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Showing posts with label H1N1. Show all posts
Showing posts with label H1N1. Show all posts

Official Says Indonesian Hajj Pilgrim Died of Swine Flu

Posted by Aldie at 12:51 AM | 0 comments

Jakarta Globe | November 26, 2010

Jakarta. An official at the Hajj Health Center in Mina, Saudi Arabia, confirmed that two Indonesian pilgrims were found positive for the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu. One had died and another was still at the hospital.

Millions of hajj pilgrims praying in front of the
 Kabah in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. On Friday, an official
 confirmed that an Indonesian pilgrim died from
 the H1N1 virus. (Antara Photo)   
Wan Alkadri, head of the center, said that ST died two days ago after being declared H1N1 positive on Nov. 12. ST was originally from Surabaya, East Java.

“The other one is still being treated at the Al Wadi Hospital in Mina. Both pilgrims were suspected to have contracted the disease in Mecca,” Alkadri was quoted as saying by news portal Detik.com, adding that the two were not the carriers of the virus.

“We have conducted investigations and monitored everyone who shared the same floor with them, including members of their entourage. Nobody else showed symptoms of the disease,” he said.

Previously, Saudi's Health Ministry had said that four pilgrims had died due to swine flu and 67 others have been diagnosed with the virus. The casualties were a Moroccan woman, a Sudanese man and an Indian man who were all older than 75, and a 17-year-old girl from Nigeria.

The Saudi Gazette reported that meteorologists predicted more rains at the pilgrimage sites after Wednesday's sudden downpour. It was initially feared that the rains would hasten the spread of the virus, but Hasan Al-Bushra an epidemiologist at the Cairo office of the World Health Organization, said that this was not the case.

“It is carried in the air, by sneezes, coughs and touch. It is not waterborne. The rain could even be beneficial if it means crowds are smaller,” he told Saudi Gazette.

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Experts admit swine flu jab 'may cause' deadly nerve disease

Posted by Aldie at 4:26 PM | 0 comments

Daily Mail, By JO MACFARLANE, 16th October 2010

Health chiefs have for the first time acknowledged that the swine flu jab may be linked to an increased risk of developing a deadly nerve condition.

Experts are examining a pos sible association between the controversial jab and Guillain-Barre Syndrome, according to a report from official watchdog the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Previously, the Government has always stressed there is no evidence to link the paralysing condition to the H1N1 vaccine.

Fears: GBS victim Hilary Wilkinson wants
more research on the vaccine
After The Mail on Sunday revealed in August 2009 that doctors were being asked to monitor cases of GBS during the swine flu pandemic, a letter from the Health Protection Agency’s chief executive Justin McCracken stated: ‘There is no evidence to suggest an increased risk of GBS from the vaccines being developed to fight the current pandemic.’

Now the MHRA’s newly published report suggests the Government’s position has changed.

It says: ‘Given the uncer tainties in the available information and as with seasonal flu vaccines, a slightly elevated risk of GBS following H1N1 vaccines cannot be ruled out. Epidemiological studies are ongoing to further assess this possible association.’

It is not known precisely what causes GBS but the condition attacks the lining of the nerves, leaving them unable to transmit signals to muscles effectively.

It can cause partial paralysis and mostly affects the hands and feet – but it can be fatal.

The MoS report last year
Mother-of-two Hilary Wilkinson, 58, from Maryport, Cumbria, developed GBS following a chest infection and spent three months in hospital learning to walk and talk again.

She said: ‘It’s a frightening illness and I think more research needs to be done on the effect of the swine flu vaccine.’

A vaccine used to combat a different form of swine flu in the US in 1976 led to 25 deaths from the condition, compared with just one death from swine flu itself.

Amid fears there could be a repeat, neurologists were asked to record cases of GBS in the UK swine flu outbreak. Millions of people this year will be exposed to the swine flu vaccine as it has been included within the seasonal flu jab.

Government experts say there is no evidence of an increase in risk similar to 1976, but the MHRA report reveals they are calculating if there might be a smaller raised risk.

The MHRA had 15 suspected GBS cases after vaccination – and six million doses of the swine flu jab Pandemrix were given. It is not known if swine flu or the vaccine could have caused the suspected cases.

A spokeswoman for the MHRA said the risk with the vaccine had not changed and that the report ‘simply expands’ on ongoing GBS analysis.

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Australian Scientists in Swine Flu Breakthrough

Posted by Aldie at 3:53 PM | 0 comments

Seaweed Derivative Shown to Inhibit H1N1 Virus

HOBART, Australia, May 4 /PRNewswire/ -- In a breakthrough that offers new hope for the containment of influenza outbreaks, an Australian biotechnology company has isolated a natural extract from seaweed which has been shown to inhibit the H1N1 virus.

The extract - known as Maritech® 926 - is a fucoidan compound derived from the Undaria pinnatifida species of seaweed. In vitro tests performed under contract by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the US, have shown that Maritech® 926 can inhibit the H1N1 influenza virus at extremely low concentrations.

Developed by biotechnology company Marinova Pty Ltd, Maritech® 926 is a natural polysaccharide which has immediate market potential in nutritional supplements, hand washes and nasal delivery products which target the spread and prevention of viral conditions. Scope also exists for the compound to be included in pharmaceutical and medical device applications. As a result of these findings, Marinova has filed for patent protection over the application of Maritech® 926 and other fucoidan extracts in a range of anti-viral applications.

In announcing the findings and patent filing, Marinova's Senior Scientist, Dr Helen Fitton, said: "Fucoidan extracts such as Maritech® 926 are known to have significant inhibitory effects on a range of coated viruses. We are particularly excited by the fact that these seaweed extracts have now been shown to have an inhibitory effect on H1N1 at extremely low concentrations. With H1N1 already becoming resistant to some other antiviral agents, we believe that Maritech® 926 offers a potent, natural alternative which supports the immune system against viral attacks".

About Marinova:

Marinova Pty Ltd is an Australian biotechnology company, with extensive research and manufacturing facilities in Hobart, Tasmania. The company is dedicated to creating innovative and chemically consistent extracts from marine plants for use in medical, nutritional and skin care applications. Using its proprietary solvent-free Maritech® process, Marinova has the unique ability to supply high-purity fucoidan ingredients which not only meet HACCP, ISO9001, GMP and Organic quality requirements, but also comply with FDA and European pharmaceutical standards.

For further information or comment please contact:

Dr Helen Fitton
Senior Scientist
helen.fitton@marinova.com.au

Mr Antoine Valterio
Business Development Manager
antoine.valterio@marinova.com.au

Marinova Pty Ltd
Phone: +61 3 6248 5800
Fax: +61 3 6248 4062

Email: info@marinova.com.au

Web: www.marinova.com.au

SOURCE Marinova Pty Ltd

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