Pandemic News/Awareness.

Nurses General Nursing

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I had to close the other panflu thread as it was way too long, and becoming unreadable. I am starting this one with info on the agenda of this meeting tomorrow in Congress. I am linking to Flutrackers because all of the info is right there and easily readable from this post: http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showpost.php?p=61735&postcount=1

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Taiwan and Thailand working on their own vaccines:

http://afludiary.blogspot.com/2007/01/taiwan-and-thailand-working-on-their.html

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White Washing with the Flu - Effect Measure:

http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2007/01/whitewashing_with_the_flu.php#more

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From China where they supposedly have vaccinated their poultry so how is this happening?

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showpost.php?p=81057&postcount=1

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showpost.php?p=81110&postcount=9

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These essays are emotionally charged, and will be difficult to read for that

reason. With that said, I believe that it is important for parents to be informed in order to make realistic plans to protect their families. The intent

is not to alarm, but rather to provide necessary information. You can not

plan if you do not know what the risks are.

http://afludiary.blogspot.com/2007/05/race-to-save-our-children.html

http://www.fluwikie.com/pmwiki.php?n=Opinion.UKpanResponse

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No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

So true:

http://afludiary.blogspot.com/2007/05/no-good-deed-goes-unpunished.html

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Africa joins GISAID:

http://crofsblogs.typepad.com/h5n1/2007/05/africa_joins_gi.html

Ghana's H5N1 strain is similiar to other sub-Saharan strains:

http://www.oie.int/eng/press/en_070518.htm

(hat tip crofsblog)

Europe tightens up poultry regulations:

http://crofsblogs.typepad.com/h5n1/2007/05/europe_tightens.html

Bangladesh, bird flu continues to spread:

http://crofsblogs.typepad.com/h5n1/2007/05/bangladesh_bird.html

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Passengers on board a flight into Norway took these pictures. This is what it looks like to have your plane quarantined. Apparently this flight had a family from Burma that became ill during the flight. In this case, it is only food poisoning but airlines and governments are taking s/s of illness seriously. This is at least the third flight that I can think of this year, that was quarantined with sick passengers or ill passengers were removed from flights. If you are visibly sick, don't fly. You could be held in quarantine for hours along with your fellow passengers.

http://www.vg.no/pub/vgart.hbs?artid=188282

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showpost.php?p=81578&postcount=8

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Some would refuse to work during a pandemic:

http://uk.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUKHAR26607620070522

(hat tip PFIF/JWB)

"This survey tells us that the US government and the medical community may not be doing a very good job at educating our healthcare workers about what measures would be in place to keep them safe and how successful these measures would be," said Dr. Charlene Irvin of St. John Hospital and Medical Center, Detroit, Michigan.

"Open and honest discussion may turn out to be the most important feature" of a pandemic influenza plan, Irvin predicted. "No workers means no plan, so no matter what you have on paper, and stored in the closet (masks, gowns, gloves), the plan won't work if no workers show up."

This is crazy. The current case fatality rate is over 50%. You can not sugar coat this. This is reality. Maybe it will change, but for now it is over 50%.

Getting "realistic" information out to the public about the risk of bird flu is also important, Irvin said, noting that "the 50 percent mortality risk reported (in the media) is likely an over-exaggeration. Experts predict the mortality risk will be closer to the influenza pandemic of 1918 at less than 5 percent."

"I was very surprised that only 44 percent of nurses said they would report to work as usual," Irvin admitted.

Really? I am surprised that he is surprised. Unless TPTB start talking to us soon and preparing us, they should not be surprised. The more we know, the better we will be prepared. We need leadership, and they need to stop assuming that we will be there no matter what. Some serious communication needs to occur.

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Vietnam is reporting a human case of bird flu, a 30 year old man.

There have been no human cases there in a year and a half until now.

He is in critical condition on a ventilator.

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showpost.php?p=81618&postcount=5

http://afludiary.blogspot.com/2007/05/vietnam-confirms-human-case-of-h5n1.html

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This 77th Indonesian fatality, I am very sorry to say, was a 5 year old girl.

http://afludiary.blogspot.com/2007/05/indonesia-reports-77th-fatality-from.html

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The state of Delaware, USA:

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showpost.php?p=81908&postcount=1

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showpost.php?p=81913&postcount=2

I think we are talking low pathogenic here, but as Dr.Niman points out on the second post, the fact that that area is populated by poultry factory farms is of concern. Low pathogenic avian flu can evolve into a highly pathogenic form if poultry are exposed.

[snip]

As per Dr. Niman:

"H5 and H7 on farms are reportable because they can evolve into high path H5 or H7 (but not the H5N1 from Asia)."

[snip]

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Will heathcare workers show up to work in a pandemic? Commentary on that recent study in an essay found at Effect Measure:

http://scienceblogs.com/effectmeasure/2007/05/will_health_care_workers_show.php#more

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