Jul 13, 2010
Mumbai seeing widespread flu
Pandemic flu in Mumbai, India, this year has reached 150 cases and is no longer localized, prompting officials to alter their strategy. In last year's wave they could identify pockets of flu and focus efforts, but now they say the virus is "in the air," and they'll shift to informing the public on how best to prevent the disease. "We are getting swine flu patients from everywhere in the city," an official said. "We have to maintain vigilance all over." The city's slums have been hardest hit.
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/h1n1-no-longer-localised-new-strategy-is-vigilance-all-over/645493/
Jul 13 Express India story
Most UK H1N1 fatalities had no underlying illness
UK researchers found that 55% of 631 hospitalized H1N1 patients and 59% of fatal cases were otherwise healthy. Racial minorities and pregnant women were overrepresented. Thirteen percent of patients were admitted to a "high dependency" or intensive care unit, and 5% died. Of 349 patients who had chest x-rays, 29% had evidence of pneumonia, which was associated with a severe outcome. Other risk factors for severity were obesity, certain pulmonary conditions, and raised C-reactive protein levels.
http://thorax.bmj.com/content/65/7/645.full?rss
July Thorax study
Maryland invites input on pandemic response
Maryland's health department is seeking people willing to take part in focus groups to provide feedback on the state's pandemic response, including why only 25% of citizens received the H1N1 vaccine, as well as their opinions on the pandemic in general. Officials would like to hear from those who did and did not get the vaccine and will finalize focus groups of 8 to 10 people by Jul 30. The department has hired facilitators who have experience conducting H1N1 focus groups.
http://www.wbaltv.com/health/24227496/detail.html
Jul 12 WBALTV report
Double-lung transplant gives patient H1N1
A 53-year-old Edmonton man who received a double-lung transplant last fall appears to be the first reported patient to have developed pandemic H1N1 flu from infected donor lungs, according to the Toronto-based Financial Post. The infection presented a major challenge to the treating physicians because of the immune-suppressing drugs that transplant patients receive. The patient, however, recovered fully.
http://www.financialpost.com/news/Edmonton+survives+transplant+only+find+lungs+have+H1N1/3268512/story.html#ixzz0tbKQ8wRs
Jul 12 Financial Post article
