

Defined as an individual with an acute febrile respiratory illness (fever >38°C) with onset of symptoms:

* Within 7 days of travel to affected areas; or
* Within 7 days of close contact with a confirmed or probable case of Influenza A (H1N1)

Probable Case

Defined as an individual with an acute febrile respiratory illness (fever >38°C) with an influenza test that is positive for Influenza A but is un-subtypeable by reagents used to detect seasonal influenza virus infection, OR;

An individual with a clinically compatible illness or who died of an unexplained acute respiratory illness who is considered to be epidemiologically linked to a probable or a confirmed case.
Confirmed Case

Defined as an individual with laboratory confirmed Influenza A (H1N1) virus infection by one or more of the following tests:

* Real-time RT-PCR;
* Viral culture;
* Four-fold rise in Influenza A (H1N1) virus specific neutralising antibodies.

Influenza A H1N1

Talks about Influenza A H1N1.

A year has passed since the first cases of Influenza A H1N1 in Mexico, we had over 18000 deaths confirmed by lab diagnosis and reported to WHO. Surely an underestimate of the total number of cases.

The average mortality was of 0.5% of the confirmed cases, close to the seasonal flu. The mortality values varied a lot from country to country, and inside a country they varied according to different studies, which show the evident necessity of more available tests and a mutual opinion on the measure to be adopted.

Different from the seasonal flu, over 90% of deaths are concentrated in people younger than 65 yeas old, consequence of the previous immunity older people have. Pregnant ladies were also the most affected, although they represent only 1 to 2% of the general population, they were 6 to 10% of the deaths caused by the flu. Other groups also have their immune systems altered like the obese and the immunocompromised and are also among the most susceptible ones.

Treatment

Although bearing the already reported drug resistance to adamantanes drug family, the Influenza of swine origin can be treated with sialidase inhibitors, the drugs Oseltamivir and Zanamivir. Oseltamivir, available to be taken orally is cheaper, is still a very effective treatment, reducing the symptom’s severity and the time of hospitalization.

Some resistance cases were found, the majority isolated cases and in patients with treatment flaw mainly of them with prolonged therapy. Rarely patients without history of contact with the drugs were found with resistant viruses; the transmission of this kind of virus was also confirmed.

Conclusions

It is still very hard to diagnose the Influenza virus as a whole. The main method, the RT-PCR technique (virus genetic material amplification) still depends on recent technology and restricted access to poorer areas. We also depend on samples collected during the period of infection. We still need cheaper and more accessible ways of detecting the virus, as well as different and cheaper ways of treatment.

Influenza A H1N1 seems to become a seasonal virus with symptoms and cases like the common flu, however the virus evolutive course is unpredictable. The prevention and survey set for the Avian Influenza and the “normal” virulence of this virus contributed for the Swine Flu not have caused bigger damage. But we are still far from being protected from more pathogenic strains, in case some of them are transmitted more easily.

H1N1: The Swine Flu Virus

Above info about H1N1. What it is and vaccinating information. Try product from the bottom of this blog under sponsor links. ^_^

The H1N1 virus, also known as the swine flu, reached global pandemic levels in 2009. More is known now and you can protect yourself better and stay healthy.

Influenza is a virus that affects millions of people worldwide. There are no cures for viruses and must run their course. Flu shots are available and they are designed to protect against the most common strains of the flu. The H1N1 virus, also dubbed the “swine flu” was a strain mankind had no immunity to, and as a result, caused a global pandemic in 2009.

What the H1N1 Virus is All About

The H1N1 virus is a virus that causes influenza. It is contagious and spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes onto someone else. The germs travel through the air and enter the nose, eyes or throat of someone and infect them. The H1N1 virus can also live on hard surfaces such as countertops and doorknobs and can infect someone when they touch their mouth or nose.

What The Symptoms of the H1N1 Virus Are

Similar to other flus, the H1N1 Virus displays the following symptoms:

• Cough and fever
• Fatigue
• Muscle aches
• Sore Throat
• Headache
• Loss of Appetit
• Runny Nose
• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting

How the H1N1 Virus is Different from other Viruses

Because the H1N1 virus is new, your body doesn’t yet have immunity against the virus and your body will begin to aggressively attack it. Your body can attack so aggressively it can attack your healthy organs too, known as a “cytokine storm”. Cytokines are not fully understood, but they are responsible for cell communication. A cytokine storm can be so intense it can overpower the nervous system and lead to breathing problems.

Vaccinations for the H1N1 Virus

Annual shots are available if you want to get a vaccination for the H1N1 virus. You can check Health Canada here for flu clinics near you.

The H1N1 vaccination does have side effects and can cause paralysis among other conditions. Be sure to speak with your doctor before getting the vaccination and weigh your risks.

Treatment for the H1N1 Virus

Once you have H1N1 virus you cannot do anything to make it go away right away. You can use pain medicine to relieve fever and headaches. Stay well hydrated and keep your household clean. Prevention is your best defense against the H1N1 virus.

For people who are at risk of severe disease or very sick, your doctor may recommend and antiviral medication, which can reduce how long it will take to recover from the H1N1 virus.

Read more at Suite101: H1N1: The Swine Flu Virus. What it is and Vaccination Information http://www.suite101.com/content/h1n1-the-swine-flu-virus-what-it-is-and-vaccination-information-a296582#ixzz12LD2orn4

Strategies Halt Pandemic Diseases like H1N1

Here’s thought about H1N1.

A recent study led by Dr. Parviez Hosseini, a senior research fellow from EcoHealth Alliance (formerly Wildlife Trust), explains the importance of identifying global pandemic risk factors as early as possible, in order to predict the spread of diseases like H1N1 "swine" flu and SARS. "Predictive Power of Air Travel and Socio-Economic data for Early Pandemic Spread," recently published in the scientific publication PLoS ONE, examines the interplay among travel, trade, and national healthcare resources in predicting the emergence and spread of H1N1 and other viruses.

The report points to the need for improved surveillance of diseases in traded livestock and rapid deployment of control measures in those countries first affected – especially countries in the predicted path of the disease and those with fewer healthcare resources. "The most benefit accrues when higher-income countries provide additional resources to lower-income countries, particularly those that have high-volume air traffic," said Dr. Hosseini. "International authorities should earmark more aid for the poorest countries where the risk of emerging infectious diseases is highest, in order to detect infections as early as possible, and to reduce the human and economic disaster of global pandemics."

2009 H1N1 Outbreak Lessons Learned

By May 2009, two weeks after cases of the A/H1N1 strain was first reported, the disease had already spread to 24 countries, 40 U.S. states, and nine Canadian provinces. The rapid spread of this disease was due in large part to consumer air travel exacerbated by slow reporting in countries with the fewest healthcare resources. "We might one day be able to predict the emergence of viruses and develop vaccines more quickly; however, in order to do so, we first need to have greater surveillance in countries with the fewest healthcare resources," Hosseini said.

Last year's strain of H1N1 was relatively mild; however, if a more dangerous strain like the H5N1 "avian flu" subtype were to spread similarly, the outcome would be catastrophic in terms of human suffering and economic damage. Were this to occur, the economic cost has been estimated between $71 billion and $167 billion. "The measures we propose are likely to have economic benefits that far outweigh their costs," according to Hosseini.

Among the key conclusions and strategies recommended in the report were the following:

1. Expanded surveillance for diseases in livestock populations – Only through surveillance can scientists predict the emergence of diseases, and develop vaccines in advance of their spread; however, even dramatic reductions in the international live animal trade may not prevent the exposure of local livestock to new types of viruses from distant locations.
2. Leverage major airport hubs to halt the spread of disease – Rather than rely solely on travel restrictions, airports serving as major transportation hubs could also become venues both for disease surveillance, as well as serve double duty as facilities to train people and stockpile medicines in preparation for pandemics.

Read more: http://www.centredaily.com/2010/10/06/2254487/ecohealth-alliance-study-highlights.html#ixzz11kko0hHV

H1N1 (Swine Flu)

Here’s about H1N1 nowadays.

The head of the WHO said Tuesday that her decisions about swine flu were not influenced by advisers’ links to pharmaceutical companies, which were pointed out in a critical journal article this month.

Three scientists out of 22 who worked on the guidelines were named as having received some money from pharmaceuticals. The scientists did not work at the drug companies, but were paid for things like speaking at meetings sponsored by them.

The guidelines recommend, among other things, that countries consider buying antivirals and vaccines to combat a pandemic. The authors of the BMJ article suggest, without providing direct evidence, that these scientists’ ties to pharmaceutical companies influenced WHO’s recommendation that countries buy drugs and vaccines — adding to those drug companies’ profits. “Our investigation has revealed damaging issues,” wrote Deborah Cohen of BMJ and journalist Philip Carter. “These conflicts of interest have never been disclosed by WHO.

WHO’s handling of the outbreak is being reviewed by a 29-member expert panel that will report its findings next year. Critics say many of those panelists are also trusted WHO advisers and government employees who could end up whitewashing any failures. “At no time, not for one second, did commercial interests enter my decision-making,” WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said.

Chan insisted she was open to the panel’s criticism. “Should this committee decide that the current definition of a pandemic and the phases leading up to its declaration need to be tightened or otherwise revised, this will be another recommendation that we will welcome, and act on.”

The U.S. Health and Human Services department defended the U.N. body. “WHO handled the outbreak in a very measured and appropriate manner,” said Bill Hall, an HHS spokesman. “Their decisions were driven by the existing and evolving conditions at the time.” He said there was “no indication whatsoever that any of their decisions were influenced by industry.” Other leading officials agreed.

“There was nothing in those guidelines that was not based on the best science available,” said Michael Osterholm, a flu expert at the University of Minnesota who has advised the U.S. on pandemic preparations. He said the scientists consulted were the world’s top flu experts and to not include them would have been a major flaw. Osterholm said that because flu viruses are unpredictable, it was impossible for anyone to predict last spring that swine flu would not evolve into a more lethal strain.

He slammed the BMJ article, calling it “irresponsible and reckless,” and said its authors had not substantiated their claims WHO behaved inappropriately during the pandemic. “It’s akin to shouting ‘fire’ in a crowded theatre without regard to the consequences,” Osterholm said. He said while WHO should be subjected to the highest scrutiny, BMJ’s accusations had done “untold damage to the public health infrastructure of the world.”

Harvey Fineberg, the president of the Institute of Medicine in Washington, said the review panel which he heads will hear from critics of WHO when it next meets from June 30 to July 2. A report published by the Council of Europe last week said the guidelines from WHO, European Union agencies and national governments led to a “waste of large sums of public money and unjustified scares and fears about the health risks faced by the European public.” The agency is not an EU body.

New push in H1N1 flu fight

Above about H1N1 flu fight.

U.S. health officials are preparing intensively to combat an anticipated wave of outbreaks of the new H1N1 flu when children return to school and the pace of cases picks up.

Identified by scientists just three months ago, the new swine-flu virus has reached nearly every country, spreading tenaciously with what the World Health Organization this week called "unprecedented speed." Rather than die down in the summer as some experts initially expected, it is continuing to proliferate even in countries like the U.S. and U.K. that are in the full bloom of summer, when the march of influenza normally slows down. It is also spreading rapidly in the Southern Hemisphere.

Anne Schuchat, chief of immunization and respiratory diseases at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Friday that the agency expects an increase in cases before the normal start of the flu season in mid-autumn, because children are likely to spread it to one another once they go back to school. Infectious diseases normally spread readily among children, and this virus has hit children and young adults harder than the elderly, who normally suffer the heaviest toll from flu.

"We've seen it in camps and military units," Dr. Schuchat said. "I'm expecting when school reopens and kids are all back together, in some communities at least we may see an increase."

The number of confirmed U.S. infections is now 40,617, with 263 deaths, the CDC said Friday. But the agency believes that more than one million people have been infected and weren't tested for the virus or didn't visit a doctor. The disease has become so widespread that the agency will probably suspend tallying individual case counts within the next few weeks and focus instead on tracking clusters, severe cases, deaths and other unusual events -- a more traditional approach to tracking diseases, Dr. Schuchat said.

Definition of H1N1

Here's about virus H1N1.

H1N1 is a subtype of the species Influenza A virus. H1N1 has mutated into various strains including the Spanish Flu strain (now extinct in the wild), mild human flu strains, endemic pig strains, and various strains found in birds.

A variant of H1N1 was responsible for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed some 50 million to 100 million people worldwide over about a year in 1918 and 1919 ^[1]. A different variant exists in pig populations. Controversy arose in October 2005, after the H1N1 genome was published in the journal Science. Many fear that this information could be used for bioterrorism.

"When he compared the 1918 virus with today's human flu viruses, Dr. Taubenberger noticed that it had alterations in just 25 to 30 of the virus's 4,400 amino acids. Those few changes turned a bird virus into a killer that could spread from person to person." ^[2]

Low pathogenic H1N1 strains still exist in the wild today, causing roughly half of all flu infections in 2006.