Swine Flu Outbreak in Leicester - UK
A hospital is dealing with a "significant" outbreak of swine flu among 14 cancer patients.
The patients on three wards at Leicester Royal Infirmary are being treated for the condition, while another three people with the illness - a child and two adults - are being treated at the city's Glenfield hospital.
All 17 people have been diagnosed with having the H1N1 flu strain of influenza, better known as swine flu.
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Saudi Arabia
Between 27 December 2015 and 13 January 2016, the National IHR Focal Point for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia notified WHO of 4 additional cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection.
Globally, since September 2012, WHO has been notified of 1,630 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV, including at least 586 related deaths.
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – United Arab Emirates
Between 11 and 14 January 2016, the National IHR Focal Point of the United Arab Emirates notified WHO of 2 additional cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection, including 1 death.
Human infection with avian influenza A(H5N6) virus – China
On 18 January 2016, the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) of China notified WHO of 1 additional laboratory-confirmed case of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N6) virus.
Typhoid in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe’s capital city Harare has been rocked by a typhoid outbreak and authorities have deployed medical experts to determine the magnitude of the spread of the disease.
A report in Zimbabwe’s state-owned Herald newspaper on Wednesday said since last Friday health authorities in that country had confirmed three cases in Glen Norah, two in Hopley and one in Hatfield.
Swine Flu Outbreak in Eastern Europe
An outbreak of swine flu has killed 72 more people and is putting thousands more lives in danger as the deadly virus continues to spread across eastern Europe.
Up to 40,000 people are expected to contract the disease in the Ukaine capital Kiev, where residents are covering their faces with masks or scarves.
Schools have been closed for more than a week and some public gatherings have been banned as authorities struggle to head off the outbreak.
The Ukrainian health ministry has confirmed 72 swine flu deaths, of which 47 were in the past week.
The number of fatalities in areas of the Donetsk region held by pro-Russian rebels could be as high as 300, according to the intelligence service.
The virus has spread to many former Soviet countries, reaching epidemic levels in St Petersburg, Russia, where at least 30 people have died.
At least 18 people have also died in Armenia.
The respiratory disease, caused by a strain of the influenza type A virus known as H1N1, can be spread from person to person through coughing and sneezing.
El Salvador issues Pregnancy Advisory - Zika Virus
As worries intensify about the Zika virus due to its association with a rare paralysis syndrome and rise of birth defect called microcephaly, health officials are taking drastic measures to stop the disease.
In a stunning development in El Salvador, health officials have advised all women of reproductive age to delay pregnancy until 2018 due to concerns about possible birth defects linked to the virus. Earlier this month, the El Salvador Health Department disclosed they had found 492 Zika cases.
The spokeswoman for El Salvador health department confirmed they are advising women from becoming pregnant but have not issued any official guidelines or policy statements.
The El Salvador advisory comes after thousands of children in Brazil were born with a dangerous birth defect called microcephaly, where head and brain are not fully developed. In Brazil, the government has called in the military to assist with a nationwide push to eradicate the virus. The health minister said that the military and civil defence services would be called in to help health workers combat the virus, which is spread my mosquitoes.
Swine Flu Outbreak in Israel
One woman has died of swine flu and another ten people have been hospitalized with the disease. Four of them are on artificial respiration.
The Health Ministry added that some of the sick have other conditions which make them more susceptible to flu complications. These include heart disease, diabetes, Down’s Syndrome and pregnancy.
Human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus – China
On 11 December 2015, the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) of China notified WHO of 2 additional laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza A (H7N9) virus.
Surge in swine flu cases in Delhi, India
City hospitals have alerted the Central Government about the rise in the number of swine flu cases that have started coming in.
The city reported 15 swine flu cases and one death between October and November this year.
Last year, the swine flu cases (10,000 reported) spiked during December, with the number climbing till February.
Fearing unrest, Iranian regime hides deadly swine flu outbreak
The swine flu presently sweeping across Iran is a full fledged outbreak. It has already spread to many provinces in the country, including highly populated areas such as the capital city, Tehran. Yet despite its increasing severity, the Iranian regime has yet to take any credible step to fight the outbreak.
Fearing social unrest, the regime is publishing contradictory figures and false reports on the number of those afflicted, including a mounting death toll.
While, the regime’s leaders claim that just a few have been affected and that the disease is under control, the regime’s Ministry of Health is sending a contradictory message. The Ministry of Health alleges that following the outbreak in Kerman and Sistan-Baluchistan provinces, the deadly disease will spread to Kurdistan, Lorestan, Khuzestan, Chaharmahal Bakhtiari, Esfahan, Tehran, Semnan and Northern Khorassan provinces in the coming weeks.
The regime’s Ministry of Health announced after two weeks that the number of people who have died of the flu is 33.
There are also reports that several people lost their lives to swine flu in the city of Mehran in Ilam border province, but regime’s officials deny the existence and outbreak of the disease in Ilam and cities in border region.
The budget allocated to health and medical treatment or fundamental investments in public health in Iran ranks amongst the worst in the world while the figures of victims of diseases ranks among the highest globally.
Bird Flu - China
Two people in Shanghai, one of China's largest cities, died this month after contracting a strain of avian influenza that had never been passed to humans before.
The two men, aged 87 and 27, became sick late February and died in early March. Another woman in nearby Anhui province also contracted the virus in early March and is in a critical condition.
The strain of the bird flu virus found in all three people was identified as H7N9, which had not been transmitted to humans before.
Swine Flu - India
52-year-old woman succumbed to Swine-flu at civil hospital in Rajkot.
Civil hospital sources said that she was admitted into civil hospital three days ago as a suspected Swine-flu patient and her samples were sent for H1N1 laboratory test which came positive.
At least 49 people have succumbed to Swine flu in civil hospital in Rajkot since January 2013.
Swine Flu Pandemic - Report
Swine flu infected at least 20% of all people worldwide, including half of schoolchildren, during the first year of the pandemic in 2009, according to data from 19 countries. It is thought the virus killed 200,000 people around the world.
Although large numbers of people were infected, not all would have developed full-blown flu. The H1N1 virus first appeared in Mexico in 2009 and rapidly spread around the world. Approximately 24% of people had been infected overall, but half of school-age children showed signs of infection. Fewer than two in every 10,000 people infected died during the pandemic.
Swine Flu Deaths
Two Chinese women have died from the H1N1 flu strain in Beijing in the past 10 days, the first reported deaths from the virus in China's capital since 2010.
Nepal is hit by swine flu outbreak. Physicians confirmed the outbreak after it was detected in blood samples collected in Kathmandu, Chitwan, Sindhuli and Khotang districts.
Deadly cholera outbreak hits Accra, Ghana. 2,756 cases and 31 deaths have been reported.
Foot and Mouth disease claim livestock in Tibet. The highly infectious and sometimes fatal disease has been traced to livestock in the Nyingtri region of central Tibet. According to the regional agricultural ministry, a total of 123 live head of cattle and 108 pigs have showed symptoms associated with FMD.
The UN health agency says the Ebola death toll stands at 31 in DR Congo. The outbreak cannot be considered to be under control.
The number of swine-origin H3N2 (variant H3N2, or H3N2v) influenza cases in the United States has climbed by 9 in the past week, to 305.
