Blogs

Age of Flu Victims Has Big Implications
Scientists Say Relative Youth of Ill People Is Evidence of Pandemic Potential
By David Brown
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, May 17, 2009

The swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus that burst into public consciousness a month ago is starting to behave like a mixture of its infamous, pandemic-causing predecessors.

The Associated Press
Monday, May 18, 2009 11:56 AM

-- Key developments on swine flu outbreaks, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization and government officials:

_Deaths: Global total of 76 _ 68 in Mexico, six in U.S., one in Canada and one in Costa Rica. Officials said victims from Canada, U.S. and Costa Rica also had other medical conditions.

_Confirmed cases: WHO says 40 countries have reported more than 8,829 cases, mostly in U.S. and Mexico.

Global Development: Views from the Center

MAY 6TH, 2009
Tapping Mobile Phone Networks to Monitor Pandemic Flu in Developing Countries
By Jenny Aker

May 3, 2009
By Kate Daily

The CDC, MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) is showing numbers on the Swine Flu to May 06, 2009. The details include: Mexico with nearly 12,000 suspected cases, and 1000 confirmed; the United States with 600 confirmed and 800 probable cases. Testing reveals that more than 99% of the probable cases pop positive for the A (H1N1) virus.

A crash effort to analyze the genes of the swine flu virus has revealed that it first emerged in humans last year — most likely last fall.

Author: Richard Knox
Publication Date: May 7, 2009
Source: NPR Morning Edition

"The consistent range we're getting out is the second half of last year — between June and December," says Oliver Pybus of Oxford University. "The best estimate is the middle of that range, kind of September."

Neighbors are reaching out to talk about crime and economy, helping others through job losses and organizing potlucks.

Author: By Annie Gowen, The Washington Post
Date: 05 May 2009
Published: Seattle Times

WASHINGTON — When Kris Kumaroo founded a new neighborhood association in October, he was driven by a desire to combat recession-era problems such as vacant homes and petty crime.

By TARA PARKER-POPE
Published: May 4, 2009
NY Times: Well Blog

Confused about swine flu? It’s no wonder, with all the seemingly mixed messages coming out of health agencies and news organizations.

Last week, the World Health Organization raised the alert level for the virus, whose formal name is H1N1, indicating that a “pandemic is imminent.” Now, health officials report that although the virus is widespread, most cases seem to be mild. People are being told not to panic, but schools in some communities remain closed.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

The East Meets West Foundation recently introduced a model programme to help communities in the central region of Vietnam adapt to climate change.

According to the foundation’s survey, climate change is affecting lives in all 25 communes in Quang Nam province where vulnerable farmers in the coastal, mountainous and lowland areas rely heavily on agriculture and fishing industry.

Most of those interviewed said they often lacked timely information on upcoming disasters and did not have access to Government policies regarding natural disasters preparedness and CC adaptation.

"The only thing that can be said with certainty about influenza viruses is that they are entirely unpredictable. No one can say, right now, how the pandemic will evolve."

On the supply of antiviral medication:
"Global manufacturing capacity, though greatly increased, is still not sufficient to produce enough antiviral medication and pandemic vaccines to protect the entire world population in time."

What we know from history:

Margret Chan, head of the World Health Organization warned in a interview with the Financial Times that swine flu may re-emerge stronger than ever even if the current outbreak appears to be declining.

From an article published 3 May, Chan told Britain’s Financial Times that an apparent decline in mortality rates did not mean the pandemic was coming to an end and a second wave may strike ‘with a vengeance.’ If it’s going to happen it would be the biggest of all outbreaks the world has faced in the 21st century,’ the paper quoted her as saying.

A disease spread sim has shown that flu interventions must be done quickly, to be effective. Researchers writing in the journal BMC Public Health have shown that staying at home, closing schools and isolating infected people within the home should reduce infection, but only if they are used in combination, activated without delay and maintained for a relatively long period. Professor George Milne and his colleagues from the University of Western Australia (UWA) simulated the effect of social distancing on the spread of a flu virus within a small town.

Right now, at the beginning of the outbreak, I am more worried about those that think this is hype than the ones that think selective schools should be shut down.

We should be worried about stopping community spread. Even though this is relatively mild, everyone should do their best to avoid what appears to be a fairly infectious agent, that is killing people that don't get good medical care early.

Filligent, the Hong Kong-based biotech company, claims they are mobilizing stocks of a anti-infective face mask called BioMask which traps and kills 99.9% of bacteria and viruses on contact, and is a powerful weapon to contain the spread of the swine flu. The Filligent website claims: