PICK YOUR POISON: Canada reports first case of rare H1N2 Swine Flu, as UK detects another bird flu outbreak
Three influenza virus subtypes have been isolated in pigs: H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2. In 2009 pandemic, 151,700-575,400 people worldwide died from the H1N1 infections.
TOMMY BEER: Canada’s first case of a rare swine flu variant, Influenza A (H1N2)v, has been detected in a patient from central Alberta, but health officials say it is an isolated case, that there is “no evidence at this time that the virus has spread further” and that it presents no increased risk to Albertans… At a press conference on Wednesday, Dr. Hinshaw said health officials had launched an investigation to determine the source of the virus… According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, three main influenza A virus subtypes have been isolated in pigs in the United States: H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2. The H1N1 virus emerged in 2009, causing the first global flu pandemic in 40 years. The CDC estimated that between 151,700-575,400 people worldwide died from the H1N1 infections during the first year the virus circulated. In August of 2010, the WHO declared an end to the global 2009 H1N1 pandemic. SOURCE…
HARRISON JONES: Thousands of birds are set to be killed after bird flu was confirmed at a farm in Cheshire. The outbreak was confirmed at a commercial broiler breeder rearing farm near Frodsham on Monday, meaning all 13,500 birds at the farm will be ‘humanely culled’ to limit the spread of the H5N8 strain, the Government said. It comes after a seemingly unrelated outbreak of avian flu at a farm near the town of Deal in Kent was also detected yesterday. In that case it was confirmed that 480 ducks and chickens on the site would be killed to limit the spread of H5N2… Wild birds migrating from mainland Europe during the winter period can spread the disease to poultry and other captive birds, the Government said, as it announced a ‘detailed investigation’ to determine the most likely source of the outbreak. In late October, the bird flu threat in the UK was raised from ‘low’ to ‘medium’. The UK has previously seen other minor outbreaks of various strains of bird flu. SOURCE…
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