1,000 admitted to hospital in Indian town

earlier in the week....


Sunday, February 19, 2006 04:52:07 pmPT

NASIK: "The district authorities here were put on high alert after the
confirmation of outbreak of birdflu in Nandurbar district of north
Maharashtra.

District Collector Mahesh Zagde has asked Regional Tranport Officers
(RTO) and Police to keep watch on transportation of chickens from Dhule,
Nandurbar and Surat. "

Zagde said that we are also keeping watch at government as well as
private hospitals to see if patients with bird flu symtoms was found."

Let's hope that this is not it.  I wish Rick was around with one of his maps. I would really like to know where this place is in relation to other clusters or outbreaks.  Does anyone know?

Thanks NotNadine.

edit: Wow! That was fast! 

Maps and Info of the region:

http://www.surfindia.com/travel/gifs/nashik-map.jpg

Rick wrote: Nasik hosts chicken festival - India News Nasik: To create awareness among the people and to dispel fears of bird flu from their minds, a three-day chicken festival has been organized in Nasik. “We appeal to all common people that they should enjoy chicken and eggs. Do not fear about bird flu. It is at 3 km area of Navapur. The rest of India and Maharashtra is bird flu free,” said Udhav Aahare, Chairman, District Poultry Association, Nasik. ------> I don't think the chicken festival is going to catch on.

And of course this was spewed from the mouth of the Chairman of the District Poultry Association!  I wonder whose hands are in his pockets!

I don't think the chicken festival will catch on either, Rick. What a fracking nightmare! 

Any bets on how long it takes for us to be told this is Norovirus???

I feel like I should start a pool.

Thanks Rick.

My biggest fear all along has been India. 

around 10 day incubation period huh

wonder what they call stable?

A 3 day chicken festival?  Methinks the advance agents of the H5N1 virus have taken over the brains of these officials to prepare the way!

The Leader Virus speaks:

"Fellow virus, our preparations are ready! We will now bend the foolish humans to serve our invasion". 

 Even the worst science fiction couldn't predict this reality!

Over a thousand people, including women and children,
were admitted to government and private hospitals in powerloom town of
Is it just me, or does this sound strange?   the "including women and children" part,  Is it not normal for women and children to seek health care in this part of the world?  I don't understand why they would specify them, unless when they get sick with H5N1, it doesn't count.

I just read on the BBC that four human cases of Bird Flu  have been confirmed from this group.

Well now we definitely have ammunition to alert family, friends & neighbors!

Blam-- can you post a source for your info that BBC confirmed BF in this group?  Thanks.

I don't understand. 1,000 people are suspected of having H5N1?

< Watching this with great interest...my staff went home hours ago and I feel about as helpless as a newborn kitten, lol.

Yes, ExaminedLife,  exactly, a 1.000 people have a "viral temperature" and other symptoms bad enough to hospitalize, which could be bird flu, but of course, could be something else.  Another post has 300 people sick (but doesn't mention hosptal) in a village not too far away (100 miles?).  Anyway, in 2 weeks we'll see if its H5N1, or if half die in a week, we'll know its SOMETHING we will not like (would be quite a twist if some completely different viral or bacterial agent emerged at this time).  Or maybe its something that stays local.  This kind of thing does happen from "normal" illnesses regularly, so you have to wait and not panic.  The early warning can come from correlating mass illnesses spreading, matched with high death rates in early victims after a week or 2.

Kind of the problem with getting news fast, so much overload.  That map of bird flu had some amazing outbreaks of other illnesses on it, as well that, you never think about.

This could be the answer to the fevers.

NIV team detects AP’s ‘mysterious fever’

The preliminary investigations into the ‘mysterious fever’ that wreaked havoc in at least five districts of Andhra Pradesh in January this year has pointed towards mosquito-transmitted virus as the cause behind it. This arthropod-borne virus — chikungunya virus — was found to be behind the ‘mysterious fever’ by a team of scientists from the National Institute of Virology (NIV) here.

The team that visited the districts and collected the samples are yet to finalise their report, but prima facie investigations have all pointed towards the chikungunya virus. They will soon be sending a detailed report to the Union Ministry of Health soon.

Though NIV director A C Mishra could not be contacted to ascertain the findings of the investigation, highly placed sources told Newsline that chikungunya virus was transmitted by Aedes Aegypti mosquito. Incidentally, it is the same species of mosquito that causes dengue too.

High fever, chill, severe headache followed by acute joint and muscle pains are the symptoms of the infection. Fever persists for three days and pain for seven days or more depending upon the resistance of the patient.

Chikungunya virus is highly-infective and disabling. The name comes from Swahili and means ‘that which bends up’ giving a reference to the positions that victims take to relieve the joint pain. Chikungunya is responsible for extensive Aedes Aegypti-transmitted urban disease in Africa and is also the cause for epidemic in Asia. The crippling arthralgia and frequent arthritis that accompany the fever and other systemic symptoms are clinically distinct.

http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=170348

MissRX, thanks for the observation and posting about Chikungunya, I was
wondering the same thing. Time will tell.

Chikungunya virus

Symptoms and effects.

After an incubation period of 3-12 days there is a sudden onset of flu-
like symptoms including a severe headache, chills, fever (>40°C,104°F),
joint pain, nausea and vomiting. The joints of the extermities in particular
become swollen and painful to the touch. A rash may sometimes occur.
Hemorrhage is rare and all but a few patients recover within 3-5 days.
Some can suffer for joint pain for months. Children may display
neurological symptoms.


Medical and Physical Countermeasures.
Vaccination (Immunoprophylaxis)
A vaccine is not available.

Specific Therapy
No specific therapies are available.

Supportive care
Symptoms are treated, e.g. with analgesics and anticonvulsants.

Decontamination The virus is killed by common disinfectants, moist heat
and drying. The vector (a mosquito) also needs to be controlled with
insecticides.


Agent Properties and Potential Uses

Chikungunya virus is highly infective and disabling but is not
transmissible between people. It would most likely be dispensed as an
aerosol or by the release of infected mosquitos. The disabling joint pain
and fever, the lack of a suitable animal reservoir in Western countries and
its lack of lethality make it a very "clean" weapon that could be used
against key civilian installations. The name comes from the Swahili for
"that which bends up" that is a reference to the positions that victims take
to relieve the joint pain

http://www.cbwinfo.com/Biological/Pathogens/CHIK.html

ABBF -

http://web.mid-day.com/news/nation/2006/march/133122.htm

Dengue hits Malegaon: 800 hospitalised
   By: PTI
   March 16, 2006

---

More than 800 people suffering from a type of dengue were admitted to hospitals and over 2,000 cases of fever have been detected in the handloom town of Malegaon in Nasik district, Maharashtra Health Minister Vimal Mundada said here today. "It is a form of dengue fever which has been detected in Malegaon and 800 people have been admitted in various hospitals with the disease. Also, there are over 2,000 cases of fever. We are taking all precautions including fogging to control the outbreak," Mundada told reporters. He said the disease spreads in areas where there is unhygienic slaughtering or stagnant water, and it would be difficult to control the spread of the bacteria through fogging since the dengue bacteria are known to develop immunity to such chemicals. The health minister will accompany Deputy Chief Minister R Patil to Malegaon tomorrow where they will review measures taken to control the outbreak.

http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?category=Nati onal&slug=Malegaon+hit+by+viral+fever+outbreak&id=85 875

 

Malegaon hit by viral fever outbreak

---

NDTV Correspondent

Friday, March 17, 2006 (Malegaon):

India continues culling birds, no flu in humans 17 Mar 2006 03:12:48 GMT Source: Reuters

MUMBAI, March 17 (Reuters) - Indian health officials said on Friday no flu-like symptoms had been found in any person in a western Indian state where 70,000 chickens are being killed to contain a second outbreak of bird flu in poultry.

The latest outbreak -- in backyard poultry of Jalgaon district in Maharashtra state -- was the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian influenza, but it has not infected people so far.

"We have not yet found anyone with flu-like symptoms despite a very intense door-to-door search," T.P. Doke, Maharashtra's health director, said.

Authorities had identified four villages spread over 1,100 square km (425 square miles) in the Jalgaon area as affected.

Jalgaon is 200 km (125 miles) from Navapur, where India reported its first case of the H5N1 strain in poultry last month.

After the first outbreak, India tested more than 100 people for bird flu but all proved negative.

Vijay Satbir Singh, Maharashtra's top health official, said authorities would check 80,000 people over the next two weeks to ensure the virus did not infect people.

"We will continue our surveillance for 10 days after the last bird has been culled in Jalgaon," he said.

Veterinary workers had throttled almost half of more than 70,000 birds and said they hoped to complete the culling by late Friday.

"It's an onerous task, but we should finish it by this evening," said Bijay Kumar, an animal husbandry official.

Villagers in Jalgaon voluntarily handed over their poultry in return for compensation as veterinary and civic workers wearing protective gear took them away in plastic bags and gunny sacks.

Then, the birds were killed by twisting their necks.

Traffic in and around the affected area remained restricted.

OMG.  1,000+ people?  I will definitely head to the store this weekend.  I really hope this isn't H2H, but it sure sounds like it is.