Fatal case of H5N1 bird flu reported in Alberta
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Topic: Fatal case of H5N1 bird flu reported in Alberta
Posted By: Guests
Subject: Fatal case of H5N1 bird flu reported in Alberta
Date Posted: January 08 2014 at 1:37pm
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http://www.calgaryherald.comews/alberta/Fatal+case+H5N1+bird+reed+Alberta/9364343/story. - http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/alberta/Fatal+case+H5N1+bird+reported+Alberta/9364343/story.html TL;DR: - Unknown aged victim traveled to China in December and returned on January 1st. - "Unclear" how they contracted the disease. No evidence of human-to-human transmission. - They died on January 3rd. - Close contacts receiving Tamiflu. No other symptomatic persons reported. Health officials are downplaying severity but haven't mentioned anything about what flight they were on, where it stopped over (very likely Vancouver airport), or what other steps they're taking. |
Replies:
Posted By: Kyle
Date Posted: January 08 2014 at 1:50pm
| Not to mention aircraft are rarely fully sanitized. Turn around crews have only 7minutes to service and clean an entire airplane, lavatories included. 1 minute late and it can cost the airlines thousands. They'd rather have a on time departure than an outbreak among passengers and crew. |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: January 08 2014 at 1:52pm
| Flights were Air Canada 030, December 27th Beijing to Vancouver then Air Canada 244, Vancouver to Edmonton, same date |
Posted By: carbon20
Date Posted: January 08 2014 at 1:56pm
First N America H5N1 avian flu death confirmed in Canada
Canadian health officials have confirmed the first known fatal case of the H5N1 avian influenza strain in North America. Health Minister Rona Ambrose said the deceased was a resident of Alberta who had recently travelled to Beijing. Calling the death an "isolated case", Ms Ambrose said the risk to the general population was low. The province of Alberta has seen 10 deaths this season from H1N1, often called swine flu. THIS COULD BE THE GAME CHANGER !!!!!!!! ------------- Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.đź–– Marcus Aurelius |
Posted By: carbon20
Date Posted: January 08 2014 at 2:22pm
First N America H5N1 avian flu death confirmed in Canada
China has been vaccinating poultry against the H5N1 virus
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-25662730#story_continues_1 - Continue reading the main story
Related Stories
Canadian health officials have confirmed the first known fatal case of the H5N1 avian influenza strain in North America. The health minister for the province of Alberta, Rona Ambrose said the deceased was an Alberta resident who had recently travelled to Beijing. Calling the death an "isolated case", Ms Ambrose said the risk to the general population was low. Ten people have died in Alberta this season from swine flu, or H1N1. H5N1 infects the lower respiratory tract deep in the lung, where it can cause deadly pneumonia. The http://www.who.int/influenza/human_animal_interface/avian_influenza/h5n1_research/faqs/en/ - World Health Organisation (WHO) says it is difficult to transmit the virus from person to person but when people do become infected, the mortality rate is about 60%. In the latest incident, the infected person first showed symptoms of the flu on an Air Canada flight from Beijing to Vancouver on 27 December, officials said. The passenger continued on to Edmonton and on 1 January was admitted to hospital where they died two days later. Canadian federal health officials said they would not identify the patient's sex, age or occupation. Ms Ambrose said Canadian officials were working with Chinese authorities on the case. "The risk of getting H5N1 is very low. This is not the regular seasonal flu. This is an isolated case," she said. WHO officials say that if the H5N1 virus were to mutate and become easily transmissible between humans, the consequences for public health could be very serious. ------------- Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.đź–– Marcus Aurelius |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: January 08 2014 at 2:25pm
| "Dr. James Talbot, chief medical officer for Alberta, said the person was admitted to hospital on Jan. 1 with high fever and “decreasing CNS consciousness” (meaning extreme lethargy). There was no cough or other signs of respiratory illness, which is usually the case with influenza, but not always with H5N1. Dr. Talbot said the patient died of meningoencephalitis, or swelling of the brain." THE GLOBE AND MAIL |
Posted By: Sara Piddick
Date Posted: January 08 2014 at 2:35pm
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Hopefully this is very isolated. Otherwise it's much too close to home (literally). If incubation time is 2-17 days, and the patient died on the 2nd, we'll know for sure how isolated this case is very soon. I am kinda concerned about how this person died nearly a week ago, and they're only telling us about it now... |
Posted By: MelodyAtHome
Date Posted: January 08 2014 at 2:49pm
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Do we know.... 1. Was she sick when she left China? 2. If not, how soon after she got home was she sick? 3. For how long was she sick before she died? 4. Did any other family members become ill and got better and did not die? 5. They said no human to human contact? Was she feeding chickens or something while visiting family in China? Is that how she got it? 6. Any one she was in contact sick with flu while she was in China? This really concerns me. I'm sure we don' t have answers to most of my questions but I sure would like to know. ------------- Melody Emergency Preparedness 911 http://emergencypreparedness911.blogspot.com/ |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: January 08 2014 at 3:19pm
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"The person first showed symptoms of the flu on a Dec. 27 flight from Beijing to Vancouver aboard Air Canada flight 030. The passenger continued on to Edmonton on Air Canada flight 244, after spending a few hours in the Vancouver airport, and was admitted to hospital Jan. 1. The symptoms of fever, malaise and headache worsened and the patient died two days later. The Public Health Agency of Canada was notified Jan. 5." 2 companions not showing symptoms. |
Posted By: MelodyAtHome
Date Posted: January 08 2014 at 3:40pm
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Thanks Saskabush. So they let her on while she was sick? That is not good. Then they let her continue on another flight? Again, not good :( She must have gotten sick very quickly to have decided to take the flight and she must have just got worse as the flights continued. She died QUICKLY! I wonder if they checked with everyone on board the flights she was on and if everyone is OK? I hope everyone is OK and this is just a one time thing. i'm sorry for this person and pray for her family. They must be in shock. ------------- Melody Emergency Preparedness 911 http://emergencypreparedness911.blogspot.com/ |
Posted By: carbon20
Date Posted: January 08 2014 at 4:05pm
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i wonder where the HER came from ,as they not released age or gender ?? ------------- Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.đź–– Marcus Aurelius |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: January 08 2014 at 4:20pm
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"Officials said they would not release the H5N1 victim’s name, age or gender, even though the patient was often referred to as “she” in media briefings. People who travelled on the same flights as the H5N1 victim will be contacted and “reassured” of the low risk of infection, health officials said." Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/alberta-resident-dies-from-avian-flu-in-north-america-s-first-human-case-of-h5n1-1.1629498#ixzz2pr85OWbt |
Posted By: jacksdad
Date Posted: January 08 2014 at 5:02pm
H5N1 hasn't managed to go H2H yet after almost 17 years of circulating between poultry, pigs and humans, and there's really no reason to suspect that a single plane ride is what it's been waiting for. It's running rampant in Cambodia right now with no signs of more efficient transmission. I know this is an important milestone in the history of this virus, but it's still a single patient with no confirmed spread to others. The patient was in Beijing and they just announced an outbreak in poultry in China so it's entirely possible that no human to human spread was involved. We'll know soon enough if this is something to worry about, but my gut feeling is that it probably isn't. I hope  ------------- "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. |
Posted By: carbon20
Date Posted: January 08 2014 at 5:10pm
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That's one plane and one victim we know about ,thus far , not been any cases of h5n1 in China, lately has there ?? plenty of h7n9, i suppose the big worry is RECOMBINATION with either h7n9 or h1n1 , h7n1 being in China , and h1n1 rife in the States and Canada, Pandora's Box!!!!!! ------------- Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.đź–– Marcus Aurelius |
Posted By: jacksdad
Date Posted: January 08 2014 at 5:17pm
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I seem to recall someone wanted to talk about H5N1 - hey presto... ------------- "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. |
Posted By: carbon20
Date Posted: January 08 2014 at 5:36pm
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sorry that was me i think !!!! i watch as ever with interest LOL ------------- Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.đź–– Marcus Aurelius |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: January 08 2014 at 5:52pm
Patient zero and we didn't even get her name. 
|
Posted By: jacksdad
Date Posted: January 08 2014 at 6:46pm
Careful what you wish for  ------------- "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. |
carbon20 wrote:Posted By: EdwinSm,
Date Posted: January 09 2014 at 12:08am
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I find this news hard to believe. Since 2010 China has only been reporting to WHO one or two cases a year of H5N1, so it should be almost impossible for the poor lady to have caught it. The peak year for the outbreak in China was 2006 with 13 cases and 8 deaths. |
Posted By: jacksdad
Date Posted: January 09 2014 at 1:29am
Not Beijing, but China reported an outbreak of H5N1 in poultry at the end of December.
Jan. 4, 2014 at 5:35 PM
| 0 comments
https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=China+Ministry+of+Agriculture%3A+Bird+flu+in+chickens&url=http://upi.com/2636138">
 http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2014/01/04/Bird-flu-in-China-killed-8500-chickens-in-December/UPI-15611388874936/#">
China Ministry of Agriculture: Bird flu in chickens
Chickens feed on trash outside a low-income housing area on the outskirts of Beijing on April 19, 201. UPI/Stephen Shaver
| License Photo BEIJING, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- Chickens
showed symptoms of avian flu at a farm in a village in the province of
Guizhou in China where 8,500 chickens died in December, officials say. Officials at the Ministry of Agriculture in China said the fowl died Dec. 27 and the National Avian Influenza Reference Laboratory confirmed the epidemic was H5N1 bird flu after testing samples collected at the farm, China's official Xinhua News Agency reported. The Ministry of Agriculture said local authorities sealed off and sterilized the infected area. More than 23,067 chickens were culled and disposed of to prevent the disease from spreading, agriculture officials said. Bird flu, or avian influenza, is a contagious disease of animal origin by type A strains of the influenza virus that normally infect only birds and, less commonly, pigs. It can be fatal to humans, the Ministry of Agriculture said. The infection can cause a wide spectrum of symptoms in birds, ranging from mild illness, which may pass unnoticed, to a rapidly fatal disease that can cause severe epidemics, officials at the World Health Organization said. "Avian influenza viruses do not normally infect humans. However, there have been instances of certain highly pathogenic strains causing severe respiratory disease in humans," WHO said. "In most cases, the people infected had been in close contact with infected poultry or with objects contaminated by their feces. Nevertheless, there is concern that the virus could mutate to become more easily transmissible between humans, raising the possibility of an influenza pandemic." http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2014/01/04/Bird-flu-in-China-killed-8500-chickens-in-December/UPI-15611388874936/ - http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2014/01/04/Bird-flu-in-China-killed-8500-chickens-in-December/UPI-15611388874936/ ------------- "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. |
Posted By: carbon20
Date Posted: January 09 2014 at 3:28am
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oooops missed that one !!!!!!!!!!! great find Jacksdad, both events started on the 27th then , how far from Bejing is Guixhou? did victim visit ?? ------------- Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.đź–– Marcus Aurelius |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: January 09 2014 at 5:04am
| about 1000 miles, 1600 km... via air, calculated with a google tool, on the map |
Posted By: Albert
Date Posted: January 09 2014 at 6:26am
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The only thing that makes sense at this point is that there have been more cases of h5n1 over the years in China and they've been under-reporting or not reporting cases, similar to what they have done with h7n9. Or it's recently mutated. ------------- https://www.facebook.com/Avianflutalk |
Posted By: Albert
Date Posted: January 09 2014 at 7:03am
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And of course we also have the Chinese running their h5n1 experiments, so anything is possible. Chinese Scientists Create New Mutant Bird-Flu Virushttp://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/05/h5n1-h1n1-reassortment/ ------------- https://www.facebook.com/Avianflutalk |
Posted By: jacksdad
Date Posted: January 09 2014 at 7:55am
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The possibility exists that H5N1 has just been biding it's time and waiting for another virus to show up with the genes it needs to go H2H. While we've been treating H1N1 as a threat on it's own merit, maybe the real danger is it's ability to infect and it's willingness to share that trait with other viruses. I remember after the 2009 pandemic H1N1's M gene (touted as one of the reasons it spread so easily) started showing up in other flu strains. If we have widespread H1N1 outbreaks over here, you can bet that it's in China cozying up with H7N9 and now possibly H5N1. ------------- "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. |
Posted By: coyote
Date Posted: January 09 2014 at 11:57am
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H5N1 death detective work by WHO begins in Alberta case Infectious disease expert says it's 'odd' for someone to get H5N1 from non-poultry source. "At the moment, we know that the woman didn't visit a poultry farm of a poultry market, but that does not necessarily mean [that] exposure was excluded," Zhang said. A second focus for the WHO is on close contacts, Zhang said. The goal is to understand whether any human-to-human transmission occurred. [link to www.cbc.ca] ------------- Long time lurker since day one to Member. |
Posted By: jacksdad
Date Posted: January 09 2014 at 12:38pm
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Helen Branswell is a world renowned journalist in Canada that's quite the authority on Avian Flu, particularly H5N1. You know she's already all over this - can't wait to see her take on it. ------------- "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. |
Posted By: jacksdad
Date Posted: January 09 2014 at 12:40pm
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Spoke too soon - just did a search after posting the previous comment and found this,
January 8, 2014
Updated: January 9, 2014 | 8:10 am
Adjust Text Size
Before you panic, here are basic facts about H5N1 flu
By Helen Branswell The Canadian Press
Share this Articlemailto:?subject=Check%20this%20out%20Metro%20News%20article&body=I%20found%20this%20article%20on%20Metro%20News%20interesting%20and%20thought%20of%20sharing%20it%20with%20you.%20Check%20it%20out:%20http://metronews.ca/news/canada/903359/before-you-panic-here-are-basic-facts-about-h5n1-flu/">
http://metronews.ca/news/canada/903359/before-you-panic-here-are-basic-facts-about-h5n1-flu/">
TORONTO – Canada has reported the first case in North America of an infection with the H5N1 avian flu virus. An Alberta resident who had travelled to Beijing, China in December fell ill and died after returning. With H1N1 — seasonal flu — making headlines these days, this new development may trigger flu confusion. So here are some essential flu facts: What is H5N1? It’s the original “bird flu.” This is the virus that burst out in Asia in late 2003 and early 2004. Millions of poultry died or were culled as the virus — which is highly infectious among birds — spread in Vietnam, Thailand and other countries. It hasn’t been making as many headlines lately, but it’s still causing bird outbreaks and occasional human cases in parts of Asia. Highly infectious among birds? What about people? Since late 2003, just under 650 people from 15 — now 16 — countries are known to have contracted this strain of flu. But it rarely infects humans. Untold numbers of people in affected countries would have been exposed to it over the years but very few have gotten sick. And while there have been a few cases where one sick person spread it to others, those chains of transmission have always died out. Unlike human flu viruses, this virus is not an effective person-to-person spreader. Is it likely the Canadian case will lead to more infections? Health authorities say there are no signs of illness among of the person’s contacts or the health-care workers who cared for the patient. They’ll need to watch those people for a couple of weeks to make sure. But this could be a one-off case. So what’s the fuss about? The virus doesn’t spread person to person now. But science can’t tell if it will evolve and acquire the capacity to spread human to human. So flu experts and the World Health Organization watch this virus closely. Also, about 60 per cent of people who have been known to have been infected have died. So while infections are rare, they’re often severe. Does a flu shot protect against H5N1? No. The seasonal flu vaccine protects against the human flu viruses that circulate every winter. Some manufacturers have made experimental H5N1 vaccines for testing purposes, but there is no H5N1 vaccine available for the public at this moment. Is H5N1 related to H1N1, the virus we’re hearing so much about this winter? All flu viruses have the same original source; they come from wild water birds like ducks. But some have found their way into animals — pigs, horses, dogs — and spread among them. And some have become human flu viruses: H1N1, H3N2 and influenza B viruses. Human viruses? Bird viruses? What’s the difference? Our immune systems have some experience with the seasonal viruses. From childhood, we’ve been infected sporadically throughout our lives. But animal or bird flu viruses look different enough genetically that our immune systems don’t mount the kinds of response they do for regular flu. More people would be susceptible to them, so if they start to spread among people they can set off a huge wave of illness, called a pandemic. That happened in 2009 when a swine influenza virus, H1N1, started infecting people. Will H5N1 cause a pandemic? Currently there is no way to know if it will or it won’t. ------------- "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. |
Posted By: carbon20
Date Posted: January 09 2014 at 1:41pm
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think it was Albert who said " China is a cesspit" of viruses, think he right, me still wondering about all the Pig deaths 18months ago !!!!!!! ------------- Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.đź–– Marcus Aurelius |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: January 09 2014 at 9:28pm
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WE ARE OUT OF VACCINE Spent most of the day trying to get the jab. Apparently the few doses left are being held for HCW. Now if we can only get them to do it...Not holding my breath. HCW immunization rates here have been dismal. Less than 40% in many Health Districts here. A bloody disgrace in my opinion. When you are working with an immuno-compromised population (ie. already sick people in hospital/long term senior facility), you should be responsible enough to make sure you aren't making a bad situation much worse for the patient, (regardless of why the person is in your care in the first place) by infecting them with a virus that could cost them their lives. And finally, to lighten things up a bit, I just heard on CTV News that we are also out of CheezWhiz....WTF.... |
Posted By: KiwiMum
Date Posted: January 09 2014 at 9:42pm
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Saskabush, perhaps the take up of jabs by health care workers is so low because they either know or believe it to be not that effective and additionally they don't want to pump a chemical cocktail into their system. I wouldn't have a flu jab. As for making a bad situation worse for the patient, the medical world should look at their basic hygiene in their hospitals and doctors surgeries first. As a previous post mentions, there are some seriously dangerous bacterial infections lurking in hospitals. Ever since cleaning was put out to tender standards have dropped. I was in a hospital in England once and there was excrement on the walls of the toilet. I went and told a nurse and she shrugged and said that the cleaners weren't very good!!!!!! ------------- Those who got it wrong, for whatever reason, may feel defensive and retrench into a position that doesn’t accord with the facts. |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: January 09 2014 at 9:57pm
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Kiwimum You and I are going to disagree on this one. I have worked in what we call 'long term care' in Canada. We lost many elderly yet still functional seniors to flus. All were circulating in the population and effective vaccines were available. I live in a province in Canada that has been run by a socialist government for decades until about 6 years ago. The unions had a strangle hold on the province generally and the unionized workforce specifically. The health care unions are fond and effective in telling their members that they do not have to do anything that is not specifically agreed to in a collective agreement. Bringing infectious viruses into an environment where someone could die is irresponsible at best... Don't assume that because someone is a HCW that they are better informed or educated. |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: January 09 2014 at 10:34pm
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I could not agree more... hospitals are horrible places for healthy people. I could not disagree more if you are of the belief that immunizations are unproven/and or dangerous. Having said that, bacteria and viruses are quite different. No question there are some serious bacterial infections happening in North American hospitals. What we are dealing with here is quite different... It is A VIRUS If our local hospitals were 100% in cleanliness and surgical competence, that would not make one iota of difference in this pathogenic transcontinental viral outbreak. There is so much information online about influenza viruses, past, present and future. Do a google search and I am sure you can find TONS of info |
Posted By: coyote
Date Posted: January 10 2014 at 4:12am
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EDMONTON - The World Health Organization has confirmed that North America's first H5N1 patient was a woman in her late 20s. One of the WHO's flu experts says the agency would like more information on her illness, because initial reports have suggested her symptoms were not entirely typical of H5N1 infections. There have been no recent H5N1 outbreaks reported by China, but the timing of the woman's symptoms suggest she must have been infected there. [link to www.huffingtonpost.ca] ------------- Long time lurker since day one to Member. |
Posted By: Mahshadin
Date Posted: January 10 2014 at 4:40am
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Wow SERIOUSLY---your going to blame unions for the Flu Go crawl back under the idiot rock where you came from ------------- "In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." G Orwell |
Posted By: Sara Piddick
Date Posted: January 10 2014 at 5:53am
This makes it potentially much more dangerous, doesn't it? As mean as it sounds, I was really hoping for old and already kinda sickly. |
Posted By: jacksdad
Date Posted: January 10 2014 at 11:55am
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Virus, bacteria - while the method of transmission might be unique for a given pathogen, universal precautions and infection control don't differentiate between the two. ------------- "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. |
Posted By: jacksdad
Date Posted: January 10 2014 at 12:06pm
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Sara - while serious flu strains can infect anyone regardless of age, they can cause severe and even fatal symptoms in the young and healthy by initiating a cytokine storm. H5N1 (and Spanish Flu) have long been documented as targeting that group disproportionately so the victim's age is not that unusual. Still no indication of further spread so there's no need to worry unduly yet. ------------- "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. |
Posted By: KiwiMum
Date Posted: January 10 2014 at 12:36pm
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Saskabush, I totally respect your opinion, but since we don't live in a police state then I think we all have the right to choose whether or not we vaccinate. Someone on here wrote a while back that you can catch the flu by walking down a corridor 10 minutes after a flu carrier had sneezed there. If that's the case then surely it makes no difference if half the HCW aren't vaccinated, especially when that vaccine doesn't guarantee immunity. It is only about 70% effective in healthy people. I'll add one last thing at the risk of repeating myself yet again, but we've just had this flu and so have friends of ours who, for the first time ever, had had the flu jab about 3 months earlier. Out of the 3 of them, 2 of them had the full blown flu and were totally incapacitated for about 3 weeks. The jab can't be that great, can it? ------------- Those who got it wrong, for whatever reason, may feel defensive and retrench into a position that doesn’t accord with the facts. |
Posted By: Pixie
Date Posted: January 10 2014 at 5:52pm
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http://www.timescolonist.com/fatal-case-of-h5n1-bird-flu-in-alberta-first-in-north-america-1.782552 But a chest X-ray showed signs of pneumonia and the unidentified hospital ran a battery of tests. The influenza A test came back positive, as did one for a human coronavirus, one of the causes of common colds. The team wondered for a time if the severity of the illness was due to the co-infection with two viruses. |
Posted By: carbon20
Date Posted: January 10 2014 at 6:03pm
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was in England last June , my Mom in hospital for knee replacement , she said the toilets where a discrace, ------------- Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.đź–– Marcus Aurelius |
Posted By: carbon20
Date Posted: January 10 2014 at 7:54pm
Threatwatch: H5N1 death highlights global flu danger
Threatwatch is your early warning system for global dangers, from nuclear peril to deadly viral outbreaks. Debora MacKenzie highlights the threats to civilisation – and suggests solutions H5N1 bird flu has finally reached North America. This is not the long-dreaded outbreak of the virus in birds that could engulf the continent. But the lone, tragic human case shows that flu viruses that pose major threats to humanity stalk the planet even when they have not recently been making headlines. http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/h5n1-bird-flu-death-confirmed-in-alberta-1st-in-north-america-1.2489160 - Canadian authorities say that an otherwise healthy adult resident of Alberta visited Beijing, China, in late December, fell ill on the flight home and died in hospital a few days later. http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/alberta-woman-who-died-of-h5n1-was-in-her-20s-1.2490018 - Canadian news reports say it was a female healthcare worker at Red Deer Hospital who was in her 20s. H5N1 does not, so far, spread readily among people. None of the person's close contacts have developed symptoms, and if they had the virus, they should have by now. This particular infection will spread no further. Still, the incident is a wake-up call: despite all the warnings, we are not keeping a very good eye on flu viruses. Spot the sicknessThe real marvel of the Canadian case is that it was diagnosed at all. http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/h5n1-bird-flu-death-confirmed-in-alberta-1st-in-north-america-1.2489160 - James Talbot, Alberta's chief medical officer, said on Wednesday that the patient developed symptoms on 27 December on Air Canada flight 030 from Beijing to Vancouver, then flew to Edmonton on Air Canada flight 244. Authorities are trying to contact passengers from those flights. The patient went to hospital on 1 January and died two days later. But, says Talbot, the symptoms were fever, headache and malaise – not the respiratory symptoms typical of flu. Perry Kendall, chief medical officer of neighbouring province British Columbia, where the patient changed planes, http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/2014/01/08/First_H5N1_case/ - confirmed in a news conference that the symptoms did not include coughing. H5N1 was only revealed when the victim was tested for pathogens after death. The case was initially diagnosed as encephalitis, or brain inflammation. "That is one of the ways that H5N1 patients die," said Talbot. In fact some flu viruses do infect the brain, and two http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg18524884.200-bird-flu-in-humans-may-be-going-undiagnosed.html - Vietnamese children were diagnosed with H5N1 in 2005 after dying of what was initially diagnosed as encephalitis. At the time epidemiologists worried that this might mean that many H5N1 cases were going unrecognised. Under the radarThis may solve one riddle of H5N1. http://arxiv.org/pdf/1210.5877v1.pdf - In a 2012 study, researchers found that air travellers are the main way that ordinary human flu gets around the world. Yet until now, no human traveller is known to have carried H5N1 abroad. "Best guess: the infection is rare and people who get it are poor," says Derek Smith of the University of Cambridge, an author of that study. But any previous travellers with H5N1 who looked like the Canadian case were probably missed. Both the http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/professional/guidance-labtesting.htm - US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the http://www.who.int/influenza/resources/documents/WHO_CDS_EPR_GIP_2006_4r1.pdf - World Health Organization recommend testing for H5N1 only in patients with respiratory symptoms such as pneumonia. H5N1 first hit the headlines in 1997, when it http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn9977-timeline-bird-flu.html - emerged from http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg18925383.100-china-is-the-home-of-bird-flu.html - China's booming poultry industry , and again from 2004 to 2007 when it migrated throughout Asia, http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn8716-bird-flu-makes-its-way-around-europe.html - Europe and http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn8695-h5n1-bird-flu-reaches-africa.html - Africa in wild birds and poultry. Attention then faded. But the virus remains endemic in birds in China, Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Indonesia and Vietnam, and occasionally surfaces in other countries, including Cambodia last year. Infected birds cause a steady trickle of human infections, and http://www.who.int/influenza/human_animal_interface/EN_GIP_20131210CumulativeNumberH5N1cases.pdf - 384 of the 648 known human cases so far have resulted in death . But then it stops: humans virtually never pass on the virus. Transmission troubleIn 2011, however, Dutch scientists showed that H5N1 might become readily transmissible in people if it acquired as few as five crucial mutations, http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2012/03/mutant-bird-flu-virus-still-as.html - without any obvious loss in deadliness . Every human infection is a chance for the virus to make those adaptations. The Canadian casualty is said to have visited only Beijing, and no poultry farms or markets. Beijing has reported only one human case of H5N1, in 2009,and no poultry outbreaks, says http://lubies.ulb.ac.be/Spatepi.html - Marius Gilbert of the Free University of Brussels , Belgium, who has mapped H5N1 in China. Last year all of China reported only http://www.moh.gov.cn/wsb/pyqxx/201302/7f8c777c2d854dcb87fb0e6f4bc3d58f.shtml - two human cases , in the south-western province of Guizhou, where an outbreak in chickens was reported on http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/health/2014-01/02/c_133014326.htm - 27 December last year . That's a long way from Beijing. But these reports show H5N1 is alive and well in China. It could simply be unreported elsewhere – not through negligence, but because human cases may have unrecognised symptoms. And birds may have no symptoms at all – if they are vaccinated but infected or are resistant carriers, such as ducks. Meanwhile, another bird flu in Chinese poultry, H7N9, has shown that these viruses can infect people who merely stray near http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24501-target-hub-markets-to-halt-new-h7n9-flu-wave-in-china.html - live poultry markets . In March 2013 that virus started killing people in and around Shanghai. It carries some similar genes to H5N1, also does not pass readily between humans, and is almost as lethal – http://www.who.int/influenza/human_animal_interface/influenza_h7n9/10u_ReportWebH7N9Number.pdf - 45 of the 137 cases registered by the WHO have resulted in death . But if anything H7N9 may be more worrying than H5N1. It spreads more readily from poultry to people, Chinese researchers concluded in a http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099%2813%2970167-1/fulltexthttp://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099%2813%2970167-1/fulltext - recent comparison . And it http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23368-china-bird-flu-may-be-two-mutations-from-a-pandemic.html - already carries three of the five mutations that would allow transmission in mammals. ------------- Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.🖖 Marcus Aurelius |
Posted By: CStackDrPH
Date Posted: January 11 2014 at 8:05am
You and me, both! Not only pigs, but huge quantities of wildfowl. The photo in this article is telling: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2303514/Bird-Flu-China-Dead-pigs-swans-ducks-linked-new-fatalities.html - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2303514/Bird-Flu-China-Dead-pigs-swans-ducks-linked-new-fatalities.html Pigs, ducks, and swans. I work in public health and never heard one plausible explanation for this event from anyone. China claimed "water pollution," but that is not plausible to me. The reason why China is a "cesspit" of viruses is actually interesting, from a virologist's point of view. For centuries, China has had very intimate contact between humans (i.e. farmers) and their livestock, such as fowl and swine. When it is cold, the poorest Chinese used to (and probably still do) bring their one or two pigs into the house!! Also, Chinese farmers pursue rather disgusting practices, including feeding poultry manure directly to swine, as well as unrendered bird mortalities. This is not allowed in the USA but there is no oversight in China. Add to all of this the "wet market" phenomenon, where birds from vast distances are brought, live (and carrying viruses) into city centers! Not only humans, but swine, dogs, cats, and other susceptible animals are exposed to flu viruses in these ecosystems. Add in the latest touches (birds de-feathered while you wait, aggressive sanitation) and we have a high burden of viruses as aerosols and in wastewater. The icing on the cake is the lack of transparency from the Chinese government. They were stung badly with SARS, and so they seem to be trying to do a better job of reporting. However, they don't have the public health infrastructure of the West, and so we do not know how many people die in their homes from this stuff, unreported - how many become ill but are never reported due to fear of the government - and so forth. It is just a matter of time before we get the right assortment out of China. My friends who are experts have long predicted that the real problem will be a reassorted swine flu, and we may be seeing the origins of this since H1N1 incorporated avian, human and swine genetic elements. Hold tight, it is likely to be an interesting ride! ------------- CRS, DrPH |
Posted By: jacksdad
Date Posted: January 11 2014 at 9:06am
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Again, we're on the same page, Chuck. Whether it's a reassorted H1N1 strain or H7N9/H5N1/H?N? with H1N1's genetic propensity to spread like wildfire, I think it's inevitable that the unprecedented number of influenza A viruses currently circulating will spawn numerous novel viruses, and maybe the one we all fear. It's a numbers game and it's getting scary out there ------------- "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. |
Posted By: KiwiMum
Date Posted: January 11 2014 at 12:49pm
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Pixie posted that test showed this patient had the common cold, an A type flu and a coronavirus, so perhaps she is the human petrie dish that will blend H5N1 with something more easily spreadable? ------------- Those who got it wrong, for whatever reason, may feel defensive and retrench into a position that doesn’t accord with the facts. |
Posted By: Pixie
Date Posted: January 12 2014 at 8:48am
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A few more details, note the coronavirus 229E A ProMED-mail post http://www.promedmail.org ProMED-mail is a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases http://www.isid.org Date: Sat 11 Jan 2014 From: Kevin Fonseca <kevin.fonseca@albertahealthservices.ca> [edited] Avian influenza A(H5N1) was detected in the respiratory samples and CSF [cerebrospinal fluid] of a young adult, who died from the infection 7 days after returning from a vacation in Beijing, China accompanied by a family member. The individual left Canada for China on 6 Dec 2013 and was exclusively in Beijing, in urban locations. There was no contact reported with live poultry, no visits to wet markets, or handling of fresh poultry. Work is ongoing to obtain a detailed account of activities during the trip. During the return flight on 27 Dec 2013, the individual experienced symptoms of malaise, chest pain, and fever and presented to the local Emergency Department on 28 Dec 2013. The complete blood count (CBC) showed a total white blood count (WBC) of 12.6 x 10 to the power of 9/L (reference range 4.0 - 10.0 x10 to the power of 9/L) with raised neutrophils (11.1 x 10 to the power of 9/L) and low lymphocytes (0.8 x 10 to the power of 9/L). A chest X-ray and CT scan revealed a right apical infiltrate. A diagnosis of pneumonia was made; the patient was prescribed levofloxacin and discharged home. The individual returned to the same Emergency Department on 1 Jan 2014, now with worsening pleuritic [inflammation of the membrane surrounding the lung] chest pains and shortness of breath, a mild headache, exacerbated by head movement, right upper quadrant and epigastric pain, nausea and vomiting with no diarrhea. A chest X-ray showed a multi-lobar pneumonia, with moderate effusion, reflecting significant progression when compared with the X-ray from the 1st ED visit. A thoracentesis [a procedure to remove excess fluid in the space between the lungs and the chest wall], performed while in the ED, revealed a dark amber cloudy fluid that was sterile in bacterial culture. The CBC again showed a WBC count of 10.2 x 10 to the power of 9/L, neutrophil count of 9.5 x 10 to the power of 9/L, platelet count within the normal range, normal ALT, slightly elevated AST at 46 U/L (reference range 7 - 40 U/L) and LDH at 288 U/L (reference range 100 - 225 U/L). Admission to a general medicine ward for investigation was facilitated, and treatment was initiated with intravenous piperacillin-tazobactam. On 2 Jan 2014, the individual reported visual changes and ongoing headache, and, coupled with increasing oxygen requirements, was admitted to the ICU for intubation and ventilation. In the early morning of 3 Jan 2014, the individual developed a sudden episode of tachycardia and severe hypertension followed by hypotension requiring inotropic support. At this point, pupils were dilated, and there was no response to pain. A CT brain scan suggested diffuse encephalitis and intracranial hypertension. The neurological examination was consistent with brain death. An MRI/MRA showed significant generalized edema, evidence of meningitis and ventriculitis [inflammation of the ventricles in the brain] and significant reduction in cerebral blood flow. A lumbar puncture was performed after brain death determination and prior to removal of ventilatory and inotropic support. The attending physician felt that, while unlikely, avian influenza was possible given the travel history and neurological symptoms, and contacted the local Medical Officer of Health on 3 Jan 2014 to report to public health. Contact tracing of family and hospital contacts was initiated as a precaution, given the severity of the illness and its rapid progression. Laboratory investigations: Blood cultures were negative as were cultures of the broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL) fluids for a range of bacterial pathogens. Nasopharyngeal swabs and BAL were sent to the Provincial Laboratory for complementary viral investigations for influenza and other respiratory viral agents, and CSF for the herpesvirus group, enterovirus and parechoviruses. Screening for influenza A and B and other respiratory viruses was performed on the respiratory samples (2 nasopharyngeal swabs and a BAL) through a combination of a direct fluorescent antigen (DFA) test (D3 Ultra DFA Influenza A/B reagent, Diagnostic Hybrids, Ohio), real time singleplex Taqman assays to influenza A and B assays targeting the matrix (M) gene of influenza A and NS1 gene of influenza B (1), and Luminex Respiratory Viral panel (Luminex, Ontario). The swabs were negative by the DFA, however all these samples were positive for influenza A, with good Ct values in the Taqman assay, and were immediately subtyped, using real time assays to A(H1N1) pdm09 and seasonal H3 (2,3). Negative subtyping results were obtained on 2 independent runs, and when viewed in conjunction with recent travel history, strongly pointed to the possibility that this strain could be one of the avian subtypes known to occasionally infect humans. To investigate this possibility, a combination of real time and gel-based assays were performed to target the following genes H5, H7 and N9, on the viral RNA from the BAL, which had the highest titre of virus. Additionally, the M (matrix), NA (neuraminidase) and HA (haemagglutinin) genes were amplified and sequenced. A compilation of the results from all these assays indicated that this strain was an influenza A(H5N1) subtype. Supplementary testing performed at the National Microbiology Reference Laboratory, Winnipeg, confirmed our findings that this was an avian influenza A (H5N1) virus. Sequence data of the HA and NA genes from both laboratories showed the following. From the HA sequence this virus; (a) belongs to clade 2.3.2.1, (b) is a highly pathogenic influenza A(H5), based upon the presence of multiple basic amino-acid residues occurring at the cleavage site, (c) has a wild-type receptor binding site, consistent with preferential affinity for the avian alpha-2-3 sialic-acid receptor. The NA sequence shows genotypic sensitivity to oseltamivir (Tamiflu) based upon the histidine residue at position 275. This genotypic susceptibility result was considered to be helpful information as chemoprophylaxis with oseltamivir had been prescribed for close contacts of the individual. Of interest is that the respiratory samples tested negative for influenza A in the Luminex Respiratory Viral panel but identified a human coronavirus 229E in the nasopharyngeal swabs, but not from the BAL. The negative influenza A results from this commercial assay were in contrast to the positive results obtained from the in-house Taqman assays. The CSF collected also tested positive for influenza A and subtyped as H5. An autopsy was not done due to concerns regarding the risk of virus transmission. This case identifies a number of key issues, the 1st being the rapid onset and tragic death of a young, healthy traveler due to an avian influenza A(H5N1) infection. The index of suspicion was low as travel was to an area in China where there have been no recent reports of the circulation of this virus, and coupled with no obvious exposure to poultry, the diagnostic work-up and consideration for A(H5N1) infection was very low. The clinical course, detection of the virus in the CSF, and results of imaging studies are consistent with an infection of the brain. A review of the literature indicates that such events are uncommon in humans, although animal models show that this virus is neurotropic and neuroinvasive (4,5). From a laboratory diagnosis aspect, this case shows the value of having screening assays, in-house or commercial, known to be capable of identifying all influenza subtypes. Often, the proprietary information of the target and detection sites of commercial assays makes it difficult to know if non-seasonal subtypes can be detected (6). In this case, the discrepant results between our in-house screening Taqman assays and the Luminex Respiratory Viral Panel were very helpful in indicating this strain was not a seasonal subtype. The availability of advanced molecular tools at the Alberta Provincial Laboratory allowed us to suspect, within 24 hours of testing these samples, that this was an unusual strain. Such information was valuable in implementing appropriate communication processes to healthcare workers who cared for this patient and to regularly update the appropriate authorities. Finally, this infection of a Canadian resident is the 1st case of influenza A(H5N1) occurring in North America. With the rapidity of travel between countries and continents and the globalization of many cultures, this will likely not be the last case to occur in North America. References |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: January 13 2014 at 1:07pm
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Here's a new pc on victim http://beforeitsnews.com/survival/2014/01/human-fatality-rate-60-grave-concerns-that-h5n1-will-become-easily-transmissible-between-humans-2506122.html |
Posted By: Pixie
Date Posted: January 13 2014 at 6:42pm
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Old case 2005. Both had acute encephalitis ,no resp symptoms. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15716562
N Engl J Med. 2005 Feb 17;352(7):686-91. Fatal avian influenza A (H5N1) in a child presenting with diarrhea followed by coma. de Jong MD, Bach VC, Phan TQ, Vo MH, Tran TT, Nguyen BH, Beld M, Le TP, Truong HK, Nguyen VV, Tran TH, Do QH, Farrar J. Author information Abstract In southern Vietnam, a four-year-old boy presented with severe diarrhea, followed by seizures, coma, and death. The cerebrospinal fluid contained 1 white cell per cubic millimeter, normal glucose levels, and increased levels of protein (0.81 g per liter). The diagnosis of avian influenza A (H5N1) was established by isolation of the virus from cerebrospinal fluid, fecal, throat, and serum specimens. The patient's nine-year-old sister had died from a similar syndrome two weeks earlier. In both siblings, the clinical diagnosis was acute encephalitis. Neither patient had respiratory symptoms at presentation. These cases suggest that the spectrum of influenza H5N1 is wider than previously thought. Copyright 2005 Massachusetts Medical Society. |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: January 14 2014 at 5:07pm
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Hi Mahshadin Wow... Now there is a visceral response. Go back and reread my post. Cause of this outbreak is pure biology my friend. No one caused it. Not unions, not satanists, not even evil new world order conspirators.... Just viruses doing what viruses do and do best. |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: January 14 2014 at 6:04pm
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Though I respect your contributions here, I respectfully submit that viruses and bacteria are very different and universal procedures of masking, limiting exposure to body excretions and fluids, and disinfection are less effective when dealing with viral infections. "Virus - Bacteria Differences Viruses are the smallest and simplest life form known. They are 10 to 100 times smaller than bacteria. The biggest difference between viruses and bacteria is that viruses must have a living host - like a plant or animal - to multiply, while most bacteria can grow on non-living surfaces. Bacteria are intercellular organisms (i.e. they live in-between cells); whereas viruses are intracellular organisms (they infiltrate the host cell and live inside the cell). They change the host cell's genetic material from its normal function to producing the virus itself. There are some useful bacteria but all viruses are harmful. Antibiotics can kill bacteria but not viruses. An example of a disease caused by bacteria is strep throat and an example of an affliction caused by a virus is the flu." www.mayoclinic.org |
Posted By: Satori
Date Posted: January 14 2014 at 8:33pm
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H5N1: Anatomy of a killer – Canadian patient was brain dead by the time she was diagnosed http://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2014/01/15/h5n1-anatomy-of-a-killer-canadian-patient-was-brain-dead-by-the-time-she-was-diagnosed/ |
Posted By: jacksdad
Date Posted: January 14 2014 at 9:52pm
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Saskabush - I usually get to read all of the new comments, so there's no need to double post. I responded in the prepping thread. ------------- "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. |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: January 14 2014 at 11:28pm
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Jacksdad Not sure what happened but I only posted once. I did read your reply and agree my CAPS were out of place. My apologies to all. |
Posted By: jacksdad
Date Posted: January 14 2014 at 11:58pm
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No problem. And welcome to AFT, by the way. ------------- "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. |
Posted By: coyote
Date Posted: January 17 2014 at 9:24am
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Maggie Fox: Look for weird flu symptoms, CDC reminds doctors http://www.nbcnews.com/health/... Maggie Fox NBC News 8 minutes ago The case of a Canadian woman who died of H5N1 bird flu earlier this month has mystified flu experts, who say they are both puzzled by how she got the virus, and more than a little surprised that it was H5N1 and not a newer virus, called H7N9, that infected her. The woman's unusual symptoms - she didn't have some of the more obvious signs of flu - prompted a health alert from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week reminding doctors to be on the lookout for odd symptoms. "It caught us a little unawares because we were expecting this to happen with H7N9," CDC flu expert Marc-Alain Widdowson told NBC News. "It came a little out of the blue." The victim, a 22-year-old nurse from the central Canadian province of Alberta, had encephalitis - a swelling of the tissue surrounding the brain. She also had pneumonia, but her flu infection wasn't diagnosed right away and she apparently wasn't coughing hard. By the time she came back to the hospital a few days later, she was already dying. Severe and unusual symptoms are a hallmark of avian influenzas, doctors say. The CDC says people coming back from countries affected by any kind of avian flu should be on the lookout. "Clinicians should consider the possibility of avian influenza A (H5N1) virus infection in persons exhibiting symptoms of severe respiratory illness who have appropriate travel or exposure history," the Health Alert reads. ... ------------- Long time lurker since day one to Member. |
Posted By: Albert
Date Posted: January 17 2014 at 11:50am
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China has obviously been hiding h5 cases for several years, and masterfully at that. Like Ive said, the only thing that makes sense with that Canadian case is that china has been up to its old cover up tricks again, and will soon be exposed. ------------- https://www.facebook.com/Avianflutalk |