SEATTLE, May 9, 2009
Wash. Man Is Third U.S. H1N1 Death
Man Had Underlying Health Issues; Japan, Australia, Norway Also Confirm Cases: Costa Rica Records First Death
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A Washington state man with underlying health conditions is thought to the be the third person in the United States to die from complications of the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu. Washington authorities reported the death late Saturday, May 9. (AP / CBS)
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Quarantine officials with protective masks and outfits make their way toward a commercial plane that has just arrived at Narita International Airport in Narita, east of Tokyo, Saturday, May 9, 2009. Japan confirmed its first cases of swine flu Saturday in three people who recently returned from Canada, even as the disease's spread appeared to slow in the rest of the world. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)
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Quarantine officers monitor travelers with a thermographic device at an arrival gate at Narita International Airport, May 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)
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The state Department of Health says in a news release that, like the first two U.S. H1N1 victims, the Snohomish County man had underlying heart conditions and also viral pneumonia at the time of his death May 6, but that he also had swine flu and it is considered a factor in the death.
"This death is tragic. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this man's passing," said Governor Chris Gregoire. "It's a sobering reminder that influenza is serious, and can be fatal."
The man was not further identified.
He reportedly began showing symptoms on April 30, and was treated with medications.
Health officials cautioned that the number of cases of swine flu in Washington are expected to continue rising for some time to come, and urged people to continue to practice preventive measures, such as frequent hand washing.
"We're working with local and federal partners to track this outbreak," said Secretary of Health Mary Selecky, "and while most illnesses from this new flu strain have been fairly mild, we must remember that influenza claims about 36,000 lives every year nationwide. That's why we urge people to take this outbreak, and the seasonal flu we see every year, very seriously."
Health officials said earlier Saturday that an additional 18 cases of swine flu have been confirmed in Washington, bringing the state's total to 101.
Japan Tries To Contain Virus
Separately Saturday, Japanese authorities scrambled to track travelers who arrived on the same flight as three people diagnosed with the country's first confirmed cases of swine flu. Australia and Norway have also joined the ranks of affected countries with their first confirmed cases, and Costa Rica's health minister has confirmed the first death from swine flu in Central America.
Authorities in Tokyo quarantined a high school teacher and two teenage students who returned Friday from a school trip to Canada after they tested positive at the airport.
Australia also confirmed its first case of swine flu on Saturday, the health minister said. The woman who tested positive had arrived at Brisbane airport on a Qantas flight from Los Angeles on Thursday. The Queensland health department said in a statement the woman was no longer infectious when she boarded the plane.
In the Canadian province of Alberta, the chief medical officer on Friday confirmed the death of a woman infected with the virus. The woman, who was in her 30s and had other health problems, died April 28.
Officials said she had not left the country recently, but could not confirm whether she was in contact with anyone who had recently returned from Mexico, where swine flu has hit hardest. Dr. Andre Corriveau, Alberta's chief health officer, said 300 people who attended the woman's wake were being monitored for signs of the illness.
Costa Rica health minister Maria Luisa Avila told the Associated Press that a 53-year-old man died early Saturday. She said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed he had the swine flu virus.
The World Health Organization has said based on past outbreaks, it is possible that a third of the world's population, or about 2 billion people, could become infected if this outbreak turns into a two-year pandemic. Independent experts agreed it was possible but pointed out that many would not show any symptoms.
People with chronic illnesses are at greatest risk for severe illness from the flu, along with the elderly and young children. So far, most of those with the swine flu in the U.S. and Mexico have been young adults.
A report by the CDC said America's two swine flu deaths - a toddler and a pregnant woman who both died in Texas - each suffered from several other illnesses when they were infected with the virus.
Asia has been largely spared from the virus that continues to claim lives in worst-hit Mexico, which announced Saturday that the number of deaths had climbed to 48 even as it emerged from a national shutdown that closed schools and businesses and shuttered churches and soccer stadiums.
But since the outbreak began last month, several countries, including Japan, have screened air travelers for flu symptoms. But news reports said as many as 11 people on the Northwest Airlines flight from Detroit that landed in Tokyo on Friday avoided those screenings. Japan's national laboratory confirmed the virus in the teacher and two students.
The ministry said at least 13 people - believed to be separate from the reported 11 that the ministry was still investigating - had gone on to other destinations in transit from that flight, and efforts were under way to contact them through the World Health Organization.
Japanese Health and Welfare Minister Yoichi Masuzoe acknowledged it would be difficult to trace all those who came into contact with the three infected Japanese, who visited Ontario on a home-stay program with about 30 other students. The three were isolated and recovering at a hospital near Narita International Airport.
"There are limitations to what we can do, but we will continue to monitor the situation and strengthen or relax such measures as needed," he told reporters.
Public broadcaster NHK TV urged people who were aboard the flight to call a special telephone number for consultations. So far, 49 have been traced and will be monitored for 10 days, officials said.
But a handful of cases have cropped up in the region, including in South Korea and Hong Kong. The Chinese territory quarantined more than 200 people in a hotel after confirming its first case in a guest a week ago. They were released on Friday, and many were unable to contain their delight as they poured from the building for the first time in seven days. One man hugged a police officer and broke into song.
Australia reported its first case on Saturday in a woman it said was no longer infectious. She first noticed her symptoms while traveling in the U.S., federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon told reporters.
New Zealand - the first country in the Asia-Pacific region to confirm cases - reported two more on Saturday for a total of seven. The two high school students returned last month from a school trip to Mexico. Six of the country's cases were in students and a teacher on that trip; the seventh traveled on the same plane as the group.
Two Norwegian students, a man and woman both aged 20, have been diagnosed with swine flu after returning from a trip to Mexico, becoming the Scandinavian country's first confirmed cases, a health official said Saturday.
"Two persons have been infected," National Health Directorate spokeswoman Anne Kirkhusmo told the Associated Press. "They are both doing well. They have not been to
hospital."
The man was from Oslo, the woman was from the city of Skien, she said.
Two other Scandinavian countries, Sweden and Denmark, earlier confirmed one case each of swine flu.
First H1N1 Case Down Under
Australia confirmed its first case of swine flu on Saturday, but the woman is no longer infectious and has a weak strain of the virus, the health minister said.
Test results on the woman in her 20s from New South Wales came back positive Saturday from the World Health Organization laboratory in Melbourne, federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon told reporters.
The woman, who was not named, first noticed symptoms on April 27 while in the United States but got better before returning to Brisbane on Thursday, Roxon said.
The woman arrived on Qantas Flight QF16 from Los Angeles and identified herself to a nurse at the airport, she said.
She was screened and swabbed at the airport, given a mask and told to stay in Brisbane while tests were conducted.
"She's fully recovered and the experts believe that she was not infections on that flight traveling from Los Angeles through to Brisbane. So, we do not believe that anyone has been at risk either on that flight or here in Brisbane from actually getting swine flu from her," Dr. Jeannette Young, Queensland's chief health officer, told reporters in Brisbane.
The woman had been staying with family in the Queensland capital of Brisbane while waiting for test results, but would now be allowed to travel home to New South Wales, Young said.
The Queensland health department said in a statement the woman was no longer infectious when she boarded her flight to Australia.
Still, the department would contact people from the flight sitting in the rows in front and behind the woman to see if any of them have flu-like symptoms.
"This is clearly a serious development but we are in a situation where the best medical advice seems to be indicating that this person wouldn't be infectious," Roxon said.
Dr. Young said: "We're just being very, very cautious."
Eighteen people in Australia are still awaiting test results to determine if they have swine flu.
H1N1 Briefs:
The school has been closed and staff and students have been given antiviral drugs. The other two new cases are in adults from London and central England. None of the eight has been hospitalized.
Mexican soccer clubs Chivas Guadalajara and San Luis withdrew from the Copa Libertadores on Friday. San Luis was to face Nacional of Uruguay, and Chivas was to play Sao Paulo of Brazil.
Mexican federation president Justino Compean said at a news conference that the South American federation (CONMEBOL) did not seem to be negotiating in good faith. And he rejected a South American proposal to reduce the home-and-away series to one match to be played in Brazil and Uruguay.
"As president of the FMF, I would like to announce that Mexican football will withdraw completely from all CONMEBOL competitions until we reach an agreement," Compean said. "If we want to compete, it has to be as equals. 'Fair play' must prevail."
© MMIX, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
More From Health
Michelle Obama tells how her role as the First Lady has changed her perspective.
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See all 33 CommentsPosted by enriquieGonzales at 3:25 PM : May 10, 2009
Bet you didn't know that actual deaths from the flu in the U.S. are UNDER 100 on average per year. The remainder of that "36,000" are deaths from Pneumonia which may or may NOT be related to the flu!! And that, my friend, is how they convince everyone to get vaccinated every year.
Posted by enriquieGonzales at 3:25 PM : May 10, 2009
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Yes, I understand those total numbers. However, if a particular 'flu strain shows up that has a much higher ratio of deaths per infection than the usual 'flu, then it is worth reporting specifically.
When looking at the DNA sequences of the 'flu, it appears that it has some of the same traits from what we know from DNA sequences of more virulent viruses, then we want to know that. They have reported that that the virulence factors of this 'flu were not as serious as first thought. However, it has all the parts to gain some serious DNA sequences and since that's what viruses do really well, then we want to keep an eye on this one.
People will be duped by anything, I suppose.
Posted by Fighting4Freedom at 6:26 AM : May 10, 2009
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The difference is the mix of viral DNA that was found in the virus, and the number of deaths compared to infected people that was seen in Mexico. It was a higher percentage than normal for death/infection.
What I don't understand is why are most very conservative posters so against recognizing the potential danger of this viral outbreak? In 1918, the spring outbreak was much milder than the re-occurring fall outbreak, because the virus picked up more virulent DNA sequence between the fall and spring outbreaks.
When viruses copy their DNA in order to make a new virus, their machinery allows many more mistakes (mutations) than our DNA making machinery. That's one way that viruses can change in short periods of time. They also mingle their DNA with each other very easily. We mingle our DNA with another person only a few times in our lives (children are the result).
Posted by Fighting4Freedom
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There are those who will buy into his hype.
Posted by debinok1
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To Fighting4Freedom and debinok1,
I'm not some fanatic and do not wish to argue here. Conversation works best without using insulting, cynical sarcasm. (I would answer email if it were respectful dialogue). I'm passing along what I see as the most extraordinary, new-breaking story ever, that will very soon prove to be true.
You should follow what your intuition tells you is truth.
If you think I'm nuts, there's no reason to believe it. It requites a truly open mind, and some contemplation at the least. But I encourage you to go live out your truth and become the best example of whatever (Christian, aetheist, Mormon, it doesn't matter...) you most align yourself with. As long as it involves working for the greater good, how can you fail?
From my understanding, Maitreya, who holds the office of the Christ, has not and will not be concerned with any particular faith or spiritual background. Religions are superficial, in terms of spiritual growth. It's ultimately about a change in the human heart, to move into a future where good-will becomes the guiding principle. Where looking out for each other takes the place of greed, selfish ideological systems, and personal glamour.
Mabye I'm deluded in your opinion, but what I've been following around this story (of Maitreya's emergence) has shown to be remarkably accurate when it comes to trends in world events - rise of people power, need for global human rights, for a new economic framework.
For those readers who are wondering why we went off on this tangent, I tried to put the potential flu pandemic in perspective by comparing with the billions of people around the world who are ALREADY suffering from lack of healthcare, dying in large numbers because the rich nations don't feel they need to take drastic steps to solve this problem.
Maitreya, I suggest, is an enlightened man who comes to wake us up and realize we are all one human family. To share the resources in an international sense is the solution to many of our problems - war, hunger, disease, ecological crisis...
Posted by Fighting4Freedom at 6:28 AM : May 10, 2009
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Like the Crusades?
The Spanish Inquisition?
The enslavement and dealths of New World people by church officials?
Some good...
Posted by Fighting4Freedom at 6:28 AM : May 10, 2009
History in the last 20 centuries show total different facts.
Stop boasting.
Posted by budmag06 at 11:31 PM : May 9, 2009
Hilarius!! How is Obama going to destroy the French health care system? (just keep waving your pom-poms and ignoring reality) http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html
I would like to know this ye fighted what the heck is vigilant. The fact is the fully dighted use useless words. Bush was the one that used adumd word. .Stop sttipping everywhere. It is nasty and rude. We all have to do our part and help fight it.It meand stayimg home if ter can as we don't want it.
Your post is right on. The illegals' continued invasion and presence has ruined the area I live in. A large part of our economical woes are directly related to the government's absolute refusal to enforce our immigration laws. The outcome cannot be good for anyone. What good does it do to duplicate Mexico? We have had enough with illegal immigration and the blight they spread.
Thank them for sending millions of Criminals and their uneducated peons to American to prey on its citizens and soak up Billions in Welfare paid for by American tax payers.
Thank them for taking our jobs and driving down our standard of living!
Thank them for the billions in drugs they send across our borders each year!
Thank them for destroying our ER rooms, Schools, Culture, Environment.
Thank them for Killing, Robbing. Raping, & Assaulting 10,s of thousands of Americans each year.
Thank them for bringing their third world diseases, corruption and infecting our Politicians with the same corruption prevalent in their countries! An corruption that makes our Politicians ignore our Constitution against invasion, the rule of Law and their Oath of office!
Thank them for turning the USA into the same type culture they have created, build & sustained for 100,s of years in their own countries an Culture of Crime, Corruption, Poverty, Misery and Cruelly!
Thank them for waving their Mexican flags and telling us what an great country Mexico is and how they will kill all the gringos when they complete the colonization of this Nation!
Now we can thank them for infecting the world with Mexican Swine flu!
I didn't bother going to the doctor's office to see if I had H1N1, but we had all the correct symptoms. I live on the fringe of American civilization, only a few hours from Mexico.
Posted by budmag06 at 11:31 PM : May 9, 2009
The top health care system in the world? Are you kidding me?
[By the way, debinok1 is right. The Anti-Christ **IS** here.]
only the LORD's intervention will snap him out of it.
Posted by Fighting4Freedom
There are those who will buy into his hype. Many people will be fooled. Only those who have accepted Jesus will see him for what he is. Those people are becoming fewer every day. Which is also part of the prophecy.
His presence among us brings reassurance that the future is full of hope, healing and cooperation among nations to solve our major problems.
www.WakeUpMankind.org
Posted by global_eye
He is the one people need to watch out for. This is the first time I have seen a name attached to him though. The only other name I knew for him was the Anti-Christ.
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Well, you should know what the problem is!
After having operated on a day to day fear basis for eight years under the Bush administration, it's probably tough to 'throw on the air brakes' and 'go cold turkey' and then suddenly flip into a mode you're unaccustomed to using---it's a shock to the system!
Like the president, I'm prepared to give the general media some leeway, some recovery
time to get back to ' truth in reporting ' standards! I say the 'general media'---not media groups that never were independent or used independent judgement or reporting standards!
Groups like Rupert Murdoch's or stations like Fox News, are not independent news reporting sources, they have an agenda which ALL news is reported through!
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