UK: 607 confirmed fatalities due to influenza

[sharon sanders]

Re: UK: Reports of Approximately 30 Deaths and 302 Patients in intensive care (17 deaths confirmed by HPA as for Dec. 16 2010) due to influenza

Professor Dame Sally Davies, interim Chief Medical Officer for England, said: ?We have not got a pandemic. It is quite a different situation from last year.
?What makes this an unusual year is the deaths are in children and adults below the age of 65, whereas seasonal flu deaths are predominantly in the over-65s. We want more people to come forward for the vaccine, particularly pregnant women.?


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/ar...#ixzz18pQJEkNQ

[Giuseppe]

Re: UK: Reports of Approximately 30 Deaths and 302 Patients in intensive care (17 deaths confirmed by HPA as for Dec. 16 2010) due to influenza

Professor Dame Sally Davies, interim Chief Medical Officer for England, said: ?We have not got a pandemic. It is quite a different situation from last year.
?What makes this an unusual year is the deaths are in children and adults below the age of 65, whereas seasonal flu deaths are predominantly in the over-65s. We want more people to come forward for the vaccine, particularly pregnant women.?


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/ar...#ixzz18pQJEkNQ

It would be unusual if the H1N1 (2009) would have lost its intrinsic virulence, things that so far is not happened.

Since the H1N1 (2009) has not decreased both its transmissibility and its pathotypical characteristics the clinical course is also likely to be same as experienced during 2009 pandemic waves.

Our interest should be focused on the clinical course in people who have already a natural immunity to the virus, achieved through natural infection early in 2009 wave, or through a complete cycle of vaccination (monovalent vaccines, adjuvanted or not, and booster seasonal doses).

[sharon sanders]

Re: UK: Reports of Approximately 30 Deaths and 302 Patients in intensive care (17 deaths confirmed by HPA as for Dec. 16 2010) due to influenza

We do not know the vaccination status of the patients and we do not know if any of the patients contracted H1N1 last year.

This year the UK recommended the flu jab for senior citizens and those in risk groups.

Without the patients records, we can only view the figures released by the NHS.

[Giuseppe]

Re: UK: Reports of Approximately 30 Deaths and 302 Patients in intensive care (17 deaths confirmed by HPA as for Dec. 16 2010) due to influenza

We do not know the vaccination status of the patients and we do not know if any of the patients contracted H1N1 last year.

This year the UK recommended the flu jab for senior citizens and those in risk groups.

Without the patients records, we can only view the figures released by the NHS.

Are these figure exceeding 2009 levels?

[sharon sanders]

Re: UK: Reports of Approximately 30 Deaths and 302 Patients in intensive care (17 deaths confirmed by HPA as for Dec. 16 2010) due to influenza

Swine flu: top doctor warns of crisis as few have H1N1 jab

• guardian.co.uk, <time datetime="2010-12-21T21:06GMT" pubdate="">Tuesday 21 December 2010 21.06 GMT </time>

'Shockingly few' health professionals have been vaccinated as more than 300 people lie in critical care beds

• <figure> <figcaption>
  The NHS may become unable to cope with the rapid spread of influenza because shockingly few people, including health professionals, have been vaccinated, a senior doctor warns today.
  
  
  Professor Steve Field, who until last month was the chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners, spoke out as the Department of Health revealed there are more than 300 people in critical care beds with flu and 17 people have died.
  
  
  snip
  
  
  "Rates of uptake are shockingly low," said Field. "It was ill-advised not to have the public awareness campaign on seasonal flu jab uptake that we usually have, because we knew that the public and healthcare professionals were likely to become complacent after last year's swine flu pandemic wasn't the serious attack on the country that we thought it could be. With the added winter pressures on the NHS, we need NHS staff to be vaccinated as soon as possible, so that they can continue working,and we also need pregnant women and people who are vulnerable to have a flu jab that includes the swine flu vaccine as soon as possible."
  
  
  more...
  
  
  

  http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/21/swine-flu-top-doctor-crisis

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  </figcaption></figure>

[Vibrant62]

Re: UK: Reports of Approximately 30 Deaths and 302 Patients in intensive care (17 deaths confirmed by HPA as for Dec. 16 2010) due to influenza

IOH asked 'Are these figure exceeding 2009 levels?'

It is reported that the overall level of flu in the UK is not at epidemic levels, nor above what would be expected for this time of year. However, the number of hospitalised patients in ICU/ Critical care has now exceeded the numbers seen at the peak of the 2009 outbreak, and it is this ratio (overall case numbers positively identified in the community: numbers hospitalised in ICU or Critical Care) that is the cause for concern right now.

It is also clear that the current virus has some mutations compared with the vaccine virus, however, it seems that viral challenge is still capable of producing an antigen response. What is not clear (at least to me) is if this antigenic response is successfully eliminating the modified virus, or merely binding to it without successfully killing it.

In the above context, it may be worth reviewing the nature paper reported on here

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/panflu/news/dec0910adulth1n1.html

I hope that this question is clearly answered or (if necessary) investigated rapidly.

[Vibrant62]

Re: UK: Reports of Approximately 30 Deaths and 302 Patients in intensive care (17 deaths confirmed by HPA as for Dec. 16 2010) due to influenza

A new update from the HPA is due today.

The last update report was released on the 16th December

http://www.hpa.org.uk/NewsCentre/NationalPressReleases/2010PressReleases/101216Weeklynationalinfluenzareport/

To view the latest report, visit http://www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/Infecti...sonalInfluenza

Graphs can be found here

http://www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1284475036543

[vinny]

Re: UK: Reports of Approximately 30 Deaths and 302 Patients in intensive care (17 deaths confirmed by HPA as for Dec. 16 2010) due to influenza

Wednesday, December 22, 2010,

NHS carry out virus tests into deaths of six children in Leicestershire

NHS staff carry out virus testsTests are being carried out to see if a number of people, including young children, have died from flu or respiratory disease.

It has been reported that three adults have died from swine flu and six children aged under five have died from viral respiratory diseases in Leicestershire in the past few weeks.

NHS managers refused to comment on the numbers until they have the results of laboratory tests to confirm the causes of death.

continues at;

http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/NHS-staff-carry-virus-tests-deaths-children-adults/article-3030558-detail/article.html

[ming]

Re: UK: Reports of Approximately 30 Deaths and 302 Patients in intensive care (17 deaths confirmed by HPA as for Dec. 16 2010) due to influenza

Many thanks to everybody for their work here

[NS1]

UK Neuraminidase with Adjacent Bird Flu Polymorphisms

Perhaps one of the contributing sparks in the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">UK</st1:country-region></st1:place> has been located.

<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
Two adjacent bird flu polymorphisms are emerging on the pandemic H1N1 NA segment primarily within 2010 human sequences that carry the HA 188T. This two change combination is found in PF11 on 17 Neuraminidase sequences, but more than 200 times in Avian H3N8, Avian H1N1 and every Avian HxN1 serotype from H2N1 to H12N1. The UKWhiteChapel4880374_2M_2010_11_28 carries these two adjacent NA changes.

<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
HA 188T is highly correlated with NA syn240T & 241I combination.

<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
HA<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
. . . . UKWhiteChapel4880374_2M_2010_11_28 (<o:p></o:p>
. . . . . . . . 0A,<o:p></o:p>
. . . . . . . . syn55L [S9, H5N1], <o:p></o:p>
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . [Iran16273_2009_11_22 with 226R<o:p></o:p>
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . NZ_Waikato2_2010_01_04 with 233H,<o:p></o:p>
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . tkOntarioFAV117_1C_2009_12_07, et al],<o:p></o:p>
. . . . . . . . 188T [H6N1, H7N7],<o:p></o:p>
. . . . . . . . syn338G [H3N8, H4, H5, H6, sw],<o:p></o:p>
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [OzBrisbane209_51F_2010_08_09<o:p></o:p>
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . with 156E & 225G,<o:p></o:p>
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Arizona05_2010_05_11 with 0A,<o:p></o:p>
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Swine Asia 2005 with 0A, et al]<o:p></o:p>
. . . . . . . . 377K,<o:p></o:p>
. . . . . . . . 454N [H7N3, H7N7, H9N2]
. . . . . . . . . . [Florida14_24M_2010_08_05
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . with 188T, 454N,
. . . . . . . . . . FL_Pen210_2009_11_10
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . with 225E,
. . . . . . . . . . SouthCarolina18_2009_09_16_VxX
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . with 159D, 224K, et al],<o:p></o:p>
. . . . . . . . syn529L ctTgtagtctccctgggg)

<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
NA
<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
. . . . UKWhiteChapel4880374_2M_2010_11_28 (<o:p></o:p>
. . . . . . . . 79P,<o:p></o:p>
. . . . . . . . 100H mix wt,<o:p></o:p>
. . . . . . . . syn109G,<o:p></o:p>
. . . . . . . . syn240T,<o:p></o:p>
. . . . . . . . 241I,<o:p></o:p>
. . . . . . . . 369K,<o:p></o:p>
. . . . . . . . syn377P)

Notes:<o:p></o:p>
syn240T with 241I
BLAST string=ggttcttgctttaccata, <o:p></o:p>
GISAID exam=212 matches
pH1N1 2010 Human ~ 16
pH1N1 2009 Human ~ 1
Remainder are Avian Influenza:
H3N8 mallard/Ohio/184/1986
Avian H1N1, H2N1, H3N1, H4N1, H5N1, H6N1, H7N1, H9N1, H10N1, H11N1, H12N1

[sharon sanders]

Re: UK: Reports of Approximately 30 Deaths and 302 Patients in intensive care (17 deaths confirmed by HPA as for Dec. 16 2010) due to influenza

Many thanks to everybody for their work here

I agree.

[Shiloh]

Re: UK: Reports of Approximately 30 Deaths and 302 Patients in intensive care (17 deaths confirmed by HPA as for Dec. 16 2010) due to influenza

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/ar...-care-flu.html

One in ten intensive care beds taken by flu sufferers

By Sophie Borland
Last updated at 9:03 AM on 22nd December 2010

* Comments (25)
* Add to My Stories


* Fears virus has grown more virulent over last year
* NHS managers draw up emergency plans to tackle outbreak

Almost one in ten intensive care beds is now occupied by a flu victim as the outbreak continues to worsen across Britain.

Official figures show that as many as 302 patients are fighting for their lives on units up and down the country, the vast majority suffering from swine flu.

These rates are far higher than at any time during last year?s pandemic - even at its peak there were only ever 180 flu victims on intensive care units at any one time...

[Shiloh]

Re: UK: Reports of Approximately 30 Deaths and 302 Patients in intensive care (17 deaths confirmed by HPA as for Dec. 16 2010) due to influenza

Source: http://topnews.us/content/230904-swi...eaches-prisons

Swine Flu Reaches Prisons!
Submitted by Satish Karat on Wed, 12/22/2010 - 09:04

The menace of swine flu has reached prisons also as there have been found seven cases of H1N1 influenza at two major jails.

Seven prisoners at HMP Manchester and HMP Hindley have been detected positive with swine flu. There are concerns that the virus could spread in the whole prison and could prove fatal for many people behind the bars.

Two cases of H1N1 influenza have been conformed at Category A Manchester jail, while rest of the five cases were found at Category B Hindley, near Wigan, Lancs...

[TrueScotsman]

Re: UK: Reports of Approximately 30 Deaths and 302 Patients in intensive care (17 deaths confirmed by HPA as for Dec. 16 2010) due to influenza

Another three deaths linked to swine flu: Doctor

Doctors have warned they are seeing the worst flu outbreak in ten years in some areas as fears grow that three more people may have died after contracting swine flu

The new deaths would take the total to 20 so far this winter, with the majority linked to the H1N1 swine flu virus.

Laboratory tests on the latest deaths in Leicester are awaited.

Doctor Philip Monk, communicable diseases consultant for the Health Protection Agency (HPA) in the East Midlands, said: "It is the worst winter outbreak for influenza and viruses for ten years.

"There are a lot of illnesses out there. Vulnerable people, like young children, are at risk. Unfortunately some of them die."

Nationally flu levels remain normal for this time of year but cases have doubled in a week.

Flu seems to be following a similar pattern as during the pandemic with under 65s suffering severe illness.

Professor John Watson, head of the respiratory diseases department at the HPA, said: "It's not unusual to see this level of flu activity at this time of the year but, due to the fact that the H1N1 swine flu is one of the predominant strains circulating at the moment, we are seeing more severe illness in people under the age of 65 than we would usually see....





http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/he...lu-doctor.html

[ming]

Re: UK: Reports of Approximately 30 Deaths and 302 Patients in intensive care (17 deaths confirmed by HPA as for Dec. 16 2010) due to influenza

Not seen anything about Scotland - have you ?