Tag Archives: influenza

International

H7N9 update: 113 cases, 23 deaths!

25 April 2013 (08:57 UTC-07 Tango)/14 Jumada t-Tania 1434/05 Ordibehest 1391/16 Bing-Chen (3rd month) 4711

China’s Ministry of Finance says it will spend $48.6 million USD on fighting the spread of H7N9.

China’s Zhejiang Province reporting a 50 years old woman, and a 60 years old woman in hospital infected with H7N9.  They are in critical condition.

  Henan Province reporting a man testing positive for H7N9.

Jiangxi Province reporting their first possible H7N9 case, a 69 years old man in the city of Nanchang.  The city also quarantined 14 people.  They are awaiting confirmation from the Chinese Center of Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC).

Chinese media have been reporting that deaths are up to 23, but they gave no details.

Yesterday, Taiwan reported the first human case outside mainland China.

 

International, U.S.

H7N9 update: First case outside China! Japan preps to quarantine airports!

24 April 2013 (11:12 UTC-07 Tango)/13 Jumada t-Tania 1434/04 Ordibehest 1391/15 Bing-Chen (3rd month) 4711

Taiwan has confirmed their first human case of H7N9 ‘bird’ flu.  A 53 years old man became sick three days after returning from a trip to Jiangsu Province on mainland China.

The man says he had no contact with birds!

California governor Jerry Brown was recently in China, as well as Wisconsin governor Scott Walker.  Last week the U.S. CDC warned health officials to be on the lookout for people coming from China who might be infected.

In Japan, researchers have been warning how bad the H7N9 virus is, and now the government is preparing for a pandemic.  Plans are to establish quarantine areas in airports, where compulsory examinations of airline passengers will be conducted.

International

H7N9 update: More evidence human infections not from birds! False Flag human made virus?

24 April 2013 (00:18 UTC-07 Tango)/13 Jumada t-Tania 1434/04 Ordibehest 1391/15 Bing-Chen (3rd month) 4711

Researchers with the China Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) released the results of their study of the new H7N9 ‘bird’ flu.

They tested 970 poultry from farms and markets.  Only 20 were positive, and those were from poultry markets.  None of the poultry from the farms, in Shanghai City and Anhui Province, were infected.  This suggests the birds got sick after being brought into contact with humans at the markets!

Three weeks ago Japanese warned that this ‘bird’ flu had mutated into a human flu, and that culling of poultry wouldn’t stop its spread.

The CAAS researchers basically confirmed what Japanese researchers discovered at the beginning of April, that the gene sequence is unique for a H7 flu.

They identified genes from several different viruses, but the HA and NA genes are not identifiable.

It’s interesting that two weeks ago health officials in Thailand and China stated that H7N9 is new to continental Asia, and that it came from the U.S.  A Chinese PLA Air Force officer accused the U.S. of biological warfare.

International

H7N9 update: 108 cases, 22 deaths!

23 April 2013 (09:10 UTC-07 Tango)/12 Jumada t-Tania 1434/03 Ordibehest 1391/14 Bing-Chen (3rd month) 4711

China’s Anhui Province reported a 91 years old man hospitalized with the new ‘bird’ flu.  He is critical.

Zhejiang Province reported two more human cases, an 84 years old retiree and a 62 years old farmer, both in critical condition.  Also, an 86 years old man died from H7N9.

It was confirmed that the case reported in Shandong Province yesterday, is caused by H7N9.  It’s the first human H7N9 infection in that province.  The patient is a 36 years old man who whole-sells construction supplies, apparently no contact with birds.

In Henan Province, a 65 years old man is considered recovered.  He became sick with fever, cough and muscle pain on 08 April, was hospitalized on 10 April, tested positive for H7N9 on 11 April but was not confirmed as a H7N9 case until 14 April.

China’s national health officials ordered that all ‘recovered’ patients must still be monitored by local health officials.

International

H7N9 update: 105 cases, 21 deaths!

22 April 2013 (09:45 UTC-07 Tango)/11 Jumada t-Tania 1434/02 Ordibehest 1391/13 Bing-Chen (3rd month) 4711

Three more cases of human H7N9 reported in Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Shandong provinces, China. Another person has been released from hospital, making it 13 who’re considered recovered.  However, they are still being monitored.

In Zhejiang a 54 years old woman who works in an office, apparently no contact with birds, has been hospitalized.  In Jiangxi a 32 years old farmer is also hospitalized.

The first possible case is being reported in Shandong Province, they’re waiting for test results.  It is a 36 years old man.   If the test result is positive he’ll be the 105th human case.

After all the tens of thousands of poultry culling (killing) and testing of birds, the Ministry of Agriculture has managed to find one more bird with the new form of H7N9.  One pigeon at a pigeon farm in Jiangsu Province tested positive.  Researchers are becoming skeptical about the bird connection with this new ‘bird flu’, because of how relatively few birds are being found infected with it.

International, U.S.

Dogs dying of H7N9 in Denver? Mystery deaths being investigated!

21 April 2013 (13:59 UTC-07 Tango)/10 Jumada t-Tania 1434/01 Ordibehest 1391/12 Bing-Chen (3rd month) 4711

“There are many diseases or viruses or bacteria that might be involved, so we’re trying to pinpoint what exactly is causing the disease.”-Cathlin Craber, veterinarian

When H7N9 was first reported out of China, the only known symptom was unexplained pneumonia.  Now in Denver, Colorado U.S.A., veterinarians are racing to find out why dozens of dogs have developed unexplained pneumonia, five have died!

Just a couple of days ago Time published an article talking about the possibility of other animals carrying the new deadly ‘bird flu’.  This was being driven by the fact that at least 40% of infected humans had no contact with birds.

The Denver dog pneumonia outbreak is happening in a Humane Society Animal Shelter, which has been closed for the next 30 days.  Vets are concerned it was brought in from the surrounding community: “We’re still gathering information trying to figure that out. There’s a chance that it’s in our community somewhere and when an animal comes into our shelter it can get into our population.”-Cathlin Craber, veterinarian

There are 260 dogs in the shelter, which has been in operation since 1910.  It’s estimated that at least 25% of the dogs are sick.

International, U.S.

H7N9 update: More than 100 cases, 20 deaths! Minnesota on alert!

21 April 2013 (13:07 UTC-07 Tango)/10 Jumada t-Tania 1434/01 Ordibehest 1391/12 Bing-Chen (3rd month) 4711

15 hours since my last update, now China reporting up to 102 cases and 20 deaths!

The majority of cases are in Shanghai City and Zhejiang Province, and involve elderly people.  Two people died in the Province, and five more people became sick (four in critical condition).

Jiangsu Province reporting a new case. 

Good news, health officials say a total of 12 people have recovered, so far.   However, doctors have been ordered to continue monitoring the health of those people considered recovered.

The U.S. state of Minnesota had placed their medical industry on alert, back on 05 April.  The StarTribune reports that already a “couple” of people have had blood work done because of symptoms matching H7N9.  So far no positive results.

International

H7N9 update: 96 cases, 18 dead! UN now says it’s possible for human to human cases!

21 April 2013 (21:38 UTC-07 Tango 20 April 2013)/10 Jumada t-Tania 1434/01 Ordibehest 1391/12 Bing-Chen (3rd month) 4711

The UN’s World Heath Organization admitted that several people who got sick were in close contact with other people who were sick, and not in contact with birds.  The UN official was careful with his words: “We’ve not seen easy and sustained person-to-person transmission so far.”-Michael O’Leary, UNWHO

There are now 96 human case of H7N9 in China, at least half have never been in contact with birds.  A 69 years old man died Friday night after emergency treatment failed in Zhejiang Province.

So far no pigs have become sick from H7N9, and of the tens of thousands of birds killed and tested, only about a couple of dozen were positive.

 

 

International, U.S.

H7N9 update: U.S. hospitals on alert!

20 April 2013 (19:53 UTC-07 Tango 19 April 2013)/09 Jumada t-Tania 1434/31 Farvardin 1391/11 Bing-Chen (3rd month) 4711

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned U.S. hospitals to be on alert for people coming from China, who could spread H7N9.  Two U.S. governors, Jerry Brown and Scott Walker, were recently in China drumming up business for their states.

The number of human cases in China is now at 91.   One new case in Jiangsu Province, and three in Zhejiang Province.

Two adults are now considered recovered, a 51 years old woman and a 55 years old man.

Business/Economics, International

H7N9 update: 87 cases, all wild poultry businesses shut down!

18 April 2013 (17:50 UTC-07 Tango)/07 Jumada t-Tania 1434/29 Farvardin 1391/09 Bing-Chen (3rd month) 4711

Since my last update, five more case reported; one in Jiangsu Province and one in Henan Province, two in Zhejiang Province and one more in Shanghai.

The Chinese government has banned all live wild poultry markets throughout China.