President Obama declares swine flu pandemic as national emergency

Concern continues to spread in Kern County and across the country about the H1N1 virus. President Barack Obama has declared the swine flu pandemic a national emergency. Every time the Kern County Health Department gets more doses of the H1N1 vaccine, they're gone in days. In the meantime, clinics around town are still doing what they can with what little seasonal flu vaccine they have.

"Our fair started at nine, and by eight-o'clock we had over 100 people in line," said Kris Grasty, director for the Kern County Aging and Adult Services. In the absence of any H1N1 vaccines to give out, the Kern County Health Department teamed up with Aging and Adult Services Saturday to vaccinate about 100 senior citizens and 50 kids against seasonal flu. That's less than they'd planned to reach, because there just aren't enough vaccines to go around, even when it comes to seasonal flu shots. Still it's clear which virus is on everyone's minds. "I think it's very bad and I keep hearing about all these cases. And I keep hearing about kids out of school because they have swine flu, and it's amazing that that many people have it," said Ron Mitchell, who was vaccinated Saturday.

Figures from the Centers for Disease Control show swine flu is still spreading. The death toll in Kern County climbed to nine this past week. Across the country, more than 1,000 people have died. Pregnant women and young people have been the hardest hit.

"They told us that all these flu vaccines are going to be available and all these people are scrambling to get them and they're not available. So I don't know why they even told us that in the first place if they're not going to be available," said Mitchell. The federal government predicted there would be about 100 million doses of the H1N1 vaccine by now, but as of Saturday, only about 11.6 million are available.

The Kern County Health Department announced they'll receive 5,000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine this coming week, both in shot and the nasal mist form.

Source: http://www.kget.com/news/local/story/President-Obama-declares-swine-flu-pandemic-as/CpSAPKsBJkyWx7ia6OJbGg.cspx

How to fight Swine Flu with 3 Great Health Supplements

Swine flu is a problem that the whole world is having to face up to. There have been deaths all over the world, from Mexico to the United Kingdom – and of course the United states. Because the disease is killing so many people many people are searching for ways to help protect themselves from it – to help them fight off swine flu.

Thankfully there are ways and means of doing this – and the best way is using the right herbal health supplements. The H1N1 flu virus, of which swine flu is one, has been around for centuries, and these supplements have been of health in fighting it off for just as many years.

Acai Berries

Acai Berry supplements are great for fighting off swine flu. They work by increasing the bodies immune system and strengthening problem areas with nutrients and vitamins. The strengthened areas are then better able to prevent swine flu whilst the boosted immune system helps fight it off it it is contracted.

Resveratrol

Like Acai berries Resveratrolis a Brazilian based fruit that has remarkable healing properties, and properties that boost the immune system. Focusing especially on improving the largest defence against disease – the skin, Resveratrol ensures that the body is able to prevent itself from ever getting swine flu.

Hoodia

Hoodia is one of those secret supplements that no one seems to know about – but the experts rave about in private. It is an excellent ‘cure all’ type health supplement. Boosting the bodies immune system, giving much needed vitamin and nutrient shots, increasing the metabolism… and much more.

All 3 health supplement ingredients are great, natural, ways of helping you fight back against one of the biggest pandemics the world has ever seen – swine flu.

Source: Health supplement

Girl aged 6 and GP are latest fatal victims of swine flu

A six-year old schoolgirl and a GP have died after contracting the swine flu virus, taking the toll for the UK to 17.

Chloe Buckley, who contracted the virus while in this country, died on Thursday at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, West London.

Simon Tanner, NHS London’s regional director of public health, said that a post-mortem examination would be carried out to determine if she had any underlying health conditions.

“We would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the family at this difficult time as they come to terms with their loss,” Dr Tanner said, adding that it “will probably not be the last that we have in this pandemic”.

Source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article6700572.ece

Swine flu vaccine

A vaccine against swine flu will be fast-tracked for use in Britain in just five days, with 130 million doses on order.

The Department of Health expects to have enough vaccine to give it to half the population this year and, should enough people want it, vaccinations for the remainder over a longer period. Each person will need two doses of the vaccine.

The first doses specific to the H1N1 swine flu virus are set to arrive in September and could be prioritised through regulatory approval in less than a week.

It comes after the first British patient without underlying health problems died after contracting swine flu, taking the number of swine flu-linked deaths in the UK to 15.

Peter Holden, the British Medical Association’s lead negotiator on swine flu, who has been attending Department of Health meetings on the outbreak, said GPs’ surgeries were prepared for one of the biggest winter vaccination campaigns in almost 50 years.

He said that, although swine flu was not in the main causing serious illness in patients, health officials were eager to start a mass vaccination campaign, starting first on priority groups who were susceptible to infection or prone to complications.

It is likely the elderly would be given a seasonal flu jab to guard against other circulating flu strains - as happens every year - as well as the swine flu vaccination, Dr Holden said. The new vaccine is likely to be given in two doses, but could be left as a single jab if this is found to provide high rates of immunity.

“The high-risk groups will be done at GPs’ surgeries. People are still making decisions over this, but we want to get cracking before we get a second wave, which is traditionally far more virulent.”

Britain also has a stockpile of 500 million doses of Tamiflu (ostelamivir), the anti-viral drug used to treat flu symptoms. But a vaccine would provide a preventative measure against illness and would be used to ease pressure on the health service and the wider economy if “several million” people become ill as expected at the height of a pandemic.

It takes several weeks or months to make flu vaccines as they have to be cultured using chicken eggs.

Regulators at the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) said the fast-tracked procedure has involved clinical trials of a “mock-up” vaccine similar to the one that will be used for the biggest mass vaccination programme in generations. It will be introduced into the general population while regulators continue to carry out simultaneous clinical trials.

The EMEA said fast-tracking would not be at the expense of patient safety, adding: “The vaccines are authorised with a detailed risk management plan. There is quite a body of evidence regarding safety on the trials of the mock-up, and the actual vaccine could be assessed in five days.”

The Department of Health said that a vaccination programme would be drawn up based on expert advice.

Source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article6694046.ece

Viruses resistant to oseltamivir (Tamiflu)

WHO has been informed by health authorities in Denmark, Japan and the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong, China of the appearance of H1N1 viruses which are resistant to the antiviral drug oseltamivir (known as Tamiflu) based on laboratory testing.

These viruses were found in three patients who did not have severe disease and all have recovered. Investigations have not found the resistant virus in the close contacts of these three people. The viruses, while resistant to oseltamivir, remain sensitive to zanamivir.

Close to 1000 pandemic H1N1 viruses have been evaluated by the laboratories in the Global Influenza Surveillance Network for antiviral drug resistance. All other viruses have been shown sensitive to both oseltamivir and zanamivir. WHO and its partners will continue to conduct ongoing monitoring of influenza viruses for antiviral drug resistance.

Therefore, based on current information, these instances of drug resistance appear to represent sporadic cases of resistance. At this time, there is no evidence to indicate the development of widespread antiviral resistance among pandemic H1N1 viruses. Based on this risk assessment, there are no changes in WHO's clinical treatment guidance. Antiviral drugs remain a key component of the public health response when used as recommended.

source: http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/notes/h1n1_antiviral_resistance_20090708/en/index.html

Swine Flu Outbreak at Airforce Base

The Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado is dealing with the state's largest outbreak of the H-1-N-1 virus, or swine flu.

The Academy says initial tests show 15 cadets with the virus.

Nearly 90 cadets have been isolated because of flu-like symptoms.

The Academy says most of the sick cadets are members of the incoming freshman class.

They began training on June 25th.

Others in the 13-hundred member class are having to wash their hands with an alcohol-based sanitizer.

Source: http://www.wtvynews4.com/news/headlines/50549237.html

Swine Flu: Now Full-Scale Pandemic

The World Health Organization today declared the global outbreak of the H1N1 influenza virus to be in Phase 6 -- a full-scale pandemic. The announcement essentially warns WHO's 194 member nations to expect the arrival of the new flu strain, which is likely to infect up to one-third of the population in the first wave and return in later waves over the next several years.