Apr 26, 2013
WHO reports H5N1 case in Vietnam
Today's monthly update on human H5N1 influenza cases reports a new case in Vietnam, involving a 20-year-old woman from Long An province. The woman fell ill on Apr 11 and was hospitalized 3 days later; she has a history of exposure to dead poultry in her neighborhood. In a separate avian flu update, the World Health Organization's (WHO's) Western Pacific Regional Office said today that the woman is in stable condition. The global update says six confirmed H5N1 cases have been reported since the previous WHO report on Mar 12: one each in Bangladesh and Cambodia, and two each in Egypt and Vietnam. Most of the cases were reported previously by national authorities and the news media. Today's update brings the global total of H5N1 cases since 2003 to 628, with 374 deaths. The report also notes that Cambodia has had 10 cases, 8 of them fatal, so far this year. The cases occurred in five different provinces and appear to have no direct links.
Apr 26 WHO global H5N1 update
Apr 26 weekly update from WHO Western Pacific office
Five more pediatric flu deaths reported as US flu season fades
The 2012-13 US influenza season continued to fade away last week, but five more pediatric deaths that occurred in earlier weeks were ascribed to flu, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today. One state, Vermont, had low flu activity, with the rest reporting minimal levels. The share of outpatient visits for flu-like illness dropped to 1.1%, from 1.2% a week earlier, and was well below the 2.2% national baseline. Meanwhile, 6.7% of deaths were attributed to pneumonia and flu, compared with 7.2% the week before and with the epidemic threshold of 7.3%. The five pediatric deaths occurred in the weeks that ended Jan 19, Mar 30, Apr 6, and Apr 13. Four of the deaths were caused by influenza B; the other one involved a type A virus that was not subtyped. With these five deaths, the pediatric death toll for the season reached 131.
Apr 26 CDC Flu View report
For the global picture, the WHO reported today that in the first half of April flu declined to near interseasonal levels in much of North America, Europe, and northern Asia, though low-level activity persisted in many countries. Influenza B viruses have become the most common type in a number of countries in recent months, displacing H3N2 in North America and 2009 H1N1 in Europe. Flu activity remained low in tropical regions and at interseasonal levels in temperate parts of the Southern Hemisphere. In Europe, 24 countries reported low-intensity activity last week, but Latvia, the Netherlands, and Sweden still had medium-level activity, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reported today. Almost all countries reported decreasing or stable trends.
Apr 26 WHO epidemiologic update
Apr 26 WHO virologic update
Apr 26 ECDC update
