<<Advancing Bird Flu-H5N1...Now following MERS and Ebola approaching PANDEMICS>>>

We recently reported that New Zealand was experiencing a much higher level of influenza infection this year, however there were no references to either H5N1, or H1N1.

But this next snippett might indicate that their medical staff are at least preparing for problems with H1N1.

New Zealand nurses perceptions of caring for patients with influenza A (H1N1)
Michelle Honey1,*, Wendy YQ Wang2Article first published online: 13 JUN 2012

Background: The 2009 influenza A (H1N1) virus caused a global pandemic and also affected New Zealand during that winter. Nine H1N1-infected adult patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome were admitted into an intensive care unit of a large urban hospital for rescue extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy.

Link here...

[link to onlinelibrary.wiley.com]

This next link will take you to the "Influenza Laboratory Surveillance Information, Latest Week", from (10/06/2012 to 16/06/2012).

Noticably there have already been 6 cases reported in New Zealand in just that recent period, of H1N1.

This might explain the previous post about New Zealands perparedness for H1N1!

Also of note are the numbers in both India, Sri Lanka and Peru.

Unfortunately, Brazil isnt recorded, so the bigger picture is not quite there.

Link here...

[link to gamapserver.who.int]

The amount of D3 that you should take is based on body weight. Most people go deficient during non-summer months. You can get a simple blood test to check your D3 level....perhaps twice per year.....either through your doctor or with a home kit.

For detailed information on this hormone you can Google the following article:

Use of Vitamin D in Clinical Practice, by John J. Cannell, MD and Bruce W. Hollis, PhD. You might have to open a file to get to it.


Don't get scared by the high doses if measured in IU's. That is an archaic measurement.


Twenty minutes in the summer sun at high noon in a swimsuit will naturally produce about 20,000 IUs.

Nearly all of the cells in the body have receptor sites for this vital hormone.


Many research studies have been done and D3 appears to have multiple benefits, including reducing the incidence of cancer. Just Google in what you want to research.....such as "Vitamin D3 and cancer".....or "Vitamin D3 and MS"....etc.


If you are deficient......it might take several months to get your D3 blood level into the therapeutic range. However, sometimes high doses are given for short periods of time to fast track this.

I would advise taking K2 with the D3.

Thank you so much AC...585, for this...

The amount of D3 that you should take is based on body weight. Most people go deficient during non-summer months. You can get a simple blood test to check your D3 level....perhaps twice per year.....either through your doctor or with a home kit.

For detailed information on this hormone you can Google the following article:

Use of Vitamin D in Clinical Practice, by John J. Cannell, MD and Bruce W. Hollis, PhD. You might have to open a file to get to it.


Don't get scared by the high doses if measured in IU's. That is an archaic measurement.


Twenty minutes in the summer sun at high noon in a swimsuit will naturally produce about 20,000 IUs.

Nearly all of the cells in the body have receptor sites for this vital hormone.


Many research studies have been done and D3 appears to have multiple benefits, including reducing the incidence of cancer. Just Google in what you want to research.....such as "Vitamin D3 and cancer".....or "Vitamin D3 and MS"....etc.


If you are deficient......it might take several months to get your D3 blood level into the therapeutic range. However, sometimes high doses are given for short periods of time to fast track this.

I would advise taking K2 with the D3.

Your rapid response was definately not expected, so I absolutely must extend my highest grattitude and admiration to you for your excellent response to my request.

It is genuinely reassuring to know that we do have people reading these posts, mostly silent, but when the time is right for them, our readers are prepared to come forward and post valuable information.

I for one can be guilty of not recognizing this fact often enough, so to you all let me again extend first my grattitude to you all, you are truely decent people and secondly re-iterare my constant invitation to participate with this work, every bit helps.

thank you all

arkay

With New Zealand on our doorstep, and already reporting cases of H1N1, it seems inevidible the we here in Australia may also be in for a bit of a rough ride with H1N1 this year too.

Naturally, I hope that we will dodge the bullet, but to be practical, hope isnt going to do much, so I for one will be making a conscience effort to limit my social mixings and travel over our danger period.

I guess the household soap costs might suffer a bit of a hiding too, as well as the VIT.C rations!

Let me take this opportunity to wish our neighbours across the puddle all our best wishes, youve already had a pretty tough time with recent events and a serious outbreak of H1N1 would be another problem that you wouldnt need to be dealing with, so please be careful, be conscious of the precautions that you can take and hopefully this rotten thing will leave you all alone.

For you all, Im certain these are the wishes of everyone here.

cheers

arkay.

Cytokine Storm and D3


[link to www.cytokinestorm.com]

AC...585.

Brilliant, just absolutely brilliant information.

It is impossible for me to extend the profound grattitude that I and all readers owe you for this information.

I already have it bookmarked and it will be used, of that I have little doubt.

To all other readers , please read and save this information.

Yes, I am making an issue of this, why?

It just might save lives, and some of those might be yours, I hope so.

Thank you so very much.

One day I might owe my life to you for this, how can I ever thank anyone for that gift?

arkay

For some time now, I have been reasoning that H5N1 and H1N1 could recombine to form a horizontal human pandemic virus.

This next article looks into that subject and finds that this indeed could happen with varying outcomes.

Experimental adaptation of an influenza H5 HA confers respiratory droplet transmission to a reassortant H5 HA/H1N1 virus in ferrets
Masaki Imai,1 Tokiko Watanabe,1, 2 Masato Hatta,1 Subash C. Das,1 Makoto Ozawa,1, 3 Kyoko Shinya,4 Gongxun Zhong,1 Anthony Hanson,1 Hiroaki Katsura,5 Shinji Watanabe,1, 2 Chengjun Li,1 Eiryo Kawakami,2 Shinya Yamada,5 Maki Kiso,5 Yasuo Suzuki,6 Eileen A. Maher,1 Gabriele Neumann1 & Yoshihiro Kawaoka1, 2, 3, 5
AffiliationsContributionsCorresponding author Journal name:
Nature
Volume:
486,
Pages:
420–428
Date published:
(21 June 2012)
DOI:
doi:10.1038/nature10831

Highly pathogenic avian H5N1 influenza A viruses occasionally infect humans, but currently do not transmit efficiently among humans. The viral haemagglutinin (HA) protein is a known host-range determinant as it mediates virus binding to host-specific cellular receptors1, 2, 3. Here we assess the molecular changes in HA that would allow a virus possessing subtype H5 HA to be transmissible among mammals. We identified a reassortant H5 HA/H1N1 virus—comprising H5 HA (from an H5N1 virus) with four mutations and the remaining seven gene segments from a 2009 pandemic H1N1 virus—that was capable of droplet transmission in a ferret model. The transmissible H5 reassortant virus preferentially recognized human-type receptors, replicated efficiently in ferrets, caused lung lesions and weight loss, but was not highly pathogenic and did not cause mortality. These results indicate that H5 HA can convert to an HA that supports efficient viral transmission in mammals; however, we do not know whether the four mutations in the H5 HA identified here would render a wholly avian H5N1 virus transmissible. The genetic origin of the remaining seven viral gene segments may also critically contribute to transmissibility in mammals. Nevertheless, as H5N1 viruses continue to evolve and infect humans, receptor-binding variants of H5N1 viruses with pandemic potential, including avian–human reassortant viruses as tested here, may emerge. Our findings emphasize the need to prepare for potential pandemics caused by influenza viruses possessing H5 HA, and will help individuals conducting surveillance in regions with circulating H5N1 viruses to recognize key residues that predict the pandemic potential of isolates, which will inform the development, production and distribution of effective countermeasures.

Link here...

[link to www.nature.com]

It looks like our friends with the sensitive ego's at Mount Sinai School of Medicine need their ego's massaged again.

Theyve jumped into the argument about just how deadly they think H5N1 is, which they perviously tried to grand stand on, and now with this fresh round of hype following the printing of the two controversial research studies, it looks like theyre having another go.

Tell you what guys and girls, go out and do some real science, have it pier reviewed and then have your say.

Otherwise, your comments which are quoted in the last paragraph below ,"seroprevalence studies probably miss many cases" just doesent cut it in the medical and scientific communities...PROBABLY !!!!

Are you really thinking that anyone is going to give you the time of day with that as any kind of comment?

Egos..probably looking for funding might be closer to the truth!

Please dont get me wrong here, Im sure that these people are really wonderful professionals and that they do excellent work, but in this case that obviously havent done that work and should stay well out of the picture and let those that have, move forward without unnessary distraction, which I might add doesent do themselves any favors in terms of their credibility either.

Perhaps you should consider engaging the qualified services of a decent Public Relations organization, to move yourselves forward in a more positive manner.


Debate over H5N1 fatality rate flares again
Robert Roos News Editor


Jun 22, 2102 (CIDRAP News) – In the latest chapter in an ongoing debate over the true case-fatality ratio (CFR) for human H5N1 influenza infections, a group of leading flu experts has written a Science article rejecting the idea that millions of H5N1 infections have gone undetected.

The debate was sparked by the controversy over publication of two studies involving lab-created H5N1 viruses with airborne transmissibility (both of which have now been published in full). Some proponents of publishing the full details of the studies argued that the true H5N1 case-fatality ratio (CFR) is probably much lower than the nearly 60% observed in confirmed cases, because in their view many mild or asymptomatic cases have likely been missed.

In February, Science published a meta-analysis by a team from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City who said that on the basis of seroprevalence studies, the infection rate in populations exposed to H5N1 could be 1% to 2%, which would probably translate into millions of infections globally. The authors were Taia T. Wang, PhD, Michael K. Parides, PhD, and Peter Palese, PhD.

In the article published today, flu experts write that Wang and colleagues "overinterpret the results of seroprevalence studies and take too little account of underlying uncertainties. Although the true risk of death from H5N1 infection will likely be lower than the 60% of reported laboratory-confirmed cases, there is little evidence of millions of missed infections."

The article is accompanied by a response from the Mount Sinai group, who observe that the combined rural population of countries where H5N1 outbreaks occur is about 1 billion and assert that the tests used in seroprevalence studies probably miss many cases.

Link here...

[link to www.cidrap.umn.edu]

Well we are getting some sensible and good news, as is seen in this article.

CDC unveils new pandemic preparedness tools
Lisa Schnirring Staff Writer


Jun 22, 2012 (CIDRAP News) – The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday unveiled two new tools designed to boost pandemic preparedness: an inventory of H5N1 avian influenza genetic changes and a system the CDC and its partners are developing to help evaluate the threat from flu viruses circulating in animals.

The CDC posted details about the new tools on its Web site yesterday, the same day highly anticipated findings from the second of two controversial H5N1 transmission studies—the one from a group at Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands—was published in Science.

Link here...

[link to www.cidrap.umn.edu]

Here is an extract from the bottom of the previous link to the CDC's Influenza Risk Assessment Tool.

Influenza Risk Assessment Tool (IRAT)
Questions & Answers

On This Page
What is the Influenza Risk Assessment Tool (IRAT)?Can the IRAT predict a future pandemic?What is the purpose of the IRAT?Does the IRAT have any limitations?What are the evaluation criteria used by the IRAT?How are the IRAT’s 10 evaluation criteria ranked and weighted?What is the Influenza Risk Assessment Tool (IRAT)?
The Influenza Risk Assessment Tool (IRAT) is an evaluation tool being developed by CDC and external influenza experts that measures the potential pandemic risk posed by influenza A viruses that currently circulate in animals but not in humans. The IRAT makes an assessment of potential pandemic risk based on two different scenarios: “emergence” and “public health impact.”

“Emergence” refers to the risk of a novel (i.e., new in humans) influenza virus acquiring the ability to spread easily and efficiently in people. “Public health impact” refers to the potential severity of human disease caused by the virus (e.g., deaths and hospitalizations) as well as the burden on society (e.g., missed workdays, strain on hospital capacity and resources, and interruption of basic public services) if a novel influenza virus began spreading efficiently and sustainably among people.

Ten scientific criteria are used to measure the potential pandemic risk associated with each of these scenarios. These 10 criteria can be grouped into three overarching categories: “properties of the virus,” “attributes of the population,” and “ecology & epidemiology of the virus.” Influenza subject matter experts will evaluate novel influenza viruses based on each of these 10 criteria. Each of the 10 criteria is then weighted statistically based on its significance to each of the two scenarios. A composite score for each virus is then calculated based on the given scenario. These composite scores provide a means to rank and compare influenza viruses to each other in terms of their potential pandemic risk for each of the two scenarios

Link here...

[link to www.cdc.gov]

Here we have influenza reports as listed below.

Of note is Thailand with 3, H1N1 reports for the period.

In this posting:[1] Europe[2] Thailand (Nakhon Ratchasima): H1N1[3] New Zealand: H3N2******[1] EuropeDate: Thu 21 Jun 2012
Source: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Weekly Influenza Surveillance Overview (WISO) [edited]
[link to ecdc.europa.eu]


Main surveillance developments in weeks 23-24 2012 (4-17 Jun 2012)

Link here...

[link to www.promedmail.org]

In the left menu under the heading...

22 Jun 2012 Influenza (47): sporadic activity

Normally I would refrain from publishing detail that is contained within this post, but as its public domain and very freely available, I have decided to publish it here too, in part, to give our readers some perspective on both why the controversy, and also some technical but simple to understand appreciation of just why this thread actually exists, and my constant assertions that I really do think that this virus will sooner or later go pandemic.

One very important thing to note here is that the two different approaches that each researchers used, achieved the same results, ie horizontal human transmission of the virus, hence a pandemic threat.

With that in mind there are probably millions of ways these viruses may utilize to do what the two researchers did.

Date: Fri 22 Jun 2012
Source: Science 22 June 2012: Vol. 336 no. 6088 pp. 1494-1497 (H5N1Special edition) [edited]
[link to www.sciencemag.org]


Public at Last, H5N1 Study Offers Insight Into Virus's Possible Path to Pandemic
-------------------------------------------------------------​-------------------
Depending on your point of view, the study that appears on page 1534 of this issue of Science marks another good week for public health experts trying to protect a vulnerable world from a new influenza pandemic -- or for future bioterrorists bent on unleashing one.

The paper, from a laboratory led by virologist Ron Fouchier of Erasmus MC in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, describes how a handful of mutations might give the H5N1 avian influenza virus, which typically infects birds, the potential to move easily between mammals and touch off a human flu pandemic. It appears after more than 8 months of often fierce international debate over whether the results should be made public -- and whether researchers should have conducted the experiments at all.

Late last year [2011], the U.S. National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) unanimously asked Science not to publish the study's details. (The journal agreed, in principle.) But in March [2012], the same board voted 12 to 6 in favor of full publication after reviewing a revised and extended version of the manuscript and other evidence (Science, 6 Apr 2012, p. 19). Along the way, the debate prompted influenza scientists to self-impose a landmark moratorium on some types of H5N1 research (see p. 1496), the U.S. government to set new controls on taxpayer-funded studies involving potentially dangerous pathogens, and the Dutch government to consider blocking publication by invoking export-control laws.

The paper is the 2nd one in 2 months to suggest that H5N1 has pandemic potential. Last month, Nature published a similar study by Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and the University of Tokyo was also caught up in the controversy (Science, 4 May, p. 529).

Until now, Fouchier had publicly discussed his study in only very general terms, including in a talk at a September 2011 flu meeting in Malta that triggered wide media coverage. Seeing the data in full is "sobering," says influenza expert Nancy Cox of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, because it suggests that it's easier for H5N1 to trigger a pandemic than other studies --including her own -- had indicated. In combination with the Kawaoka paper, Fouchier's findings shed light on how the virus could become pandemic, says Malik Peiris of the University of Hong Kong, and how public health officials might watch for mutations that could send it on its way.

Although it has decimated poultry flocks and killed more than 600 people since it 1st surfaced in 1997, H5N1 has not touched off a pandemic in humans because it hardly ever spreads from one person to the next -- and some scientists think it never will. To become pandemic, the virus would have to become "airborne," or able to spread via tiny droplets spewed out during coughing or sneezing. That is how other influenza strains spread among humans, and both Fouchier and Kawaoka wanted to know which mutations might allow H5N1 to do the same.

There's a key difference between the studies, however. Kawaoka created a hybrid virus: He took the gene for a viral protein called hemagglutinin from an avian H5N1 strain and stitched it together with 7 other gene segments from the pandemic H1N1 virus that swept the world in 2009 and 2010, and which is already well-adapted to humans. From this starting point, it took just 4 mutations in the hemagglutinin gene to create a virus that could travel through the air from one infected ferret -- a popular animal model for human infection -- and infect another. But Kawaoka's hybrid has not yet been found in nature.

In contrast, "the strong point" of Fouchier's study, Cox says, is that it started out with an actual H5N1 virus isolated from a human victim in Indonesia. In an e-mail to Science, Kawaoka agreed that Fouchier's study addresses the most urgent question more directly. "Ron's data are very important," he said.

Fouchier's team 1st inserted several mutations they knew might help the virus adapt for mammalian spread. One key target was the virus's receptor binding site, the area within the hemagglutinin molecule that makes 1st contact with the host cell; scientists already knew that 2 mutations there can make the virus prefer mammalian cells over bird cells. Another mutation, in the polymerase protein complex, allows the virus to replicate in the cool environment of the human upper respiratory tract rather than in bird intestines, the much warmer environment where it usually resides.

These initial mutations alone didn't do the trick, however, so Fouchier's team decided to try a time-honored method to encourage a pathogen to adapt to a new host: They passed the virus from ferret to ferret by directly inoculating uninfected animals with nasal samples from infected ones and repeated the procedure a total of 10 times. (In his Malta talk, Fouchier called this a "really stupid" approach, a phrase widely interpreted to mean he regretted it. In fact, he says, he just meant that the technique, called passaging, is a simple one compared to the sophistication of creating targeted mutations. The confusion may have stemmed in part from the fact that the Dutch word for "stupid" can also mean "simple.")

The end result was a virus that could move through the air from one caged ferret to another right next to it; in a 1st experiment, the virus transmitted from cage to cage in 3 out of 4 instances.

Link here...

[link to www.promedmail.org]

In the left menu under the heading...

22 Jun 2012 Avian influenza, human (56): airborne spread mutations

It looks like South America is getting slammed with fresh cases of H1N1, this report from Bolivia.

As The Southern Hemisphere moves into its Influenza season, things are progressively looking very glum for this season, given that it has barely commenced.

Bolivia Reported 637 Confirmed Cases of Influenza A (H1N1)
viernes, 22 de junio de 2012

22 de junio de 2012, 17:11La Paz, Jun 22 (Prensa Latina) The Bolivian Minister of Health and Sports, Juan Carlos Calvimontes, confirmed the record of 637 patients with influenza A (H1N1) and 2. 276 suspected cases.

According to Calvimontes epidemiological reports register five deaths, and he said that the department with more registered patients is La Paz, with more than 300 positive cases.

He told to the Bolivian Information Agency that in other regions preventive measures were taken, especially to prevent students from being affected by the low temperatures of the time.

Link here...

[link to www.plenglish.com]

Here we have further confirmation from the World Health Organization in their collation of the current Global situation of influenzas.

Again, note the high percentage of H1N1 cases at 11%.

This is just too high, and will surely become a significant problem over the next few months, and with H5N1 still circulating in high enough numbers, the prognosis for them to remain seperate becomes less certain with each day.

Influenza virus activity in the world
22 June 2012
Source: Laboratory confirmed data from the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS).

Based on FluNet reporting (as of 19 June 2012, 14:30 UTC), during weeks 22 to 23 (27 May 2012 to 9 June 2012), National Influenza Centres (NICs) and other national influenza laboratories from 79 countries, areas or territories reported data. The WHO GISRS laboratories tested more than 16 552 specimens. 1 959 were positive for influenza viruses, of which 1 489 (76%) were typed as influenza A and 421 (21.5%) as influenza B. Of the sub-typed influenza A viruses, 146 (11%) were influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 and 1 176 (88.8%) were influenza A(H3N2). Of the characterized B viruses, 10 (50%) belong to the B-Yamagata lineage and 10 (50%) to the B-Victoria lineage.

Link here...

[link to www.who.int]

The WHO is reporting here on Southern Hemisphere flu activity trends as this season begins.


WHO sees signs of Southern Hemisphere flu activity
Although the Southern Hemisphere's flu season hasn't yet started, several countries including Australia, Chile, Paraguay, and South Africa are reporting small but sustained upticks in flu detections, most of them involving the H3N2 subtype, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today. Some tropical countries in Central America, the Caribbean, South America, and sub-Saharan Africa are experiencing increasing or stable flu transmission.

Link here...

[link to www.cidrap.umn.edu]

The WHO's Influenza update PDF is now available.

This update covers activity from around the world.

Of particular note are the following...

Tropical Countries of the Americas.

Sib-Sahan Africa.

Temperate countries of South America.

Where H1N1 is making its presence known.



Influenza Update N° 162
22 June 2012
Summary
&#61607; The influenza season is largely finished in the temperate countries of the northern hemisphere
with some persistent low level influenza transmission in eastern Europe and northern China. Most
northern hemisphere temperate countries have now stopped weekly influenza data reporting.
&#61607; Some tropical countries are experiencing an increase or stable transmission of influenza viruses
including countries in Central America, the Caribbean, South America and, in Sub-Saharan Africa.
&#61607; The influenza season has not yet started in the temperate countries of the southern hemisphere,
although several countries including Australia, Chile, Paraguay and South Africa have reported
small but sustained increase of influenza virus detections. Influenza A(H3N2) viruses are the most
commonly detected type/sub-type in recent weeks in the Southern Hemisphere temperate region.
&#61607; A detailed review of the recent influenza season in the temperate countries of the northern
hemisphere is available online at: [link to www.who.int]
Note: Global epidemiology and surveillance updates are periodically collected from data reported by National authorities or organizations
responsible for these reporting these data. For further information on specific influenza virus activity in the world and scientific literature for
practitioners and other professionals in the field, please visit the following pages (links are at the end of the document):
&#61623; Virological Update
&#61623; Peer-reviewed Literature: A population-based study of neurologic manifestations of severe
influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 in California.

Link here...

[link to www.who.int]

Influenza reports for Australia and New Zealand are broken down here and available from the link below.

Unfortunately we can see from this information that H1N1 has already found its way into both Australian and New Zealand populations, and as this is just the beginning of the flu season here, we should expect more cases presenting, lets hope that those cases remain few and far between.

I'll refrain from making jokes about Tasmania, as is our custom, however they do seem to be a bit behind with their reporting!

New South Wales
Week ending 8 June 2012


The total number of patients presenting to EDs with influenza-like illness (ILI) increased further this week (rate of 2.0 cases per 1000 presentations) and was above the usual range for this time of year.

1233 tests for respiratory viruses were performed at sentinel NSW laboratories. 196 specimens tested positive for influenza A. Of these, 104 tested positive for influenza A(H3N2). The remainder tested negative to influenza A(pH1N1) and are assumed to have been A(H3N2).

Queensland
Year to date 6 May 2012

Year to date (YTD) there have been 580 notifications of influenza in Queensland.

South Australia
Week ending 2 June 2012

Seventy cases of influenza were reported this week, a marked increase from 26 cases reported in the previous week. Cases included 32 males and 38 females with an age range of 1 to 89 years.

Fifty-seven infections were due to Influenza A virus and 12 infections were due to Influenza B virus. There was one case identified as the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 strain in the current week.

Tasmania
Review of 2011 Flu Season


Surveillance of influenza-like illness activity via FluTracking has now ceased for the year. Doctors are testing less for influenza; influenza diagnoses and notifications are now uncommon.

In 2011:

A total of 359 notifications of influenza were received from 1 January to 30 November. Influenza notifications peaked in weeks 30 to 34 (25 July–28 August) at approximately 26 notifications received per week.

Influenza A was responsible for 52 per cent of the total notifications (133 by PCR and 51 by serology). Of the PCR-based detections, 97 were sub-typed with:

78 per cent H1N1.
22 per cent H3N2.

Victoria
Week ending 10 June 2012

Influenza-like illness (ILI) activity was slightly higher than reported for the previous period, with a presentation rate of 5.3 cases per 1000 patients seen, just above baseline levels of activity.

From the 100 swabs received from surveillance GPs this season (30/4/12 – 10/6/12) 18 (18%) have been positive for influenza, of which 2 were A(H1N1)pdm09, 11 were H3N2, 3 were untyped and 2 were influenza B.

Western Australia
Week ending 10 June 2012.


ILI presentations to SPN(WA) GPs have increased steadily over recent weeks and remain higher than at the same time in the past two years. Presentations to Perth EDs also continue to increase, but the proportion of cases requiring admission decreased this week.

Influenza positive samples comprised 53% (19) influenza AH3N2 virus and 47% (17) influenza B virus, with no AH1N1 pandemic strain detections.

New Zealand
Week ending 10 June 2012
Eight viruses were identified: A(H3N2) (3), A(H1N1)pdm09 (2), B (Lineage not determined) (2), and A (Not subtyped) (1).

Link here...

[link to www.influenzaspecialistgroup.org.au]

The US Department for Human Health and Human Services has commenced a trial, in Thailand, using attenuated live H5N1 viruses in a nasal type vaccination.


HHS support results in international influenza vaccine milestone
Clinical trial among first in the world for live attenuated influenza vaccine for avian influenza


Thailand today became one of the first countries in the world to test an H5N1 avian, or bird, influenza vaccine in a needle-free, nasal spray formulation. This Phase I clinical trial of a live attenuated influenza vaccine, known as LAIV, to protect people from the H5N1 virus, resulted from international collaboration with health agencies around the world, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). A Phase I clinical trial is the first step in testing new vaccines in humans.

Link here...

[link to www.phe.gov]

Here is a previously reported link to the CDC's information on H5N1, however the information was updated on the 21st of June, and is now more relevant to todays situation.

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A (H5N1) in People

Link here...

[link to www.cdc.gov]

More discussion here on the number of mutations that could make H5N1 a pandemic virus. ( as few a just three!)

This artice also confirms my assertions that there are many more possible ways for this virus to mutate to pandemic status, other than the two that the controversial researchers used.

Avian A/H5N1 influenza viruses pose a pandemic threat. As few as five amino acid substitutions, or four with reassortment, might be sufficient for mammal-to-mammal transmission through respiratory droplets. From surveillance data, a group of researchers found that two of these substitutions are common in A/H5N1 viruses, and thus, some viruses might require only three additional substitutions to become transmissible via respiratory droplets between mammals. The researchers used a mathematical model of within-host virus evolution to study factors that could increase and decrease the probability of the remaining substitutions evolving after the virus has infected a mammalian host.
According to the model, factors that increased the likelihood of the virus evolving included random mutations and positive selection.

Link here...

[link to www.poultrymed.com]

rosengarten powers and rothschild amalgamation may be some information soon

Hi arkay this confounded computer its an apple all new symbols a mouse with no right click driving me crazy
so sorry of now can copy ink an d post but hope you enjoy
you tube

rumio come come come and quotes from Rumi
do you like Loreen Mc ken nit Kenchantomene hope you enjoy tai care arkay see you soon

[link to www.youtube.com]
THINK THIS IS RIGT NOT SURE BUT HERE GOES

With my freezing hands wrapt around my morning cup of coffee and listening to that was a sweet experience.

Who were those words made for...thoughts...?

Thank you.

and good tho have you back too.


arkay

[link to www.youtube.com]

Be foolishly in love, because love is all there is. ~ Rumi

Spain has reported an outbreak of avian influenza, but it of H7 linage and not consideren hermful to humans.

Article here.

Date: Thu 21 Jun 2012
Source: El Universal [in Spanish, trans. Mod.JG, edited]
[link to www.eluniversal.com.mx]


The National Service of Agro Alimentary Health, Safety, and Quality (SENASICA, according to its Spanish initials) reported that signs indicating the presence of an H7-serotype virus causing avian influenza were found in 3 farms in Tepatitlan and Acatic in Jalisco State, so strict sanitary control measures and a preventative quarantine have been declared in the affected areas.

Link here...

[link to www.promedmail.org]

In the left menu yncer the headline...

24 Jun 2012 Avian influenza (39): Mexico (JA), poultry, H7, quarantine

For Australia, this press release comes from the Influenza Specialist Group, with some good tips and further recommendations regarding best hygene practices, work ethics etc.


ISG Media Release 23 May 2012

With winter on our doorstep, flu experts say local residents should brace themselves for the coming flu season and take steps now to safeguard against what can be a life threatening virus.

The Influenza Specialist Group is urging people to get vaccinated as soon as possible as time is running out for those who are still unprotected.

ISG Chair Dr Alan Hampson said that with cold weather bearing down, it is vital everyone, particularly those in high risk groups, seriously considers getting vaccinated and that people practice good personal and household hygiene to minimise the virus spreading.

Link here...

[link to www.influenzaspecialistgroup.org.au]

I found Rumi as a fresh and pure sound, somewhat modern but sophisticated, thank you.

I only ever had one time using an apple, it is where my computer days began and that was back in 1986!

Oh, Im getting old...

Last Edited by arkay on 06/24/2012 11:45 PM

New Zealand has published its latest National Influenza figures for the period 11-17th of June 2012.

Of particular note is the fact that there have been six cases of H1N1.

Looks like the bug is present , so it will be worth keeping a careful watch on trends.


INFLUENZA WEEKLY UPDATE
2012/24: 11 – 17 June 2012
The national influenza surveillance system in New Zealand is an essential public health
component for assessing and implementing strategies to control influenza. This report
summarises the data collected from sentinel general practice (GP) surveillance and nonsentinel
surveillance for week 24 (11 – 17 June 2012).
Summary
Influenza-like illness (ILI) through sentinel surveillance was reported from 19 out of 20
District Health Boards (DHB) with a national consultation rate of 18.0 per 100 000 (66 ILI
consultations). Two hundred and fifty-five swabs were received from sentinel (26) and nonsentinel
(229) surveillance. Twenty-three viruses were identified: A(H3N2) (10),
A(H1N1)pdm09 (6), B (Lineage not determined) (3), A (Not subtyped) (3) and
B/Wisconsin/1/2010-like (1).

Link here...

[link to www.surv.esr.cri.nz]