Pandemic Alert - Update - June 9, 2009
A new influenza virus has been reported in many countries. The official designation for this virus is Influenza A(H1N1). This virus has also been referred to as swine flu, North American Flu, and Mexican Flu.
At least 150 people, and possibly many more, have died of this virus within the past month. Victims were often young and otherwise healthy. The virus is spreading human-to-human and has likely infected many people who have yet to be identified.
In the United States, there are 13,271 cases. At least 770 people have been hospitalised. There have been at least 45 deaths in the United States.
Eleven people have died in New York state. Two people have died in Onondaga County. Nine people have died in New York City: a 55 year old man (a teacher), a woman in her fifties; a 41 year old woman; a 34 year old man a 11 week old baby, two people in their forties, a person over 65 and a person over 50 years old.
Six people died in Texas: a two year old boy; a women in her thirties; a man in his thirties; a 24 year old woman; a 42 year old man and a 12 year old girl.
Five people have died in Illinois: three in the Chicago area, a 22 year old man, a 20 year old woman and a woman of unreported age, and a 42 year old man in Kane County and a 74 year old man in Lake county.
Five people have died in Arizona: a woman in her forties in the Phoenix, Arizona area, a 57 year old woman on the Gila River Indian reservation; a 13 year old boy in Tucson; a 10 year old girl also in Pima County and a 64 year old woman in Pinal county.
Five people have died in California, a middle-aged man and middle-aged woman in Southern California, a 9 year old girl in Contra Costa county, a man in Orange County and a middle-aged man in Alameda County.
Two people have died in Utah: a 22 year old man and a child under 18.
Two people have died in Washington state : a man in his thirties and a woman in her twenties.
Two people have died in Pennsylvania: 55 year old woman in Berks county and 26 year old woman in Philadelphia.
Other deaths: a 44 year old man in St. Louis; A woman in Virginia; 53 year old woman in Macomb county Michigan; a woman over 60 years old in Connecticut; an adult in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; a 43 year old man in Oklahoma and a woman in Oregon.
Community transmission in the US is common. Health care workers have been infected.
In Mexico, there are 5,717 cases. There are 106 confirmed deaths. However, because the virus began spreading in Mexico before it was identified, many likely died before it was possible to test.
In Canada, there are 2,446 confirmed cases. There have been at least 4 deaths: a woman in her thirties, a 44 year old man, a 60 year old man and a woman over 65 years old. Health care workers have been infected. 26 people are on ventilators in Manitoba.
Australia - 1,224 cases.
Chile - 890 cases. There have been three deaths. A 37 year old man from Puerto Montt; a 56 year old man and a 37 old man. Five more are in critical condition, 3 of them also from Puerto Montt.
UK - 675 cases. Four people are in critical condition.
Japan - 457 cases.
Spain - 346 cases.
Argentina - 235 cases.
Panama - 221 cases.
China - 137 cases (89 in mainland + 48 in Hong Kong).
Costa Rica - 93 cases. One man in his fifties is confirmed to have died.
Honduras - 89 cases.
Germany - 78 cases.
Dominican Republic - 72 cases. A pregnant teenage girl has died.
El Salvador - 69 cases.
France - 68 cases.
Peru - 65 cases.
Ecuador - 60 cases.
Guatemala - 60 cases.
Israel - 54 cases.
Philippines - 54 cases.
Italy - 50 cases.
South Korea - 48 cases.
Brazil - 36 cases.
Columbia - 27 cases.
Uruguay - 27 cases.
Nicaragua - 26 cases.
Taiwan - 21 cases.
Netherlands - 20 cases.
New Zealand - 19 cases.
Kuwait - 18 cases.
Singapore - 17 cases.
Sweden - 16 cases.
Switzerland - 16 cases.
Vietnam - 15 cases.
Belgium - 14 cases.
Thailand - 13 cases.
Venezuela - 13 cases.
Ireland - 11 cases.
India - 11 cases.
Turkey - 10 cases.
Sustained person-to-person spread is likely occurring in Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Panama, Philippines, Spain, United Kingdom, and the United States.
There have also been confirmed cases in Austria, the Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Jamaica, Lebanon, Malaysia, Norway, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United Arab Emirates .
There are suspected cases in a number of other countries.
Most of the initial reports of disease in both confirmed and suspected cases were associated with travel to Mexico. An increasing number of cases are associated with schools. Health care workers in several countries have become infected. Community transmission of the virus is becoming more frequent.
Some countries have instituted travel advisories, screening of travelers and activated their pandemic plans.
The WHO has raised the pandemic alert level to 5: pandemic, widespread human infection
The US has declared a Public Health Emergency.
Cummulative map of countries with outbreaks in humans of H1N1 (blue) H5N1 (red) and both H1N1 and H5N1 (purple).
For the latest information, please check the PFI_Main H1N1 Outbreak page and PFI_Forum Outbreak threads.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
