H1N1 flu activity down, H1N1 flu-associated deaths up-Is H1N1 getting more deadly?

The latest U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) swine flu update shows that H1N1 flu activity is decreasing once more, for the 6th week in a row. H1N1 swine flu-associated deaths, however, are going up. At the same time, reports of an H1N1 mutation that attacks the lungs and is resistant to the antiviral medication Tamiflu are circulating here in the U.S., as well as other locations around the world.

CDC swine flu update

According to the CDC swine flu update for December 11, 2009, key flu indicators are all decreasing, except for H1N1 flu-related deaths. Doctor's visits for flu and hospitalizations for flu have gone down for the 6th week in a row, and there are now only 14 states reporting widespread flu activity. At the same time, swine flu-related deaths have increased. This may result from the spread of a deadlier strain of H1N1 mutation that attacks the lungs and is resistant to the antiviral medication Tamiflu.

H1N1 mutation D225G/D225N

Learn more about the H1N1 mutation that attacks the lungs here:

New York swine flu victims show lung damage

Utah patient with lung hemmorhaging

Source of swine flu samples may explain low numbers of D225G

Swine flu vaccine ineffective against D225G in Ukraine

H1N1 deaths increase as mutations combine

Fatality in France due to mixture of swine flu mutations

Iowa medical examiner reports local H1N1 lung damage

Demographic information in Ukraine fatalities linked to D225G receptor binding domain

D225G swine flu mutation same as Spanish flu

Swine flu mutation H274Y/H274Y

Learn more about the swine flu mutation that is resistant to Tamiflu here:

Tamiflu-resistant H1N1 spreading

Swine flu pandemic complicated by antiviral resistance

Tamiflu doesn't work anymore

Tamiflu-resistant strain of H1N1 found around the world


P.S. BOOST your immunity by eating Vitamin C and Vitamin D rich foods and fruits.



source

A "window of opportunity" for preventing another wave of Swine Flu

With activity of the pandemic H1N1 influenza virus declining across the country and the availability of the vaccine against it growing, health authorities have "a window of opportunity" for preventing or minimizing another wave of infections in the coming months, said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at a news conference this morning.

In planning for the short-term future, CDC officials conducted an informal poll of about a dozen internationally recognized flu experts, asking them if they thought there would be another wave of infection this winter. "About half said yes, half said no, and one said 'Flip a coin,' " Frieden said. "We don't know what the future will hold."

Figures released Monday showed that influenza activity had declined for the fourth consecutive week, with only 32 states now reporting widespread activity, down from 48 states a month ago. "Flu is going down, but it is far from gone," Frieden said. "The flu season lasts until May. Only time will tell what the flu season will bring."

Frieden said nearly 70 million doses of swine flu vaccine are now available, an increase of 9 million since Wednesday. "We are seeing that more people are getting vaccinated and protected and, as that happens, it becomes harder for the virus to spread," he said. But he also cautioned that, as more people become immune, that puts increasing pressure on the virus to mutate to a new form.

Frieden spoke briefly about the mutated strains of the virus that have been detected in some patients recently in Norway and China. There has been speculation that the mutant form may be somewhat more virulent because it is able to penetrate farther into the lungs. But Frieden noted that the virus has been observed sporadically during the pandemic and many scientists believe that it is a mutation that evolves in an infected patient, allowing the virus to burrow farther into the lungs. He noted that physicians have seen patients with the mutant strain deep in the lungs and a different strain higher up, suggesting that the mutant strain was created in situ. In any case, he added, there is no evidence that the mutant strain is spreading and "it is not likely to become the dominant strain."

P.S. Boost your immunity by eating Vitamin C and Vitamin D rich foods and fruits.

source

Benefits of swine flu vaccine greatly exceed the risks

In a typical year, seasonal flu kills about 36,000 people — nearly all of them older than 65 and many with underlying health problems. But that's not the way the H1N1 swine flu will look this year. It strikes hardest at children and young adults, who have none of the immunity to the strain that older people apparently have. And though only a fraction of 1% of sufferers is likely to get seriously ill, almost a third of those who die may be otherwise healthy and robust.

Such an outcome, says Anthony Fauci, the federal government's top infectious disease expert, is "almost unheard of." Fauci told USA TODAY's editorial board this week that he has been dealing with infectious diseases for decades, "and I've never seen, in seasonal flu, a normal, robust healthy person die from influenza."

Yet, that tragic scenario is already playing out around the nation with swine flu. H1N1 influenza has killed 28 pregnant women and 60 children since April, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Officials don't know why some otherwise healthy people die from H1N1, and they won't predict how many more might. But the trends suggest that thousands of young lives are at stake.

This picture, based not on conjecture but on science and observation, is not meant to frighten. It is meant as a sobering counter to those who apparently have no use for science, government or vaccines and are warning people to forgo protection against a very real threat.

Typical of the skeptics is political pundit Bill Maher, who tweeted this sage advice to thousands of Twitter followers last month: "If u get a swine flu shot ur an idiot."

As the H1N1 vaccine is about to become widely available, the saddest thing is that many people seem to be listening to the Mahers of the world. A University of Michigan poll in August found that only 40% of parents planned to get the H1N1 shot for their children. Some parents are even holding ill-advised "flu parties" to expose their children to H1N1 — a potentially fatal disease.

Some of the antipathy to the shots no doubt dates to the 1976 swine flu outbreak at Fort Dix, N.J., which caused one death and sent the government into overdrive down a tragic path. President Ford pledged to vaccinate everyone in the USA against an expected epidemic. But the flu never escaped Fort Dix. More than 500 of the 45 million people vaccinated got a rare neurological illness, Guillain-Barré. Dozens died.

Whether that was related to the vaccine is still unclear. But the program, quickly suspended, left many Americans with a fear of vaccines. Little wonder. The episode involved all risk and no benefit, because the flu turned out to be no threat.

That is clearly not the case today. Around the world, H1N1 has sickened millions, and 4,100 deaths have been reported. In the USA, since Aug. 30, more than 16,000 people have been hospitalized and nearly 1,400 have died from H1N1 or seasonal flu. The benefits of the vaccine, which authorities say is as safe as the seasonal flu shot, far outweigh any risk of side effects.

The decision whether to get it, for yourself or your children, should be driven by facts and science, not advice from people who play doctors on TV or the Internet.


P.S. Boost your immune system by taking Vitamin C rich foods and fruits.




source

Swine flu nasal spray or shot?

We now know the first batch of the much anticipated swine flu vaccine has been shipped from the manufacturer and is on its way to undisclosed distribution centers around the country, including here in Central Florida. And according to the Orange County Health Department who gets its information from the State Health Department, the first batch is coming in the form of a nasal spray.

The next batch will be shipped next week, and is expected to come in the form of the shot. The mist, of course, is really geared toward children and adults who just don't like needles. But results of a new study just released comparing the seasonal flu shot with the flu mist show the shot is twice as effective. However, there have been no studies done comparing the swine flu mist vs. the shot.

In fact, health officials say that may not be the case with the swine flu, that the shot and the spray may be equally effective. Unfortunately for now, we'll have to wait to find out. The Orange County Health Department says both the mist and the shot will be available here in Central Florida by mid-October, but supplies will be limited.

"It's going to arrive initially in small amounts. Then we'll get more. People getting it first will be those at risk" "But with the FluMist, one little caveat, it has to go to healthy people, not the ones with underlying conditions and those at risk," said Orange County Health Department spokesman Dain Weister

The Health Department tells us anyone between the ages of 2 and 49 without any underlying health problems can get the nasal spray.

P.S. boost your immune system by heavy intake of vitamin C foods and supplements.

source

New swine flu wave hits Mexico, closings unlikely

Looks like the dreaded Swine Flu is here to stay. The next wave of swine flu has arrived, and Mexicans are bracing for an outbreak that may be even larger than the one here last spring that became a pandemic.

Daily diagnoses reached higher levels in September than the H1N1 peak in April, with 483 new cases in just one day this month alone.

It's unlikely there will be large-scale closings of schools and stadiums, however, because health officials know the virus is usually mild if treated early.

"We know the situation is not as serious" as officials feared last spring, said Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova.

Still, 3,000 schools across Mexico were closed earlier this week as a result of the virus. That number has dropped to 128, Education Secretary Alonso Lujambio told senators Wednesday, as he said officials are still developing the criteria they will use to shut down schools in the future.

When the first cases of swine flu were confirmed in late April, Mexico's government immediately ordered the closure of all schools, museums, libraries and theaters in the capital. Within days, schools nationwide, restaurant dining rooms and other businesses shut down, streets mostly emptied and soldiers handed out millions of face masks.

Mexico could see up to 5 million cases of swine flu during this winter's flu season and deaths could reach 2,000, Cordova said.

Some hospitals already have the same number of swine flu patients as they had in April, he said Thursday. Officials are negotiating with laboratories to secure doses of a vaccine by October, he added.

Mexico had 29,417 reported cases and 226 deaths as of Friday.

The World Health Organization says more than 300,000 cases of H1N1 have been confirmed throughout the world, and more than 3,900 people have died from the virus.

P.S. Boost your immune system with Vitamin C rich foods and fruits.

source

Swine flu's tendency to strike the young is causing confusion

As health officials brace for a new onslaught of illness from the novel H1N1 virus, they remain perplexed by one of the most unusual and unsettling patterns to emerge from this pandemic -- the tendency of the so-called swine flu to strike younger, healthier people.

The initial explanation was that the elderly, who are usually most vulnerable to the flu, have built-in immunity as a result of their exposure more than 50 years ago to ancestors of today's pandemic strain. But the limits of the theory are becoming more clear. For starters, only a third actually have antibodies to the new H1N1.

"It doesn't quite look as though it's the whole story," said Dr. William Schaffner, chairman of the department of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville.

Further, the flu's two key genes came directly from pigs and are new to everyone. That means all age groups should be equally vulnerable since no one has encountered the genes before. Yet infants seem to be in less danger than older children and most adults.

Unraveling these mysteries will be crucial to designing a strong defense against this tenacious virus. Tests in animals strongly suggest that H1N1 will be with us for the foreseeable future, supplanting the strains that cause seasonal flu within a year or two.

Understanding the virus' inner workings will also help scientists prepare for future influenza pandemics.

H1N1's unorthodox nature became apparent as soon as the virus burst onto the scene in early spring: Most of the earliest cases in the U.S. and Mexico occurred in children rather than the elderly.

In the U.S., half of the people with confirmed H1N1 cases have been 12 or younger, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Until July 24, when the CDC stopped counting new cases, 60% of patients whose ages were known were between 5 and 24 years old. An additional 20% were in the 25-to-49 age group. Only 1% of those sickened had reached the age of 65.

Younger people also appear to be getting the most severe cases of pandemic flu. The median age of patients requiring hospitalization is 20, according to the CDC. In fatal cases, the median age is 37.

Those figures are in stark contrast to the seasonal flu, which is most likely to sicken people who are elderly, very young or chronically ill. More than 90% of fatal cases involve senior citizens.

H1N1's link to 1918

Scientists had theorized that the new H1N1 swine flu descended from the 1918 Spanish flu, an H1N1 strain that killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide. Older people who had been exposed to that virus must have built up immunity that protected them against the new pandemic strain.

But an analysis published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine found H1N1 antibodies in blood samples from only 39 of 115 people born before 1950, a rate of 34%. The results supported a similar analysis released in May.

Over the summer, researchers who tested blood samples from Japan found that few people born after 1918 had antibodies that protected them against the new H1N1. But most of the people over the age of 90 did.

That suggests immunity came only from the initial versions of Spanish flu, not from the myriad offshoots to which most elderly people were exposed. For them, protection came from something else.

"Other components of the immune response no doubt also contribute to reduce disease," said Jacqueline Katz, chief of immunology and pathogenesis in the CDC's Influenza Division. But she said that scientists didn't know what those might be.

Then there's the matter of the key H and N genes in the new H1N1 virus. Although they have much in common with the corresponding genes from the 1918 strains, both came directly from pigs. No one should have immunity.

Baffled by fatalities

It may turn out that prior experience with H1N1 has very little effect on who will wind up with the most severe cases of swine flu.

Consider this alternative explanation for the unusually young age of H1N1 victims from Dr. Peter Wenger, a professor of preventive medicine and community health at New Jersey Medical School in Newark: Perhaps their more vigorous immune systems are simply mounting stronger challenges to the flu virus.

If bodies overreact and release too many infection-fighting proteins called cytokines, the resulting "cytokine storm" can cause severe inflammation that overwhelms the lungs and respiratory tract. In extreme cases, the reaction can be fatal.

Many scientists have speculated that this kind of calamitous immune response may have been at work in 1918. But the theory is difficult to test.

"The immune system is such a finely modulated system," he said. "When you start pulling out cells and putting them in test tubes, it gives you some idea, but is it really what happened?"

Though the overall H1N1 fatality rate remained low over the summer during the Southern Hemisphere's flu season, deaths continued to be concentrated among middle-aged adults.

For example, in New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, half of the 48 deaths were in people in their 40s and 50s, according to figures from the government's health department.

Though children and young adults have higher rates of H1N1 infection, the fatal cases are more likely to involve middle-aged adults because they have higher rates of the underlying medical conditions that make H1N1 deadly, such as asthma, diabetes and heart disease, said CDC spokeswoman Artealia Gilliard.

Dr. Harry Greenberg, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford University School of Medicine, said he was puzzled about why H1N1 had caused relatively few deaths in infants and young children considering that they lack the antibodies that appear to be protecting the elderly.

"I don't have a good explanation to totally account for this," he said, "except to say it's early in the data-gathering business."


P.S. boost your immune system by eating vitamin C fruits and foods now.



source

Swine flu vaccine expected to arrive in October

More than a million doses of swine flu vaccine a week are expected to start rolling in next month, state health officials said Thursday, but the first batches probably won't be enough to vaccinate everyone considered most at risk.

Texas will receive 1.1 million doses of the vaccine a week for three weeks and 1.5 million a week after that, said James Zoretic, regional medical director for the Texas Department of State Health Services.

A department spokesman said the first shipments could arrive as soon as early October – though no date is yet certain.

The numbers were released at a regional pandemic influenza conference in Arlington, attended by state and local health officials.

Also on Thursday, U.S. and Australian researchers announced findings that one shot of the vaccine, rather than two, should adequately protect adults from the disease.

The H1N1 vaccine, which is different from the one for seasonal flu, will be distributed to hospitals and clinics with guidelines to inoculate priority population groups – pregnant women, people 6 months to 24 years old, and those ages 64 or younger who have certain medical conditions, among others.

Several counties, including Dallas and Tarrant, have stopped counting cases of swine flu. Instead, health officials monitor emergency room reports of fevers, coughs and sore throats to gauge the disease's spread.

So far, such reports are up about 5 percent over the same period last year – a "slight uptick," said John Carlo, medical director for Dallas County Health and Human Services.

He said officials will be carefully watching that number to see if it increases over the flu season.

Officials are also monitoring school absentee rates for signs of classroom outbreaks. So far, those numbers are "fluctuating" quite a bit, said Carlo.

He cautioned that erratic absentee rates are not unusual for the beginning of the school year.

source

Pinay with lung problem dies of H1N1 in Bahrain

A runaway Filipina overseas worker with a pre-existing health condition was the first person reported to have died from A(H1N1) virus in Bahrain.

According to the report written by Mandeep Singh and Patrick Solomon and published online by the Gulf Daily News (GDN), OFW Jane Tamad Diale, 30, passed away in Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) Sunday.

The report said an extremely ill Diale was rushed to the hospital last Wednesday by an unidentified friend.

Diale’s father, Abdul Maguid Diale, reportedly requested her cousin Fatima to look for her when she came home during her vacation. Diale was traced at the SMC.

Fatima, too, was tested positive for H1N1 and is being treated and quarantined at home.

"I got the virus from the hospital but my condition was immediately detected. The doctors have told me to remain in isolation for a few days,” Fatima said in the report.

GDN was able to interview Mr. Diale who recently received photographs of his daughter who seemed to be in good health despite suffering from a lung condition.

"She had been suffering from a lung condition for several years, so when we heard she was in hospital, we thought her condition had aggravated," Mr. Diale said.

"In her latest photographs, she looked so beautiful, without a worry in the world. It was a beautiful smiling face, she looked so beautiful," her father added in the GDN report.

The last conversation he had with his daughter was around 10 days ago. He added that the family was aware that she ran away from her sponsor several months ago.

It was in 1999 when Diale went to work in Saudi Arabia for three years. Her condition started when she was working there. After that she moved to Dubai and then to Bahrain where her condition reportedly worsened.

GDN quoted SMC Infection Control head Dr. Jameela Salman as saying that people with H1N1 should not delay treatment as the virus could be fatal.

Dr. Salman said Diale could have been saved if she was treated earlier.



source

Swine flu’s re-emergence: Questions and answers

Swine flu is expected to re-emerge potent and pervasive this fall, infecting as much as half the U.S. population, hospitalizing 2 million people and killing up to 90,000, according to federal officials.

Like pandemic strains of the past, H1N1 has a predilection for infecting young people. And because schools and colleges have long served as veritable cauldrons of flu activity, the combination of a new strain and the opportunity for its spread pose new concerns.

Yet neither state nor federal health officials are recommending surgical masks be added to backpacks when kids return to school. Instead, experts are urging a swine flu vaccination when it’s ready, a seasonal flu vaccination now, and developing a family pandemic plan.

Public health experts say preparedness is the best weapon against an infection that has already hit more than 1 million people in the United States, hospitalized 7,983 and killed 522. Yet given influenza’s extraordinary unpredictability, flu scientists can’t say for sure what the upcoming season will be like.

Is it certain H1N1 will recur in the fall?

Yes. Worldwide surveillance shows H1N1 as the predominant strain circling the globe. Low levels of flu activity are being reported nationwide and all of it is H1N1. Usually at this time of year, there is virtually no flu present, so even low-level activity is uncommon. With so much H1N1 in circulation globally, computer modeling suggests the potential for a strong resurgence.

Will H1N1 become more virulent?

No one can say with certainty. Influenza — especially pandemic flu — is highly unpredictable. Based on what physicians have seen to date, the majority of cases have been mild illnesses of only a few days’ duration.

What are the symptoms?

Identical to seasonal flu: high fever, muscle aches, dry cough and general malaise. Anyone with the flu is urged to stay home during the illness. State and federal health guidelines recommend not returning to school until 24 hours after fever has subsided without the aid of fever-reducing medication.

How does H1N1 differ from seasonal flu?

The virus has a novel gene arrangement that is new to human populations worldwide. It also behaves differently from seasonal flu, which has its greatest impact on the elderly. H1N1 disproportionately affects young people, particularly pregnant women, newborns and people up to 24 years old.

Why are people of school and college age so vulnerable?

It is a new virus that has never been encountered by the human immune system, which means no natural defense. Pandemic strains historically have a greater impact on young, robust people. Opportunity also plays a role. Flu strains tend to proliferate in schools and colleges because people are in close contact. Poor hygiene — coughing, sneezing into a hand — then touching objects that others handle helps spread the virus.

How can parents help children guard against swine flu?

Stress the importance of hygiene. Frequent hand washing and/or use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers are helpful. Public health experts recommend packing a container of hand sanitizer, which can be used when students can’t be excused to use soap and water.

Will schools close when one or two cases are confirmed?

No. New federal guidelines stress the importance of keeping schools open. Long Island school district officials say their aim is to keep schools running as usual. Less H1N1 data was available during the spring when several school closures were ordered. Scientists have since learned H1N1’s infectiousness is comparable to seasonal flu and that the vast majority of people who contract it recover quickly.

Should medically fragile children avoid school entirely this year?

Children who are ventilator-dependent, or who have muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy or other medical conditions, are being encouraged to attend school. Schools for these children as well as those for pregnant teens face different school-closure recommendations. Unlike mainstream schools, state and federal guidelines recommend closure of schools for medically fragile children when even a single case emerges.

Will there be a vaccine?

Yes. A vaccine is in clinical trials at several centers around the country and is expected by mid-October. Flu scientists are testing the vaccine in pediatric populations.

Will there be enough vaccine for everybody?

No. Health authorities originally had hoped for 120 million doses, but the five manufacturers supplying the United States estimate about 45 million will be available by October. However, manufacturers will continue producing H1N1 vaccines throughout the fall and winter.

Why is the vaccine in short supply?

Flu vaccine production is a long, laborious process. Generally, it requires about nine months to produce seasonal flu vaccines. The H1N1 vaccine is new and requires clinical safety and efficacy testing, which takes time. However, because scientists were able to quickly identify the virus, which is needed as “seed stock” to make the doses, it is helping manufacturers fast-track production even as clinical testing is under way.

Are children and young adults first in line for vaccination?

Yes. Priority groups include: pregnant women; household contacts of infants younger than 6 months old; children and young adults 6 months to 24 years; health care and emergency service workers; and people 25-64 with medical problems, such as asthma, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc. Government health officials estimate those groups total 159 million people.

How safe is the vaccine?

Data emerging from clinical trials suggest the vaccine is both safe and effective.

How many doses are required?

The H1N1 flu vaccine is a two-dose immunization taken three weeks apart. Full immunity occurs about two weeks after the second dose. For most people receiving the vaccine, immunity probably won’t be achieved until Thanksgiving or later.

Will the vaccine contain the preservative thimerosal?

Some H1N1 vaccines will contain thimerosal, a chemical preservative activists have linked to autism. However, there is no scientific basis for that claim. Manufacturers are also producing thimerosal-free doses. If you have concerns, ask your child’s physician for a thimerosal-free vaccine.

Once you are exposed to swine flu or already sick, are antiviral drugs effective?

Yes. They can shorten the course of influenza. But they have to be judiciously prescribed. Currently, there are no dramatic signs of drug resistance. But public health agencies urge caution because only two medications are available to treat swine flu: Tamiflu (oseltamivir) and Relenza (zanamivir). Tamiflu when taken within 48 hours of flu exposure can prevent infection. Misuse of either medication can lead to resistance, making the drugs useless.

Who should take an antiviral?

The World Health Organization says otherwise healthy people with mild to moderate cases of swine flu do not need an antiviral. But anyone who is young, old, pregnant or has an underlying health problem can benefit.

If you had swine flu during the outbreak last spring, should you get the new vaccine?

No. If you had a confirmed diagnosis of H1N1, that infection should provide immunity.

What about if the case was not confirmed?

If you fall into one of the targeted groups, but the case wasn’t confirmed, you should consult a physician.


source

A(H1N1) vaccine to be made available to Filipinos in October

The vaccine against the A(H1N1) virus will finally be made available to Filipinos in October, the local distributor has said.

An information officer of distributor Vaxcen told GMANews.TV on Monday that they have yet to receive a go ahead from their head office to release the name of the pharmaceutical company that would produce the vaccine.

What is sure is that the vaccine will be made available through the company’s vaccine centers starting October, said the Vaxcen officer who refused to be named, citing company policy.

“We assure you it’s from a reputable company," said the officer.

National Epidemiology Center head Dr. Eric Tayag said in a separate interview that they have already received reports regarding such announcements from Vaxcen.

“We’re looking into it, we still have to check and verify these orders. The problem is that we still have no guidelines or policies regarding the distribution of the vaccines," said Tayag.

A previous announcement made by the Department of Health said that health care workers would be the first recipients of some 100,000 A(H1N1) vaccines ordered by the Philippine government from the World Health Organization (WHO). [See: DOH: Health workers to get first batch of A(H1N1) vaccines]

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III also said that the WHO will “draw up" a formula of how to allocate the vaccines to each country.

But Vaxcen said that it is now accepting reservations for the vaccine for P750. The worth of the vaccine is P1,500. It added that interested buyers may call their centers in Quezon City at 421-2493 or in Pasay City at 556-0414.

Tayag said it is possible that the vaccine manufacturers are taking orders through Vaxcen.

“Kung matutuloy yan, chances are hiwalay sila sa guidelines (If their vaccine distribution goes through, then they must be exempted from the guidelines," he said.

As of early July, more than 2,688 cases of A(H1N1) had been recorded in the country with a 95 percent rate of recovery. Since July 9, the DOH has stopped daily updates on the cases of A(H1N1) in the country and instead focused its resources on mitigating the spread of the disease.

In its July 27 update, WHO recorded 134,503 confirmed cases worldwide with 816 deaths. Of these figures, 87,965 or 65 percent of the infections and 707 deaths (86 percent) were recorded in the Americas.


source

RP’s swine flu death toll rises to 6

Philippine health officials say three more people have died of A(H1N1)- or swine flu-related illnesses, bring the country's death toll to six.
(Read More.....)

P.S. it's about time to boost our immune system. (click here)

43-year-old teacher is 4th A(H1N1)-related death in RP

The dreaded Swine Flu A(H1N1)has claimed another life here in the Philippines. We must be aware and vigilant on this disease. follow the tips recommended by the D.O.H. .....READ MORE!!!

P.S. pls visit my blog and know tips in prevention of the disease.

superoyee