masks N95 for children against the flu pandemic diseases, swine flu, bird flu.
Translator
Blog : last news
follow us on Twitter
www.issapharma.org > child
'Swine flu' flood results in new health warning
The 05 Aug. 2010 at 09:42Last newsComments (0)Add a comment
Record numbers of children under five are being brought into Waikato Hospital's emergency department with swine flu symptoms, prompting action from health authorities.
Waikato District Health Board issued a letter to all schools, childcare centres and kindergartens yesterday outlining their concern at the sudden surge in patient numbers – particularly the under five age group.
St Joseph's School in Fairfield had 126 pupils away on Monday from a school roll of 360.
DHB spokesperson Mary Anne Gill said it was important that parents acted swiftly when symptoms developed rather than waiting until children required emergency treatment.
"In the first instance parents can call the Health Ministry's free Healthcare line on 0800611116 and they would be able to advise on whether further treatment was necessary," Mrs Gill said.
Of 192 ED patients seen on Monday 60 were children under the age of 15, 50 were 10 and under and 40 were under five, which equated to 37 per cent of the workload rather than the usual 10 per cent of cases. Mrs Gill said of the 60 children seen 16 were admitted to hospital, which was twice the normal number.
Radius Medical general manager Dr Navin Rajan said his medical centres were experiencing a "huge number" of patients with body aches, sore throats and high temperatures.
"There has been a huge spike in the numbers we have seen but interestingly our Rototuna clinic is not seeing as many patients as this was a clinic that experienced a very high uptake of the flu vaccine, but at Davies Corner where uptake was not as high we are seeing lots of patients," he said.
Anglesea Clinic medical director Dr Roger Browne also confirmed high numbers of patients though he warned against parents bringing their children in at the first sniffle or cough.
"That would simply overwhelm resources when we are already very busy. A virus infection doesn't need any treatment and is generally well managed with paracetamol, but parents should bring their children in if they feel concerned," he said.
DHB medical officer of health Dr Felicity Dumble said the recent spike was expected and that people should not panic about the sudden outbreak of viruses.
"We are seeing many different viruses coming through and while some will be swine flu we are also seeing many other strains such as noro and gastro conditions," Dr Dumble said.
Environmental Science and Research data showed just under 30 per cent of the population was exposed to swine flu already and had antibodies. Almost half of the under-20 population had been exposed.
India: One-year-old dies of swine flu, two test positive
The 21 Jun. 2010 at 22:22Last newsComments (0)Add a comment
A one-year-old boy died of H1N1-related complications at Sion Hospital on Sunday and two others tested positive for the H1N1 virus on Monday. In Thane, a 55-year-old woman, Fatima Sheik, was diagnosed with swine flu on Sunday.
Forty-nine Mumbaiites have tested positive for swine flu in the last 20 days.
The death of the toddler was the third swine flu death in a city hospital this month. The boy, a Dharavi resident, had been suffering from fever since June 12 but was admitted to the hospital only on June 17 after he developed breathlessness, said a BMC official.
Doctors suspected the boy was suffering from swine flu and took throat swabs for testing. He was administered Tamiflu for three days after testing positive for the H1N1 virus, but he succumbed to complications at the paediatric ICU at Sion Hospital on June 20.
Infants and pregnant women are considered to be in the high-risk category for swine flu since their immunity is low. BMC officials said they should consult a doctor, the moment they notice any flu-like symptom.Among the two others who tested positive for the virus, one is a pregnant woman who is admitted at KEM Hospital in Parel and the other is admitted at Kasturba Hospital, Chinchpokli.
The BMC is yet to decide on issuing guidelines to private hospitals regarding handling swine flu patients. "We will meet with state government officials soon to decide on the matter," said Dr G T Ambe, executive health officer, BMC.
Extra doses of the H1N1 vaccine, which is currently being administered to healthcare workers in the city hospitals, will not be made available for the general public. "The vaccine will be administered to only healthcare staff working in close contact with swine flu patients," said Ambe. More than 200 medical and paramedical staff of city hospitals have been administered the vaccine so far.
Across the state, eight people tested positive for swine flu on Monday, taking the total number of swine flu cases in the state since April to 498.
The state has recorded 60 deaths due to swine flu related complications since April.
"Swine flu cases have not been on the rise in the last month," said Dr Pradeep Awate of the state influenza cell.
The Thane resident who tested positive was transferred from a private hospital to Thane civic hospital. "She was diagnosed with swine flu on Sunday and has been undergoing treatment at the hospital. There are six members of her family, who have been quarantined and are being given treatment," said Thane health officer Dr. R T Kendre.
USA: Local toddler dies from bacterial illness McFadden urges vaccination
The 19 Jun. 2010 at 13:14Last newsComments (0)Add a comment
By CHRISTINE L. PRATT
Staff Writer
MILLERSBURG -- A toddler is dead, and while offering condolences to her family, Holmes County's health commissioner is urging others to protect their children against the communicable and deadly disease that claimed her life.
"I extend our condolences to the family of this child who died. As a community, we grieve this tragedy," said Dr. D.J. McFadden, noting the child's
death is the apparent result of meningitis and sepsis from a bacteria called Haemophilus influenza. Hib is vaccine-preventable; however, the child was not vaccinated.Mary Ann R. Yoder fell ill midday Monday with what initially appeared to be a cold and high fever, spiking around 103 degrees. Her parents kept attentive watch over her throughout the night, but summoned an emergency squad when early in the morning the child's condition took a turn for the worse, said McFadden.
While she once was revived at the home, young daughter of Robert D. and Freida M. Yoder became unresponsive en route to Pomerene Hospital and was pronounced dead on arrival, he said.
This illness is treatable with antibiotics, yet even with antibiotics 3-6 percent of children will die. Of those that survive meningitis with this bacteria, up to 30 percent can suffer from complications such as blindness, deafness and developmental slowing, said McFadden.
The best way to prevent the illness is to complete the vaccinations series for Hib. This has been demonstrated to be 99 percent effective in preventing this disease, and "If children are vaccinated, they have very little to fear."
The vaccine, introduced to the United States market is not available to children over the age of 4. The vaccine is free and available to those younger than 5 at the health department and at satellite clinics.
Before Hib vaccine, Hib disease was the leading cause of bacterial meningitis among children under 5 years old in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Additionally, before Hib vaccine, about 20,000 children in the United States under 5 years old got severe Hib disease each year and nearly 1,000 people died.
Since then, the Hib bacterium has been virtually eliminated because of vaccination. "It changed the way we practiced medicine. The disease doesn't exist. We've had enough children vaccinated that it protects the ones who are not vaccinated," said McFadden.
"Now what we've had happen is that there aren't enough people vaccinated. Our pool of unvaccinated people is too large, it puts us at risk that this can happen again," he said.
"Having Haemophilus is a game-changer for how we practice medicine. Without Haemophilus, most fevers are caused by organisms that are not lethal. When you throw Haemophilus into the mix, you have to have a much higher suspicion for organisms that mimic the cold or flu. We changed how we practiced medicine after the Hib vaccine. We started giving less antibiotics and using more tender loving care. Now what do we do?"
McFadden was made aware of the situation Tuesday afternoon when initial findings of the medical examiner showed evidence of infection consistent with meningococcal meningitis, prompting health department treatment of those with whom the child had contact, first household members -- her parents and three siblings, including a twin brother -- and then secondary contacts with whom she came in contact during Sunday church service.
Haemophilus influenza is a bacterial illness that is passed from person to person through respiratory droplets or from direct contact with secretions. It can cause rapid progression of symptoms and can lead to meningitis, blood infections, pneumonia, bronchitis, and epiglottitis. Prophylactic treatment for Hib differs little from meningoccal meningitis, although the duration of treatment is doubled from two-four days.
Household members of someone with a case of Hib are advised to receive antibiotics to prevent the disease if there is a member of the family that is younger than 4, if there are children that are immunocompromised, and if there is a child less than 12 months old who has not been vaccinated fully. Antibiotics are advised for people in a nursery school where there have been two or more cases within 60 days. Others are not considered at high risk.
"I can accept (meningococcal meningitis), but when it was Hib, that, for me in public health, that is gut wrenching," said McFadden. "As a public health worker, it is hard taking that death as personal.
"How else can we get our message out? This is my worst nightmare. I am trying to save lives. That's our hard walk that we walk. I hate making it sound gloom and doom. It is my hope this is the one case and only case. There is something they can do," he said. "For me, for children 4 and under who are not vaccinated, I strongly urge them to be vaccinated."
To date no other cases of Hib have been identified. However, adults can be carriers of this bacteria and never have symptoms. To protect local children and the community vaccinations are encouraged this month, previously declared Holmes County Vaccination Month.
12 children die of mysterious disease in Bihar
The 09 Jun. 2010 at 11:06Comments (0)Add a comment
PATNA - Twelve children have died of a mysterious disease in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district after they complained of high fever and convulsion, officials said Wednesday.
"A total of 12 children have died over the past few days. In the last 48 hours, four children have died of the mysterious disease. Dozens of children have been admitted to different hospitals for treatment," civil surgeon A.P. Singh told IANS on phone from Muzaffarpur, about 70 km from here.The district administration has sounded a high alert to check the spread of the disease.
The children reported high fever followed by bouts of unconsciousness and convulsion leading to their death.
Local people termed the mysterious disease as ‘Chamki ki Bimari' and claimed that the symptoms tally with encephalitis.
"We cannot say anything exactly about the mysterious disease. It is difficult to say that children died of encephalitis. A medical team has been formed to examine the mysterious disease," Singh said.
Official sources in the state health department here said there was no facility to identify encephalitis in Bihar.
H1N1 influenza hits older children
The 04 May. 2010 at 10:27Last newsComments (0)Add a comment
Vaccination of children vital in upcoming flu season, study author says
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA - Children hospitalized with pandemic H1N1 influenza in 2009 were older and more likely to have underlying medical conditions than children hospitalized with seasonal influenza during prior flu seasons, according to a study to be presented Tuesday, May 4 at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.Population-based surveillance of 5.3 million children for laboratory-confirmed influenza was conducted in 10 states during the 2003-2009 influenza seasons and in the early 2009 H1N1 pandemic. Investigators used the data to compare the demographics, medical history and clinical course of children younger than 18 years who were hospitalized with seasonal influenza vs. those hospitalized with H1N1 flu.
Results showed the median age of children hospitalized with H1N1 influenza was 5 years, compared to 1 year for those hospitalized with seasonal flu in 2003-2009. In addition, children with asthma, hemoglobinopathies such as sickle-cell disease and a history of prematurity made up a larger proportion of all children hospitalized with H1N1 influenza than with seasonal flu. However, one-third of children hospitalized with H1N1 influenza were previously healthy.
"Our findings underscore the importance of influenza immunization in children of all ages and particularly in children with underlying medical conditions," said lead author Fatimah S. Dawood, MD, epidemic intelligence service officer, Influenza Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "Ensuring immunization of children at risk for hospitalization with influenza will remain critical during the upcoming 2010-2011 influenza season when the 2009 pandemic H1N1 virus may continue to circulate and other seasonal influenza viruses may circulate as well."
The 2010-2011 seasonal flu vaccine will protect against three flu viruses, one of which is a 2009 H1N1-like flu virus.
Results also showed that compared to children hospitalized with seasonal influenza, an even higher proportion of children hospitalized with H1N1 influenza were diagnosed with pneumonia and/or required intensive care.
"These findings also support the use of early antiviral treatment in children with 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza who require hospitalization," Dr. Dawood said. "Prior studies of seasonal influenza have demonstrated that antiviral treatment may improve outcomes in patients with severe influenza."