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."

Canada : Measles Outbreak Declared In Calgary, Edmonton, Central Alberta

Via Huffington Post, excerpt :

" Alberta has officially declared a measles outbreak.

After several weeks of isolated cases, Alberta Health Services (AHS) announced Tuesday an outbreak of the disease in Calgary, Edmonton and Central Alberta zones.

AHS says they will offer an additional dose of the measles vaccine to children between the ages of six month and 12 months old."

Over 17,400 cases of hand-foot-mouth disease recorded in Vietnam in first four months

Via Xinhua :

" There were some 17,410 cases of hand-foot-mouth disease recorded in 62 out of 63 cities and provinces across Vietnam since the beginning of 2014, official data showed Thursday.

Statistics by the General Department of Preventive Medicine under Vietnam's Ministry of Health said that the total number of infected cases in the four-month period went down 20 percent over the same period in 2013.

However, several localities recorded a sharp increase in the number of new patients, including southern Ho Chi Minh City (up 28. 9 percent), Ba Ria-Vung Tau (34.4 percent) and Kon Tum (69.7 percent)."

No New MERS Cases in Greece – Man Home from Gulf Clear

Article via Greek Reporter :

" A Greek man who returned to Athens from the Persian Gulf tested negative Tuesday for the deadly respiratory disease MERS, which has killed dozens of patients in Saudi Arabia. The 70-year-old was being treated in a negative-pressure room at Sotiria Hospital in Athens. 

According to authorities two other people who were diagnosed with MERS-like symptoms also tested negative to the virus. The only confirmed case of the deadly respiratory disease is a 69-year old Greek man, permanent resident of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, who returned to Greece on April 17 and has been in hospital since and is still in a critical condition. 

He is in a special negative-pressure isolation chamber for contagious respiratory diseases, while a spot at an intensive care unit is being made available, in case his condition deteriorates further. Doctors are using an experimental drug to deal with the patient’s condition."

Indonesian allegedly contracts MERS-CoV in Saudi Arabia

Via Jakarta Post :

" The Health Ministry says an Indonesian citizen is suspected to have contracted the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus (MERS-CoV) and is now receiving a medical treatment at King Saud Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

“The Indonesian citizen has long been domiciled in Saudi Arabia and is not on an umroh (minor haj) pilgrim. The patient allegedly infected with the corona virus is being treated at King Saud Hospital, Jeddah, since April 20,” said the ministry’s director general of disease control and environmental health, Tjandra Yoga Aditama, in a statement in Jakarta on Tuesday, as quoted by Antara news agency.

There are no details on the current condition of the Indonesian, identified only by the initials NA, 61.

Tjandra said however, the ministry had continued to coordinate with related Saudi Arabian authorities to monitor the case."

Hong Kong : Three patients with respiratory symptoms and travel history test negative for MERS-CoV

Press release from Hong Kong's CHP, excerpt :

"  The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) is today (April 28) investigating three suspected cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) whose respiratory specimens were all negative for MERS Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and called on the public to stay alert and maintain good personal, food and environmental hygiene during travel.

Two of the cases involve a man aged 53 and his wife aged 52. The male patient presented with low grade fever, sore throat and runny nose on April 19 while his wife with underlying illness developed cough, fever, sore throat, headache and myalgia yesterday (April 27). They were both admitted to Princess Margaret Hospital today for management under isolation in stable condition. Both of their nasopharyngeal aspirates were tested negative for MERS-CoV upon preliminary laboratory testing by the CHP's Public Health Laboratory Services Branch (PHLSB).

They travelled to Tunisia from April 18 to 25 with transit in Dubai. They visited a zoo on April 19 and did not have direct animal exposure, but took a camel ride on April 20.

The remaining case is a man aged 56 with underlying illness. He presented with sore throat, headache, chills and rigor on April 22 and was admitted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital yesterday for management under isolation in stable condition. His nasopharyngeal swab was negative for MERS-CoV upon the PHLSB's preliminary laboratory testing.

He travelled to Venice on April 18 via Doha, and to Bari, Greece, Turkey, Istanbul and Croatia by cruise from April 19 to 26, during which he had no contact with animals or patients. He returned to Hong Kong yesterday."

Malaysia : No new cases of MERS-CoV reported after incubation period ends

Via NST, excerpt :

" There are no new cases of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) reported in the country so far, making the cumulative number of the case to remain at one.

Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the incubation period of 14 days on other contacts exposed to MERS-CoV victim in Johor, ended yesterday.

"Cumulatively, a total of 222 contacts were detected across the country and all of them are currently in good health.

"Out of the 79 samples taken from the close contacts, none of them was tested positive for MERS-CoV," he said in a statement here today.

The only victim of MERS-CoV in the country was a 54-year-old man from Batu Pahat, Johor, who returned from the Holy Land on March 29."

Thailand : 50 die of H1N1 this year

Via Bangkok Post :

" A total of 30,024 people throughout the country have contracted Type A H1N1 influenza virus this year and 50 of them have died, according to public health permanent secretary Narong Sahamethapat. 

Dr Narong said the 30,024 cases of H1N1 were recorded from early this year to April 25 - an increase of 36% over the same period last year - resulting in 50 deaths. There were no deaths from the H1N1 virus last year."

Eight new MERS deaths take Saudi toll to 102

Via The Star :

" The Saudi health ministry announced eight new deaths from the MERS virus on Sunday taking the kingdom's death toll from the disease to 102.

A full 39 of the deaths have been this month, sparking growing public concern about the virus that first emerged in April 2012.

Among the latest deaths was a nine-month-old infant, the ministry said.

The number of recorded infections in the kingdom has risen to 339, it added."

H1N1 Flu Kills 45 In Thailand This Year

Via Bernama :

" H1N1 virus has claimed the lives of 45 people in Thailand since early this year, Thai News Agency (TNA) reported.

Dr. Sopon Mekthon, director-general of the Department of Disease Control at the Ministry of Public Health, said a total of 29,821 cases were reported in 21 provinces across the country from January 5 to April 19 this year."

India, Gujarat : Another swine flu case in Ahmedabad

Article via Times of India :

" The city saw a fresh case of swine flu on Wednesday. The patient in his late 50s was admitted to Sterling Hospital. The condition of the patient is believed to be stable, according to AMC health officials.

On Tuesday, the city had witnessed the fifth swine flu death.

Most of these cases are from outside the city, including two from Bhavnagar and Kheda regions."

Hong Kong : Patient with respiratory symptoms and travel history under CHP investigation

Press release from CHP :

" The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) is today (April 23) investigating a suspected case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) affecting a woman aged 30 in Queen Mary Hospital (QMH).

The patient, with good past health, has presented with fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat and malaise since yesterday (April 22). She attended QMH's Accident and Emergency Department today and was admitted for management under isolation. She is now in stable condition.

Initial investigations by the CHP revealed that the patient had travelled to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with her family from April 15 to 21, during which she had no contact with animals or patients. Her son has had fever and cough since April 15 and his fever has already subsided. The other travel collateral has remained asymptomatic.

Her respiratory specimen will be taken for preliminary laboratory testing by the CHP's Public Health Laboratory Services Branch (PHLSB)."

Malaysia : MERS scare - Intense monitoring on 15 pilgrims to continue for two weeks

Article via NST, excerpt :

" The intense monitoring on the 15 pilgrims who boarded a flight with the sole victim to die from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) recently has been extended for another two weeks.

Health Minister Datuk Seri S. Subramaniam said the move was to ensure the pilgrims were completely free from the outbreak to prevent any spreading in the country.

The ministry, he said, would continue to conduct the monitoring of the outbreak seriously, especially at the nation's key entry-points.

"We will do the screenings which focussed on flights from the Middle East and on those who had returned from performing their Umrah pilgrimage," he told a press conference after launching the ministry's 'Jom Aktif' programme, here, yesterday."

Saudi Arabia reports 11 new cases of MERS virus, first in Mecca

Via Reuters, excerpt :

" Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday it had discovered 11 more cases of the potentially deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), including what appeared to be the first case in the Muslim holy city of Mecca.

A health ministry statement said eight of the people were in intensive care, two were stable, including a 24-year-old Saudi man from the "holy capital" Mecca, and one showed no symptoms. Three of those affected worked in health care, it said."

Thailand : H1N1 kills four

Article via Bangkok Post :

" Four people have died as a result of type A H1N1 influenza virus in this northeastern province since January, the provincial public health office said on Tuesday. 

The four deaths were among 35 cases of the virus recorded from Jan 1 to Monday, according to the office."

Egyptian Camels Carry Deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Virus

Article via Bernama, excerpt :

" An outbreak of the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV) is a real possibility in Egypt Tuesday now that the virus has been found in camels, the Ministry of Health said.

The virus that has killed scores of people in Saudi Arabia - 93 in the Arabian peninsula, Asia, and Europe - comes from the SARS family, or bird-flu, which devastated poultry farms in Asia ten years ago.

Scientists have so far failed to make a vaccine and had only "hypothesized that the virus might live in camels"."

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

Press release from CHP : 

" The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) is closely monitoring, as of yesterday (April 21), an additional human case of avian influenza A(H7N9) in Hunan according to the latest report of the Mainland health authority. The male patient aged 50 is now hospitalised for treatment.

A total of 414 human cases of avian influenza A(H7N9) have been confirmed in the Mainland, including Zhejiang (138 cases), Guangdong (103 cases), Jiangsu (52 cases), Shanghai (41 cases), Fujian (22 cases), Hunan (22 cases), Anhui (13 cases), Jiangxi (six cases), Beijing (four cases), Henan (four cases), Guangxi (three cases), Shandong (three cases), Guizhou (one case, imported from Zhejiang), Hebei (one case) and Jilin (one case)."