Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Switzerland’s second death from A/H1N1 flu has taken place just a week after the first, but doctors point out that the patient, a woman over 50 with diabetes, could well have died if she contracted regular flu. TSR quotes the head of public health in Zurich as saying that in a normal year Zurich alone has some 100 flu-related deaths, generally caused by complications from existing health problems.
Viral Flu, © 2009 Novartis AG
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – US President Barack Obama declared swine flu a national emergency late Friday 23 October, in order to relax some Medicaid and Medicare (national health insurance for the elderly and the poor) rules ahead of a potential surge in cases that could swamp the country’s medical facilities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the epidemic has increased in the past weeks and is now widespread in 46 of the 50 states. Swine flu activity has reached levels that the seasonal flu variety normally reaches in late November to March, CDC reported 23 October.
People at particular risk are pregnant women, especially those in the latest stage of pregnancy, children under the age of two, and people with pre-existing pulmonary problems, like asthma. In these cases, patients can develop severe symptoms within 3-5 days. The World Health Organization (WHO) says that the disease can progress rapidly, leading to respiratory collapse and the urgent need for mechanical respiration.
Lyons, France (GenevaLunch) - Ireland’s former Taoiseach (prime minister) Garrett FitzGerald, 83, and a group of 20 people, mainly family, staying with him at a chateau in Auvergne, France, have been quarantined as a precaution after several members of the party showed symptoms of flu, reports AFP. The symptoms are reportedly mild and only one person was given Tamiflu as a precautionary measure.
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Chagas disease is one of the largest debilitating and killer diseases in Latin America, but it is not winning the battle it needs for public attention in order to reduce the number of its victims. It is considered a neglected tropical disease by the WHO (World Health Organization), which put it on the agenda for the May 2009 World Health Assembly, in part because it appears to be traveling, thanks to eco-tourism. It was bumped when the agenda was reduced to allow the meeting to focus on the new pandemic, A/H1N1.
Chagas disease appears to be spreading from isolated rural areas to urban areas as people move to cities, but there is little prevention for the insect-borne disease, no standardized diagnostic test and huge knowledge gaps remain about effective treatment.
New Media campaign against A/H1N1
[public health video] Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The fight against the A/H1N1 virus in the French-speaking part of Switzerland is taking on a new face, a drag face.
The Federal Office of Public Health has started its swine flu awareness media campaign, “United against the flu” with a bit of humour: a comedian dressed in drag.
Verbier, Valais, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – About 50 residents at Les Elfes, an international summer camp in Swiss ski resort Verbier, canton Valais, are being treated for A/H1N1 swine flu after coming down with symptoms last week, the latest outbreak among groups of school-age children and youths in the region. Valais cantonal authorities said in a release (Fre) that the situation was “under control”. About 40 young people and 10 monitors came down with the flu. The camp’s other participants were treated and let go. Some of the children have left for home already, according to the press release.
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - The World Health Organization in Geneva has decided to stop issuing its global tallies of A/H1N1 flu cases, noting that “at this point, further spread of the pandemic, within affected countries and to new countries, is considered inevitable.” Newly affected countries are still required to confirm all new cases and “as far as feasible, provide weekly aggregated case numbers and descriptive epidemiology of the early cases.
Reporting requirements are being relaxed for countries with “community-wide” transmission of the virus but all countries are being asked to remain vigilant in monitoring the virological characteristics of the pandemic virus.
Basel, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Pharmaceutical giant Novartis saw net sales grow 8 percent in local currencies, but slip 2 percent in US dollars in the first six months of 2009. Exchange rates had significant impact on profits, which fell by 12 percent to CHF4.32 billion, compared to the same period in 2008. Company CEO Daniel Vasella notes in the company’s press release on results that the company expects to “continue record underlying results in constant currencies.”
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The swine flu (A/H1N1) is now unstoppable, and although so far the “severity is moderate” countries must now take measures to vaccinate their populations, the World Health Organization (WHO) noted after a high-level meeting Monday 13 July in Geneva. Its group of experts says there is not enough vaccine to cover all needs. To ensure an equitable distribution among countries it issued guidelines calling for health workers to be covered and populations at risk to be vaccinated before other groups.
Verbier, Valais, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - An international camp in Verbier has 14 confirmed cases of A/H1N1 among its students, ages 8-18, and another 20 students are being tested. Those who are sick have been isolated and are being given medical care, says the public health department in Valais, but none of the students are a cause for worry.
Versoix, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Six cases of swine flu have been confirmed among children attending the College du Léman summer school at Versoix, near Geneva, reports Romandie news. They will spend the next seven days in isolation in a nearby villa. Four other cases are under investigation.
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The Swiss government has adopted new regulations for fighting the A(H1N1) swine flu pandemic, effective Wednesday 1 July, that put a greater burden on doctors and laboratories to more rapidly report suspected cases to cantonal public health authorities.
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Switzerland has adapted its laws for travelers crossing the Swiss border to reflect new needs with the A(H1N1) swine flu spreading. The new rules go into effect 1 July.
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The Geneva-based International Air Transport Association (IATA) released figures 25 June showing that, while still falling, the drop in the number of air travellers in May 2009 was slightly smaller than in previous months, lending credence to reports of a bottoming-out of the recession. Worldwide, travel figures were 9.3 percent down in May compared to May 2008. The load factor in May, the ratio of passengers flown over airline capacity, was lower than a year ago, at 71.2 percent.
International freight travel figures were relatively better as well, though still below levels of last year. “We may have hit bottom, but we are a long way from recovery,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s director general and CEO.
At least 1,200 passengers on board the Spanish-owned Ocean Dream cruise liner off the coast of Venezuela were refused permission to land 17 June after three crew members were diagnosed with A/H1N1 flu. Eleven more crew members are suspected of being infected. “The virus was detected in three crew members and the boat must now stay in quarantine until June 24,” said Venezuelan health official Jorge Alchaer, reports the BBC. Venezuela has 25 confirmed cases of the flu, according to the WHO (World Health Organization). Local Venezuelan news sources report that the 376 Venezuelan passengers have been allowed onto the island of Maragarita for testing. Reuters, WHO, El Nacional (Spa)
Drug maker Novartis said it had no plans to donate the A/H1N1 vaccine the company is developing to poorer nations, chief executive Daniel Vasella told the Financial Times. WHO (World Health Organization) director general Margaret Chan has urged drugs makers to show solidarity with poorer nations that may not be able to afford to purchase the vaccine. Other pharmaceutical companies, such as GlaxoSmith Kline have announced their willingness to donate a portion of their production, the FT reports.
The United Kingdom announced over the weekend its first death to swine flu, making this the first fatality outside of the Americas since the virus was first detected in late March.
Used with permission of Novartis Vaccines, June 2007. © Novartis Vaccines, click to enlarge
Basel, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Swiss drugs manufacturer Novartis announced 12 June that it had successfully produced an antivirus effective against the wild type of A/H1N1 swine flu virus that is at pandemic levels using new cell-based technology.
The news comes hot on the heels of the widely expected World Health Organization’s (WHO) announcement 11 June of a phase six pandemic, the highest level. The drugs maker says that its cell-based production technology will allow it to produce vaccines much more quickly than by using the traditional method of adapting the virus strain to grow in eggs. It has a production facility in Marburg, Germany that can produce millions of doses a week.
Following further testing and clinical trials on the “wild strain” antivirus, Novartis hopes to be able to produce, test and deploy an antivirus for the reassortant A/H1N1 strain provided by the US Centers for Disease Control by this autumn.
As the World Health Organization (WHO) announces phase six of the pandemic A/H1N1 swine flu 11 June, a curious fact jumps out from the map that the organization publishes each day with its statistics. Not one sub-Saharan African country has reported a single case of the new flu. The only African country with officially reported cases is Egypt, with 10 (11 June).
On the face of it, the populations in many of Africa’s countries would be prime candidates for contracting flu. They are poor, often malnourished, suffering from war and disease in many places, and crowded into teeming cities with poor provision of basic services. How have they avoided A/H1N1?
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – After an emergency meeting early this afternoon the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the the A/H1N1 (swine) flu pandemic had entered its highest phase 6, denoting “sustained community-level outbreaks in at least two WHO regions.” In its latest update 10 June, WHO reported almost 28,000 confirmed cases of swine flu in 74 countries worldwide, with 141 deaths. Sudden spikes in confirmed cases in the past few days have been reported from widely-separated countries like Australia and Chile, prompting WHO concern.
Lausanne, Switzerland (TSR and 20Minutes, Fre) – A doctor who works at the Vaud cantonal hospital (Chuv) in Lausanne came down with symptoms of swine flu (A/H1N1) and has been quarantined and treated with Tamiflu.
Lausanne, Switzerland (TSR, Fre) – A Vaud couple, ages 58 and 71, who flew back to Switzerland from New York a week ago, were diagnosed with A/H1N1 flu Monday 1 June. They bring to 10 the total number of cases in Switzerland. The US released its latest figures for the highly infectious disease 1 June and, with more than 10,000 cases, it is now the country hardest hit.
Lausanne, Switzerland (TSR, Fre) – A Vaud woman who flew back from New York to Geneva Tuesday has been hospitalized and diagnosed with A/H1N1 (swine flu). Her husband, who was on the same flight and came down with the same symptoms, is being tested. Their young child and the woman’s mother, as well as the husband, are in isolation for seven days. Passengers who were on the flight with the couple are being alerted by public health authorities.
Ed. note: in Britain, a student at Eton College was diagnosed with A/H1N1 and the school has decided to close until 10 June as a result. Princes Harry and William went to Eton. Details: Times
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – A woman from canton Basel State was diagnosed at the Basel cantonal hospital with A/H1N1 swine flu in Switzerland, the third case in Switzerland. The national influenza centre in Geneva has not yet confirmed the diagnosis. She flew into Zurich from Washington DC, USA 22 May, announced the Federal Office of Public Health. Swiss health authorities obtained the list of passengers from the airline the woman was traveling on, and they will be informed by health authorities in their own countries.
The WHO World Health Assembly is meeting in Geneva, Switzerland 18-22 May 2009
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Widespread uncertainty concerning the A/H1N1 virus and its so far relatively mild symptoms are complicating the decision-making process about vaccine production. The debate has been a major focal point at the World Health Assembly, the annual meeting of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, 18-22 May.
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The World Health Organization (WHO) reported a 16 percent increase in 24 hours in the number of A/H1N1 (swine flu) cases worldwide, from 6,497 confirmed cases Thursday 14 May to 7,500 Friday. During the previous week, the increase was 200 percent. The statistics hide a more complex picture than the dramatic rise in numbers at first appears to show.
