Novartis Says Most U.S. Swine Flu Shots Ready in 2010

Most of Novartis AG’s swine flu vaccine may not reach the U.S. until the first quarter of 2010, almost at the end of flu season, Chief Executive Officer Daniel Vasella said today in an interview on CNBC.

“I feel compassion for those people who are waiting,” he said.

The Basel, Switzerland, drugmaker is the biggest U.S. supplier of the new vaccine, and U.S. health officials have reported the country’s overall supply will reach 28 million doses by the end of the month after previously projecting 40 million to 50 million by mid-October. H1N1 is widespread in 41 states, has hospitalized more than 5,000 and has caused the deaths of 292 people since Sept. 1, 90 percent of whom were younger than 65, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Oct. 20.

Production at Novartis is not being held up now, Vasella said today. The initial problem was the lack of antigen, the key ingredient that induces immunity, he said.

“There was one-fifth of the normal yield,” Vasella said.

Novartis received the first seed strains from the CDC and Geneva-based World Health Organization and was forced to go back and get others, Sarah Coles, a spokeswoman for the company, said in an e-mail.

Half the Yield

All the other vaccine makers with contracts to supply to the U.S. -- Paris-based Sanofi-Aventis SA, London-based GlaxoSmithKline Plc and AstraZeneca Plc, and CSL Ltd. based in Melbourne -- received seed strains at the same time to develop the shots, CDC officials have said. The strains yielded half as much antigen as that for a typical seasonal flu, Aphaluck Bhatiasevi, a WHO spokesman, said Sept. 18.

Novartis is moving swiftly to increase the pace of its output including transferring 300 workers to the swine flu vaccine production lines, Vasella said.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said yesterday there were “manufacturing glitches” because new production lines were set up to accommodate the swine flu vaccine. Sebelius didn’t specify which companies had the glitches. Novartis is contracted to deliver about 35 percent of the 250 million doses ordered by the U.S. government, according to statements from HHS.

Novartis Statement

“Novartis has taken steps to accelerate the post- production process and delivery of vaccine,” according to a statement from the company released after Vasella’s interview. “Among other things, we have prioritized production of pre- filled syringes despite substantially slower filling rates. Along with the low yields, these efforts have led to delays in vaccine supply.”

Novartis began a large-scale fill-and-finish operation on the swine flu vaccine in early September after completing its seasonal flu campaign, the company said in its statement.

AstraZeneca’s MedImmune Inc., producer of a nasal spray version of the vaccine, was about 300,000 doses behind in its production, Karen Lancaster, a company spokeswoman, said Oct. 20. MedImmune, based in Gaithersburg, Maryland, had shipped at least 6.5 million doses to the U.S. government and planned to send a total of 11 million by the end of October, she said.

Sanofi said it began shipping its vaccine on Sept. 29, “a little bit earlier than anticipated,” and was tracking “pretty much on schedule,” Donna Cary, a spokeswoman, said Oct. 20.

CSL was “on schedule” to delivery its 36 million doses, Sheila Burke, a spokeswoman, said Oct. 20.



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Flu Story: A Pregnant Woman’s Ordeal

The group most threatened by swine flu and most in need of the new vaccine, world health authorities agree, is that of pregnant women.

For example, Aubrey Opdyke.

On June 27, Ms. Opdyke, a 27-year-old waitress and former high-school swimmer who weighed 135 pounds before her pregnancy and had no health risks other than a smoking habit, came down with mild flu symptoms.

She finally came home from the hospital three weeks ago.

“At first, I didn’t think anything of it — just another flu bug,” Ms. Opdyke said recently. “But it really wrecked me. I probably shouldn’t have made it.”

In the four months she was hospitalized, she spent five weeks in a coma, suffered six collapsed lungs and a near-fatal seizure. High-pressure ventilation blew her up like a molten balloon until “she looked like she weighed 400 pounds,” her husband, Bryan, said, and she has stretch marks from her neck to her ankles. Her muscles and lungs are still so weak that she uses a walker.

While hospitalized, she missed seeing her 4-year-old daughter, Hope, learn to swim and start pre-school.

And, most important, she lost her baby. Parker Christine Opdyke, almost 27 weeks in the womb, was delivered by emergency Caesarean section on July 18, when her fetal heart rate plummeted during Ms. Opdyke’s third lung collapse. Her airways were too blocked to let a breathing tube in, possibly a side effect of the drugs saving her mother. She lived seven minutes.

On Oct. 1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 100 pregnant women had been in intensive care with swine flu and 28 had died. That is a tiny fraction of what are believed to have been millions of cases in the country. But it is the best argument, federal officials say, for the drawn-out, expensive effort to make a swine flu vaccine.

Pregnant women are particularly susceptible because they are in the younger age group most likely to catch this new virus, while those over 50 who have had more flus rarely catch it. Moreover, pregnancy suppresses the immune system to protect the fetus, and the growing baby makes it harder for a mother to clear her lungs.

All but a few of the pregnant women who have died or been near death from swine flu are unknown. Privacy laws prevent health departments from releasing their names, and few families come forward.

The Opdykes did because “we wanted to get it out there how dangerous it can be,” Ms. Opdyke said.

“We have friends who get flu symptoms and say, ‘Oh, I’m not going to a doctor,’ ” Mr. Opdyke added. “And we say, ‘Do you not understand what we went through?’ I can’t imagine why there’s so much nonchalance.”

That nonchalance strikes close to home.

As they said this, Ms. Opdyke was doing her daily physical therapy, struggling to lift one-pound weights. Her therapist interrupted to announce that she opposed flu shots.

“Have you ever read the labels?” she asked. “They’re so full of toxins.”

Asked if she realized that a shot, had it existed in June, might have saved her client and her baby, she frowned and went back to her clipboard.

Unlike some other families that came forward, the Opdykes are not threatening to sue anyone.

They do not blame her obstetrician, even though she suggested acetaminophen the first time Ms. Opdyke called her and prescribed an antibiotic the second.

“Swine flu just wasn’t on our minds at all,” Ms. Opdyke said.

Nor are they angry at the Wellington Regional Medical Center. “I don’t think if I’d taken her anywhere else, she would have survived,” Mr. Opdyke said.

Her flu came on gradually, and she never had a high fever. But after a week of feeling exhausted and achy, she became delirious. When Mr. Opdyke drove her to the hospital, with his finger on the door-lock button for fear she would jump out, she could not tell the triage nurse her name.

Her blood oxygen level was below 70; normal is 95, and below 80 is life-threatening. Both lungs were full of fluid.

Thrashing, she knocked off oxygen masks and pulled out an intubation tube. Panic made her hyperventilate. Doctors finally sedated her into a paralytic coma to let the ventilator work.

She survived near-failure of her kidneys, then her lungs, damaged by continuous high-pressure oxygen, began collapsing. Mr. Opdyke was warned he might have to choose — her life or that of the baby, who was just at the border of survivability outside the womb.

“I said, ‘Save Aubrey,’ ” he said of the woman he married last year. “I can make another baby, but I can’t replace her.”

Her third lung collapse forced the issue. Parker had to be delivered, but she did not survive.

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, a photographers’ charity for families of premature infants, offered to take black-and-white pictures. Ms. Opdyke’s mother bathed Parker and brushed her hair.

“Some people don’t agree,” Mr. Opdyke said about having the photographs taken. “But for me there was no option. Aubrey wasn’t awake, she didn’t get to bond. If I didn’t do it, there’s no way I could make it up to her.”

Aubrey Opdyke started to recover, then developed a bacterial infection common to ventilator patients. She nearly succumbed, then rallied and doctors started to wean her off the coma-inducing drugs. She had weeks of hallucinations about a friendly white dog visiting her but could not ask about it because of the tube.

Mr. Opdyke took comfort from what he saw as divine signs. Dog is “God” backwards, he noted. And one day, in a panic because he had forgotten to wear his wife’s wedding ring around his neck, he saw a license plate reading “FAITH.”

Ms. Opdyke’s last crisis was a still-unexplained seizure during a family visit. Her mother had been painting her nails and blamed herself, thinking the fumes had done it.

Now that she is home, in the townhouse complex they rent near the West Palm Beach airport, Ms. Opdyke is struggling to regain her strength. Muscles atrophy into rubber bands; every day in a coma means two days’ recovery.

She apologizes for the messy yard; she would pick it up but barely has the strength to get upstairs to bed. Mr. Opdyke has gone back part-time to his job at UPS.

Mr. Opdyke worries he gave her the flu. “I was sick two weeks before,” he said. “I touch packages that have been touched a thousand times. If anybody’s going to catch it, it’s me.”

He said he had not yet looked at the bills. His insurance covered most, he said, “but it had to be over a million, and we owe 20 percent; I’m not ready for that many commas.”

Friends from their jobs and a Girl Scout charity that Ms. Opdyke once ran with her mother have raised over $10,000 by holding benefits, and small checks have come in after articles by local journalists. “It’s a lot of help,” Ms. Opdyke said. “It really shows the compassion of people.”

And does she want another baby?

“Yes,” she says firmly. “At first, I didn’t. Now I do. But I’ve got to get my strength back.”


P.S. Boost your immune system by eating Vitamin C & Vitamin D rich Foods and Fruits.



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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.




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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.

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Flu Can Raise Chances of Heart Attack

People suffering from the flu may be at higher risk for having a heart attack, especially those with heart disease and diabetes, British researchers report.

Because both seasonal and the pandemic H1N1 swine flu are circulating this fall and winter, people at risk for heart attacks are urged to get a seasonal flu shot and an H1N1 flu shot, which may reduce the chance of getting the flu and thereby lower the risk for a heart attack, experts say.

"Influenza is most concerning because of its secondary complications," said Dr. Marc Siegel, an associate professor of medicine at New York University School of Medicine in New York City.

"Most of the time with influenza, death or hospitalization isn't because of the influenza, it's because influenza puts you in a weakened state -- it's a stress on the system," he said. "So, it is not surprising that you would have the increased risk of a myocardial infarction during or right after an influenza infection."

In addition, the flu virus may have a negative effect directly on the heart, Siegel said. "Flu stresses and strains the system," he added.

To determine the risk of heart attack among those with flu, a research team led by Andrew C. Hayward, a senior lecturer in infectious disease epidemiology at the UCL Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology in London, looked at 39 studies conducted between 1932 and 2008.

The studies showed an increase in deaths from heart disease and more heart attacks during flu season. In fact, excess deaths because of heart disease averaged 35 percent to 50 percent, according to the report in the October issue of The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

But the studies also showed that getting a flu shot reduced the risk of dying from heart disease or suffering a heart attack, Hayward's group found.

"We believe influenza vaccination should be encouraged wherever indicated, especially in those people with existing cardiovascular disease. Further evidence is needed on the effectiveness of influenza vaccines to reduce the risk of cardiac events in people without established vascular disease," Hayward's team concluded.

Dr. Gregg C. Fonarow, a professor of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, agreed that flu shots appear to reduce the risk of heart attacks.

"It has long been hypothesized that influenza infection results in an acute inflammatory response that can also trigger the onset of cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke in vulnerable individuals," Fonarow said.

A number of observational studies have suggested more cardiovascular events occur in patients with influenza than otherwise expected and that individuals who receive annual flu shots are much less likely to have fatal or nonfatal cardiovascular events or be hospitalized for heart failure, he said.

"Guidelines from the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology strongly recommend that all individuals with cardiovascular disease receive annual influenza vaccination," Fonarow said.

However, Dr. Pascal James Imperato, dean and distinguished service professor at the School of Public Health at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, said the role of flu shots in preventing heart attack has not been proven conclusively.

"The role of severe respiratory infections in precipitating myocardial infarctions in vulnerable individuals is well-established," Imperato said. "However, the role of influenza vaccines in protecting such individuals is less clear from the limited scientific evidence available."

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.



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Swine Flu - What You Need to Know

"Information is the best prevention".

This pandemic is still a very serious threat to the people. Medical companies are racing against time to combat this dreaded disease which already claimed thousands.

As the government scrambles to provide vaccine for Swine Flu and contain the spread of the disease, perhaps the best tool available for you is the right information.

What is Swine Flu and how is it different from varieties of influenza we've seen before?

H1N1, or "Swine Flu" contains genetic material from swine, avian and human flu viruses. H1N1 viruses often circulate harmlessly, but since it's a new type of virus, humans don't normally have immunity to it. There are predictions worldwide about the spread of Swine Flu, but nobody is sure how far the disease will spread.

What are the symptoms?

These include:

* Fever
* Cough
* Sore throat
* Runny nose
* Body aches
* Chills
* Fatigue

Some cases also involve diarrhea and vomiting.

These symptoms are relatively common in most types of influenza. Your doctor can give you a Swine Flu test, though the results are not always definitive.

A fever is defined as having a body temperature of 100 degrees or greater.

Swine flu can also cause neurological problems in children, as do other types of flu. The disease is fatal in rare cases.

Who's at the highest risk?

Most U.S. cases have involved young adults and older children. A large number have involved those with morbid obesity.

Experts still caution that those at the highest risk from Swine Flu are young children, the elderly, those with immune disorders and other chronic illnesses.

How can I tell of co-workers, family members or others have Swine Flu?

It's virtually impossible to tell, as Swine Flu symptoms are similar to those of other types of flu. Still, experts advise you to stay six feet from those who appear sick. It's not necessary to wear a face mask, but it can help prevent you from spreading your flu virus to others.

How can I avoid infection

The CDC says hand washing is one of the best ways to reduce your risk of infection. Also, staying away from those who exhibit symptoms is also effective. A personal distance of six feet is recommended.

All household surfaces should be kept clean. Experts say the flu virus (H1N1 included) can stay alive on doorknobs, books, counters, sinks and desks for up to 8 hours.

What vaccines are available?

Vaccines are being prepared in large numbers. Millions of doses will be available in October with more being distributed each month thereafter. The CDC says children ages 6 months to 19 should get a flu shot each year.

What medications are effective?

Tamiflu (oseltamivir) and Relenza (zanamivir) are thought to be the most effective medications to combat H1N1. Doctors advise taking these drugs as soon as possible after symptoms are exhibited. The CDC adds that those who have been to areas with widespread infection should talk to their doctors about taking one of these antiviral medicines.

Health officials don't advise stockpiling Tamiflu and Relenza, though there have been reports in recent years about public health workers doing just that. Still, the government recommends leaving available medicines for those truly in need.

How do I prepare my family for a possible major outbreak?

The government web site Flu.gov advises that you keep a two week supply of food and water in the house. You should also make sure you have a large supply of any prescription drugs on hand. Make sure your children know to always wash their hands and stay away from others who are sick. Parents should cover coughs and sneezes with tissues and model that behavior for the children.

Talk with family members and loved ones about how they would be cared for if they got sick, or what will be needed to care for them in your home. Parents should make plans for child care in the event they themselves become sick.

What if a family member becomes sick?

Call your doctor. If you, your spouse or the kids are coughing and sneezing it could just be a cold. But if there's a fever, headache and other flu symptoms, that's an indication that it could be Swine Flu or some other strain of season influenza.

Also, anyone who's sick should stay home and avoid public areas.

What about travel? Is it safe?

Experts advise caution when traveling to Mexico since there have been large numbers of people infected with Swine Flu there. But you should check with your airline, and websites for the CDC and WHO before traveling since new advisories are constantly posted.

Why have so many people died from Swine Flu in Mexico but not in the U.S.?

Nobody is excactly sure, but it's possible that Americans generally get better, faster medical care. But some experts worry that the number of U.S. deaths could increase as the disease spreads.

Should we avoid pork?

That's not necessary. Swine Flu or H1N1 virus is spread between individuals or by touching surfaces contaminated with the virus. Pork has nothing to do with it.


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NBI seizes P4M worth of fake flu vaccines

The scare over A(H1N1) had prompted some traders to cash in by selling vaccines that they claim to cure the disease. In mid-July, the National Bureau of Investigation arrested a businesswoman in Laguna province for selling what she claimed to be A(H1N1) vaccines.

Amid the scramble for immunity against the dreaded A(H1N1) virus, government agents seized some P4 million worth of fake flu vaccines in a sting operation targeting a businesswoman in Laguna province last week.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has said its agents nabbed the suspect Jennifer Cristobal, 28, in her home at 19 Lily St., Sampaguita Village in San Pedro City in Laguna.

Radio dzBB reported Wednesday that Cristobal sold the vaccines at P3,000 per vial, about P1,000 cheaper than the genuine product.

NBI Anti-Fraud and Computer Crimes Division agents seized several cardboard boxes of fake flu vaccines, which turned out to contain water, during the raid on Cristobal's house.

A press statement on the NBI Web site said Cristobal's arrest stemmed from a complaint lodged by Sanofi Pasteur, maker of the Vaxigrip (inactivated influenza vaccine).

Investigation showed Cristobal's KNJ Marketing was selling fake products and passing them off as products of Sanofi Pasteur.

After a test-buy of Cristobal's vaccines proved positive, the NBI obtained a search warrant from San Pedro Regional Trial Court Branch 31.

Last Friday, the NBI arrested Cristobal and raided her house, where they found 180 vials of Vaxigrip vaccines, 10 boxes of syringes, official and delivery receipts, certificate of product registration, labels, marketing paraphernalia, computers, a telefax machine, and printers.

Cristobal is being detained at the NBI jail and is facing charges of sale of counterfeit drugs.


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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.


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Swine Flu: Why You Should Still Be Worried

Swine flu is spreading faster than ever — so much so that the World Health Organization has decided to stop tracking cases. All over the world almost everyday, we hear of swine flu cases and deaths. Medical companies are racing against time to come up with a vaccine to prevent the spread and cure existing swine flu illnesses.

Read full story.


P.S. Boost your immune system. check this out.

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

Swine Flu updates

Update 53 - Duque Orders DOH to Bolster Mitigation Efforts Against A (H1N1)

01 July 2009

H1N1 UPDATE NO. 53Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III today reported that the Department of Health (DOH) is further bolstering its mitigation efforts against Influenza A(H1N1) in light of the anticipated rise of cases in the country.

On June 30, Duque convened another DOH Command Conference attended by members of the A (H1N1) Task Force, the DOH regional health directors, the chiefs of hospitals of all the 72 DOH-retained hospitals in the country, and some representatives from the private sector.

“As we anticipate more cases in the coming months, we must institute effective mitigation measures to save lives and prevent deaths and to reduce the impact of the pandemic to our nation and the economy,” Duque said.

With the shift toward the mitigation strategy, the DOH is ensuring that all government hospitals, both at the national and local government levels have the capacity to administer care to high-risk patients where the severe manifestations of the A (H1N1) virus are frequently seen. This is in accordance with the directives of President Gloria-Macapagal Arroyo last week to prepare well-equipped isolation wards in all state-run hospitals throughout the country.

High risk patients include patients with preexisting medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, immunosuppression, HIV/AIDs, TB, pregnant women and the very young and the elderly.

Duque also called for a meeting with the member agencies of the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) to engage them, particularly the DILG, in strengthening the involvement of local government units in the A (H1N1) response. This is to make sure that local governments have surveillance, monitoring and response systems in place and that hospitals and primary health care facilities under their jurisdiction are able to identify, treat and manage A (H1N1) cases.

“We have also requested the NDCC member agencies, especially DepEd, CHED and TESDA and PIA to help us in our nationwide campaign against A (H1N1). This is to make sure that our information and education activities reach all schools, barangays and provinces in the country,” Duque added.

Come next week, DOH is also set to meet with the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) and hospital groups like the Philippine Hospital Association (PHA) and the Philippine Hospital Infection Control Society (PHICS) to engage all hospitals and healthcare providers in the appropriate treatment and management of A (H1N1) patients according to the set interim guidelines of the DOH.

Meanwhile, Duque announced that 1,709 confirmed A (H1N1) cases have been reported to the DOH from the 1st week of May up to June 27, 2009. Eighty-six percent (86%) or 1,485 of these cases have already recovered, while the remaining 224 (14%) are still under treatment at present, most of them under home management.

“All cases exhibited mild symptoms with the most common as fever (86%), cough (81%), and nasal congestion (49%),” Duque said, noting however, that there was one reported death.

“The ages of cases range from 5 months to 79 years old, with 18 years old as median age. Most of them belonged to the 10-19 years age group (831 or 49%). Majority of the cases were male (894 or 52%),” Duque described.

Duque disclosed that of the 1,709 reported cases, 1,568 (92%) were Filipinos; the rest were American (with 17), Japanese (8), Chine (4), Korean (3), German (2), and one each from Australia, Canada, India, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Sweden, Thailand, and Turkey.

“Two hundred and eighty-five cases (17%) had history of travel to a country which has reported A (H1N1) cases. Most came from the USA, China, Japan and Singapore,” Duque noted.

Duque said that as far as the geographic profile of the 1,709 cases is concerned the National Capital Region has the most number of patients: comprising 72% (1,225). Cases from NCR mostly came from Quezon City, Manila, Parañaque, Pasig and Makati.

The three other regions that reported the most number of cases were: Regions IV-A, III and VIII.

As far as the global report is concerned, the World Health Organization, as of June 29, has recorded 70,893 cases with 311 deaths from 109 reporting countries.

Department of Health

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