April 26, 2009
Swine Flu Cases Plotted on Google Maps
View H1N1 Swine Flu in a larger map
(grab map with your mouse to move map around)
Labels: bird flu, Google Maps, Swine Flu
Swine Flu Twitterers Of Note
CDC Emergency CDC Emergency Preparedness and Response: increasing the nation's ability to prepare for and respond to public health emergencies.
CDC Flu Get notified whenever any new or updated documents are posted anywhere on the CDC Flu Website. www.cdc.gov/flu
CDC eHealth CDC eHealth Marketing: CDC.gov and interactive media projects. Delivering science-based health & safety info when where and how you need it.
Standing Firm CM Catherine Mitchell
WHO News World Health Organization - the directing and coordinating authority within the UN system for public health
Flu Trackers A nonprofit that is composed of a diverse group of citizens from many countries who follow and document emerging and re-emerging disease.
Health Map Public website bringing together disparate data sources to achieve a unified view of the current global state of infectious diseases
Labels: bird flu, Swine Flu, Twitter
April 25, 2009
Stocking Up On Goods: Just In Case
Mexico City has been shut down. Mexico has mandated quarantine to some extent across the country. Schools are closing and public events are cancelled.
This is not a drill. The Mexican Swine Flu, a combination "avian flu, human flu Type A, human flu Type B, Asian swine flu, and European swine flu" according to the CDC and mentioned in this editorial.
I read that a guy in Mexico City was arrested for trying to sell paper facemasks for 25 times the face value.
Tonight my wife and I stopped at Walgreen's and bought two boxes of face masks. The product is from Medline.com and we paid $7.50 for 10 masks. Two boxes set us back $15 + the 10% California sales tax.
My wife is certain the same product can be bought for $3.50 to $4.00 per box at WalMart.
No matter, we paid the premium. If extended family or neighbors need a mask we will share. If things go bad these masks will become scarce.
Next stop a big box grocer, not Costco, I didn't want to face the lines.
We stocked up on canned goods, pasta, pasta sauce, juices, frozen vegetables, salsa, bread for freezing, canned beans, rice and other frozen foods.
What good will all this do? Maybe nothing but as I said above, just in case. It's not that I believe there will be shortages, it's just that I want to be able to stay clear of the stores if this gets crazy.
I can say without a doubt there is no hoarding or any panic whatsoever in my community in Central California.
If it does get crazy it appears those that have flu shots, generally the young and old, may have some built in immunity or at least enough to blunt a fatal blow according to the CDC.
At least two anti-virals including Tamiflu are effective against this concoction but in the case of a widespread outbreak the stores of Tamiflu could be depleted.
Here is another worthwhile article written by an epidemiologist.
HHS recommends food storage, generally.
Update: Americans encouraged to wear masks if worried.
April 24, 2009
Swine Flu, Wake Up Call
Human Swine Influenza Investigation page.
California Governor Schwarzenegger weighs in.
Search Twitter
Read Drudge
Search Google
Search Blogs
Info CDC
Read Breitbart
January 06, 2009
H5N1 Bird Flu Virus Claims 19 Year Old In Beijing
H5N1 Avian Flu is simmering in parts of the World. Are inhabitants in the Western Hemisphere concerned? Should we be?With the expected role of first responders in mind it is important to stay up to date on this potential pandemic.
Today from Reuters we read of a young and otherwise healthy woman that died from the bird flu on Christmas Eve in Beijing.
"Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection said the woman had had contact with poultry before falling ill.
China's official Xinhua News Agency earlier reported that the woman from eastern Fujian province had bought nine ducks at a market in Hebei province, which surrounds Beijing, and then gutted the birds.
She gave three ducks to her father, uncle and a friend and kept the other six ducks, the agency reported.
It added that 116 people, including the patients 14 family members and neighbor and 102 medical workers, had been in close contact with the patient."
It's reassuring the victim's 14 family members are in the clear so far but it has to be a concern to Chinese officials the H5N1 has visited the nations capital city.
In other H5N1 has news the Sunday edition of the L.A. Times reports;
"........the virus appears to be entrenched in Indonesia, parts of China, Vietnam, Egypt and other countries where backyard flocks are more difficult to regulate than commercial chicken farms, according to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization.
Though bird flu viruses are common, highly pathological ones such as the 1918 virus and H5N1 -- which has been lethal to 100% of chickens infected and 63% of humans known to be infected -- are rare.
Scientists have little experience with which to gauge how H5N1 will evolve.
But, Webster said, "We still have to treat this as a potentially very, very dangerous virus."
In 2005 Hill & Associates issued a special report that discussed the pandemic potential as it relates to businesses with an International presence. The report singles out which affected countries are best prepared to deal with requisite quarantines, vaccination programs and an infrastructure capable of confronting a pandemic.
China, Pakistan, Thailand score low by H & A readiness standards. Japan, Australia and South Korea score higher and stand ready to confront a widespread outbreak. H & A did not address the readiness of the U.S. in their study.
The Times article points out that vaccination against H5N1 is tricky. Current vaccines for birds and humans is designed for many flu subtypes. Undisciplined or rampant vaccination programs as opposed to regionally administered programs invite the evolution of resistant strains. The effectiveness of these vaccines require a coordination between countries that does not exist at the moment.
The FDA has approved a bird flu vaccine but the vaccine is not being mass produced and there appears to be no huge stores being held.
Government operated AvianFlu.gov is an excellent resource for anyone seeking information on H5N1.
First responders are encouraged to review the IAFF Pandemic Flu resource pages. The IAFF has been proactive in providing information on H5N1 from the start.
The question remains, is H5N1, Avian flu, Bird flu something to worry about by North Americans? Absolutely. We should not be complacent just because the virus has not crossed our borders.
If it does we know very little of the vaccine is on hand. The vaccine on hand would likely go to hospital and first responders, this we expect. How fast could the vaccine manufacturer roll out product? Is there enough Vaccine on hand for first responder family members? How fast would anti-viral drugs like Tamiflu and Relenza disappear from pharmacies?
The case of this young lady in Beijing serves as a reminder the subject is still very much alive. Pandemic is an ugly word no one likes to talk about. As long as the potential for one exists the discussion must be kept alive.
April 13, 2008
H5N1 (Bird Flu) Simmering In Asia
There had been 238 human deaths globally from the H5N1 strain and 376 confirmed cases of infection since 2003 according to World Health Organisation data. An Egyptian woman has been reported dead since those figures were available.
A major concern is the possibility of mutation into a disease that easily passes from one person to another, triggering a global pandemic."
Why is this a concern of Firefighter Blog? I follow this story as it pertains to first responders. If the strain hits here and a global pandemic ensues first responders will be tested as never before.
IAFF Bird Flu Facts pages for Responders.
For other links to the IAFF Bird Flu Facts Pages and other FF Blog posts on H5N1 here!
February 18, 2008
Bird Flu, The Simmering Pandemic?
I know, the title is a little over the top but is it really? Fox News provides details of a 22 year old man who died from avian or 'bird flu' in Jianghua County of Hunan's Yongzhou City China.
More than 225 people have died worldwide from the virus, according to the World Health Organization reports Fox.
I have posted on this subject in the past and my chief concern, aside from the potential threat to my family and friends is the effect a pandemic, or even an outbreak would pose to first responders.
Bird flu, or H5N1 is not going away any time soon. When you read the strain is centering on poultry and then consider everyone in rural China or Indonesia raises chickens it seems inevitable a mutated form of the virus will take hold.
More on the virus from Wikipedia.
April 05, 2007
Bird Flu Resource Pages From IAFF
I see bird flu mentioned on occassion on Internet based and TV news now and then but the threat has taken a backseat to politics and the life and times of drugged out Anna Nicole Smith. Thankfully it has not gone off the radar of the IAFF. I received this email today.
From IAFF email bulletin:
Many scientists anticipate that the next pandemic flu is imminent and are carefully monitoring the Avian flu virus as a potential source. Pandemic Flu Resources for First Responders, a new IAFF online resource, is designed to assist IAFF members in preparing for a mass flu outbreak.
The online program includes essential resources for responding to and protecting against a flu pandemic, including a downloadable workshop that can be taught in the fire station. The Shift Based Training Program: Preparing for the Pandemic Flu stresses the importance of preparing for a major emergency. Because IAFF members are the first to respond, and remain on duty throughout any disaster even without knowing the dangers, it's crucial to have a disaster plan in place for work, school and home.
