A two-year-old child in Texas has become the first fatality from swine flu in the United States, officials said Wednesday. Five-year-old Edgar Hernandez, known as "patient zero" survived the earliest documented case of swine flu.
"A child has died from the H1N1 virus," the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control Dr. Richard Besser told CNN's "American Morning" on Wednesday. "As a parent and a pediatrician, my heart goes out to the family."
The child is the first person to die of swine flu outside of Mexico where the virus has caused more than 159 deaths and roughly 2,500 illnesses.
So far, the World Health Organization (WHO) says at least 112 cases have been confirmed worldwide.
According to the WHO's figures, the number of deaths from the virus was seven in Mexico. But with the U.S. death -- confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) -- the number rises to eight.
The world body did not immediately provide a breakdown for the additional cases that had been substantiated through lab tests Wednesday. Nor was it clear whether the U.S. death was part of its updated figure.
The WHO list also does not include 11 additional cases reported by New Zealand health officials, four by Spain, five cases in Britain, three in Germany or one confirmed by Costa Rica's health ministry.
In the United States, the states of California, Indiana, New York and Texas also were reporting additional cases not confirmed by the CDC.
Earlier, Mexican doctors said they believed a young boy who lives near a remote pig farm was the earliest documented case of the swine flu outbreak that has killed scores of people and spread across four continents.
Five-year-old Edgar Hernandez, known as "patient zero" by his doctors, survived the virus and playfully credits ice cream for helping him feel better.
Edgar lives with his family in the 3,000-population village of La Gloria in the state of Veracruz, where a flu outbreak was reported on April 2. State officials arrived and took samples from dozens of people.
Lab tests confirmed that Edgar was the only patient in Veracruz to test positive for the swine flu virus; the others had contracted a common flu. Health officials returned to Edgar's sample only after cases of the new flu strain were spotted around the country.
"In this case, there's a patient who turned out to be positive for the swine-flu virus, with the exception that at that time in no region of the world it had been established as an etiological, epidemic cause," said Mexico Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova.
His mother -- and many other people in La Gloria, about two hours' drive north of Mexico City -- blame the virus on a huge pig farm in the neighborhood. Officials have conducted tests at the farm owned by U.S. company Smithfield Foods, but those tests came back negative.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Want Long Term Health Improvements?
The power of raw foods is not only one of the most well-known "rejuvenation" secrets of celebrities and Hollywood stars (such as Demi Moore, Pierce Brosnan, Sting, Edward Norton, Carol Alt, and many others) it is also a concept that has the potential of giving you what you're looking for: incredible health, increased energy, and a youthful and slim body. Check out the real potential Click Here!
1 You're constipated all the time - straining and struggling to have a bowel movement? And when you do manage to go, you're relieved, but still don't feel right afterward.
2 Your stomach is bloated and bulging - making you look like you've put on at least 5 pounds, right where everyone can see it.
3 You feel 'heavier' below the waist than you ever remember.
4 You struggle with recurring heartburn or the gnawing pain and discomfort of acid reflux after eating?
5 You just don't have the energy you used to... you're wiped out after doing simple, everyday things like unloading groceries or chores around the yard?
6 Your skin has a pale, sallow and unhealthy look?
7 You're facing the prospect of uncomfortable, embarrassing tests, or have heard terms like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or diverticulitis suggested to explain your symptoms?
If you're nodding "yes" to one or more of these, chances are it's not something you're doing (or not doing for that matter) but rather your own body crying out for help...For more information Click Here!
Swine Flu Update - Pandemic Worries 4/29/09
It started off like any other springtime flu in one of the largest cities in the world.
Concerned residents line up outside a pharmacy Monday in Mexico City, Mexico.
But a week later, Mexico City is a metropolis under siege. Armed police officers guard hospitals. Roads and schools in the city of 20 million are deserted. Blue masks shield the faces of mothers and babies from a virus that doctors are still trying to understand, let alone bring under control.
"I'm pretty nervous of this whole virus thing," Berta Hernandez said as she touched up her eyeliner inside a packed and humid subway car. She did not dare lift her surgical mask to put on lip gloss.
"I'm nervous of the people who aren't wearing masks. Maybe they will suddenly sneeze or cough."
By early Tuesday, the swine flu outbreak in Mexico was suspected in 152 deaths and more than 1,600 illnesses, its health minister said.
While authorities wait to verify whether the virus is responsible for all the deaths, the number of confirmed cases is sobering: 19 infected, seven others dead and thousands flooding hospitals. iReport.com: Are you worried about swine flu?
Mexico seems to be the epicenter of the outbreak, but it is by no means the only country affected.
At least 90 cases have been confirmed worldwide, including 50 in the United States, six in Canada, three in New Zealand, two each in Spain and the United Kingdom, and one in Israel.
With at least 11 other countries suspecting infections, the World Health Organization on Monday raised its alert level from three to four on its six-level scale.
The move means the agency has determined that the virus is capable of significant human-to-human transmission -- a major step toward a pandemic but not necessarily inevitable, said Dr. Keiji Fukuda, assistant director-general of WHO.
"In this age of global travel, where people move around in airplanes so quickly, there is no region to which this virus could not spread."
Some countries, such as China and Russia, banned pork imports from the United States and Mexico. Several others, such as Japan and Indonesia, used thermographic devices to test the temperature of passengers arriving from Mexico.
The Philippines health department urged people to avoid kissing and hugging in public.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued emergency authorization for the use of two of the most common anti-viral drugs, Tamiflu and Relenza. The authorization allows the distribution of the drugs by a broader range of health care workers and loosens age limits for their use.
The median age of all the U.S. cases is 16 years.
Arianna Anastos is a student at a Queens, New York, preparatory school where 28 of the 40 U.S. cases were confirmed after students returned from a trip to Cancun, Mexico.
Anastos was not among the group but said she thinks she may have caught the flu from someone else.
"I mean, people touch the railing on the school, and then I touch them," she said.
By Saturday, Anastos felt dizzy, had difficulty breathing, and her fever shot up to 103.
"She looked like she was run over by a truck really," said her father, Chris. "She was on the couch lying down with her eyes closed. Could not move. Could not even open her eyes. I had a wet towel over her eyes to keep her temperature down."
A trip to the hospital and a prescription for anti-viral medication helped Anastos recover. She said she felt better after two doses.
In Mexico City, however, there is a shortage of such medication. And the government ran out of surgical masks after handing them out to one of every five residents.
Panicked citizens continue to flood hospitals night and day, only to be turned around by armed guards.
"I was looking for a mask at my local pharmacy, but they sold out," supermarket worker Rafael Martinez said as he rode the subway. "I know it's a risk, but I can't find one."
To minimize spread of the virus, the Mexican government closed universities, postponed sporting events and canceled church services in the country's most populous city. Video Watch Mexican officials discuss flu plan »
Officials also have talked about shutting down the bus and subway systems, which shuttle thousands to and from work every day.
"I don't think it's feasible or advisable to shut down the city," said newspaper vendor Jose Luis Suarez. "People would try and get out somehow, and that would make a bad situation worse."
Swine influenza, or flu, is a contagious respiratory disease that affects pigs.
When the flu spreads person to person, instead of from animals to humans, it can continue to mutate, making it harder to treat or fight, because people have no natural immunity. Symptoms include fever, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
For perspective, the common seasonal flu kills 250,000 to 500,000 people every year.
"I think the reason to be concerned is ... we had a vaccine for regular flu," said Dr. Carlos del Rio of the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. "This is a totally new virus. ... You have a virus to which there's no pre-vaccination, there's no prior immunity. And, therefore, the mortality rate may be higher than other influenza viruses."
Researchers do not know how the virus is jumping relatively easily from person to person, or why it's affecting society's healthiest demographic.
"When you think about the flu, the seasonal flu, the flu that we're accustomed to, it typically tends to have the worst ramifications in people that don't have developed immune systems -- the elderly and the very young. They can't fight it off," said Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent. Video Watch Gupta on the outbreak in Mexico »
advertisement
"What's counterintuitive with this particular virus, it's in the people who have robust immune systems. As their body starts to respond, to try and fight off that virus, they produce tons of inflammatory cells. Those inflammatory cells can sort of flood the lungs.
"So, in essence, it's not the virus itself that's so problematic, but the body's reaction to it."
Concerned residents line up outside a pharmacy Monday in Mexico City, Mexico.
But a week later, Mexico City is a metropolis under siege. Armed police officers guard hospitals. Roads and schools in the city of 20 million are deserted. Blue masks shield the faces of mothers and babies from a virus that doctors are still trying to understand, let alone bring under control.
"I'm pretty nervous of this whole virus thing," Berta Hernandez said as she touched up her eyeliner inside a packed and humid subway car. She did not dare lift her surgical mask to put on lip gloss.
"I'm nervous of the people who aren't wearing masks. Maybe they will suddenly sneeze or cough."
By early Tuesday, the swine flu outbreak in Mexico was suspected in 152 deaths and more than 1,600 illnesses, its health minister said.
While authorities wait to verify whether the virus is responsible for all the deaths, the number of confirmed cases is sobering: 19 infected, seven others dead and thousands flooding hospitals. iReport.com: Are you worried about swine flu?
Mexico seems to be the epicenter of the outbreak, but it is by no means the only country affected.
At least 90 cases have been confirmed worldwide, including 50 in the United States, six in Canada, three in New Zealand, two each in Spain and the United Kingdom, and one in Israel.
With at least 11 other countries suspecting infections, the World Health Organization on Monday raised its alert level from three to four on its six-level scale.
The move means the agency has determined that the virus is capable of significant human-to-human transmission -- a major step toward a pandemic but not necessarily inevitable, said Dr. Keiji Fukuda, assistant director-general of WHO.
"In this age of global travel, where people move around in airplanes so quickly, there is no region to which this virus could not spread."
Some countries, such as China and Russia, banned pork imports from the United States and Mexico. Several others, such as Japan and Indonesia, used thermographic devices to test the temperature of passengers arriving from Mexico.
The Philippines health department urged people to avoid kissing and hugging in public.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued emergency authorization for the use of two of the most common anti-viral drugs, Tamiflu and Relenza. The authorization allows the distribution of the drugs by a broader range of health care workers and loosens age limits for their use.
The median age of all the U.S. cases is 16 years.
Arianna Anastos is a student at a Queens, New York, preparatory school where 28 of the 40 U.S. cases were confirmed after students returned from a trip to Cancun, Mexico.
Anastos was not among the group but said she thinks she may have caught the flu from someone else.
"I mean, people touch the railing on the school, and then I touch them," she said.
By Saturday, Anastos felt dizzy, had difficulty breathing, and her fever shot up to 103.
"She looked like she was run over by a truck really," said her father, Chris. "She was on the couch lying down with her eyes closed. Could not move. Could not even open her eyes. I had a wet towel over her eyes to keep her temperature down."
A trip to the hospital and a prescription for anti-viral medication helped Anastos recover. She said she felt better after two doses.
In Mexico City, however, there is a shortage of such medication. And the government ran out of surgical masks after handing them out to one of every five residents.
Panicked citizens continue to flood hospitals night and day, only to be turned around by armed guards.
"I was looking for a mask at my local pharmacy, but they sold out," supermarket worker Rafael Martinez said as he rode the subway. "I know it's a risk, but I can't find one."
To minimize spread of the virus, the Mexican government closed universities, postponed sporting events and canceled church services in the country's most populous city. Video Watch Mexican officials discuss flu plan »
Officials also have talked about shutting down the bus and subway systems, which shuttle thousands to and from work every day.
"I don't think it's feasible or advisable to shut down the city," said newspaper vendor Jose Luis Suarez. "People would try and get out somehow, and that would make a bad situation worse."
Swine influenza, or flu, is a contagious respiratory disease that affects pigs.
When the flu spreads person to person, instead of from animals to humans, it can continue to mutate, making it harder to treat or fight, because people have no natural immunity. Symptoms include fever, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
For perspective, the common seasonal flu kills 250,000 to 500,000 people every year.
"I think the reason to be concerned is ... we had a vaccine for regular flu," said Dr. Carlos del Rio of the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. "This is a totally new virus. ... You have a virus to which there's no pre-vaccination, there's no prior immunity. And, therefore, the mortality rate may be higher than other influenza viruses."
Researchers do not know how the virus is jumping relatively easily from person to person, or why it's affecting society's healthiest demographic.
"When you think about the flu, the seasonal flu, the flu that we're accustomed to, it typically tends to have the worst ramifications in people that don't have developed immune systems -- the elderly and the very young. They can't fight it off," said Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent. Video Watch Gupta on the outbreak in Mexico »
advertisement
"What's counterintuitive with this particular virus, it's in the people who have robust immune systems. As their body starts to respond, to try and fight off that virus, they produce tons of inflammatory cells. Those inflammatory cells can sort of flood the lungs.
"So, in essence, it's not the virus itself that's so problematic, but the body's reaction to it."
Monday, April 27, 2009
Swine Flu Questions Answered!
The World Health Organization has called it a "public health emergency of international concern." So what are the answers to the many pressing questions people have about this disease.
Q. What is swine flu?
A. Swine influenza, or flu, is a contagious respiratory disease that affects pigs. It is caused by a type-A influenza virus. Outbreaks in pigs occur year-round.
The most common version is H1N1. The current strain is a new variation of an H1N1 virus, which is a mix of human and animal versions.
Q. Does swine flu affect humans?
A. While the virus causes regular outbreaks in pigs, people usually are not struck by swine flu. However, there have been instances of the virus spreading to people -- and then from one person to another. The only difference is, says the CDC, transmission in the past did not spread beyond three people -- as it has done this time.
Q. What is behind the spread of the virus this time?
A. Researchers do not know yet know. People usually get swine flu from infected pigs. For example, farmers handling infected pigs can contract the virus. However, some human cases have occurred without contact with pigs or places they inhabited.
Q. What are the symptoms of swine flu?
A. The symptoms are similar to the common flu. They include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite, coughing, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
Q. How does the virus spread?
A. The virus spreads the same way the seasonal flu does. When an infected person coughs or sneezes around another person, the latter is put at risk. People can become infected by touching something with the flu virus on it and then touching their mouth, nose or eyes. An infected person can pass the virus to another before any symptoms even develop.
Q. Why is this spread troubling?
A. Scientists are concerned whenever a new virus is able to jump from an animal to a person -- and then spread from person to person. When the flu spreads person to person, it can continue to mutate, making it harder to treat or fight off.
The World Health Organization has said the current outbreak has "pandemic potential," and has urged governments to take precautions to prevent its spread. If the virus continues to mutate, drug makers won't be able to come up with vaccines fast enough.
Q. Can swine flu be fatal?
A. Just like the regular flu, swine flu worsens pre-existing medical conditions in people. So people with already compromised immune systems can die after contracting it.
Q. But doesn't the common flu kill more people?
A. Yes, common seasonal flu kills 250,000 to 500,000 people every year. But what worries officials is that a new strain of the flu virus can spread fast because people do not have natural immunity and vaccines can take months to develop.
Q. Have there been swine flu outbreaks in the past?
A. From 2005 to January 2009, 12 human cases of swine flu were detected in the United States, without deaths occurring, the CDC said. In September 1988, a healthy 32-year-old pregnant woman in Wisconsin was hospitalized for pneumonia after being infected with swine flu and died a week later. And in 1976, a swine flu outbreak in Fort Dix, New Jersey, caused more than 200 illnesses and one death.
Q. What does the World Health Organization mean when it says swine flu has "pandemic potential"?
A. If the virus spreads over a wide geographic area and affects a large segment of the population, it is upgraded from an "epidemic" to a "pandemic."
Q. How deadly have pandemics been in the past?
A. In 1968, a "Hong Kong" flu pandemic killed about 1 million people worldwide. And in 1918, a "Spanish" flu pandemic killed as many as 100 million people.
Q. How can one keep from getting swine flu?
A. There are no vaccines available. But several everyday steps can help prevent the spread of germs: Washing hands frequently; avoiding close contact with people who are sick; and avoiding touching surfaces that might be contaminated.
Q. Are there medicines to treat swine flu?
A. Yes, the CDC recommends using anti-viral drugs. They keep the virus from reproducing inside the body. And in an infected person, the drugs make the illness milder.
Q. Can one contract swine flu from eating or preparing pork?
A. No. Pork and other pig-derived products, if properly handled and cooked, do not transmit swine flu. The flu virus is killed by cooking temperatures of 160°F (70°C).
Q. What is swine flu?
A. Swine influenza, or flu, is a contagious respiratory disease that affects pigs. It is caused by a type-A influenza virus. Outbreaks in pigs occur year-round.
The most common version is H1N1. The current strain is a new variation of an H1N1 virus, which is a mix of human and animal versions.
Q. Does swine flu affect humans?
A. While the virus causes regular outbreaks in pigs, people usually are not struck by swine flu. However, there have been instances of the virus spreading to people -- and then from one person to another. The only difference is, says the CDC, transmission in the past did not spread beyond three people -- as it has done this time.
Q. What is behind the spread of the virus this time?
A. Researchers do not know yet know. People usually get swine flu from infected pigs. For example, farmers handling infected pigs can contract the virus. However, some human cases have occurred without contact with pigs or places they inhabited.
Q. What are the symptoms of swine flu?
A. The symptoms are similar to the common flu. They include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite, coughing, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
Q. How does the virus spread?
A. The virus spreads the same way the seasonal flu does. When an infected person coughs or sneezes around another person, the latter is put at risk. People can become infected by touching something with the flu virus on it and then touching their mouth, nose or eyes. An infected person can pass the virus to another before any symptoms even develop.
Q. Why is this spread troubling?
A. Scientists are concerned whenever a new virus is able to jump from an animal to a person -- and then spread from person to person. When the flu spreads person to person, it can continue to mutate, making it harder to treat or fight off.
The World Health Organization has said the current outbreak has "pandemic potential," and has urged governments to take precautions to prevent its spread. If the virus continues to mutate, drug makers won't be able to come up with vaccines fast enough.
Q. Can swine flu be fatal?
A. Just like the regular flu, swine flu worsens pre-existing medical conditions in people. So people with already compromised immune systems can die after contracting it.
Q. But doesn't the common flu kill more people?
A. Yes, common seasonal flu kills 250,000 to 500,000 people every year. But what worries officials is that a new strain of the flu virus can spread fast because people do not have natural immunity and vaccines can take months to develop.
Q. Have there been swine flu outbreaks in the past?
A. From 2005 to January 2009, 12 human cases of swine flu were detected in the United States, without deaths occurring, the CDC said. In September 1988, a healthy 32-year-old pregnant woman in Wisconsin was hospitalized for pneumonia after being infected with swine flu and died a week later. And in 1976, a swine flu outbreak in Fort Dix, New Jersey, caused more than 200 illnesses and one death.
Q. What does the World Health Organization mean when it says swine flu has "pandemic potential"?
A. If the virus spreads over a wide geographic area and affects a large segment of the population, it is upgraded from an "epidemic" to a "pandemic."
Q. How deadly have pandemics been in the past?
A. In 1968, a "Hong Kong" flu pandemic killed about 1 million people worldwide. And in 1918, a "Spanish" flu pandemic killed as many as 100 million people.
Q. How can one keep from getting swine flu?
A. There are no vaccines available. But several everyday steps can help prevent the spread of germs: Washing hands frequently; avoiding close contact with people who are sick; and avoiding touching surfaces that might be contaminated.
Q. Are there medicines to treat swine flu?
A. Yes, the CDC recommends using anti-viral drugs. They keep the virus from reproducing inside the body. And in an infected person, the drugs make the illness milder.
Q. Can one contract swine flu from eating or preparing pork?
A. No. Pork and other pig-derived products, if properly handled and cooked, do not transmit swine flu. The flu virus is killed by cooking temperatures of 160°F (70°C).
Swine Flu Virus - Swine Flu Symptoms
Around the world Health officials are working to contain what seems to be a growing outbreak of swine flu. In Mexico City where this all started one out of every five persons wore masks to protect themselves against the virus.
Mexico seems to be the epicenter of the swine flu outbreak. It is thought that around 103 deaths have already been caused and many more are expected. An additional 1,614 reported cases have been reported in the country.
So far, however, only 18 of the deaths in Mexico have been confirmed by laboratory tests to be from swine flu and reported to the World Health Organization as such.
The United States stepped up preparations for a possible epidemic of the virus after 20 cases were confirmed there, and Canada announced its first cases of the virus Sunday -- six mild cases.
Swine flu or swine influenza is a contagious respiratory disease that normally only pigs are affected by. It is caused by a type-A influenza virus. You can expect year round outbreaks in pigs. The current strain is a new variation of an H1N1 virus, which is a mix of human and animal versions.
Mexico seems to be the epicenter of the swine flu outbreak. It is thought that around 103 deaths have already been caused and many more are expected. An additional 1,614 reported cases have been reported in the country.
So far, however, only 18 of the deaths in Mexico have been confirmed by laboratory tests to be from swine flu and reported to the World Health Organization as such.
The United States stepped up preparations for a possible epidemic of the virus after 20 cases were confirmed there, and Canada announced its first cases of the virus Sunday -- six mild cases.
Swine flu or swine influenza is a contagious respiratory disease that normally only pigs are affected by. It is caused by a type-A influenza virus. You can expect year round outbreaks in pigs. The current strain is a new variation of an H1N1 virus, which is a mix of human and animal versions.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)