Paramedic UK » H1N1

Swine flu ‘hits airways harder’

Editor — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 07:05:34 +0000

H1N1 swine flu attacks the respiratory system in a more sustained way than the standard seasonal virus, research in animals shows.

Tests showed swine flu multiplies in greater numbers across the respiratory system, and causes more damage.

And instead of staying in the head like seasonal flu, it penetrates deeper into the respiratory tissues – making it more likely to cause pneumonia.

The University of Wisconsin study appears in the journal Nature.

It also suggests that swine flu may mimic the flu virus which caused the great pandemic of 1918, in which millions died.

The 1918 virus also had a greater ability than standard flu to cause damage to the respiratory system.

via BBC NEWS.

Mystery of the Spanish Flu Solved

Editor — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:55:44 +0000

MIT researchers have explained why two mutations in the H1N1 avian flu virus were critical for viral transmission in humans during the 1918 pandemic outbreak that killed at least 50 million people -believed more than that taken by the Black Death, and higher than the number killed in World War I.

The 1918 flu pandemic -commonly known as the Spanish flu- was an influenza pandemic that started in the United States, appeared in West Africa and France and then spread to nearly every part of the globe in three waves lasting from March 1918 to June 1920, spreading to the Arctic and remote Pacific islands. It was caused by an unusually severe and deadly Influenza A virus strain of subtype H1N1. In contrast to most influenza outbreaks which predominantly affect juvenile, elderly, or otherwise weakened patients, the Spanish Flu also claimed healthy young adults, resulting from infection rates of up to 50% and the extreme severity of the symptoms, suspected to be caused by cytokine storms.

Read full article: The Daily Galaxy

Australia: Flu ‘may tip pandemic’

Editor — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:39:45 +0000

A sharp increase in swine flu cases in Australia may mean the infection has become a pandemic, the World Health Organization says.

For that to happen, officials would have to verify that the disease had become established outside North America, where the crisis began.

Read full article: BBC NEWS

Ambulance station swine flu alert

Editor — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 07:43:06 +0000

Ambulance crews were warned to stay away from one of their Dundee stations after a possible swine flu case was transported to hospital.

Access to the West School Road depot was restricted for a couple of hours on Sunday night after the patient was taken to Ninewells.

A Scottish Ambulance Service spokesman said it was a “precautionary measure.”

Read full article: BBC NEWS

Australia: Ambos adopt a no-risk policy on swine flu

Editor — Sun, 03 May 2009 10:09:25 +0000

Ambulance officers are making their own calls on whether to wear super-protective spacesuit-style clothes during the swine flu scare.

On the Gold Coast last week, paramedics took no risks transporting elderly patients with flu symptoms.

Emergency Services staffers have strongly rejected criticism of an over-reaction.

“The officers on the ground make the calls themselves on a case-by-case basis. They get the information to make that decision from the communications centre,” a staffer said.

Read full article: The Courier-Mail

Pandemic test aids swine flu response

Editor — Sun, 03 May 2009 08:16:58 +0000

Emergency services in Cambridgeshire say they are ready for a possible flu pandemic after sharpening their plans in an exercise.

Cambridgeshire’s NHS trusts, the county council and police joined together for the flu pandemic exercise Pandora One in February, and a public health expert said the results gave “reassurance” on the county’s ability to cope with any swine flu outbreak.

The exercise tested individual schemes such as the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAS) pandemic plan, which details how staff will need to protect themselves from infection by patients and disinfect their vehicles daily.

Read full article: Cambridge City News