Tag Archive for 'swine flu'

Spread of swine flu is slowing down

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Jana
on February 12, 2010
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The U.S. swine flu epidemic is not over, but it is hopefully coming to an end.

Federal health officials aren’t quite ready to announce that the threat is gone and the outbreak has ended, but they did report that for the fourth week in a row, no states have reported widespread flu activity. Since October, U.S. cases have been decreasing since the end of October.

One expert said that the epidemic is almost over and there are some indications that lead many to believe that there will not be another wave during the year.

One reason for the decline in the epidemic is that the virus hasn’t shown any signs of mutating. Also, the vaccine against it seems to be very effective. Now, about half of the U.S. population have some immunity because they have been infected with it or received a vaccination.

There is also good news from the World Health Organization, which is observing an international decline and is discussing what measures to take to announce that the pandemic is over. Experts are not sure if it will continue to slow for the rest of the winter, but they are pretty sure it will.

The Harvard School of Public Health released a poll which found that 44 percent of Americans believe the outbreak is over.

Last week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that most states are continuing to have just occasional flu activity. This said, only three states had zero reports, and a CDC official warned that the swine flu is still here and is probably going to keep infecting people.

Around 15,200 have died from the swine flu since it reared its ugly head in April. Most of the deaths were in the U.S. This is a much lower amount than originally feared. The U.S. and Mexican governments have been commended for their actions by experts. Scientists have also been praised for their quick development of an effective vaccine.

New figures reveal swine flu is especially dangerous for children

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Jana
on October 10, 2009
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On October 9, health officials reported that 76  children have died from the swine flu. This includes 16 new reports in the past week. This presents an ever increasing amount of evidence suggesting that this new virus, the H1N1, is unusually dangerous for children.

According to the CDC and Prevention Data, the seasonal flu kills between 46 and 88 children each year. At a press conference held Friday, October 9, Dr. Anne Schuchat said that since swine flu cases are rising, more deaths are very likely. She warned that 37 states are currently reporting widespread swine flu cases, which is up from 27 a week ago. Just one week ago, there were reports that indicated these cases might be leveling off and maybe even decreasing in some places of the U.S. Unfortunately, that turned out to be a short-lived trend.

Schuchat, who heads the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, says that they are unfortunately seeing more illnesses, hospitalizations, and more deaths.

All this said, the CDC officials report that states have ordered 3.7 million doses of swine flu vaccine for a campaign that started this week. So far, demand is outweighing supply. People who want the vaccine can begin by contacting their state or local health department to find out where to get it.

Also, health officials say more data is coming in from different clinical trials of the new vaccine, and there have been no serious side effects reported so far.

Early information from one study reveal that both seasonal and swine flu vaccines are effective when given at the same time. However, the government does not suggest that people get the nasal spray versions of each vaccine at the same time.

An exact report of all swine flu deaths and hospitalizations is not available from the CDC at this time, but current reports indicate that the infection has caused over 600 deaths and around 9000 or more hospitalizations since it first appeared in April.

BCBSNC says stick it to the flu

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Jana
on October 10, 2009
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Want to knock out your chances of getting the flu? Well, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) wants you to stick it to the flu by getting your flu shot. It is presenting this message through its Stick it to the Flu Campaign which will run through March.

As part of the campaign, BCBSNC will cover the cost of the seasonal flu vaccine for customers with preventive health benefits. A co-payment, deductible or coinsurance may be charged to some customers, depending on their specific benefits. BCBSNC is also suggesting that customers get the separate H1N1so vaccine, and the out-of-pocket costs will be waived for eligible customers.

Dr. Don Bradley, senior vice president and chief medical officer for BCBSNC, says that the flu shot is the best way to keep from getting the seasonal flu and transferring it to others. He says “We are making it easy for our customers to get their seasonal and H1N1 flu shots by simply visiting their primary care doctor, worksite clinic or participating pharmacist in the BCBSNC network.”

As with insured customers, BCBSNC issues health plans for companies and organizations that are self-insured (The employer pays BCBSNC to administer the plan). Employees of such self-insured companies can check with their supervisors or HR Department to determine how the seasonal and H1N1 vaccine will be paid.

BCBSNC, using guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Prevention’s Advisory  Committee on Immunization Practices, has decided to cover the H1N1 vaccine. The Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has predicted extensive outbreaks this fall and winter.

When the H1N1 vaccine is available, BCBSNC customers have the option to go to their physician, in-network pharmacist or CVS Minute Clinic to get a H1N1 vaccine that will be covered. They advise customers to contact their provider to make sure that the vaccine is available.

It is strongly recommended that people get both vaccines to be completely protected against the seasonal and swine flu. These can be administered on the same day.  The 2009 H1N1 vaccine does not replace the seasonal flu vaccine. You must get each vaccine for the best protection.

The CDC says that those who are the first to get the H1N1 vaccine are pregnant women, people who live with or provide care for infants less than 6 months of age, heath care and emergency medical services workers, children and young adults ages 6 months to 24 years and adults ages 25 to 65 years with medical conditions that have put them at a higher risk for flu-related complications.

More than 100 million doses of the seasonal flu vaccine will be available this flu season, according to the CDC estimations. The U.S. government plans to have 6 to 7 million doses of the H1N1 vaccine in October and 250 million doses by the end of the year. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reports that between 1000 to 2000 people die of seasonal influenza and pneumonia in North Carolina each year. The CDC estimates that more than 200,000 people are hospitalized with the seasonal flu every year and that there are 36,000 deaths from it yearly.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is a leader in advanced health care products, services and information to more than 3.7 million customers, which includes 900,000 served on behalf of other Blue Plans. The company has served its customers for 76 years by offering health insurance at a reasonable and competitive price and has served the people of North Carolina through support of community organizations, programs and events that support good health. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. You can access BCBSNC online at www.bcbsnc.com.

Protection from swine flu vaccine not likely to kick in until Thanksgiving

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Jana
on September 1, 2009
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Unfortunately, according to health officials, it won’t be until around Thanksgiving when a substantial amount of Americans, who have received the swine flu vaccine, will be protected.

By mid-October, around 50 million doses of vaccine are predicted to be available. That will only begin the vaccination process for those who get their first doses right away. The whole process will take approximately five or more weeks.

Why is this? Well, health officials think that most people will need two shots, which will be spaced three weeks apart, and it will take a week or so after the second dose before the immunity will kick in. That makes five or six weeks for the whole course of action.

This said, massive amounts of Americans will not be completely immunized until Thanksgiving, claims the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

For the most part, the swine flu has ended up being not much more threatening than the seasonal flu. Government experts believe that it might soon develop into an additional variety of the flu, and even be added to the seasonal flu calendar – with vaccinations in the fall and suffered from in the winter.

Swine flu shots may be available for students and at-risk groups in October

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Jana
on July 22, 2009
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Billions of dollars have been put aside to pay for a national H1N1 flu vaccine program that could be ready as early as the middle of October, according to the Obama administration.

The announcement was made at an all-day summit on the swine flu outbreak by Kathleen Sebelius, who is the Health and Human Services Secretary. Officials said that a major reason for the summit was to help refurbish a sense of urgency to the global response to the epidemic. Sebelius said that the government has a billion dollars to purchase the main ingredients and an additional $7.5 billion for emergency preparedness funds.

In October, U.S. swine flu vaccinations could start with children being the first to receive them at their local schools , according to the Obama administration. This said, no final decision has been decided on for vaccinations on Americans. This depends mainly on studies with experimental batches that are set to begin the first week in August. These experimental batches will test to see if they are safe and effective and if one or two doses will be needed.

If everything goes well, the federal government will purchase the vaccine from manufacturers and share it freely among the states. The first to get the vaccine will most likely be school-age children, young adults with conditions like asthma, pregnant women and health workers.

Obama said that the chance of an outbreak in the fall is looming, and although he doesn’t want to make people panic, he wants the U.S. to be prepared.

Even though it has become clear that most cases of the swine flu so far were mild and required little or no medical treatment, the summit reinstates that infection rates have not calmed down this summer like some experts predicted. This said, countries such as Britain have had to alter their response. According to the World Health Organization, 2 billion people could become infected around the world.

Public health experts and scientist warn that the prevalence of the swine flu may get worse in the fall as the normal flu season begins or even sooner when schools start to open.

Pandemic may be declared soon

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Jana
on June 17, 2009
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A rise in swine flu cases in Austria may pressure The World Health Organization to declare the first pandemic in 41 years. The WHO is also worried about an intense illness caused from the disease in Canada.

Keiji Fukuda, the chief of the WHO, said the agency wants to steer clear of panic or governments taking the wrong approaches – if it does announce a pandemic. This said, some experts of the flu believe that the world is already in a pandemic and that WHO has surrendered to demands that an announcement be delayed.

Margaret Chan, WHO’s director-general, believes that we are in Phase 6. She also said that she thinks it is imperative to confirm reports that the virus is starting to be established outside of North America before a pandemic is announced. “I need to be convinced that I have indisputable evidence,” she said.

Chan will soon conduct a conference call with governments so she can confirm some of the reports before making a proper announcement.

According to the WHO, 26,563 people in 73 countries have been infected by the virus and it has caused 140 deaths. North America has seen most of the cases, but Australia has recently seen a sharp escalation as the amount of cases shoots up to more than 1,000.

The good news is that in most of the 73 countries, the virus has caused only mild illnesses. On the other hand, the WHO is concerned because some of the deaths have happened to previously healthy adults. This fact has urged the WHO to rank the outbreak as “moderate” for now.

Fukuda said that about 50 percent of the people who have died from the H1N1 infection were healthy before, making this one of the reasons that has given the organization the most worry.

NYC Woman is 11th U.S. swine flu fatality

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Jana
on May 28, 2009
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A NYC woman died of swine flu this past weekend. This makes her the city’s 2nd victim and the nation’s 11th. She was in her 50’s and had other health problems. 

As of Sunday, there were 280 confirmed swine flu cases and 94 hospitalizations. The amount of confirmed cases is probably not completely accurate because health officials are not testing everyone for the H1N1 strain. The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene spokeswoman, Jessica Scaperotti, said that if you are sick with the flu, odds are that you have the H1N1 virus.

The first outbreak for NYC happened a little more than a month ago, when about 1,000 teenagers from a Catholic high school in Queens got ill after their return from Mexico, the initial place of the outbreak.

Since then, the virus has made it’s way through the school system and even reached the jails, causing visiting hours to be shortened and a generous supply of hand sanitizer to be dispensed. Correction officials said Thursday that a Rikers Island 2,600-inmate jail will be sanitized. 

On Friday, May 22, The World Health Organization had counted more than 12,000 swine flu cases around the world; more than half of them occurring in the United States. At least 86 deaths were recorded, with 75 happening in Mexico.

Even though eighteen soldiers were infected with swine flu on an American base in Kuwait, they have recovered. Jose Lopez, a U.S. Army Major and military spokesman, said that there are currently no cases of swine flu among American troops in Iraq that have been reported.

U.S. and Costa Rica report new swine flu deaths

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Jana
on May 11, 2009
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The amount of swine flu-related deaths, other than Mexico, increased to 5 as the U.S. reported its third death, while Costa Rica had its first. Both of these deaths happened to men who had underlying medical conditions.

In Mexico, the core of the outbreak and where 48 out of a global 53 have died, most victims have been adults ranging from age 20 to 49, with many having no reported complicating elements.

In Mexico, there has been a slow lifting in the closing of schools, businesses, churches and stadiums. A recent surge in suspected but not confirmed cases has caused authorities in as much as 6 of the 31 U.S. states to stall plans to allow primary school students to return to class on Monday after a two-week break.

According to WHO and CDC, there are more than 4,500 confirmed cases within 29 countries, 1,626 of which are in Mexico. There has been a worldwide total of 53 deaths – 48 in Mexico; 3 in the U.S.; 1 in Canada and 1 in Costa Rica. Japan reported its first 4 cases and Australia reported its first confirmed case on May 9.

Pandemic could infect about 2 billion

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Jana
on May 10, 2009
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The World Health Organization recently warned that up to 2 billion could become infected with the swine flu if the recent outbreak becomes a pandemic and it could last as long as two years.

The WHO flu leader, Keiji Fukuda, said that when we look at the history of flu pandemics, it shows that approximately one-third, or 2 billion, of the world’s population will get infected. This said, he indicated that since the world has changed, looking at pandemics of earlier years is not an accurate predictor.

The professor of virology at St. Bart’s and Royal London Hospital, John Oxford, said people should not be scared, because this doesn’t mean 2 billion will die. WHO predicts that around 2 billion may contract it, but half won’t even show any symptoms, or if they do, they will be hardly noticeable.

Fukuda said that right now no one knows whether the recent strain will be severe or mild, but even with a mild flu, there will still be plenty of people who might develop pneumonia, need respirators, or die. One’s general health and other factors such as poor diet, war, HIV infections will cause people to be more vulnerable to the swine flu. 

The swine flu virus has spread to 26 countries so far, Brazil and Argentina being the two most recent. WHO has raised its worldwide total of cases confirmed through labs to 2,099, from 1,893  on May 6.

First N.C. swine flu case reported

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Jana
on May 4, 2009
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The first confirmed case of the H1N1 swine flu in N.C. is an Onslow County resident who recently traveled to San Antonio, Texas. An N.C. health director said that he suspects that the lab results will reveal that this person’s spouse also has the virus. The couple has been in isolation and according to them, no one has become ill that has come in contact with them. 

According to Governor Bev Perdue, lab results from the Centers for Disease Control validated the swine flu case. This makes N.C. one of about 34 states with confirmed cases.

N.C. health officials have received 413 samples of suspected flu cases. Among those, 320 were negative and six are probable, including the spouse of the Onslow resident. The other cases were a visitor from Wake Count and four people in Craven County. There are 65 samples that are still waiting to be tested.

North Carolina has received 10 trucks containing treatment supplies from a national stockpile given out to local officials.

In the meantime, Gov. Perdue talked about steps that residents can do to prevent diseases from spreading. They include washing hands throughly, “more than you want to, more than you have before,” covering their mouths and noses when sneezing or coughing and staying home from school or work when they are sick. They can also go to the ‘What’s New’ section of bcbsnc.com for more information.