Alertan de que la situación es 'muy seria' en Argentina por la gripe AAlertan de que la situación es 'muy seria' en Argentina por la gripe A | Mundo | elmundo.es
| Efe * Según cifras oficiales, 23 personas han muerto y hay 1.391 contagiados * Algunos expertos adiverten que los informes oficiales no reflejan la realidad * La ola de frío que afecta al sur y el centro del país puede agravar la situación
Ramy Wurgaft | Agencias | Buenos Aires
Actualizado jueves 25/06/2009 21:28 horasLa de ayer fue una jornada negra para Graciela Ocaña. No había transcurrido media hora desde que le avisaron que una mujer embarazada había muerto a causa del virus de la gripe A, cuando la ministra de Sanidad se enteró que otra joven, también grávida, había fallecido de la misma enfermedad.
Los médicos lograron salvar al bebé de una de las víctimas, le dijo un asesor a Ocaña, como para consolarla. Pero fue inútil, porque ya suman 23 las muertes ocasionadas por la epidemia en Argentina.
La ola de frío agravará la situación
Según el último parte oficial, 1.391 personas han contraído la enfermedad y un número aún mayor se expone al contagio por la ola de frío que recorre el sur y el centro del país. Algunos expertos han advertido de que los informes oficiales no reflejan la realidad tal y como se vive en algunos hospitales, donde los enfermos han tenido que ser ubicados en los pasillos.
Varias organizaciones del sector sanitario alertaron este jueves de que la situación en Argentina es "muy seria" ante el avance de la gripe A y aseguran que el número de personas infectadas es "sustancialmente mayor" a la cifra oficial.
Los hospitales están "al borde del colapso" y el sistema sanitario "está desbordado en el conurbano de Buenos Aires, en la ciudad de Mar del Plata y en grandes centros urbanos del país, como Rosario, la enfermedad viene creciendo mucho", según el presidente de la Federación Sindical de Profesionales de la Salud de Argentina, Jorge Yabkowski.
El director de la Fundación Red Solidaria, Juan Carr, aseguró a su vez que la situación es "muy seria", por lo que volvió a insistir en la necesidad de evitar las reuniones multitudinarias para reducir el riesgo de contagio con el virus AH1N1.
Eduardo López, médico del hospital de niños Ricardo Gutiérrez y presidente de la Sociedad Argentina de Infectología Pediátrica, estima que por cada caso que se registra habría al menos uno más que pasa desapercibido. López instó a las autoridades a que tomen medidas como las que se aplicaron en México. "En ese país se impuso un régimen de prevención que al principio parecía exagerado, pero que visto en retrospectiva fue acertadísimo pues contuvo la enfermedad. Aquí también habría que limitar las actividades grupales. Por ejemplo, suprimir los paseos escolares durante las vacaciones de invierno. Esos viajes propagarían la epidemia de una provincia a otra", dijo López.
Reunión de emergencia en Sanidad
Al tenor de estas advertencias, el Ministerio de Sanidad convocó para este jueves una reunión de emergencia para decidir si decreta la emergencia sanitaria en Buenos Aires y alrededores. Sin embargo, una fuente de ese ministerio informó que las medidas de excepción sólo se aplicarían después de las elecciones legislativas. Léase, a partir del lunes 29 de junio.
Para los directivos de la Federación Sindical de Profesionales de la Salud (FSPS), un aplazamiento de ese orden significaría poner en riesgo la vida de incontables ciudadanos. "Éste no es un virus benigno, como se pensaba inicialmente. Nadie pretende sembrar el pánico, pero tampoco debemos tomar las cosas a la ligera", dijo Alejandro Kapeliuk, un médico afiliado a FSPS.
En vista de que las autoridades nacionales titubean, los directivos de ciertos establecimientos decidieron actuar por su cuenta. El hospital militar Campo de Mayo y el Posadas, de los más grandes de la capital, se declararon en "emergencia institucional".
En Chile, donde cerca de 1.500 personas han contraído la gripe A, la presidenta Michelle Bachelet criticó al gobierno brasileño por recomendar a sus ciudadanos que no viajen a los países del cono sur (Argentina y Chile). Bachelet, pediatra de profesión, pidió a sus pares en Sudamérica, seguir las instrucciones de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS), "pero no prevenir contra riesgos que no existen".
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6/25/2009
Argentina. Alertan de que la situación es 'muy seria' en Argentina por la gripe A - elmundo.es
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Canada. Harper 'very concerned' about H1N1 spread
Harper 'very concerned' about H1N1 spreadCTV.ca | Harper 'very concerned' about H1N1 spread
Updated Thu. Jun. 25 2009 12:31 PM ET
CTV.ca News StaffPrime Minister Stephen Harper said Thursday he is "very concerned" about the spread of H1N1, especially among native groups in Manitoba.
The prime minister said the virus continues to confound health experts.
"We really don't know why the H1N1 is more severe among some populations, rather than others," Harper said in Halifax.
He mentioned similar patterns in Mexico where the virus originated, noting that "some populations seemed to be significantly more vulnerable than others."
Harper said he's spoken with his minister of health about the situation, and said the department of health is working with the communities affected to try and address the situation.
Health officials in Manitoba have confirmed almost 460 cases of H1N1, with more than one quarter of those from remote northern communities.
Native leaders are demanding the federal government do more.
"There needs to be an organized plan," said Ron Evans, Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs. "Someone needs to be responsible. Right now, no one wants to accept responsibility for the First Nations."
Manitoba aboriginal leaders declared a state of emergency in their communities because of H1N1.
That allows reserves to redirect funds from other programs to help fight the flu virus.
Some are calling for the army to be sent in.
"We need help," said Chief David Harper of the Garden Hill First Nation, "if Canadian Forces are being sent all over the whole world to help out, why not in our communities?"
"Most of the First Nations that are in Manitoba are not even prepared. They don't even have sanitizers," Chief Harper said.
That issue hit the headlines this week when it was revealed Health Canada hesitated in sending hand sanitizers to flu-stricken reserves because they contained alcohol.
Nationally, the death toll from swine flu rose to 21. A 68 year old man from Durham Region, east of Toronto, died after testing positive for the H1N1 flu virus.
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Argentina Pig Tests Positive For H1N1 Flu
Argentina Pig Tests Positive For H1N1 Flu - GovernmentArgentina Pig Tests Positive For H1N1 Flu - Government - EasyBourse actualité
Thursday June 25th, 2009 / 18h27
BUENOS AIRES -(Dow Jones)A pig in Argentina has tested positive for the H1N1 flu, or swine flu, the director of the animal health and sanitation service Senasa said Thursday.
The animal has recovered but hogs from surrounding areas are being tested for signs of the disease, Jorge Amaya told local news channel C5N.
As no outside animals had been moved into the area recently, Senasa is working on the theory that the pig was made sick through contact with an infected human, Amaya said.
Argentina has been one of the most seriously affected countries in South America by the flu.
The government is considering taking sweeping measures to control the disease. About two dozen deaths have been attributed to the disease, which appears to be spreading rapidly in the midst of the southern hemisphere's winter.
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By Shane Romig, Dow Jones Newswires; 54-11-4103-6738; shane.romig@dowjones.com
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US Swine Flu Cases May Have Hit 1 Million - Yahoo! News
US Swine Flu Cases May Have Hit 1 MillionUS Swine Flu Cases May Have Hit 1 Million - Yahoo! News
By MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer
ATLANTAHealth officials estimate that as many as 1 million Americans now have the new swine flu.
Lyn Finelli, a flu surveillance official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, voiced the estimate at a vaccine advisory meeting Thursday in Atlanta.
The estimate is based on mathematical modeling. Nearly 28,000 U.S. cases have been reported to the CDC, accounting for roughly half the world's cases. The U.S. count includes 3,065 hospitalizations and 127 deaths.
An estimated 15 million to 60 million Americans catch seasonal flu each year.
The percentage of cases hospitalized has been growing, but that may be due to closer scrutiny of very sick patients. It takes about three days from the onset of symptoms to hospitalization, Finelli said, and the average hospital stay has been three days.
Other health problems have been a factor in most cases: About one in three of the hospitalized cases had asthma, 16 percent diabetes, 12 percent have immune system problems and 11 percent chronic heart disease.
The numbers again highlight how the young seem to be particularly at risk of catching the new virus. But data also show that the flu has been more dangerous to adults who catch it.
The average age of swine flu patients is 12, the average age for hospitalized patients is 20, and for people who died, it was 37.
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Emerg Infect Dis. Strategy to Enhance Influenza Surveillance Worldwide (Abstract, 2009, Aug, Epub ahead of print)
DOI: 10.3201/eid1508.081422
Suggested citation for this article: Ortiz JR, Sotomayor V, Uez OC, Oliva O, Bettels D, McCarron M, et al. Strategy to enhance influenza surveillance worldwide. Emerg Infect Dis. 2009 Aug; [Epub ahead of print]
Strategy to Enhance Influenza Surveillance Worldwide(1)
[Full Document: LINK. EDITED.]
Justin R. Ortiz, Viviana Sotomayor, Osvaldo C. Uez, Otavio Oliva, Deborah Bettels, Margaret McCarron, Joseph S. Bresee, and Anthony W. Mounts
Author affiliations:
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA (J.R. Ortiz); Ministerio de Salud, Santiago, Chile (V. Sotomayor); Instituto Nacional de Epidemiología, Mar del Plata, Argentina (O.C. Uez); Pan American Health Organization, Washington, DC, USA (O. Oliva); and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA (D. Bettels, M. McCarron, J.S. Bresee, A.W. Mounts)
(1) A prior version of this protocol was presented in poster form at the Options for the Control of Influenza Conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, June 17, 2007.
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Influenza A(H1N1)v infection - Update 25 June 2009, 17:00 hours CEST (ECDC, edited)
ECDC SITUATION REPORT
Influenza A(H1N1)v infection - Update 25 June 2009, 17:00 hours CEST
[Original Document: LINK. EDITED.]
Main developments in past 24 hours
- 101 new cases were reported in EU and EFTA countries;
- 2948 new cases were reported from non-EU and EFTA countries;
- Two countries worldwide have today reported their first cases: Iran and Iraq;
- The total of fatal cases worldwide is 258;
- Nine new fatal cases have been reported by Canada (4), Mexico (1) Honduras (1) and Chile (3) since yesterday.
This report is based on official information provided by the national public health websites, or through other official communication channels. An update on the number of confirmed cases as of 25 June, 17:00 hours CEST, is presented in Table 1 and Table 2.
Disclaimer: the number of confirmed cases reported is based on laboratory test results, except for the US. Depending on the national laboratory testing policies, the actual number of cases by country may therefore be higher.
Epidemiological update
The number of EU and EFTA countries reporting cases is today 28 out of 31.
In the past 24 hours, 101 cases were confirmed in 11 EU and EFTA countries, with France as main reporting country with 41 new cases (Table 1).
The cumulative number of cases in the EU and EFTA countries is now 4947, including one death.
Outside of the EU and EFTA countries, a total of 54 232 cases, including 257 deaths, have been reported, representing an increase of 2947 from yesterday (Table 2).
Two countries have reported their first case of Influenza A(H1N1)v cases today: these are Iran (1) and Iraq (7).
Corrigenda
The situation report of yesterday 24 June contained inconsistencies in the count of cases reported in the summary box above which was inadvertently not updated with the daily counts. The figures in the Table 1 and 2 were correct.
Table 1: Reported new confirmed cases and cumulative number of influenza A(H1N1)v as of 25 June 2009, 17:00 hours (CEST) in the EU and EFTA countries
[Country - Confirmed cases reported in the last 24h* - Cumulative number of confirmed cases - Deaths among confirmed cases**]
- Austria ... - 12 - ...
- Belgium ... - 35 - ...
- Bulgaria 5 - 7 - ...
- Cyprus ... - 6 - ...
- Czech Republic 2 - 9 - ...
- Denmark 3 - 37 - ...
- Estonia 3 - 8 - ...
- Finland ... - 26 - ...
- France 41 - 191 - ...
- Germany 31 - 333 - ...
- Greece ... - 66 - ...
- Hungary ... - 8 - ...
- Iceland ... - 4 - ...
- Ireland 3 - 26 - ...
- Italy 6 - 102 - ...
- Latvia ... - 1
- Luxembourg ... - 3 - ...
- Netherlands ... - 112 - ...
- Norway ... - 23 - ...
- Poland ... - 13 - ...
- Portugal ... - 7 - ...
- Romania ... - 19 - ...
- Slovakia 1 - 7 - ...
- Slovenia ... - 3 - ...
- Spain 2 - 541 - ...
- Sweden 4 - 61 - ...
- Switzerland ... - 33 - ...
- United Kingdom ... - 3254 - 1
- Total 101 - 4947 - 1
- Note: cases reported in the EU and EFTA countries correspond to the EWRS notifications by Member States or Ministry of Health websites.
- (*) Cases reported between 23 June 17:00 hours and 24 June 17:00 hours
- (**) Deaths are included in the cumulative number of confirmed cases
Table 2: Reported cumulative number of confirmed cases and deaths of influenza A(H1N1)v as of 25 June 2009, 17:00 hours (CEST) outside of the EU and EFTA area
[Country - Confirmed cases reported in the last 24h(a) - Cumulative number of confirmed cases - Deaths among confirmed cases*]
- EASTERN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA
- Montenegro ... - 1 - ...
- Russian Federation ... - 3 - ...
- Ukraine ... - 1 - ...
- MEDITERRANEAN AND MIDDLE-EAST
- Algeria ... - 2 - ...
- Bahrain ... - 15 - ...
- Egypt 3 - 43 - ...
- Iran 1 - 1 - ...
- Iraq 7 - 7 - ...
- Israel ... - 375 - ...
- Jordan ... - 15 - ...
- Kuwait ... - 26 - ...
- Lebanon ... - 25 - ...
- Morocco ... - 9 - ...
- Occupied Palestinian Territory 1 - 9 - ...
- Oman ... - 3 - ...
- Qatar ... - 10 - ...
- Saudi Arabia 3 - 48 - ...
- Tunisia ... - 2
- Turkey ... - 26 - ...
- United Arab Emirates ... - 2 - ...
- Yemen 1 - 6 - ...
- AFRICA
- Cape Verde ... - 3 - ...
- Ethiopia ... - 2
- Ivory Coast ... - 2
- South Africa ... - 1 - ...
- NORTH AMERICA
- Canada 275 - 6732 - 19
- Mexico 993 - 8617 - 116
- **USA ... - 21449 - 87
- CENTRAL AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN
- Antigua and Barbuda ... - 2
- Bahamas ... - 4
- Barbados ... - 5 - ...
- Bermuda ... - 2 - ...
- British Virgin Islands ... - 1 - ...
- Cayman Islands ... - 7 - ...
- Costa Rica 32 - 222 - 1
- Cuba 19 - 34 - ...
- Dominica ... - 1 - ...
- Dominican Republic ... - 108 - 2
- El Salvador ... - 160 - ...
- Guatemala ... - 235 - 1
- Honduras 1 - 119 - 1
- Jamaica ... - 19 - ...
- ***Martinique ... - 2 - ...
- ****Netherlands Antilles ... - 4 - ...
- Nicaragua ... - 220 - ...
- Panama ... - 330 - ...
- Suriname ... - 11 - ...
- Trinidad-Tobago ... - 25 - ...
- SOUTH AMERICA
- Argentina ... - 1294 - 17
- Bolivia 3 - 47 - ...
- Brazil 65 - 399 - ...
- Chile 871 - 5186 - 7
- Colombia ... - 73 - 2
- Ecuador ... - 115 - ...
- Paraguay 8 - 66 - ...
- Peru 81 - 299 - ...
- Uruguay ... - 195 - ...
- Venezuela ... - 135 - ...
- NORTH-EAST AND SOUTH ASIA
- Bangladesh ... - 1 - ...
- China 34 - 528 - ...
- Hong Kong SAR 36 - 444 - ...
- India ... - 50 - ...
- Japan 56 - 1000 - ...
- Korea (South) ... - 115 - ...
- Macao 7 - 12 - ...
- Sri Lanka ... - 5 - ...
- Taiwan ... - 61 - ...
- SOUTH-EAST ASIA
- Brunei Darussalam 7 - 11 - ...
- Cambodia ... - 1
- Indonesia ... - 1
- Laos PDR 1 - 3
- Malaysia ... - 68 - ...
- Philippines 282 - 727 - 1
- Singapore ... - 194 - ...
- Thailand ... - 774 - ...
- Vietnam 2 - 58 - ...
- AUSTRALIA AND PACIFIC
- *****Australia 127 - 3000 - 3
- Fiji ... - 2
- ***French Polynesia ... - 1 - ...
- New Zealand 31 - 417 - ...
- Papua New Guinea ... - 1 - ...
- Samoa ... - 1 - ...
- Vanuatu 1 - 2
- TOTAL 2948 - 54232 - 257
- Note: cases reported in non-EU and EFTA countries correspond to cases published on Ministry of Health websites, or through WHO, or through credible media source quoting national authorities. Therefore, some of these cases may be taken out at a later stage if not validated.
- (a) Cases reported between 23 June 17:00 hours and 24 June 17:00 hours
- (*) Deaths are included in the cumulative number of confirmed cases
- (**) Cases in the US include both probable and confirmed cases. They also include confirmed cases from Puerto Rico.
- (***) The cases in Martinique and French Polynesia were reported by France
- (****) Three of the cases are reported to occur in a cruise ship in Curacao.
- (*****) One Australian case reported from a cruise ship.
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WHO chief says H1N1 virus is stable (AlertNet, edited)
WHO chief says H1N1 virus is stableReuters AlertNet - WHO chief says H1N1 virus is stable
25 Jun 2009 16:19:18 GMT
Source: Reuters
MOSCOW, June 25 (Reuters)The World Health Organization said on Thursday that the H1N1 virus was stable and there was no sign of it mixing with avian flu or other influenza viruses.
"The virus is still very stable," WHO Director-General Margaret Chan told reporters at a news briefing in Moscow when asked if there were any signs of the virus mixing with other strains such as avian flu.
"But as we all know the influenza virus is highly unpredictable and has great potential for mutation," she said.
Some health officials have said they are concerned that there is a risk that H1N1, which is commonly referred to as swine flu, could combine with the much deadlier H5N1 bird flu virus.
Chan said the viruses needed to be closely monitored to make sure they were not mutating.
"We would need to look at how they are behaving in southern hemisphere countries to see whether the H1N1 and the usual seasonal influenza virus would reassort. So far we have not detected any signal," she said.
"Another important thing we need to monitor is H1N1 and H5N1, which is endemic in some countries in Asia and the Middle East. We would like to see whether there will be any change," she said.
"Again, we did not detect any signal that there is any reassortment."
(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge, editing by Michael Roddy)
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Argentina. Hay otros 4 muertos por la gripe A: tres en el conurbano y el primero del interior (Clarin, edited)
Hay otros 4 muertos por la gripe A: tres en el conurbano y el primero del interiorHay otros 4 muertos por la gripe A: tres en el conurbano y el primero del interior
08:48 - Un misionero de 36 años se convirtió en el primer fallecido más allá de la Capital y el Gran Buenos Aires.Un remisero de 36 años que residía en la localidad de San Vicente, en Misiones, se convirtió en el primer caso mortal de la Gripe A fuera de Capital y Gran Buenos Aires, donde ayer se sumaron también otras tres muertes -son 21 en total- como consecuencia de la pandemia.
El jefe de Vigilancia Epidemiológica misionero, Jorge Gutiérrez, explicó que el paciente fallecido había sido internado el martes de la semana pasada con un cuadro de neumonía y al día siguiente fue derivado al Hospital Samic de Eldorado, donde su salud siguió deteriorándose. Pero las autoridades sanitarias todavía no pudieron establecer cómo el hombre contrajo la enfermedad. Sus familiares dijeron que no había viajado a la ciudad de Posadas, donde hubo casos positivos, ni a otros lugares donde existe circulación activa del virus; y tampoco tuvo contacto con alguna persona que haya dado positivo para la Gripe A.
La víctima no integraba ningún grupo de riesgo (adultos mayores de 65, menores de cinco años, pacientes con enfermedades crónicas cardíacas, pulmonares, renales, metabólicas o inmunosupresión, embarazo y trasplantados) y por ese motivo nunca recibió medicación para la Influenza A H1N1. "Estamos trabajando con Nación porque no cierran los circuitos en cuanto a la falta de nexo epidemiológico", explicó Gutiérrez.
En Misiones son nueve los casos confirmados de Gripe A, en su mayoría estudiantes de Posadas. La última en sumarse a la lista fue una nena de siete años cuya madre trabaja en el Hospital de Pediatría junto a la médica que a fines de mayo regresó de España portando el virus y contagió a su hija, que se convirtió en el primer caso en Misiones.
Sobre el resto de las muertes confirmadas ayer, el Gobierno no precisó datos. "La edad promedio de los tres es de 18 años. Y son del conurbano", le explicó a Clarín el viceministro Carlos Soratti, quien además no pudo precisar si sufrían alguna otra enfermedad.
En tanto, la Federación Sindical Profesionales de la Salud de la República Argentina (Fesprosa) reclamó ayer al Gobierno que declare la Emergencia Sanitaria en el país debido a que "los servicios públicos de Salud están desbordados" por el aumento de enfermedades respiratorias como la Gripe A, que ya provocó 21 muertos y 1.391 infectados (97 casos nuevos reportados ayer oficialmente) en casi todo el país.
La ministra -que ayer entregó 201 becas a investigadores del país para financiar sus proyectos- no se refirió a ese pedido, pero sí a los "consejos" que el gobierno de Brasil le dio a su población de no viajar a la Argentina o Chile por la gripe. Ocaña la consideró "razonable". "Es una recomendación de salud pública como la que Argentina hizo en su momento sobre viajar a zonas de riesgo como Estados Unidos, Canadá y México", dijo la ministra.
Las declaraciones de Ocaña en Buenos Aires contrastaron con las críticas que la presidenta chilena, Michelle Bachelet, hizo desde Washington, sobre la decisión brasileña. La mandataria chilena juzgó que "ese tipo de respuesta, del susto, del miedo", no es la solución al problema.
INFORME: ERNESTO AZARKEVICH
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WHO Director-General says H1N1 virus is stable - Yahoo! News
WHO Director-General says H1N1 virus is stableWHO Director-General says H1N1 virus is stable - Yahoo! News
Reuters
MOSCOW (Reuters)World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan said on Thursday that the H1N1 virus was stable and there was no sign of it mixing with the avian flu virus.
"The virus is still very stable," she told reporters at a news briefing in Moscow.
(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge, writing by James Kilner, editing by Michael Roddy)
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INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE “STRENGTHENING COOPERATION IN THE EUROPEAN UNION AGAINST INFECTIOUS DISEASES” - WARSAW, 25 JUNE 2009 (ECDC, edited)
ZSUZSANNA JAKAB, DIRECTOR
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE “STRENGTHENING COOPERATION IN THE EUROPEAN UNION AGAINST INFECTIOUS DISEASES” - WARSAW, 25 JUNE 2009
SPEAKING NOTE
[Original Document: LINK. EDITED.]
Strengthening Europe’s defences against influenza and other infectious diseases
Introduction
- Ministers, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, it is a pleasure and an honour to be addressing you here in Warsaw today.
- Twenty years ago Poland led the way in getting rid of the old order in Central Europe. As a Hungarian I am happy to acknowledge – and to celebrate – the important contribution Poland made to restoring democracy in this part of Europe.
- Today, I know that Poland is determined to play an equally important role in improving and protecting public health within the European Union, as we continue to develop the new Europe together.
- Chairman, I see today’s conference as a manifestation of that determination.
- I congratulate the Polish government for the leadership and vision you have shown in organising this event.
- Added value of European cooperation against infectious diseases
- The added value of European countries working together in the fight against infectious diseases is obvious.
- People, food and farm animals circulate freely in the European Union. Sometimes, when they travel across our open borders they take infectious diseases with them.
- A significant disease outbreak in a Member State is therefore usually a matter of interest to its European partners.
- The very first EU cooperation against infectious diseases started already in the 1980’s, when the European Commission funded two WHO networks to collect Europe-wide surveillance data on TB and HIV/AIDS.
- Cooperation developed further in the following decades, with the Commission funding surveillance networks against several more diseases, including influenza.
- By 2005, when ECDC became operational, the Commission was supporting a total of 17 networks, each looking at a different disease or groups of diseases. You can see them on this slide.
- Each network had its own database, its own website and its own way of collecting data.
- One of the things ECDC has been doing since 2005 is tidying up this system. All of the surveillance data is now being reported into a single database at ECDC.
- And ECDC’s website now gives health policy makers a one-stop-shop for data on infectious diseases.
- But it was developments in another of our key areas of work – responding to health threats that precipitated the creation of ECDC.
- In 1998 the European Parliament and Council adopted Decision 2119. This obliges Member States to formally alert each other of significant
- Nonetheless, the SARS outbreak in 2003 inspired EU countries to go one step further, and create a European CDC.
- ECDC – a networked public health institute
- What EU health ministers and the European Parliament agreed to when they passed the law creating ECDC was a new model of health cooperation.
- Though we have a similar name to our US counterpart, the Atlanta based CDC, ECDC operates in a rather different way.
- We are what I would call a networked public health institute.
- ECDC works by pooling the knowledge and resources in the national disease prevention and control institutes across Europe.
- So, for example, rather than building our own laboratories in Stockholm, we network the many excellent laboratories that already exist in the Member States.
- We have an excellent team of epidemiologists and disease experts based at ECDC in Stockholm, but we also draw on the knowledge and expertise of officials in national institutes.
- In 2007 there was a formalisation of this partnership between ECDC and the national public health institutes. Our Management Board approved a list of some 90 Competent Bodies in EU countries to be ECDC’s official interlocutors. We have seven such partners in Poland, including the National Institute of Public Health, the National Institute of Hygiene and the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate.
- Being an ECDC Competent Body brings many advantages for our national partners, but it also creates some work. We get a lot of support from them.
- So although the ECDC is small in comparison to the US CDC, our partnership with the Member States means we can achieve a lot.
- Providing evidence and advice for health policy makers
- What is it, then, that ECDC tries to achieve?
- Put simply, our mandate is to provide health policy makers with the best possible scientific evidence and analyses on which to base their decisions.
- This evidence can take many forms, such as:
- - analysis of the trends in various infectious diseases
- - analysis of the causes of those trends
- - scientific guidance on control or prevention
- - identification of good practice; and
- - alerts on disease outbreaks
- Whatever the disease, our task is to make sure the scientific evidence we provide to policy makers is timely and accurate, and that we have drawn on the best expertise in Europe.
- Once health policy makers in the European Commission or Member States have decided to on a course of action, we can provide further technical support, if needed.
- For example, we can help coordinate multi-country outbreak investigations, if asked to do so.
- We can act as a communication hub from our state of the art Emergency Operations Centre. We can provide intelligence and daily updates to support policy makers in their response to events
- However – and this is of central importance – what we cannot do is to take risk management decisions.
- Public health remains primarily a national responsibility within the EU.
- ECDC can advise Member States on different policy options for preventing or controlling diseases. But we cannot - and do not – dictate what countries should do.
- You will see the importance of this point when I talk about pandemic influenza.
- Of course, in some situations a coordinated EU-wide approach to risk management is desirable. But in these situations, when coordinated measures are under consideration, it is the European Commission – rather than ECDC – that leads the debate.
- ECDC’s role in strengthening Europe’s defences against influenza
- I would like to say a few words about ECDC’s role in strengthening Europe’s defences against influenza.
- This will allow me to give some practical examples of how ECDC operates. It will also enable me to illustrate the real and substantial added value of EU cooperation against infectious diseases.
- ECDC has been working intensively on influenza since 2005, when our institute first became operational.
- You may recall that in the summer and autumn of 2005 H5N1 avian influenza spread from the poultry population of East Asia, to birds in Central Asia and then to Europe.
- A perception developed that the spread of the disease in the bird population could be a precursor to H5N1 “jumping species” and causing a human influenza pandemic. This focused a great deal of media and political attention onto influenza.
- Myself and my colleagues spent a lot of time during the autumn and winter of that year explaining that the immediate threat to public health from H5N1 was low.
- Nonetheless, we also consistently stated that an influenza pandemic was inevitable at some point in the 21st century. We just could not predict when it would happen or which virus would cause it.
- In hindsight, H5N1 served as a useful wake up call.
- Markos Kyprianou, who was then the European Commissioner for Health, asked ECDC to review the national preparedness plans of the EU Member States
- This was a major undertaking for ECDC, the experts in the European Commission and WHO Europe who assisted us, and for the Member States themselves. It has, however, proved to be a wise investment.
- Each of the reviews was undertaken jointly with the Member State concerned. Effectively this was a self-assessment by the country, working to a common template.
- The self-assessment process took up to six months with an ECDC-led team of experts, whenever possible including colleagues from the Commission and WHO, spending a week in the country working with those involved in pandemic preparedness.
- A written report would then be produced by ECDC with national officials before being submitted to the Ministry of Health.
- The value of these reviews was that they helped countries think about the practical details of their pandemic preparedness. This process of critical and constructive engagement was at least as important as the written report in helping countries strengthen their preparedness.
- Between the summer of 2005 and the end of 2007 these joint assessment visits took place in 29 European countries: all 27 EU Member States plus Iceland and Norway.
- As I have said, this was a huge investment in terms of the amount of staff time devoted to it. But it has led to the EU being much better prepared for a pandemic now than in 2005.
- Responding to the H1N1 pandemic
- So how has ECDC been responding to the pandemic now that it has actually arrived?
- Since the week beginning Monday 27 April my institute has been producing daily updates on the epidemiological situation in Europe and worldwide.
- This has meant that health policy makers have had timely, authoritative information on how the virus is spreading in Europe, and around the world. I know that this has been appreciated by policy makers, as well as colleagues in public health institutes.
- ECDC has been in daily contact with influenza experts and frontline disease control professionals in Europe, WHO and around the world. This has meant that we can rapidly inform colleagues in national public health authorities about any major scientific development.
- ECDC is also producing many scientific and technical documents to support the public health response to the new H1N1 virus. These include:
- - documents to support a common EU reporting system for cases of the disease; and
- - an updated menu of measures that can be used to prevent or delay the spread of the virus and to reduce the impact. This menu includes an analysis of the measures costs and their likely effectiveness;
- ECDC’s guidance is based on existing scientific evidence. For some measures, such as regular hand washing, this evidence is strong and uncontroversial.
- In other areas there is clearly scope for debate and differing judgements. There are tough policy decisions that need to be made about how far to disrupt people’s daily lives in the name of disease control.
- Decisions on what type of preventive care, and what type of medical treatment, countries offer have major financial implications. I know this from my time as State Secretary at the Ministry of Health in Hungary.
- More than this, the politics of who receives the vaccine – and who does not – could be very delicate. At a later stage in the pandemic, it is likely that Europe and the world will have a limited supply of vaccine against the new H1N1 influenza virus.
- Contrary to some media reports, this is more likely to be early next year rather than this autumn. But whenever it happens, balancing competing claims on the vaccine within nations and between nations is high politics indeed.
- ECDC will provide scientific advice and technical support on all issues relating to the pandemic. But we will stay out of the high politics.
- I think this is a good point at which to hand over the floor to our panel of distinguished speakers from the Member States and the European Commission
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Hong Kong: DH advises three secondary schools to suspend classes (6/25/09)
The advice was made following the confirmation of four human swine influenza cases in the schools.
The first case involved a 14-year-old girl, a Form Two student of Sacred Heart Canossian College in Pokfulam. She attended school on June 23 and had onset of influenza symptoms on the same day.
The second case involved a 15-year-old girl, a Form Four student of Kit Sam Lam Bing Yim Secondary School in Wang Tau Hom. She had onset of symptoms on June 22.
The third case involved a 15-year-old boy, a Form Two student of SKH Leung Kwai Yee Secondary School in Kwun Tong. He attended school on June 23 and had onset of influenza symptoms on the same day.
The fourth case involved a 15-year-old boy, a Form Four student of SKH Leung Kwai Yee Secondary School. He had onset of influenza symptoms on June 21.
The students will be taken to hospital for treatment. They are now in stable condition. Investigations into the cases are ongoing.
The spokesman called on parents to pay attention to the health condition of their children, and to remind them to observe good personal and environmental hygiene.
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Hong Kong: HA update on Designated Flu Clinics and discharged human swine influenza patients (6/25/09)
Regarding the services of the eight Designated Flu Clinics (DFCs) and the confirmed human swine influenza patients admitted to public hospitals, the Hospital Authority (HA) spokesman provided the following updates today (June 25):
The Designated Flu Clinics today (as at 5pm) provided treatment to a total of 364 patients.
The HA spokesman reminded the public that the eight DFCs have ceased providing general outpatient services.
Patients with other illnesses are advised to seek medical treatment at other general outpatient clinics in the district or private practitioners.
Chronic patients who have been pre-scheduled for follow up at the eight DFCs should proceed to corresponding clinics with drug refill service according to their date of original appointment and bring along their appointment slip and identity card.
There were 62 newly confirmed cases of human swine influenza in the 24 hours to 2.30pm today.
This brings to 506 the total number of confirmed human swine influenza cases in Hong Kong.
Among them, a total of 337 confirmed cases have been discharged from public hospitals upon recovery, the remaining cases in hospitals are stable (none required intensive care and there were no fatal cases).
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Hong Kong: Sixty-two new cases of human swine influenza (6/25/09)
This brings to 506 the total number of human swine influenza cases in Hong Kong.
The new cases involve 44 males and 18 females, aged between one and 58.
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UK. HPA - Update on swine flu cases (June 25, 2009, edited)
Update on swine flu cases - 25 June 2009HPA - Update on swine flu cases288 further patients under investigation in England have today been confirmed through laboratory testing with swine flu. Together with the 53 laboratory confirmed cases in Scotland reported yesterday (June 24 2009) by the Scottish Government, one laboratory confirmed case in Northern Ireland announced yesterday by the Northern Ireland Executive and one laboratory confirmed case in Wales announced earlier today by the National Public Health Service for Wales and the Welsh Assembly Government, this brings the total number of laboratory confirmed UK cases identified since April 2009 to 3,597.
[Region where sample was tested (1) - Laboratory confirmed cases for June 25 2009 - Cumulative laboratory confirmed cases as at June 25 2009]
- East of England 36 - 158
- East Midlands 3 - 49
- London 79 - 760
- North East 3 - 31
- North West 3 - 50
- South East 17 - 272
- South West 24 - 74
- West Midlands 115 - 1358
- Yorkshire & Humber 8 - 78
- TOTAL ENGLAND 288 - 2830 (2)
- Northern Ireland ... - 19
- Scotland ... - 739
- Wales 1 - 9
- TOTAL UK 289 - 3597
Ends
- (1) Current testing arrangements mean that the regional breakdown of figures reflects the regional laboratory where samples are tested which may not always be in the region where the patient lives (as a result there may be some small variations in regional figures as cases are reassigned to their home regions).
- (2) England has also reported a cumulative today of 239 clinically presumed cases.
- NB: A number of clinically presumed cases will ultimately be laboratory confirmed following sample testing, and therefore there may be some duplication within the laboratory confirmed and clinically presumed numbers. It has been agreed in Scotland not to use "clinical diagnosis" as a category for counting cases any more. Hence Scotland will not be producing any data in this category in future.
Notes to editors
General infection control practices and good respiratory hand hygiene can help to reduce transmission of all viruses, including swine flu. This includes:
- Maintaining good basic hygiene, for example washing hands frequently with soap and water to reduce the spread of virus from your hands to face or to other people.
- Cleaning hard surfaces (e.g. door handles) frequently using a normal cleaning product.
- Covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, using a tissue when possible.
- Disposing of dirty tissues promptly and carefully.
- Making sure your children follow this advice.
Further information on swine flu is available on the Health Protection Agency's website at www.hpa.org.uk/swineflu.
Last reviewed: 25 June 2009
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6/25/2009 05:10:00 PM
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Indonesia. Jakarta ::: A family from Lampung suspected to have A/H1N1 flu infection
Main director of RSPI, Sardikin Giriputro, said that the suspects were one family from Lampung. They are Mrs E (48) and her two nephews, T (20) and A (18).
“They were visiting Singapore from 14 to 20 June to see the [...]

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Indonesia. Denpasar, Bali ::: Hospital receives three more H1N1 flu suspected patients
“We got the information according to the private clinics which referred the patients to Sanglah hospital. But, [...]

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Australia. National tally of confirmed cases of H1N1 Influenza 09 - As at 6 pm, 25 June 2009 (Dept. of Health, edited)
Australian Government - Department of Health and Ageing
National tally of confirmed cases of H1N1 Influenza 09 - As at 6 pm, 25 June 2009
[Original Document: LINK. EDITED.]
The information contained in this situation report uses the most accurate currently available data.
Given the rapidly changing nature of the incident, recipients should be aware of the potential for later confirmation or clarification.
Current Australian confirmed cases of, and deaths associated with, H1N1 Influenza 09 (1700 AEST on 25 June 2009)
[Jurisdiction - Confirmed Cases - Deaths]
- Australian Capital Territory - 127 - 0
- New South Wales - 592 - 0
- Northern Territory - 115 - 0
- Queensland - 469 - 0
- South Australia - 224 - 1
- Tasmania - 67 - 0
- Victoria - 1509 - 2
- Western Australia - 177 - 0
- Total - 3280 - 3
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6/25/2009 05:05:00 PM
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India. Update on Influenza A H1N1 as on 25th June 2009 18:59 IST (PIB Press Release, edited)
Update on Influenza A H1N1 as on 25th June 2009 18:59 ISTPIB Press ReleaseWorld Health Organization has reported 55867 laboratory confirmed cases of influenza A/H1N1 infection from 108 countries as on 24th June 2009. There have been 238 deaths. No further update is available.
Health screening of passengers coming from affected countries is continuing in 22 International airports.
45,316 passengers have been screened on 24.6.2009 of which 32,333 passengers were from affected countries.
224 doctors and 112 paramedics are manning 77 counters at these airports.
A cumulative total of 2,377,033 passengers have been screened.
Five new cases have been reported today.
Two are from Gurgaon, one each from Delhi, Pune and Kolkata.
Of the two cases in Gurgaon, one is a 19 year old male who traveled from Minnesota to London, staying there for 10 days and reached Delhi on 21.6.2009. He had fever, cough and nasal catarrh on 22.6.2009.
The second case from Gurgaon is a 10 year old female who traveled from New York to New Delhi on 19.6.2009. She had fever, cough and sore throat on 21.6.2009. Both of them were under home quarantine and being shifted to health facility on testing positive.
The case from Delhi is a six year old female child who traveled from Miami, USA transiting Frankfurt reaching Delhi on 18.6.2009. Both her parents who traveled with her have already tested positive and undergoing treatment.
The case from Pune is a 29 year old male who traveled from San Francisco transiting Hong Kong and reached Mumbai on 24.6.2009 and further traveled to Pune. He developed fever, chills, rigor, sore throat and headache and reported to identified health facility on the same day.
The case from Kolkata is a seven year old female child who traveled from Melbourne to Kolkata transiting Bangkok reaching Kolkata on 23.6.2009. She was detected at the Airport screening and shifted to identified health facility.
The indigenous positive case [66 year old female] at Delhi, covered in earlier reports, is stable.
588 persons have been tested so far of which 78 are positive for Influenza A H1N1 [Swine].
Of these, six are indigenous cases, who got the infection from the positive cases who traveled from abroad. The rest of the samples have been found negative for the novel virus.
163 out of the 588 persons have been identified through entry screening, twenty one through contact tracing and the rest were self reported.
Of the 78 cases, fifty have been discharged.
Rest of them remain admitted to the identified health facility.
The situation is being monitored.
RCJ/GK
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Thailand's number of A/H1N1 flu patients rises to 1,054 (Xinhua, edited)
Thailand's number of A/H1N1 flu patients rises to 1,054Thailand's number of A/H1N1 flu patients rises to 1,054_English_Xinhua
www.chinaview.cn 2009-06-25 16:15:00
BANGKOK, June 25 (Xinhua)Thailand's Public Health Ministry announced Thursday 69 more patients are confirmed to have caught the A/H1N1 flu virus, bringing the country's total number to 1,054.
Of the total, some 1,037 patients have already recovered, while the remaining 17 are still in hospitals, said Deputy Public Health Minister Manit Nopamornbodi, Thai language news agency INN reported.
Thailand had its first two confirmed patients on May 12, and according to the World Health Organization, Thailand ranked 33rd as the country, which has been hit by the deadly new virus.
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6/25/2009 11:13:00 AM
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Mexico. El virus H1N1 cobra otra víctima; muere una adolescente en Yucatán - La Crónica de Hoy / Jueves 25 de Junio, 2009
El virus H1N1 cobra otra víctima; muere una adolescente en YucatánEl virus H1N1 cobra otra víctima; muere una adolescente en Yucatán - La Crónica de Hoy / Jueves 25 de Junio, 2009
Redacción | Nacional
Jueves 25 de Junio, 2009 | Hora de creación: 03:17| Ultima modificación: 03:17Una menor de 14 años del municipio Tekit, en Yucatán, murió ayer por el virus de la influenza A/H1N1, informó el director del Hospital “Agustín O Horán”, José Rafael Pacheco.
La menor ingresó al nosocomio el 11 de junio con síntomas de influenza, que se complicó con una insuficiencia renal crónica, además de que presentaba un cuadro de desnutrición, informó el funcionario.
Indicó que “la niña respondió bien a los antivirales contra la influenza, pero el problema renal y la desnutrición que presentaba complicaron su situación, que lamentablemente ocasionó su muerte”.
Mientras tanto, a diferencia de Yucatán, el estado en que el rebote de la influenza ha sido más intenso, Guerrero reabrió ayer tres escuelas, de las siete que fueron cerradas debido a que los alumnos detectaron casos de influenza humana, confirmó la Secretaria de Educación de Guerrero (SEG).
En entrevista, el coordinador de Servicios Educativos de la región Acapulco-Coyuca de la SEG, Alfredo Bello Salmerón, confirmó el regreso a las actividades de esos planteles, en común acuerdo con la Dirección Municipal de Salud.
Una de las escuelas que volvieron a clases fue la primaria ubicada en el poblado de Los Órganos, en la zona rural de Acapulco, la cual se había mantenido cerrada desde hace varios días.
Cabe destacar que Acapulco es el único municipio de todo el estado que tiene instituciones educativas de todos los niveles cerradas por casos de influenza A/H1N1.
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Swine Flu Deaths Cause Alarm in Argentina (IHT, edited)
Swine Flu Deaths Cause Alarm in ArgentinaLatin American Herald Tribune - Swine Flu Deaths Cause Alarm in Argentina
BUENOS AIRESThe spread of the AH1N1 flu virus in Argentina, where the illness is blamed for 18 deaths, is causing alarm among the public and problems at hospitals, which on Wednesday led the government to call on the citizenry for calm and advise people to take maximum prevention measures.
The spread of the virus, which has infected at least 1,294 people here according to a government report released on Tuesday, has forced the authorities to set up mobile health posts in Buenos Aires and the surrounding likenamed province.
On Tuesday, the government of Brazil recommended that people over age 60, children younger than 2 and people with a weakened immune system postpone trips to Argentina and Chile, the nations in the region most affected by the virus.
“It’s a health recommendation like the one we made at the proper time so that people avoid traveling to risk zones, like the United States, Canada and Mexico,” said Argentine Health Minister Graciela Ocaña on Wednesday, adding that the Brazilian measure “does not bother” Buenos Aires.
In remarks to Todo Noticias television, she issued a call to the public to remain calm and to strictly follow the recommended preventive measures to limit the spread of the virus.
All but one of the 18 flu fatalities were residents of the Argentine capital or the province of Buenos Aires, where health authorities suspended non-essential surgeries at public hospitals as a preventive measure.
In hospitals in Buenos Aires province on Wednesday there were 111 people receiving treatment for swine flu, of whom 75 were receiving assisted respiration, according to regional Health Minister Claudio Zin.
“Each year, 10 percent of the population contracts seasonal influenza, (and) if to that we add a similar percentage of people who get treatment for the A flu, it’s to be expected that there will exist an excess hospital demand,” he said.
Due to the lack of available personnel to handle the increase in doctor visits by people suffering flu-like symptoms, Zin said that health authorities were analyzing the possibility of rehiring retired physicians as well as mobilizing medical students approaching graduation.
EFE
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6/25/2009 10:22:00 AM
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Argentina. Suman 22 los muertos en Argentina por gripe A/H1N1; cuarentena en empresas brasileñas - La Crónica de Hoy / Jueves 25 de Junio, 2009
Suman 22 los muertos en Argentina por gripe A/H1N1; cuarentena en empresas brasileñasSuman 22 los muertos en Argentina por gripe A/H1N1; cuarentena en empresas brasileñas - La Crónica de Hoy / Jueves 25 de Junio, 2009
Agencias en Buenos Aires y Santiago | Mundo
Jueves 25 de Junio, 2009 | Hora de creación: 01:04| Ultima modificación: 01:04Al cumplirse dos meses desde que se desató la alerta sanitaria por el virus de la gripe A/H1N1 o influenza humana, el Ministerio de Salud de Argentina reportó que el número de personas fallecidas en el país por esta enfermedad llegó a 22, luego de registrarse cuatro nuevas muertes en las últimas horas.
Las autoridades indicaron que del total acumulado de 22 fallecidos, cuatro estaban ubicados en la capital argentina, 16 en la provincia de Buenos Aires y uno en la provincia de Misiones, según detallaron las autoridades.
El deceso en Misiones (noreste) ya había sido informado horas antes por las autoridades provinciales, que precisaron que se trata de un hombre de 36 años que padecía un cuadro previo de neumonía.
Por otra parte, en Brasil, el fabricante de cosméticos Natura y la firma de consultoría Serasa, dos conocidas empresas del gigante sudamericano, decidieron dejar ayer a parte de sus empleados en cuarentena como medida preventiva tras el registro de nuevos casos de la gripe A/H1N1 entre sus trabajadores, informaron fuentes empresariales.
La misma medida ya había sido adoptada el martes por la gigantesca minera Vale, mayor productora mundial de hierro, con un grupo de trabajadores de una de sus sedes en Río de Janeiro.
La firma Serasa, la principal empresa del país de análisis de riesgo de crédito y con sede en Sao Paulo, le concedió permiso especial a los 97 empleados que tuvieron algún tipo de contacto con cinco a los que ya les fue confirmada la enfermedad y que la contrajeron tras un viaje de trabajo a Chile.
En tanto, la presidenta chilena, Michelle Bachelet, rechazó ayer la recomendación del gobierno de Brasil para que los niños y las personas mayores no viajen a Chile y Argentina por el riesgo de contagio de la nueva gripe y dijo que cerrar las fronteras no es la solución.
“Nos parece que ese tipo de respuestas, entendidas desde el susto, desde el miedo, no son la respuesta que quienes trabajamos en salud sabemos que son las necesarias para enfrentar una epidemia de esta naturaleza”, aseguró Bachelet en la sede de la Organización Panamericana de la Salud (OPS) en Washington.
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Australia. Swine flu behind WA's flu spike: expert - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Swine flu behind WA's flu spike: expertSwine flu behind WA's flu spike: expert - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)Western Australia's pathology centre says there has been an increase in the number of flu cases reported because of the rise in the number of tests for swine flu.
Over the past eight weeks in WA, 218 people have been confirmed to have influenza, compared to 129 in the same period last year.
There have also been 110 confirmed cases of swine flu.
David Smith from Pathwest says it is because doctors have been actively sending people for testing if they are possibly carrying swine flu.
"A number of those people have turned out to have seasonal influenza and they might not have been tested in our previous seasons, so it's a mixture of us finding the human swine influenza infections and probably it's just given us a false boost," he said.
Mr Smith says it is hard to predict what will happen during the flu season.
"The virus lives by its own rules, not the ones we choose to make for them," he said.
"I think there likely be a moderate level of activity of normal seasonal strains and then we expect to also have to deal with circulation of the human swine influenza this season."
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Australia. Critically ill woman has swine flu: RPH - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Critically ill woman has swine flu: RPHCritically ill woman has swine flu: RPH - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)A 26-year-old woman is in a critical condition in Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) with swine flu.
A hospital spokeswoman says the woman was already being treated for pre-existing medical conditions when she tested positive to the virus.
She had been transferred from another hospital prior to the diagnosis.
The spokeswoman says it is not known when or how the woman contracted the virus.
Last week, a 26-year-old man from the remote Western Desert community of Kiwirrkurra became the first Australian with swine flu to die.
So far, 177 West Australians have tested positive to the virus.
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6/25/2009 09:46:00 AM
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Chile reports one new death due to A/H1N1 influenza (Xinhua, edited)
Chile reports one new death due to A/H1N1 influenzaChile reports one new death due to A/H1N1 influenza_English_Xinhua
www.chinaview.cn 2009-06-25 05:40:40
SANTIAGO, June 24 (Xinhua)Chilean health authorities reported on Wednesday the death of a 22-year-old male patient due to the A/H1N1 virus, raising the death toll in the country to eight and the infection toll to 5,186.
The patient was identified as Felipe Solis Sanchez and he had a congenital myocardium disease and he was student of the last year at Dentistry in University of La Frontera in Temuco city, 700km south to Santiago.
The Chilean Health Ministry had confirmed on Tuesday 5,186 cases of A/H1N1 flu in the country, 183 of them hospitalized on grave conditions.
According to the ministry, 79.3 percent of the cases have recovered and 17.2 percent continue under medical treatment at their homes.
The most affected ones have been children between 5 and 19 years old, representing 61 percent of the confirmed cases.
Chile has the highest A/H1N1 flu infection rate in South America, and it is also one of the highest in the world.
Editor: Mu Xuequan
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Canada. Surveillance - H1N1 Flu Virus (Human Swine Flu) - Public Health Agency of Canada (June 24, 2009, edited)
Surveillance - H1N1 Flu Virus - Cases of H1N1 Flu Virus in CanadaSurveillance - H1N1 Flu Virus (Human Swine Flu) - Public Health Agency of Canada
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is committed to sharing information about H1N1 flu virus cases with Canadians.
Confirmed cases are posted Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 16:00 EDT.
Laboratory-Confirmed Cases of H1N1 Flu Virus June 24, 2009, 15h00 EDT
As of June 24, 2009, a total of 6,732 laboratory-confirmed cases of H1N1 flu virus have been reported in all provinces and territories in Canada (see Table 1 below).
To date, 423 hospitalizations and nineteen deaths have been reported among laboratory-confirmed cases.
Table 1:Summary of laboratory-confirmed cases of H1N1 flu virus reported to the Public Health Agency of Canada, by the provinces and territories as of June 24, 2009 at 15:00 EDT
[Province / Territory - NEW laboratory-confirmed cases(1) reported as of June 24, 2009 - New deaths reported as of June 24, 2009 - TOTAL laboratory-confirmed cases (including today’s cases) - Total deaths(2)]
- British Columbia 22 - 0 / 243 - 0
- Alberta NR - 0 / 605 - 1
- Saskatchewan 49 - 0 / 626 - 0
- Manitoba 146 - 0 / 517 - 2
- Ontario NR - 4 / 26653 - 7
- Quebec(4) - NR - 0 / 1660 - 9
- New Brunswick 0 - 0 / 4 - 0
- Nova Scotia 13 - 0 / 117 - 0
- Prince Edward Island 0 - 0 / 3 - 0
- Newfoundland 20 - 0 / 27 - 0
- Yukon 0 - 0 / 1 - 0
- Northwest Territories 1 - 0 / 6 - 0
- Nunavut 24 - 0 / 258 - 0
- Total 275 - 4 / 6732 - 19
(...)
- NR : No report
- (1) Note: P/Ts may choose to announce cases that have been confirmed after 15:00 EDT. These cases will be reflected in the next epidemiological update.
- (2) Number of deaths is included in the number of cases.
- (3) Ontario is now reporting on a weekly basis. This information is as of June 22, 2009.
- (4) Quebec searches systematically for influenza H1N1 among all ILI hospitalized patients which may explain high numbers.
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Australia. Mystery Aborigine swine flu death (BBC, edited)
Mystery Aborigine swine flu deathBBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Mystery Aborigine swine flu death
By Nick Bryant
BBC News, SydneyOfficials in Australia are trying to determine how an Aboriginal man caught and then died from swine flu.
The 26-year-old man became Australia's first person to die after testing positive for the virus.
He had been living in Kiwirrkurra, one of the country's most remote Outback communities.
Australia officials are worried that Aborigines are at higher risk from swine flu because they already suffer high disease rates.
A team of health workers has travelled to Kiwirrkurra, located some 600km (375 miles) west of Alice Springs in the arid Gibson Desert.
They are keen to determine how the swine flu virus reached such a far-off location.
In the past week the number of confirmed cases doubled in the Northern Territory, where Aborigines make up almost one-third of the population.
There are now 61 cases in the territory, with three children admitted to hospital in Alice Springs.
The government said it was working to boost supplies of anti-viral drugs in indigenous communities.
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6/25/2009 09:17:00 AM
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Labels: AUSTRALIA, NORTHERN TERRITORY, pandemic influenza
Australia. National tally of confirmed cases of H1N1 Influenza 09 - As at 5 am, 25 June 2009 (Dept. of Health, edited)
Australian Government - Department of Health Ageing
National tally of confirmed cases of H1N1 Influenza 09 - As at 5 am, 25 June 2009
[Original Document: LINK. EDITED.]
The information contained in this situation report uses the most accurate currently available data.
Given the rapidly changing nature of the incident, recipients should be aware of the potential for later confirmation or clarification.
Current Australian confirmed cases of, and deaths associated with, H1N1 Influenza 09 (0600 AEST on 25 June 2009)
[Jurisdiction - Confirmed - Deaths]
- Tasmania - 66 - 0
- Northern Territory - 96 - 0
- Australian Capital Territory - 118 - 0
- Western Australia - 165 - 0
- South Australia - 189 - 1*
- Queensland - 422 - 0
- New South Wales - 538 - 0
- Victoria - 1406 - 2**
- Total - 3000 - 3
- (*) Case confirmed with H1N1 Influenza 09, cause of death includes pneumonia.
- (**) Laboratory results confirmed H1N1 Influenza 09 subsequent to death.
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6/25/2009 09:14:00 AM
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Labels: AUSTRALIA, CASE COUNT, pandemic influenza, UPDATES
Pan American Health Organization - Organización Panamericana de la Salud - Chile's President Urges a Collective Response to A (H1N1) Pandemic
Chile's President Urges a Collective Response to A (H1N1) PandemicPan American Health Organization - Organización Panamericana de la Salud - Chile's President Urges a Collective Response to A (H1N1) Pandemic
Michelle Bachelet says international cooperation, not protectionism, is key to an effective response
Washington, D.C., 24 June 2009 (PAHO)Chilean President Michelle Bachelet today called on countries in the Americas and around the world to work together to mitigate the impact of the A (H1N1) influenza pandemic on public health, saying that "protectionist" measures such as travel restrictions are counterproductive.
"The truth is, the only solution is cooperation, working together and not closing doors to the movement and entry of people between countries," said Bachelet in remarks to the Executive Committee of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), which is holding its annual meeting in Washington this week.
Chile is one of 28 countries in the Americas that have confirmed cases of A (H1N1) influenza. Globally, more than 100 countries and territories have reported over 55,000 confirmed cases to PAHO and the World Health Organization (WHO). These include nearly 44,000 cases in the Americas. All but four of the 238 confirmed deaths worldwide have occurred in the Americas.
Chile has confirmed over 4,000 cases of A (H1N1), more than any of its neighbors. But Bachelet noted that her country has "great capacity for disease notification, we have good reporting, and that's why we know very well how this epidemic is evolving."
Bachelet, a medical doctor who served as Chile's minister of health from 2000 to 2002, criticized other countries' efforts to restrict travel to and from countries affected by A (H1N1).
"It seems to us that these kinds of responses, motivated by fear, are not the responses that we who work in health know are necessary to confront an epidemic of this nature."
Despite the growing number of cases, Chile is coping well with the epidemic, Bachelet said, thanks to a strong public health system, wide access to health care, and concentrated efforts in the past five years to prepare for a possible influenza pandemic.
Bachelet noted that Chile was working closely with PAHO, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other governments to exchange information and expertise to better understand the impact of the epidemic. She said a team from the CDC is cooperating with health officials in Chile to learn more about the impact and evolution of the disease.
Bachelet said she would travel to Mexico later in the day to offer her country's support and collaboration in dealing with A (H1N1). "I am going to meet with President Calderón to express our solidarity to the Mexican people."
Bachelet praised the role PAHO and WHO have played in facilitating international cooperation on preparedness and response to the pandemic. She cited the organizations' promotion of the International Health Regulations, which govern how countries report disease outbreaks of international concern. PAHO and WHO have been working with their member countries in recent years to improve surveillance, laboratory capacity, and case investigation to help them comply with the regulations.
Bachelet said international cooperation was also important in mitigating the effects of the international economic crisis, and that poverty reduction and progress in health should remain priorities for both national governments and international agencies. Chile is currently involved in international cooperation efforts focused on cancer (with the U.S. National Cancer Institute) and reducing hunger (with Bolivia, Ecuador, and Paraguay), among others.
Chile has among the best health indicators—including high life expectancy and low rates of infant and maternal mortality—in Latin America and the Caribbean, although chronic diseases are a growing problem. The country's health policies seek to ensure universal access to health care and limited out-of-pocket spending by individuals.Bachelet said her country shows that "it is possible to combine economic growth and social justice" and that universal health coverage is an "achievable dream" for developed and developing countries alike. "The difference is spending on public health. Spending should be on people, not by people."
For more information please contact Donna Eberwine-Villagrán
Public Information Officer, Knowledge Management and Communication, tel (202) 974-3122, fax (202) 974-3143.
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Posted by
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6/25/2009 09:04:00 AM
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Labels: CHILE, pandemic influenza, UPDATES, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION


