eports from the latest study stated that pregnant women with swine flu are 13 times more prone to critical illnesses than non-pregnant women infected with H1N1.
The research, which was conducted by bmj. com, took an account of pregnant women in Australia and New Zealand.
The research found that 11 per cent of mothers and 12 per cent of the babies died when they were admitted to intensive care with swine flu.
The research was a joint effort of the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care (ANZIC) Influenza Investigators and the Australasian Maternity Outcomes Surveillance System. In this researchers headed by Dr. Ian Seppelt checked out the data pertaining to women suffering from swine flu, both those who are pregnant and those who had given birth within the last 28 days, between 1 June and 31 August 2009.
It was finally revealed that the ones who were more than 20 weeks pregnant were 13 times more to catch any sort of illness and be admitted to an ICU than non-pregnant women who had swine flu. more......topnews.in/
Swine flu blamed for rise in pregnancy deaths
The swine flu virus is being blamed for a leap in the number of pregnant women dying in New Zealand and Australia.
New research has found 11 per cent of pregnant mothers admitted to intensive care in Australia later died of swine flu, or H1N1. Twelve per cent of their babies also died.
The study, published in the British Medical Journal this week, comes from analysis of intensive care records during last winter.
Of 209 women of child-bearing age placed in intensive care with swine flu, 64 were pregnant or had recently given birth. Seven of those died, including four in New Zealand.
Researcher Claire McLintock, from Auckland Hospital, said the small numbers in the survey meant they could not draw wide-ranging conclusions about the high number of New Zealand women who died.
McLintock said: "There's normally very few deaths in pregnancy, only a handful each year. Worldwide there will be a big spike in pregnancy-related deaths for 2009 because of H1N1."
None of the 64 pregnant women had received the flu vaccine, despite it being free and encouraged for pregnant women.
Christchurch woman Melissa McDonnell was six months' pregnant when she contracted swine flu.
She said she was unsure what effect the virus would have on her and her unborn baby.
"No one knew what it was going to be like for pregnant women.
"I didn't want to take the Tamiflu vaccine; but if I had broken into a serious fever, I would have."
McDonnell said eating well and lots of sleep helped her through. She now has a healthy 5-month-old daughter, Georgia.
Norma Campbell from the New Zealand College of Midwives was not surprised by the findings.
"Certainly we do know pregnant women are far more at risk and it would seem to be they are later in pregnancy.
"All through history women who are pregnant are more at risk of influenza and H1N1 seems to be particularly so."
Almost 15,000 people died during the 2009 swine flu pandemic. Nineteen New Zealanders are believed to have been among them.
New research has found 11 per cent of pregnant mothers admitted to intensive care in Australia later died of swine flu, or H1N1. Twelve per cent of their babies also died.
The study, published in the British Medical Journal this week, comes from analysis of intensive care records during last winter.
Of 209 women of child-bearing age placed in intensive care with swine flu, 64 were pregnant or had recently given birth. Seven of those died, including four in New Zealand.
Researcher Claire McLintock, from Auckland Hospital, said the small numbers in the survey meant they could not draw wide-ranging conclusions about the high number of New Zealand women who died.
McLintock said: "There's normally very few deaths in pregnancy, only a handful each year. Worldwide there will be a big spike in pregnancy-related deaths for 2009 because of H1N1."
None of the 64 pregnant women had received the flu vaccine, despite it being free and encouraged for pregnant women.
Christchurch woman Melissa McDonnell was six months' pregnant when she contracted swine flu.
She said she was unsure what effect the virus would have on her and her unborn baby.
"No one knew what it was going to be like for pregnant women.
"I didn't want to take the Tamiflu vaccine; but if I had broken into a serious fever, I would have."
McDonnell said eating well and lots of sleep helped her through. She now has a healthy 5-month-old daughter, Georgia.
Norma Campbell from the New Zealand College of Midwives was not surprised by the findings.
"Certainly we do know pregnant women are far more at risk and it would seem to be they are later in pregnancy.
"All through history women who are pregnant are more at risk of influenza and H1N1 seems to be particularly so."
Almost 15,000 people died during the 2009 swine flu pandemic. Nineteen New Zealanders are believed to have been among them.
BJP walks out of Rajasthan Assembly over swine flu
The opposition BJP members walked out of the Rajasthan Assembly for the second successive day on Tuesday expressing dissatisfaction over government steps to control the spread of swine flu. They alleged that the official measures were insufficient and had failed to prevent a large number of deaths across the State.
The matter came up during Question Hour when three BJP MLAs sought to know the number of persons found positive with symptoms of H1N1 virus infection and those who had died of the disease. They also asked for information on preventive steps as well as the norms for establishing swine flu testing laboratories.
Medical and Health Minister Aimaduddin Ahmed Khan's reply failed to convince the questioners, who said he was “beating about the bush” and demanded that the Government come clean about its plans for dealing with the dreaded disease.
Mr. Khan's reply, running into 13 pages, consumed more than half of the Question Hour. The BJP members – Mohanlal Gupta, Kalicharan Saraf and Bhawani Singh Rajawat – who had asked the question, listed as the first item in the day's schedule, protested against “jugglery of facts and figures” and an attempt to mislead the House.
The Minister admitted that 3,361 patients had been found suffering from H1N1 influenza and 196 had died till March 9.
When Mr. Khan said there were indications that the global pharmaceutical companies had a “vested interest” in swine flu being declared a pandemic disease in the developing countries, the BJP MLAs created a din saying the international propaganda had nothing to do with the measures expected of the State Government to control its spread.
Mr. Khan said several international newspapers had raised the issue of the World Health Organisation allegedly getting money from influential drug manufacturers on the pretext of conducting research on H1N1 influenza virus.
With the Question Hour nearing its end, the BJP members registered their protest against the Minister's reply with the allegation that he was trying to evade his responsibility and walked out.
Source : http://beta.thehindu.com/news/states/other-states/article248150.ece
Source : http://beta.thehindu.com/news/states/other-states/article248150.ece
WHO : Global swine flu toll reaches 16,713
GENEVA — Swine flu has claimed at least 16,713 lives around the world since it was first uncovered in Mexico and the United States last April, the World Health Organisation said Friday.
The pandemic, which has spread to 213 countries and territories, has since waned in much of Europe and North America, but data indicated that transmission may be increasing in West Africa.
"In Sub-Saharan Africa, limited data suggests that on-going community transmission of pandemic influenza virus continues to increase in parts of West Africa, without clear evidence of a peak in activity," said the WHO.
More cases were being detected in Senegal, Ivory Coast and Rwanda, it said.
The A(H1N1) virus was also spreading in Southeast Asia, with transmission "most active in Thailand," added the UN health agency.
More ..http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5g-7lLAUKg7E8EhrZwtwwmytJaFnQ
57 million Americans hit by Swine flu, kills 17,000
The deadly H1N1 influenza virus, also known as swine flu, may have affected more than 57 million Americans and killed as many as 17,000 of them, according to new official estimates.
Though 2,498 confirmed deaths linked to the H1N1 virus had been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta as of January 30, the agency estimates that between 8,330 and 17,160 people actually have died from H1N1.
The overwhelming majority of the people who died - between 6,390 and 13,170 - were 18 to 64 years old, according to the CDC estimates released Friday. Between 880 and 1,810 children 17 years old and younger also died from this flu, it estimated.
In comparison, the CDC says that in a regular flu season, about 36,000 people in the United States die from seasonal flu, with 90 percent of the deaths usually occurring in people age 65 and older.
While the new figures show the H1N1 pandemic virus is still spreading, they also reflect a slowdown in the transmission of the illnesses since last October. The CDC had last estimated about 55 million Americans had been sickened, 246,000 were hospitalised and about 11,100 had died through mid-December.
While health officials have yet to declare the end of the influenza pandemic, a new round of widespread illness is increasingly unlikely now that a substantial portion of the American population has been either sickened by or vaccinated against the H1N1 pandemic virus. About 70 million people have been vaccinated.
In a separate weekly report of H1N1 influenza activity, the CDC said most influenza strains circulating as of Feb 6 are the H1N1 strain and not strains that cause seasonal influenza.
As of Feb 6, the majority of states reported “sporadic” transmission of the H1N1 virus, the CDC said. However, the CDC said doctor visits for influenza-like illnesses increased slightly over the previous week but “remain low overall.”
Though 2,498 confirmed deaths linked to the H1N1 virus had been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta as of January 30, the agency estimates that between 8,330 and 17,160 people actually have died from H1N1.
The overwhelming majority of the people who died - between 6,390 and 13,170 - were 18 to 64 years old, according to the CDC estimates released Friday. Between 880 and 1,810 children 17 years old and younger also died from this flu, it estimated.
In comparison, the CDC says that in a regular flu season, about 36,000 people in the United States die from seasonal flu, with 90 percent of the deaths usually occurring in people age 65 and older.
While the new figures show the H1N1 pandemic virus is still spreading, they also reflect a slowdown in the transmission of the illnesses since last October. The CDC had last estimated about 55 million Americans had been sickened, 246,000 were hospitalised and about 11,100 had died through mid-December.
While health officials have yet to declare the end of the influenza pandemic, a new round of widespread illness is increasingly unlikely now that a substantial portion of the American population has been either sickened by or vaccinated against the H1N1 pandemic virus. About 70 million people have been vaccinated.
In a separate weekly report of H1N1 influenza activity, the CDC said most influenza strains circulating as of Feb 6 are the H1N1 strain and not strains that cause seasonal influenza.
As of Feb 6, the majority of states reported “sporadic” transmission of the H1N1 virus, the CDC said. However, the CDC said doctor visits for influenza-like illnesses increased slightly over the previous week but “remain low overall.”
