Swine Flu News

[Tinijocaro]

Today, the CDC decides to stop keeping an official count of deaths. Can anyone imagine why they would do this? Are they trying to make it disappear? How do they determine the severity of the illness if they don't have an official count of people who die from it. I know I would like to know how many people in my state are dying from it-if the number increases greatly, I would know to be extra on guard.

Your thoughts?



U.S. CDC stops swine flu death count at 300
Fri Jul 24, 2009 8:40pm IST


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 300 people have died from the new pandemic swine flu virus, U.S. health officials said on Friday, but they said the virus was so widespread they were ceasing the official count.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 43,771 cases of H1N1 influenza had been officially confirmed, with 302 deaths.

The pandemic spread globally in less than two months and has infected people in 160 countries, killing 800 people, the World Health Organization said. The WHO numbers do not include the latest CDC count.

Health experts say millions have likely been infected worldwide, but doctors can only test a fraction of suspected cases. Flu tests are expensive and unreliable and confirming H1N1 swine flu is difficult.

Health officials are now working with companies to test and make a vaccine against H1N1 to be delivered alongside seasonal influenza vaccines.

© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-41299120090724

 

[AlexWyattMommy]

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/update.htm

July 24, 2009 is the last day that CDC is providing individual confirmed and probable cases of novel H1N1 influenza. CDC will report the total number of hospitalizations and deaths each week, and continue to use its traditional surveillance systems to track the progress of the novel H1N1 flu outbreak. For more information about CDC’s novel H1N1 influenza surveillance system,


I am hoping that the news is just being mis-reported. That the CDC will STILL be counting deaths, just not the confirmed and probable numbers.

 

[monkey68]

Thank you, I had no idea turn around time was this quick now! It is interesting that some areas are still testing while other areas have stopped.

More amazing to me is the mild symptoms and shortened duration, this is terrific to hear. I only had the flu once in my life and I honestly asked to be put out of my misery I was SO sick and it lasted SO long.

As far as symptoms go did you notice similarities in your family when you had it? Did you all have it for the same length of time?

They even have rapid flu testing now that can get results in around 10-30 minutes. My school's clinic doesn't have the rapid test, and it won't tell you the type, but it can tell you if it is influenza or not. If you have a history of exposure to swine flu, and the rapid test is positive, it's a good chance you have the same strain as the person you've been exposed to.

I wouldn't say the symptoms were mild the first couple days. I was ready to curl up and never wake up. I had a really resistant fever, and I was alternating Tylenol and Motrin every 2 hours to get it down. I was miserable. As far as course, my dad felt ill for much longer than I seem to be. I'm on day 5 I think, and feel about 70% of normal. My dad at day 5 could still hardly move. But, he is older with more comorbidities, and he didn't take Tamiflu because he's stubborn and by the time he went to see somebody, it was already too late. I do have more GI symptoms than my dad did. I honestly didn't even think it was possible to vomit so much. My dad however, didn't experience that. But the high resistant fever was common to both of us.

 

[luvmy3]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090725/ap_on_he_me/us_med_swine_flu

Swine Flu could hit up to 40% in US
By MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer Mike Stobbe, Ap Medical Writer – 1 hr 3 mins ago
ATLANTA – In a disturbing new projection, health officials say up to 40 percent of Americans could get swine flu this year and next and several hundred thousand could die without a successful vaccine campaign and other measures.

The estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are roughly twice the number of those who catch flu in a normal season and add greater weight to hurried efforts to get a new vaccine ready for the fall flu season.

Swine flu has already hit the United States harder than any other nation, but it has struck something of a glancing blow that's more surprising than devastating. The virus has killed about 300 Americans and experts believe it has sickened more than 1 million, comparable to a seasonal flu with the weird ability to keep spreading in the summer.

Health officials say flu cases may explode in the fall, when schools open and become germ factories, and the new estimates dramatize the need to have vaccines and other measures in place.

A world health official said the first vaccines are expected in September and October. The United States expects to begin testing on some volunteers in August, with 160 million doses ready in October.

The CDC came up with the new projections for the virus' spread last month, but it was first disclosed in an interview this week with The Associated Press.

The estimates are based on a flu pandemic from 1957, which killed nearly 70,000 in the United States but was not as severe as the infamous Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-19. The number of deaths and illnesses from the new swine flu virus would drop if the pandemic peters out or if efforts to slow its spread are successful, said CDC spokesman Tom Skinner.

"Hopefully, mitigation efforts will have a big impact on future cases," he said. Besides pushing flu shots, health officials might urge measures such as avoiding crowded places, handwashing, cough covering and timely use of medicines like Tamiflu.

Because so many more people are expected to catch the new flu, the number of deaths over two years could range from 90,000 to several hundred thousand, the CDC calculated. Again, that is if a new vaccine and other efforts fail.

In a normal flu season, about 36,000 people die from flu and its complications, according to the American Medical Association. That too is an estimate, because death certificates don't typically list flu as a cause of death. Instead, they attribute a fatality to pneumonia or other complications.

Influenza is notoriously hard to predict, and some experts have shied away from a forecast. At a CDC swine flu briefing Friday, one official declined to answer repeated questions about her agency's own estimate.

"I don't think that influenza and its behavior in the population lends itself very well to these kinds of models," said the official, Dr. Anne Schuchat, who oversees the CDC's flu vaccination programs.

The World Health Organization says as many as 2 billion people could become infected in the next two years — nearly a third of the world population. The estimates look at potential impacts in a two-year period because past flu pandemics have occurred in waves over more than one year.

Swine flu has been an escalating concern in Britain and some other European nations, where the virus' late arrival has grabbed attention and some officials at times have sounded alarmed.

In an interview Friday, the WHO's flu chief told the AP the global epidemic is still in its early stages.

"Even if we have hundreds of thousands of cases or a few millions of cases ... we're relatively early in the pandemic," Keiji ***uda said at WHO headquarters in Geneva.

The first vaccines are expected in September and October, ***uda said. Other vaccines won't be ready until well into the flu season when a further dramatic rise in swine flu cases is expected.

First identified in April, swine flu has likely infected more than 1 million Americans, the CDC believes, with many of those suffering mild cases never reported. There have been 302 deaths and nearly 44,000 laboratory-identified cases, according to numbers released Friday morning.

Because the swine flu virus is new, most people haven't developed an immunity to it. So far, most of those who have died from it in the United States have had other health problems, such as asthma.

The virus has caused an unusual number of serious illnesses in teens and young adults; seasonal flu usually is toughest on the elderly and very young children.

___

Associated Press writer Frank Jordans in Geneva contributed to this report.

 

[Mskanga]

Health officials say flu cases may explode in the fall, when schools open and become germ factories, and the new estimates dramatize the need to have vaccines and other measures in place.

The virus has caused an unusual number of serious illnesses in teens and young adults; seasonal flu usually is toughest on the elderly and very young children.

That is exactly what my doctor told me the other day , they had a big outbreak roughly a month before school was out and continued for 2-3 weeks after. He said in a way it was a good thing that we got it so early because now we had more immunity to it than the people who haven't had it , but yet we do not want to take the seriousness of this lightly.....especially since my daughter is going to go back to the "germ factory" full time this year !!!

 

[C.Ann]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090725/ap_on_he_me/us_med_swine_flu

Swine Flu could hit up to 40% in US
By MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer Mike Stobbe, Ap Medical Writer – 1 hr 3 mins ago
ATLANTA – In a disturbing new projection, health officials say up to 40 percent of Americans could get swine flu this year and next and several hundred thousand could die without a successful vaccine campaign and other measures.

The estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are roughly twice the number of those who catch flu in a normal season and add greater weight to hurried efforts to get a new vaccine ready for the fall flu season.

Swine flu has already hit the United States harder than any other nation, but it has struck something of a glancing blow that's more surprising than devastating. The virus has killed about 300 Americans and experts believe it has sickened more than 1 million, comparable to a seasonal flu with the weird ability to keep spreading in the summer.

Health officials say flu cases may explode in the fall, when schools open and become germ factories, and the new estimates dramatize the need to have vaccines and other measures in place.

A world health official said the first vaccines are expected in September and October. The United States expects to begin testing on some volunteers in August, with 160 million doses ready in October.

The CDC came up with the new projections for the virus' spread last month, but it was first disclosed in an interview this week with The Associated Press.

The estimates are based on a flu pandemic from 1957, which killed nearly 70,000 in the United States but was not as severe as the infamous Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-19. The number of deaths and illnesses from the new swine flu virus would drop if the pandemic peters out or if efforts to slow its spread are successful, said CDC spokesman Tom Skinner.

"Hopefully, mitigation efforts will have a big impact on future cases," he said. Besides pushing flu shots, health officials might urge measures such as avoiding crowded places, handwashing, cough covering and timely use of medicines like Tamiflu.

Because so many more people are expected to catch the new flu, the number of deaths over two years could range from 90,000 to several hundred thousand, the CDC calculated. Again, that is if a new vaccine and other efforts fail.

In a normal flu season, about 36,000 people die from flu and its complications, according to the American Medical Association. That too is an estimate, because death certificates don't typically list flu as a cause of death. Instead, they attribute a fatality to pneumonia or other complications.

Influenza is notoriously hard to predict, and some experts have shied away from a forecast. At a CDC swine flu briefing Friday, one official declined to answer repeated questions about her agency's own estimate.

"I don't think that influenza and its behavior in the population lends itself very well to these kinds of models," said the official, Dr. Anne Schuchat, who oversees the CDC's flu vaccination programs.

The World Health Organization says as many as 2 billion people could become infected in the next two years — nearly a third of the world population. The estimates look at potential impacts in a two-year period because past flu pandemics have occurred in waves over more than one year.

Swine flu has been an escalating concern in Britain and some other European nations, where the virus' late arrival has grabbed attention and some officials at times have sounded alarmed.

In an interview Friday, the WHO's flu chief told the AP the global epidemic is still in its early stages.

"Even if we have hundreds of thousands of cases or a few millions of cases ... we're relatively early in the pandemic," Keiji ***uda said at WHO headquarters in Geneva.

The first vaccines are expected in September and October, ***uda said. Other vaccines won't be ready until well into the flu season when a further dramatic rise in swine flu cases is expected.

First identified in April, swine flu has likely infected more than 1 million Americans, the CDC believes, with many of those suffering mild cases never reported. There have been 302 deaths and nearly 44,000 laboratory-identified cases, according to numbers released Friday morning.

Because the swine flu virus is new, most people haven't developed an immunity to it. So far, most of those who have died from it in the United States have had other health problems, such as asthma.

The virus has caused an unusual number of serious illnesses in teens and young adults; seasonal flu usually is toughest on the elderly and very young children.

___

Associated Press writer Frank Jordans in Geneva contributed to this report.

The part that I have bolded in the above article is something I referred to earlier.. Based on that information, swine flu can not be assumed to be nothing more serious than the "regular" flu because it's obviously not following the same pattern..

Based on the statistics I have seen (regarding age) it's now diminishing my concern for myself - while elevating my concern for my DGD (soon to be 11), my DD (soon to be 37), and my son-in-law (38).. I also believe the statement that "most who have died from it have had other health problems, such as asthma" is misleading - at best.. There have been many cases where people have died who did not have asthma or a health problem of a nature that would make them more likely to die from the flu.. It appears that if a patient has had anything from a broken toe to acne, they are classifying it as "other health problems".. Even a normal pregnancy in a healthy 20-something has been considered "other health problems".. Whether this is being done to calm the public fears until they can get a handle on it and create a vaccine, remains to be seen.. However, there are very, very few people in this country who don't have "some" kind of other health problem - even it it's only acid reflux..

 

[MickeyMomTo2]

Whether this is being done to calm the public fears until they can get a handle on it and create a vaccine, remains to be seen.

I do think some of this is to calm fears until a vaccine is created. Having 300 million panicked Americans and a beginning supply of 160 million vaccines (or whatever the exact number is) could cause HUGE problems. I do think an accurate measure of how seriously the government is taking this is that they are giving the green light to production of the vaccine before clinical trials even start. While this doesn't mean they know it's going to be very bad, they are preparing for it to be.

 

[C.Ann]

I do think some of this is to calm fears until a vaccine is created. Having 300 million panicked Americans and a beginning supply of 160 million vaccines (or whatever the exact number is) could cause HUGE problems. I do think an accurate measure of how seriously the government is taking this is that they are giving the green light to production of the vaccine before clinical trials even start. While this doesn't mean they know it's going to be very bad, they are preparing for it to be.

Also - from what I have read - the first people to be vaccinated will be healthcare workers and children.. (I'm assuming to prevent the rapid spread when children return to school.. A good idea probably..)

However, in a "normal" flu season it's healthcare workers, the elderly, those with compromised immune systems, and very young children.. So again, it's being viewed in a different manner and treated in a different manner..

 

[Tinijocaro]

I do feel uneasy having America's children being the first to "try out" this new, largely untested vaccine. They are rushing this vaccine, and I believe they could have good reason. Hope they don't find any major glitches with it. There is talk again about adding an adjuvent which will allow them to produce more vaccine in less time, but there can be some very dangerous side-effects from vaccines made with adjuvents.

 

[MickeyMomTo2]

I do feel uneasy having America's children being the first to "try out" this new, largely untested vaccine. They are rushing this vaccine, and I believe they could have good reason. Hope they don't find any major glitches with it. There is talk again about adding an adjuvent which will allow them to produce more vaccine in less time, but there can be some very dangerous side-effects from vaccines made with adjuvents.

It is worrisome, but it is also the best bet at slowing the spread. I know the one time I got seasonal flu as an adult was when my 2-year-old gave it to me. Of course he had been vaccinated, so he got a very mild version, and my husband and I were SO sick. (I believe that was also the year I said, "I don't need the vaccine. I never get the flu." Famous last words, right? You can believe that I have gotten the vaccine every year since then!)

Anyway, I know they are starting trials in our area at Vanderbilt in the next few weeks, so hopefully they will have a couple of months worth of data before widespread vaccination programs begin.

 

[Tinijocaro]

Check this out-England really seems to be thinking ahead-let's hope it doesn't come to this.


City plans to use catacombs for swine flu victims
AFP

LONDON (AFP) – A city council said Saturday it was considering using underground burial chambers, currently a tourist attraction, to store the corpses of swine flu victims if the pandemic worsens.

Exeter City Council said the empty 19th-century catacombs could become an emergency mortuary.

A council spokesman said the plan could be put into operation if the cemeteries and the crematorium could not keep up with funeral demands.

He said: "We have some empty catacombs in an old cemetery in the city. These are 19th century underground burial chambers which are normally a tourist attraction," he said.

"They can, however, be safely used for their original purpose and allow us to temporarily store bodies in the remote possibility that the need should arise."

Figures out Friday showed that 72 people were in hospital with swine flu in the Devon and Cornwall area surrounding Exeter, while 2,000 visited their doctors for treatment.

At least 30 people with swine flu have died in Britain, which has been hit harder than any other European territory by the A(H1N1) virus.

Officials said Thursday that there were around 100,000 new cases of swine flu in England last week as a new website and telephone service was launched to help people identify symptoms and receive drugs.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090725/wl_uk_afp/britainhealthflu_20090725221250

 

[lsyorke]

I do feel uneasy having America's children being the first to "try out" this new, largely untested vaccine. They are rushing this vaccine, and I believe they could have good reason. Hope they don't find any major glitches with it. There is talk again about adding an adjuvent which will allow them to produce more vaccine in less time, but there can be some very dangerous side-effects from vaccines made with adjuvents.

http://www.medpagetoday.com/ProductA...Vaccines/15230

FDA Likely to Approve H1N1 Vaccine In Advance of Data
By Emily P. Walker, Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today
Published: July 23, 2009
Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.


GAITHERSBURG, Md., July 23 -- The FDA is likely to approve 2009 H1N1 (swine flu) vaccines before trial data can prove their safety and effectiveness against the virus.

Approving a vaccine without safety and immunogenicity data is not uncommon, FDA officials said during a daylong meeting of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee.


The committee met to hear updates on H1N1 trials from the FDA, NIH, and the five companies that are applying for FDA approval of pandemic H1N1 vaccines.


In fact, the FDA approves seasonal influenza vaccines every year using its "strain change" process, in which it doesn't require vaccine manufacturers to provide safety and efficacy data.


What is different about how the FDA is likely to handle approval for a vaccine for pandemic H1N1, however, is that the agency doesn't normally approve vaccines while major clinical trials of safety and immunogenicity are ongoing.


Norman Baylor, PhD, director of FDA's Office of Vaccines Research and Review, explained the FDA's probable decision to go ahead with the simplified approval process, rather than a lengthy new drug application process.


"We have decades of experience with H1N1, that's why we feel we can do this with a strain-change," said Dr. Baylor.


Having a licensed vaccine doesn't mean that an immunization program will kick-off immediately -- that call has to come from the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).


But given the prediction that H1N1 infection rates will pick up this fall, immunization programs are likely to begin before safety and immunological data collection is completed.


That trial data will begin trickling in during August and continue through early 2010.


The World Health Organization (WHO) and the NIH have said they want to start vaccinating people by mid-October.


Of the five companies applying for FDA approval -- Novartis, sanofi pasteur, CSL Biotherapies, GlaxoSmithKline, and MedImmune -- only CSL has already started human trials. The Australian company, which provides seasonal flu vaccines to the U.S., inoculated its first human trial participant Wednesday.


Meanwhile, the NIH announced it was set to begin clinical trials in the United States of vaccines made by sanofi-pasteur and CSL.


Because an immunization program will likely run at the same time as the trial, the FDA said it would issue updates as the trials answer key questions. They include whether two shots are better than one, and how the vaccine interacts with seasonal flu shots.


"That's the harder decision -- how those immunization decisions will be made as that data comes in," said Dr. Baylor.


There's a chance the early data will show the vaccine is ineffective at stimulating an immune response. If that's the case, the FDA might have to issue an "emergency use authorization" for an oil-in-water adjuvant that sparks a stronger reaction in the immune system, but causes more side effects.


There are currently no licensed influenza vaccines that contain an adjuvant, and Dr. Baylor said he couldn't recall a time when the FDA issued an emergency use authorization for a vaccine.


Two companies, GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis, are applying for approval for vaccines that contain oil-in-water adjuvants. The NIH is also conducting a trial of an adjuvant-enhanced vaccine.


The panel's consumer representative said if the FDA does issue an emergency use authorization for a adjuvanted vaccine, she would prefer as little adjuvant as possible to avoid side effects.


Another panelist, Theodore Eickhoff, MD, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Colorado, said adjuvanted flu vaccines have been used for a decade in Europe and have not been shown to harm vulnerable populations, such as children.


"I don't want FDA . . . to walk away from this meeting thinking we're all scared of adjuvanted vaccines," Dr. Eickhoff said. "Some of us are. I'm not. I'm delighted the options are there."


The government has already purchased a supply of 120 million adjuvant doses that it will add to its antigen supply if it there is a shortage of the vaccine, or if the standard versions are shown to be ineffective.


The panel did not reach consensus on whether patients should receive one or two doses. Once trial data becomes available, it will be more apparent whether doses given 21 days apart are superior to a single dose, members indicated.


The committee agreed that pregnant women should be immunized, but did not recommend inoculation of babies under six months old.


The chairman of the committee, a pediatrician, said the FDA might want to prepare for an infant vaccination program if surveillance data indicate a wider pandemic than expected.


"I don't think it would be a bad idea to have a game plan to immunize babies under six months in case of emergency," said John Modlin, MD, a pediatrician at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H.


FDA officials also told the panel that vaccine manufactures are getting only one-third as much antigen from the pandemic H1N1 strain as they normally get from the seasonal flu virus. That might mean vaccine makers won't be able to make as many doses as they planned.


The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will meet in Atlanta next week to vote on which populations should be vaccinated first, among other issues.

 

[Tinijocaro]

July 26: Indonesia (ID): Government must caution H5N1/H1N1 combination
Automatically added to News @ July 26th, 2009

source: non-english, manually translated:

Dr Chaerul Anwar Nidom, head of Laboratory of Influenza Airlangga University (Unair), warns the government and people of Indonesia for the possibility of emergence of H5N1 virus combined with H1N1.

Dr Nidom is one of the speakers in the symposium which was held by the Indonesian Doctor Association (IDI) in cooperation with NTB Askes PT (Persero), Branch Hospital Mataram, and Mataram Medika Risa.

He said that, if any combination of the two dangerous viruses that it was difficult to find drugs for the treatment of the victim coinfected.

Researchers at the Laboratory of Influenza Airlangga University UNAIR said that this combination of influenza virus will transmit 1-100 times faster than H1N1 or H5N1 by themselves.

The combination of the two influenza viruses can occur via the air or via scientists or a human that attempts to unite them in the laboratory.

According to the influenza experts, the unity of these two viruses is quite dangerous because it allows certain things to happen that may not be purely for research.

Therefore, he suggested the government involving the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) in research laboratories throughout Indonesia.

“The virus is dangerous and should be monitored in case certain people attempt to combine the two influenza viruses,” he said.

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

DM was debriefed on Swine Flu Tuesday & as it stands now all countries have reported cases, they estimate that 40% of all Americans will be effected & are extremely concerned with "healthy school aged kids" due to the fact that child care is just not in place to keep a child home with the early onset of symptoms.

 

[Tinijocaro]

DM was debriefed on Swine Flu Tuesday & as it stands now all countries have reported cases, they estimate that 40% of all Americans will be effected & are extremely concerned with "healthy school aged kids" due to the fact that child care is just not in place to keep a child home with the early onset of symptoms.

I'm a teacher and am very curious what will be said about swine flu at our opening day (without students). I hope to hear that there is a detailed plan in place, that if we show any flu symptoms, we are to stay home, and that of course, if our children are sick, to stay home with them.

I have four kids, between dh (also a teacher) and I, we could be home an awful lot. One son has already had swine flu, hoping he doesn't get it again.

 

[2bearsmom]

There is no way we are getting ourselves or our boys vaccinated. I don't buy for one minute that this vaccine is safe and they just want to use our children as guinea pigs. Look what happend in the 70's when the government went overboard about the swine flu, what a possible epidemic it could become and nothing came of it except a lot of people got sick from the vaccine, some became paralized and some died. No way am I taking a chance with my family. We eat healthy, take probiotics, vit d in the winter, wash our hands etc. I don't think the number of people world wide that have died from the swine flu is that major, enough to cause all this great concern. It's all media hype/scare tactics to get people vaccinated. The amount of people that have died in the US from the "regular" flu since Jan is like 30,000. I believe that number was probably increased also as a scare tactic. Most people in 1918 that died because of the flu died from secondary issues like pneumonia. A lot of people get sick today if they take the anti-flu drugs while suffering from the flu instead of letting it run it's course. If the day comes the government thinks they can vaccinate my ds in school for the swine flu vaccine is the day he no longer attends.

 

[DVCLiz]

There is no way we are getting ourselves or our boys vaccinated. I don't buy for one minute that this vaccine is safe and they just want to use our children as guinea pigs. Look what happend in the 70's when the government went overboard about the swine flu, what a possible epidemic it could become and nothing came of it except a lot of people got sick from the vaccine, some became paralized and some died. No way am I taking a chance with my family. We eat healthy, take probiotics, vit d in the winter, wash our hands etc. I don't think the number of people world wide that have died from the swine flu is that major, enough to cause all this great concern. It's all media hype/scare tactics to get people vaccinated. The amount of people that have died in the US from the "regular" flu since Jan is like 30,000. I believe that number was probably increased also as a scare tactic. Most people in 1918 that died because of the flu died from secondary issues like pneumonia. A lot of people get sick today if they take the anti-flu drugs while suffering from the flu instead of letting it run it's course. If the day comes the government thinks they can vaccinate my ds in school for the swine flu vaccine is the day he no longer attends.

Most people in 1918 who died because of the flu did not die from secondary issues like pneumonia. They died because they had strong healthy immune systems that overcompensated for the infection and the patients drowned in their own secretions. That's not typical pneumonia - it was caused by the body as a reaction to the flu itself.

 

[Tinijocaro]

Most people in 1918 who died because of the flu did not die from secondary issues like pneumonia. They died because they had strong healthy immune systems that overcompensated for the infection and the patients drowned in their own secretions. That's not typical pneumonia - it was caused by the body as a reaction to the flu itself.

This is called a cytokine storm and cytokine storms are also one of the dangers of a vaccine that has been rushed by using a adjuvant to make it. So the body of a healthy young person can over-react to a virus and end up causing death basically by drowning.

You really have to weigh how deadly the virus is (or will be, which is a guess on anybody's part) vs the risks of an adjuvant-made vaccine.

 

[Tinijocaro]

This is a detailed account of a woman who's family came down with swine flu-it's long but good to read.



The following longish account has been abbreviated by the author based on her notes...

"We live in MA.

13 YO has moderate asthma, others no pre-existing conditions

1 week ago - 13 YO, 10 YO and Dh had strep. Just finished Zithromax.

7 YO and mom do not get strep

Saturday:

13 YO gets sore throat and runny nose. Everyone else fine.

Sunday:

13 YO develops 99 fever. Throat very sore, says it feels like strep again, hurts to swallow.

10 YO gets mildly sore throat and runny nose.

Everyone else fine.

Monday:

13 YO has 99 fever (with tylenol), chest wheezing, extremely sore throat. Does nebulizer treatment with albuterol. Insists on going to school for attendance reasons - trying to get into different school next year. I expected call from school to send him home. None. He calls from bus stop to say too sick to walk home, feels like he's going to pass out. At home - 101 fever, chest wheezing, chills, body aches. Begin neb treatments every 4 hours.

Fever peaks 101.8. Coughing but no mucous. Complains of dull headache with occasional sharp stabbing pains, usually after movement. Body aches, sweating out fever.

10 YO feels ok in morning and goes to school. Comes home with incredibly sore throat - hurts to swallow. Headaches begin around 6 pm. Fever 99. Also complains of stabbing head pains.

7YO, mom, dad all healthy

Tuesday:

(morning)

5:30 am DH leaves for trip across country. I tell him I think kids have swine flu. He rolls eyes and laughs and says kids will be fine.

13 YO wakes with lots of difficulty breathing. Has asthma. Albuterol neb treatments not effective. Difficulty taking deep breath. 102 fever while on tylenol. Very pale in color, obviously not well. Coughing, but no mucous.

10 YO wakes with worse headache, 101 fever while on tylenol. Coughing, but from throat tickle, no chest wheezing that I can hear (he is not asthmatic). Body aches.

7 YO stuffy nose and headache

I call pediatrician (ped) office for appointment for 13 YO and 10 YO. I tell symptoms, receptionist says she's not sure of procedure for this. Will talk to doc and call me back.

I call children's schools to report them off. I tell symptoms. I leave my phone number. I don't hear from them again.

I don't hear from the ped office in 45 mins and call back - they say they were just getting ready to call me. Can I bring kids in now? Yes.

Ped office - sit in normal waiting room. Not offered masks. Other kids in waiting room including twin boys in infant carrier carseats. I set up camp in the far corner of office. My kids are coughing like crazy. 7 YO seems healthy, along for the ride (and bribed with trip to Burger King if good behavior

Ped examines 13 YO. Attach monitor to finger to measure Oxygen saturation levels (O2 sat). Levels read low 80's. (100% is normal, under 92-93 is warning, under 89-90 is bad). Nurse does neb treatment with albuterol - same as at home.

Ped examines 10 YO while 13 YO does neb. Ears are clear, throat red and swollen, chest not wheezing or congested.

7 YO rats me out and tells doc if he's good we're going to Burger King. (!)

Ped says it looks like a virus. I ask about swine. Doc says not testing. Says at this point its so prevalent in the community that there is no need to test and will just assume people with flu symptoms have it. I ask about numbers reported on MA Dept Public Health website - they ARE testing some people!

Doc says VERY strict criteria implemented by DPH. Must meet ALL three conditions:

1. pre-existing condition (he gave asthma and pregnancy as examples)

2. Fever greater than 102 for 2+ days

3. Hospitalization that requires oxygen or ventilator (ER trip doesn't count)

He said even if he wanted to, he couldn't test.

13YO finishes neb treatment. They tell us to wait and will come back and check on him. O2 sat levels go up to high 80s. Doc listens to chest, still sounds bad. Orders another neb treatment with albuterol and inhaled steroids. During treatment 13 YO starts to pass out. Keeps saying he needs to go to sleep. Trying to lay his head down, very pale. 02 sat levels back down in low 80s. Doc calls for nurse assistance, takes other kids out of room. 13 YO pulse goes "too low" (not sure on numbers, wasn't thinking clearly then). Nurse brings in oxygen tank and puts him on. O2 sat levels rise because on O2. Doc tries a few times to take off oxygen mask, but after off for a period of time, O2 sat levels go to low 80s again.

Doc calls ped ER unit and tells them we're coming in with 13 YO. 10 YO and 7 YO to stay at ped office until friend can pick up. 10 YO cries because worried about brother. 7 YO cries because no Burger King.

13 YO and I transport to ped ER via ambulance. Oxygen mask while in ambulance, start IV fluids.

Ped ER - Put 13 YO in room. They ask symptoms. I say ped was supposed to call in info. They say they don't have it. I tell symptoms, tell them moderate asthma. They ask about fever. I lie and say he's had 102 + fever more than 2 days. Resident, attending doc and nurse exchange glances. Nurse leaves and comes back. They take O2 mask off and swab him. They begin prednisone through IV. Stays on oxygen, set up neb treatments with albuterol + inhaled steroid.

Rest of afternoon similar. Try to take off oxygen occassionaly and O2 sat levels go way down. Chest x=ray is clear. Docs say that makes them think its a virus. DUH!

I get ahold of dh as he is getting off the plane. He's in shock. He goes to stand in line to get a flight home. I don't hear from him for 3 hours.

Evening - they decide to admit 13 YO. I wait till he is comfortable and then run home to get clothes and cell phone charger. I take home Burger King food I check on 10 YO and 7 YO and my friend who is a godsend and willing to stay with sick children. 7 YO just runny nose and sore throat. 10 YO still feverish, chest wheeze worse - non asthmatic child.

I go back to the hospital. Dh calls. He was waiting for a flight and fell asleep in airport. I can hear his voice on the phone. I can tell he is sick. He won't admit it. I tell him to get a hotel near the airport and keep in contact with me.

Night - 13 YO stays on O2 and IV fluids. Rests comfortably. I stay all night.

Wednesday:

I go home for awhile in morning and another friend goes to hospital to stay with 13 YO. I shower, get books and supplies. 10 YO still feverish and wheezing. 7 YO feeling better.

Hospital - I ask about swine test results. Many hours later they finally say yes, type A, but not official.

Ped ER has a sign telling people to protect others and wear a mask if they are coughing or sneezing. Blue masks are in a big bin. No one is wearing them. No one is enforcing. No personell is wearing.

Ped unit is the same. No one wearing masks. Day nurse is obviously pregnant. No mask. Respiratory therapy is understaffed. 45 minutes and repeated calls to get neb meds to the room. We do this at home. I know the drill. GIVE ME THE DARN MEDS AND I'LL DO THE NEB TREATMENT MYSELF!! Ridiculous! Many STAT calls in ped unit for respiratory therapy. I start counting them and realize there are a LOT of breathing issues. I walk around the floor and see all beds filled. No quarantine signs. No flu or other signs. Again, no staff wearing masks.

Dh calls. His sister has arrived (they were meeting to go to a family funeral). They were supposed to stay with relatives. I tell SIL what is happening with kids. She is a RN. SIL insists they WILL NOT stay with relatives. She books a hotel room next to dh. Deja Vu. SIL and dh were in the same place last week visiting grandma before she passed. While there dh got strep. Came home. Grandma passed. Went back. Now he's sick again.

10 YO gets worse (at home). I tell friend to start doing home neb treatments every 4 hours. She does. I call ped. He calls in prednisone (oral) prescsription for 10 YO. 7 YO not sick.

I corner a resident who is always willing to offer information. I start askign him questions. Are H1N1 results in? No. I ask more questions. He says "off the record". Again says H1N1 widespread in community, doesn't understand why they won't close all schools for the year when its so close to the end. He says state doesn't have manpower to test mild cases. Guage flu level by school attendance and reports to ped offices. Says testing is more for cases that have potential to be fatal. 700+ confirmed in MA. I ask if all potential to be fatal, he says yes expect for those reported during 1st week of flu in MA when they were testing everyone. As of today, still no confirmed H1N1 deaths in MA.

I call 7 YO school to see if we can get schoolwork. He's not very sick but I've kept him out just because its more convenient. School tells me they received call from 13 YO school saying 13 YO was confirmed + for H1N1 and since 7YO was exposed, he can't return to school for 7 days, even if he's not sick. WHAT??? I've been asking docs for results and they keep stalling!! I find out from 7 YO school that 13 YO is + for H1N1!!!!

I'm beligerant and rude. Doc says H1N1 test is positive and he "just got the results" (but someone had time to call school!!). I ask if we can test 10YO who is at home with same symptoms. He says DPH won't allow it. Confirmed case in family already so no other testing for family members. Again stresses the fact that this is widespread in the community.

Night - 13 YO getting better. Able to go off oxygen and keep O2 levels up.

Thursday: (today)

13 YO discharged. Prescription for oral prednisone. Asked doc for school note. He wrote "can return to school on 6/5." Tomorrow?? The day after being discharged from the hospital? Less than 7 days before symptoms started? Idiot!!! I didn't notice the date until we got home.

13 YO has follow up appt with ped tomorrow morning. I'll get another doc note then.

10 YO breathing still bad, even while taking prednisone. Still doing neb treatments every 4 hours. Amazes me since he's my healthiest child, in good shape, never sick. Will see ped tomorrow also.

7 YO not at all sick. Wants Burger King for dinner tonight

SIL called to say Dh condition worsened last night. Took him to walk-in clinic in Texas. Clinic was full of people, standing room only, lots of coughing, cheap paper maks that do nothing. Left and went to ER. Dh had neb treatments and felt better. Still had 101 fever and other flu symptoms. Funeral today. SIL went to med supply store and bought N95 masks (said stock seemed typical) she's using while tending to Dh so she doesn't get sick and take flu back to her family and elderly patients. Dh insistent on attending grandma's burial, so is wearing mask and staying away from others at outdoor burial. SIL says he needed another neb treatment this mornign, but he was resistent. He is supposed to fly home tonight, but that can't happen.

I called children's schools again. No one there has called to check on condition of children, ask about symptoms. 7 YO school said not to worry about it, end of the year and not a lot of work. 10 YO school said the same. 13 YO school said there is no need for me to come in and they prefer I don't because of virus. Ok, I understand. But he has finals next week, starting Monday. Can someone get his books out of his locker and set them out in the parking lot and I'll wait till they leave and then get out of the car and get the books? Can they send them home with another student who can set them on our doorstep and not come in? They'll call me back. UGH!"

 

[Tinijocaro]

Oh how sad this is-these parents have lost two children to swine flu. Last month, Matthew 19 (Skinny) died of pneumonia and kidney failure from swine flu and his sister Mindy 26 was also on life support and was having kidney failure. She died today, a month after her brother. Their poor parents.



July 27: Dearborn, IN (US): 1 new death confirmed
Automatically added to News @ July 27th, 2009

source: An Indiana woman died Monday from H1N1, the same virus that killed her brother last month.

Relatives confirmed that 26-year-old Mindy McIntosh, of Dearborn County, had lost her battle with the viral infection.

Her 19-year-old brother, Matthew McIntosh, died June 30 from the virus at University Hospital after collapsing near a barn at his family’s home.

Health officials have not released any information about how the siblings might have contracted the viral infection.

Here's the info about Matthew:

July 10: Dearborn County, IN (US): 1 new death confirmed

Matt Mcintosh

Matt Mcintosh
source: The Hamilton County Coroner’s office tells Local 12 that samples taken from a 19 year old Dearborn County, Indiana man and sent to the Indiana Department of Health for analysis show the musician died of the H1N1 virus, also known as Swine Flu.

19-year-old Matt Mcintosh, known as “Skinny” died Sunday, July 5 at University Hospital after first feeling ill two weeks ago. His sister Mindy, who is 26, has been at University Hospital with the same symptoms… pneumonia and kidney failure.

The two lived with their parents in Moores Hills, which is in rural Dearborn County, Indiana. Matt was found passed out in a barn on June 28th. He spent two days in a Dearborn County Hospital and was airlifted to University Hospital in Cincinnati on June 30th.

Matt Mcintosh was the drummer in the rock band “Strange on Display”. A woman who sings with the band also got sick… so did Mcintosh’s father. Doctors say it’s unrelated.

The news comes hours after McIntosh’s funeral. McIntosh’s death is the first reported death from H1N1 in Hamilton County. Local 12 is following this developing story and we’ll post new information here as soon as it is available.

Story from Wednesday, July 8, 2009
The Indiana family struck by a fatal medical mystery is thanking everyone for their prayers and asking them to stay calm. The Mcintosh family says doctors still don’t know what killed 19-year-old Matt Mcintosh and has his sister Mindy in critical condition.