Tag Archives: influenza

Technology

H7N9 update: 11 dead! 43 confirmed cases! New testing will increase reported cases!

12 April 2013 (12:00 UTC-07 Tango)/01 Jumada t-Tania 1434/23 Farvardin 1391/03 Bing-Chen (3rd month) 4711

In their daily updates, Shanghai health officials say another person has died and two more people are sick.  Zhejiang Province reports three new cases as well.

Medical reports indicate the common symptom in the early stages of infection is fever.  Then symptoms vary from chills to coughing to muscle aches.  The final stage is pneumonia.  The average time is five to ten days from contact to the pneumonia stage.

So far no body related to the infected people have tested positive for H7N9, although several have shown symptoms then recovered on their own.  A Japanese researcher said H7N9 is not detectable until the pneumonia stage.  Yesterday, Chinese health officials distributed 160000 new test kits in hopes of detecting the virus early on.

With the new testing kits you can expect reported cases to increase.

 

 

International

H7N9 update: Proof it’s human caused?

12 April 2013 (20:58 UTC-07 Tango 11 April 2013)/01 Jumada t-Tania 1434/23 Farvardin 1391/03 Bing-Chen (3rd month) 4711

Health officials have released details regarding the first three people to die from H7N9.

Fudan University’s Huashan Hospital report: The first person to die was a 52 years old woman, came down with symptoms on 27 March, sought medical help on 28 March.  Doctors put her on anti-biotics and sent her home.  A few days later she returned still sick.  Doctors then put her on intravenous anti-biotics for the next three days.  She got worse, developing pneumonia.  By this time doctors finally diagnosed her with a flu virus. They started anti-viral treatment, but amazingly, continued the anti-biotics!    She died 03 April

My comments: Not only do anti-biotics not work on viruses, they destroy your own body’s immune system.  I wouldn’t be surprised if her death was actually the result of the treatment with anti-biotics.

The woman’s husband was also sick, but tests for infections came up negative, so he was not reported has having H7N9. He recovered.

Comments from Fudan University’s Huashan Hospital doctor Yu-Mei Wen, and doctor Hans-Dieter Klenk from the University of Marburg in Germany: The next two people to die were men, one 87 years old, the other 27.  Realize the H7N9 is being called a bird flu, and tens of thousands of poultry are being exterminated out of fear.  These two men had never been around poultry.  They had been in contact with pigs, but so far all testing on pigs show negative for H7N9.  From the time the men started showing symptoms (chills, fever) to the time of severe pneumonia was five to ten days.

My comments: The details of the first three H7N9 human deaths calls into question the idea that this bird flu (which according to health officials in Thailand is new to continental Asia) ‘jumped’ from birds to humans.  Early on Japanese researchers said this new H7N9 is not detectable until the onset of pneumonia.  Also, testing done on thousands of poultry, and even wild birds in China, since the outbreak began, has only revealed a handful of infected birds.  Bird flu is known to be able to ‘jump’ to pigs more easily than to humans, yet testing done on the thousands of dead pigs that were found in the Huangpu River showed none were infected with H7N9.  Note that the first three human deaths were all in Shanghai, it looks like the famous Chinese city is ground zero for this new virus.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

H7N9 update: 38 cases, 10 deaths! KFC sales crashing!

11 April 2013 (09:17 UTC-07 Tango)/30 Jumada l-Ula 1434/22 Farvardin 1391/02 Bing-Chen (3rd month) 4711

China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission reports five new cases and one death in the H7N9 outbreak.  Two new cases in Jiangsu Province, and three new cases, including the death, in Shanghai.

The 74 years old man that died was confirmed to have H7N9 Wednesday night, but died today.  As with other H7N9 cases, he had been admitted to a hospital with pneumonia.

Chinese health officials say, so far none of the relatives of the sick people are showing any signs H7N9 infection.

Yum Brands, the company that owns KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, say sales at their Chinese KFC restaurants are crashing. They blame the H7N9 bird flu for scaring customers off from eating chicken.  Sales at Chinese KFCs dropped 16% in March.

However, there is a problem with their blame game for crashing sales: The H7N9 bird flu scare didn’t start until the end of March.  Yum Brands own records show their restaurants in China have been losing sales since January.  In January and February they saw a 20% drop in sales.

International

H7N9 update: China distributes new test for rapidly mutating virus!

11 April 2013 (23:25 UTC-07 Tango 10 April 2013)/30 Jumada l-Ula 1434/22 Farvardin 1391/02 Bing-Chen (3rd month) 4711

The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention is shipping out 160000 new tests (real-time PCR reagents) for the new H7N9 virus.

It’s hoped the new test will speed identification of new cases.  So far 33 people confirmed infected, nine have died.

International

H7N9 update: 33 cases! Norovirus Bird flu? Bloggers arrested! Child only person to recover!

10 April 2013 (14:27 UTC-07 Tango)/29 Jumada l-Ula 1434/21 Farvardin 1391/01 Bing-Chen (3rd month) 4711

Shanghai health officials reporting new human cases, now at 33.   A 76 years old woman developed symptoms on 01 April, then went into hospital on 05 April.  Another woman, an 81 years old farmer, she had symptoms of gastroenteritis and pneumonia. Yesterday she was confirmed to have H7N9.

Three new cases were also reported in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.  So far the only person to recover is a four years old boy in Shanghai.

10 bloggers were arrested in six provinces, Shaanxi, Guizhou, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui and Fujian.  They were spreading rumors that the H7N9 had spread to other provinces.

The city of Taiyuan, in Shanxi Province, has joined Beijing, Nanjing, Hangzhou and Shanghai in banning live poultry markets.

International

H7N9 update: Chinese and Japanese have evidence of rapid mutations, almost AIDS like! Resistance is futile?

10 April 2013 (02:29 UTC-07 Tango)/29 Jumada l-Ula 1434/21 Farvardin 1391/01 Bing-Chen (3rd month) 4711

Chinese and Japanese researchers have made independent reports, indicating the new H7N9 is rapidly mutating.  This could explain the difficulty in detecting it.

Researchers at the University of Tokyo said H7N9 samples from four Chinese victims showed noticeable differences in gene sequences, from person to person. The Researchers think the infections were from multiple sources.

In China, researchers at South University of Science and Technology said they noticed rapid mutation in nine of H7N9’s 560 amino acids. They estimate the new virus is mutating eight times faster than ‘normal’ flu viruses: “It happened in just one or two weeks. The speed may not have caught up with the HIV, but it’s quite unusual for a flu.”-He Jiankui, South University of Science and Technology

The rapid mutation will make it almost impossible to develop vaccines or anti-virals for the new ‘bird’ flu.

 

International

H7N9 update: 9 people dead! Still no connection to birds!

10 April 2013 (19:50 UTC-07 Tango 09 April 2013)/29 Jumada l-Ula 1434/21 Farvardin 1391/01 Bing-Chen (3rd month) 4711

A 35 years old woman has died in Anhui Province. So far 28 cases, nine deaths since the end of March.

Chinese health researchers have yet to find a definite connection between birds and humans.  This suggests the H7N9 infecting humans is unique to humans.  The new strain of H7N9 hasn’t been found in pigs either.

Yesterday, the top veterinarian in China stated that this new H7N9 came from outside continental Asia, which backed up what health officials in Thailand said a couple of days ago.

 

International, U.S.

H7N9 update: Chinese Agriculture Ministry joins Thailand in accusing the United States of spreading the new disease!

09 April 2013 (14:50 UTC-07 Tango)/28 Jumada l-Ula 1434/20 Farvardin 1391/29 Yi-Mao (2nd month) 4711

Yesterday, Thai health officials pointed out that H7N9 is new to continental Asia, that it’s only been found in Japan, Europe and United States.

Today China’s chief veterinarian, Yu Kangzhen, revealed that this is the first time the H7N9 virus has been detected in China.  To make things more interesting, Yu says so far no connection has been found between the poultry cases and the human cases.  He believes the source of infection for both poultry and humans came from outside China.

This announcement by China’s Ministry of Agriculture comes two days after a Chinese air force Colonel, Dai Xu, accused the United States of biological warfare.

Business/Economics, International

H7N9 update: 8 dead, 28 infected! Competition to make a new vaccine threatens co-operation!

09 April 2013 (14:20 UTC-07 Tango)/28 Jumada l-Ula 1434/20 Farvardin 1391/29 Yi-Mao (2nd month) 4711

An 83 years old man in Jiangsu Province died.  Two people in Shanghai and two in Zhejiang province confirmed to have H7N9 infection.  This brings the cases to 28 in the past couple of weeks.

Citing time constraints, Taiwan’s Deputy Health Minister, Lin Tzou-yien, says his country will not co-operate with mainland China in developing a vaccine.  Could this be a capitalist maneuver because of concerns over patent rights?

Here’s how China responded: China’s State Food and Drug Administration is warning medical personnel and local health departments to inspect protective apparel, respirators, anesthesia machines and diagnostic reagents, among other equipment. Chinese officials want to make sure those products have officially-approved labels and manuals.   Also, the Chinese FDA is warning that prosecutions could take place for those who do not follow proper product registration laws in regards to H7N9 research.

The UN World health Organization says that , so far, H7N9 is not showing up in pigs.

 

Business/Economics, International

H7N9 update: Economic toll being felt!

08 April 2013 (13:43 UTC-07 Tango 06)/27 Jumada l-Ula 1434/19 Farvardin 1391/28 Yi-Mao (2nd month) 4711

The H7N9 outbreak in China is affecting several industries.

The Nanshan Wholesale Poultry commodity market reports a 30% decline in trading.

Restaurants in China, including KFC and McDonald’s, report huge drops in orders for chicken products.

Reports that sales of other meats are dropping as well.

The Public Health Agency of the Federal Government of Canada is warning people about traveling to China.  The airline industry is bracing for a drop in passengers flying to China. Already the price of stocks of airline companies are dropping.