Worst of first H1N1 wave in S'pore could be over
SINGAPORE: Singapore may be past the worst of its first H1N1 wave.
According to head of the Communicable Diseases Centre at Tan Tock Seng
Hospital (TTSH), Dr Leo Yee Sin, it appears “to be (on) a downward
trend”.
This seems to reaffirm Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan’s outlook in
late July that H1N1 infections here would peak over the subsequent two
weeks before starting to decline.
But Dr Leo added: “I think we need to wait one or two more weeks for things to become clearer.”
Speaking on Friday at the 43rd Singapore-Malaysia Congress of Medicine,
she pointed out that Singapore’s experience with H1N1 has been the
“mirror image” of the experience of the United States.
That being so, the good news is this virus could, in fact, be “a
milder one” than the seasonal flu bug. There are fewer H1N1- related
deaths in the US, than deaths from the normal flu.
At TTSH, while there was an increase in patients with pneumonia
admitted during the earlier surge in H1N1 cases, there was no increase
in pneumonia deaths due specifically to H1N1, said Dr Leo.
Still, she cautioned: “We’re possibly still in the middle of the H1N1 pandemic. There is a lot to learn and watch closely.”
On influenza in general, speakers at the congress touched on the
disease’s impact on, among other things, the economy and employers. And
in Dr Leo’s view, flu “treatments and vaccines are grossly
underutilised in our population”.
When TTSH started testing patients with flu-like illnesses — before
Singapore had its first H1N1 case — only six per cent had a history of
flu vaccinations.
She also called for more structured programmes to monitor and
manage flu. “With our biomedical research capability, we can be a
leading centre for influenza research in the tropics.”
- TODAY/ yt
Ninth H1N1-related death
The number of H1N1-related deaths in Singapore has risen to nine.
This, after a 27-year-old Indian woman with no known underlying medical conditions passed away this morning.
She went to Changi General Hospital's Emergency Department on 23rd July after four days of suffering from fever, cough and lethargy.
She was then admitted to the intensive care unit and intubated.
Her condition deteriorated and she passed away this morning from a heart attack, with H1N1-infection and pneumonia as contributing factors.
--938Live
8 more in ICU with H1N1-related complications
The Ministry of Health says 8 more people with H1N1-related complications have been admitted into Intensive Care Units.
This brings to 9 the number of cases in ICU.
MOH says the youngest is a 7 year old Malay girl.
She has a medical history of epilepsy and congenital rubella syndrome.
A 9-year-old Chinese boy is in the ICU unit of the National University Hospital.
He has a medical history of epilepsy and Thalassemia Minor.
The oldest patient is a 69-year-old Malay man.
He’s in Changi Hospital and has a medical history of hypertension and renal failure.
Two of the eight in ICU have no medical history.
In all, MOH says 75 people are in hospital for H1N1.
--938Live
Singapore reports 10th H1N1-related death
SINGAPORE : A 43-year-old woman is Singapore's latest Influenza A (H1N1)-related victim - the 10th in the country.
She passed away at Changi General Hospital's intensive care unit on Wednesday morning.
An ambulance had taken her to the hospital's emergency department after she was found unconscious at home.
The Health Ministry said she had fever, cough and flu-like symptoms for over a week.
The patient was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis in 2004 and had since completed treatment.
Her death was certified as bronchopneumonia which was contributed by the H1N1 infection.
- CNA/ms
MOH says Tamiflu-resistant H1N1 patient is an isolated case
SINGAPORE: The Health Ministry (MOH) said the case of a Tamiflu-resistant H1N1 patient is an isolated case.
The ministry was responding on Friday to comments made by a World
Health Organisation (WHO) scientist about a Tamiflu-resistant case in
Singapore.
MOH said the patient had fallen sick towards the end of May and was admitted to hospital for isolation and treatment.
The patient was treated with Tamiflu and the resistant strain of
the virus emerged during treatment and was detected through laboratory
testing, by which point the patient had already improved clinically.
The ministry said patients can recover from their illness even if
they are infected with a Tamiflu-resistant influenza strain. This is
because the immune system plays an important part in clearing the body
of the virus.
So far, no other cases of antiviral resistance have been detected, but
the ministry said it would continue to conduct surveillance.
- CNA/so
Singapore reports 11th H1N1-related death
SINGAPORE: An 80-year-old man is Singapore's latest H1N1-related victim – the 11th in the country.
The patient was sent to National University Hospital (NUH) on August 6
with a week's history of fever and cough, and sudden onset of
drowsiness.
The man is said to have had several comorbidities, including
Parkinson's Disease. The cause of his death has been certified as
pneumonia due to the H1N1 infection.
The Health Ministry (MOH) said the number of patients seeking help at polyclinics for acute respiratory infection has decreased.
The ministry, which tracks the cases on a weekly basis, noted that
the number of cases dropped from some 24,477 in the week starting from
July 26 to 20,435 during the week starting from August 2.
It added that data from the influenza biosurveillance programme
showed that the proportion of H1N1 cases detected among patients with
influenza-like illness seen at polyclinics, GP clinics and hospitals in
the week of July 26 continues to remain above 50 per cent.
- CNA/so
singapore 1st case rite?
H1N1 flu vaccine orders pass one billion: WHO
The World Health Organisation or WHO has warned of possible shortages of H1N1 vaccines.
The UN agency says that as the cold season approaches in the northern hemisphere, countries there have ordered more than one billion doses of H1N1 vaccines so far.
This intense demand coupled with production delays could create shortages.
Experts say this could force governments that are preparing for a second, possibly more deadly, wave of flu to make hard choices about who to vaccinate first.
Clinical tests have not yet confirmed whether new H1N1 flu strains under development will produce higher yields.
But the WHO says its reviews show that initial results are not encouraging.
There also remains a big question mark on whether one or two doses will be needed for effective vaccination.
US health officials say they expect a large shortfall in H1N1 vaccines.
Only 45 million doses are expected to be ready in time for the start of a vaccination programme in mid-October.
This is sharply down from the previous estimate of 120 million doses.
Virtually all international and national health authorities agree that health sector professionals should be vaccinated first, but beyond that, there are no universal guidelines.
--938Live
Chile finds H1N1 flu in turkeys
Chile has detected the H1N1 flu virus in turkeys, the first time the virus has been found outside humans or pigs.
The country's farming and livestock agency said the flu outbreak has been controlled at the two farms 120 kilometres west of the capital Santiago.
The agency added that lab results have ruled out the presence of the H5N1 or bird flu virus.
The H1N1 flu virus was first seen in March in Mexico and California.
Genetic tests show the virus appears to have originated in pigs but it is now spreading from human to human.
The World Health Organisation declared H1N1 a full pandemic in June.
The virus has now spread to some 180 countries, causing at least 1,400 lab-confirmed deaths.
The UN agency says the pandemic is unstoppable.
--938Live
Singapore reports 12th H1N1-related death
SINGAPORE: A 41-year-old male foreigner is Singapore's latest H1N1-related fatality, and the 12th so far.
The Health Ministry said the man had a history of diabetes. The cause of his death at Tan Tock Seng Hospital was certified as pneumonia due to H1N1 flu infection.
The ministry added that the number of patients seeking help at polyclinics for acute respiratory infection has decreased.
The ministry, which tracks the cases on a weekly basis, said the number had dropped from some 20,435 for the week starting August 2, to 15,486 for the week starting August 9.
It added that the data from the influenza bio-surveillance programme showed that the proportion of H1N1 flu cases detected among patients with influenza-like illness seen at polyclinics, GP clinics and hospitals in the week of August 2 continued to remain above 50 per cent.
- CNA/yt
WHO predicts 'explosion' of swine flu cases
BEIJING - The global spread of swine flu will endanger more lives as it speeds up in the coming months and governments must boost preparations for a swift response to a coming "explosion" of cases, the World Health Organization said Friday.
Many countries could see swine flu cases double every three to four days for several months until peak transmission is reached, once cold weather returns to the northern hemisphere, said WHO's Western Pacific director, Shin Young-soo.
"At a certain point, there will seem to be an explosion in case numbers," Shin told a symposium of health officials and experts in Beijing. "It is certain there will be more cases and more deaths."
The WHO says the swine flu virus _ also known as H1N1 _ has killed almost 1,800 people worldwide, and has declared a pandemic.
International attention has focused on how the pandemic is progressing in southern hemisphere countries such as Australia where winter _ and the flu season _ has started.
But it is in developing countries that the accelerated spread of swine flu poses the greatest threat as it places underequipped and underfunded health systems under severe strain, Shin said.
WHO earlier estimated that as many as 2 billion people could become infected over the next two years _ nearly one-third of the world's population.
Others said Shin's cautionary comments were needed but that they were optimistic the spread would not be that serious.
Ann Moen, an influenza expert with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that if current trends continue it is possible that the swine flu pandemic will not be worse than a severe flu season.
"I think the world was preparing for an H5N1 (bird flu) pandemic and we didn't get that. So maybe this is our supreme tabletop exercise, a global sort of practice for something bigger," Moen told The Associated Press.
Health officials and drug makers are considering how to speed up production of a vaccine before the northern hemisphere enters its flu season in coming months. Estimates for when a vaccine will be available range from September to December.
Delegates from Bangladesh and Myanmar appealed for help in procuring vaccines or making them more affordable for poorer countries, saying they were left vulnerable while rich nations pre-ordered most of the available stock.
"Developing countries like us, we have to fight this war without vaccines," said Mya Oo, deputy health minister of Myanmar. He urged pharmaceutical companies to consider selling the vaccines to developing countries at just above cost.
WHO's flu chief, Keiji Fukuda, said the agency was working hard on the issue, and noted that two drugmakers had pledged to donate 150 million doses of vaccine to poorer countries by the end of October. He said more research was needed to determine how vaccines will be priced.
"Among the many pandemic response issues, this is probably the most critical issue: how we mobilize the vaccines, how we get them to developing countries," Fukuda said.
WHO has stressed that most cases of swine flu are mild and require no treatment, but the fear is that a rash of new infections could overwhelm hospitals and health authorities, especially in poorer countries.
Shin said governments must quickly educate the public, prepare their health systems to care for severe cases and protect those deemed more vulnerable to prevent unnecessary deaths.
"We only have a short time period to reach the state of preparedness deemed necessary," Shin said. "Communities must be aware before a pandemic strikes as to what they can do to reduce the spread of the virus, and how to obtain early treatment of severe cases."
Pregnant women face a higher risk of complications, and the virus also has more severe effects on people with underlying medical conditions such as asthma, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, autoimmune disorders and diabetes, WHO chief Margaret Chan said in a video address.
The last pandemic _ the Hong Kong flu of 1968 _ killed about 1 million people. Ordinary flu kills about 250,000 to 500,000 people each year.
Swine flu is also continuing to spread during summer in the northern hemisphere. Normally, flu viruses disappear with warm weather, but swine flu is proving to be resilient.
--AP
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13th H1N1-related death
Singapore's had its 13th H1N1-related death.
An 80-year-old Chinese man with a history of chronic lung disease, heart disease and congestive cardiac failure passed away yesterday.
The cause of death was certified as acute myocardial infarction, contributed by Influenza A H1N1 and chest infection.
The news was posted on the Health Ministry's website.
--938Live
WHO says H1N1 death toll surpasses 2100 mark
At least 2,185 people have died in the H1N1 flu pandemic since the new virus was uncovered in April.
The World Health Organisation said the latest toll posted on the its
website was an increase from the 1,799 deaths posted over a week ago.
Most deaths were recorded in the Americas region, where 1,876 people have died from the infection.
In Asia-Pacific, 203 deaths have been recorded.
This is followed by Europe, with at least 85 deaths recorded.
Middle East recorded 10 deaths, while Africa posted 11 deaths.
In all over two hundred thousand laboratory confirmed H1N1 flu infections have been reported to the global health watchdog.
However, the WHO says that figure vastly understates the full number of
infections since individual cases no longer have to be tested or
reported in each country.
--938Live
H1N1 virus now most prevalent strain of flu: WHO
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says that Influenza A H1N1 has overtaken other viruses to become the most prevalent flu strain in most parts of the world.
In a statement, the organisation warned that "the pandemic will persist in the coming months as the virus continues to move through susceptible populations".
The WHO also pointed out that, unlike seasonal flu, most of those who die from H1N1 are under the age of 50.
Analysts are surprised that the WHO has declared the H1N1 virus a dominant strain "so soon."
Nigel Dimmock, a professor at the University of Warwick's biological sciences department, says this development could have implications on vaccines.
He noted that if H1N1 has replaced other flu strains, old vaccines will be unnecessary.
But if they continue to co-circulate, even if it is dominant, both old and new vaccines will be needed.
The WHO says nearly 2,200 people around the world have died from the virus since it was uncovered in April.
Some tropical countries are already reporting "moderate strains" on their healthcare systems amid surges in infections.
In Japan, WHO says H1N1 flu has become an epidemic, signalling that the annual flu season could be a long one.
It also appears to suggest that the disease spread is worsening in tropical regions.
There's some good news though, as the WHO says that H1N1 circulation may have passed its peak in much of the southern hemisphere.
--938Live
H1N1 virus tapering off but doctors still advise vigilance
SINGAPORE: With the latest figures showing a decrease in the proportion of patients at polyclinics, GP clinics and hospitals detected with the H1N1 virus, to 42% from about 50% previously, the H1N1 virus infection seems to be tapering off.
But doctors caution the need to remain vigilant as the virus is still killing people.
Two more H1N1-related deaths have been reported - bringing the virus' death toll to 15 in Singapore.
The latest victims of H1N1 infections are a 53-year-old man, who died on Saturday, 29 August and a 70-year-old woman, who died on Sunday, 30 August - both of whom had underlying medical conditions including diabetes and high blood pressure.
The Singapore Medical Association, which represents a majority of medical practitioners in both the private and public sector, says that going forward, the challenge for its members remains identifying patients whose condition will become worse, so they can be treated earlier.
"Most of the cases so far are mild as you know but there are some cases that have turned bad and who need to be hospitalised and who need to be in intensive care," said Dr Chong Yeh Woei, president of Singapore Medical Association.
Drug companies say a vaccine should be available by October.
"The paramount thing that we want to be sure about is the safety and the other thing is that if we have decided that it's safe, then who will get it first. I believe the thinking now is that the children will be the first to benefit from the vaccine if it's found to be safe," he added.
So far there have been no reports of the virus mutating to a more virulent form, although it has been found in birds recently.
But whether mutation of the virus may render the vaccine ineffective, remains uncertain.
With community transmission happening for some time, experts say that there should already be some kind of herd immunity among the people. But despite that, the Ministry of Health says that it will order enough vaccine for the entire population.
Dr Chong expressed another concern - fatigue among the doctors and nurses in dealing with the virus, especially with reports that a second wave of infections would happen soon.
"Going ahead, it's been quite some time since the pandemic has started and we are concerned about fatigue that has set in and the stress level that has gone up, having to be in full PPE and having to deal with the pandemic. We learnt this lesson from SARS. We remembered that we were very stressed, in particular during SARS and only when we stood down, the stress hit all of us and we felt the post-traumatic stress; and that is one of the challenges going ahead. So we are very very concerned for our members and their staff," he said.
The Ministry of Health is monitoring the flu situation in Singapore, under the influenza biosurveillance programme, to identify the strains of flu virus circulating in the community. Latest data shows that the proportion of Influenza A (H1N1-2009) detected among patients with influenza-like illness seen at polyclinics, GP clinics and hospitals, in E-week 33 (16 - 22 August), is 42%.
- CNA/sc
i thought we were preparing for a second wave during the december period?
2 more H1N1-related deaths
There have been two more H1N1-related deaths in Singapore, bringing the total number of cases to 15.
The Health Ministry says the 14th death was a 53-year-old Singaporean man, who had a history of diabetes and hypertension.
He passed away on Saturday.
His cause of death was as heart failure and pneumonia, contributed by the H1N1 infection.
The 15th patient was a 70-year-old Singaporean woman.
MOH says she had a history of heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, asthma and stroke.
She died yesterday, and the cause of death was certified as pneumonia, contributed by the H1N1 infection.
--938Live
Singapore reports 16th H1N1-related death
SINGAPORE: A 95 year-old woman is Singapore's latest H1N1-related victim - the 16th death in the country.
The Health Ministry said the patient had no known medical condition.
Her death on Monday was certified as pneumonia, contributed by the H1N1 infection.
The Health Ministry's influenza biosurveillance programme, which identifies the strains of flu virus circulating in Singapore, showed the proportion of H1N1 detected among patients with influenza-like illness seen at polyclinics, GP clinics and hospitals, is at 42 per cent.
- CNA/sc
i briefly scanned thru the age group of H1N1 fatal victims in Singapore realized most of them are 40 yr and above. This is rather different from that of the US.
As in the US there are more children get fatal victim.
I wonder is it because in the states older folks take flu shot while in Singapore it is not commonly practice.
6-year-old boy is Singapore's youngest H1N1 victim
SINGAPORE: A 6-year-old boy is Singapore's latest and youngest H1N1 victim, bringing death toll to 17.
The Health Ministry said the boy, who passed away on Wednesday, had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
The cause of death was certified as pseudomonas septicaemia, contributed by the H1N1 infection.
- CNA/so
H1N1 detected in live pigs imported into Singapore: AVA
Singapore's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority or AVA has detected the pandemic A - H1N1 Virus, in some of the pigs imported into Singapore from Indonesia's Pulau Bulan.
But the AVA stresses that the pork available here is safe for consumption.
That's because the H1N1 virus is NOT transmitted through the handling and consumption of pork and pork products including ham, bacon, sausages and canned pork.
AVA's Director General Dr Chew Siang Thai gave this assurance.
"There's no need to worry about H1N1 being transmitted to pork, in fact we're only ensuring clinically healthy animals are slaughtered, so clinically healthy animals will not have H1N1 in the meat."
AVA added it will step up its monitoring and inspection to ensure food safety.
It said it will take part in a comprehensive disease surveillance programme on the Pulau Bulan farm.
This would be led by the Indonesian authority.
The aim is to identify and isolate affected pig houses.
Restricted animal movement will be imposed to ensure only healthy pigs are exported to Singapore.
Dr Chew again.
"It's not only just to see the general condition of the pigs but also to check especially the house that's going to export pigs to us, we will have to take samples and also check, and these samples will be tested in our labs. Confirmed that it's free (from H1N1), then we'll allow it to come in."
AVA added Singapore has adequate sources of pork supplies from 25 countries.
Singapore's import of 1000 pigs daily from Pulau Bulan constitutes some 20 per cent of the total pork consumption here.
--938Live
Man dies, bringing Singapore's H1N1-related deaths to 18
SINGAPORE: A 61-year-old Chinese man has become the latest victim of H1N1, bringing the death toll in Singapore to 18.
The man, who died on Sunday, had a medical history of hypertension, diabetes and end-stage renal failure.
40 H1N1-infected patients are currently hospitalised in Singapore, three in intensive care unit.
- CNA/ir
any idea when Singapore is getting the vaccine?
Originally posted by Arapahoe:any idea when Singapore is getting the vaccine?
SINGAPORE is finalising a deal to obtain vaccines against the H1N1 virus causing the current pandemic. Details will be out later this week, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan told Parliament on Monday.
Vaccines are 'the most important measure' to cut deaths from H1N1, he said in reply to Ang Mo Kio GRC MP, Dr Lam Pin Min, who asked for an update on the situation here.
Once a safe vaccine is available, it will be made 'widely available' to people. The ministry will recommend it first to front line staff and people at high risk of developing complications from the flu.
So far, 18 people have died from this new strain of flu, including some with no underlying medical problems.
'This continues to baffle the doctors and scientists and we do not have good answers as yet,' said Mr Khaw. 'This is why the country is still in alert code yellow, and not back to green, which signals that things are back to normal.'
Madam Halimah Yacob, MP for Jurong GRC, asked if the coming northern winter is cause for greater concern.
Replying, Mr Khaw said the fear is if that the virus mutates to a more dangerous form, but close monitoring has not shown such a change.
In fact, illness from the new H1N1 is falling. From a high of about 40 per cent of all flu-like illness, it now accounts for single-digit percentage in Canada and is in the teens in the United States.
--ST
interesting insight on H1N1
Another theory holds that an infected North American pig traveled to Asia and passed along its virus to another pig with the Eurasian flu strain. That pig then infected a person, who brought the virus back to North America and spread it to other people. This would explain why H1N1 has seven out of eight genes in common with a flu sample taken from a Hong Kong pig in 2004.