Jun 24, 2009
World pandemic flu cases surpass 55,000
The global tally of novel H1N1 flu cases rose to 55,876, including 238 deaths, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported today. The total is an increase of 3,707 since the last WHO update 2 days ago. The list includes nine countries reporting their first novel flu cases: Antigua and Barbuda, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Latvia, Montenegro, Tunisia, and Vanuatu. Countries reporting more than 200 new cases are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and Britain.
[WHO update 53]
Indonesia reports first pandemic cases
Indonesia's health ministry reported the country's first novel flu cases today, Bloomberg news reported. The patients are a pilot who traveled to Australia and Hong Kong and a British woman from Australia who was hospitalized in Bali. Officials had said there were no local cases of novel flu, but 2 days ago Singapore's health ministry included Indonesia on a list of 15 countries that it said had exported the virus. Health experts worry that the new virus could reassort with H5N1 avian influenza.
[Jun 24 Bloomberg News story]
Argentina reports more deaths, concern over hospital beds
Seven more people in Argentina have died of novel H1N1 influenza, raising the total to 17, the most in South America, the country's health ministry reported yesterday, according to the Associated Press (AP). All the deaths occurred in or near Buenos Aires, where a city health official said nonessential surgeries would be postponed to free up hospital beds. Argentina has 1,213 novel flu cases, the WHO said today, an increase of 203 from the last report.
South Korea quarantines Hawaiian school group
South Korean health officials have quarantined 25 members of a high school group from Hawaii after five members of the group tested positive for the novel flu virus, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported today. The group has been quarantined at a hospital since Jun 22 and will be treated and observed for about a week.
US officials suggest that new virus originated in Asia
US agriculture officials believe that the novel H1N1 virus originated in Asia, not in North America, where it was first found, according to a New York Times report today. There is no evidence that the new virus has ever circulated in North American pigs, but a virus taken from a pig in Hong Kong in 2004 was found to be closely related to it, the story said. US officials thus speculate that a human carried the virus from Asia to North America—but they said there is no way to prove the idea.
[Jun 24 New York Times report]
Modeling conference to tackle pandemic mitigation issues
Scientists and public health officials from North America will meet at Arizona State University for 4 days starting tomorrow to discuss pandemic mitigation techniques that relate to mathematical and computer modeling. They will discuss issues such as the impact of mass transit on disease spread, vaccine and antiviral medication planning, and real-time disease surveillance. The conference will also include tabletop pandemic preparedness exercises.
[Jun 23 ASU press release]
