CDC H1N1 Update: Vaccine availabilty increasing (Dec 1st 2009)

Courtesy of Flu.gov Increasing vaccine inventory

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On Monday November 30th 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released their situational update for week 46 that ended on November 21st 2009.The good news was we had a 2nd week of declines in states reporting widespread flu activity. The number of states that reported widespread flu activity was 43 that’s down from the 32 states that reported widespread flu activity. A decrease of 14 states reporting widespread flu activity from Week 44.Another bit of good news reported was that flu related hospitalizations and deaths were down from last week numbers, however  the CDC reports,

“These numbers are still very high nation-wide compared to what is expected for this time of year.”

There was equally more bad news that was reported by the CDC. Pediatric deaths due to influenza related infection was reported at 35 with 27 having been confirmed 2009 H1N1 infections. 7 of the 35 were isolated as influenza A with no further sub typing done and 1 death that was attributed to an H1 seasonal flu infection that was acquired in March. SEE SLIDE SHOW

 Also of note the CDC reports,

“Almost all of the influenza viruses identified so far continue to be 2009 H1N1 influenza A viruses. These viruses remain similar to the virus chosen for the 2009 H1N1 vaccine, and remain susceptible to the antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir with rare exception.”

This is a significant but welcomed statement, since we are seeing a steady rise in H1N1 mutations that include the H275Y mutation that causes oseltamivir (Tamiflu) From the international H1N1 situation update the World Health Organization (WHO) reports the same as the CDC and the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus continues to be the dominate virus that is circulating in the world. They also indicate that confirmed H1N1 cases actually represent a,

“substantial underestimation of total cases in the world, as many countries focus surveillance and laboratory testing only on people with severe illness.”

 Another interesting fact that the temperate regions of the Southern Hemisphere there has been very light amount of H1N1 activity and the tropical regions are also reporting variable H1N1 infections. In comparison most of Northern Hemisphere is reporting widespread H1N1 activity.

On Tuesday December 1st 1009 Dr. Thomas Frieden, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gave a CDC briefing on the H1N1 influenza and vaccine distribution. Dr. Frieden has likened the 2009 H1N1 pandemic to that of the 1957-58 pandemic which was a sub-typed H2N2 virus. His comparisons were focused on how the 1957-58 pandemic started off slow in the summer of 1957 and when the kids went back to school in the fall, the virus spread within the classroom and back to home to infect their families. Infection rates were the highest among school aged kids, young adults and pregnant woman. The 1957-58 pandemic had a peak of deaths from H2N2 related pneumonia between September of 1957 and March of 1958. Dr Frieden also indicated that the  H1N1 vaccine distribution had increased to 70 million and is expected to keep increasing for the foreseeable future. Dr. Frieden said,

“We're going from a time of lots of disease and not enough vaccine to a time when disease is decreasing and more vaccine is available,”

 We will go into more on this CDC update in regard to the mutation isolates that have been on the rise worldwide in later articles. See More Articles on the H1N1 Mutations Below is a video of today’s CDC update please take the time and have a look. Watch the archive* of the December 1st CDC briefing on H1N1 flu and vaccine distribution. The briefing was led by Dr. Thomas Frieden, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).