Click to Translate to English Click to Translate to French  Click to Translate to Spanish  Click to Translate to German  Click to Translate to Italian  Click to Translate to Japanese  Click to Translate to Chinese Simplified  Click to Translate to Korean  Click to Translate to Arabic  Click to Translate to Russian  Click to Translate to Portuguese  Click to Translate to Myanmar (Burmese)

PANDEMIC ALERT LEVEL
123456
Forum Home Forum Home > Main Forums > Latest News
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - SEVERE OUTBREAK OF VIRULENT FLU
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

Now tracking the new emerging South Africa Omicron Variant

SEVERE OUTBREAK OF VIRULENT FLU

 Post Reply Post Reply
Author
Message
muriel46 View Drop Down
Valued Member
Valued Member


Joined: December 22 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 123
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote muriel46 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: SEVERE OUTBREAK OF VIRULENT FLU
    Posted: December 22 2006 at 2:26pm
6 area children with flu on life support (in Birmingham, Alabama)
Number, severity of early cases alarm officials
Friday, December 22, 2006
LISA OSBURN             News staff writer

Six children are on life support at Children's Hospital fighting severe cases of influenza, hospital officials said.  The severity of the cases, many developing in the past two weeks, has raised concerns in Birmingham's pediatric medical community, said Dr. David Kimberlin, who specializes in pediatric infectious diseases at UAB.

"It is not the volume and not even the time of year that is jumping out at us," he said. "It is more that, for a number of otherwise healthy children, they are ending up on life support from the flu. The number of times that is occurring - it seems out of the ordinary, at least for now."

Influenza has hit Birmingham area children hard and early this year, with at least 10 reports of critically ill children, said Raenetta Ellison, influenza surveillance coordinator for the Jefferson County Health Department.  Normally, cases of that number and severity are not reported until late January, February and March, she said.

Alabama elevated its weekly influenza report to the "widespread outbrea" category this week, compared with the "regional outbreak" category last week, said Katina James, an epidemiologist with the Alabama Department of Public Health.  Since influenza is not a reportable disease, there are no numbers available for flu cases, she said. Her office had no other reports of severe cases like those seen in Jefferson County.

"Alabama had influenza activity earlier than most other states this year," Kimberlin said. "Right now, we and Florida and perhaps Georgia are really experiencing the largest outbreak of influenza in the country. We have a lot of children in the hospital with influenza, and that includes some very sick children in ICU."   The level of life support varies among the six patients, all of whom have respiratory failure, Kimberlin said. In some cases, in addition to a ventilator, additional support is needed, such as a heart and lung bypass machine.
While most of the younger flu patients are not that severely ill, emergency rooms and doctor's offices are staying packed with sick children, he said.

I would like to know more so we can better understand what we are comparing this against," Kimberlin said. Outside of data that would better track the number of pediatric flu cases, "we are left with clinical impression. And this seems to be a particularly bad year, at least for some normal children who are getting the flu," he said.

Kimberlin, who is an associate professor of pediatrics at UAB, mentioned the 2003-04 flu season, when 153 influenza-associated deaths in children younger than 18 were reported by state health departments across the country. At that time, doctors determined that they did not know enough about how many children get sick during a flu season. Although studies and other types of surveys have been established since then, more time is needed to better compare one year with another, he said.

While the Birmingham and Jefferson and Shelby county school systems are not reporting a spike in sick students overall, there have been isolated cases of the flu hitting individual schools or classrooms, said Cindy Warner, spokeswoman for Shelby County schools.

Mt Laurel Elementary School has taken the brunt of that in Shelby County. At least two of its students have been hospitalized, one in critical condition, and the school had 80 students out sick over the past few weeks, Warner said.

Hundreds sick:

Pinson Elementary and Chalkville Elementary in Jefferson County have reported hundreds of children out sick, many with flu-like symptoms, said Nez Calhoun, Jefferson County schools spokeswoman.

Two weeks ago, the schools had 300 and 400 students out sick, many with flu-like symptoms, on a Thursday and Friday, compared with about 30 to 40 students out sick a year ago. School officials sent letters home to parents urging them to keep sick children at home, she said.

Ellison, who monitors the number and severity of flu cases with the help of participating physicians, said she is urging parents to get their children flu shots and practice good hygiene.

For the week of Dec. 10-16, 186 patients with influenza-like illness, mostly children, sought treatment with a physician participating with the Jefferson County influenza surveillance program, she said. There were 50 such patients at the same time last year.

"It's not too late to vaccinate, and please do so," Kimberlin said. "If you do come down with the flu, there are treatments available."

http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1166793395185660.xml&coll=2

  I am going to email or call whomever I can find contact info for and try to see if they are testing for H5N1.  I am sure they are; it would be totally irresponsible and negligent not to do so.
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest Group
Guest Group
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 22 2006 at 3:02pm
 
 
Florida is showing the largest outbreak..."widespread"
they are not showing it on the map yet
as "widespread" for Alabama....
 
 
 
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest Group
Guest Group
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 22 2006 at 3:07pm
 
OK..... Doctors....get on your laptops and
 
comapare ..  confirm ..... your cases.
 
.......................................................................................
 
"...I would like to know more so we can better understand what we are comparing this against," Kimberlin said.
 
Outside of data that would better track the number of pediatric flu cases, "we are left with clinical impression. And this seems to be a particularly bad year, at least for some normal children who are getting the flu," he said.
 
Kimberlin, who is an associate professor of pediatrics at UAB, mentioned the 2003-04 flu season, when 153 influenza-associated deaths in children younger than 18 were reported by state health departments across the country. At that time, doctors determined that they did not know enough about how many children get sick during a flu season. Although studies and other types of surveys have been established since then, more time is needed to better compare one year with another, he said.
 
...............................................................
 
 
or... enter cyber space.
 
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest Group
Guest Group
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 22 2006 at 4:21pm
"It is not the volume and not even the time of year that is jumping out at us," he said. "It is more that, for a number of otherwise healthy children, they are ending up on life support from the flu. The number of times that is occurring - it seems out of the ordinary, at least for now."
 
Thanks for posting this. Am watching the situation closely and will look for any follow up articles found.
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest Group
Guest Group
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 22 2006 at 5:13pm
Thanks for all the posts and follow-ups, I could never keep up without all of you.
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest Group
Guest Group
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 22 2006 at 8:33pm
from Birmingham, Alabama

http://www.abc3340.com/news/stories/1206/382336.html

Children's Hospital Reports Six Children on Life Support From Flu
Friday December 22, 2006 11:00am

Birmingham (AP) - The number of flu cases among children in the Birmingham area is increasing.

    Some of those cases are severe. Children's Hospital officials say there are six children on life support fighting severe cases of influenza.

    A U-A-B doctor who specializes in infectious diseases among children, Doctor David Kimberlin, says it's the severity of the influenza cases that is alarming health officials.

    He says the concern is that otherwise healthy children are winding up on life support from the flu.

    A Jefferson County Health Department official, Raenetta Ellison, says the flu has hit Birmingham area children early this year. She says there have been at least ten reports of critically ill children in the area from flu.
.........................................................

    
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest Group
Guest Group
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 23 2006 at 12:12am
Kids shouldnt have to deal with stuff like this.Makes me ill.
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest Group
Guest Group
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 23 2006 at 4:45am

6 Area Children With Flu On Life Support (Birmingham, Ala)
Birmingham News ^ | 12-22-2006 | Lisa Osburn

6 area children with flu on life support

Number, severity of early cases alarm officials

Friday, December 22, 2006
LISA OSBURN
News staff writer

Six children are on life support at Children's Hospital fighting severe cases of influenza, hospital officials said.

The severity of the cases, many developing in the past two weeks, has raised concerns in Birmingham's pediatric medical community, said Dr. David Kimberlin, who specializes in pediatric infectious diseases at UAB.

"It is not the volume and not even the time of year that is jumping out at us," he said. "It is more that, for a number of otherwise healthy children, they are ending up on life support from the flu. The number of times that is occurring - it seems out of the ordinary, at least for now."

Influenza has hit Birmingham area children hard and early this year, with at least 10 reports of critically ill children, said Raenetta Ellison, influenza surveillance coordinator for the Jefferson County Health Department.

Normally, cases of that number and severity are not reported until late January, February and March, she said.

Alabama elevated its weekly influenza report to the "widespread outbrea" category this week, compared with the "regional outbreak" category last week, said Katina James, an epidemiologist with the Alabama Department of Public Health.

Since influenza is not a reportable disease, there are no numbers available for flu cases, she said. Her office had no other reports of severe cases like those seen in Jefferson County.

"Alabama had influenza activity earlier than most other states this year," Kimberlin said. "Right now, we and Florida and perhaps Georgia are really experiencing the largest outbreak of influenza in the country. We have a lot of children in the hospital with influenza, and that includes some very sick children in ICU."

The level of life support varies among the six patients, all of whom have respiratory failure, Kimberlin said. In some cases, in addition to a ventilator, additional support is needed, such as a heart and lung bypass machine.

While most of the younger flu patients are not that severely ill, emergency rooms and doctor's offices are staying packed with sick children, he said. "I would like to know more so we can better understand what we are comparing this against," Kimberlin said. Outside of data that would better track the number of pediatric flu cases, "we are left with clinical impression. And this seems to be a particularly bad year, at least for some normal children who are getting the flu," he said.

Kimberlin, who is an associate professor of pediatrics at UAB, mentioned the 2003-04 flu season, when 153 influenza-associated deaths in children younger than 18 were reported by state health departments across the country. At that time, doctors determined that they did not know enough about how many children get sick during a flu season. Although studies and other types of surveys have been established since then, more time is needed to better compare one year with another, he said.

While the Birmingham and Jefferson and Shelby county school systems are not reporting a spike in sick students overall, there have been isolated cases of the flu hitting individual schools or classrooms, said Cindy Warner, spokeswoman for Shelby County schools.

Mt Laurel Elementary School has taken the brunt of that in Shelby County. At least two of its students have been hospitalized, one in critical condition, and the school had 80 students out sick over the past few weeks, Warner said.

Hundreds sick:

Pinson Elementary and Chalkville Elementary in Jefferson County have reported hundreds of children out sick, many with flu-like symptoms, said Nez Calhoun, Jefferson County schools spokeswoman.

Two weeks ago, the schools had 300 and 400 students out sick, many with flu-like symptoms, on a Thursday and Friday, compared with about 30 to 40 students out sick a year ago. School officials sent letters home to parents urging them to keep sick children at home, she said.

Ellison, who monitors the number and severity of flu cases with the help of participating physicians, said she is urging parents to get their children flu shots and practice good hygiene.

For the week of Dec. 10-16, 186 patients with influenza-like illness, mostly children, sought treatment with a physician participating with the Jefferson County influenza surveillance program, she said. There were 50 such patients at the same time last year.

"It's not too late to vaccinate, and please do so," Kimberlin said. "If you do come down with the flu, there are treatments available."

E-mail: losburn@bhamnews.com

Back to Top
Albert View Drop Down
Admin
Admin


Joined: April 24 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 47746
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Albert Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 23 2006 at 5:31am
Merged two similar threads...  We can also hold this as a sticky topic for the next day or two since it has quite a bit of interest.   
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest Group
Guest Group
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 23 2006 at 7:01am
Thanks Albert.

I think this will turn out to be a "B" virus type like closed schools in some other states. The seasonal flu shots are for protection from some "A" virus strains and is having no effect against this.
Back to Top
Judy View Drop Down
Valued Member
Valued Member
Avatar

Joined: August 24 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 402
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Judy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 23 2006 at 7:10am
This is very disturbing. Thanks for making this a sticky, Albert.
If ignorance is bliss, what is chocolate?
   
Back to Top
muriel46 View Drop Down
Valued Member
Valued Member


Joined: December 22 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 123
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote muriel46 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 23 2006 at 11:28am
I called the Birmingham News this afternoon, and was told that they had no new information at the moment, but they were working on it this afternoon, and would most likely have another article tomorrow in Sunday's paper.  We'll see what they find out, if anything.  Somehow I doubt that typing of the virus will be mentioned.
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest Group
Guest Group
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 23 2006 at 8:39pm
this is interesting,,
a friend of mine in missouri said her son (7 yrs old) broke out with a bad case of the flu.  he's in the hospital, the rest of the fam is on tamiflu as prescribed by his dr (they didn't even know what it was) and they had to report it to the CDC.
 
does this strike you as kinda over the top for the "regular" flu?
 
 
 
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest Group
Guest Group
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 23 2006 at 9:17pm
 
It Began in September 2006....
 
 
 

Flu outbreaks in south Alabama towns unrelated

By M.J. Ellington
DAILY Staff Writer

mjellington@decaturdaily.com · (334) 262-1104

 
 
excerpt...

MONTGOMERY — Two southeast Alabama towns less than 25 miles apart have flu outbreaks, but state health officials say the outbreaks are from different strains of the disease and unrelated.

That means that people with influenza A H1N1 in Ozark did not pass on the bug to their neighbors in Dothan, less than 25 miles to the south. The three confirmed Dothan cases of influenza B Shanghai type turned up in the last week.

 
.........................................................................................................
 
 
FDA panel recommends flu vaccine changes for 2006/07


Fri Feb 17, 2006 6:00 PM ET
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2006-02-17T225959Z_01_N17187894_RTRUKOC_0_US-FLU.xml


By Todd Zwillich
 
 
 
Excerpt....

Influenza causes an estimated 200,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths per year in the United States, according to the CDC.
The vast majority of cases are caused by Influenza A viruses.
The FDA advisory panel voted to change the current vaccine's "California" strain of the H3N2 Influenza A virus to a different H3N2 strain known as a "Wisconsin" strain.
 
Experts also recommended a shift from the less common
 
"Shanghai" Influenza B strain to a different B strain known as
 
"Malaysia/2506."
 
The panel recommended no change to the current vaccine's "New Caledonia" strain of the H1N1 Influenza A virus.
 
 
..............................................................................................................
 
 
An interesting report...
 
 
 
another...
 
 
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest Group
Guest Group
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 23 2006 at 11:45pm
 
UPDATED FLU MAP.....  
 
 
 
From the CDC...
...............................
 
Influenza Activity as Assessed by State and Territorial Epidemiologists*:
During week 50, the following influenza activity†† was reported:

Widespread activity was reported by three states (Alabama, Florida, and Georgia).

Regional activity was reported by nine states (Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas).
 
Local activity was reported by six states (Connecticut, Hawaii, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Utah).

Sporadic activity was reported by the District of Columbia, New York City and 26 states (Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming).

• No influenza activity was reported by six states (Kansas, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, Vermont, and West Virginia).
 
 
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest Group
Guest Group
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 24 2006 at 8:29am
hey, ya'll from lower southern Alabama. My son lives in Prattville, outside of Montgomery, he states that alot of children in his children's shools have been out sick. They ended school there, I think he said Dec. 15 for Christmas break.His daughters are fine so far. There is alot of sickness going around here (Mobile) my DH just got over flu like symptoms which lasted 10 days.  Thank goodness we had already had our flu and pneumonia shot, thanks to infor we got on this thread. Our local Bruno's had disposable hand wipes at the door to use prior to pushing your cart. There has been several articles here in the Mobile Register about flu, pandemic flu, and avian flu. These were all seperate articles about 1 wk. ago.
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest Group
Guest Group
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 24 2006 at 11:54am
This is very troubling.   Why would life support be necessary for
so many ?   If I'm not mistaken 'life support' means things like
ventilation,  intravenious feedings,  etc.    That is serious.

During previous flu outbreaks has this been necessary ?

Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest Group
Guest Group
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 24 2006 at 10:46pm
We were told in NC when we closed schools in two counties, that the flu was type B, we were not vacinated this year for type B, but type A. I wonder if some of the children, who typically dont get any flu shots, could have maybe got both forms of the flu and that is why they are so sick?
Back to Top
Twiggley View Drop Down
Adviser Group
Adviser Group
Avatar

Joined: February 11 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 156
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Twiggley Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 25 2006 at 3:57am
another deadly case of Influenza B (18 year old)

Bragg soldier's bride dies during honeymoon

By Nancy McCleary
Staff writer
http://www.fayobserver.com/article?id=250237

HOPE MILLS — Four weeks ago, Aarika Marie White was married to Adam McKay in a ceremony at the Main Post Chapel on Fort Bragg.

Her family decided to wait until she returned from her honeymoon in Maine, Adam’s native state, before announcing the marriage.

But her wedding announcement won’t run in the paper. Her marriage will be announced as part of her obituary.

Aarika, 18, died Thursday at a hospital in Bangor, Maine. Doctors told her parents, Chris and Shari White, she died from the effects of the flu.

“Nobody wants to believe it,” said Shari White. “It’s not real.”

Aarika and Adam, 21, dated two years before marrying on Nov. 25, Shari said.

They left for Maine on Dec. 16, planning to ski and visit with Adam’s parents.

The following Tuesday, Shari said, she spoke with Aarika, who was getting ready to go shopping, for 1 hours.

Aarika didn’t complain of feeling bad, just feeling cold, Shari said. Aarika, a 2006 graduate of South View High School, promised to call her mother the next day.

The phone never rang, Shari said, and when she hadn’t heard from Aarika by midday on Thursday, she knew something was wrong.

At 3:30 p.m., Shari got a call from Adam who said Aarika was being admitted to a small hospital in Bangor, a town of about 33,000, that serves central and eastern Maine.

Shari was able to speak to Aarika.

“She was having back pain, and she was cramping,” said Shari, her eyes tearing occasionally behind her glasses.

“She was crying.”

Adam took the phone and was talking to his mother-in-law when Aarika’s blood pressure suddenly dropped. She was transferred to Eastern Maine Medical Center.

At 5:30 p.m., Adam’s father called, Shari said, and told her she and her husband needed to come as quickly as possible. A doctor spoke with Shari and told her the same thing.

She and Chris checked, but all flights were booked. Chris’ parents said they would come from Holden Beach, pick up the Whites and make the 17-hour drive to Maine.

But they never got on the road. While Shari was talking with the doctor on the phone, Aarika went into cardiac arrest. Medical workers tried to revive her, but it was too late.

Aarika was dead.

Doctors suspected septic shock or bacterial meningitis, Chris said, but tests ruled them out. The only thing tests showed was that Aarika had influenza B, Chris said.

“I talked to her Tuesday afternoon and Thursday, she’s gone,” Shari said.

Adam, a soldier in the 82nd Airborne, is scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan in January. He is still in Maine and taking his wife’s death hard, Shari said. He and his mother will fly to North Carolina with Aarika’s body on Tuesday.

Between now and then, the Whites have to have some semblance of Christmas. They must for their 1-year-old grandson, Camron Williams, who was Aarika’s nephew.

Shari also passed on celebrating her 42nd birthday Friday.

The family is comforted by the thought that Aarika found so much happiness in the past four weeks.

“She was having a ball,” Shari said.
Staff writer Nancy McCleary can be reached at mcclearyn@fayobserver.com or 486-3568.
Back to Top
jdljr1 View Drop Down
Admin Group
Admin Group
Avatar

Joined: June 05 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 1621
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jdljr1 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 25 2006 at 7:50am
     A very tragic story above from Maine.
     Fortunately latest research shows this years's vaccine, one of three of the components in it being of B flu but not Yamgata B currently causing half the B flu cases in the country, will nevertheless probably cross-protect against the Yamagata B also.  However, flu mist, the nasal live-vaccine, may not as it does not cross-protect well with B flus not in the vaccine..  See the various posts re. this topic on our forum.
John L
Back to Top
Albert View Drop Down
Admin
Admin


Joined: April 24 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 47746
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Albert Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 25 2006 at 8:14am
Hopefully things have slowed down in Birmingham over the last few days. 
 
 
Back to Top
gnfin View Drop Down
V.I.P. Member
V.I.P. Member

Location: California

Joined: December 05 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 1364
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote gnfin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 25 2006 at 11:57am
This is scarry stuff! Could this be a case of anything other than regular flu? Whats the latest? The pattern is the children first,then the 25-44 year olds. whats going on here?
Back to Top
gnfin View Drop Down
V.I.P. Member
V.I.P. Member

Location: California

Joined: December 05 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 1364
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote gnfin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 25 2006 at 11:58am
18 year old female just died too?In the USA?????
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest Group
Guest Group
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 25 2006 at 6:32pm
Doctors suspected septic shock or bacterial meningitis, Chris said, but tests ruled them out. The only thing tests showed was that Aarika had influenza B, Chris said.
 
Yikes do not like the sound of this at all.
Back to Top
ops144 View Drop Down
Valued Member
Valued Member
Avatar

Joined: December 26 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 138
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ops144 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 26 2006 at 9:03am
any new info on this?
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest Group
Guest Group
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 26 2006 at 9:49am
from a govt health web site:
Do Influenza B Infections Cause Worse Illness In Children Than Influenza A Infections Cause?
Although anyone can become infected with influenza B, children infected with influenza B will usually show symptoms more frequently than adults infected with influenza B. However, on average, influenza B infections actually result in less severe illness than influenza A infections among all age groups, including children."

So what is happening with Influenza B?


Back to Top
muriel46 View Drop Down
Valued Member
Valued Member


Joined: December 22 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 123
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote muriel46 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 26 2006 at 3:37pm
I got an email today from the reporter who wrote the original article about the children with flu. The article was in the Birmingham News.  Here is her response to my questions about strain, testing for H5N1, and any other information.

"We have been told there are strain A and B types that have put children
in the hospital. I have not heard anything about H5N1. There have been
no cases noted among adults or health care workers. But I have been out
of town for a few days and do not have information for this week.
Thanks, Lisa Osburn. "
Back to Top
ops144 View Drop Down
Valued Member
Valued Member
Avatar

Joined: December 26 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 138
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ops144 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 27 2006 at 2:27pm
rember it dosent have to be h5 that goes pandemic it could be any strain...
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest Group
Guest Group
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 27 2006 at 3:47pm
I agree ops -
 
This is exactly what you would expect on the lead up to a pandemic.
 
There is nothing to stop H1N1 picking up virulent genes from H5N1,as much as vice versa. Thus creating sporodic outbursts of unexplained nasty flu - just remember people die of flu all the time.
 
That could also eplain the numerous waves of 1918 as lets face it  are information on the event is limited, only a few samples were recreated recently, proberly from the final stages of the pandemic. And also after the first few thousand deaths who cares what strain it is.
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest Group
Guest Group
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 27 2006 at 6:46pm
.
    
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest Group
Guest Group
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 27 2006 at 8:52pm
Originally posted by kickyquilt kickyquilt wrote:

What is the diff between flu type A vs flu type B?
 
just googled it and came up with this,,,
Different Types of the Flu

The first flu virus was identified in the 1930s (although the flu has probably existed for centuries). Since then, scientists have classified influenza viruses into 3 types, creatively named
A, B, and C.

  • Influenza Type A is the most common and also the scariest of the three influenzas, causing the most serious epidemics in history.
  • Influenza Type B flu outbreaks also can cause epidemics, but the disease it produces generally is milder than that caused by type A.
  • Influenza Type C flu viruses, on the other hand, have never been connected with a large epidemic, usually just causing mild respiratory infections similar to the common cold.
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest Group
Guest Group
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 27 2006 at 9:00pm

from WIKIPEDIA....

 

Influenzavirus B

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
Orthomyxoviridae
Virus classification
Group: Group V ((-)ssRNA)
Family: Orthomyxoviridae
Genera

Influenzavirus A
Influenzavirus B
Influenzavirus C
Isavirus
Thogotovirus

Influenzavirus B is a genus in the virus family Orthomyxoviridae. The only species in this genus is called "Influenza B virus".

Influenza B viruses are only known to infect humans and seals, giving them influenza. This limited host range is apparently responsible for the lack of Influenzavirus B caused influenza pandemics in contrast with those caused by the morphologically similar Influenzavirus A as both mutate by both genetic drift and reassortment. [1] [2] [3]

Further diminishing the impact of this virus "in man, influenza B viruses evolve slower than A viruses and faster than C viruses". [4] Influenzavirus B mutates at a rate 2-3 times lower than type A.[1] However, influenza B mutates enough that lasting immunity is not possible. For example at the U.S.'s Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee's 101st meeting of February 16, 2005, an extensive discussion and vote was held concerning next year's flu vaccine virus selection including which influenza B strain to use in the formulation of the flu vaccine:

"For Influenza B, the question was asked: are there new strains present? And the answer was yes, and in 2004, the majority of the viruses were similar to a strain called B/Shanghai/361/2002, which is from the so-called B/Yamagata/1688 hemagglutinin lineage. That lineage was not the one that was being used in the vaccine that was current last year. In a minority of the strains that were found during the epidemiological studies were similar to the strain that was in the vaccine for last year, which was B/Hong Kong/330/2001, which belongs to the HA lineage that we represent with the strain B/Victoria/287. In answer to the question were these new viruses spreading, the answer, of course, is definitely yes. The Fujian-like viruses had become widespread around the world and were predominant everywhere, and these B/Shanghai-like strains at the time we were holding this meeting in February were predominant not only in North America and the United States, but also in Asia and Europe."[2]
..................................................................................................

 

Influenzavirus A

Influenzavirus A is a genus of a family of viruses called Orthomyxoviridae in virus classification. Influenzavirus A has only one species in it; that species is called "Influenza A virus". Influenza A virus causes "avian influenza" (also known as bird flu, avian flu, Influenzavirus A flu, type A flu, or genus A flu). It is hosted by birds, but may infect several species of mammals. All known subtypes are endemic in birds. [1]

Contents

[hide]

< =text/> //

[edit] Variants and subtypes

Variants are identified and named according to the isolate that they are like and thus are presumed to share lineage (example Fujian flu virus like); according to their typical host (example Human flu virus); according to their subtype (example H3N2); and according to their deadliness (example LP). So a flu from a virus similar to the isolate A/Fujian/411/2002(H3N2) is called Fujian flu, human flu, and H3N2 flu.

Variants are sometimes named according to the species (host) the strain is endemic in or adapted to. The main variants named using this convention are:

Avian variants have also sometimes been named according to their deadliness in poultry, especially chickens:

  • Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza (LPAI)
  • Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), also called: deadly flu or death flu

The Influenza A virus subtypes are labeled according to an H number (for hemagglutinin) and an N number (for neuraminidase). Each subtype virus has mutated into a variety of strains with differing pathogenic profiles; some pathogenic to one species but not others, some pathogenic to multiple species. Most known strains are extinct strains. For example, the annual flu subtype H3N2 no longer contains the strain that caused the Hong Kong Flu.

Influenza A viruses are negative sense, single-stranded, segmented RNA viruses. "There are 16 different HA antigens (H1 to H16) and nine different NA antigens (N1 to N9) for influenza A. Until recently, 15 HA types had been recognized, but a new type (H16) was isolated from black-headed gulls caught in Sweden and the Netherlands in 1999 and reported in the literature in 2005." [2]

[edit] Annual flu

Electron micrograph of avian flu viruses %28Source: Dr. Erskine Palmer, CDC%29.
Electron micrograph of avian flu viruses (Source: Dr. Erskine Palmer, CDC).
Main article: Flu season

The annual flu (also called "seasonal flu" or "human flu") in the U.S. "results in approximately 36,000 deaths and more than 200,000 hospitalizations each year. In addition to this human toll, influenza is annually responsible for a total cost of over $10 billion in the U.S." [3].

The annually updated trivalent flu vaccine consists of hemagglutinin (HA) surface glycoprotein components from influenza H3N2, H1N1, and B influenza viruses. [4]

The dominant strain in January 2006 is H3N2. Measured resistance to the standard antiviral drugs amantadine and rimantadine in H3N2 has increased from 1% in 1994 to 12% in 2003 to 91% in 2005.

"[C]ontemporary human H3N2 influenza viruses are now endemic in pigs in southern China and can reassort with avian H5N1 viruses in this intermediate host." [5]

[edit] Genetics

"The physical structure of all influenza A viruses is similar. The virions or virus particles are enveloped and can be either spherical or filamentous in form. In clinical isolates that have undergone limited passages in eggs or tissue culture, there are more filamentous than spherical particles, whereas passaged laboratory strains consist mainly of spherical virions."[6]

The Influenza A virus genome is contained on eight single (non-paired) RNA strands that code for eleven proteins (HA, NA, NP, M1, M2, NS1, NEP, PA, PB1, PB1-F2, PB2). The segmented nature of the genome allows for the exchange of entire genes between different viral strains when they cohabitate the same cell. The eight RNA segments are:

  • HA encodes hemagglutinin (about 500 molecules of hemagglutinin are needed to make one virion) "The extent of infection into host organism is determined by HA. Influenza viruses bud from the apical surface of polarized epithelial cells (e.g. bronchial epithelial cells) into lumen of lungs and are therefore usually pneumotropic. The reason is that HA is cleaved by tryptase clara which is restricted to lungs. However HAs of H5 and H7 pantropic avian viruses subtypes can be cleaved by furin and subtilisin-type enzymes, allowing the virus to grow in other organs than lungs." [7]
  • NA encodes neuraminidase (about 100 molecules of neuraminidase are needed to make one virion).
  • NP encodes nucleoprotein.
  • M encodes two matrix proteins (the M1 and the M2) by using different reading frames from the same RNA segment (about 3000 matrix protein molecules are needed to make one virion).
  • NS encodes two distinct non-structural proteins (NS1 and NEP) by using different reading frames from the same RNA segment.
  • PA encodes an RNA polymerase.
  • PB1 encodes an RNA polymerase and PB1-F2 protein (induces apoptosis) by using different reading frames from the same RNA segment.
  • PB2 encodes an RNA polymerase.

The genome segments have common terminal sequences, and the ends of the RNA strands are partially complementary, allowing them to bond to each other by hydrogen bonds. After transcription from negative-sense to positive-sense RNA the +RNA strands get the cellular 5' cap added by cap snatching, which involves the viral protein NS1 binding to the cellular pre-mRNAs. The cap is then cleaved from the cellular pre-mRNA using a second viral protein, PB2. The short oligo cap is then added to the influenza +RNA strands, allowing its processing as messenger RNA by ribosomes. The +RNA strands also serve for synthesis of -RNA strands for new virions.

The RNA synthesis and its assembly with the nucleoprotein takes place in the cell nucleus, the synthesis of proteins takes place in the cytoplasm. The assembled virion cores leave the nucleus and migrate towards the cell membrane, with patches of viral transmembrane proteins (hemagglutinin, neuraminidase and M2 proteins) and an underlying layer of the M1 protein, and bud through these patches, releasing finished enveloped viruses into the extracellular fluid.

[edit] In nonhumans

See H5N1 for the current epizootic (an epidemic in nonhumans) and panzootic (a disease affecting animals of many species especially over a wide area) of H5N1 influenza

Wild fowl act as natural asymptomatic carriers of Influenza A viruses. Prior to the current H5N1 epizootic, strains of Influenza A virus had been demonstrated to be transmitted from wild fowl to only birds, pigs, horses, seals, whales and humans; and only between humans and pigs and between humans and domestic fowl; and not other pathways such as domestic fowl to horse. [8]

H5N1 has been shown to be also transmitted to tigers, leopards, and domestic cats who were fed uncooked domestic fowl (chickens) with the virus. H3N8 viruses from horses have crossed over and caused outbreaks in dogs. Laboratory mice have been successfully infected with a variety of avian flu genotypes. [9]

Influenza A viruses spread in the air and in manure and survives longer in cold weather. It can also be transmitted by contaminated feed, water, equipment and clothing; however, there is no evidence that the virus can survive in well-cooked meat. Symptoms in animals vary, but virulent strains can cause death within a few days.

"Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus is on every top ten list available for potential agricultural bioweapon agents". [10]

Avian influenza viruses that the OIE and others test for in order to control poultry disease include: H5N1, H7N2, H1N7, H7N3, H13N6, H5N9, H11N6, H3N8, H9N2, H5N2, H4N8, H10N7, H2N2, H8N4, H14N5, H6N5, H12N5 and others.

Known outbreaks of highly pathogenic flu in poultry 1959-2003[11]
Year Area Affected Subtype
1959 Scotland chicken H5N1
1963 England turkey H7N3
1966 Ontario (Canada) turkey H5N9
1976 Victoria (Australia) chicken H7N7
1979 Germany chicken H7N7
1979 England turkey H7N7
1983 Pennsylvania (USA)* chicken,turkey H5N2
1983 Ireland turkey H5N8
1985 Victoria (Australia) chicken H7N7
1991 England turkey H5N1
1992 Victoria (Australia) chicken H7N3
1994 Queensland (Australia) chicken H7N3
1994 Mexico* chicken H5N2
1994 Pakistan* chicken H7N3
1997 New South Wales (Australia) chicken H7N4
1997 Hong Kong (China)* chicken H5N1
1997 Italy chicken H5N2
1999 Italy* turkey H7N1
2002 Hong Kong (China) chicken H5N1
2002 Chile chicken H7N3
2003 Netherlands* chicken H7N7

*Outbreaks with significant spread to numerous farms, resulting in great economic losses. Most other outbreaks involved little or no spread from the initially infected farms.

1979: "More than 400 harbor seals, most of them immature, died along the New England coast between December 1979 and October 1980 of acute pneumonia associated with influenza virus, A/Seal/Mass/1/180 (H7N7)." [12]

1995: "[V]accinated birds can develop asymptomatic infections that allow virus to spread, mutate, and recombine (ProMED-mail, 2004j). Intensive surveillance is required to detect these “silent epidemics” in time to curtail them. In Mexico, for example, mass vaccination of chickens against epidemic H5N2 influenza in 1995 has had to continue in order to control a persistent and evolving virus (Lee et al., 2004)." [13]

1997: "Influenza A viruses normally seen in one species sometimes can cross over and cause illness in another species. For example, until 1997, only H1N1 viruses circulated widely in the U.S. pig population. However, in 1997, H3N2 viruses from humans were introduced into the pig population and caused widespread disease among pigs. Most recently, H3N8 viruses from horses have crossed over and caused outbreaks in dogs." [14]

2000: "In California, poultry producers kept their knowledge of a recent H6N2 avian influenza outbreak to themselves due to their fear of public rejection of poultry products; meanwhile, the disease spread across the western United States and has since become endemic." [15]

2003: In Netherlands H7N7 influenza virus infection broke out in poultry on several farms. [16]

2004: In North America, the presence of avian influenza strain H7N3 was confirmed at several poultry farms in British Columbia in February 2004. As of April 2004, 18 farms had been quarantined to halt the spread of the virus. [17]

2005: Tens of millions of birds died of H5N1 influenza and hundreds of millions of birds were culled to protect humans from H5N1. H5N1 is endemic in birds in southeast Asia and represents a long term pandemic threat.

2006: H5N1 spreads across the globe killing hundreds of millions of birds and over 100 people causing a significant H5N1 impact from both actual deaths and predicted possible deaths.

Swine flu
Main article: Swine Flu
Swine flu (or "pig influenza") refers to a subset of Orthomyxoviridae that create influenza in pigs and are endemic in pigs. The species of Orthomyxoviridae that can cause flu in pigs are Influenza A virus and Influenza C virus but not all genotypes of these two species infect pigs. The known subtypes of Influenza A virus that create influenza in pigs and are endemic in pigs are H1N1, H1N2, H3N1 and H3N2.
Horse flu
Main article: Horse flu
Horse flu (or "Equine influenza") refers to varieties of Influenza A virus that affect horses. Horse 'flu viruses were only isolated in 1956. There are two main types of virus called equine-1 (H7N7) which commonly affects horse heart muscle and equine-2 (H3N8) which is usually more severe.
Dog flu
Main article: Dog flu
Dog flu (or "canine influenza") refers to varieties of Influenza A virus that affect dogs. The equine influenza virus H3N8 was found to infect and kill greyhound race dogs that had died from a respiratory illness at a Florida racetrack in January 2004.
H3N8
Main article: H3N8
H3N8 is now endemic in birds, horses and dogs.

[edit] Human influenza virus

"Human influenza virus" usually refers to those subtypes that spread widely among humans. H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2 are the only known Influenza A virus subtypes currently circulating among humans. [18]

Genetic factors in distinguishing between "human flu viruses" and "avian flu viruses" include:

PB2: (RNA polymerase): Amino acid (or residue) position 627 in the PB2 protein encoded by the PB2 RNA gene. Until H5N1, all known avian influenza viruses had a Glu at position 627, while all human influenza viruses had a lysine.
HA: (hemagglutinin): Avian influenza HA bind alpha 2-3 sialic acid receptors while human influenza HA bind alpha 2-6 sialic acid receptors. Swine influenza viruses have the ability to bind both types of sialic acid receptors.

"About 52 key genetic changes distinguish avian influenza strains from those that spread easily among people, according to researchers in Taiwan, who analyzed the genes of more than 400 A type flu viruses."[19] "How many mutations would make an avian virus capable of infecting humans efficiently, or how many mutations would render an influenza virus a pandemic strain, is difficult to predict. We have examined sequences from the 1918 strain, which is the only pandemic influenza virus that could be entirely derived from avian strains. Of the 52 species-associated positions, 16 have residues typical for human strains; the others remained as avian signatures. The result supports the hypothesis that the 1918 pandemic virus is more closely related to the avian influenza A virus than are other human influenza viruses."[20]

Human flu symptoms usually include fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, conjunctivitis and, in severe cases, severe breathing problems and pneumonia that may be fatal. The severity of the infection will depend to a large part on the state of the infected person's immune system and if the victim has been exposed to the strain before, and is therefore partially immune.

Highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu in a human is far worse, killing 50% of humans that catch it. In one case, a boy with H5N1 experienced diarrhea followed rapidly by a coma without developing respiratory or flu-like symptoms. [21]

The Influenza A virus subtypes that have been confirmed in humans, ordered by the number of known human pandemic deaths, are:

H1N1
Main article: H1N1
H1N1 is currently endemic in both human and pig populations. A variant of H1N1 was responsible for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed some 50 million to 100 million people worldwide over about a year in 1918 and 1919. [22] Controversy arose in October, 2005, after the H1N1 genome was published in the journal, Science. Many fear that this information could be used for bioterrorism.
"When he compared the 1918 virus with today's human flu viruses, Dr. Taubenberger noticed that it had alterations in just 25 to 30 of the virus's 4,400 amino acids. Those few changes turned a bird virus into a killer that could spread from person to person." [23]
H2N2
Main article: H2N2
The Asian Flu was a pandemic outbreak of H2N2 avian influenza that originated in China in 1957, spread worldwide that same year during which a flu vaccine was developed, lasted until 1958 and caused between one and four million deaths.
H3N2
Main article: H3N2
H3N2 is currently endemic in both human and pig populations. It evolved from H2N2 by antigenic shift and caused the Hong Kong Flu pandemic of 1968 and 1969 that killed up to 750,000. [24] "An early-onset, severe form of influenza A H3N2 made headlines when it claimed the lives of several children in the United States in late 2003." [25]
The dominant strain of annual flu in January 2006 is H3N2. Measured resistance to the standard antiviral drugs amantadine and rimantadine in H3N2 has increased from 1% in 1994 to 12% in 2003 to 91% in 2005. [26]
"[C]ontemporary human H3N2 influenza viruses are now endemic in pigs in southern China and can reassort with avian H5N1 viruses in this intermediate host." [27]
H5N1
Main article: H5N1
H5N1 is the world's major influenza pandemic threat.
H7N7
Main article: H7N7
H7N7 has unusual zoonotic potential. In 2003 in Netherlands 89 people were confirmed to have H7N7 influenza virus infection following an outbreak in poultry on several farms. One death was recorded.
H1N2
Main article: H1N2
H1N2 is currently endemic in both human and pig populations. The new H1N2 strain appears to have resulted from the reassortment of the genes of the currently circulating influenza H1N1 and H3N2 subtypes. The hemagglutinin protein of the H1N2 virus is similar to that of the currently circulating H1N1 viruses and the neuraminidase protein is similar to that of the current H3N2 viruses.
H9N2
Main article: H9N2
Low pathogenic avian influenza A (H9N2) infection was confirmed in 1999, in China and Hong Kong in two children, and in 2003 in Hong Kong in one child. All three fully recovered. [28]
H7N2
Main article: H7N2
One person in New York in 2003 and one person in Virginia in 2002 were found to have serologic evidence of infection with H7N2. Both fully recovered. [29]
H7N3
Main article: H7N3
In North America, the presence of avian influenza strain H7N3 was confirmed at several poultry farms in British Columbia in February 2004. As of April 2004, 18 farms had been quarantined to halt the spread of the virus. Two cases of humans with avian influenza have been confirmed in that region. "Symptoms included conjunctivitis and mild influenza-like illness." [30] Both fully recovered.
H10N7
Main article: H10N7
In 2004 in Egypt H10N7 is reported for the first time in humans. It caused illness in two infants in Egypt. One child’s father is a poultry merchant. [31]

[edit] Evolution

See also: Punctuated equilibrium

Taubenberger says:

"All influenza A pandemics since [the Spanish flu pandemic], and indeed almost all cases of influenza A worldwide (excepting human infections from avian viruses such as H5N1 and H7N7), have been caused by descendants of the 1918 virus, including "drifted" H1N1 viruses and reassorted H2N2 and H3N2 viruses. The latter are composed of key genes from the 1918 virus, updated by subsequently incorporated avian influenza genes that code for novel surface proteins, making the 1918 virus indeed the "mother" of all pandemics.[32]

Researchers from the National Institutes of Health used data from the Influenza Genome Sequencing Project and concluded that during the ten-year period examined most of the time the hemagglutinin gene in H3N2 showed no significant excess of mutations in the antigenic regions while an increasing variety of strains accumulated. This resulted in one of the variants eventually achieving higher fitness, becoming dominant, and in a brief interval of rapid Darwinian evolution rapidly sweeping through the human population and eliminating most other variants.[33]

[edit] See also

[edit] Further reading

Official sources (also see H5N1)
General information (also see Flu)
News

[edit] Sources and notes

  1. ^ WHO Avian influenza (" bird flu") - Fact sheet
  2. ^ CIDRAP - Center for Infectious Disease Research And Policy Pandemic Influenza Overview
  3. ^ whitehouse.gov National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza - Introduction - "Although remarkable advances have been made in science and medicine during the past century, we are constantly reminded that we live in a universe of microbes - viruses, bacteria, protozoa and fungi that are forever changing and adapting themselves to the human host and the defenses that humans create. Influenza viruses are notable for their resilience and adaptability. While science has been able to develop highly effective vaccines and treatments for many infectious diseases that threaten public health, acquiring these tools is an ongoing challenge with the influenza virus. Changes in the genetic makeup of the virus require us to develop new vaccines on an annual basis and forecast which strains are likely to predominate. As a result, and despite annual vaccinations, the U.S. faces a burden of influenza that results in approximately 36,000 deaths and more than 200,000 hospitalizations each year. In addition to this human toll, influenza is annually responsible for a total cost of over $10 billion in the U.S. A pandemic, or worldwide outbreak of a new influenza virus, could dwarf this impact by overwhelming our health and medical capabilities, potentially resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths, millions of hospitalizations, and hundreds of billions of dollars in direct and indirect costs. This Strategy will guide our preparedness and response activities to mitigate that impact."
  4. ^ CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Research Article - Influenza A (H3N2) Outbreak, Nepal - "The 2003–2004 influenza season was severe in terms of its impact on illness because of widespread circulation of antigenically distinct influenza A (H3N2) Fujian-like viruses. These viruses first appeared late during the 2002–2003 influenza season and continued to persist as the dominant circulating strain throughout the subsequent 2003–2004 influenza season, replacing the A/Panama/2007/99-like H3N2 viruses (1). Of the 172 H3N2 viruses genetically characterized by the Department of Defense in 2003–2004, only 1 isolate (from Thailand) belonged to the A/Panama-like lineage. In February 2003, the World Health Organization (WHO) changed the H3N2 component for the 2004–2005 influenza vaccine to afford protection against the widespread emergence of Fujian-like viruses (2). The annually updated trivalent vaccine consists of hemagglutinin (HA) surface glycoprotein components from influenza H3N2, H1N1, and B viruses."
  5. ^ NAP Books National Academies Press - Books - "The Threat of Pandemic Influenza: Are We Ready? Workshop Summary (2005)" - page 126 - "H5N1 virus is now endemic in poultry in Asia (Table 2-1) and has gained an entrenched ecological niche from which to present a long-term pandemic threat to humans. At present, these viruses are poorly transmitted from poultry to humans, and there is no conclusive evidence of human-to-human transmission. However, continued, extensive exposure of the human population to H5N1 viruses increases the likelihood that the viruses will acquire the necessary characteristics for efficient human-to-human transmission through genetic mutation or reassortment with a prevailing human influenza A virus. Furthermore, contemporary human H3N2 influenza viruses are now endemic in pigs in southern China (Peiris et al., 2001) and can reassort with avian H5N1 viruses in this 'intermediate host.' Therefore, it is imperative that outbreaks of H5N1 disease in poultry in Asia are rapidly and sustainably controlled. The seasonality of the disease in poultry, together with the control measures already implemented, are likely to reduce temporarily the frequency of H5N1 influenza outbreaks and the probability of human infection."
  6. ^ Clinical Services Journal article Avian influenza issues analysed published March 2006
  7. ^ UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot entry P09345 Complete sequence of a cDNA clone of the hemagglutinin gene of influenza A/Chicken/Scotland/59 (H5N1) virus: comparison with contemporary North American and European strains.
  8. ^ NAP Books National Academies Press Books - The Threat of Pandemic Influenza: Are We Ready? Workshop Summary (2005) - page 30
  9. ^ NAP Books National Academies Press Books - The Threat of Pandemic Influenza: Are We Ready? Workshop Summary (2005) - page 82 - "Interestingly, recombinant influenza viruses containing the 1918 HA and NA and up to three additional genes derived from the 1918 virus (the other genes being derived from the A/WSN/33 virus) were all highly virulent in mice (Tumpey et al., 2004). Furthermore, expression microarray analysis performed on whole lung tissue of mice infected with the 1918 HA/ NA recombinant showed increased upregulation of genes involved in apoptosis, tissue injury, and oxidative damage (Kash et al., 2004). These findings were unusual because the viruses with the 1918 genes had not been adapted to mice. The completion of the sequence of the entire genome of the 1918 virus and the reconstruction and characterization of viruses with 1918 genes under appropriate biosafety conditions will shed more light on these findings and should allow a definitive examination of this explanation. Antigenic analysis of recombinant viruses possessing the 1918 HA and NA by hemagglutination inhibition tests using ferret and chicken antisera suggested a close relationship with the A/swine/Iowa/30 virus and H1N1 viruses isolated in the 1930s (Tumpey et al., 2004), further supporting data of Shope from the 1930s (Shope, 1936). Interestingly, when mice were immunized with different H1N1 virus strains, challenge studies using the 1918-like viruses revealed partial protection by this treatment, suggesting that current vaccination strategies are adequate against a 1918-like virus (Tumpey et al., 2004)."
  10. ^ NAP Books National Academies Press Books - The Threat of Pandemic Influenza: Are We Ready? Workshop Summary (2005) - page 285 - "As of October 2001, the potential for use of infectious agents, such as anthrax, as weapons has been firmly established. It has been suggested that attacks on a nation’s agriculture might be a preferred form of terrorism or economic disruption that would not have the attendant stigma of infecting and causing disease in humans. Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus is on every top ten list available for potential agricultural bioweapon agents, generally following foot and mouth disease virus and Newcastle disease virus at or near the top of the list. Rapid detection techniques for bioweapon agents are a critical need for the first-responder community, on a par with vaccine and antiviral development in preventing spread of disease."
  11. ^ WHO Avian influenza A(H5N1)- update 31: Situation (poultry) in Asia: need for a long-term response, comparison with previous outbreaks - Known outbreaks of highly pathogenic flu in poultry 1959-2003.
  12. ^ NCBI - NLM - NIH National Center for Biotechnology Information (part of) U.S. National Library of Medicine (part of) National Institutes of Health (part of) US Government - Science. 1982 Feb 26;215(4536):1129-31. - Mass mortality of harbor seals: pneumonia associated with influenza A virus. - "More than 400 harbor seals, most of them immature, died along the New England coast between December 1979 and October 1980 of acute pneumonia associated with influenza virus, A/Seal/Mass/1/180 (H7N7). The virus has avian characteristics, replicates principally in mammals, and causes mild respiratory disease in experimentally infected seals. Concurrent infection with a previously undescribed mycoplasma or adverse environmental conditions may have triggered the epizootic. The similarities between this epizootic and other seal mortalities in the past suggest that these events may be linked by common biological and environmental factors."
  13. ^ NAP Books National Academies Press Books - The Threat of Pandemic Influenza: Are We Ready? Workshop Summary (2005) - page 15 - "Unlike most other affected countries, Indonesia also instituted mass vaccination of healthy domestic birds against H5N1, followed by routine vaccination (China has a similar policy; other Asian countries are considering it [ProMED-mail, 2004j]) (Soebandrio, 2004). This is a risky strategy, because vaccinated birds can develop asymptomatic infections that allow virus to spread, mutate, and recombine (ProMED-mail, 2004j). Intensive surveillance is required to detect these “silent epidemics” in time to curtail them. In Mexico, for example, mass vaccination of chickens against epidemic H5N2 influenza in 1995 has had to continue in order to control a persistent and evolving virus (Lee et al., 2004)."
  14. ^ CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Transmission of Influenza A Viruses Between Animals and People
  15. ^ NAP Books National Academies Press Books - The Threat of Pandemic Influenza: Are We Ready? Workshop Summary (2005) - page 27.
  16. ^ BBC News Early bird flu warning for Dutch - 6 November 2005
  17. ^ CDC detailed analysis Human Illness from Avian Influenza H7N3, British Columbia
  18. ^ CDC Key Facts About Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) and Avian Influenza A (H5N1) Virus
  19. ^ Bloomberg News article Scientists Move Closer to Understanding Flu Virus Evolution published August 28, 2006
  20. ^ CDC Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal Volume 12, Number 9 – September 2006 - Genomic Signatures of Human versus Avian Influenza A Viruses article by Chen G-W, Chang S-C, Mok C-K, Lo Y-L, Kung Y-N, Huang J-H, et al. posted August 23, 2006
  21. ^ New England Journal of Medicine Volume 352:686-691 - February 17, 2005 - Number 7 - Fatal Avian Influenza A (H5N1) in a Child Presenting with Diarrhea Followed by Coma
  22. ^ NAP Books National Academies Press Books - The Threat of Pandemic Influenza: Are We Ready? Workshop Summary (2005) - page 7.
  23. ^ New York Times Published: November 8, 2005 - Hazard in Hunt for New Flu: Looking for Bugs in All the Wrong Places
  24. ^ Detailed chart of its evolution here at PDF called Ecology and Evolution of the Flu
  25. ^ NAP Books National Academies Press Books - The Threat of Pandemic Influenza: Are We Ready? Workshop Summary (2005) - page 115 - "There is particular pressure to recognize and heed the lessons of past influenza pandemics in the shadow of the worrisome 2003–2004 flu season. An early-onset, severe form of influenza A H3N2 made headlines when it claimed the lives of several children in the United States in late 2003. As a result, stronger than usual demand for annual flu inactivated vaccine outstripped the vaccine supply, of which 10 to 20 percent typically goes unused. Because statistics on pediatric flu deaths had not been collected previously, it is unknown if the 2003–2004 season witnessed a significant change in mortality patterns."
  26. ^ Reason New York Times This Season's Flu Virus Is Resistant to 2 Standard Drugs By Altman Published: January 15, 2006
  27. ^ NAP Books National Academies Press Books - The Threat of Pandemic Influenza: Are We Ready? Workshop Summary (2005) - page 126
  28. ^ CDC Avian Influenza Infection in Humans
  29. ^ CDC Avian Influenza Infection in Humans
  30. ^ CDC detailed analysis Human Illness from Avian Influenza H7N3, British Columbia
  31. ^ niaid.nih.gov Timeline of Human Flu Pandemics
  32. ^ CDC ARTICLE 1918 Influenza: the Mother of All Pandemics by Jeffery K. Taubenberger published January 2006
  33. ^ Science Daily article New Study Has Important Implications For Flu Surveillance published October 27, 2006
from WIKIPEDIA....
 
Back to Top
Judy View Drop Down
Valued Member
Valued Member
Avatar

Joined: August 24 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 402
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Judy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 28 2006 at 12:30am
AnnHarra: Great post. Good work, thanks.Thumbs Up
If ignorance is bliss, what is chocolate?
   
Back to Top
Guests View Drop Down
Guest Group
Guest Group
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December 28 2006 at 7:54am
Very informative - thanks!
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply
  Share Topic   

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down