'Rapidly fatal' swine flu kills in different ways: study

WASHINGTON — People who die of swine flu contract a "rapidly fatal" form of the disease and tend to die of lung injury, although it strikes different people in different ways, an autopsy study showed Thursday.

In the first study of its kind, researchers in Brazil examined 21 patients aged one to 68 who died in Sao Paulo with confirmed (A)H1N1 infections in July and August.

All 21 patients "presented a progressive and rapidly fatal form of the disease," the study, which will be published in the January 1 issue of the American Thoracic Society's "American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine", found.

All were found to have died of severe acute lung injury, but with three distinct patterns of damage to the lungs, the study said, indicating to the researchers that swine flu "killed in distinct ways".

"All patients have a picture of acute lung injury," said the study's lead author, Thais Mauad, an associate professor of the Department of Pathology at Sao Paulo University.

But some of the patients had only acute lung injury while in others it was associated with necrotizing bronchiolitis -- severe inflammation of the small airway passages in the lungs -- and in others there was "a hemorrhagic pattern," Mauad said.

Patients with necrotizing bronchiolitis were more likely to also have a bacterial co-infection, while patients with heart disease and cancer were more likely to have a hemorrhagic condition in their lungs.

"It is important to bear in mind that patients with underlying medical conditions must be adequately monitored, since they are at greater risk of developing a severe H1N1 infection," said Mauad.

Sixteen of the patients had chronic underlying health conditions, such as heart disease or cancer, the study found.

The researchers also found evidence of an "aberrant immune response" in the lungs of some of the patients, which "suggests that an overly vigorous host inflammatory response triggered by the viral infection may spill over to and damage lung tissue, causing acute lung injury and fatal respiratory failure," said John Heffner, a former president of the American Thoracic Society.

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

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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.

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RP gets 1st batch of A(H1N1) vaccines

The Philippines received its first batch of A(H1N1) vaccines from the World Health Organization (WHO) Thursday morning, Malacañang said.

A Palace statement said that the WHO turned over the influenza vaccines to the Philippine government during a ceremony at Bahay Pangarap in Malacañang.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo received the vaccines from Dr. Soe-Nyunt-U, WHO country representative to the Philippines, the statement said.

The donation was made under a memorandum of agreement signed by WHO Director General Dr. Margaret Chan and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III last Nov. 25.

WHO will supply the country's need for the flu vaccines manufactured by CSL Limited, GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals SA, Green Cross Corporation, MedImmune LLC, Novartis AG and Sanofi Pasteur SA.

The Philippines is the first country to receive such a donation, the statement noted.

Government is undertaking preemptive moves for a possible second wave of A(H1N1) infections, even as health officials reassured the public there is no sign of the A(H1N1) virus growing nastier.

Last month, Duque said his department is in constant communication with the WHO, and there is no sign of a more severe strain of the A(H1N1) virus.

“We are in constant contact with WHO. There is no evidence up to now of a nastier strain of the AH1N1 virus. So our mitigation and containment measures will remain," Duque said in a radio interview then.

Duque reiterated there is no cause for alarm as far as A(H1N1) is concerned even if the virus is already in the Philippines, saying it is already considered a pandemic.

Besides, he said, more than 99 percent of A(H1N1) cases in the Philippines had recovered, with the 30 who died having suffered from other diseases like heart and liver disease.

In August 5, 2009, the WHO reported that 1,154 have died since the virus emerged in April.

More than 300 of the new deaths were in the Americas, bringing the death toll in that region to 1,008 since the virus first emerged in Mexico and the United States, and developed into the global epidemic, the WHO said.

It added that is no evidence that the new virus is mutating into a more dangerous form.

On the other hand, Duque had said that the government already issued 19 guidelines on what to do with A(H1N1) cases, adding that the DOH will monitor developments on the virus.


P.S. Boost your immune system by eating lots of Vitamin C and Vitamin D foods and fruits.



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Swine flu facts, signs and reminders

H1N1 is not any worse than the seasonal flu it's just who is being more greatly affected that is different that includes children.

So we have some reminders for parents when it comes to what to look for and when to call the doctor.

The symptoms of all types of flu include: fever, coughing, sore throat, headache, chills and fatigue. With the H1N1 virus these symptoms could be more severe. They may also include vomiting and diarrhea.

But even though most cases of the virus are mild we do know children are at a greater risk.

So far, 95 children have died from H1N1 since the spring. That's more than the number of kids who die from the seasonal flu each year.

Because of that parents should be on the lookout and call your doctor if your child does not seem to be getting better or could be getting worse. Virtua E.R. Doctor F.J. Campbell says those signs include: a fever that lasts more than a couple of days or any difficulty breathing.

"If you really see them really taking much deeper breaths and more rapid breaths that's the time to really pay attention and make that phone call and let your doctor make the decision if it's serious or not."

And he says for parents of kids with respiratory problems such as asthma they should be in contact with their child's doctor if they get sick. Kids with underlying problems are at a greater risk for complications. It's also recommended all children get the H1N1 vaccine as soon as it's available.

One more tip for parents if your child is sick with a fever then seems to get better but then a few days later they have a fever again that's another sign to call your doctor.


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




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Swine Flu May Infect Internet Too ( Part 2 )

Such a reduction would require adjusting the configuration file within each customer's modem to temporarily reduce the maximum transmission speed that that modem was capable of performing—for example, by reducing its incoming capability from 7 Mbps to 1 Mbps.

However, according to providers the GAO spoke with for its report, such reductions could violate the agreed-upon customer service levels for which customers have paid. In the end the GAO said that technically feasible options would likely require a government directive.

Some of the GAO's other conclusions included:

•Voluntary actions taken by the general public could have significant potential to reduce the surges in traffic loads that residential users may experience during a pandemic. For example, the general public could be asked to limit video streaming, gaming, and peer-to-peer and other bandwidth-intensive applications during daytime work hours.

•Shutting down specific Internet sites would also reduce congestion, although the GAO said many industry players expressed concerns about the feasibility of such an approach. Overall Internet congestion could be reduced if Web sites that accounted for significant amounts of traffic—such as those with video streaming—were shut down during a pandemic.

•Providers could help reduce the potential for a pandemic to cause Internet congestion by ongoing expansions of their networks' capacities. Some providers are upgrading their networks by moving to higher capacity modems or fiber-to-the-home systems. For example, some cable providers are introducing a network specification that will increase the down load capacity of residential networks from the 38 Mbps to about 152 to 155 Mbps.

•Until DHS develops an effective response strategy, coordinates with federal and other partners on actions to take, determines whether sufficient authorities to act exist or are sought, and evaluates the need for a public campaign, employees in critical sectors of the nation's economy, including those in financial services, might not be able to effectively telework or otherwise communicate or transmit data over the Internet during a pandemic.



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