H5N1

East Africa: HIV/Aids, Ebola, Marburg dampen gains made in fight against malaria

Via The East African, a look back at the year: HIV/Aids, ebola, Marburg dampen gains made in fight against malaria. Excerpt:

The region has experienced breakthroughs in the fight against malaria, but has also faced setbacks with HIV/Aids prevalence rates and ebola and Marburg outbreaks. 

A breakthrough in the fight against malaria — Africa’s deadliest killer — appeared close, but as the year comes to a close, lack of funding clouds this milestone. Malaria kills up to 35,000 people, especially children under the age of five, every year. 

In Uganda, HIV/Aids prevalence rates are on the rise, an alarming reality that needs to be addressed urgently. The 2011 Uganda Aids Indicator Survey released in mid 2012 shows the prevalence rate is at 7.3 per cent, up from 6.4 per cent in the 2004-05 survey. 

In women, the prevalence rate is at 8.1 per cent. New infections are also on the rise at 145,000 in 2011, up from 128,000 in 2010 and 124,000 in 2009, which outstrips the annual enrolment in anti-retroviral treatment two-fold. 

Vinand Nantulya, the chairman of the Uganda Aids Commission, foresees a bleak 2013 with new HIV/Aids infections reaching 165,000. 

The country has also suffered ebola and Marburg outbreaks and the emergence of a mysterious “nodding disease” that affected children in the Acholi sub-region, in Northern Uganda. 

Researchers are however positive that in 2013 they will have better knowledge about the immune response of the ebola/Marburg vaccine on humans.

India: Rape charges fail to quell protests

Via CBC News, which led the 7:00 radio news with the story: India rape charges fail to quell protests. After a summary of the return of Nirbhaya's body to India, and her cremation, the report goes on to show the problem persists:

Following her death, thousands of Indians lit candles, held prayer meetings and marched through various cities and towns, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata, on Saturday night to express their grief and demand stronger protection for women and the death penalty for rape, which is now punishable by a maximum of life imprisonment. 

But even as thousands mourned the rape victim's death and in a sign of how pervasive such crimes are, police in West Bengal state were investigating another suspected gang-rape and death. 

In the latest case, the family of a woman said she and her husband were attacked by six men as they returned home after working at a brick factory. 

They dragged the woman into a nearby farm after pouring acid into her husband's mouth, the family said. 

The woman was found dead with multiple injuries, said police officer Bhaskar Mukherjee, adding he was waiting for an autopsy report. No charges have been laid. 

Another police officer, Sugata Sen, said four men had been detained for questioning.

US: Early flu season could be severe, experts warn

Via The Washington Post: Early flu season could be severe, experts warn. Excerpt:

Flu season in the United States is having its earliest start in nearly a decade and health officials say this season could be a bad one. 

Although flu is always unpredictable, the early nature of the cases and the predominant type circulating this year could make this a severe flu season, said officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

But officials said the vaccine formulated for this year is well-matched to the strains of the virus seen so far and urged those who have not been vaccinated to get a flu shot. 

In early December, the CDC said it was noticing an uptick in flu activity about a month before authorities normally see it, and the earliest since the 2003-2004 flu season. The primary strain this season is the H3N2, an influenza A virus that has been associated in the past with more severe flu seasons. 

‘More cases of flu’ 

Since the beginning of December, “there has been increasing influenza activity in more parts of the United States and more cases of flu,” said Joe Bresee, chief of epidemiology at CDC’s influenza division, in an interview last week. “We have seen increasing trends that flu is increasing in the last few weeks of the year, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see that continue into the new year.”

Influenza often peaks in January, February or even later. 

Reports of flu have been reported in 29 states, including Maryland and Virginia. As of Dec. 15, higher-than-normal reports of flulike illnesses had been reported in 12 states, most of them in the South and Southeast. They are: Virginia, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Illinois and Utah.

Canada: More on the VIA Rail cases

Via The Star: Woman dies, three fall ill aboard Toronto-bound VIA Rail train. Excerpt:

An elderly woman is dead and three other passengers were taken to hospital Saturday after developing flu-like symptoms on an eastbound VIA Rail train. 

The train, headed to Toronto from Vancouver, was stopped in Parry Sound, Ont., for six hours starting at 5 a.m. after an 86-year-old woman was reported to be unconscious and unresponsive. Emergency crews boarded the train and confirmed the woman had died. 

The two compartments occupied by the passengers were quarantined, and the train arrived in Toronto just before 4 p.m. 

The train left Vancouver on Christmas Day. The woman who later died had boarded in Edmonton on Dec. 26 with two relatives. 

Joanne Woodward, a spokeswoman for the Ontario Ministry of Health, said they are still awaiting test results to determine the cause of the illness. 

A post-mortem examination is expected Sunday. The Ontario Provincial Police are withholding the woman’s identity until all family members are notified.

Norway: Boy dies of H1N1 infection

Via Xinhua: Norwegian boy dies of swine flu infection. The link below will take you to a report in Norwegian. Excerpt:

An 11-year old boy from the southern Norwegian county of Telemark has died of a swine virus infection, the Norwegian-language newspaper Aftenposten reported on Friday. 

The boy had been seriously ill for two weeks before being transferred on Christmas Eve from a local hospital in Porsgrunn to the Riks Hospital in Oslo, capital of Norway, said Bjoernar Nyen, a doctor in the boy's hometown. 

Nyen confirmed that the boy died of influenza A caused by the H1N1 virus, which is also called the swine flu. 

The boy's immediate family members were being monitored by medical workers, according to the Telemark Daily. No other details about the death were available. 

Several schoolmates of the boy were also ill but their condition was not life threatening. 

The H1N1 virus infection is regarded as an ordinary seasonal flu, said the doctor. 

"Some can be very sick and very occasionally it gets as serious as this case. But most are not sick at all," said Nyen. 

The school has informed all students and their parents of the case and gave no special advice other than proper hand washing and good hygiene.

UK: Norovirus-hit Surrey hospital closed to visitors 'for days'

Via BBC News: Norovirus-hit Surrey hospital closed to visitors 'for days'. Excerpt:

A hospital which has stopped visitors for a third time because of norovirus says the ban will remain in force for "a few days". 

East Surrey Hospital was shut to visitors on 27 December after the virus affected patients in five wards. 

Several wards at the hospital which serves parts of Surrey and Sussex, were previously closed in November and on 18 December in a bid to contain the bug. 

The hospital said the situation would be reviewed "on a daily basis". 

Dr Des Holden, the hospital's medical director, said: "Although we are predicting it will be a few days before we can reopen again, we are reviewing it every day." 

The hospital opened its doors to visitors on Christmas Eve, but had to halt visits again on 27 December.

Body of 'India's Daughter' arrives in Delhi from Singapore

Via NDTV.com, where it is already Sunday: Body of 'India's Daughter' arrives in Delhi from Singapore. I note that the security people far outnumbered the protesters, which if nothing else reflects the anxiety the authorities must feel. Excerpt:

Like yesterday, all routes to India Gate in the heart of the capital will be closed today. Ten metro stations - Pragati Maidan, Mandi House, Barakhamba Road, Rajiv Chowk, Patel Chowk, Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan, Race Course, Jor Bagh and Khan Market - will also be shut. (Read) 

Five thousand policemen and security officers, some of them in riot gear, were posted yesterday to ward off demonstrators who strayed. Close to 3000 protesters gathered at Jantar Mantar, the designated spot for demonstrations; some of them lay down with black ribbons across their mouths. 

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit tried to join them, but was heckled after she lit a candle and was then taken away by her security. Protesters said they objected to her presence because they do not want a political tint to today's sombre mood. (Read) 

For 13 days, the student, who used to take tuition classes to pay for her own education according to some reports, fought for her life. She endured three major surgeries, brain injury and a cardiac arrest in a hospital in Delhi. But this was not a woman who was ready to give up. In scribbled messages while on life support systems, she reportedly asked her family if the six men who had damaged her so badly that her intestines had to be removed had been caught and punished. 

They were charged with her murder yesterday; their trial is likely to begin on January 3; the government has promised daily hearings to ensure a verdict is delivered quickly.

Canada: Woman suffering flu-like symptoms dies on Via Rail passenger train

Via The Globe and Mail: Woman suffering flu-like symptoms dies on Via Rail passenger train. My wife and I were on that train last September, and the thought of a fatality on that wonderful journey never crossed our minds. Excerpt:

A woman was found dead on a Via Rail passenger train early Saturday morning. 

The company says the Vancouver-to-Toronto train stopped near Parry Sound, Ont., because four passengers were showing flu-like symptoms. 

Emergency crews boarded the train and confirmed that a woman described in a Via Rail news release as elderly had died. 

The news release says the other three passengers were taken to hospital for treatment. 

Via says the train was about six hours late getting to Toronto. 

The train had left Vancouver on Christmas Day night. 

Via says a quarantine was placed on the two rooms the passengers were in, it’s not believed anyone else was in those compartments. 

Health officials say it’s not believed that other passengers or the train’s crew were exposed to those taken off the train.

Nicaragua: Six dengue cases in Nueva Guinea

Via El Nuevo Diario.com.ni: Seis casos de dengue en Nueva Guinea. [Six dengue cases in Nueva Guinea] No, it's not Papua New Guinea, but a Nicaraguan town in the southeast of the country. Excerpt, with my translation:

Los médicos del Hospital “Jacinto Hernández”, de Nueva Guinea, están “Ojo al Cristo” con el cambio de clima, lo que ha provocado enfermedades respiratorias y la presencia del dengue clásico en la zona. 

Doctors in Jacinto Hernández Hospital in Nueva Guinea are eye to eye with the weather change that has caused respiratory diseases and the presence of classic dengue in the region.

Según la epidemióloga Nicolasa Jarquín, en los últimos meses la atención a pacientes ha aumentado en Nueva Guinea. Diariamente se atiende un promedio de 50 personas solo en el centro hospitalario del lugar, sin tomar en cuenta los que llegan a otros centros asistenciales ubicados en diferentes comunidades, que suman cantidades similares. 

According to epidemiologist Nicolasa Jarquín, patient care has increased in recent months in Nueva Guinea. In the area's main hopsital, an average of 50 persons a day are cared for, not counting those who arrive at other centres in different communities that count similar numbers.

Las enfermedades por las que los pacientes --especialmente niños y adultos mayores-- llegan al hospital, son, sobre todo, afecciones respiratorias. 

Patients, especially children and seniors, arrive at the hospital mostly with respiratory infections. 

En lo que va del presente año, se han realizado 95 pruebas para detectar el dengue, y se han confirmado seis casos positivos del tipo clásico en las zonas urbana y rural, pero no se reporta dengue hemorrágico, por lo que según Jarquín, la situación está bajo control.

So far this year the hospital has carried out 95 dengue tests and six classic dengue cases have been confirmed in urban and rural regions. Hemorrhagic dengue has not been reported; Jarquín says that's why the situation is under control.

US: State Department issues travel warning for Haiti

Via the US Department of State website, a December 28 travel warning about Haiti. Excerpt:

U.S. citizens have been victims of violent crime, including murder and kidnapping, predominantly in the Port-au-Prince area. No one is safe from kidnapping, regardless of occupation, nationality, race, gender, or age. 

In recent months, travelers arriving in Port-au-Prince on flights from the United States were attacked and robbed shortly after departing the airport. At least two U.S. citizens were shot and killed in robbery and kidnapping incidents in 2012. Haitian authorities have limited capacity to deter or investigate such violent acts, or prosecute perpetrators. 

The ability of local authorities to respond to emergencies is limited and in some areas nonexistent. Should you find yourself in an emergency, local health, police, judicial, and physical infrastructure limitations mean there are few local resources available to help resolve the problem. For this reason, the Embassy limits its staff’s travel in areas outside of Port-au-Prince. This in turn constrains our ability to provide emergency services to U.S. Citizens outside of Port-au-Prince. 

U.S. Embassy personnel are under an Embassy-imposed curfew of 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. and must remain at home or at another safe facility during curfew hours. Additionally, there are restrictions on travel by Embassy staff in other areas or times. This, too, may constrain the Embassy’s ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens outside Port-au-Prince. For additional details on restrictions on staff travel within Haiti, please see our Country Specific Information for Haiti. 

The Haitian National Police (HNP), with assistance from MINUSTAH, are responsible for keeping the peace and rendering assistance. However, given the possibility and unpredictability of protests, including the potential (as with any protest) to become violent, its ability to assist U.S. citizens during disturbances is very limited. Please see our website for additional information on how the Department of State assists U.S. citizens during a crisis. 

Haiti's infrastructure remains in poor condition and unable to fully support even normal activity, much less crisis situations. U.S. government-facilitated evacuations, such as the evacuation that took place after the earthquake in Haiti in 2010, occur only when no safe commercial alternatives exist. 

Medical facilities, including ambulance services, are particularly weak. Some U.S. citizens injured in accidents and others with serious health concerns have been unable to find necessary medical care in Haiti and have had to arrange and pay for medical evacuation to the United States. 

Given these conditions and the cost of private evacuations, we strongly encourage visitors to Haiti to obtain evacuation insurance, including for medical issues that may arise.   

While incidents of cholera have declined significantly, cholera persists in many areas of Haiti. Prior to travel, U.S. citizens should obtain information about cholera and other health-related issues by visiting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at http://www.cdc.gov.

This certainly won't be a boost to Haiti's tourism industry, and it doesn't speak well for my own Canadian government's efforts to train the Haitian police force.