H5N1

Fears of ’catastrophic damage’ as Cyclone Evan nears Fiji

Via The Globe and Mail, an AFP report datelined Suva, Fiji: Fears of ’catastrophic damage’ as deadly cyclone nears Fiji. Excerpt:

Fijian authorities scrambled to evacuate residents from low-lying areas Sunday as a monster cyclone threatened the Pacific nation with “catastrophic damage” after causing widespread devastation in Samoa. 

At least four people were killed when Cyclone Evan slammed into Samoa and the toll was expected to rise as a search was launched for eight men still missing on three fishing boats. 

Only one survivor has been found, the New Zealand Rescue Co-ordination Centre, which is overseeing the search, said. 

After crossing Samoa, Evan intensified as it ploughed through the Pacific and forecasters said destructive winds could reach nearly 300 kilometres per hour by the time it hits Fiji early Monday morning. 

Government officials fear it could be as devastating as Cyclone Kina which killed 23 people and left thousands homeless in 1993. 

Squally thunderstorms were expected to flood low-lying areas while coastal villages were at risk of sea flooding, authorities said. 

Tourists in luxury resorts on outlying islands were being ferried to the mainland, while Fiji’s main airline, Air Pacific, said it had either cancelled or rescheduled its Monday flights. 

Philip Duncan, head analyst with the WeatherWatch.co.nz meteorological service, said Fiji could expect to be walloped by the storm with the prospect of flash flooding and mudslides. 

“Gusts may end up climbing to 280 kilometres per hour or greater around the centre of Evan,” Duncan said. “Some small, low-lying communities and resorts may suffer catastrophic damage and some small islands may be entirely submerged as the storm and storm surge roll by.” 

More than 200 evacuation centres have been opened and Information Ministry permanent secretary Sharon Smith-Johns said people at risk should move.

For updates, go to #Evan and the Fiji Meteorological Service Facebook page; the Service's official website is extremely slow to load on Saturday night.

Meanwhile, the Sydney Morning Herald reports that about 500 Australian teenagers, in Fiji on "schoolies" holiday, are at Nadi airport trying to get flights home before the cyclone hits on Sunday night and Monday.

Canada: E. coli cases trigger burger recall expansion

Via CBC News: E. coli cases trigger burger recall expansion. Excerpt:

Federal officials are investigating five cases of E. coli-related illness in connection with a nationwide beef burger recall. 

Authorities say the illnesses were in Ontario and Alberta, and the people involved are recovering. The consumption of frozen burgers was a common thread among the cases.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning the public not to consume certain Butcher's Choice Beef Burgers. 

The recall has been further expanded to include all best-before dates. Previously, the recall only included products with best-before dates of Feb. 1, Feb. 10 and March 3. 

The affected products, sold in 1.1.3 kilogram packages, are: 

• Butcher's Choice Hickory Barbecue Beef Burgers (UPC code 0 60383 89364 4). 

• Butcher's Choice Garlic Peppercorn Beef Burgers (UPC code 0 60383 89363 7). 

Loblaw Companies Ltd. is recalling the product as a precautionary measure. 

The CFIA says it is testing additional products collected from across the country and is conducting an investigation involving Cardinal Meat Specialists in Brampton, Ont. 

The agency says its inspectors have examined the plant and believe it has been handling food appropriately. 

Officials are now tracing back the beef and spices used by the plant to see if the contamination was brought in with the raw ingredients. 

If so, they say more food recalls could be coming.

WHO downplayed health effects of nuclear crisis on Fukushima residents : German physician

Via The Japan Times Online: WHO downplayed health effects of nuclear crisis on Fukushima residents : German physician. This is a story about a report published last August. Excerpt:

A German doctor and member of a Nobel Peace Prize-winning physicians' group has criticized a World Health Organization report on the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe for underestimating its impact on human health. 

In a research paper, Alex Rosen said the WHO report, published in May this year on estimated radiation doses received by residents near the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, was compiled mainly by officials related to the International Atomic Energy Agency, which promotes the use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes. 

Rosen, a member of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, called for an independent assessment based on solid scientific methodology that would examine the health impacts from radioactive fallout released after the Fukushima No. 1 complex suffered three core meltdowns in March 2011. 

The WHO report put the maximum whole-body radiation dose per person in the first four months of the crisis at 50 millisieverts, even in two municipalities very close to the plant, the town of Namie and the village of Iitate. It also estimated that no area experienced doses in excess of 100 millisieverts. 

The risk of developing cancer is believed to substantially increase if the annual dose exceeds 100 millisieverts. 

Rosen noted that the WHO's estimate on the amount of radioactive fallout emitted from the plant's destroyed reactors was significantly lower than projections provided by research institutes in many other countries. 

The WHO report also failed to take into account the radiation exposure of people living within 20 km of the No. 1 plant and who were evacuated in the first few days of the calamity, after the area was designated a no-go zone, Rosen said, pointing to the possibility that these residents may have received high doses before or during their evacuation. 

The report "seems to suggest a certain safety while omitting the important information that the risk of developing cancer and other radiation-induced diseases increases proportionally to the amount of radioactive exposure," Rosen, a pediatrician, said. 

The most flawed aspect of the WHO report is "its apparent lack of neutrality," he said. 

Rosen further asserted that the report reflects an effort to downplay the effects of the disaster, as it was compiled chiefly by IAEA staff and members of nuclear regulatory bodies that were closely colluding with Japan's nuclear power industry. 

"It is unclear why a report written mainly by the IAEA and collaborating nuclear institutions would need to be published in the name of the WHO, if not to provide an unsuspicious cover" for the true radiation levels Fukushima residents were exposed to, Rosen argued.

Uganda: Imbalu surgeons abandon risky practises as HIV surges

Via New Vision: Imbalu surgeons abandon risky practises as HIV surges.

The increase in HIV infections has forced some Bagisu to abandon the cultural circumcision rituals they have treasured for centuries.   

Traditionally, the local surgeons (Bakhebi) would use one knife (Inyembe) on several candidates (Basinde). But following various sensitisation programmes by the health officials in Bugisu region, the policy is now “one knife, one candidate”.   

Yusuf Wamboga, who has been a local circumcision surgeon since 1988, says while in the past local surgeons would operate as individuals, today, their operations are carried out under the umbrella organisation, Bamasaaba Local Surgeons Association.   

“Every circumcision season, the surgeons undergo a re-orientation training on safe male circumcision. The aim is to make circumcision safer for the candidates and the local surgeons,” Wamboga says.   

“In the association, the “one knife, one candidate” policy is emphasised and each surgeon is expected to carry at least 10 knives. In addition, he is required to wash his hands with clean water and soap after circumcising. This has, however, pushed up the price of the knives from sh2,000 [US$0.75] to sh10,000 [US$3.75] per knife,” Wamboga explains.   

In the past, when a surgeon accidentally cut himself, he would let the blood from the circumcision candidate’s wound drop into his, but this has since stopped because of the risk of contracting HIV, Wamboga adds.   

He says currently, no surgeon is allowed to circumcise if he has a wound. 

However, Wamboga appeals to the Government to educate parents, whose sons are due for the ritual, on the risks of contracting infections. He also urges the Government to facilitate the local surgeons in Bugisu.    

“Some parents still believe in cultural practices, such as  smearing one with cow dung, clay and yeast, yet they can expose one to infections,” Wamboga says.   

Sironko district health officer Dr. Rogers Nabende, says the district health department has trained and deployed three clinical officers at Budadiri Health Centre IV to carry out safe male circumcision.   

“Since the beginning of the year, over 250 boys have been circumcised at the health centre. This has encouraged many young boys to opt for safe male circumcision at the facility,” Nabende says.   

Meanwhile, the AIDS Information Centre in Mbale circumcised over 650 males, not so much as a ritual of the Bagisu, but because it helps reduce the risks of contracting HIV.    

However, most circumcision candidates, according to James Khulosya, a minister in the Inzu Ya Masaaba cultural institution, prefer to undergo the cultural ritual. He attributes this to their cultural attachment.

India: Japanese encephalitis is a new strain

Via OneWorld South Asia: New Encephalitis virus makes combat difficult. Excerpt:

Faced with flak over its failure in combating Japanese Encephalitis (or JE, causing brain fever) that has claimed 884 deaths across India, health planners are flabbergasted with fresh news of a new strain of the Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV) circulating in India's eastern state of West Bengal. 

JE is rampant in many states of India, despite an active vaccination programme. The stubbornness of disease is also attributed to this strain of virus. 

According to a study published in the online journal, Virology Journal, researchers confirmed noticing a new strain of the virus. This new strain coexisted with the existing strain and was found in over a quarter of 135 patients hospitalised for AES. This strain was first detected three years ago in the Gorakhpur district of the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. 

The unusual strain of the JE virus has challenged the efficacy of vaccines currently used against JE derived from the dominant strain. "In future, JE outbreak is quite likely in the state if this vaccine fails to protect sufficiently against GI of JEV," the researchers noted in their study. 

This strain is difficult to counter and accounts for the vast majority of JE-related deaths in India. Researchers from the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) have confirmed the strain in the samples of blood, and fluid from brain and spinal column, of patients admitted to government hospitals in eight West Bengal districts. 

The ICMR scientists, who were joined by scientists from the microbiology department of the University of Burdwan, were unable to ascertain how the GI strain, earlier reported circulating in South Korea, Thailand and China, had reached India. 

It was possible, researchers said, that the GI strains were brought in by travellers, migratory birds (such as herons) or mosquitoes blown in by cyclonic winds. Domestic pigs are known reservoirs of JEV.

India: Government to provide free tuberculosis drugs

Via The Economic Times: Government to provide free tuberculosis drugs at all chemist shops and corporate hospitals. Excerpt:

NEW DELHI: In a move to curb multi-drug resistant tuberculosis cases caused mostly because of irregular medication, the government has decided that relevant medicines will be available for free at all chemist shops and corporate hospitals. 

The scheme will be rolled out across the country by next March. A patient, confirmed positive for TB by a qualified doctor, simply needs to register with the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP). 

The patient will then be issued a unique ID which will have all information on medicines prescribed and the dosage. 

"Any hospital or chemist shop will be able to give the medicine to him/her as per the treatment schedule, which will be available online. The government will bear all costs," said Dr Jagdhish Prasad, director general of health services (DGHS). 

The government presently spends about Rs 250 crore [US$45.8 million] on providing free medicines to TB patients. The new scheme will cost about Rs 100 crore [US$18.3 million] more. 

"We are in talks with manufacturers of the medicines and hospital groups to finalise the modality for reimbursement," Prasad said. 

India reports 15 lakh [1.5 million] new cases of TB every year. About one in six deaths among adults aged 15-49 are caused by TB. Nearly 10,000 cases of multi-drug resistant are estimated to occur annually.

US: Kristof on the shootings as public health problem

Via The New York Times, columnist Nicholas Kristof writes: Do We Have the Courage to Stop This? Excerpt:

Children ages 5 to 14 in America are 13 times as likely to be murdered with guns as children in other industrialized countries, according to David Hemenway, a public health specialist at Harvard who has written an excellent book on gun violence. 

So let’s treat firearms rationally as the center of a public health crisis that claims one life every 20 minutes. The United States realistically isn’t going to ban guns, but we can take steps to reduce the carnage. 

American schoolchildren are protected by building codes that govern stairways and windows. School buses must meet safety standards, and the bus drivers have to pass tests. Cafeteria food is regulated for safety. The only things we seem lax about are the things most likely to kill. 

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has five pages of regulations about ladders, while federal authorities shrug at serious curbs on firearms. Ladders kill around 300 Americans a year, and guns 30,000. 

We even regulate toy guns, by requiring orange tips — but lawmakers don’t have the gumption to stand up to National Rifle Association extremists and regulate real guns as carefully as we do toys. What do we make of the contrast between heroic teachers who stand up to a gunman and craven, feckless politicians who won’t stand up to the N.R.A.? 

As one of my Facebook followers wrote after I posted about the shooting, “It is more difficult to adopt a pet than it is to buy a gun.” 

Look, I grew up on an Oregon farm where guns were a part of life; and my dad gave me a .22 rifle for my 12th birthday. I understand: shooting is fun! But so is driving, and we accept that we must wear seat belts, use headlights at night, and fill out forms to buy a car. Why can’t we be equally adult about regulating guns? 

And don’t say that it won’t make a difference because crazies will always be able to get a gun. We’re not going to eliminate gun deaths, any more than we have eliminated auto accidents. But if we could reduce gun deaths by one-third, that would be 10,000 lives saved annually.

Malawi: Government fights for cholera-free season

Via Malawi News: Government fights for cholera-free season. Excerpt:

The Ministry of Health says it targets to have a cholera-free season this rainy season across the country just like other districts have experienced in the last years. 

All the districts in the Northern and Central regions and some in the Southern Region, such as Balaka, Mulanje and Neno have experienced cholera-free season in the last few years. 

Health ministry spokesperson Henry Chimbali said the ministry is working hard to achieve the goal. 

"We can't say by how much we want to prevent cholera cases, but our target is to have a cholera-free season just like other districts have experienced in the last years," he said. 

Chimbali nonetheless said hospitals are ready to manage cholera cases in an event of an outbreak. But he insisted due to trends of the past few years, Malawi is doing well in cholera prevention. 

He said Malawi is winning the battle against cholera because the ministry emphasises on public education on proper hygiene. 

Chimbali also said the ministry has intensified community education on construction and utilisation of toilets to avoid unsafe disposition of human waste which may help spreading cholera-causing germs. 

He also said the ministry will make sure the water being used in households is safe by providing chlorine to be applied in the water.

Indonesia: New human H5N1 death

Gert van der Hoek at FluTrackers has a December 14 post: Indonesia - Ministry of Health - Human Bird Flu Reports 2012. It's a computer-translated report from the ministry, describing the death of a four-year-old boy in West Java from H5N1. 

When I went to the ministry's own website to confirm this, however, I found nothing more recent than a report on the last previous case in August. Nor have I seen anything on the ministry's English page, or in the Indonesian English-language media. I have no idea why they should be so slow to report.

Nigeria: Measles kills seven children in Kebbi as 37 fresh cases are discovered

Via Premium Times: Measles kills seven children in Kebbi as 37 fresh cases are discovered. Kebbi is a state in northwestern Nigeria. Excerpt:

Health officials in Birnin Kebbi Local Government and Ambursa /Kardi Development Area in Kebbi State said they discovered 37 fresh cases of measles in rural communities. 

The discovery came two weeks after seven children died of the disease. 

The Director of Health in the area, Yusuf Sani, said in Birnin Kebbi on Friday that the disease was discovered in Runtuwa, Gawasu in Ambursa/Kardi development area. 

He said treatment and isolation of the affected children, as well as provision of drugs, had begun. 

The disease, which has so far claimed seven lives since its outbreak, was uncovered two weeks ago while 245 out of the 275 children have been treated. 

Mr. Sani said 38 new cases have been recorded in Runtuwa and Gawasu as well as other sections of the metropolis.