Health Spectator

A story by AP reporter Michael Stobbe says one U.S. official has estimated that more than one million Americans may have become infected with the novel H1N1 swine flu at this point.

Stobbe attributes the estimate to Lyn Finelli, an official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Finelli gave a presentation at a meeting of the vaccine advisory committee in Atlanta on Thursday. (more…)

First pandemic declared in 41 years

Acceding to a global rise in A(H1N1) infections, the World Health Organization today raised its pandemic alert level for swine flu to level 6—its highest level.

Asking member nations not to impose restrictions on travel or anything that might interfere with commerce, the organization stressed that the alert level reflects the widespread nature of the flu—its “unstoppability”—but not the severity of its symptoms or the number of its fatalities, which so far appear to be below the levels posed by so-called “seasonal” flu.

Indeed, WHO recommends that drug manufacturers stay on track with producing their annual allotments of seasonal flu vaccines before switching over to produce vaccines for swine flu.

In a report early last week, Health Spectator had reported that the novel H1N1 epidemic had technically achieved pandemic status according to WHO’s guidelines just by virtue of its rapid spread in Australia. The outbreak began in North America, and WHO guidelines specify a pandemic level 6 when the infection has achieved uncontrolled human-to-human transmission in more than one part of the globe.

There have been 28,774 infections reported in 74 countries to date, including 144 deaths, according to WHO’s latest tally of laboratory-confirmed cases.

We mentioned in our last posting on swine flu that if cases in Australia increased significantly, the World Health Organization (WHO) may be forced to declare A(H1N1) a pandemic.

Cases in Australia have continued to mount. Friday’s figure was 876 confirmed cases in Australia, according to WHO statistics, which are updated Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. As of today, WHO is reporting 1,051 cases in Australia, while the local weblog Swine Flu in Australia, is reporting that Australian cases have reached 1,207.

Since Australia is just now entering the winter season, its swine flu caseload could explode. Swine Flu in Australia is also reporting that thanks to a soccer match last week, “the entire Queensland team is now in quarantine after a player tested positive to Swine Flu.”

The latest WHO figures put the global swine flu count at 25,288 cases, with 139 dead and 73 countries affected. Those figures were released as of 6:00 am GMT, Monday, June 8.

Meanwhile, Dehli reported its first swine flu case yesterday, bringing India’s total swine flu caseload to 10 as of Sunday. Those figures are not reflected in this morning’s WHO report.

As the “new” A(H1N1) swine flu spreads in the U.S., 13,217 cases are current in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. There were 27 U.S. deaths from the flu as of 11 am today, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta. At the time of our last report on U.S. fatalities a week ago, deaths totaled 15, with 48 states and Washington, DC claiming 8,975 infections.

That gives the U.S. an increase of 4,242 cases in one week, with 12 more dead over the same period—an 80% increase in deaths for a 47% increase in cases. (more…)

World Health Organization’s Keiji Fukuda, chief of that organization’s influenza group, said today that WHO is “getting closer” to declaring a stage 6 (pandemic) status for the A(H1N1) swine flu, according to the Associated Press.

Today’s update on WHO’s website had not yet appeared as of 2:26 pm EST, but early reports say WHO is setting the number of global infections at 18,965 across 64 countries, with 117 deaths. That number contrasts with the figures of 17,410 cases across 62 countries and 115 deaths posted on June 1.

India has reported two more cases of the “new” swine flu, bring that country’s total to three infections. Those individuals are being quarantined. Egypt has reported its first case of swine flu, despite having ordered the country-wide slaughter of all pigs.

Meanwhile, an 11-week-old child has become New York City’s fifth casualty to swine flu, according to reports from AP and the Daily News. The Daily News identifies the child as Steven Montanez, from the Bronx.

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…)