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 - INDIA h1n1 reaching epidemic proportions
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

Now tracking the new emerging South Africa Omicron Variant

INDIA h1n1 reaching epidemic proportions

 Post Reply Post Reply
Author
Message
carbon20 View Drop Down
Moderator
Moderator
Avatar

Joined: April 08 2006
Location: West Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 65816
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote carbon20 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: INDIA h1n1 reaching epidemic proportions
    Posted: September 03 2017 at 6:05am

Delhi: Swine flu death toll higher than reported

Just five hospitals in the city have witnessed at least 43 deaths. Vulnerable groups include pregnant women, children under five, the over-65s and those with serious medical conditions.

 

Priyanka Sharma | Posted by Ganesh Kumar Radha Udayakumar
New Delhi, September 3, 2017 | UPDATED 08:50 IST
Swine flu (Image for representation)Swine flu (Image for representation)

HIGHLIGHTS

  • 1
    H1N1 cases in alarming proportions in Delhi in '17: RML Hospital chief
  • 2
    H1N1 virus in circulation this year is of the Michigan strain: Researchers
  • 3
    One of the major reasons is erratic rains and intense humidity: BLK hospital doctor

The Capital is being swept by a deadly swine flu wave that has left hundreds ill and claimed dozens of lives. While the government has reports of 2,177 cases with five deaths over the past two months, MAIL TODAY confirmed from top hospitals in the city that the toll is multiple times higher.

In 2009-10, the H1N1 swine flu pandemic spread from central Mexico to 74 other countries including India, killing an estimated 2,84,000 people, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The respiratory illness originated in pigs, but is now a human disease spread by coughing and sneezing. Symptoms are similar to those produced by standard, seasonal flu - fever, cough, sore throat, body aches and chills.

Vulnerable groups include pregnant women, children under five, the over-65s and those with serious medical conditions. Just five hospitals in the city have witnessed at least 43 deaths.

'ALARMING PROPORTIONS'

At Delhi's AIIMS, a senior doctor said about 40 confirmed cases of swine flu have been recorded with at least 11 patients dying of the disease in the last two months.

"This year, we are witnessing the H1N1 cases in alarming proportions in Delhi. Our hospital has at least 200 positive cases of swine flu and 13 people died due to the disease," Dr AK Gadpayle, director of RML Hospital, told Mail Today. "In fact, four paediatric patients who are in the ICU have been diagnosed. We have dedicated ICU beds and a large amount of drugs, syrups, vaccines and masks to deal with the disease."

Swine flu is more aggressive this year even as vector-borne diseases such as dengue, malaria and chikungunya are also stalking the city, Dr Gadpayle added, asking residents to stay cautious.

MICHIGAN STRAIN

According to medical researchers, the H1N1 virus in circulation this year is of the Michigan strain. Previously, Delhi was hit by the California strain. Sir Ganga Ram Hospital confirmed three swine flu deaths and 233 positive cases. Neighbouring, BLK Super Speciality Hospital also reported three H1N1 deaths this monsoon.

"We were of the view that cases will decrease, but in the past two weeks a lot of patients have been being diagnosed with influenza A (H1N1) virus. Three patients died. It is the first time that we are treating swine flu cases in monsoon at such a large scale," said Dr RK Singal, head of internal medicine at BLK hospital.

"One of the major reasons is erratic rains and intense humidity in the city. People should avoid crowded places and maintain good hand hygiene."

The crippling outbreak in 2009-2010 affected around 50,000 people in the country and claimed the lives of more than 2,700.

"The actual number of deaths is much higher than the official figure of five. Cases are underreported," said a doctor at a private facility. Dr AK Rai, director of the government-run Safdarjung Hospital, informed this reporter of 33 confirmed cases of swine flu and 13 patient deaths.

TREATMENT

He said treatment is being provided based on health ministry guidelines and cases are rising because of more aggressive surveillance than previous years. A senior doctor at Fortis Hospital in Shalimar Bagh also informed of two swine flu deaths of swine flu this season.

Some of the same antiviral drugs that are used to treat seasonal flu also work against H1N1 swine flu. Oseltamivir (Tamiflu), peramivir (Rapivab), and zanamivir (Relenza) seem to work best, although some kinds of swine flu don't respond to oseltamivir, say experts. Recommendations to prevent spread of the virus among humans include using standard infection control, such as frequent washing of hands with soap and water or with alcohol-based hand sanitisers, especially after being out in public.

Chance of transmission is also reduced by disinfecting household surfaces, which can be done effectively with a diluted chlorine bleach solution.

ALSO READ

Delhi: City doctor adopts new posture on swine flu

AAP, MCD at loggerheads in monthly meeting over vector-borne diseases in city  

 

Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.đź––

Marcus Aurelius
Back to Top
carbon20 View Drop Down
Moderator
Moderator
Avatar

Joined: April 08 2006
Location: West Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 65816
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote carbon20 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 03 2017 at 6:09am

With 1,000 deaths, is India facing a swine flu epidemic?

25 Aug 2017 | By Gogona Saikia
The swine flu situation in India
SHARE
Follow

The swine flu situation in India is nearing an epidemic. In the last eight months, as many as 1,094 deaths have been reported.

This is a fourfold increase than the number of fatalities recorded in the same period last year.

The total number of recorded cases is 22,186. Last week was particularly bad with 342 reported deaths.

The situation is the worst in Maharashtra (437).

In context: The swine flu situation in India

DiseaseWhat is swine flu?

Swine flu is a respiratory disease caused by an influenza type A virus called H1N1. It originated in pigs, that's why the term 'swine' flu.

The virus was first reported in Mexico in 2009 and has spread around the world fast.

It spreads by sneezing or coughing. Pregnant women, children under five and elderly above 65, and those with respiratory conditions are the most vulnerable.

25 Aug 2017With 1,000 deaths, is India facing a swine flu epidemic?

âť®
What seemed better in 2016 is getting worse again

StatsWhat seemed better in 2016 is getting worse again

In 2009-10, India witnessed the worst outbreak of the disease till now, with 50,000 reported cases and over 2,700 deaths.

Two years ago, an outbreak killed over 1,900, but in 2016 the number dipped to 265. 1,786 cases were reported.

Things seem to be getting worse again.

However, according to Dr Sanjay Gururaj, "The official numbers are possibly just the tip of the iceberg."

Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.đź––

Marcus Aurelius
Back to Top
carbon20 View Drop Down
Moderator
Moderator
Avatar

Joined: April 08 2006
Location: West Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 65816
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote carbon20 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 03 2017 at 2:57pm

Spurt in diseases due to floods; swine flu toll rises

 Jyoti Shelar
SEPTEMBER 04, 2017 00:36 IST<one>
UPDATED: SEPTEMBER 04, 2017 00:36 IST<one>
< marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" border="0" height="90" width="100%" id="_mN_main_765638122_0_n" style="-sizing: border-; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; max-width: none; outline: 0px !imant;">
4BmSwine Flucol

Doctors report increase in influenza cases; leptospirosis, dengue, malaria too see rise

Mumbai: The floods brought about by heavy rain on August 29 have led to the spread of several diseases in the city, even as the swine flu death toll in the State inched closer to 500. Doctors say while the H1N1 virus is already in the air, cases of gastroenteritis, dengue and malaria are expected to see a rise in the days to come. Another ailment that Mumbaikars should be cautious about is leptospirosis, as many have walked through the flood waters.

Leptospira is a bacterium present in rat and cattle urine. It enters the body when people with unhealed cuts or wounds on their feet come in contact with water mixed with the urine.

Dr. Pradip Shah, who heads the department of medicine at Fortis Hospital, Mulund, said, “The civic body had issued an advisory that asks people who have walked through flood water to take preventive medication. But the prophylaxis is effective only if taken within 72 hours. Those who have missed the window should be cautious when symptoms are visible, and should immediately see a doctor,” he said.

The most common symptoms are high fever, chills, weakness, muscle ache and vomiting. According to Dr. Shah, patients with typical symptoms of gastroenteritis like diarrhoea and vomiting have already started coming in. “Flood water contains bacteria, parasites and other organisms that can lead to infections. The most common ones are gastrointestinal tract infections which may arise due to contaminated water and food.”

Dr. Pratit Samdani, who practices at several south Mumbai hospitals, said dengue cases have gone up in the past week. “We are seeing patients with severe falls in platelet counts, as low as 5,000 to one lakh. The normal platelet count is between 1.50 lakh and 4.5 lakh. I have at least 12 dengue patients admitted under me in various hospitals. Sporadic cases of malaria have also been coming in.”

Flus causing havoc: docs

This year, the State has recorded 4,628 cases of swine flu and 488 deaths due to it. Dr. Samdani said, “Besides H1N1, other influenza viruses are in the air, causing fever, runny nose and sore throat. The best way to beat them and keep others in the family from getting infected is to get immediate treatment and completing the prescribed course of medicines.”

Seasonal flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, and lungs. It can cause mild to severe illness, and can lead to death. The viruses mostly spread when flu patients cough, sneeze or talk.

Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.đź––

Marcus Aurelius
Back to Top
jacksdad View Drop Down
Executive Admin
Executive Admin
Avatar

Joined: September 08 2007
Location: San Diego
Status: Offline
Points: 47251
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote jacksdad Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 03 2017 at 3:44pm
Tough little virus. From it's debut in 1918, to it's remarkable ability to mutate, H1N1 really has shown that it should never be underestimated. India's been fighting it harder than most for quite a few years now, unfortunately.






"Buy it cheap. Stack it deep"
"Any community that fails to prepare, with the expectation that the federal government will come to the rescue, will be tragically wrong." Michael Leavitt, HHS Secretary.
Back to Top
arirish View Drop Down
Admin Group
Admin Group
Avatar

Joined: June 19 2013
Location: Arkansas
Status: Offline
Points: 39215
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote arirish Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 04 2017 at 7:54pm
I understand it's hitting Myanmar and Nepal hard as well!
Buy more ammo!
Back to Top
Technophobe View Drop Down
Assistant Admin
Assistant Admin
Avatar

Joined: January 16 2014
Location: Scotland
Status: Offline
Points: 88450
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Technophobe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 05 2017 at 5:00am
Myanmar has a big exodus of refugees from the Rohinga community at the moment too.  They are flooding into Bangaldesh, which itself is suffering from massive flooding (H2O).  the results of that mix could be nasty.
How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.
Back to Top
jacksdad View Drop Down
Executive Admin
Executive Admin
Avatar

Joined: September 08 2007
Location: San Diego
Status: Offline
Points: 47251
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jacksdad Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 05 2017 at 9:35am
Exactly what strikes me when I see stories like this, Techno. It's the mix that troubles me the most. We have lots of influenza viruses circulating now - in no small part due to our shortsightedness in destroying remote habitats, and raising our animals just the way viruses like it.

Novel viruses struggle to get the last piece of the puzzle and jump to humans efficiently. H1N1 has that in abundance, plus the ability to mutate. Handing that little package off to H7N9 (or something we haven't seen yet) could easily put a dent in everyone's plans for quite some time.


"Buy it cheap. Stack it deep"
"Any community that fails to prepare, with the expectation that the federal government will come to the rescue, will be tragically wrong." Michael Leavitt, HHS Secretary.
Back to Top
carbon20 View Drop Down
Moderator
Moderator
Avatar

Joined: April 08 2006
Location: West Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 65816
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote carbon20 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 05 2017 at 3:25pm
these little "friends"could be planing a reunion ,and 100 year bithday next year..............


Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.đź––

Marcus Aurelius
Back to Top
carbon20 View Drop Down
Moderator
Moderator
Avatar

Joined: April 08 2006
Location: West Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 65816
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote carbon20 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 05 2017 at 3:27pm

It was a cruel coda to an atrocious war. Just as the guns fell silent at the close of World War I in the fall of 1918, the dying only accelerated as a deadly pestilence raged across the globe. The “Spanish flu” would ultimately claim 50 million lives—three percent of the world’s population—before it dissipated in 1920. The global influenza pandemic was three times deadlier than World War I, and according to new research by a Canadian historian, the timing between the dual global catastrophes was no coincidence.

For most of the past century, scientists and medical researchers have hotly debated the origins of the 1918 influenza outbreak. Although the pandemic had been dubbed the “Spanish flu,” it only appeared to hit harder in neutral Spain because the country was free from wartime newspaper censors such as those in the United States, France and the United Kingdom who minimized reports of the influenza outbreak in order to prevent potential panic. While some researchers have pointed to a military camp in Kansas or the front-line trenches in France as the breeding ground for the disease, a Canadian historian believes he has discovered evidence to support those who theorized that the “Spanish flu” actually started a world away in China.

According to a new article published in the January 2014 issue of the journal War in History, historian Mark Humphries of Canada’s Memorial University of Newfoundland points to newly unearthed records to make the case that the lethal influenza pandemic first appeared in China in 1917 and then exploded across the globe “as previously isolated populations came into contact with one another on the battlefields of Europe.”

Humphries, author of “The Last Plague: Spanish Influenza and the Politics of Public Health in Canada,” writes that victims of a mysterious respiratory disease that broke out in northern China in November 1917 suffered many of the same symptoms as those of the “Spanish flu.” Doctors reported that patients turned blue from a lack of oxygen, coughed up blood and suffered from fevers, headaches, pneumonia and shortness of breath. The highly contagious and deadly disease was particularly unusual in that it killed otherwise healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 40 by seemingly turning their strong immune systems against them. However, with no solid scientific evidence of the outbreak’s cause, local Chinese health officials labeled it “winter sickness” and chose not to quarantine citizens or enact travel restrictions.

How would have the influenza strain spread from China to North America and Europe? Humphries points to a historical footnote from World War I—the shipment of 94,000 laborers from northern China to southern England and France to free up able-bodied British and French citizens to fight on the front lines of the Western Front. During the winter of 1917, upwards of 20,000 workers a month from the plague-infected area of China arrived in the British-leased port city of Weihaiwei to become part of the Chinese Labor Corps. They were packed into crowded barracks, which were breeding grounds for influenza. Although the British were aware of the outbreaks at their barracks, they still shipped out the Chinese workers.

The Chinese Labor Corps was originally transported around Africa or by way of the Suez Canal, but as resources were diverted to troop transports, the British needed an alternative route to Europe. Canada gave its assent for the Chinese laborers to land in Vancouver, travel across the country by train and depart for Europe from the Atlantic port of Halifax. However, with nativist feelings running high in wartime Canada and fears that the Chinese laborers might attempt to escape inside their country, Canadian authorities kept the operation secret, banning coverage of it in the press and placing special army guards inside sealed train cars with the Chinese workers and stationing them at camps encased in barbed wire.

Humphries found medical records indicating that more than 3,000 of the 25,000 Chinese Labor Corps workers transported across Canada beginning in 1917 ended up in medical quarantine, many with flu-like symptoms. The influenza ripped through the Canadian guards and soon took root in North America. “Ethnocentric fears—both official and popular—facilitated its spread along military pathways that had been carved out across the globe to sustain the war effort on the Western Front,” Humphries write.

Hundreds of the Chinese who continued on to Europe died there of respiratory illness, and the influenza they brought with them “mutated and then exploded along the sinews of war,” according to the journal article. The flu outbreak that came from China boomeranged back to North America and then across the Pacific Ocean. This deadly wave, however, proved much less lethal in China than the mysterious illness that broke out in 1917, which Humphries points to as potential proof that it was the epicenter of the outbreak because it suggests “some immunity was at large in the population because of earlier exposure to the virus.”

The mystery of the origins of the “Spanish flu,” is not totally solved, however. “Only DNA testing of samples from these earlier outbreaks can truly confirm or deny the theory,” Humphries acknowledges.

Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.đź––

Marcus Aurelius
Back to Top
arirish View Drop Down
Admin Group
Admin Group
Avatar

Joined: June 19 2013
Location: Arkansas
Status: Offline
Points: 39215
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote arirish Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 06 2017 at 10:33am

With info like this being spread it doesn't surprise me it's epidemic!




10 home remedies to avoid swine flu

Are the rising swine flu casualties giving you jitters? Not sure how you can avoid falling prey to the growing epidemic? First and foremost, there is absolutely no need to panic.

Here are some easy steps you can take to tackle a flu virus of any kind, including swine flu. It is not necessary to follow all the steps at once. You can pick and choose a combination of remedies that suit you best. However, if you are already suffering from flu, these measures can help only up to an extent.


1. Have five duly washed leaves of Tulsi (known as Basil in English; medicinal name Ocimum sanctum) everyday in the morning. Tulsi has a large number of therapeutic properties. It keeps throat and lungs clear and helps in infections by way of strengthening your immunity.

2. Giloi (medicinal name Tinospora cordifolia) is a commonly available plant in many areas. Take a one-foot long branch of giloi, add five to six leaves of Tulsi and boil in water for 15-20 minutes or long enough to allow the water to extract its properties. Add black pepper and sendha (salt used during religious fasts), rock or black salt, or Misri (crystalised sugar like lumps to make it sweet) according to taste. Let it cool a bit and drink this kadha (concoction) while still warm. It will work wonders for your immunity. If giloi plant is not available, get processed giloi powder from Hamdard or others, and concoct a similar drink once a day.

3. A small piece of camphor (kapoor) approximately the size of a tablet should be taken once or twice a month. It can be swallowed with water by adults while children can take it along with mashed potatoes or banana because they will find it difficult to have it without any aides. Please remember camphor is not to be taken everyday, but only once each season, or once a month.

4. Those who can take garlic, must have two pods of raw garlic first thing in the morning. To be swallowed daily with lukewarm water. Garlic too strengthens immunity like the earlier measures mentioned.

5. Those not allergic to milk, must take a glass of hot or lukewarm milk every night with a small measure of haldi (turmeric).

6. Aloe vera (gwarpatha) too is a commonly available plant. Its thick and long, cactus-like leaves have an odourless gel. A teaspoon gel taken with water daily can work wonders for not only your skin and joint pains, but also boost immunity.

7. Take homeopathic medicines — Pyrogenium 200 and Inflenzium 200 in particular — five tablets three times a day, or two-three drops three times a day. While these are not specifically targeted at H1N1 either, these work well as preventive against common flu virus.

8. Do Pranayam daily (preferably under guidance if you are already not initiated into it) and go for morning jog/walk regularly to keep your throat and lungs in good condition and body in fine fettle. Even in small measures, it will work wonders for your body's resistance against all such diseases which attack the nose, throat and lungs, besides keeping you fit.

    9. Have citrus fruits, particularly Vitamin C rich Amla (Indian gooseberry) juice. Since fresh Amla is not yet available in the market (not for another three to four months), it is not a bad idea to buy packaged Amla juice which is commonly available nowadays.


10. Last but not the least, wash your hands frequently every day with soap and warm water for 15-20 seconds; especially before meals, or each time after touching a surface that you suspect could be contaminated with flu virus such as a door handle or a knob/handle, especially if you have returned from a public place or used public transport. Alcohol-based hand cleaners should be kept handy at all times and used until you can get soap and warm water.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/10-home-remedies-to-avoid-swine-flu/articleshow/4888598.cms
Buy more ammo!
Back to Top
Technophobe View Drop Down
Assistant Admin
Assistant Admin
Avatar

Joined: January 16 2014
Location: Scotland
Status: Offline
Points: 88450
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Technophobe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 06 2017 at 10:47am
Vitamin C does no good to the immune system without a sufficient supply of zinc.  Vitamin D is even more protective. You get a small immune boost from vitamin A as well.

The camphor will have no effect on the flu itself. BUT, it prevents the breeding phase in the lifecycle of pneumococci.  In the early stages of infection, when the body is already weakened after a virus, this can be enough to prevent the disease developing, by buying the immune system time to marshal an attack.
How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.
Back to Top
arirish View Drop Down
Admin Group
Admin Group
Avatar

Joined: June 19 2013
Location: Arkansas
Status: Offline
Points: 39215
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote arirish Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 06 2017 at 10:52am
Techno- I'll take your word for it but I'm still getting my flu shot next month!
Buy more ammo!
Back to Top
Technophobe View Drop Down
Assistant Admin
Assistant Admin
Avatar

Joined: January 16 2014
Location: Scotland
Status: Offline
Points: 88450
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Technophobe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 06 2017 at 11:14am
Me too.
How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply
  Share Topic   

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down