BREAKING UPDATE August 11, 2015 / 591 cases / 300 deaths from H7N9 . MERS CoV 1352 Cases, 479 deaths

FluTrackers update the Hebel H7N9 case

[link to crofsblogs.typepad.com]

Saudi man dies in kingdom from MERS coronavirus: Health Ministry

Posted on July 29, 2013 by The Extinction Protocol


July 29, 2013 – SAUDI ARABIA – A Saudi man has died of the coronavirus Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), the Saudi Health Ministry said on Saturday, raising to 39 the number of deaths from the SARS-like virus in the kingdom where it first emerged last year. “The Ministry of Health has announced the death of one case, who had been previously announced to be infected with this virus in Asir, may Allah have mercy upon him,” the ministry said in a statement. An 83-year-old man from the same southern province was also confirmed to have contracted the virus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases inside the kingdom to 66, the ministry said. The World Health Organization said earlier this month that MERS, which can cause fever, coughing and pneumonia, had not yet reached pandemic potential and may simply die out. Hundreds of thousands of Muslims come to Saudi Arabia during Ramadan for umrah, a pilgrimage that can be carried out at any time of year. Millions are also expected to travel to Mecca for the main haj pilgrimage which falls in October this year, but the authorities have cut the number of visas this year, citing safety concerns over expansion work at the main mosque site. WHO experts said last month that countries at risk from MERS should put in place plans for handling mass gatherings but has stopped short of recommending restrictions on travel. –Reuters [link to theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com]

Gregor Peter ‏@L0gg0l 1 min
26 people quarantined at Sydney airport after suffering from severe gastroenteritis during flight from Brazil [link to www.dailytelegraph.com.au] …

Nine News Sydney ‏@9NewsSyd 13 min
UPDATE: Some QF28 passengers suffering from gastro being transferred from Sydney airport to Prince of Wales hospital. pic.twitter.com/9CSLotQ6df

Saudi Arabia confirms more MERS cases

Posted on August 1, 2013 by The Extinction Protocol
August 1, 2013 – JEDDAH, SA – Three more confirmed cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus infections in Saudi Arabia have been recorded, the Ministry of Health said on Thursday. A statement posted on the ministry’s website said one of the patients is a 67-year-old woman in Riyadh, who had been suffering from various chronic diseases. She is now under intensive care, receiving the health care and proper treatment. The two other cases are both women health workers, one of them living in Asir region and the other in Riyadh. “They have mild symptoms but their health status is stable,” said the MOH. The new cases bring to 92 the total number of people who have contracted the virus worldwide, including 71 in Saudi Arabia. f the 92 cases registered with the World Health Organization since last year, 46 have died, including 39 in Saudi Arabia. The latest MERS death in the Kingdom, announced by the Ministry of Health on July 25, was an 83-year-old man in Asir. Saudi and UK scientists studying MERS said the coronavirus is more deadly, unpredictable and has significant differences from severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus that erupted in Asia in 2003 and infected 8,273 people, nine percent of whom died. Ziad Memish, Saudi deputy minister for public health, earlier said: “MERS coronavirus appears to be more deadly, with 60 percent of patients with co-existing chronic illnesses dying, compared with the one-percent toll of SARS.”

He said that the MERS infecting humans is unpredictable because the source of the virus is not yet known. While sharing clinical similarities with the SARS-like fever, cough and incubation period, he said there are also some important differences such as the rapid progression to respiratory failure of up to five days. The progression occurs earlier than in SARS. In a Lancet Infectious Diseases publication, Saudi and UK scientists also noted a trend of older patients with more men and patients with underlying medical conditions succumbing to the disease. The symptoms of patients suffering from MERS coronavirus are fever (98 percent), chills (87 percent), cough (83 percent), shortness of breath (72 percent), and muscle pain (32 percent). A quarter of patients also experience gastrointestinal symptoms, including diarrhea and vomiting. However, in SARS, the majority of cases (96 percent) occurred in people with underlying chronic medical conditions including diabetes (68 percent), high blood pressure (34 percent), chronic heart disease (28 percent), and chronic renal disease (49 percent). –Albawaba [link to theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com]

New case of H7N9 bird flu confirmed in China: officials

The 51-year-old woman is in a critical condition after she was admitted to hospital on August 3 following signs of a fever, the Guangdong Provincial Health Department said on Saturday.

"She was a poultry slaughtering worker at a local marketplace," the local health bureau said in a statement on its website.

A total of 134 cases have now been reported on the Chinese mainland, including the Guangdong case.

State news agency Xinhua said Saturday that 44 people had died of the disease -- which includes a recent fatality following the release of the latest official figures a month ago.

[link to www.thenews.com.pk]

H7N9 patient dies in Beijing

BEIJING, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- A man infected with the H7N9 avian influenza died of multiple organ failure on Monday, local authorities said.

The 61-year-old patient was transferred from the city of Langfan in north China's Hebei Province to Beijing Chaoyang Hospital for treatment on July 18. He tested positive for the H7N9 virus on July 20.

A single human infection of H7N9 was confirmed in south China's Guangdong Province on Friday, bringing the total number of infections on the Chinese mainland to 134 this year. Forty-four of the infections have resulted in death.

[link to news.xinhuanet.com]

Hong Kong: Measures needed to contain H7N9 threat

[link to crofsblogs.typepad.com]


Cases of H7N9 bird flu in the mainland could spike this winter if measures are not taken to contain the virus, experts warn. 
The warning comes as Secretary for Food and Health Ko Wing-man said it is possible for infected people to arrive from the mainland without any symptoms. 
"It is impossible to prevent those people who are infected with the H7N9 flu, but not showing symptoms, from entering Hong Kong," Ko said yesterday. 

[link to www.youtube.com]

[H7N9 TRIAGE PANIC] CDC Contracting With Poison Control Centers and 2-1-1 to Create Public 'Phone-In' Bird Flu Triage Centers

To avert panic during the expected H7N9 Influenza outbreak the CDC is creating a national severe pandemic flu triage center which will allow people to dial 2-1-1 and speak to a Poison Control Center Nurse who has been trained to triage pandemic bird flu cases.

See Federal Solicitations:
Number: 2013-N-15473
Number: 2013-N-15472

Despite our own belief that there is a low risk of a wide spread high fatality Bird Flu pandemic this year, the massive preparations the Federal Government is undertaking for just such an occurrence can only be foolishly ignored.

Disease watch: New Chinese bird flu may be worse than H7N9 virus

Posted on August 24, 2013 by The Extinction Protocol
August 24, 2013 – CHINA - A virus called H7N7 has been discovered in chickens in China, according to a new study published in the journal Nature. A team of Hong Kong researchers found the virus in about 25 percent of the fowl sampled, many of which also had the H7N9 virus. By testing the H7N7 virus on ferrets, the researchers found that it can be transmitted to mammals. “If (we) let this H7N7 continue circulating in chickens, I am sure that human infection cases will occur,” study co-author Guan Yi at the University of Hong Kong told AFP. “This virus could cause more severe infection than … H7N9, based on our animal experiments.” H7N7 appears to have developed alongside H7N9, which has killed 44 of more than 130 people infected in China. “We think it is scary for humans,” Guan added. “Our entire human population almost has no antibodies against the H7 subtype of influenza virus. Thus, if it causes pandemic outbreak, it will kill many people.” The scientists believe a better surveillance system is needed to monitor for dangerous viruses like H7N9 that may be emerging. “This is a very different influenza ecosystem from other countries,” Guan said, according to Nature. –The Epoch Times [link to theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com]

After first naming camels, researchers now say bats are the source of mysterious Middle East virus MERS

Posted on August 23, 2013 by The Extinction Protocol
August 23, 2013 – SAUDI ARABIA – Bats in Saudi Arabia appear to be the source of a mysterious virus that has claimed the lives of 47 and sickened 96 in the Middle East and Europe since last September, health officials reported Wednesday. For more than 15 months, officials have tried to determine what sparked the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). They have identified bats with similar viruses in Africa and Eastern Europe, but had not yet found an exact match to MERS. In the report released published Aug. 21 in Emerging Infectious Diseases, an international team of doctors from EcoHealth Alliance and Columbia University’s Center for Infection and Immunity pointed to the Egyptian tomb bat, an insect-eating bat that does not typically bite humans or come near human food supplies. Researchers collected about 100 fecal samples from seven species of bats living in three locations, veterinary epidemiologist Jonathan Epstein, of EcoHealth Alliance, explained to CBSNews.com. One of the bats was a perfect match for the MERS coronavirus. Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause conditions ranging from the common cold to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which killed about 800 people during a 2003 pandemic. The infected bat lived in an abandoned house in Bisha, a small city in Saudi Arabia where the first victim fell ill. The victim was a wealthy 60-year-old man who owned a paint warehouse, according to Dr. W. Ian Lipkin of Columbia.

The warehouse’s large garden included fruit trees and insects that often attract bats. Epstein added that while it is exciting to find an exact match in one sample, more testing is definitely needed. “The finding in bats is very exciting because there’s insight into the virus, but what we still need to learn is how it’s getting from bats into people,’ Epstein said. “We’re still trying to understand the role that other animals such as sheep or camels can play.” One concept is that the virus become airborne once an infected bat’s feces dry. People, such as shepherds, squatting in the abandoned buildings, where the bats nest may breathe in particles of the virus if dust is kicked up. Animals may have contract it in the same fashion, and then transfer it to humans. Camels, goats, sheep and cows are also being tested for the virus, according Lipkin. Previous reports pointed to camels as the source of the virus. “We really want to understand if there are other animals involved in transmission to people,” Epstein said, explaining that MERS could spread the same way as the SARS virus. “SARS coronavirus is carried by horseshoe bats, but transmission happened in a live animal market in China.” MERS’ mortality rate is currently 60 percent, but that number might decline as more cases are being reported of younger victims with milder symptoms, Memish noted. Most of the victims have thus far been old and had chronic conditions such as diabetes or heart disease. –CBS [link to theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com]

Hey Luis!
Thanks for that, am looking for more now.

So far, just this:

You Say You Want An Evolution?

[link to afludiary.blogspot.ca]

New H7N7 bird flu strain found in chickens

[link to news.xinhuanet.com]

Disease watch: New Chinese bird flu may be worse than H7N9 virus

'August 24, 2013 – CHINA - A virus called H7N7 has been discovered in chickens in China, according to a new study published in the journal Nature. A team of Hong Kong researchers found the virus in about 25 percent of the fowl sampled, many of which also had the H7N9 virus. By testing the H7N7 virus on ferrets, the researchers found that it can be transmitted to mammals. “If (we) let this H7N7 continue circulating in chickens, I am sure that human infection cases will occur,” study co-author Guan Yi at the University of Hong Kong told AFP...'

[link to theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com]

Globally, from September 2012 to date, WHO has been informed of a total of 104 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV, including 49 deaths.

29 AUGUST 2013 - WHO has been informed of an additional two laboratory-confirmed cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection in Qatar.

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) - update

[link to www.who.int]

Last Edited by prodlikegod on 08/30/2013 08:11 AM

Saudi Arabia: Two asymptomatic MERS cases releases from hospital in Batin
[link to crofsblogs.typepad.com]

These cases have not been announced on the KSA MOH English coronavirus news page. They appear to be the asymptomatic family contacts of the 38-year-old who died recently: They are #106 and #107 on the FluTrackers list of all known MERS cases.

I've not been able to watch the whole video, damn iPad keeps crashing, but this is not encouraging.

The Office of the Assistance Secretary for Preparedness and Response [ASPR] just released a Medical Counter Measures (MCM) document in which they indicate are planning to give all 300 million Americans TWO experimental adjuvant laced H7N9 vaccinations.

[link to pissinontheroses.blogspot.ca]

MERS-CoV up to 114 confirmed cases

Since September 2012, the WHO was informed of 114 laboratory-confirmed cases of MERS-CoV infection, including 54 deaths.

DEATH RATE - 47%

[link to vaccinenewsdaily.com]

WHO MERS-CoV Summary & Update - Sept 20th

[link to afludiary.blogspot.ca]

Don't forget who's going to be processing your poultry...

Mapping The Spread & Risk Of H7N9 In China

[link to afludiary.blogspot.ca]

With H5N1 still in the wings, and the upstart H7N9 and MERS coronavirus making menacing overtures, infectious disease watchers and public health authorities have their hands full right now, just trying to keep track.  This week we’ve seen the CDC issue new guidance on MERS-CoV along with an IHR Emergency Committee meeting, and warnings from the Chinese government to remain alert for the H7N9 avian flu virus.


Despite these warnings and preparations, no one knows if any of these viruses will pose a serious public health risk this fall and winter.  Officials just know they could.  And while we watch this trio of emerging diseases, we could easily get blind-sided by something else.  

*also saw something about 4possible new MERS cases, but not confirmed
will keep looking.

3 New MERS cases in Saudi Arabia

[link to crofsblogs.typepad.com]

So we're now up to 117 cases; deaths remain at 49.

Does anyone else think FunVax is MERS?

Three new cases of MERS detected in S. Arabia, Oct 27, 2013.

Three new cases of MERS have been found in Saudi Arabia, bringing the total confirmed cases to 124 and worldwide 149.

[link to www.worldbulletin.net]

Health officials say the situation is “serious” after a domestic worker was hospitalized in November.

H7N9, an influenza virus that normally infects birds such as chickens and wild geese, first jumped to human hosts in China early this year. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 20% of those infected have died, but the virus does not spread easily from person to person — at least not yet. So far, the World Health Organization says 137 people have been sickened by H7N9 and 45 have died. Here’s what you need to know about the latest bird flu and whether it poses a threat in the U.S.

Read more: Bird-Flu Case in Hong Kong: What You Need to Know About H7N9 | TIME.com [link to healthland.time.com]

Looks like H7N9 is back.

Will my flu shot protect me against H7N9?

No, there is no vaccine against H7N9 yet, although researchers are working on developing one. This year’s flu shot protects against H1N1, H3N2, and either one or both of the B-group influenza viruses currently circulating around the world.

Read more: Bird-Flu Case in Hong Kong: What You Need to Know About H7N9 | TIME.com [link to healthland.time.com]

Hong Kong steps up border health checks over bird flu

[link to www.channelnewsasia.com]

thanks Wash

2 December 2013 - On 1 December 2013 WHO was informed of an additional three laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in the United Arab Emirates

The three cases belong to a family in Abu Dhabi – a mother (32 years old) who died 2 December 2013*, father (38 years old) and son (8 years old). The earliest onset of illness was 15 November 2013. The father is in a critical condition in hospital. The mother and father had no travel history, no contact with a known confirmed case and no history of contact with animals. While hospitalized, the mother gave birth to a newborn child. The 8 year old son, who has mild respiratory symptoms, was detected from epidemiological investigation of family contacts, and is being kept in hospital isolation. Further investigations into close contacts of the family, the newborn baby, and healthcare workers are on-going.

Additionally, two previously laboratory-confirmed cases from Qatar died on 15 and 21 November 2013**.

Globally, from September 2012 to date, WHO has been informed of a total of 163 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV, including 71 deaths.
[link to www.who.int]

Demographics of Hong Kong

The territory's population in 2011 is 7.07 million, with an average annual growth rate of 0.6% over the previous five years.[3] Residents from mainland China do not have the right of abode in Hong Kong, nor are they allowed to enter the territory freely.[94] However, the influx of immigrants from mainland China, approximating 45,000 per year, is a significant contributor to its population growth – a daily quota of 150 Mainland Chinese with family ties in Hong Kong are granted a "one way permit".[172] Life expectancy in Hong Kong is 79.16 years for males and 84.79 years for females as of 2009, making it one of the highest life expectancies in the world.[2]
[link to en.wikipedia.org]

International city, Dense population, lots of older folks, seems like a great spot for H7N9 to spread. Hope not.