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Increase in respiratory illness reported in southeast Alabama: 10 hospitalizations, 2 deaths - multiple pathogens detected, including influenza A/H1N1, influenza A/H3, and rhinovirus
Re: CDC investigates SE Alabama "cluster" with flu-like symptoms
..The Alabama Health Officer said Thursday there appears to be no link between several recent cases of illness that left two people dead. Five others were hospitalized with flu-type symptoms. He said tests show the illnesses were combination of influenza A, rhinovirus, the virus associated with the common cold, and bacterial pneumonia.http://dothanfirst.com/fulltext?nxd_id=274362
The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) and the Houston County Health Department have determined that the cause of a respiratory illness cluster in southeast Alabama was a combination of influenza A, rhinovirus, the virus associated with the common cold, and bacterial pneumonia.
?This is good news. Testing has ruled out avian flu and novel coronavirus,? said State Health Officer Dr. Don Williamson.
Earlier this month, seven patients were admitted to the hospital with fever, cough and shortness of breath with no known cause for their illness. Public health officials began an epidemiological investigation to interview the families of the patients about travel and exposure.
Specimens were requested and submitted to the ADPH Bureau of Clinical Laboratories in Montgomery.
Of the seven patients whose specimens were submitted, six were found to be positive for either influenza A, rhinovirus or a combination of the two, and three patients were found to have bacterial pneumonia. Two of the seven patients eventually died.
Dr. Mary McIntyre, assistant state health officer for disease control and prevention, said, ?While enhanced surveillance associated with this cluster is no longer necessary, health care providers are encouraged to continue routine year-round influenza surveillance activities and submit specimens to the state laboratory for testing.?
Health care providers should always use standard precautions when dealing with patients with respiratory illness.
If you or your family members have respiratory symptoms of fever, cough and shortness of breath, please contact your health care provider to be evaluated.
In addition, everyone should take steps to prevent transmission of disease and are reminded to follow these precautions:
Cover your cough or sneeze with a sleeve or tissue.
Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcoholbased hand sanitizers are also effective.
Avoid touching your mouth, eyes and nose with your hands. Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
If you get sick, stay home and limit contact with others to avoid infecting them.
Re: Increase in respiratory illness reported in southeast Alabama: 10 hospitalizations, 2 deaths - one fatal case positive for influenza A/H1N1, one hospitalized case for influenza A/H3
Re: Increase in respiratory illness reported in southeast Alabama: 10 hospitalizations, 2 deaths - one fatal case positive for influenza A/H1N1, one hospitalized case for influenza A/H3
Press Conference indicates rhinoviruses, associated "typical" bacterial co-infections and a few cases of influenza.
Nothing strikingly unusual per the Alabama Health Department.
Re: Increase in respiratory illness reported in southeast Alabama: 10 hospitalizations, 2 deaths - one fatal case positive for influenza A/H1N1, one hospitalized case for influenza A/H3
Looks like multiple causes. It would be nice to know what, besides influenza, has been detected. Adenovirus? Rhinovirus? RSV?
By MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer
Published 10:22 am, Thursday, May 23, 2013
Officials investigating a cluster of mysterious illnesses in Alabama have so far found only cold and flu viruses.
In tests on seven of the nine patients, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found no sign that the illnesses were caused by any single germ, CDC spokeswoman Sharon Hoskins said in an email.
Meanwhile, Alabama officials said they had added two more cases to the cluster, which included two earlier deaths.
Seven of the cases were reported last week, including the deaths. The two new illnesses were reported this week.
Most of the nine were treated at Southeast Alabama Medical Center in Dothan, but one was seen at a hospital in Crenshaw County.
Re: Increase in respiratory illness reported in southeast Alabama: 10 hospitalizations, 2 deaths - one fatal case positive for influenza A/H1N1, one hospitalized case for influenza A/H3
Re: Increase in respiratory illness reported in southeast Alabama (Health Dept., May 21 2013): 7 hospitalizations, 2 deaths - one fatal case positive for influenza A/H1N1, one hospitalized case for influenza A/H3
Is this a reporting error, or has there been a third influenza positive?
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (Reuters) - U.S. and state health authorities are investigating an unidentified respiratory illness that has killed two of 10 people hospitalized with it in Alabama since last week.
Preliminary tests do not indicate the bird flu, nor a new mutation of any known influenza virus, said Dr. Mary McIntyre, an assistant state health officer at the Alabama Department of Public Health. Two patients did test positive for the H1N1 strain of the flu.
Bacteria such as MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) remains a possibility, especially as a secondary infection, McIntyre said on Wednesday. However, one patient tested for MRSA by a physician had negative results.
"At this point, it could be anything. We are testing for everything," McIntyre said.
State health officials believe it is unlikely the patients are suffering from the new coronavirus that surfaced in the Middle East last year, because none had traveled, she said.
Laboratory samples were sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta for evaluation, and the agency is expected to issue a report within 24 hours, she said.
[snip]
------------
[The reports are not consistent on who has tested positive for which virus. We know one person has tested positive for H1N1 and died. Another person has tested positive for (seasonal?) H3. Some reports indicate this person is the other fatality; others indicate they are still hospitalized, and the other fatal case is undiagnosed.
Now this article suggests two confirmed H1N1 cases, meaning the second one is still alive (as if both fatalities were confirmed H1N1, the article would say that). So it is possible that three cases have been confirmed due to influenza, inclduing at least one, if not both, deaths.
I also have to question the wording of this article. How can they know the influenza virus has not "mutated" if they have not sequenced it yet?] - alert
Re: Increase in respiratory illness reported in southeast Alabama (Health Dept., May 21 2013): 7 hospitalizations, 2 deaths - one fatal case positive for influenza A/H1N1, one hospitalized case for influenza A/H3
This suggests that the two confirmed cases are actually both the fatal ones:
Re: Increase in respiratory illness reported in southeast Alabama (Health Dept., May 21 2013): 7 hospitalizations, 2 deaths - one fatal case positive for influenza A/H1N1, one hospitalized case for influenza A/H3
A mystery illness has sickened seven people in southeastern Alabama, killing two of them, according to the state Health Department, but it's not clear whether the patients – or their symptoms – are connected.
Alabama Mystery Illness Could Be Coincidence
A mystery illness has sickened seven people in southeastern Alabama, killing two of them, according to the state Health Department, but it's not clear whether the patients ? or their symptoms ? are connected.
"At this time, there is no epidemiological link between these patients," an Alabama health department document states in bold type.
The patients' ages range from their mid-20s to their late 80s, Dr. Mary McIntyre, who is leading the investigation, told ABCNews.com in an email. Location aside, McIntyre said the patients had no commonalities other than that the "majority" of them had "co-morbidities like smoking, COPD, morbid obesity."
"Temporal clustering can make something look like an outbreak," said Dr. Richard Besser, chief health and medical editor for ABC News. "Good science will tell you whether it is."
Posted: Wed 3:44 PM, May 22, 2013
Reporter: Associated Press
Updated: Wed 6:53 PM, May 22, 2013 Update in Mystery Illness Deaths Expected Thursday
[snip]
Further information from the CDC is expected on Thursday morning. McIntyre says obesity can complicate serious respiratory illnesses.
Re: Increase in respiratory illness reported in southeast Alabama (Health Dept., May 21 2013): 7 hospitalizations, 2 deaths - one fatal case positive for influenza A/H1N1, one hospitalized case for influenza A/H3
Ala. mystery illness cases climb to 10; CDC still investigating
Posted: May 21, 2013 12:05 PM CDT Updated: May 22, 2013 5:09 PM CDT
By Tametria Conner -
By John Shryock -
HOUSTON CO., AL (WSFA) -
The number of mystery illness cases affecting Alabama is growing.
Wednesday, Alabama Department of Public Health spokeswoman Dr. Mary McIntyre confirmed the number rose to ten overnight from a previous report of seven. Two people have died.
"Since we sent out the alert to providers last night, we have had three additional patients/cases," Dr. McIntyre told WSFA 12 News. "These patients all have the same symptoms of cough, shortness of breath and "something" on their chest x-rays," she explained.
Dr. McIntyre says it wasn't immediately known if all the new cases were in southeast Alabama, like the previous seven. But she said at least one person was admitted to Southeast Alabama Medical Center in the last 24 hours.
"We have staff right now in the field trying to get additional information about the other two patients," McIntyre said. No additional information on the three new cases is immediately available.
The number of mystery illness cases affecting Alabama is growing. Wednesday, Alabama Department of Public Health spokeswoman Dr. Mary McIntyre confirmed the number rose to ten overnight from a previous report of seven.
Re: Increase in respiratory illness reported in southeast Alabama (Health Dept., May 21 2013): 9 hospitalizations, 2 deaths - one fatal case positive for influenza A/H1N1, one hospitalized case for influenza A/H3
One illness fatality linked to H1N1 flu virus Total cases increased to 9
Posted: Wednesday, May 22, 2013 3:44 pm | Updated: 4:54 pm, Wed May 22, 2013.
by Matt Elofson
Officials with the local office of the state Department of Public Health said Wednesday that one of the two deaths that are part of a recent respiratory illness outbreak could be associated with the H1N1 flu virus.
Lesa C. Smith, a registered nurse with state Department of Public Health, also said the number of people admitted to local hospitals during the recent respiratory illness outbreak has increased from seven to nine.
?We can?t say that the person died with H1N1, but we can say it was a death associated with it,? Smith said. ?A total of nine have been admitted. We know some people are recovering, and are going home.?
...
?We?re still in the investigative state, and we?re still waiting other tests to come back,? Kirkland said.
Health department officials have said all nine people admitted to local hospitals were within an eight-county southeast region, which includes Barbour, Coffee, Crenshaw, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston and Pike County.
...
Re: Increase in respiratory illness reported in southeast Alabama (Health Dept., May 21 2013): 7 hospitalizations, 2 deaths - one fatal case positive for influenza A/H1N1, one hospitalized case for influenza A/H3
CDC continues search for Ala. mystery illness cause
<NOSCRIPT></NOSCRIPT><!--END wnDate-->Updated: May 22, 2013 3:13 PM CDT<NOSCRIPT></NOSCRIPT><!--END wnDate-->
By Tametria Conner -
By John Shryock -
Alabama Department of Public Health spokeswoman Dr. Mary McIntyre says those admitted for treatment suffered from fever, cough and shortness of breath. She says all of the severe illnesses were accompanied by pneumonia and may have had more than one contributing factor,
"We are running a multiple panel test that actually looks for viruses and bacteria so we can try to make sure we're not dealing with anything unusual," Dr. McIntyre said. Further information from the CDC is expected on Thursday morning.
Dr. McIntyre says the two people who died had different, but relatively common, forms of influenza.
Public health officials say they really don't know what they are dealing with and they have no idea if it has spread to other areas. That's why they are in constant contact with the Centers for Disease control, hoping the CDC can figure it out. The CCDC and ADPH are currently investigating the string of illnesses.
...
Re: Increase in respiratory illness reported in southeast Alabama (Health Dept., May 21 2013): 7 hospitalizations, 2 deaths - one fatal case positive for influenza A/H1N1, one hospitalized case for influenza A/H3
CDC chases cause of mystery illness in SE Ala.
Published: May 22, 2013
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) ? Doctors throughout Alabama have gotten notices from the State Department of Health about the unidentified respiratory illness that has killed two and hospitalized five more.
The Centers for Disease Control and the Alabama State Department of Health were investigating a cluster of hospital admissions Wednesday of people that have recently been admitted with flu-like symptoms in southeastern Alabama. Three remain hospitalized and two have been released.
Dr. Mary McIntyre of the Alabama Department of Public Health said that all of the severe illnesses were accompanied by pneumonia and may have had more than one contributing factor. McIntyre says the two people that died had different, but relatively common, forms of influenza.
Further information from the CDC is expected on Thursday morning. McIntyre says obesity can complicate serious respiratory illnesses.
http://dothanfirst.com/fulltext?nxd_id=274362
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