This is a translated article, and some of what it says is reminiscent of what another doctor in California has said about some severe cases of swine flu. I would think it would take some kind of unusual clinical presentation to shock these experienced ID docs. The descriptions of what they are seeing are virtually the same in both countries. The decline of these patients is very swift.
The month of July came to an end with a balance of 85 dead by the swine flu since the beginning of the first cases in May. Enough two weeks of August for the total of deaths quadruple. On Friday (14), the balance of state secretariats of Health reported 339 deaths, which made Brazil the second highest number of victims, ahead of Mexico (163) and Argentina (337) and behind the United States (477). The increase in the number of deaths does not mean that the virus A (H1N1) swine influenza is becoming more dangerous, just that it is very contagious and is spreading rapidly across the country. Thus, even with a very low mortality, the virus affects hundreds of thousands of Brazilians. In their vast majority, they do not develop symptoms or have symptoms of a common flu. A minority may develop complications (such as non-severe pneumonia) and require hospitalization. The lowest proportion of cases may progress to severe pneumonia, which end up in ICU. "Because of the influenza pandemic, the hospital beds are under enormous pressure. The biggest problem is in the ICU," says Furtado Juvêncio, the president of the Brazilian Society of Infectious Diseases, and infectologist of Hospital Heliopolis, São Paulo.
...this flu has a disturbing twist. Even though most people with H1N1 don't get very sick, the three deaths he has seen were troubling, progressing rapidly from minor symptoms to "total respiratory compromise" within a day.
"I have a healthy respect for this virus," Cohen said. "I graduated from medical school 30 years ago, I'm not a rookie, and these people looked a lot different from the standard flu patients we see who have died."
Via Folha Online: Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul e Rio confirmam novas mortes por gripe suína. [Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul and Rio confirm new swine flu deaths] Excerpt, with my translation:
Com as novas confirmações, o total de mortes no país já chega a, pelo menos, 831 --segundo dados das secretarias estaduais de Saúde. Entretanto, o Ministério da Saúde confirmou 657 mortes no país em decorrência da doença até o dia 29 de agosto.
With the new confirmations, the total of deaths in the country has now reached at least 831, according to data from the states' health secretariats. Meanwhile the federal Ministry of Health has confirmed 657 flu deaths in the country up to August 29.
OMG! Look at the number of pregnant women who have died there!
Via Folha Online: Ministério da Saúde confirma 899 mortes por gripe suína. [Health Ministry confirms 899 swine flu deaths] Excerpt, with my translation:
O Ministério da Saúde divulgou nesta quarta-feira um novo balanço sobre a gripe suína --a gripe A H1N1-- no país. Foram confirmados pelo órgão federal 899 mortes pela doença no país.
The Ministry of Health reported this Wednesday a new total of swine flu deaths in the country: 899.
O documento aponta, no entanto, que no período de 6 a 12 de setembro foram registrados 65 casos confirmados de gripe suína, contra 2.283 entre 2 a 8 de agosto. Desde 25 de abril até sábado (12), foram registrados no país 9.249 casos confirmados por exames.
The document points out, however, that between September 6 and 12, 65 confirmed H1N1 cases were recorded, compared to 2,283 between August 2-8. Between April 25 and September 12, the country has recorded 9,249 cases.
As mortes ocorreram em: São Paulo (327), Paraná (222), Rio Grande do Sul (148), Rio de Janeiro (84), Santa Catarina (48), Minas Gerais (24), Goiás (20), Minas Gerais (24), Mato Grosso do Sul (7), Amazonas (2), Roraima (2), Pará (2), Paraíba (2), Espírito Santo (2), Mato Grosso (2), Distrito Federal (2), Rondônia (1), Acre (1), Rio Grande do Norte (1), Pernambuco (1) e Bahia (1). Entre as vítimas, 91 eram grávidas.
The deaths occurred in: São Paulo (327), Paraná (222), Rio Grande do Sul (148), Rio de Janeiro (84), Santa Catarina (48), Minas Gerais (24), Goiás (20), Mato Grosso do Sul (7), Amazonas (2), Roraima (2), Pará (2), Paraíba (2), Espírito Santa (2), Mato Grosso (2), Federal District (2), Rondônia (1), Acre (1), Rio Grande do Norte (1), Pernambuco (1), and Bahía (1). Among the victims, 91 were pregnant women.
tencat
1,350 Posts
Oh, it's going to be BAD, BAD, BAD for those third-world countries.....
What IS going on in Australia and New Zealand anyway? Just curious.