More school shut in NYC

indigo girl · May 15, 2009

Swine H1N1 Cases Explode in Queens New York

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/05150901/Swine_H1N1_Queens.html

Dr. Niman comments on a characteristic of this virus that allows it to replicate at warmer temperatures than what is normally associated with influenza. This virus gained its first foothold in the warm climate of Mexico. Seasonal flu favors the cooler seasons of fall and winter.

The virus is for the most part mild, but as the number of cases increases, we can expect to see an increase in severe cases also. CDC will be interested in whether or not pre-existing conditions have contributed to the severity of illness. As this is a relatively new disease, there is limited data on the worst cases. Mexico saw about 50% of the severe cases in otherwise healthy young adults.

The above comments describe a serious swine H1N1 outbreak in Queens. This outbreak follows an earlier outbreak in Flushing (see updated map), that was linked to students returning from a trip to Mexico. However, officials had recently offered assurances on the containment of that outbreak.
The assurances had no basis in fact. An AP report had suggested that as many as 1000 New Yorkers were infected, and the above numbers leave little doubt that the number of cases in orders or magnitude higher.
Most cases are mild and are unreported. In other cases, doctors offer assurances that the influenza A is seasonal flu, even though the recent CDC reported demonstrated that swine H1N1 has outpaced seasonal flu, and the distance been swine and human flu is likely to increase in the northern hemisphere as the seasonal flu season winds down.
The swine H1N1 has an avian PB2, which favors growth at high temperatures (41 C), which will offer a distinct advantage over the summer. As seen in the above numbers, the virus spreads easily, especially among students.
...the mild nature of most cases, coupled with limited testing, has produced gross under-estimates of the extent of the spread.
As the number of cases rise, the number of severe cases also increases. There have been four deaths in the United States, and the number of hospitalized cases continues to rise.