WedMDreports that the latest information about the H1N1 virus from the CDC is that it continues to kill and hospitalize people living in the United States. The CDC estimated that there were 2 million new cases from mid-January to mid-February. These cases led to 18,000 hospitalizations and about 310 deaths.
The CDC also has increased its estimates for the deaths from the pandemic which started in April, 2009. The CDC estimates that there have been 42 million to 86 million total H1N1 cases. The estimate of the number of people hospitalized ranges from 188,000 to 389,000 and the estimate for those killed by the virus ranges from 8,520 to 17,620. There were no new figures on the number of children killed by the disease. Last month the CDC reported that the virus might have killed as many as 1,800 children.
The CDC also said 86 million U.S. residents have been vaccinated against the H1N1 swine flu, which is both good and bad. It means a lot of people heeded the government's advice and got vaccinated. Unfortunately, it also means there are likely still tens of milions of people in the U.S. with no immunity to H1N1.
CDC: Swine Flu Killed as Many as 17,000 Americans, Including 1,800 Children
Reuters reports that the H1N1 influenza virus killed as many as 17,000 Americans from April 2009 to January 16, 2010. The CDC says as many as 1,800 of the deaths were children. The CDC estimates that between 183,000 and 378,000 people were hospitalized with H1N1 swine flu during the time period.
Of the 17,000 deaths only about 1,000 to 2,000 were adults over the age of 65. That is atypical of a normal flu season. In a typical flu outbreak about 90% of those killed are over age 65.
The New York Times says the CDC has recorded very little seasons flu this year. Most of the flu cases have been H1N1.
Study Finds Children Twice as Likely to Catch Swine Flu
The BBC reports that a joint US-UK study has found that children are twice as likely to catch swine flu as adults.
In a study of more than 800 people, one in eight people developed the infection after someone in their house got it.
But the team also dismissed suggestions that children may be "super spreaders" as they were found to be no more contagious than older people.
Rates of swine flu have tended to be higher among younger age groups, the official figures have shown.
Swine flu is also deadlier for children than adults. Swine flu is still going around and is estimated to have killed at least 10,000 people in the U.S. including 1,100 children and 7,500 younger adults. Children and adults should get vaccinated against H1N1 if they haven't already.
Kids Swine Flu Shots Recalled For Not Being Strong Enough
Sanofi Aventis has recalled 800,000 H1N1 shots because they were not potent enough. NPR reports that the CDC says there is no safety hazard despite the recall. The CDC says parents need to make sure children get two doses of swine flu vaccine one month apart.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there's no safety hazard and doesn't recommend that kids who got shots from affected lots be revaccinated.
The affected vaccine just missed the minimum requirement for potency, the CDC said, so even the substandard lots should be strong enough to evoke a decent immune response in kids.
The CDC continues to recommend that children get two doses of swine flu vaccine about a month apart. So the main piece of advice for parents whose kids got a dose of the substandard vaccine is to make sure they get their second dose on schedule.
The H1N1 virus is estimated to have killed over 1,100 children in the U.S. so far according to the CDC. That is about ten times the number of children killed from influenza in the U.S. annually.
The L.A. Timesreports that the CDC is estimating that at least 10,000 Americans have died from H1N1 influenza and that at least 50 million Americans, 1 in 6, have been infected. The CDC estimates that the 10,000 deaths include 1,100 children and 7,500 younger adults.
At least 50 million Americans had contracted pandemic H1N1 influenza through Nov. 14, according to the newest estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released today -- meaning that about 15% of the entire country has been infected, about one in every six people.
"That still leaves most people not having been infected and still susceptible," CDC director Dr. Thomas R. Frieden said at a news conference. The agency also reported that more than 200,000 people had been hospitalized and nearly 10,000 had died.
The CDC is warning that there are still many people that have not yet been infected with H1N1. People need to get vaccinated and not dismiss the threat.
The Washington Postreports that a mutated version of the H1N1 virus has been discovered by Norwegian scientists. The scientists say the mutation could cause a more severe disease.
In a statement, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health said the mutation "could possibly make the virus more prone to infect deeper in the airways and thus cause more severe disease," such as pneumonia.
The institute said that there was no indication that the mutation would hinder the ability of the vaccine to protect people from becoming infected or impair the effectiveness of antiviral drugs in treating people who became infected.
Two patients found to have the mutated swine flu virus died and a third is severly ill. The Washington Post says a statement released by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health said, "Based on what we know so far, it seems that the mutated virus does not circulate in the population, but might be a result of spontaneous changes which have occurred in these three patients."
Green Monkey Rumors Keep Some Parents From Vaccinating Children For H1N1
KLIV and ABC News are reporting that there are rumors spreading that the H1N1 vaccine was made from monkey brains or that it was derived from green monkey genes. KLIV says only 52% of parents at an elementary school in San Jose agreed to let their children get free H1N1 vaccine shots being offered by the school district. The strange and false rumors may have something to do with parents not wanting their children to get the vaccine.
Green monkeys are a real species of monkey that live in Africa. The H1N1 vaccine has nothing to do with green monkeys or monkey brains. It was cultivated from a seed strain using the H1N1 virus found in humans and is grown in chicken eggs by vaccine manufacturers. The initial seed strain did not work well for growing the virus so some companies recently switched to another seed strain in the hopes this would produce better yields of the virus so the vaccine could be make more quickly. All the seed strains used were found in humans not monkeys.
There are companies looking for quicker methods to grow H1N1 vaccine. Bloomberg is reporting that one company is trying to grow virus in caterpillar ovary cells to speed up vaccine production. They are currently trying to win backing from a U.S. panel. Another company makes a flu vaccine called Optaflu which uses a mammalian cell line, instead of chicken eggs, for vaccine production. They don't say what kind of mammalian cells are used. The company says this technique creates a vaccine that "more closely matches the original 'wild' virus." Optaflu has been approved in Europe but not in the U.S.
Criminals Profit From H1N1 Flu Fears Through Phising and Spam
Reuters reports that criminal networks are using H1N1 flu fears and Tamiflu shortages to con people out of their personal information and credit card details. They also get people to use their credit cards with a bogus promise of Tamiflu that is never delivered. Sophos, a British security software company, intercepted hundreds of million of fake ads for Tamiflu.
Criminal gangs are making millions of dollars out of the H1N1 flu pandemic by selling fake flu drugs over the internet, a web security firm said on Monday.
Sophos, a British security software firm said it had intercepted hundreds of millions of fake pharmaceutical spam adverts and websites this year, many of them trying to sell counterfeit antiviral drugs like Tamiflu to worried customers.
Tamiflu, an antiviral marketed by Switzerland's Roche Holding and known generically as oseltamivir, is the frontline drug recommended by the World Health Organization to treat and slow the progression of flu symptoms. GlaxoSmithKline makes another antiviral for flu, known as Relenza.
Sophos said some criminals are making as much as $100,000 per day with the phising and spam tactics. The top five countries where people are responding to the spam and getting fooled are the United States, Germany, Britain, Canada and France.
Swine Flu Has Killed 4,000 Americans, Including 540 Children
New data from the CDC indicates the H1N1 Swine flu has infected nearly 22 million Americans since April and killed nearly 4,000. The figures include 540 children, which is a very steep death toll and much higher than the annual average of children who die from influenza. The CDC also says over 98,000 people have been hospitalized because of the novel strain of influenza. Take a look:
CBS News reports that the figures the CDC reports on its website to the public about H1N1 swine flu deaths are incomplete. In the past week only 29 states even reported swine flu hospitalizations and deaths to the CDC. The CDC has some internal estimates to indicate the actual deaths to be about double what they are publicly reporting. In addition to states not reporting data to the CDC there are also many H1N1 swine flu deaths that fail to get reported as H1N1 deaths because they are not lab confirmed. This is yet more distressing news that our modern healthcare system is unable to accurately tell us what is happening. In the future we need to be able to identify every single cold and flu virus that is spreading around the country. We need to know exactly what makes people sick, what sends people into hospitals and what kills them. Without this we are always going to be playing catchup when it comes to stopping the latest outbreak.
UPIreports that a cat in Iowa contracted the H1N1 virus that has been spreading aroundt the globe. The cat has recovered from the virus.
The 13-year-old cat tested positive for the H1N1 virus at the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center at Iowa State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, the state health department said. The cat, which has recovered, is believed to have contracted it from people in the house where it lives.
"Two of the three members of the family that owns the pet had suffered from influenza-like illness before the cat became ill," Dr. Ann Garvey, the state's public health veterinarian, said. "This is not completely unexpected, as other strains of influenza have been found in cats in the past."
Fox News says veterinarians say it is far more likely for a pet to get H1N1 from a human than for a person to get it from their pet. That's good to know but pet owners now have to worry about their pet's health in addition to their own. There is no vaccine available for pets right now. There is an H1N1 vaccine for humans but it is currently hard to find. Take a look:
SafeSmart Claims Its Ties are Nearly 100% Resistant to Swine Flu
A company named SafeSmart has developed a line of antimicrobial silk ties. The ties are made of 100 percent nano-treated silk. The company says its ties have a built-in barrier that keeps dirt, liquids and bacteria out. The graphic above shows that water droplets bead up on the ties instead of soaking in. The company says independent studies by BCS Laboratories of Gainesville, Florida, laboratory testing indicated that SafetyTies are 99.95 percent resistant to H1N1 influenza A. The ties are currently being sold for about $24.95 to $29.95. They can be purchased here.
Gibbs: Gitmo Detainees Don't Have H1N1 Vaccine Yet
Reports spread recently that Gitmo detainees will be getting the H1N1 vaccine ahead of many American citizens. Reuters reports that White House spokesman Robert Gibbs made a statement that there is no H1N1 vaccine in Guantanamo and no vaccine on the way to Guantanamo. However, Gibbs did not promise that detainees in Guantanamo won't get the vaccine ahead of U.S. citizens.
"There is no vaccine in Guantanamo and there's no vaccine on the way to Guantanamo," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said at his daily briefing, although a Pentagon spokesman said detainees at the base could receive it late this month.
After Gibbs' comment, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said detainees at Guantanamo would receive the vaccine only after active duty troops, deployed U.S. contractors and civilians and civilians working for the Department of Defense.
Americans have been lining up for the vaccine to protect against the H1N1 swine flu virus, which has killed at least 1,000 Americans and infected an estimated 5 million.
After Gibbs comments, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman gave more specifics. He said, "Gitmo doesn't have any vaccine and is not expected to receive any vaccine for some time, probably late November at the earliest."
It sounds like the only reason Gitmo detainees don't have the H1N1 vaccine is because the government hasn't been any better about producing the vaccine for them then it has for the U.S. population. Late November would still mean Gitmo detainees receive the vaccine ahead of many American citizens that want it. Let's just make it easy and say no vaccine for Gitmo detainees until every American that wants it has had it.
Elton John has had to cancel concenrts because he is suffering from both the flu and e.coli. The H1N1 strain of flu is basically the only flu going around right now so that means Elton John has swine flu and E.coli. Wow! A double whammy of two very unwanted illnesses. He must feel awful. We hope he recovers soon.
Bloombergreports that Clorox reported a 23% increase in its 1st quarter profit thanks in part to an increase in sales of its disinfecting wipes because of the swine flu threat.
Net income climbed to $157 million, or $1.11 a share, from $128 million, or 90 cents, a year earlier, the Oakland, California-based company said today in a statement. Sales fell less than 1 percent to $1.37 billion.
U.S. and international sales of disinfecting wipes rose in response to demand for protection from the H1N1 influenza pandemic, Clorox said. Higher prices outside the U.S. also contributed to a wider gross margin, a measure of profitability. The company boosted its full-year earnings forecast to $4.05 to $4.20 a share from a previous projection of $4 to $4.15.
If some of the designer brands find about this we may end up with products like Ed Hardy Disinfecting Wipes just like we did Ed Hardy Sanitizer.
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Bloomberg 
