Monthly Archives: July 2009

If you die, it’s because you didn’t wash your hands

Posted on July 31, 2009 by

… but our hearts go out to your family anyways. One of my self-appointed tasks is to contribute to the news thread at PFI_Forum by finding articles documenting who has died from the new H1N1. After describing someone’s death in … Continue reading →

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It hurts

Posted on July 30, 2009 by

A 10 year old girl vomits blood and dies. A 3 month old baby goes into convulsions and dies. Their parents are powerless to stop their killers. Scenes from a horror movie? No, just the pandemic news from two days … Continue reading →

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Obesity is not a risk factor for pandemic flu

Posted on July 29, 2009 by

One of the common refrains we see after someone has died of the new H1N1 virus is that they had an underlying condition. Obesity has been listed as one of these risk factors for death from pandemic flu. Turns out, … Continue reading →

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Flu Season(s) in Brazil

Posted on July 28, 2009 by

There has been much discussion of the effect of the weather on flu transmission. In general, the expectation is that flu spreads more effectively during the winter. Does this pattern apply to the new H1N1 virus? We know that the … Continue reading →

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Fatal cluster in Indiana

Posted on July 27, 2009 by

A 19 year old man from Indiana died of the new H1N1 virus on July 5, 2009 two weeks after first experiencing symptoms (WKRC-TV). Today, his 26 year old sister died of the same disease (WLWT) [hat-tip, howmanydays at PFI_Forum]. … Continue reading →

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Pandemic Update – July 26, 2009

Posted on July 26, 2009 by

There have been at least 1,139 officially reported deaths due to the new H1N1 virus. There have been at least 336 deaths in the US. California has overtaken New York State with the most number of reported deaths, 68 to … Continue reading →

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Report on Guatemala

Posted on July 25, 2009 by

Guatemala is a small country in North America, population, 13 million. It may have some important lessons to teach us about what H1N1 is doing. Two recent stories, one from SDP Noticias and the other in El Mercurio emol prompt … Continue reading →

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Critical Care is Critical

Posted on July 25, 2009 by

One of the advantages of living in a society with advanced medical care is access to an extensive array of complex devices and procedures delivered by highly trained professionals. Conditions that otherwise would result in death can be cured in … Continue reading →

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The Children’s Crusade – Special Guest Blog by Pixie

Posted on July 23, 2009 by

Introducing the new government-approved meme going forward into this pandemic of novel influenza, courtesy of Matt Cartter and your CDC: Quote: “The best place for sick children is at home. The best place for well children is at school” Yes, … Continue reading →

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Down’s Syndrome – A Risk Factor for the New Flu?

Posted on July 23, 2009 by

I’ve spent some time looking at Spanish language reports describing patients who have died of the new H1N1. I’ve been struck by how often Down’s Syndrome (Trisomy 21) is listed among the underlying conditions in South America. Here are a … Continue reading →

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