Another A/H1N1 death in Portugal

[Shiloh]

Source: http://jn.sapo.pt/Dossies/dossie.aspx?content_id=1387564&dossier=Gripe A

Google translation:

Second victim of deadly new flu virus
53 year old man admitted to "S. John" succumbed to a pneumonia
2009-10-12
Eduarda Ferreira

There was yesterday, Sunday, official confirmation of the death of a man living in Oporto, which although not previously suffer from any serious illness, became the second fatality of the virus A (H1N1) in our country.

The Ministry of Health comunnicou yesterday the death of a patient who was hospitalized since September 14 in Intensive Care Unit of Hospital de São João, Porto. The patient had been brought there with a picture of respiratory failure, which is complicated, degenerating into pneumonia. This also worsened, affecting both lungs. The patient was 53 years and, again according to official data, was not suffering from any diseases that make infection by new flu virus more problematic.

Pneumonia is the common bond of these two deaths from the virus source. Similarly, the two victims did not suffer from serious illness and her age did not predict very fragile before the viral attack.

Despite this outcome, Portugal still has a very low number of deaths due to pandemic influenza. The United Kingdom and Spain were, especially in July, the countries with highest number of contagion and death associated with influenza A virus (H1N1).

The latest bulletin from the World Health Organization (WHO) on the situation in Europe regards Portugal as having "sporadic" cases of the spread of influenza. Moreover, one of the characteristics of infection in our country reported by sentinel WHO is the prevalence of patients with respiratory problems (one of the "thermometer" to measure the progress of the pandemic) between the ages of five and 14 years . This is also happening in Belgium, Ireland, Spain and United Kingdom. Anyway, Portugal is included in countries with a low intensity of infection by the new variant of influenza virus. Spain, Luxembourg and Malta are already spreading at a "medium". Ireland is the country where the intensity of the epidemic has risen to the level "high".

Also according to this WHO report on Europe, the analysis made by the sample in different countries indicate they are outstanding various types of influenza viruses, but with a predominance of pandemic influenza. Seasonal influenza also coexists in the European region. The WHO considers it important to keep the information on the route of contagion and notes that in several recent years the flu traveled from West to East.

Worldwide, the WHO were referred 28 cases of resistance to antiviral drugs administered to patients, among ten thousand patients analyzed.

Pneumonia also killed another man infected

The first death caused by fatal complications associated with influenza pandemic occurred about a month. Diogo Alvim, 49, died of severe pneumonia, Curry Cabral Hospital, Lisbon, after a relocation of weeks. The victim was a candidate in municipal Ourém and have contracted the virus during a stay in the Algarve.

The official count of casualties came to include the death of a patient, migrants in France, who had admitted to the Hospital de Santo António, in Oporto, and had remained under treatment in intensive care. However, the death was later attributed to severe kidney complications (the patient had received for years a kidney transplant).

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Another A/H1N1 death in Portugal

Source: http://dn.sapo.pt/inicio/portugal/interior.aspx?content_id=1388253&seccao=Norte

Google translation:


Portugal could have recorded more than 50 deaths per influenza A

by DIANA MENDES, with JOANA DE BEL?MHoje
Portugal could have recorded more than 50 deaths per influenza A

Second victim of the H1N1 virus was recorded yesterday in Porto. However, the mortality rate is much lower than originally planned for the country, standing at 0.015% compared with an expected rate of between 0.2% and 0.5%

The Hospital of St. John (in Porto) noted yesterday the second death in Portugal as a result of influenza A. According to the Ministry of Health and the hospital, the 53 year old man died following a bilateral pneumonia (both lungs), but had no previous illness. At a time when Portugal is about 13 600 cases of H1N1 flu "was expected to regist?ssemos at least 50 to one hundred cases of deaths," the DN Jaime Nina, a virologist at the National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge (INSA ).

According to the weekly report of the Ministry of Health (see box) were recorded 1772 cases of infection with the H1N1 virus last week, which rises to about 13 600 the cumulative number of cases. Given the only two fatal cases, it is called a mortality rate of 0.015%, well below the average forecast of 0.2% and 0.5%.

Experts have had difficulty in explaining the low mortality that has hit Portugal, which has feint to the most optimistic expectations. Jaime Nina states that "the elderly, with most diseases, are often most affected. But this pandemic. Possibly," the elderly will be contacted with a similar virus during the epidemic in 77 / 8 and were protected. Part of our results are due to the fact that they are being spared, unlike pregnant.

The man who died yesterday at the Hospital of St. John had been hospitalized since September 14. Although healthy, could not resist the infection. The death was "regis-stricted to five in the morning, having been drafted a comprehensive report to the Ministry of Health," said Fernanda Barros, team leader of the Intensive Care Unit of Hospital de S?o Jo?o, Porto.

The first direct victim of the influenza A virus died at the end of September and was 49 years. As the last recorded case, the candidate of the CDS-PP to the Board of Our?m also had no prior disease.

According to several hospitals contacted by the DN, a few critical cases currently in treatment. Manuel Delgado, manager of the Hospital Curry Cabral, stated that the intensive care unit "just continues to treat the pregnant woman who went for more than 40 days. We have no prognosis, since the lady as soon as im-ra worse," says . In San Antonio are not hospitalized patients with influenza A and in St. John, only remains in a second case treated "less than a month," says the source drive.

Jaime Nina explains why healthy people end up not resist influenza A: "All people are different with regard to the response to infection. There are people who do not even have symptoms and have been infected. One day they come to know this because there who are immunized, others can not resist the seemingly benign diseases. "

The variability is not the virus, but in people. The fact that we have a different answer "is an advantage. It is our assurance that if there is a deadly disease, there is always someone who will survive," he concludes.