Health Spectator

15 swine-flu deaths in U.S. as of May 29

According to Centers for Disease Control (CDC) data released at 11 am, Friday, May 29, the number of H1N1 (“swine flu”) cases in the U.S. is rapidly approaching the 10,000 mark. (see table) In fact, it likely will have reached that level by the time you read this, given the rate at which cases have increased over approximately the past week.

Meanwhile, health officials seem intent upon emphasizing the relatively mild symptoms of this so-called “new” or “novel” H1N1 influenza, as the CDC calls it. At the same time, the U.S. government has entered into a deal to acquire swine flu vaccine for persons it deems most worthy. (more…)

H1N1 spreads to five new countries

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced today that the H1N1 virus has spread to Taiwan, Kuwait, Iceland, Switzerland and Honduras, with a total 12,515 people infected. The death toll has reached 91. Eighty of those deaths have occurred in Mexico, a country that also accounts for 4,174 of the total infections.

Canada and Costa Rica have each had one death from the disease; the remaining nine have been in the United States. So far, the disease has not been detected in Africa, where it is feared it will achieve pandemic status should it occur. Because of widespread poverty in that region, the death rate there could easily meet or exceed the levels seen so far only in Mexico.

A Utah man who died today is the ninth U.S. victim

The worldwide death toll from swine flu had already reached 80 when a man who local officials said died of swine flu succumbed in Salt Lake City Wednesday. (more…)

The swine flu claimed its sixth U.S. victim yesterday evening. A New York City man, 55, who was the assistant principal at the Susan B. Anthony Intermediate School, succumbed while undergoing care at the Flushing Hospital Medical Center. Mitchell Wiener was also suffering from other complications, a hospital spokesman said, but did not elaborate on what they were.

That brings to 76 the global death toll from swine flu.

The past two days have seen a substantial increase in swine flu cases, with the state of Illinois announcing 555 cases on Tuesday. That count was 67 more than Monday’s total—a 14% increase in one day. Meanwhile, Cuba, Finland and Thailand announced their first cases yesterday. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of 06:00 GMT Tuesday, 33 countries have officially reported 5728 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection. (more…)

Swine flu spreads; another American dies

Electron micrograph of swine flu virus.

Although present dangers from swine flu may be less severe than originally feared, victims continue to die from the disease as it spreads across the globe. The latest developments place new cases in Australia, China and Japan, while new deaths linked to the disease have occurred in Costa Rica, Mexico and the United States. A Washington state man was the third confirmed casualty (more…)

As of Friday, May 8, The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta are reporting 1,639 cases of the H1N1 virus (swine flu) found in 42 states and Washington, D.C. There have also been two deaths, both in Texas. The total number of U.S. confirmed cases has nearly doubled from the 896 cases reported on Thursday.

Canada also reported its first death from the influenza virus. (more…)

The World Health Organization reported today that should the current North American swine flu outbreak become a pandemic, it might affect a third of the world’s population. WHO’s Keiji Fukuda, an influenza expert, said that while there was no predicting at this point what will actually happen, a pandemic would probably infect about 2 billion people. To become a pandemic and thereby move the WHO’s health alert status for the disease outbreak to level 6—the top level—it would have to spread to another region of the world. (more…)

The first death in the U.S. from swine flu was a Mexican toddler whose family was visiting in Texas. Now the disease has claimed the life of a U.S. citizen as well, that of 33-year-old teacher Judy Trunnell of Cameron County, Texas. Cameron County is on the Mexico border. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, Trunnell suffered from “chronic underlying health conditions.” The 22-month-old Mexican child was similarly reported to be suffering from health complications. (more…)