The WHO Pandemic Alert level remains at Phase 5.
Influenza A (H1N1) Cases and Deaths by Country (as of 8 AM PST May 20th)
*Lab confirmed cases and deaths have been provided by the WHO’s Influenza A (H1N1) – Update #34.
Local/National News
- On May 19th, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) did not announce that any new cases of Influenza A (H1N1) had been confirmed in the country.
- The British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) continues to report the following confirmed cases across the province:
- 38 in Fraser Health
- 2 in Interior Health
- 20 in Northern Health
- 27 in Vancouver Coastal Health
- 13 on Vancouver Island Health
International News
- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on Tuesday that an early look at trends in patients who have been hospitalized with novel influenza A (H1N1) infections showed that all but one of a group of 30 patients presented with fever and that about two thirds of them had an underlying medical condition. The CDC's review, based on California patients who were hospitalized from April 20 through May 17, highlighted that the majority of patients recovered without problems after short hospitalizations, though some had severe illness with prolonged complications and remain hospitalized. CIDRAP
- The influenza A (H1N1) outbreak has switched from one initially linked to schools or travelers to one with true community-wide spread in much of the United States, said the CDC’s, Dr. Anne Schuchat. Twenty-two states are reporting widespread or regional flu activity, particularly in the Southwest and Midwest. Associated Press
- The U.S. strategic inventory of pandemic supplies contains only 39 million surgical masks, far short of the 27 billion federal officials say would be needed in a serious influenza pandemic,Time reported on May 19th. The nation's supply of respirators is also well below the estimated requirement of 3 billion . Moreover, most of the masks are now made in Mexico or China, leaving many officials to wonder if the few U.S.-based companies could make-up the difference during a serious outbreak.Time
- Japanese officials have closed more than 4,400 schools in two prefectures that have reported dozens of novel H1N1 cases, which is up from about 2,000 closures reported on Monday. The affected areas are Osaka and Hyogo, in the central part of Honshu, which is Japan's main island. The country now has nearly 200 confirmed cases, and experts said the virus has probably already spread to Tokyo, the world's most populated urban area. In a related development, Japaneses officials also said the country will begin to phase out airport quarantine checks. Agence France-Presse and Associated Press
Vaccine News
- On Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) said drug manufacturers won't be able to start making a vaccine for the H1N1 influenza virus until mid-July at the earliest. The virus isn't growing very fast in laboratories, making it difficult for scientists to get a key vaccine ingredient. Associated Press
- WHO officials also urged drug manufacturers to reserve some of their influenza A (H1N1) vaccine for poor countries. WHO argued for companies to donate at least 10 per cent of their production or offer reduced prices to poor countries that could otherwise be left without vaccines if there is a sudden surge in demand. The only major drug maker that publicly agreed to the WHO request was Britain's GlaxoSmithKline PLC, which said it would donate 50 million doses in a pandemic and offer more doses that the WHO could buy at a discount for poor countries. Associated Press
Latest Guidance from the WHO, U.S. CDC, PHAC, and BCCDC
- Yesterday, WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Influenza A (H1N1) Vaccines released their recommendations, namely that:
- It is premature to recommend the immediate start of commercial‐scale production of influenza A (H1N1) vaccine.
- The WHO Secretariat, in close coordination with its Collaborating Cent res and the Essential Regulatory Laboratories of the WHO Global Influenza Surveillance Network, should recommend which vaccine viruses ought to be used for vaccine development as soon as possible.
Today’s Key Question
How do influenza vaccines work?
When a healthy person becomes infected with a particular flu virus for the first time, that person’s immune system takes several days to identify the infecting virus and attack it. Special immune system proteins known as antibodies recognize and then attach to the virus. Additionally, T cells further this process by encouraging the production of antibodies, and also destroying cells infected with the virus to rid the body of it.
Upon repeat infection with a particular virus, the immune system “remembers” the virus and produces a stronger and more efficient attack, eradicating the virus in the early stages of infection. Therefore, the symptoms of this subsequent infection are less severe, if present at all, and the virus is less likely to be transmitted to others. Vaccines work by this very same principle. A vaccine generally contains a “killed” or weakened form of the virus which, when introduced into the body, mimics the presence of the real virus. The immune system is then primed and ready for rapid action if or when the virus were to infect that individual. Nature
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