Nepal - 5,000 ill; 5 dead of Swine Flu

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topi...=320132&version=1&template_id=44&parent_id=24

400 fall ill after sudden outbreak of fever

About 400 persons, most of the children and elderly, have been ill following a sudden outbreak of fever in Tanahun district in western Nepal.
According to reports, the sick people were suffering from common cold, body pain and headache.

After the mysterious outbreak of the disease, two grades of Saraswati primary school have been closed indefinitely.

Prem Bahadur Thapa, the principal of Kali Ganga secondary school, said about 75 of the total 500 students failed to go to school due to fever.
Likewise, Damauli Hospital, in the district headquarters, some 110km west of Kathmandu, is receiving about 35-40 fever patients on a daily basis.

Sushilnath Pyakural, chief of the hospital, said most of the patients have been found infected with viral fever.

 

[sharon sanders]

Re: Nepal - 400 fall ill after sudden outbreak of fever

Re: Nepal - 400 fall ill after sudden outbreak of fever

<table class="lan18" width="97%" align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td class="hei22" height="25" valign="bottom"> 400 fall ill in Nepal following sudden outbreak of fever
</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#ffffff" height="4">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <table width="50%" align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td height="8">
</td> </tr> </tbody></table> www.chinaview.cn

2009-10-14 20:18:04


Likewise, the number of fever patients has gone up in other clinics of Damauli.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-10/14/content_12232619.htm

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Nepal - 400 fall ill after sudden outbreak of fever

Re: Nepal - 400 fall ill after sudden outbreak of fever

Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-10/15/content_12239719.htm

5 killed, 5,000 suffering from viral fever in central Nepal
www.chinaview.cn 2009-10-15 16:44:21

KATHMANDU, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- At least five persons have been killed and about 5,000 have fallen ill due to a disease that is similar to viral fever in Chitwan in central Nepal in the past onemonth, Nagarik daily reported Thursday.

Although, doctors had initially suspected the disease to be viral fever and used medication for the same, the symptoms shown by the patients are quite different to most cases of viral fever, the report said.

Patients have shown symptoms like body ache, high fever, vomiting, reduction of White Blood Cell in blood, and swelling of chest and gall bladder. The disease was mostly seen in women at the age of 18-35.

According to Dr Shital Adhikari of Chitwan Medical College, thenumber of new patients has decreased lately, but the threat still persists as the disease has not been identified.

Epidemiology and Disease Control Division has collected samplesfrom the patients and sent them abroad for further tests as tests conducted here could not establish the reason of the illness.

 

[Treyfish]

Re: Nepal - 5,000 ill; 5 dead of unknown viral fever

Re: Nepal - 5,000 ill; 5 dead of unknown viral fever

Viral fever claims five in Chitwan

NARAYANGADH, KANTIPUR REPORT <!--div class="icons"></div-->

<SCRIPT type=text/javascript><!-- google_ad_client = "pub-5855301837617098"; /* epaper_front_right336x280, created 2/18/09 */ //google_ad_slot = "6523884328"; google_ad_slot = "0651944772"; google_ad_width = 300; google_ad_height = 250; //--> </SCRIPT><SCRIPT type=text/javascript src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </SCRIPT><SCRIPT src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/expansion_embed.js"></SCRIPT><SCRIPT src="http://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/test_domain.js"></SCRIPT><SCRIPT src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/render_ads.js"></SCRIPT><SCRIPT>google_protectAndRun("render_ads.js::google_render_ad", google_handleError, google_render_ad);</SCRIPT>, OCT 15 - Viral fever spread in Chitwan district since mid August has caused five deaths so far while hundreds other have been taken ill.

Health officials said all deaths were caused after the viral fever advanced into pneumonia. Two of the victims died while undergoing treatment in the capital-based hospitals while the others succumbed to pneumonia at Chitwan Medical College.

People between the 25-35 years age bracket, especially females, are suffering from viral fever, health officials said.

“The number of patients has come down as compared to last couple of weeks, but the disease is yet to be contained,” said Dr Keshavraj Bhurtel, medical superintendent of Bharatpur Hospital.

Hospitals and other health institutions in the district are still inundated with hundreds of people undergoing treatment for the disease.

A health team from Kathmandu that reached the district on Thursday, meanwhile, started collecting sample from the patients suffering from viral fever. One of the team members said that more will be learned about the disease once the lab test for the samples are out.

The symptoms of the disease are common to that of viral fever with headache, high fever and lost of appetite among others.

Patients are likely to suffer from pneumonia if the disease is not intervened immediately, said health officials.
:tiphat:http://www.ekantipur.com/news/news-detail.php?news_id=301575
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[Treyfish]

Re: Nepal - 5,000 ill; 5 dead of unknown viral fever

Re: Nepal - 5,000 ill; 5 dead of unknown viral fever

<TABLE class=contentpaneopen_archive><TBODY><TR><TD class=contentheading_archive width="100%">Five killed, more than 5000 suffering from 'viral fever' in Chitwan </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=contentpaneopen_archive><TBODY><TR><TD class=createdate vAlign=top>Thursday, 15 October 2009 10:44 </TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD width="95%">

• http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/#

</TD><TD width="5%"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Five persons have been killed and at least 5000 have fallen ill due to a disease that is similar to viral fever in Chitwan in the past one month, Nagarik daily reported. Although, doctors had initially suspected the disease to be viral fever and used medication for the same, the symptoms shown by the patients is quite different to most cases of viral fever, they say.
Patients have shown symptoms like body ache, high fever, vomiting, reduction of WBC in blood, and swelling of chest and gall bladder. The disease was mostly seen in women at the age group of 18 to 35.
Hundreds of patients had thronged Chitwan hospitals everyday during Dashain due to this disease. Patients were kept on hospital floors for treatment due to lack of space. Even some doctors of CMC involved in the treatment have suffered from the disease.
Two patients undergoing treatment at Chitwan Medical College, two undergoing treatment in Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, and one undergoing treatment in Nawalparasi have already died.
According to Dr Shital Adhikari of Chitwan Medical College, the number of new patients has decreased lately, but the threat still persists as the disease has not been identified.
Epidemiology and Disease Control Division has collected samples from the patients and sent them abroad for further tests as tests conducted here could not establish the reason of the illness.
One person in Bir Hospital, two in TUTH, one in Om Hospital and one in Janamaitri hospital are undergoing treatment in critical condition.:tiphat:http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index...0-suffering-from-viral-fever-in-chitwan-.html


</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[alert]

Re: Nepal - 5,000 ill; 5 dead of unknown viral fever

Re: Nepal - 5,000 ill; 5 dead of unknown viral fever

Viral pneumonia. Sounds like H1N1 (fatality rate not nearly high enough to consider H5N1 or SARS). But I thought Nepal could diagnose H1N1. Dengue is also possible, but again, I thought Nepal could diagnose that.

Also note that this has been ongoing for three months (since August).

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=10807

Chitwan fever is viral
REPUBLICA

CHITWAN, Oct 15: After preliminary investigations in Bharatpur showed that the cause of high fever in Chitwan is virus and not bacteria, blood samples will now be sent to Bangkok, Thailand, for further tests.

“We have tested 32 out of the 72 collected blood samples and have not found any trace of bacteria in them. We will now send them to Bangkok for further investigation,” said Jidchani Rana, coordinator at Bharatpur unit of international laboratory Varun.

The viral fever that first appeared at the start of August in Chitwan, and subsequent pneumonia, has so far claimed three lives. Records at Bharatpur Hospital show over 160 patients came for treatment in till Wednesday.


Published on 2009-10-15 19:07:55

 

[alert]

Re: Nepal - 5,000 ill; 5 dead of unknown viral fever

Re: Nepal - 5,000 ill; 5 dead of unknown viral fever

H1N1 confirmed!!!!!!!!

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=10815

Swine flu appears among masses
PREM DHAKAL

KATHMANDU, Oct 15: H1N1 Influenza--otherwise known as swine flu--has now appeared among the masses, the Health Ministry said organizing a press conference Thursday.

"While the previous confirmed 36 cases had travel or contact history, we have now found the virus in persons who have no history of travel and have not come into contact with a confirmed patient," Deputy Coordinator of the Avian Influenza Control Project Dr Jitendra Man Shrestha said.

Dr Shrestha said that random tests done on 46 common flu patients at Patan, Bir, Teaching and Kanti hospitals in the Valley showed that three of them had the virus. The trio has no travel or contact history with swine flu.

Similarly two more in the Valley including a foreigner, have been confirmed infected by the virus. Likewise, three out of six patients currently being treated for viral fever in Chitwan have also tested positive.

The strange viral fever, that has affected hundreds in Chitwan since August, has also claimed three lives. "We will try to trace the relatives of the three deceased and find out if they had shown symptoms of swine flu," Director of the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division Dr Garib Das Thakur said. Dr Thakur also said that additional samples will be brought from Chitwan on Friday.

Speaking at the conference, Health Secretary Dr Sudha Sharma said that the strategy of the government now has to be changed. "We will now focus in treatment and tracing of patients instead of scanning them at border checkpoints and airport," Sharma said. The health officials mobilized there will now be used in treatment.

Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Dr Margaret Chan on September 7 during her Nepal visit for a regional WHO conference advised the Nepal government to stop screening passengers for the virus saying it is very hard to detect the virus and most infected persons don?t even show the symptoms. Instead use the manpower for other diseases, she had said.

What Next?

The ministry has urged people to follow the preventive measures it had previously advised. It has also advised patients with basic flu symptoms to not panic and seek medical consultation only if they have difficulty in breathing and sore throat or if they also have difficulty in drinking and are pregnant.

The Minisry said that stock of tamiflu sufficient for treatment of 36,000 patients is available in Kathmandu while major hospitals outside the Valley also have enough stock to treat 200 patients each.

"Only the high risk groups like pregnant women, children, patients with other health conditions like respiratory disease, immunosuppression and diabetes will be given tamiflu," DR Shrestha said.

Secretary Dr Sharma said that the government will now discuss with private hospitals how they can help in controlling the disease. Dr Sharma also informed that WHO has agreed to provide vaccines for medics involved in the treatment process in the first stage in what is a major boost for health officials who may themselves have inherent fears about the disease.


Preventive Measures advised by the health ministry

Cover mouth and nose with handkerchiefs while coughing and sneezing
Reuse the materials used in covering mouth and nose only after properly washing and cleaning them
Wash hands properly with soap after coughing and sneezing
Refrain from taking hands unnecessarily to mouth, nose and eyes
Refrain from shaking hands as greetings and do namaste instead
Don?t travel unnecessarily and visit crowded places

Symptoms

Fever, which is usually high, but unlike seasonal flu, may sometimes be absent
Cough, runny nose or stuffy nose, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills
Fatigue or tiredness
Diarrhea and vomiting, sometimes, but more commonly seen than with seasonal flu
Difficulty in respiration and pneumonia in serious cases

High Risk Groups

Pregnant women
People with chronic medical problems, such as chronic lung disease, like asthma, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and immunosuppression
Children and adults with obesity
premdhakal@myrepublica.com

 

[alert]

Re: Nepal - 5,000 ill; 5 dead of unknown viral fever

Re: Nepal - 5,000 ill; 5 dead of unknown viral fever

The title of this thread will likely be changed soon (and the thread might be moved). I think the delay in diagnosing this outbreak was likely due to a poor case definition - H1N1 was not suspected because the patients had no history of travel. But H1N1 is essentially everywhere.

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index...4-eight-more-cases-of-swine-flu-detected.html

Eight more cases of swine flu detected
Thursday, 15 October 2009 19:39
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Eight more cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 (A) known as swine flu have been detected in Nepal, the Health Ministry said Thursday.

Ministry officials told journalists at a press conference organised in the capital that the flu has been detected in eight persons undergoing treatment in Kathmandu. Five of them are residents of Kathmandu, while three are from Chitwan.

The samples were collected from patients undergoing treatment for flu in Bir Hospital, Patan Hospital, and Kanti Children’s Hospital.

This is the first time swine flu has been seen within the community.

Although, 36 swine flu cases were detected earlier, all of them were found in persons returning from foreign country and all of them have recovered fully.

Health Ministry secretary Dr Sudha Sharma said the government would introduce special wareness programmes to check the flu from further spreading to the community. nepalnews.com

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Nepal - 5,000 ill; 5 dead of Swine Flu

Source: http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fu...+fever+triggers+swine+flu+panic+&NewsID=39977

High fever triggers swine flu panic

Last Updated : 2009-10-16 2:06 PM

Chintamani Poudel

CHITWAN: The town is in the grip of swine flu alarm. People are living in constant fear after six patients suffering from high fever tested positive for Influenza A (H1N1).
Take the case of Janak Aryal, who passed out all of a sudden due to high fever. He underwent treatment in a hospital for five days.
While, journalist Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya could not bring out his daily publication for six days due to intermittent bouts of temperature.
A visit to the local hospitals gives the sense of panic. They are overflowing with patients suffering from common cold and fever,
As fear reached a feverish pitch, a team of experts from Epidemiology, Disease Control Division and World Health Organisation (WHO) arrived here today to take stock of the situation.
The Disease Control Division had collected blood samples of six patients between October 7 and 11. The tests, conducted in the Central Laboratory, were made public yesterday.
The visiting team met with patients who have been discharged from hospital and also those who tested positive for swine flu.
“Nine more blood samples were collected today. We also met the patients, whose samples were collected,” said Dr Bishwo Raj Khanal, chief, Disease Control Division.
Dr Alex and Nirmal Kandel - both work for the WHO - are the other members of team.
Of the nine samples, two were collected from the PLA's Third Division at Shaktikhor.
The team also met chiefs of hospitals and doctors in the district, and urged them to adopt a uniform pattern as far as the treatment is concerned,
“Samples are being collected to ascertain the exact cause behind the outbreak of high fever,” said Dr Khanal.
So far, the nation is yet to record a single case of death caused by swine flu. Sudha
Though two patients died in the district recently, they were suffering from pneumonia.
The authorities have carried out surveys in several hospitals across the district.

 

[alert]

Re: Nepal - 5,000 ill; 5 dead of Swine Flu

Something to note here about lab capacities: There have been about 5,000 illnesses, but only about 15 samples were taken, and only 6 positives have been confirmed. As all the cases are epidemiologically linked, they are all presumed H1N1, but Nepal will have great difficulty confirming very many cases.

 

[alert]

Re: Nepal - 5,000 ill; 5 dead of Swine Flu

An editorial in response to the fact that Pandemic H1N1 is now widespread in Nepal.

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=10850

Swine flu menace

H1N1 Influenza, more commonly known as swine flu, has appeared among the masses. This confirmation came after random tests of 46 common flu patients at Patan, Bir, Teaching and Kanti hospitals found that three of the patients were inflected with the virus. Similarly, three of the six patients currently undergoing treatment for viral fever in Chitwan are also known to have tested positive. The fact that none of these individuals have a history of travel abroad or of contact with a confirmed patient prompted the health officials to declare that swine flu has appeared among the masses. All the 36 previously confirmed cases had travel or contact history.

The first suggestion to our readers: Don?t panic. Virulence and mortality rate of swine flu is just about one percent, less than that of common flu. We all should instead focus on preventive measures such as covering mouth and nose with handkerchief while coughing and sneezing, washing hands properly with soap after coughing and sneezing, refraining from taking hands unnecessarily to mouth, nose and eyes and avoiding unnecessary travel and crowded places. We should also watch out for early symptoms: High fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue or tiredness, diarrhea, vomiting , difficulty in respiration and pneumonia in serious cases.

The health establishment should now focus on tracking patients and treating them instead of engaging in futile attempts of screening passengers at the entry points at the borders. They should have heeded the call by Dr Margaret Chan, Director General of the World Health Organization, who had earlier advised the Nepali officials not to waste scarce human sources in the screening process. Such screening processes are generally deemed ineffective since only about 33 percent of the infected patients show symptoms of the virus. We also urge the health officials to pay special attention to the vulnerable groups: Children, pregnant women and patients with other health conditions like respiratory disease, immunosuppression and diabetics.

All said, the most effective weapon in addressing the menace of swine fly is wide-reaching sensitization campaigns that informs and educates the masses about the need to adhere to a few basic health rules such as washing hands with soap. A study carried out by Equity in Health Sector in 2006 had found that only 12 percent people in Nepal wash hands thrice a day using soap. We must ensure that everyone follows such elementary health practises so that diseases like swine flu can be kept at bay

 

[alert]

Re: Nepal - 5,000 ill; 5 dead of Swine Flu

And a bizarre ProMed post that suspects that some of the mystery diseases in Nepal lately were actually H1N1. I'm sure some of them were, but many of them sounded more like cholera or dysentery (H1N1 probably won't cause 10-12 deaths in a small village), both of which were lab confirmed elsewhere in Nepal in the past few months. And some of them occurred before the outbreak of H1N1. In particular, the two outbreaks mentioned in red are likely not H1N1, as the first occurred before the pandemic, and the second was likely diarrheal (and had too high a CFR).

Remember though, we cannot trust the symptomatic descriptions out of Nepal.

http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f..._BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,79649

Archive Number 20091016.3563
Published Date 16-OCT-2009
Subject PRO/AH/EDR> Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (70): Nepal


INFLUENZA PANDEMIC (H1N1) 2009 (70): NEPAL
******************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Date: Thu 15 Oct 2009
Source: Republica [edited]
<http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=10815>


Swine flu appears among masses
------------------------------
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus infection -- otherwise known as swine
flu -- has now appeared among the masses, the Health Ministry said at a
press conference Thursday [15 Oct 2009]. "While the previous confirmed 36
cases had travel or contact history, we have now found the virus in persons
who have no history of travel and have not come into contact with a
confirmed patient," deputy coordinator of the Avian Influenza Control
Project Dr Jitendra Man Shrestha said.

Dr Shrestha said that random tests done on 46 common flu patients at Patan,
Bir, Teaching, and Kanti hospitals in the Valley showed that 3 of them had
the [pandemic 2009] virus. The trio had no travel or contact history with
swine flu. Similarly 2 more in the Valley, including a foreigner, have been
confirmed infected by the virus. Likewise, 3 out of 6 patients currently
being treated for viral fever in Chitwan have also tested positive.

A strange viral fever [one of several reported recently in ProMED-mail],
that has affected hundreds in Chitwan since August [2009], has also claimed
3 lives. "We will try to trace the relatives of the 3 deceased and find out
if they had shown symptoms of swine flu [pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus
infection]," director of the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division Dr
Garib Das Thakur said. Dr Thakur also said that additional samples will be
brought from Chitwan on Friday [16 Oct 2009].

Speaking at the press conference, health secretary Dr Sudha Sharma said
that the strategy of the government now has to be changed. "We will now
focus on treatment and tracing of patients instead of scanning them at
border checkpoints and the airport," Sharma said. The health officials
mobilized there will now be used in treatment.

Director general of the World Health Organization (WHO) Dr Margaret Chan on
7 Sep 2009 during her Nepal visit for a regional WHO conference advised the
Nepal government to stop screening passengers for the virus saying it is
very hard to detect the virus and most infected persons don't even show the
symptoms. Instead use the manpower for other diseases, she had said.

The ministry has urged people to follow the preventive measures it had
previously advised. It has also advised patients with basic flu symptoms
not to panic and to seek medical consultation only if they have difficulty
in breathing and sore throat, or if they also have difficulty in drinking
and are pregnant.

The Ministry said that a stock of Tamiflu [oseltamivir] sufficient for
treatment of 36 000 patients is available in Kathmandu while major
hospitals outside the Valley also have enough Tamiflu to treat 200 patients
each. "Only the high risk groups like pregnant women, children, patients
with other health conditions like respiratory disease, immunosuppression
and diabetes will be given Tamiflu," Dr Shrestha said.

Secretary Dr Sharma said that the government will now discuss with private
hospitals how they can help in controlling the disease. Dr Sharma also
stated that WHO has agreed to provide vaccines for medics involved in the
treatment process in the 1st stage in what is a major boost for health
officials who may themselves have inherent fears about the disease.

Preventive measures advised by the health ministry:
-- cover mouth and nose with handkerchiefs while coughing or sneezing
-- reuse the materials used in covering mouth and nose only after properly
washing and cleaning them
-- wash hands properly with soap after coughing or sneezing
-- refrain from taking hands unnecessarily to mouth, nose and eyes
-- refrain from shaking hands as greetings and do namaste instead [Namaste
is a traditional Indian greeting or gesture of respect, made by bringing
the palms together before the face or chest and bowing - Mod.CP.]
-- don't travel or visit crowded places unnecessarily

Symptoms:
-- fever, which is usually high, but unlike seasonal flu, may sometimes be
absent
-- cough, runny nose or stuffy nose, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills
-- fatigue or tiredness
-- diarrhea and vomiting, sometimes, but more commonly seen than with
seasonal flu
-- difficulty in respiration and pneumonia in serious cases

High risk groups:
-- pregnant women
-- people with chronic medical problems, such as chronic lung disease, like
asthma, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or immunosuppression
-- children and adults with obesity

[byline: Prem Dhakal]

--
communicated by:
ProMed-mail rapporteur Mary Marshall

[An interesting account of the appearance of the influenza pandemic (H1N1)
2009 virus in Nepal, in contrast to several recent unresolved outbreaks of
disease in Nepal: such as Undiagnosed deaths - Nepal: (DP) RFI
20090318.1093, and Undiagnosed deaths - Nepal: (Sindhupalchowk) RFI
20080727.2299.

The interactive HealthMap/ProMED map of Nepal can be accessed at
<http://healthmap.org/r/007i>. - Mod.CP]

[see also:
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (69): case management 20091013.353
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (68): Viet Nam, virus clearance 20091011.3519
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (67): vaccine delivery 20091011.3515
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (66): case counts 20091010.3510
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (65): update 20091009.3495
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (64): Canada, vaccination update 20091005.3457
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (63): USA military vaccine 20091002.3437
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (62): Taiwan hosp cases 20091001.3421
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (61): FLAARDS 20091001.3419
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (60): bacterial coinfection 20090930.3410
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (50): oseltamivir-resistance 20090917.3260
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (40): global update 20090906.3138
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (30): assumptions 20090813.2879
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (20): Peru, 33 percent asymptomatic
20090730.2668
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (10): vaccine 20090720.2577
Influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - Viet Nam: patient data 20090708.2450]

..................cp/ejp/sh

 

[Treyfish]

Re: Nepal - 5,000 ill; 5 dead of Swine Flu

H1N1 hoax in Chitwan

Last Updated : 2009-10-17 12:36 PM

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<!-- <div id="imgOrVidHolder"> -->Himalayan News Service

KATHMANDU: Epidemiology ad Disease Control Division (EDCD) under the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) has claimed that only a few cases of viral fever that broke out in Chitwan were found to be H1N1 (swine flu). Dr Vishwo Raj Khanal, epidemiologist at the EDCD said that three cases of the pandemic H1N1 were confirmed from the samples collected.
Dr Khanal informed that EDCD had already mobilised an investigation team from the centre. ?Samples are being collected to ascertain the exact cause behind the outbreak of high fever in the area,? said Dr Khanal
Talking to The Himalayan Times, he further said that they have recorded increasing number of patients of viral fever. ?We have asked the health personnel to be alert,? Khanal said. EDCD made public the laboratory reports of six blood samples of six patients collected in between October 7-11, on Thursday. Meanwhile, the investigation team has also recorded symptoms of malaria in some cases. However, the team confirmed that the outbreak was not that widely spread in the area.
So far, Nepal has recorded a single death caused by the pandemic H1N1.:tiphat:http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=H1N1+hoax+in+Chitwan&NewsID=40209

 

[Roehl_JC]

Re: Nepal - 5,000 ill; 5 dead of Swine Flu

wow Trey, this sounds like there's H1N1 and some other virus at work in Nepal. I hope they determine the other pathogen soon. Thanks so much for your hard work/ research.

 

[alert]

Re: Nepal - 5,000 ill; 5 dead of Swine Flu

We'll see what they find. There is probably some malaria in there (malaria exists just about worldwide), but my suspicion is that upwards of 90% of this (and all the viral pneumonia) is Pandemic H1N1.

My guess is that they might try to pull an "anything but Pandemic H1N1" approach and call it malaria or something else to avoid panic.

 

[Roehl_JC]

Re: Nepal - 5,000 ill; 5 dead of Swine Flu

Saturday, 17 October 2009

47 Confirmed With A/h1n1 Flu In Nepal


Dispite the government claim that all-out efforts are being made to contain the A/H1N1 flu in Nepal, the virus seems to be spreading rapidly across the country, according to Saturday's The Kathmandu Post, Xinhua reported.
Earlier, there were 44 confirmed cases of A/H1N1 flu, all of whom had either travelled abroad or contacted with foreigners.
"But now three cases have been confirmed, and the patients had neither a history of travel nor contact with confirmed patients," said Dr. Jitendra Man Shrestha, Deputy Coordinator at Avian Influenza Control Project, under the Ministry of Health.
The ministry has directed all major hospitals in the country to treat the flu patients.

http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/91575/-47-confirmed-with-a-h1n1-flu-in-nepal-.html

comment:
sounds like 47 confirmed cases now of H1N1 in Nepal, but your guess is as good as mine as to whether or not those other 44 are really confirmed or not, and as to whether or not there's other pathogens in the region.

 

[alert]

Re: Nepal - 5,000 ill; 5 dead of Swine Flu

http://www.ekantipur.com/tkp/news/news-detail.php?news_id=1202

Too little being done
DEV KUMAR SUNUWAR
KATHMANDU, OCT 21 - Despite precautionary measures, swine flu is spreading with a new strength in the community. As of Oct. 20, the number of confirmed infections has reached 44, which is likely to further shoot up, say officials.

Warning that the virus has more teeth, health officials have asked the government to call on the international community for help and make extra effort to curb the virus. They have observed that the existing measures are not enough.

?The virus has now spread in the community and the possibility of it mutating and spreading is also high,? said Dr. Bhola Rijal, Chief at Om Hospital and Research Centre. Criticising the government?s lack of seriousness, Dr. Rijal asks. ?Where is the sense of urgency? Didn?t the government itself declare that the virus has spread??

Dr. Rijal said the government must call on the private sector as well as international agencies to work towards raising awareness and expanding diagnostic and treatment services.

According to Dr. Rijal, the virus has cross-border implications, thus all international agencies should combine efforts to contain the pandemic. ?Until now, the government has confirmed 44 cases, but it won?t be surprising if the same number becomes the death toll,? said he.

On Thursday, the Ministry of Health (MoH) confirmed eight more cases during random tests conducted among common flu patients at the major public hospitals in Kathmandu and Chitwan. Blood samples were collected from patients in Bir Hospital, Kanti Hospital, Patan, Bharatpur, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital and Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease, Hospital in Teku.

?After finding that the virus has started spreading in the communities, we stopped screening at the international borders, including at Tribhuvan International Airport because it is almost impossible to contain the virus through screening,? said Dr. Jitendra Man Shrestha, Deputy Coordinator of Avian Influenza Control Project, under the MoH. Dr. Shretha said that the government has not been able to launch mass awareness campaigns effectively.

Of the confirmed 44 cases, eight of the patients had neither a history of travel abroad nor had come in contact with virus-confirmed patients, Dr. Shrestha said.

What is even more harrowing is that the government has a stock of only 36,000 Tamiflu, which officials say will be too little if the virus becomes pandemic. The government has no vaccine till date in its store, though it claims that its first lot

will arrive in Kathmandu by November