Swine flu virus unpredictable, scientists warn

1. UN calls for $1b to combat swine flu
2. Asthmatics advised to take extra flu precautions
3. 18 Australians dead - 30,000 - 100,000 have now had H1N1
4. Millions could be infected by swine flu
5. Swine Flu Hits Record In Brunei
6. 200 new swine flu cases in Greece
7. More than a hundred swine flu cases in Switzerland
8. Malaysia reports 45 more cases of A/H1N1 flu, total cases rise to 513
9. Life Threatening; Starts like regular flu, then lungs stop functioning
10. More swine flu cases confirmed in South Africa
11. Swine flu is here and we need to be ready
12. Swine Flu: the rise of anti-viral resistance
13. Swine flu swamps other viruses as five more die
14. Think You Have Swine Flu? What to Do

'Something Different' Happening With New Flu

1. Swine Flu's Spread Through Air Travel
2. Swine flu Q&A: Dr. Seltzer answers your questions
3. Dr. Seltzer will answer more selected questions online. Submit your question
4. 59 PICTURES RELATED TO SWINE FLU
5. US swine flu cases rise to nearly 34,000
6. Swine Flu News
7. Canada reports four more swine flu deaths
8. Southern California students cleared from Chinese quarantine
9. WHO starts shipping antiflu drug to poor countries
10. Britain braces for 100,000 swine flu cases a day
11. Sanofi to donate 100m swine flu vaccines
12. White House to Hold H1N1 Flu Summit
13. Argentine regions declare swine flu emergency
14. New swine flu case takes India's tally to 129
15. A chronology of the H1N1 outbreak.

WHO working on formulas to model swine flu spread

The World Health Organization said Wednesday it is working to mathematically model the spread of swine flu in an attempt to better understand how the outbreak developed from a handful of cases to a global epidemic in less than two months.

WHO brought together over 20 independent experts beginning Wednesday for the three-day meeting in Geneva.

"They will be working together to describe and predict the behavior and impact of the pandemic, and demonstrate potential outcomes of proposed intervention efforts," spokeswoman Aphaluck Bhatiasevi told The Associated Press.

The meeting comes as it becomes clearer that actual case numbers may be far higher than the agency's tally of officially diagnosed infections.

According to WHO's latest update Wednesday, a total of 77,201 confirmed cases and 332 deaths have been reported in over 110 countries.

U.S. swine flu cases may have hit 1 million

As many as 1 million Americans now have swine flu, U.S. health officials said Thursday, adding that 6 percent or more of some urban areas are infected.

“We knew diagnosed cases were just the tip of the iceberg,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University infectious diseases expert who was in Atlanta for the meeting of a vaccine advisory panel.

Lyn Finelli, a flu surveillance official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, made the 1 million estimate in a presentation to the vaccine panel. The number is from mathematical modeling, based on surveys by health officials.

Continued spread signals ‘something different’ happening with new strain

America's count of swine flu cases has risen to 21,449 cases and the number of deaths have nearly doubled to 87.

The continued spread signals the new strain of H1N1 flu is causing “something different” to happen in the United States this year — perhaps an extended year-round flu season that disproportionately hits young people, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The latest numbers, released Friday by the CDC is a jump from last week's count of 18,000 cases and 44 deaths.

Worldwide, the number of confirmed cases reached 44,287, the WHO reported Friday. WHO says cases increased by more than 10 percent in two days.

Figures provided by the global body show Argentina, Britain, Canada, Chile, China, Philippines and Thailand all reported a large rise in cases.

A total of 93 countries had reported cases to WHO by Friday.

U.S. swine flu cases may have hit 1 million

Health officials estimate that as many as 1 million Americans now have the new swine flu. Lyn Finelli, a flu surveillance official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, voiced the estimate at a vaccine advisory meeting Thursday in Atlanta.

The estimate is based on mathematical modeling. Nearly 28,000 U.S. cases have been reported to the CDC, accounting for roughly half the world's cases. The U.S. count includes 3,065 hospitalizations and 127 deaths.

Swine Flu Pandemic Is Closer, Says WHO

The World Health Organization declared a swine flu pandemic

WHO chief Dr. Margaret Chan made the announcement Thursday after the U.N. agency held an emergency meeting with flu experts.

Chan said she was moving the world to phase 6 — the agency's highest alert level — which means a pandemic, or global epidemic, is under way.


"The world is moving into the early days of its first influenza pandemic in the 21st century," Chan told reporters. "The (swine flu) virus is now unstoppable."

QUICK FACTS

Totals WorldWide

51,702 cases

229 deaths

97 Countries

2009 "Swine Flu" Update

China quarantines dozens of US students

Dozens of American high school students were quarantined in central China after some were diagnosed with swine flu, the government said Wednesday.

In New Zealand, the Roman Catholic Church placed restrictions on communion to stop the spread of the virus

A group of 42 American high school students and teachers was quarantined last Thursday in Yichang city in central Hubei province, China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement

Philippines Reports New H1N1 Outbreak

The Philippines confirmed a flu outbreak in 20 people in a rural northern village Monday as the country's H1N1 infection tally neared 200, while Thailand reported its largest single-day jump in infections.

"You can't stop the spread of this virus anymore," Philippine Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said. "The mitigation efforts are aimed at slowing it down, then working to help villagers address the infections."

Mr. Duque said 46 new cases were reported Monday, bringing the number of infections in the country to 193. All of the cases are mild and 71 have fully recovered, he said.

swine flu news

1. Navy reports 21 swine flu cases on USS Iwo Jima
2. US official in France diagnosed with swine flu
3. The number of U.S. citizens infected with swine flu at the American University in Cairo rose to seven, after five more cases were diagnosed as positive Tuesday, the Egyptian health minister said.
4. 2 Greek students catch swine flu in UK
5. 4 more swine flu cases in Germany
6. UK reports its first swine flu death
7. Chile reports 1st swine flu death in South America
8. Venezuela has quarantined the passengers and crew of a visiting cruise ship for 10 days after three crew members tested positive for swine flu.
9. Argentine health authorities on Tuesday confirmed three more swine flu deaths, bringing the nation's total to four as it enters the South American winter flu season.
10. SINGAPORE has confirmed seven more cases of H1N1, bringing the total number of confirmed cases here to 34, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Sunday.
11. The number of swine flu cases in Thailand has almost quadrupled since Wednesday to 106. Schools have been ordered closed in Bangkok and entertainment venues have been asked to close in Pattaya and Phuket.
12. Guatemala urges 2 swine flu-hit towns to shut down
13. 3 cruise ship crew catch swine flu off Australia
14. Puerto Rico reports 1st swine flu case
15. Canada says man with swine flu dies
16. Kuwait: 18 US soldiers with swine flu bolt country
17. South Korea says American has swine flu
18. Swine flu cases in India :So far, samples of 318 people have been tested, of which 30 have tested positive for influenza A (H1N1)

What is swine flu?

Human swine influenza A (H1N1), commonly known as swine flu, is a new type of human influenza virus which causes respiratory disease.
In general, swine flu is a respiratory disease in pigs caused by a type A influenza virus.
Viruses that cause swine flu do not normally infect humans, although rare human infections have occurred.
The swine flu virus we are now concerned with originally came from pigs but combined with other types of viruses to make a new virus that can now be transmitted from person to person.

How is swine flu spread?

Human swine influenza is thought to be spread when infected airborne droplets,produced by coughing or sneezing by someone with the infection, come into contactwith a mucous membrane (lining of the nose and mouth).
Infection may also be spread by contact with hands, tissues and other articles soiled by infected nose and throat discharges.

Confirmed cases of H1N1 virus approach 900

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms of swine flu in humans appear to be similar to those produced by standard,seasonal flu.
These include fever and cough, sore throat, fatigue and respiratory illness.
Those symptoms include fever over 100º F, cough, sore throat, body aches and headache.
In addition, fatigue, lack of appetite, runny nose, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea can occur.
Anyone with fever and severe respiratory symptoms such as shortness of breath or difficulty breathing should contact their health care provider.

In children, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:

* Fast breathing or trouble breathing
* Bluish skin color
* Not drinking enough fluids
* Not waking up or not interacting
* Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
* Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
* Fever with a rash

In adults, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:

* Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
* Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
* Sudden dizziness
* Confusion
* Severe or persistent vomiting

How is it diagnosed?

The recommended test for swine flu is laboratory examination of mucus from the back of the nose.

working on H1N1 virus vaccine

What is the incubation period?

The time between becoming infected and developing symptoms is 1 – 7 days.

Can it be passed to other people?

Based on current knowledge, an infected person can spread the infection to others from one day before the onset of symptoms up to 7 days after the onset of symptoms.