INFOFLU

Newsletter 3 Februari 2010

Photo

Recruits of the paramilitary police receive injections of the H1N1 vaccine at a military base in Taiyuan, Shanxi province February 2, 2010.

Source: Daylife - Reuters

New Issue

Over 10,000 ducks die in Cambodia

The Cambodian government said on Monday that more than 10,000 ducks have died and some 30,000 others are being sick in the country's southern province of Takeo.

Kao Phal, director of animal production department of agriculture ministry said that samples of the dead ducks being examined and the results will be known Tuesday or the day after.

He said that those dead ducks were reported happening a few days ago and now some 30,000 others are being sick.

Kao Phal said while sample testing is being examined, he could not tell what the cause to the deaths of the ducks was.

However, he said no report of any disease or death of human lives, but at the same time precaution to villagers is strictly advised by the government health concerning authorities.

According to Kao Sophal, the case is happening in Prey Khla village, Rominh Commune, Koh Andeth district in Takeo province, some 90 km south of Phnom Penh.

Cambodia, in the past and present, has had reports on the bird flu and influenza A/H1N1.

Source: Avian Flu Diary Blog - Eastday.com

Research

Medical journal recants 1998 study linking autism to vaccine

A major British medical journal on Tuesday retracted a flawed study linking the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine to autism and bowel disease.

The retraction by The Lancet comes a day after a competing medical journal, BMJ, issued an embargoed commentary calling for The Lancet to formally retract the study. The commentary was to have been published on Wednesday.

Source: The Globe and Mail

Comment

The Emergence Of Operational Biosurveillance As A Professional Discipline

by James M. Wilson V, MD

Parallels With The Birth And Operationalization Of Modern Meteorology

The most direct, and in a sense the most important, problem which our conscious knowledge of nature should enable us to solve is the anticipation of future events, so that we may arrange our present affairs in accordance with such anticipation. -Heinrich Hertz (1898)

The emergence of operational biosurveillance as a professional discipline and early warning service to the public bears remarkable similarity to the birth of modern meteorology.

Meteorology as a practice and the concept of "forecasting" the weather was started by Vice Admiral Robert Fitzroy of the British Navy in the mid-1800s. The promotion of meteorology as a professional discipline was to be his final career in life and suffered the hardship of every social pioneer seeking to change societal function. He was ostracized by academicians, fought with competing individuals and organizations, struggled for funding and recognition by the British government, and as a lifelong sufferer of depression ultimately committed suicide under the strain. The world owes the term "forecast" and the operationalization of weather forecasting to Fitzroy and his remarkable persistence.[...]

Source: Biosurveillance blog

Risk Communication

Views on Swine Flu; 63% aware, 59% of them feel threatened: Poll

A recent Gilani poll conducted by Gallup Pakistan shows that majority of all Pakistanis (63%) claim to be aware about swine flu while the remaining are unaware. Among those who are aware, 59% believe Pakistanis are in a danger of being affected by swine flu to a great or some extent, 35% believe there is not much danger to Pakistanis or no danger at all while 6% are unsure.

It is seen that Pakistanis take various measures to protect themselves from swine flu, amongst which washing hands with soap and water, and covering mouth and nose while coughing top the list.

When asked if they were satisfied with the government’s actions to fight swine flu, 48% appear to be satisfied to a great or some extent, while 49% seem to be dissatisfied and 3% gave no response.

The recent Gilani poll was conducted in Pakistan by Gallup Pakistan, affiliated with Gallup International Association, among a sample of 2805 men and women from rural and urban areas of all four provinces of the country, during January 2010.

Source: Associated Press of Pakistan

Quote

"It's not the H1N1 that makes you sick, it's your body's reaction to it"

Source: Kansas.com - The Wichita Eagle

News Flash

Doctors hail new treatment for severe swine flu cases

ABC Online

Doctors in Melbourne believe they have found a new and effective way to treat people with severe swine flu. The doctors at the Austin Hospital have found ...

Asean to ensure availability of antiviral drugs

ANTARA

... follow-up to the Joint Statement of the ASEAN Plus Three Health Ministers Special Meeting on Influenza A (H1N1) held on 8 May 2009 in Bangkok, Thailand. ...

New outbreak of bird flu confirmed in Cambodia

AP via Yahoo! Asia News

Cambodian authorities began a mass killing of ducks Wednesday after confirming a fresh outbreak of the deadly bird flu virus.

Disclaimer: Newsletter ini hanya merupakan kumpulan dari artikel/liputan/tulisan yang diambil dari berbagai sumber mengenai situasi terkini pandemi influenza di seluruh dunia termasuk Indonesia. Namun demikian isi/ilustrasi/foto tidak mewakili kepentingan atau kebijakan KOMNAS FBPI secara langsung

Newsletter 2 Februari 2010

Photo
New recruits salute during a ceremony to join the army at an army recruit training center in Nonsan, south of Seoul February 1, 2010. The ceremony was suspended last September to protect people from a possible spread of the H1N1 flu. Source: Daylife - Reuters Read More: http://www.daylife.com/photo/0eNG4N09u0aR1?q=H1N1 Quote"By the summer of 2009, shortly after the H1N1 flu pandemic had first emerged, there was a waiting list for the first several million doses of the forthcoming new flu vaccine. At the head of the line, naturally, were the world's richest nations.."Source: WNYW Fox 5 New YorkRead more: http://www.daylife.com/quote/06Fv0Psd1z0F2?q=H1N1

New Issue
Economics of Flu Vaccines by Colleen O'Rourke
[...]
Discussion Questions:1. Do you think that the goal of those who control flu vaccine policy should be to get the best health outcome, to minimize the cost to GDP, or some combination of the two? What public health policies would achieve your preferred policy goal?2. Assume that society does want to maximize productivity in dollar terms rather than health outcomes. Now, take into consideration the fact that those who do get sick might require expensive medical treatment, the cost of which will be partially borne by society. How does this alter the analysis of who should receive the vaccines?3. Economists often are fond of markets as allocation mechanisms because the forces of supply and demand determine a price that allocates goods to those who are willing to pay for them the most. How would a market for flu vaccine work? Why is it different from a market for non-life-affecting goods and services, like books or cars?4. Firms (especially ones with high-productivity employees) value their employees’ health. It is estimated that that the total yearly economic cost of the flu in the U.S. is over $80 billion. Many companies have started to recognize this and have made attempts to protect their own economic interest by paying for or providing flu vaccines to their employees. As a result, employees who otherwise may not have been vaccinated (since the unsubsidized cost exceeds the expected health benefit) are more likely to accept the free vaccine. Is this efficient? Is it equitable?5. Vaccines have a limited shelf-life – that is, they can only be used for a particular period of time if they are to be effective. For this reason, the timing of development, production, and distribution of flu vaccines in the United States is largely based on the pattern of the flu season in previous years. Go to Google Flu Trends to see a graph comparing the incidence of flu activity in the United States this year with previous years. How does the current flu season differ from previous years? If you were in charge of setting production policy for 2010, what might you change in order to produce the correct amount of vaccine for each strain of flu at the appropriate time?
Source: Econblog
Read more: http://econblog.aplia.com/2010/01/economics-of-flu-vaccines.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+EconAplia+%28Aplia+Econ+Blog%3A+News+for+Economics+Students%29

Research
Tropism and Innate Host Responses of the 2009 Pandemic H1N1 Influenza Virus in ex Vivo and in Vitro Cultures of Human Conjunctiva and Respiratory Tract

Abstract

The novel pandemic influenza H1N1 (H1N1pdm) virus of swine origin causes mild disease but occasionally leads to acute respiratory distress syndrome and death. It is important to understand the pathogenesis of this new disease in humans. We compared the virus tropism and host-responses elicited by pandemic H1N1pdm and seasonal H1N1 influenza viruses in ex vivo cultures of human conjunctiva, nasopharynx, bronchus, and lung, as well as in vitro cultures of human nasopharyngeal, bronchial, and alveolar epithelial cells. We found comparable replication and host-responses in seasonal and pandemic H1N1 viruses. However, pandemic H1N1pdm virus differs from seasonal H1N1 influenza virus in its ability to replicate in human conjunctiva, suggesting subtle differences in its receptor-binding profile and highlighting the potential role of the conjunctiva as an additional route of infection with H1N1pdm. A greater viral replication competence in bronchial epithelium at 33°C may also contribute to the slight increase in virulence of the pandemic influenza virus. In contrast with highly pathogenic influenza H5N1 virus, pandemic H1N1pdm does not differ from seasonal influenza virus in its intrinsic capacity for cytokine dysregulation. Collectively, these results suggest that pandemic H1N1pdm virus differs in modest but subtle ways from seasonal H1N1 virus in its intrinsic virulence for humans, which is in accord with the epidemiology of the pandemic to date. These findings are therefore relevant for understanding transmission and therapy.
Source: American Journal of Pathology
Read more: http://ajp.amjpathol.org/cgi/content/abstract/ajpath.2010.091087v1

Comment

Revealed: Swine flu death rate in Scotland third worst in world..it's even worse than Mexico
By Derek Alexander SCOTLAND'S swine flu death rate is the third worst in the world - beating Mexico where the virus was first discovered.Only Argentina and Latvia have worse death rates.Last night, ministers were being urged to investigate as medical experts blamed Scotland's poor health record for the shocking findings.Stefan Chmelik, of New Medicine Group, said: "There is something of a general health crisis in Scotland."It stands to reason that if you're fit and healthy then you're more able to fight off disease - and if you're unhealthy then you're potentially more susceptible."In Scotland, the swine flu mortality rate is 13.2 per million people - more than double the 5.76 figure for the rest of the UK.It's also 45 per cent higher than Mexico and three times higher than Poland, where health bosses have refused to administer a vaccine.Argentina tops the poll with 15.37 deaths per million, followed by Latvia with 14.37.Swine flu has caused more than 14,000 deaths in more than 200 countries.Tory health spokeswoman Mary Scanlon said: "These are quite alarming statistics and underline the very poor state of public health in Scotland, even in comparison to less wealthy countries."The Scottish government denied Scotland's swine flu figures are concerning.A spokesman said: "Each country has different methods of reporting instances of H1N1 infection and deaths."We've put enormous effort into ensuring robust and accurate surveillance."
Source: Daily Record Scotland
Read more: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2010/02/01/revealed-swine-flu-death-in-scotland-third-worst-in-world-it-s-even-worse-than-mexico-86908-22010337/

Risk Communication
Preventive Steps Helped Summer Campers Avoid Swine Flu
An Alabama summer camp managed to contain the spread of swine flu by giving preventive Tamiflu to kids at risk and encouraging the use of sanitizers for hands and surfaces, a new report says. Children are especially vulnerable to swine flu, also known as H1N1. The disease struck three boys who attended a two-week boys' camp in July 2009. They were given medication and sent home, according to the report.
Source: Yahoo News - Health Day News
Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20100201/hl_hsn/preventivestepshelpedsummercampersavoidswineflu

News Flash
36 new H1N1 cases in one day

Chen Qi Blog
THIRTY-SIX people tested positive yesterday for Influenza A (H1N1) in Brunei Darussalam. The new cases were recorded by the Ministry of Health in just one day. This stresses the importance for...
Obama budget boosts funds for tropical diseases

Reuters

With the pandemic of H1N1 swine flu barely on the wane, the budget cuts funding for pandemic influenza and other new infections by 29 percent to $75 million ...

Newsletter 1 Februari 2010

New Issue

Global swine flu death toll rises to 14,711: WHO
GENEVA — The death toll from the swine flu pandemic has risen to at least 14,711, up 569 from a week ago, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said Friday.

WHO said the spread of the A(H1N1) virus peaked in most of the northern hemisphere in October and November, but transmission was still active in parts of North Africa, eastern and southeastern Europe and south and east Asia.

Source: AFP

Research

Study identifies key demographic and psychological factors that predict protective behaviour during pandemics

A study that looked at how people behave during pandemics has identified key demographic and psychological factors that may predict protective behaviours. The study is published online today, 30th January 2010, in the British Journal of Health Psychology.

Dr Alison Bish and Professor Susan Michie at the Health Psychology Unit, University College London, investigated the results of a number of studies into how people behave during pandemics, such as the recent swine flu outbreak, to better understand protective behaviour and to improve interventions and communication in the future. The review included the results of 26 published studies on associations between demographic factors, attitudes and behavioural measures during outbreaks including SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) between November 2002 and July 2003, Bird Flu (Avian influenza) in 1997, and Swine Flu (in 2009).

Source: News-Medical.Net - Latest Medical News and Research from Around the World

Comment

Living With the Swine Flu
By: Chitra Ahanthem
First of all, testing positive for swine flu hasn’t made it any worse for my physical state. The bouts of fever that made me seek the H1N1 test have not made any appearance though in their wake, they have left me with severe weakness. I have kept pretty much to myself right after I had come back from Bangkok and this whole experience of being taken to the isolation ward of JN Hospital and finding the most pathetic state of medical care facilities have only given me some moments of laughter. I have been told that at no point was it important for me to stay at the isolation ward but that’s not my point at all. That does not change the fact that the isolation room at JN Hospital is in a pitiable condition. Period. Bathroom water seeped to the room, the walls were dirty, there was one faint bulb, a great many mosquitoes and some cob-webs, no water in the cistern in the bathroom and a European bath pot that had live vermin. It was confusing too: when I was told at one point that I was to stay there, I asked whether staying in isolation meant that I would be cared for by the staff round the clock. No, it still meant that my family members would take care of me, bring me food etc etc. This, when I thought being kept in an isolation room meant fancy stuff: not allowed to meet anyone etc. That is when I made my pitch that I wanted to stay at home. [...]

Source: KanglaOnline

Risk Communication

Our Guides: Tools for Your Reporting and Website

Over the course of the FluPortal project, we’ve been putting together “how-to” guides that explain various web tools and social media you can use in your reporting.
And now we’ve assembled them all in one place: here!

Source: Flu Portal Blog

Photo

South Jakarta ::: Official conducts operation of healthy chicken transport
Kebayoran Lama – Livestock and Fishery Sub-service of South Jakarta stopped about 17 from 26 units of truck to transport chicken meat from outside Jakarta. Those chicken meat trucks could not show animal health certificate. This action, Healthy Chicken Transport Operation (Operasi Transportasi Ayam Sehat/OTAS), was carried out at Jl. Raya Kebayoran Lama and Jl. Ciledug [...]

Source: Bird Flu Information Corner Blog - Poskota

http://www.poskota.co.id/metro/jaksel-metro/2010/01/29/tak-bawa-skkh-truk-ayam-kena-razia

Quote

"Residents are afraid they will be infected by the bird flu virus. The poultry company has taken several measures, such as isolating the healthy chickens, destroying the sick and those showing signs of being infected," said South Lampung Livestock Agency head Ahmad Khandrie.

Source: The Jakarta Post

News Flash

UPDATE: 2009 H1N1 Flu International Situation Update

CDC
This report provides an update to the international situation as of January 29, 2010. The World Health Organization (WHO) continues to report updated 2009 H1N1 flu-associated laboratory-confirmed cases and deaths on its Web page.

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - update 85

WHO
As of 24 January 2010, worldwide more than 209 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including at least 14711 deaths.