Tag Archives: cdc

International, U.S.

Already suffering from H5N1, Vietnam confirms first human case of H3N2 (H3N2v)

Vietnam has already had two people die from H5N1 ‘bird flu’ this year.  Now health officials confirm a two year old girl has H3N2v ‘swine flu’, and she’s had it since April 2011!

Vietnam’s Department of Preventive Health announced on February 15, 2012, that a two year old girl has been sick with H3N2v since April 2011.   The girl had classic flu like symptoms and then appeared to get well.

However, she has been suffering strange symptoms ever since, and the Ho Chi Minh Pasteur Institute sent samples of her infection to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for more testing.

Vietnam’s officials are blaming the epidemic of flu in their country, partly on unusually cold weather.  Tropical Vietnam has recently seen temperatures as cold as minus 39 Fahrenheit, and has seen at least 7,000 water buffalo freeze to death!

 

Idaho, Influenza

Pale Green Horse & H3N2, H1N1: Two children die, the U.S. now officially in Flu season. California leading the pack, Idaho on the list

On February 10, the U.S. CDC reported that people testing positive for flu viruses hit 10.5%.  The flu season officially starts when at least 10% of the population tests positive for flu.

The state of California is reporting the most flu cases at this point.   There is also reports of increased doctor visits, mainly in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska.

Also, two children have died, but the type of flu has not yet been identified.

The CDC says the most common flu being identified is H3N2v, followed by H1N1. These are types of influenza A, but influenza B is also being found.

I looked and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him.  They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

Business/Economics, U.S.

U.S. CDC admits current Flu shots might not protect against H3N2v, children at risk

“The seasonal vaccine is not designed to protect against H3N2v. Limited studies show that it may boost immunity against this virus in adults, but will probably not offer protection for children.”-U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The U.S. CDC is concerned after 12 people caught H3N2v (the ‘v’ stands for “variant”) between August and December 2011.

“This virus is related to human flu viruses from the 1990s, so adults should have some immunity, but young children probably do not. Early steps to make a vaccine against H3N2v have been taken, but no decision to mass produce such a vaccine has been made. Public health authorities are watching closely.”-U.S. CDC

 

International, U.S.

2009 Greek study says new strain of H3N2 is drug resistant! U.S. CDC says anti-flu drugs no longer work!

The European Union’s Eurosurveillance published a report in 2009, about Greece’s efforts to combat flu viruses: “Greece is a known crossroads among three continents (Europe, Asia, Africa) through which resistant strains can spread.”

From 2004 to 2008, Greek researchers looked at how the various viruses reacted to available anti-viral drugs.  Anti-viral drugs work mainly by attacking protein cells.  In flu viruses the specific proteins are called “M2”.  However, they are only effective in the early stages of infection.

For those of us who don’t like reliance on petroleum products, some anti-virals (like the now ineffective adamantanes) are based on petroleum hydrocarbons.

The Greek study concluded that current flu viruses have become resistant to most anti-viral drugs, precisely because the drugs were being used so much: “Resistance to M2 inhibitors first appeared following extensive drug use in Asia and the U.S. after the SARS epidemic in 2004. The worldwide spread of these resistant strains occurred through replacement of sensitive with resistant viruses, probably because of other selective advantages of the resistant strains connected to other genes than M2.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention backs the Greek study up. After studying the 2009 flu epidemic in the U.S. the CDC concluded that the viruses are now drug resistant!

 

U.S.

Humans are going Insane: CDC says 2.2 million U.S. citizens planned to kill themselves in 2010!

“Southeastern states generally have the highest prevalence of depression, serious psychological distress, and mean number of mentally unhealthy days.”-CDC, Mental Illness Surveillance Among Adults in the United States.

The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention released the results of their mental health study.  Ileana Arias, principal deputy director of the CDC, concludes that there are “…unacceptably high levels of mental illness in the United States.”

Here are some more interesting facts from the study:

About 11 million U.S. citizens experienced serious mental health illness in 2010!

About 84 million of the U.S. population reported having suicidal thoughts; 2.2 million made plans to kill themselves in 2010, and about one million actually attempted suicide last year!

“In 2004, an estimated 25% of adults in the United States reported having a mental illness in the previous year. The economic cost of mental illness in the United States is substantial, approximately $300 billion in 2002.”

“The prevalence of current depression varies substantially by state (from 4.3% in North Dakota to 13.7% in Mississippi and West Virginia), as does the prevalence of serious psychological distress (from 1.9% in Utah to 9.4% in Tennessee).”


 

 

International, U.S.

Dengue Fever spreading like wild fire in South America, Hawaii getting hit, thank climate change & humans

Dengue fever is spread by Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes, and thanks to the extra rain South America is getting, those mosquitoes are breeding like flies.  Even Hawaii, in the Pacific Ocean, is reporting cases.

Brazil is the hardest hit, so far, already more than 30,000 cases, just in the state of Rio alone, and at least 23 dead. The capitol city Rio de Janeiro is reporting that so far this year, cases have skyrocketed 2059%, compared to the same time last year.

Argentina is already warning of the spread of Dengue to other South American countries as the wet weather continues.

In Paraguay, so many people have crowded into hospitals with Dengue that officials canceled elective surgeries to free up beds. So far this year 18 people have died of Dengue in Paraguay. Compare that to all of last year, when they had 15 deaths.

The U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) has confirmed at least four cases in Pearl City, Oahu, Hawaii, with 12 more suspected cases.  In Hawaii Dengue is spread by the Asian Tiger mosquito (Aedus Albopitus).

CDC officials say Dengue originates in humans, but is spread by mosquitoes.  Tracking Dengue fever is more about tracking where infected humans travel. Most people show no symptoms. The CDC website has more information.

Dengue cases are hitting all over the world, in mainly humid climates, or areas that are getting more rain than usual.