Chinese man dies from H7N9, son infected

Via English People Daily, excerpt :

" A man in an eastern Chinese coastal city has died from the H7N9 strainof bird flu while his son is also being treated for the infection, local authorities announced onTuesday.

The man, surnamed Xin, died of acute respiratory distress and multiple organ failure onFriday, the municipal government in Yantai of Shandong Province said in a statement."

Singapore : Sharp rise in number of dengue cases last week

Via Channel News Asia :

" The number of dengue cases has seen a spike in recent weeks, said the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) in a Facebook post on Tuesday (May 27).

The spike comes ahead of the period between June and October, when dengue transmission rates are usually higher. As such, Singaporeans need to continue to protect themselves and help stop the dengue transmission cycle, the ministry said.

In its post, the MEWR said the hotter months of June to October usually see higher transmission of dengue here due to the shortened breeding and maturation cycles for the Aedes mosquitoes and shorter incubation periods for the dengue virus."

Malaysia : Disease outbreak in Johor Baru prison

Article via The Star, excerpt :

" A disease outbreak, believed to be meningitis, has occurred at the Ayer Molek prison resulting in at least four inmates being admitted into the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Sultanah Aminah Hospital here.

Johor Health and Environment exco Datuk Ayub Rahmat said on Friday that about 16 inmates had displayed similar symptoms and as many as 900 inmates had undergone medical checks so far.

“Initially there were concerns that it could be a Middle East Respiratory Coronavirus (Mers-Cov) outbreak but we have confirmed that it is not."

Hong Kong : CHP closely monitors two additional human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) in Mainland

Press release from Hong Kong's CHP, excerpt :

" The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) is closely monitoring the latest reports of the Mainland health authorities as of yesterday (May 22) on two additional human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) in Anhui affecting two men aged 69 and 58 who are now hospitalised for treatment.

A total of 429 human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) have been confirmed in the Mainland, including Zhejiang (138 cases), Guangdong (108 cases), Jiangsu (54 cases), Shanghai (41 cases), Hunan (23 cases), Fujian (22 cases), Anhui (17 cases), Jiangxi (eight cases), Beijing (four cases), Henan (four cases), Guangxi (three cases), Shandong (three cases), Jilin (two cases), Guizhou (one case, imported from Zhejiang) and Hebei (one case)."

Malaysia : Two more trainees down with ILI symptoms

Via The Star :

" Two more trainees at the Dusun Minda Resort in Kuala Nerang have been found with Influ-enza-like Illness (ILI) symptoms.

“As of now, 62 trainees are being monitored by medical staff. The two joined the group when they showed ILI symptoms on Monday evening,” said camp commander Lt-Kol Hasnan Rashid.

“The good news is one of them recovered and medical staff have discharged him. He was allowed to rejoin the rest of the healthy trainees (yesterday morning).”

Lt-Kol Hasnan said the trainees under observation, including the four tested positive for H1N1 virus, were in a stable condition and that “everything is under control”.

Kedah Health Department director Datuk Dr Ismail Abu Taat concurred.

“It will take about two weeks for them to recover fully. It is not life-threatening unless it afflicts those who have health problems like lung disease and diabetes or women who are pregnant,” said Dr Ismail."

India, Rajasthan : Swine flu claims one more victim in Rajasthan, toll reaches 12

Article via Hindustan Times :

" The dreaded swine flu has claimed one more life in Rajasthan, taking the death toll in the state to 12 since April 1.

A 65-year-old man Sua succumbed to the disease at JLN hospital in Ajmer Sunday, a state medical and health report said Monday.

Of these 12 swine flu related deaths in the state, three persons each died in Ajmer and Jaipur, and one victim each in Bhilwara, Rajsamand, Jodhpur, Nagaur, Bikaner and Pali, the report said.

Deceased included six each of men and women, all aged between 26 and 65 years."

Malaysia : Number of NS trainees in Dusun Minda showing flu-like symptoms up to 61

Article via The Star, excerpt :

" The number of National Service (NS) trainees showcasing symptoms of influenza-like illness (ILI) from Dusun Minda Resort in Kuala Nerang, has risen from 54 to 61, seven more than reported Sunday.

Out of the 61, four have tested positive for the H1N1 virus.

ILI symptoms include fever, flu, cough and sore throats.

NS director Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil reassured worried parents that its medical team had everything under control."

Three more MERS deaths in Saudi; toll reaches 160

Via The Peninsula :

" Health authorities in Saudi Arabia yesterday announced the deaths of another three people from the MERS respiratory virus, taking the country’s toll to 160.

The health ministry’s daily bulletin on the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome outbreak in the Gulf nation said the latest people to die were two women aged 72 and 54 and a 63-year-old man.

World Health Organisation said on Wednesday that while concern about the virus had “significantly increased”, the disease was not yet a global health emergency. Of the new cases, three had died."

Netherlands reports second MERS case

Via Xinhua :

" A second Dutch case infected of the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus has been confirmed, the Dutch National Institute for the Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) announced on Thursday.

This came just one day after the country confirmed the first case.

Both patients, who are members of a same family, had traveled together to Saudi Arabia between April 26 and May 10."

Hong Kong : CHP notified of one additional human case of avian influenza A(H7N9) in Mainland

Press release from Hong Kong's CHP :

" The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) yesterday (May 14) received notification of one additional human case of avian influenza A(H7N9) from the Health and Family Planning Commission of Guangdong Province. The patient is a 71-year-old man who lives in Meizhou. He is currently hospitalised for treatment.

 A total of 423 human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) have been confirmed in the Mainland, including Zhejiang (138 cases), Guangdong (106 cases), Jiangsu (53 cases), Shanghai (41 cases), Hunan (23 cases), Fujian (22 cases), Anhui (14 cases), Jiangxi (eight cases), Beijing (four cases), Henan (four cases), Guangxi (three cases), Shandong (three cases), Jilin (two cases), Guizhou (one case, imported from Zhejiang) and Hebei (one case)."

US : Florida hospital workers being monitored after MERS exposure

Article via The Detroit News, excerpt :

" Employees at two Orlando hospitals who came in contact with a Saudi resident infected by the second confirmed U.S. case of a rare virus are being monitored for symptoms and have been told to stay home for two weeks, health officials said Tuesday.

Fifteen hospital workers at Dr. Phillips Hospital and another five employees at Orlando Regional Medical Center were being monitored at home for fever, chills and muscle aches, said Dr. Antonio Crespo, an official with the hospital system.

So far, none of them has tested positive for MERS, or Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. MERS is a respiratory illness that begins with flu-like fever and cough but can lead to shortness of breath, pneumonia and death."

MERS Coronavirus cases in Saudi Arabia increases to 480, including 139 deaths

Via Xinhua, excerpt :

" Saudi Arabia's registered number of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus cases has increased to 480 by Saturday, including 139 deaths, after adding six new cases and six more deaths, the country's Health Ministry said.

One of the deaths was diagnosed and died in the last 24 hours, while the rest were of previous critical cases, according to the Health Ministry portal.

Of the six new cases, one is receiving treatment at the ICU, three in stable condition and two without symptoms. Three of the new cases are from Riyadh, two from Jeddah and the rest one from Mecca.

In addition, another six cases, two men and four women, have fully recovered and been discharged from hospital.

Besides those daily statistics, the ministry on Saturday also denied some press reports that the newly appointed acting health minister had been infected with the virus, saying the news are baseless and the minister is in good health."

Malaysia : Indonesian Man Dies Onboard AIRASIA X Flight From Jeddah

Via NTV7 News :

" A 64-year old Indonesian man died onboard an AirAsia X flight which left Jeddah en route to Kuala Lumpur last night.

The Health Ministry is now taking precautionary measures following the current spike in numbers of those affected with the Middle East respiratory virus MERS worldwide.

AirAsia X in a statement said, the family of the deceased has been informed.

The victim was believed to have been on his way home to Jakarta via Kuala Lumpur after performing the umrah.

His remains have been brought to the Serdang Hospital Forensic Unit for post mortem.

He added that most of the passengers on the AirAsia X D7 171 flight were Indonesians.

Meanwhile all the Malaysians who were onboard the same flight will undergo further preventive medical checkups in due time."

India : H1N1 Claims Two Lives in Bangalore

Via The New Indian Express :

" The H1N1 virus has claimed two lives in April, and hospitals across the city have reported 10 other cases.

Laxman (40) from Banikuppe in Ramanagaram district is the first reported fatality in Bangalore this year.

Most patients live on the outskirts of the city and seek treatment at Bangalore hospitals. The virus, which spread in 2009, claimed 17,000 lives in just a year. In 2010, the World Health Organisation said the pandemic was over and the incidence of swine flu had returned to a seasonal pattern."