Announcement

**Missouriwatcher** · March 11, 2010, 09:46 AM

Re: China - Flu B Becoming More Prevalent, A/H1N1 Will Be Circulating for 2 Years

CDC Taiwan shows isolation of 2 (H1N1) and 3 (InfB) last week.

首頁-衛生福利部疾病管制署

http://www.cdc.gov.tw/public/Data/031116271871.pdf

**tetano** · March 12, 2010, 03:19 AM

Re: China - Flu B Becoming More Prevalent, A/H1N1 Will Be Circulating for 2 Years

Beijing, March 11 Xinhua News Kim Jin-Ya was held today from the Ministry of Health, "Influenza A H1N1 influenza prevention and control of media briefing," was informed that, according to a recent serological survey data show that China's population in a flow of antibody level of protection is only 30 % of rural areas, protective antibody levels than the city is even lower. Experts believe that a stream is very likely in our country, as well as the South summer, winter and spring the country creating new outbreak. According to the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Virus Disease Control and Prevention deputy director of the National Influenza Center director Shu Yuelong introduced, according to the characteristics of influenza and previous experience has shown that an influenza pandemic, influenza pandemics have typically will last two years, and then into the season influenza. World Health Organization experts believe that, although the current global and regional influenza activity in most countries at a low level, but there are still some communities and regional reporting of new outbreaks, so there is no influenza pandemic level of adjustment. In the upcoming sub-tropical countries and regions in the peak summer season, as well as winter and spring peaks, a flow is still the most likely major pandemic virus. "It is still a relatively good vaccination period, in rural areas should be of particular concern." Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, immunization program director of the Center LIANG that in the past mainly on account of the urban population density, likely to cause outbreaks of infectious diseases, so the focus Area cities have began to start, and now gradually extended to rural areas. As the World Health Organization recommendation of a popular season for seasonal influenza vaccine composition containing a stream of components, this winter and next spring in China still would recommend influenza vaccine containing H1N1 influenza vaccine components. Judging from the current master of the situation, the United States, Japan and other developed countries, a flow rate of vaccination is much higher than China, but still a large number of influenza vaccination. China will actively promote the flow of the broad masses to actively immunized A vaccine.

页面没有找到

http://www.gmw.cn/content/2010-03/12/content_1070697.htm

**Pathfinder** · March 13, 2010, 05:17 PM

Re: China - Flu B Becoming More Prevalent, A/H1N1 Will Be Circulating for 2 Years

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" bgColor=#ffffff border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=f-title height=40>A/H1N1 influenza still a long-term threat: Chinese epidemiologists

</TD></TR><TR><TD height=5></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" bgColor=#ffffff border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=sj align=left width="43%">English.news.cn 2010-03-12 14:34:38</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

BEIJING, March 12 (Xinhua) -- People with chronic diseases, the obese, and pregnant women face a renewed threat of contracting deadly infection of A/H1N1 influenza as spring draws near.

Severe and fatal cases peaked in early and mid December last year, and have been dropping gradually since, but the disease threatened a resurgence as the weather warmed up, senior epidemilogists have warned.

"A new outbreak of A/H1N1 influenza is possible during this winter-spring season, and especially in the southern areas during summer," said Shu Yuelong, director of the Chinese National Influenza Center, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Health, at a meeting Thursday.

Cases of patients with chronic diseases, pregnant women and obese people were much more likely to become severe or even fatal.
Pathogenic studies showed a very small chance of the A/H1N1 virus mutating during this winter and spring, so vaccination was still essential to prevent potential outbreaks.

Analyses of past flu outbreaks showed a pandemic usually lasted more than two years before turning into seasonal flu, said Shu. "So the A/H1N1 influenza might be prevalent in the world for a considerably long time."

Experts said the government should promote vaccinations for high-risk groups, people in rural areas and migrant workers in urban areas.

According to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, about 35,000 pregnant women and 37,000 children aged 6 months to 3 years had been inoculated with the A/H1N1 flu vaccine and no severe adverse reactions had been reported.

As of March 7, the Chinese mainland had reported a total of 127,427 cases of A/H1N1 flu, of which 8,320 were severe and 796 people had died.

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=625 align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=zrbj height=24>Editor: Lin Zhi

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

感谢您的浏览！ - 新华网

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/health/2010-03/12/c_13208054.htm

**Sally Furniss** · March 13, 2010, 05:27 PM

Re: China - Flu B Becoming More Prevalent, A/H1N1 Will Be Circulating for 2 Years

WHO: Influenza B gaining foothold in more countries

Lisa Schnirring Staff Writer

Mar 12, 2010 (CIDRAP News) – Though pandemic flu is circulating at low levels in many parts of the world, Thailand and some West African nations are reporting increased activity, and the virus is being edged out by influenza B in China and other Asian regions, with signs of westward spread, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today.

Alhough surveillance information is limited in the West Africa area, the WHO said community transmission is occurring without any sign of a peak. Senegal, Cote D'Ivoire, and Rwanda are among the countries reporting increased flu activity, but so far little is known about the clinical patterns of the illnesses there, the group said in its weekly update.

Pandemic flu activity persists throughout South and Southeast Asia, with Thailand reporting the region's highest level of activity since the middle of January. Though about 25% of Thai patients with flu-like illness are testing positive for influenza, the WHO said the increase is well below the peak the country experienced last summer.
Mongolia reported a sharp increase in flu activity, attributed mostly to an increase in influenza B activity. Though pandemic flu activity declined in neighboring China, influenza B activity continued to increase.

Influenza B virus circulation seems to be moving westward, with the Russian Federation and Sweden now reporting that the virus is cocirculating with or dominating the pandemic virus. Iran also reported that, although flu activity is low, all recent detections have been influenza B.
Some countries reported increases in respiratory disease activity, though not all of it is thought to be pandemic flu, the WHO report said. For example, Afghanistan reported increased respiratory disease with a moderate impact on the country's health system. Bangladesh, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Brazil also reported similar increases.

The United States hasn't seen a spike in influenza B detections, though the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today that it is circulating at low levels. The nation saw a surge of influenza B cases near the end of the 2008-2009 flu season, which was problematic, because the B strain that was circulating didn't match the one contained in the seasonal flu vaccine. So far the influenza B strains identified at US labs this flu season are a good match for the current seasonal flu vaccine.

Vincent Racaniello, PhD, a virologist at Columbia University who writes Virology Blog, told CIDRAP News that the influenza B pattern the WHO is reporting is typical. He said the two main lineages, B/Victoria-like and B/Lee-like, have been cocirculating for 25 years, with changing patterns of prevalence and geographic distribution.

"There are frequent bottleneck years during which prevalence of B strains is low; this usually corresponds to high prevalence of influenza A strains," he said. "Once the bottleneck is relieved, there are usually changes in the prevalence of the two B lineages."
The current spread of influenza B may be a reflection of waning pandemic H1N1 activity that has occurred later in the Northern Hemisphere's flu season, Racaniello said.

Experts have noted that influenza B viruses in general cause less severe disease than influenza A and are associated with smaller disease clusters and illnesses in younger people, though hospitalizations and deaths from influenza B infections are seen in all age-groups.
In an accompanying update on oseltamivir-resistant pandemic H1N1 viruses, the WHO said it received no new reports of cases last week and said all have the H275Y substitution and are sensitive to zanamivir. The organization characterized the cases are sporadic, with rare onward transmission.
See also:

Mar 12 WHO global flu update
Mar 23, 2009, CIDRAP News story "TypeB viruses rise as overall flu activity declines"
Mar 12 WHO antiviral resistance update

WHO: Influenza B gaining foothold in more countries

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/swineflu/news/mar1210global-jw.html

Announcement

China - Flu B Becoming More Prevalent, A/H1N1 Will Be Circulating for 2 Years

China - Flu B Becoming More Prevalent, A/H1N1 Will Be Circulating for 2 Years

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