Nepal: Multiple outbreaks of "viral fever" and other unidentified illnesses, August 1, 2012+, 38 cases H1N1 confirmed

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/in...&news_id=42427

Viral fever claims five within a week
REPUBLICA
Death toll 20 in two months

CHITWAN, BAGLUNG, Sept 25: An outbreak of viral fever that claimed seven lives in just one week in Dailekh district early this month continues to affect people in other parts of the country with five new deaths in a week.

Weeks after the Dailekh fever outbreak seems to have been contained, viral fever has claimed two lives in Chitwan and three in Sindhupalchowk districts in a week...



Published on 2012-09-26 02:23:59

[Ronan Kelly]

Viral fever embraces school-going children
Added At: 2012-09-27 11:30 AM Last Updated At: 2012-09-27 11:30 AM

GAIGHAT: A majority of school-going children in Triyuga Municipality and the district headquarters, Gaighat, have fallen ill due to viral fever.

The viral fever which had spread in the eastern and western parts of Udayapur district has now spread to Triyuga Municipality and the district headquarters.

It is stated that students at some 20 private and government schools in the Triyuga Municipality area have caught viral fever.
...
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/ful...&NewsID=348833

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/ful...&NewsID=349033


Viral fever bout hits Ramechhap District again
Updated September 29, 2012, 4:55 AM NPT
HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

RAMECHHAP: In less than a month viral fever outbreak has hit Ramechhap district once again.

Viral outbreak which had hit the district three weeks ago and had come under control just a week ago has been detected in different VDCs again...

[Ronan Kelly]

Docs in Madi to rein in viral fever

Added At: 2012-09-29 11:48 AM Last Updated At: 2012-09-29 11:48 AM

RATNANAGAR: A team of doctors and health workers is in Madi in Chitwan district for controlling viral fever.

The team ran an emergency health camp at Madi, the Public Health Office of Chitwan said.
...
They conducted tests on 242 people on Friday only and one dozen were referred to Bharatpur. Although the District Public Health Office Chitwan said eight people died from viral fever in two months, statistics of various hospitals show 13 people died.
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/ful...&NewsID=349064

[Ronan Kelly]

Viral fever hits 700 jailbirds

SHANKAR ACHARYA


PARSA, SEP 28 - Viral fever has spread among inmates of the Parsa district prison in Birgunj, the prison authority said on Friday.
Prison officer Dhiraj Marasini said as many as 700 inmates have contracted viral fever in the past one month, while around 200 are still down with the flu.
The prison currently accommodates 1,300 inmates.
Marasini said they are having problems treating the sick due to a shortage of medical staff and medicines.
...
http://www.ekantipur.com/the-kathman...ds/240167.html

[alert]

It appears that a significant portion of this illness may be due to H1N1:

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=193377

Because of that, I am moving this thread back into the main forum.

It is far more productive to diagnose the cases as H1N1, then to dismiss them as "viral fever".

[alert]

Published Date: 2012-10-03 19:33:50
Subject: PRO/EDR> Influenza (96): Nepal (KT) H1N1pdm9
Archive Number: 20121003.1322298

INFLUENZA (96): NEPAL (KATMANDU), H1N1PDM9
******************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org

Date: Wed 3 Oct 2012
Source: The Global Times (via Xinhua) [edited]
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/736422.shtml


Swine flu virus, called pandemic influenza A(H1N1)pdm9, has been detected in the Nepali capital and 3 other districts outside the capital, doctors at the Sukraraj Tropical & Infectious Disease Hospital in Kathmandu said Wednesday [3 Oct 2012]. Doctors confirmed the outbreak of swine flu virus [infection] after the virus was detected in blood samples collected in the capital and the country's mid-western districts of Chitwan, Sindhuli and Khotang. Prior to this outbreak, H1N1 virus was seen in Nepal in 2009.

Doctor Gita Shakya, director of the National Public Health Laboratory of Kathmandu, said that people don't have to be worried about the disease as it can be cured if found in the preliminary stage. Dr. Shakya said the reason behind the resurgence of the virus in Nepal is that several districts of the country have recently been suffering from [an unidentified] viral fever.

Doctors said so far over a dozen people died due to viral fever outbreaks in Nepal. "Of the total 24 deaths from viral fever, some of them might have died due to late diagnosis of the swine flu virus," Dr. Shakya said. According to Dr. Shakya, they have detected the swine flu virus [on the basis of] laboratory tests employing polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology rather than tests based on rapid kits.

Dr. Sher Bahadur Pun at the Infectious Disease Hospital said some patients have also been diagnosed with both types of influenza A and B influenza virus. The virus usually strikes children and young people who have low immune capability against minor diseases. In 2009, over 40 people were killed during the outbreak of the virus in Nepal.

--
Communicated by:
Lisa J. Krain
PhD Student, Department of Epidemiology
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Baltimore
USA


[Lisa Krain has appended the comment that although this press report concerns an outbreak of influenza A/(H1N1)pdm9 influenza in the capital of Nepal and its surroundings, it may be that similar outbreaks of H1N1 pandemic influenza may in part have been responsible for the recent spate of reports of undiagnosed "viral fevers" elsewhere in Nepal. These are recorded in the ProMED-mail posts listed below. Further information would be welcomed.

[alert]

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/he..._131898651.htm

38 Nepalese patients suffer from swine flu within week of outbreak

English.news.cn 2012-10-11 07:29:10

KATHAMANDU, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- Within a week of the outbreak of Swine Flu virus with influenza A and B called (H1N1) in Nepal, more than 38 patients have been affected by the virus, doctors said.

"We have been able to confirm as many as 38 persons caught with swine flu virus spread in the Kathmandu Valley," Dr Arjun Pant, senior pediatrician at the Shahid Sukraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital.

According to the hospital, among 172 patients undergone blood tests at the hospital, 118 people were infected with influenza A while, 38 with influenza B. But doctors at the hospital said there is no need to panic about the virus.

The Epidemiology and Disease Control Division said the swine flu occurs when one is caught with H1N1 virus.

This is a respiratory disease which exhibits the symptoms of headache, high fever, cough, cold, body pain and vomit.

[snip]

[Ronan Kelly]

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE
SOLUKHUMBU: One-year-old child suffering from diarrhea and pneumonia died on Sunday after suffering for a week at Bung-5 in Solukhumbu district. The child’s father Ram Kukung said he had taken him to the Sotang Primary Health Centre but there were no doctors in the health post. “The child died of pneumonia and diarrhea as he did not receive any treatment on time,” said Assistance Health Worker Shreedhoj Rai of the Primary Health Centre. There are no health workers at Bung sub health post for a long time and patients are compelled to go to Sotang.
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/ful...&NewsID=353280

[Missouriwatcher]

GISRS reported in weeks 29-42 lab specimens testing positive for Influenza B and A(H1N1)pdm09. Number of specimens well over 2011-12 levels.
http://gamapserver.who.int/gareports...spx?ReportNo=1