H1N1: Swine Flu Cases in the US drop steadily but deaths above 'normal epidemic threshold'

Influenza infections fell for the fourth week in a row in the United States but the number of flu deaths remained above the epidemic threshold, a government health agency said in a weekly report.

During the week of November 15-21, 32 states reported widespread flu activity, down from 43 states the previous week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in its weekly flu report.

Nearly all the cases of flu were A(H1N1), or swine flu, the report said.

Hospitalization rates and deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza were both higher than expected for the time of year, with very young children -- ranging from newly-borns to four years -- having the highest hospitalization rate.

More than eight percent of all deaths reported to the CDC during the week covered by the report were due to pneumonia or influenza, a full percentage point above the epidemic threshold.
Deaths from pneumonia and influenza have been above the threshold for eight consecutive weeks, the CDC said.

Thirty-five of the deaths from flu were in young children, and in 27 of those deaths, swine flu had been confirmed in laboratory tests.

Seven children died of other influenza A viruses, which were not subtyped, and one child died of seasonal flu.

Since the swine flu outbreak was first reported, the CDC has received reports of 198 laboratory-confirmed pediatric deaths from the new strain of H1N1 flu, but that toll is thought to be "an undercount of the actual number," the federal health agency said.

The highest paediatric death toll from seasonal flu in the past three years was 88, CDC officials said last month.

Earlier this month, the CDC unveiled a new method for counting deaths from swine flu, and revised its estimated death toll from the new strain of flu to 4,000 people overall, including more than 500 children.

Worldwide, more than 207 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory-confirmed cases of pandemic swine flu, and 7,820 people have died of the new strain of flu, according to statistics released last week by the World Health Organization (WHO).

In North America, the Caribbean and a limited number of European countries, the WHO said "there are signs that disease activity has peaked."

Swine Flu Panic conceals surge of Q fever

No! I don't mean Desmond Llewelyn aka 'Q' from the James Bond movies

Q fever is a disease caused by infection with Coxiella burnetii, a bacterium that affects both humans and animals. This organism is uncommon but may be found in cattle, sheep, goats and other domesticated animals, including cats and dogs. It is the most infectious diseases known to man!

The infection results from inhalation of contaminated air-borne particles, and from contact with the milk, urine, feces, vaginal mucus, or semen of infected animals. The incubation period is 9-40 days. It can be considered the most infectious disease in the world, as a human being can be infected by a single bacterium.

The bacteria is an obligate pathogen and was difficult to study because it could not be reproduced outside a host. Therefore it is more common in the rural areas but can be transferred from human to human.

The number of cases of Q fever reported among humans in the Netherlands has risen 'explosively' over the past few weeks, the Volkskrant reports on Wednesday. The paper says that over 200 cases have been reported in recent days, half of them in Noord-Brabant province.

Q fever was rarely known among humans until 2007, when 168 cases were reported. Last year there were more than 1,000 instances in the Netherlands.

The disease, which leads to spontaneous abortion in sheep and goats, causes flu-like symptoms in humans but can lead to lung infections. Therefore it is dangerous to vulnerable groups e.g. asthmatics, cystic fibrosis sufferers, the elderly and infirm.

The dose needed to infect 50% of experimental subjects is one, via inhalation — i.e. inhalation of one organism will yield disease in 50% of the population. This is an extremely low infectious dose, making C. burnetii the most infectious organism known to man.

The disease occurs in two stages: an acute stage that presents with headaches, chills, and respiratory symptoms, and an insidious chronic stage. Anyone who feels they may have been exposed should consult their doctor and discuss appropriate treatment.