Discussion thread: USA - Texas: H1N1pdm09 December 17, 2013+

[curiosity]

It will be helpful to know whether the 'kidney failure' report is true or false from health officials.

Are there any healthcare workers affected?

Legionella? Hantavirus? Chemical / Environmental poisoning? Plague? (Peru and Madagascar current events?)

So many possibilities - hope the cause is discovered soon.

I don't remember if the persons in the Alabama Cluster were in the same facility or if the cases were picked up through a surveillance system for all hospitals in and around Dothan.

[sharon sanders]

Discussion thread: USA - Texas: Unknown ILI flu type illness December 17, 2013

The related news thread.

We typically keep news and information on one thread and discussion/coments on a thread in the discussion forum.

Please post here questions for the Montgomery health department. I will forward a new comprehensive list to them tomorrow morning.

Also, please post here any general comments you have. Thanks!

[Shiloh]

Re: Discussion thread: USA - Texas: Unknown ILI flu type illness December 17, 2013

Is this a cluster of cases? Have family members come down with flu-like symptoms?
Are these flu-like symptoms more respiratory in nature vs. gastro-intestinal? Are they seeing unusual organ failure?
Pretty vague details given by the health dept. to date.
If flu is ruled out then perhaps it's an adenovirus? It is wait and see.
My sympathies to families that have lost a loved one.

[kkbelcher713]

Re: USA - Texas: Media report: Unidentified illness - 4 died out of 8 hospitalized including 2 "very sick"

I would like to know whether any of them recently had immunizations of any type?

[sharon sanders]

Re: Discussion thread: USA - Texas: Unknown ILI flu type illness December 17, 2013

It is late afternoon here in Florida and I need to start dinner.

We probably will not hear anything more tonight from the health authorities.

FluTrackers is open 24/7. We do not close. If any news or information is available it will be posted here.

In the meantime, if you live in the general area of this disease occurrence follow the advice of the health authorities:

"It is important to remember that during any influenza season that common infection control practices are the best way to prevent the spread of infection. This includes:
• Frequent hand washing with soap and water/hand sanitizer
• Coughing or sneezing into a bent elbow to avoid contamination of the hands
• Avoiding public places if you have a fever (a temperature of 100.4° f)
• Avoid sending sick children to school
• Adults should avoid going to work or public places if they have fever or ILI symptoms; if they must go to work or public places, they should wear a mask
• If you develop ILI symptoms, you should seek care by a physician because treatment for influenza is most helpful within the first 48 hours of the illness"

I would add:

Clean door knobs, toilet handles, refrigerator handles, shopping cart handles, common work and or play areas, etc. frequently.

Try to maintain a "social distance" from people of about 6 feet when in public.


Also - there are some opportunistic nutters online who try to sell "stuff" in disease events. Please use at least 2 sources for your news.

[Shannon Bennett]

Re: Discussion thread: USA - Texas: Unknown ILI flu type illness December 17, 2013

In the news bulletin they sources stated doctors had tested for "common flu". That leaves a host of uncommon flus so they cannot be ruled out. I have been running diseases through my mind that might be suspect just as many of you have.

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showpost.php?p=517040&postcount=10

MERs is suspect for a couple of reasons. First, it has the same symptoms but, so do a host of other diseases. The second reason, is it too seems to commonly affect the kidneys. However, the CFR appears to be higher than the CFR in the Middle East. Hanta virus might be suspected but, I would think someone would have mentioned hemorrhagic symptoms. Plague would mention buboes. And I would think that legionella would have been tested for at this point.

Highest on my list of questions would be how and where did these people come into contact with each other? Next would be a scrutiny of all travel in and out of the country.

[morningperson]

Re: Discussion thread: USA - Texas: Unknown ILI flu type illness December 17, 2013

Hello, I haven't posted in a long time, but this thread has brought me out of lurkdom.

My thoughts are also centered around travel history, travel history of friends and family. Also, what type of work these people do; do they work around animals or in an animal processing plant.

Pneumonic plague does not have buboes, but even with events in Madagascar, that would be one heck of a stretch since there are not recent bubonic plague cases in Texas. The mind does wonder, however. I think many of us are running diseases through our heads right now.

Heartbreaking for these families.

[Emily]

Re: USA - Texas: Media report: Unidentified illness - 4 died out of 8 hospitalized including 2 "very sick"

I would like to know whether any of them recently had immunizations of any type?

Welcome to the forum, kkbelcher713. Keep an eye on the myhoustonnews/conroecourier source I posted to the news thread for updates on this. They are asking about that, but so far do not have an answer.

[curiosity]

Re: Discussion thread: USA - Texas: Unknown ILI flu type illness December 17, 2013

State of Texas Influenza Surveillance.pdf

Most recent influenza surveillance report from Texas.

[Emily]

Re: Discussion thread: USA - Texas: Unknown ILI flu type illness December 17, 2013

Since the victims were all adult males, this would be my question:

What is their recent hunting history?

Texas has youth only seasons so that could explain the age range if hunting exposures are involved, (along with other susceptibility factors of course.)

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/regulations/outdoor-annual/2013-2014/animal_listing

[JimO]

Re: Discussion thread: USA - Texas: Unknown ILI flu type illness December 17, 2013

Given the amount of flu in Texas, I suspect that these will turn out to be flu cases that have developed into pneumonia. It is very likely that the tests performed were rapid tests, which are very unreliable. Also, given the age range and the high percentage of pH1N1 flu being reported in Texas, my guess is that this is what is causing the "mystery illness". Let's just hope it isn't a variant that is substantially different from that used in this year's vaccine.

[alert]

Re: Discussion thread: USA - Texas: Unknown ILI flu type illness December 17, 2013

That's certainly possible. The ages of the cases (the youngest is 41) and the possible links to a single hospital ("no cases at other hospitals") might also suggest Legionella.

I'm a bit disappointed that it hasn't been announced whether these cases from a contact cluster or not. That would give us a big clue as to how this was spread, and also whether these might be the most severe cases of something milder.

Update: It has been reported that all 8 cases were treated at the Conroe Regional Medical Center.

[gsgs]

Re: Discussion thread: USA - Texas: Unknown ILI flu type illness December 17, 2013

D225G ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montgomery_County,_Texas

Conroe
Houston

Houston deaths: http://wonder.cdc.gov/mmwr/mmwr_reps...&mmwr_table=4A


worst flu cities in google-flu-trend:
7253 Austin, TX
5463 New Orleans, LA
5194 Baton Rouge, LA
5184 Oklahoma City, OK
5002 Houston, TX

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Conroe

http://thewoodlandseventsblog.com/please-dont-feed-the-ducks/

Oak Hill Farms , urban farm, Conroe wrote on December 14
Anyone want to buy some chicken eggs $3.00 per dozen or maybe some
Duck eggs $4.00 per dozen????????????

only males --> reminds to H7N9

hunting: http://www.duckhuntingchat.com/forum...p?f=58&t=98758
duck : Nov. 2 - Dec. 8, 2013 , Dec. 21, 2013 - Jan. 26, 2014


... but flu by hunting would be a novelty and comparing with the poultry markets in China
exposure in Conroe should be small

[Emily]

Re: Discussion thread: USA - Texas: Unknown ILI flu type illness December 17, 2013

... but flu by hunting would be a novelty and comparing with the poultry markets in China
exposure in Conroe should be small

That's true, gsgs, I don't remember hearing about hunters coming down with a zoonotic en mass. I've perused some TX hunter forums, (why, oh, why would someone post a photo of a dead dog they shot on a public forum... ), and though one forum has a thread about the Conroe area deaths, I see no reports of illness in their ranks.

Morningperson wondered about a link as far as the men working in an animal processing industry and that reminded me about a story a few years ago where pig processors were sicked with a neuro disease traced to spray from brain material they were inhaling.

[Giuseppe]

Re: Discussion thread: USA - Texas: Unknown ILI flu type illness December 17, 2013

It seems that close contacts (relatives) are so far well, so the illness should not be as infectious as suggested by headlines.

Some media outlets interviewed parents of the victims and these people are not in quarantine (as they would likely be in HK, for example) or under medical surveillance.

Neighboring Mexico had a somewhat humanized H7N3 birdflu virus circulating in poultry. If they suspect an influenza A virus, this may be a good candidate as well as the H3, H1 & H2v reassortants of H1pdm09.

Event without a novel influenza virus, a lot of opportunistic bacterial species may have caused the rapid deterioration in health condition of otherwise healthy people until they died of septic shock.

Influenza infection may have been missed because of mild- or non-symptomatic clinical course but the immune system impact of the illness lightened up a CA-MRSA superinfection as seen in the past in H1pdm09 affected areas. Rapid test for flu resulted negative notwithstanding.