Swine Flu Mutation Concerns Norwegian Scientists

As with the story yesterday from the Ukraine, this is something to keep an eye on. The primary concern over Swine Flu is it’s potential  to mutate into a much more serious disease.

Scientists in Norway have identified a mutated form of the swine flu virus that is raising concern because it was found in two patients who died of the flu and a third who was severely ill with the disease, officials announced Friday.

In a statement, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health said the mutation “could possibly make the virus more prone to infect deeper in the airways and thus cause more severe disease,” such as pneumonia.

Scientists have analyzed about 70 viruses from confirmed Norwegian swine flu cases and found the mutation in only those three patients, Geir Stene-Larsen, the institute’s director general, said in the statement.

“Based on what we know so far, it seems that the mutated virus does not circulate in the population, but might be a result of spontaneous changes which have occurred in these three patients,” the statement said.

The institute has been analyzing H1N1 virus from “a number of patients as part of the surveillance of the pandemic flu virus,” and has detected several mutations, the statement said. While the existence of mutations is normal, and most “will probably have little or no importance . . . one mutation has caught special interest.”

The two patients who had the mutation and died were the first swine flu fatalities in Norway. The third patient found to have the mutated form of the virus also became severely ill.

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Live – World Response Conference on Global Outbreak

The World Response Conference on Global Outbreak is being broadcast live on National Terror Alert in partnership with HSTV.   Watch Here

The World Response Conference on Global Outbreak is the first practical conference to highlight the first real-time test on global and domestic preparedness in the aspect of prevention, protection, response, and recovery.

The global and national critical infrastructure is threatened by the latest WHO declaration of Pandemic Level Alert Phase 6. WRCGO is a spearhead of convergence to address the leadership roles and responsibilities for an influenza pandemic, to test and exercise the mechanism of coordination, to strengthen the performance monitoring and accountability, between federal, state, and local governments and the private sector in preparing and responding for a pandemic.
Where the future of public health and global security will be decided.

Key discussions will include

• Balancing leadership, authority, & accountability on influenza pandemic
• Assignment of military, courts, & information technology on panflu
• Status update of the 17 critical infrastructure councils
• 2009 h1n1 flu guidance on current investors, policies & regulations
• Peer networking of government, suppliers, contractors

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Swine Flu Preparedness – Meet the Flu Fighters

Once the H1N1 influenza outbreaks begin – and Maryland health officials have no doubt that they will – this series of nondescript scientific laboratories, located past security guards instructed not to let anyone in without an official escort, will certainly be humming.

Here, inside the state office complex on Preston Street in Baltimore, dozens if not hundreds of polyester swabs will arrive each week, containing what doctors believe is evidence of swine flu’s resurgence. Lab workers will then determine whether it is the flu – H1N1 or seasonal, or something else entirely – and whether the virus seems to be gaining strength. One of the most important roles these labs may play in the H1N1 pandemic will be determining whether this new flu has developed resistance to the antiviral medications stockpiled to make the sick well again.

Maryland is one of a dozen states that will be testing samples of the swine flu virus for hints that it has mutated. As summer turns into fall, what most worries flu experts is that the only tool to fight the H1N1 virus will no longer be available to at least slow the march of the disease that could affect as many as half of Americans.

“That information is very valuable,” said Dr. Robert A Myers, deputy director of the state public health laboratory. “We’re trying to get this information in quickly.”

Last week, in its first week of drug resistance testing, none of the 20 samples examined at the Maryland lab had become resistant to Tamiflu or the other antiviral medications. A handful of tests around the world have revealed a virus that is resistant to these drugs, but so far they have been isolated cases and do not appear to have spread.

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2,000 Sickened With Swine Flu – Washington State University WSU

More than 2,000 Washington State University students have been sickened by swine flu during the first two weeks of classes, school health officials said.The outbreak of H1N1 influenza prompted concerns about Saturday’s football matchup against Stanford at Martin Stadium.

While school and health officials stressed that attending the game poses little risk of infection, they urged people sick with the flu to stay home and encouraged fans to wash their hands, to avoid sharing food and drink, and to cover their mouths when coughing or sneezing. Pregnant women and people with underlying health risks such as diabetics, asthma or heart or lung disease should consider skipping the game, health officials said.

Far more than 2,000 students could be ill, said Dr. Dennis Garcia, although the number of students seeking care and calling nurses at WSU’s Health and Wellness Services fell for the first time Thursday since classes started.

Dozens, perhaps even hundreds, more students have called or gone into Pullman Regional Hospital seeking treatment.

There have been no deaths and no students have developed severe symptoms requiring hospitalization.

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Napolitano Expecting Big Influx of New H1N1 Cases

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Wednesday that people should expect “a big influx” of swine flu cases this fall and prepare as best they can. “The best thing we all can do are the very simple things, the washing of the hands, the coughing into the sleeve,” Napolitano said in a nationally broadcast interview. ” … We’re in all likelihood going to have them (new infections) before the vaccine is available.”

Napolitano was among a host of Cabinet officers who briefed President Barack Obama Tuesday on the federal government’s preparations and planning for the fall. Another of those Cabinet members, Education Secretary Arne Duncan, said in a separate interview that it’s critically important to keep schools open and education uninterrupted.

“We got a little bit lucky” in the last school year, he said, because the H1N1 didn’t surface until very near the end of the academic year.

“We’re not going to be so lucky this year,” Duncan added, “so the more we’re prepared, the more we’re talking … the better we’re going to be able to handle this as a country, the more we’re going to be able to keep our schools open.”

There have been over 550 deaths in the United States from H1N1 and a scientific advisory panel recently sent the White House a report saying it was possible that anywhere from 30 percent to half the population could catch what doctors call “2009 H1N1″ and that it was also possible there could be between 30,000 and 90,000 deaths.

“Everything we’ve seen in the U.S. and everything we’ve seen around the world suggests we won’t see that kind of number if the virus doesn’t change,” Dr. Thomas Frieden, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a C-SPAN interview last week.

In her interview Wednesday on NBC’s “Today” show, Napolitano was asked why the government isn’t requiring all Americans to get the swine flu vaccine, once it’s available. “Because health programs generally aren’t mandatory, and you get pushback to that,” she replied.

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U.S. Asks Businesses To Prepare For H1N1

The federal government is urging employers to offer flexible sick leave policies as the nation braces for a second wave of the H1N1 influenza pandemic. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano offered guidance to businesses on how to prevent the spread of H1N1, also known as swine flu, and to prepare for a major outbreak.

They stressed allowing employees who exhibit flu symptoms to go home and to stay home until at least 24 hours have passed since their fevers subsided. They also said businesses should consider eliminating policies that require a doctor’s note or other proof to justify a sick day and that employers should be prepared to operate with fewer people.

“It’s more than just a significant health issue. It has the potential to affect every aspect of our lives,’’ Locke said. “It will take Americans from every walk of life pulling together and doing our part to mount an effective response.’’

As the first pandemic in more than 40 years, it has the potential to cause massive disruptions for businesses, schools, and governments. The United States and other northern nations have been scrambling to prepare for a resurgence of the virus by stockpiling flu treatments and vaccines.

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Sebelius On Swine Flu, We’re Preparing For The Worst

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Sunday that it would likely be Thanksgiving before the most vulnerable, high priority populations are completely vaccinated against the H1N1 or swine flu virus. In the meantime, Sebelius said parents and schools need to make back-up plans to deal with possible illness.

“We’re playing out a whole variety of scenarios,” Sebelius said on CNN’s State of the Union. “We’re preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.”

Sebelius told CNN Chief National Correspondent John King that the administration was “optimistic” it would have a vaccine available by around mid-October.

“But the regimen will take about five weeks,” Sebelius said, “A first shot, three weeks delay, second shot, and then about two weeks for full immunity. So we’re really need to work between now and Thanksgiving with lots of social mitigation – keeping kids home from school if they’re sick. I would urge every family have a back-up child care plan.”

“If a parent gets sick, was is the plan?,” Sebelius also said Sunday, “because we know the disease spreads quickly and we will not have fully immunized even priority populations until about Thanksgiving.”

via CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive – Sebelius on swine flu: ‘We’re preparing for the worst’ « – Blogs from CNN.com.

National Guard Drills For Worse Case H1N1 Scenario

Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School will be the site of a National Guard riot control drill Thursday morning to prepare in the event of a panic over distribution of serum to treat the swine flu.

The school on Route 26 at the Paris-Norway town line has been designated by state officials as a distribution site for the H1N1 flu vaccine. The drill is to prepare for a worst-case scenario should the serum have to be transported from Augusta and people rush to get it.

On Thursday morning, four or five National Guard Humvees will travel from Augusta to Paris with vials of fake serum. The National Guardsmen will take on the roles of panicked citizens and military police and practice what they would do, such as using tear gas, in the case of a riot.

“This is just a component of moving the stuff from point A to B,” said Oxford County Emergency Management Agency Director Scott Parker. The plan will be put into place only if needed, he said.

Plans were developed in April to have vials of serum sent from the federal government to Augusta, Parker said. From Augusta, the supplies will be transported to designated distribution centers.

During the April conference, concerns were raised about a possible out-of-control rush on the serum, Parker said. Because of that concern, Gov. John Baldacci and Gen. John Libby, adjutant general of the Maine National Guard, agreed that a plan should be devised to quell such a disturbance.

Local police chiefs have also been involved in the planning, Parker said. In a real event, local police would be in charge of security once the serum arrives in Paris. “We own it. We’re in charge of providing security,” he said.

via National Guard drill at high school to prepare for possible H1N1 riot | Sun Journal.

Napolitano Predicts Severe Flu for Fall

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Tuesday that pandemic flu probably will flare up soon after schools open in the fall, before vaccine is available.

Napolitano also acknowledged that there would not be enough pandemic flu vaccine for everyone, at least in the early stages of the flu season. “There will be prioritization of vaccinations,” she told members of the USA TODAY editorial board.

The flu strain causing the pandemic, a new H1N1 virus also known as swine flu, is especially dangerous because it differs from every other known flu virus. As a result, most people are defenseless against it. That makes a vaccine the keystone of any effort to prevent illness and save lives. The first batches of the vaccine are due in mid-October.

Napolitano said this year’s flu season probably will be severe but not as severe as the 1918 pandemic, the world’s worst. In 1918, flu killed at least 675,000 people in the USA and up to 50 million worldwide. She said it’s more likely that the pandemic would mirror 1957, when flu killed about 70,000 people in the USA and 1 million to 2 million people worldwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Swine Flu Worst Case Scenario, Hundreds of Thousands Could Die

Hundreds of thousands of Americans could die over the next two years if the vaccine and other control measures for the new H1N1 influenza are not effective, and, at the pandemic’s peak, as much as 40% of the workforce could be affected, according to new estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That is admittedly a worst-case scenario that the federal agency says it doesn’t expect to occur.

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U.S. Looks For Volunteers For Swine Flu Vaccine Test

The U.S. Government is looking for volunteers in 8 states who are willing to be among the first to receive a swine flu vaccination.

Scientists will first will begin testing different doses of the swine flu vaccine in healthy adults. If there are no immediate safety concerns, testing will quickly begin in babies and children.

The studies take place at  medical centers in cities around the country including Baltimore; Iowa City, Iowa; St. Louis; Nashville; Seattle; Atlanta; Cincinnati and Houston.

A Dire Prediction for Swine Flu H1N1 Virus

Public health officials brace for another, nastier wave of the H1N1 virus. Alarming new numbers outline the worst case scenario when H1N1 returns this fall. The World Health Organization predicts 2-billion people may become infected globally. That’s a third of the worlds total population. Here in the United States, 90-million people could become ill, with 10% ending up in the hospital.

Again, it’s a worst case scenario, but local health officials take these numbers seriously. They’re gearing up for what could be the largest vaccination campaign in decades. It’s a tiny bug expected to make a very big return. Health experts are already planning a major attack against the H1N1 virus. They’re worried it may mutate and pack a deadlier punch.

Dr. Dean Sienko, Ingham County Health Department: “We haven’t had something like this in quite a while, and the best way to be successful is to begin planning early.”

To beat the bug, public health officials are gearing up for a mass immunization campaign, the likes of which we haven’t seen since the polio outbreak in the 1950s. It’s an effort to protect those at highest risk- young children and teens.

Dr. Dean Sienko: “This is a major undertaking and that’s why planning now is critical.”

via A Dire Prediction for H1N1 Virus – WLNS TV 6 Lansing Jackson Michigan News and Weather – WLNS.COM |.

Swine Flu Bears A Disturbing Resemblance To 1918 Virus

The new H1N1 influenza virus bears a disturbing resemblance to the virus strain that caused the 1918 flu pandemic, with a greater ability to infect the lungs than common seasonal flu viruses, researchers reported on Monday.

Tests in several animals confirmed other studies that have shown the new swine flu strain can spread beyond the upper respiratory tract to go deep into the lungs — making it more likely to cause pneumonia, the international team said.

In addition, they found that people who survived the 1918 pandemic seem to have extra immune protection against the virus, again confirming the work of other researchers.

“When we conducted the experiments in ferrets and monkeys, the seasonal virus did not replicate in the lungs,” said Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin, who led the study.

The H1N1 virus replicates significantly better in the lungs.”

The new swine flu virus has caused the first pandemic of the 21st century, infecting more than a million people, according to estimates, and killing at least 500. The World Health Organization says it is causing mostly moderate disease but Kawaoka said that does not mean it is like seasonal flu.

“There is a misunderstanding about this virus,” he said in a statement. “There is clear evidence the virus is different than seasonal influenza.”

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Swine Flu Fear Isolates 84 Cadets At Air Force Academy

UPDATE:

The Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado is dealing with the state’s largest outbreak of the H-1-N-1 virus, or swine flu.

The Academy says initial tests show 15 cadets with the virus.

—— Original Post ———

Colorado – Dozens of sick cadets at the Air Force Academy have been isolated over fears of H1N1, the Swine Flu.

A spokes-person for the Academy tells 11 News 84 cadets, mostly freshman recruits, started showing symptoms on Monday. Since then, they have been tested, and are being isolated from the rest of the Academy in a dorm on the base.

Officials say test reults she come back within 24 hours.

Test samples were sent to Brooks Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.

As protocol the Academy has been in touch with the El Paso County Health Department and the Centers For Disease Control.

Source

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