Latest news with #influenzaA
Hans India
3 days ago
- Health
- Hans India
Cambodia reports 14th human case of H5N1 bird flu in 2025
Phnom Penh: A 26-year-old man from northwest Cambodia's Siem Reap province has been confirmed positive for H5N1 human avian influenza, raising the number of cases to 14 so far this year, the Ministry of Health said in a statement on Tuesday. "A laboratory result from the National Institute of Public Health showed on July 26 that the man was positive for the H5N1 virus," the statement said. "The patient has the symptoms of fever, cough, sore throat, stomach ache, and breathing difficulty, and is currently being treated by a team of doctors," it added. The victim lives in Kravann village of Siem Reap city. "Investigations revealed that there were dead chickens near the patient's house, and he also culled and plucked chickens three days before he fell ill," the statement said. Health authorities are looking into the source of the infection and are examining any suspected cases or people who have been in contact with the victim in order to prevent an outbreak in the community. So far this year, the Southeast Asian country has reported a total of 14 human cases of H5N1 bird flu, with five deaths, according to the Ministry of Health, Xinhua news agency reported. H5N1 influenza is a flu that normally spreads between sick poultry, but can sometimes spread from poultry to humans. Its symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, and severe respiratory illness. The Ministry of Health called on people to be extra vigilant and not to eat sick or dead poultry, saying that bird flu still threatens people's health. Since 2022, there have been increasing reports of deadly outbreaks among mammals also caused by influenza A(H5) -- including influenza A(H5N1) -- viruses. There are likely to be more outbreaks that have not been detected or reported. Both land and sea mammals have been affected, including outbreaks in farmed fur animals, seals, sea lions, and detections in other wild and domestic animals such as foxes, bears, otters, raccoons, cats, dogs, cows, goats and others. Almost all cases of H5N1 virus infection in people have been associated with close contact with infected live or dead birds, or H5N1-contaminated environments, for example, live bird markets. There have been some instances of spread from infected mammals to humans as well.
ABC News
24-07-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Influenza B is hitting Australian children hard this flu season as vaccination uptake slows
After missing her flu vaccine for just one year Millie Campbell was fighting for her life. The then-eight-year-old contracted Influenza B in 2019 and, what started with aches and pains in her legs, led to multiple organ failure. "They had to drain 200 millilitres of fluid from her heart — it was struggling," her mother Stephanie Campbell said. "I think the doctor's words were 'your daughter could die tonight'." Millie was taken by rescue helicopter from Newcastle to Westmead Children's Hospital in Sydney but soon after arriving she went into cardiac arrest. "It was very, very surreal, it actually felt like at the time it wasn't happening," Millie's dad, Ian Campbell, said. "There was no indication she was going to survive," Ms Campbell said. When the doctors told Millie's parents the underlying cause of her illness was Influenza B they were shocked. "We were blissfully ignorant to the fact it can be a killer," Mr Campbell said. "People always think, 'Oh it won't happen to our kids'." Millie was fit, healthy and had no pre-existing conditions but had to spend weeks in intensive care and six months in hospital. She had to learn to walk again and eventually had to have her left foot up to her ankle amputated because of peripheral circulation damage from being on life support for so long. "Millie's recovery will be a lifelong journey … and seeing how severe the flu can be, our message is: really to talk to your medical practitioner about the vaccine," Ms Campbell said. This year, Australia has seen much higher rates of Influenza B than last year, particularly in children aged five to 16 years old, despite Influenza A being the more prominent virus type. Influenza A and B present similarly, but type B can be more severe in children. The influenza vaccine contains two strains of the A virus and two of the B. "[Influenza B] often gets a reduced awareness due to influenza A, probably because A is normally associated with pandemics," said Patrick Reading, director of the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza. Children currently make up the highest proportion of Influenza B cases in Australian hospitals but the reason for that is unknown. "It's a bit of a mystery. It's an association that we see, but we can't say there's something specific about the virus that means it infects more children over adults," Professor Reading said. Flu vaccination rates have been sliding since the COVID-19 pandemic and the group most impacted by Influenza B — the five to 16-year-old age group — now have the lowest vaccination uptake of all ages. "In 2022 we had high rates across all age groups and now we have so many unvaccinated people, which means we have a larger cohort of people who are susceptible to infection," Professor Reading said. He said this fading immunity was putting significant pressure on the health system and the worst might be still to come. "We see elevated [influenza] circulation throughout August, September and October, so it's definitely not too late to get vaccinated," he said. Millie's parents had been strict with vaccinations but once she was over the age of five they believed she was less at risk of getting seriously ill from the flu. Influenza vaccines are free under the National Immunisation Program (NIP) for specific groups considered to be at greatest risk, including children aged between six months and five years old. Outside of that age group the vaccine costs around $25 and becomes free again for people 65 and over. But the age restrictions may be confusing some people, said Julie Leask, a social scientist with a focus on vaccination and prevention of infectious diseases. "I don't think the risk-based strategy is working well for Australia," Professor Leask said. "When the vaccine is on the [NIP] it's a real signal to people that this vaccine is important and it's also a signal to health professionals to recommend the vaccine … we still unfortunately see some [doctors] saying the vaccine isn't a good idea for kids." For a vaccine to be free for all it must be deemed cost effective by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee. The committee has previously knocked back an application for a universal free flu vaccine but Professor Leask strongly supports the idea. "I think the Australian government needs to consider whether we can make the flu vaccine free for everybody aged six months and over, because then it will become a bit more institutionalised into our systems and simple to communicate." Research has found the most common reasons people don't get their children vaccinated include: Throw in anti-vaccine rhetoric, which has ramped up since the Trump administration took office in the US, and it's a complex picture. Over the last six months, US health secretary and anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr has been recirculating disproved myths about vaccines causing autism and walked back COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for children and pregnant women. Professor Leask is convinced Mr Kennedy's messaging will cut through in Australia. "We are seeing from the US this kind of mainstreaming of misinformation … we will see the impacts of that to some degree in Australia," she said. Millie now has a prosthetic left leg and while swimming was originally part of her rehabilitation program, it is now a central part of her life. The now-14-year-old has become a competitive swimmer who has won multiple gold medals at national championships and qualified for the recent World Trials held in Adelaide. She now has her sights set on the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles. Millie's influenza battle has a hard-fought happy ending, but her parents are worried about Australia's changing attitude towards vaccination. "This growing hesitancy seems to be driven by the inability of people to decipher between evidence-based information and misinformation on social media," Mr Campbell said. "I understand the predicament because most people spend more of their life on social media but I would encourage people to speak with health experts. "Vaccination benefits not only you but the community."
Mint
16-07-2025
- Health
- Mint
H1N1 case reported in Kerala's Kollam school, says report; check symptoms and precautions
A Class IX student from a school in Kerala's Kollam has tested positive for H1N1 fever (swine flu), health officials confirmed to The Hindu. According to officials, three other students from the same class are showing symptoms of the illness and are currently undergoing treatment. Their test results are awaited. The students reportedly developed fever on July 13, following which medical tests were conducted. In response to the suspected outbreak, health authorities have decided to screen more students from the school. H1N1 is a highly contagious respiratory infection caused by the influenza A virus. Health experts advise that anyone showing symptoms such as cold, fever, runny nose, throat infection, breathing difficulties, or vomiting should seek immediate medical attention. Dr. Sanjeev Kapoor, Program Clinical Director-Internal Medicine, Marengo Asia Hospitals Faridabad, says that H1N1 (swine flu) virus may affect people of all age groups: elderly, adults, adolescents and even kids. High-grade fever Chills Cough Sore throat Body or muscle aches headache Fatigue Runny nose Conjunctivitis Difficulty breathing. People are advised to take some precautionary measures like covering their mouth and nose with a tissue while coughing or sneezing, Wash your hands frequently with soap and water, Stay indoors if you are not feeling well and refrain from touching your eyes, mouth or nose. Kids and elderly people ( extremes of age), immunocompromised patients, or people with any type of systematic diseases, e.g. diabetes, renal or chronic lung diseases, are at high risk for serious complications, said Dr Sanjeev Kapoor.
The Hindu
16-07-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Four students test positive for H1N1 in Kollam school
Four students of a school in Kollam have tested positive for H1N1 fever (swine flu) on Wednesday. Health officials said that all four students belonged to Class IX. The students developed a fever on July 13, after which tests were conducted. Following the outbreak, the department has decided to screen more students from the school for the disease. H1N1 is a highly contagious respiratory infection caused by the influenza A virus. People experiencing symptoms such as cold, fever, runny nose, throat infection, respiratory issues, and vomiting should seek immediate medical care.
Time of India
11-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
H3N2 on rise, behind long cough-cold spell
Kolkata: A prolonged cold-and-cough could be the H3N2 virus , currently in circulation in the city. Hospitals and labs in Kolkata are seeing a rising number of patients testing positive for H3N2. The cases started trickling in around mid-June, and now, the numbers are multiplying fast. Common during both monsoon and winter months, H3N2 is a subtype of influenza A, like H1N1. Though less virulent than H1N1 (swine flu), this respiratory virus is notorious for causing nagging, prolonged bouts of cough and cold in most affected individuals. "We detected around 23 cases from mid-June till the beginning of this week. And the number is going up, with about 20 more positive cases being detected in our lab in the past three-four days," said microbiologist Bhaskar Narayan Chaudhuri, head of the lab at Peerless Hospital. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata Hospitals reported that while most cases are mild, the detection is mostly from admitted patients who came with complaints like fever, cough, body ache, fatigue, and sore throat. "Last year, we did not get a significant number of H3N2 cases. But there is a marked rise in this upper respiratory infection now. Among the positive samples, many are from children and the elderly," said molecular pathologist Abhirup Sarkar, lab director at Suraksha Diagnostics. Sources said some labs are getting as many as seven H3N2-positive cases in 10 flu samples. What concerns doctors is that while this virus causes mild illness in most cases, it could trigger serious illness in patients under two, and the elderly with comorbidities. Health experts said both H1N1 and H3N2 are subtypes of the influenza A virus, but they differ in their specific characteristics and how they affect humans. H1N1 caused a pandemic in 2009, followed by several surges over the years in India. "H3N2 is a common cause of seasonal influenza, with peaks during the monsoon months and also during winter. Both viruses can cause similar flu-like symptoms, but H3N2 is often associated with higher-grade fever and leucopenia or low WBC count. H1N1 may be linked to more prominent respiratory issues, including viral pneumonia, and gastrointestinal issues. H1N1 usually causes more severe infections than H3N2, and mortality is higher in the former," Chaudhuri added. Narayana Hospital Howrah detected the virus in two male patients who are above 60. "We are concerned about this virus because it can cause severe disease in some, requiring hospitalisation. Currently, there is no vaccine available against H3N2," said Rasika Avinash Deshmukh, microbiologist and infection control officer at the Howrah hospital. Doctors said the route of transmission of this virus is through respiratory droplets, and cough etiquette, mask-wearing, and hand hygiene are some preventive measures.
