WTB
Resident
Doctors testing patients for the new swine flu virus say they are finding many cases of seasonal flu.
About half of people testing positive for influenza in the United States these days are infected with the new virus, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control says. But that means the other half are testing positive for seasonal flu viruses at a time when flu activity generally wanes sharply in the Northern Hemisphere.
The CDC said part of the increase is due to much more influenza testing because of concerns about swine flu. But the agency said it seems that it's not just a case of more testing, but more flu too.
"We would be expecting to see the season slowing down or almost completely stopped from the kinds of surveillance systems that we normally monitor," said Dr. Dan Jernigan deputy head of the CDC's influenza division.
"But what we're seeing is that there are some areas that actually have reports of the amounts of respiratory disease that are coming into their clinics that are equivalent to peak influenza season, and so that's an indicator to us that there's something going on with the amount of influenza disease out there."
Dr. Allison McGeer, head of infection control at Mount Sinai Hospital, said about 20% of people who are being tested for influenza-like illness in Toronto are testing positive for flu. That's about the level of positive tests one would see during the peak of flu season, she said. About half of those positive tests are for the new swine flu virus, McGeer said.
Dr. David Patrick of the B.C. Centre for Disease Control said there has been a sharp increase in doctor visits, but no increase in things like deaths due to pneumonia or influenza, which would be expected if there was an increase in cases.
Meanwhile, Mexico says tests have confirmed two more deaths from swine flu, bringing that country's toll to 68. The health department says one person died Tuesday while the other died in Mexico City on May 2.
The department says tests confirmed 207 more cases for a total of 3,102, including the deaths.
But Mexican officials say its epidemic is declining. Only five of the people who have died fell ill after April 23, when Mexico first announced the outbreak.
In Quebec, meanwhile, the number of people diagnosed with the H1N1 flu in Quebec has now reached 71. All the cases are mild and the patients have either recovered or are recovering. :surrender:
http://www.torontosun.com/news/world/2009/05/17/9483651-sun.html
wtb
About half of people testing positive for influenza in the United States these days are infected with the new virus, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control says. But that means the other half are testing positive for seasonal flu viruses at a time when flu activity generally wanes sharply in the Northern Hemisphere.
The CDC said part of the increase is due to much more influenza testing because of concerns about swine flu. But the agency said it seems that it's not just a case of more testing, but more flu too.
"We would be expecting to see the season slowing down or almost completely stopped from the kinds of surveillance systems that we normally monitor," said Dr. Dan Jernigan deputy head of the CDC's influenza division.
"But what we're seeing is that there are some areas that actually have reports of the amounts of respiratory disease that are coming into their clinics that are equivalent to peak influenza season, and so that's an indicator to us that there's something going on with the amount of influenza disease out there."
Dr. Allison McGeer, head of infection control at Mount Sinai Hospital, said about 20% of people who are being tested for influenza-like illness in Toronto are testing positive for flu. That's about the level of positive tests one would see during the peak of flu season, she said. About half of those positive tests are for the new swine flu virus, McGeer said.
Dr. David Patrick of the B.C. Centre for Disease Control said there has been a sharp increase in doctor visits, but no increase in things like deaths due to pneumonia or influenza, which would be expected if there was an increase in cases.
Meanwhile, Mexico says tests have confirmed two more deaths from swine flu, bringing that country's toll to 68. The health department says one person died Tuesday while the other died in Mexico City on May 2.
The department says tests confirmed 207 more cases for a total of 3,102, including the deaths.
But Mexican officials say its epidemic is declining. Only five of the people who have died fell ill after April 23, when Mexico first announced the outbreak.
In Quebec, meanwhile, the number of people diagnosed with the H1N1 flu in Quebec has now reached 71. All the cases are mild and the patients have either recovered or are recovering. :surrender:
http://www.torontosun.com/news/world/2009/05/17/9483651-sun.html
wtb
