Pandemic Flu or H5N1 influenza

GENEVA (Reuters) - Some pigs, turkeys and household pets have become infected with the H1N1 flu, but the pandemic virus does not yet appear to be spreading quickly among animals, the World Health Organization said on Friday. WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said it was not clear how the isolated animals had contracted the flu virus that is spreading quickly among humans in the northern hemisphere, particularly in Eastern Europe. A novel flu virus -- looking like a mix of human and swine genes -- has been detected in some mink farms in Denmark, and seems to have infected only the animals and not the ... Read Full Story

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - People who think they may have H1N1 flu need to stay away from work, avoid sneezing on their spouses and children and now, they have someone else to worry about infecting too -- their pets. U.S. vets reported this week that a pet cat had been infected with the pandemic swine flu virus, apparently by its owners, who had reported flu-like illness in the days before. Two pet ferrets also caught flu, again apparently from their owners, and several herds of pigs around the world have been reported infected. Animals have long been known to be a source of new infections. ... Read Full Story

Health authorities in Ukraine said Thursday the death toll from an outbreak of flu and respiratory infections had risen to 95, but added the epidemic showed signs of easing. "We have 633,877 people suffering from flu and acute respiratory infections," and among these cases "95 people are dead", Deputy Health Minister Zinovy Mytnyk said. He did not add how many deaths were a result of swine flu. The new figure was a jump of nine from the death toll announced by health officials Wednesday, which included five deaths confirmed as caused by the A(H1N1) virus. The World Health Organisation has said it assumes the ... Read Full Story

By Yvonne T. Betowt November 07, 2009, 6:00AM Michael Mercier — Huntsville Times Dr. Karen Sheppard, right, checks out Lucy, who had a cold after arriving at Huntsville Animal Services. At left is Meia Lin, who plans to adopt Lucy. HUNTSVILLE, AL — If you think you’ve got the flu, you might want to distance yourself from your pets until you feel better. “If you drop a snotty tissue on the floor, guess who’s going to eat it if you have a dog?” said Dr. Susan Muller, owner of Animal Care ... Read Full Story

The Netherlands reported its first case of drug-resistant swine flu on Wednesday, but said this was "no reason for panic". "A patient with serious flu symptoms has turned out to be infected with an H1N1 virus that is resistant to the antiviral drug oseltamivir" commonly known as Tamiflu, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) said in a statement. "This is the first time that an oseltamivir-resistant H1N1 virus has been found in the Netherlands." RIVM official Jessica Grootenboer told AFP that drug-resistant strains of the virus "do not spread quickly" and that the patient was under close monitoring in hospital. ... Read Full Story

home   »   News   »  Jaipur swine flu cases double overnight 1 posted at Youtube 1 hour ago ( humsurfer.com ) leave a comment email this Category: News Related 73 fresh swine flu cases in Pune - www.business-standard.com WHO predicts 'explosion' of swine flu cases - 2 - www.thehindubusinessline.com EU confirms 49 swine flu cases | Brick hurled at candidate - sify.com 96 swine flu cases reported across India - www.dnaindia.com Two out of eleven suspected swine flu cases test positive in Coimbatore - newstrackindia.com New York confirms 44 swine flu cases, expects more - newstrackindia.com Swine flu cases rise to 33 ... Read Full Story

The World Health Organisation said Tuesday that it was valid to assume that most of the cases of influenza reportedly sweeping through Ukraine were caused by the pandemic A(H1N1) virus. Ukrainian authorities on Sunday launched an urgent appeal for help from world powers after it imposed drastic measures to tackle a sudden surge of flu-like illness in the country. More than 250,000 cases have been reported, according to official Ukrainian figures cited by the WHO. "Given the potential significance of this outbreak as an early warning signal, WHO commends the government of Ukraine for its transparent reporting and open sharing of samples," the UN ... Read Full Story