Nearly 2,840 deaths attributed to H1N1 virus, reports UN health agency

UN News Centre
http://www.un.org

4 September 2009 – There are now at least 2,837 deaths attributable to the pandemic H1N1 which continues to be the predominant circulating virus of influenza both in the northern and southern hemispheres, the United Nations health agency reported today.
Gregory Hartl of the World Health Organization (WHO) told a news conference in Geneva that there are also at least 254,000 laboratory confirmed cases of the virus, adding that this number far understated the actual number of cases.

“With the virus circulating so widely around the world, it is unfortunately to be expected that there will be deaths as the volume of cases and deaths is increasing,” he said.

At the same time, there is no indication that the virus has mutated or changed its behaviour, said Mr. Hartl, noting that the virus is not causing more severe illness than before.

According to the latest update issued by WHO, tropical regions of South and South-East Asia continue to experience geographically regional or widespread influenza activity (India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia).

Many countries in the region are reporting increasing or sustained high levels of respiratory disease, and a few, including Thailand and Brunei Darussalam, have begun to report a declining trend in the level of respiratory diseases.

Although many countries in temperate regions of the southern hemisphere (Chile, Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand) have passed the peak of their winter influenza epidemic, sustained influenza activity continues to be reported in South Africa and in the southern and western parts of Australia, noted WHO.

Meanwhile, in Canada and the United States, influenza activity remains low overall. However, regional increases are being detected in the south-eastern United States.

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A/H1N1 influenza case in Vietnam rise to 2,226

HANOI, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Vietnamese Ministry of Health has confirmed 84 more cases of A/H1N1 influenza, bringing the country's total number of flu patients to 2,226, local newspaper the Labor reported Thursday.

Out of the new cases, 45 patients are in the south, eight in the north, and 31 in the central provinces, said the ministry.

At the regular meeting of the National Steering Committee on Human Influenza Prevention on Wednesday, the Health Ministry asked localities to enhance the surveillances towards groups having high possibility of acquiring the A/H1N1 virus. They include people coming back from the infected areas and students, especially those at the primary schools.

At public places like schools and offices, if the first cases are detected and confirmed positive to the A/H1N1 virus, other suspected cases will be quarantined and treated immediately afterwards without taking A/H1N1 test, said the ministry.

So far, 1,252 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospitals. The rest is being quarantined and treated.

Vietnam has reported two deaths of A/H1N1 influenza since the first case was confirmed in the country.

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Thailand's death toll due to A/H1N1 virus infection rises to 119

BANGKOK, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Public Health Ministry on Wednesday announced eight more deaths due to the A/H1N1 influenza infection, bringing the country's death toll to 119.

The trend of the A/H1N1 infection is seen not to decrease dramatically, the ministry said in a statement, the website by Bangkok Post reported.

Since the start of the outbreak, some 14,976 have been confirmed as the A/H1N1-infected patients, the ministry's statement said.

Of the total infected patients, the population with an average age of 10 to 19 is the most affected group as this has accounted for 42.78 percent, the ministry's statement said.

And, the others included those with the age from five to nine years old, which are about 15.89 percent, and the remainders with the age of 20 to 29 years old, accounting for about 14.92 percent, the ministry's statement said.

Thailand had its first two confirmed patients on May 12.

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Vietnam's A/H1N1 flu cases rise to 2,142

HANOI, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam confirmed 69 more cases of A/H1N1 influenza, raising the total number of flu patients in the country to 2,142, said a report of the website of Vietnam's Ministry of Health on Wednesday.

Among the newly-reported cases, 55 were in the south, 12 in the north and two in the central highland provinces of Vietnam, said the report.

So far, 1,228 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospitals. The rest are being quarantined and treated.

Vietnam has reported two deaths of the A/H1N1 flu since its outbreak.

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Over 90 new A/H1N1 flu cases confirmed in Europe

STOCKHOLM, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- A European health agency said Tuesday that 93 new A/H1N1 flu cases were reported in European countries within the last 24 hours.

The majority of new cases, 63 of 93, were confirmed in Switzerland while other cases were reported in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Malta, Romania and Slovakia, the European Centerfor Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said in its daily situation report.

The cumulative number of confirmed cases of the A/H1N1 flu virus in the EU (European Union) and EFTA (European Free Trade Association) countries increased to 43,245, with 14,325 cases in Germany, 12,957 in Britain, 2,210 in Portugal, 1,631 in Greece and 1,538 in Spain, the ECDC said.

The ECDC publishes a daily situation report about the H1N1 flu cases in the EU and EFTA countries based on official information from these countries.

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School closures not part of A/H1N1 battle plans in Canadian B.C. province

VANCOUVER, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- The provincial government of British Columbia in western Canada is preparing for a possible resurgence of the A/H1N1 flu virus when classes resume in September, but widespread school closures are not recommended, officials said Monday.

"We don't expect that individual school closures, community-wide closures or province wide closures will be useful in controlling the spread and impact of the H1N1 flu virus," said provincial chief medical officer Perry Kendall in a news conference.

"There would be a limited benefit for a lot of social disruption," he said. "Plus we can manage infection controls somewhat better in schools than we can in non-school settings."

Kendall added that closures early last spring were initiated " out of an abundance of caution" due to insufficient information on the new flu virus at that time.

"It has since become apparent that the disease caused by this virus is generally mild and does not warrant such severe measures," said Kendall.

The pandemic plans being put in place will include new information and materials for parents, students and schools, according to Ida Chong, the B.C. minister of healthy living and sport.

To complement the pandemic plans, new guidelines for when and if to shut schools have been developed after consulting with the federal government and public health partners, said B.C. education minister Margaret MacDiarmid.

Health officials say normal flu prevention measures are still the best way to prevent the spread of the A/H1N1 virus until a vaccine becomes available sometime in November.

Kendall said the back-to-school message is all about flu prevention, such as frequent hand washing, extra wiping of desks and doorknobs and ensuring students with flu symptoms stay at home.

So far, four people have died from the A/H1N1 flu in B.C. since March, but all the victims had underlying health issues.

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Influenza A/H1N1-related death cases rise to 16 in New Zealand

WELLINGTON, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- A woman who died in an Auckland hospital last week has been confirmed as New Zealand's 16th influenza A/H1N1 victim, the Ministry of Health said on Monday.

The ministry said although the woman had suffered underlying medical conditions, her case would be counted among those where the H1N1 virus was deemed the primary cause of death.

There were other deaths also under investigation by the coroner, the ministry said.

More than 3,000 people have tested positive for influenza A/H1N1, but the number of those infected is much higher as most people do not require medical treatment.

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Obesity tied to prostate cancer for both blacks, whites

BEIJING, Aug.24 (Xinhuanet) -- A U.S. study says obesity increases the risk of prostate cancer recurrence in both black and white men, challenging previous research which suggests obesity may be more significant for black men, according to media reports Monday.

Study senior author Dr. Stephen Freedland, an associate professor of urology and pathology at the Duke University Medical Center Prostate Center, and study author Dr. Jayakrishnan Jayachandran, a urology oncology fellow, examined the medical records of 1,415 prostate cancer patients that had undergone a radical prostatectomy.

It was found that race had no influence on the relationship between obesity and the aggressiveness of the cancer.

Jayachandran pointed in a news release from the school that higher BMI [body-mass index] was associated with significantly increased risk of cancer recurrence for both blacks and whites.

It is still unclear why obesity increases the risk of prostate cancer recurrence, but altered hormone levels might play a role.

"Obesity is associated with more estrogen and less testosterone, and it may be that lower testosterone promotes more aggressive tumors as recent studies have suggested," Jayachandran said.

Other obesity-related changes in the production of hormones, such as insulin, insulin-like growth factor or leptin, may also be involved in the development of more aggressive prostate cancer.

Jayachandran said that they are actively studying all of these factors.

(Agencies)

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Vietnam's A/H1N1 flu cases increase to over 2,000

HANOI, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Vietnamese Ministry of Health confirmed 271 cases of A/H1N1 influenza in the country over the weekend, raising total number of flu patients to 2,014, local newspaper the People reported Monday.

Most of the new cases are in the southern part of the country, said the ministry.

So far, 1,198 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospitals. The rest are being quarantined and treated.

Vietnam has reported two deaths of A/H1N1 influenza since the first case was confirmed in the country.

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WHO warns of second wave of A/H1N1 flu pandemic

BEIJING, Aug. 24 (Xinhuanet) -- The World Health Organisation (WHO) is urging people around the world to be aware of the second wave of the influenza A/H1N1 pandemic as the northern autumn approaches, according to media reports Monday.

WHO Director General Margaret Chan warned that second and third waves had appeared in previous pandemics.

"We cannot say for certain whether the worst is over or the worst is yet to come. We need to be prepared for whatever surprises this capricious new virus delivers next " Chan said in a videotaped address to a symposium on flu in the Asia-Pacific region.

It is estimated that 250,000 to 500,0000 people die around the world every year from seasonal flu. However, some 1,799 people have died since the new virus was uncovered in Mexico six months ago, according to the UN health agency.

The symptoms of the new flu have turned out to be mild in most of the known cases, but it is proved to be more infectious than seasonal flu and more durable through the previous warmer months.

Influenza traditionally thrives during the northern autumn and winter. As the northern hemisphere edges towards the cooler season, emergency flu plans have been set into motion in many countries. While that includes many of the wealthiest nations -- with the most medicines, access to key antiviral drugs and vaccine development, as well as the best health care -- WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl pointed out that the hemisphere also includes five-sixths of the world's population. The vaccine is not expected to be ready for use until October and will only be available gradually.

Hartl said it was impossible to rule out the resurgence of the new virus before October to November, the more usual period for the growth in seasonal influenza.

"Everyone must be ready," said the WHO spokesman, "It is already amongst us, as we saw this summer."

(Agencies)

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2 more deaths related to influenza A/H1N1 reported in New Caledonia

WELLINGTON, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Two more people in New Caledonia have died of influenza A/H1N1 after the first fatality was reported this week, Radio New Zealand International reported on Saturday.

The health authorities said the latest victims were a 58-year-old woman and a 27-year-old man, Radio New Zealand International reported.

The first person to die of an H1N1 infection in the French overseas territory was an eight-year-old girl.

The authorities said the flu outbreak may potentially affect 20,000 people in the French territory.

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Number of A/H1N1 flu cases up to 98 in Bangladesh

DHAKA, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Eleven new cases of A/H1N1 flu have been detected in Bangladesh taking the total number to 98 while officials feared it could reach 70,000 to 80,000 within two to three months, local newspapers reported on Saturday.

Among the 11 new cases confirmed on Friday, six were imported, Director of Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research(IEDCR) under health ministry Mahmudur Rahman, according to leading English-language newspaper The Daily Star.

"We cannot avoid a pandemic like the swine flu," Mahmud was quoting as saying. He said the health ministry is conducting 13 surveillance programs to check the swine flu across the country.

Meanwhile, English-language newspaper The Independent on Saturday said that health officials apprehend an explosion in the number of cases in the next couple of months.

The newspaper also quoted Mahmudur Rahman as saying that "We might see an explosion in number of cases in the coming weeks and it could reach 70,000 to 80,000 within two to three months."

Health minister AFM Ruhul Huq has voiced concern as the A/H1N1 virus was spreading steadily. He urged people not to panic as he claimed government was well-prepared to tackle the situation, The Independent said.

The health ministry has also claimed that the public health system is well equipped to handle a large outbreak with enough stock of Oseltamivir (Tamiflu), the drug proven effective against A/H1N1 flu virus.

Screening measures have been beefed up in the country's 11 landports recently with neighboring India reporting 36 deaths from swine flu and over a thousand confirmed cases of the disease.

Mahmud said presently the IEDCR has the only laboratory in the city for diagnosing swine flu while another lab in Dhaka is ready to extend support.

However, local experts blamed the government for showing lack of activity.

"In such critical moment government should be on war-footing," virologist Professor Nazrul Islam was quoted by The Independent assaying.

He said the government is not working properly and the government's efforts lack coordination. People are not still aware of the danger of swine flu, slackness was also noticed in the screening program, he said.

The first A/H1N1 flu case was confirmed in Bangladesh on June 18.

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