Influenza A (H1N1) Cases by Country (as of 8 AM PST May 8th)
| WHO Regions & Country | Lab Confirmed Cases | Lab Confirmed Deaths | ||
| Cases Confirmed on May 7th | Total Cases | Deaths Confirmed on May 7th | Total Deaths | |
| AMERICAS | ||||
| Mexico | 0 | 1112 | 0 | 42 |
| US | 743 | 1639 | 0 | 2 |
| Canada | 13 | 214 | 0 | 0 |
| El Salvador | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Costa Rica | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Columbia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Guatemala | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| EUROPE | ||||
| UK | 4 | 32 | 0 | 0 |
| Spain | 8 | 81 | 0 | 0 |
| Germany | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| France | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Austria | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Netherlands | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Switzerland | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Denmark | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Ireland | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Italy | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Portugal | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Sweden | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Poland (New) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| EASTERN MEDITERREAN | ||||
| Israel | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| WESTERN PACIFIC | ||||
| Hong Kong | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| New Zealand | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| SOUTH-EAST ASIA | ||||
| Rep. of Korea | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 774 | 3127 | 0 | 44 |
*Lab confirmed cases and deaths have been provided by the WHO’s Influenza A (H1N1) – Update #21 and the U.S. CDC case count.
Local/National News- On Thursday, May 7th, Canada confirmed 13 new cases in Influenza A (H1N1). The majority of cases remain in British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Alberta. The government also released new information pertaining to the cases:
- 97% of the cases are under the age of 50
- The median age of Canadian cases is 22-years-old
- There are no cases among people over the age of 66
- The majority of cases are linked to travel to Mexico
- On Thursday, Ontario’s top court ruled that a group of nurses, and their families, who contracted SARS cannot sue the Ontario government. The victims alleged that the Ontario government put economic needs ahead of public safety during the deadly 2003 outbreak. In its ruling, the Ontario Court of Appeal asserted that while Ontario is obliged to protect the public from the spread of communicable diseases, it can't be held financially responsible to people who catch those diseases. This ruling may have an impact on potential cases, which may be filed following from an influenza pandemic in the future. Globe and Mail
- Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. David Butler-Jones, announced on Wednesday that the residents of the Alberta farm where pigs were found to be infected with influenza A (H1N1) have tested negative for the virus. The carpenter who had fallen ill after a visit to Mexico also tested negative. However, according to Butler-Jones, "sampling" issues might have affected the test results, and antibody tests will be conducted to confirm whether the farm residents were infected with the new virus. [CP story]
- The U.S. CDC announced yesterday that only about 10% of confirmed cases of 2009 H1N1 in the US have a history of recent travel to Mexico. This indicates ongoing transmission in communities. Thus far, 5% of confirmed U.S. cases of the virus have been hospitalized. CDC
- In recent news, U.S. President Barak Obama’s 2010 budget includes an increase of $584 million to fight influenza A (H1N1), over and above the $1.5 billion in supplemental resources already allocated. Washington Post
- According to the U.S. Department of Education, more than 140 schools, responsible for more than 100,000 students, reopened Wednesday after closures stemming from the influenza A (H1N1) outbreak. Approximately 590 schools, totaling about 370,000 students, remained closed, but local authorities noted that many were set to re-open Thursday or Friday. AP
- The U.S. CDC has developed a PCR diagnostic test kit to detect this novel H1N1 virus and has now distributed test kits to all states in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. The test kits are being shipped internationally as well. This will allow states and other countries to test for this new virus. This increase in testing capacity is likely to result in an increase in the number of reported confirmed cases in the U.S., which should provide a more accurate picture of the burden of disease in the United States.
- Vical Inc., a San Diego vaccine company, announced Wednesday that it signed an agreement with the U.S. Navy Medical Research Center to speed the development of a DNA-based vaccine against influenza A (H1N1). The vaccine would contain Vaxfectin®, the company's proprietary adjuvant, a substance added to vaccines, which enhances their ability to induce immune responses and diminishes the quantity of vaccine required. The company has previously used Vaxfectin® in its DNA vaccine against the H5N1 avian influenza virus. [press release]
The Public Health Agency of Canada has published a number of infection prevention posters and advertisements, all which can be found on their website.
Today’s Key QuestionShould I try to get sick now in order to gain some level of immunity against a potentially deadlier fall flu strain?
In a word: No. While it may seem like a logical idea at first glance, according to health experts, there are several reasons why deliberately infecting yourself with influenza A (H1N1) is unwise. For example:- There is no way of knowing how badly a given virus will affect a particular individual. In other words, you may be at risk of a serious infection even if you become ill with a mild strain of influenza A (H1N1).
- While you may not be at serious risk for complications, once infected you could pass the virus on to someone more vulnerable to becoming sick with a severe illness.
- Should a strain of the virus return in the fall, it may not be any more dangerous that what we are currently facing.
- An effective vaccine may be readily available in the fall, in which case you will have put yourself at undue risk. AP
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