20 January 2014 (21:15 UTC-07 Tango 19 January 2013)/18 Rabi ‘al-Awwal 1435/30 Dey 1392/20 Gui-Chou (12th month) 4711
Alberta, Canada: Health Services reporting 10 deaths and 22-hundred confirmed influenza cases. Don’t blame it on people not getting the flu shot, the province is now rationing their remaining flu shots for children who need a second dose, and for an even bigger outbreak.
New Brunswick, Canada: Health officials report four flu deaths, 300 confirmed flu cases, 50 hospitalizations. Health officials admitted they do not know how many people have been vaccinated versus those who haven’t been.
Saskatchewan, Canada: Health Ministry officials report 12 deaths, but they’re not 100% sure if they are flu related. 797 confirmed influenza cases since October. Vaccines are being rationed to children under five years of age, pregnant women and people in ‘high risk groups’. 100-thousand nasal vaccines are expected from the United States.
Mexico: Health Ministry reports 32 deaths from influenza, and 556 confirmed cases (468 confirmed H1N1). 30 of those who died did so from the H1N1 version of flu. They died within six days of getting infected. Officials say at least 800-thousand people have been vaccinated.
Spain: The number of H1N1 hospitalizations have jumped to 279, and 11 people have died. Just a few days ago it was around 43 hospitalizations with two deaths.
The U.S. CDC has declared the influenza an epidemic in the United States. Interested in becoming an influenza spy? Apply now for the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS). At least 20 children have died from H1N1 (the CDC does not track adult deaths from influenza).
Arkansas, U.S.A.: A 29 years old Fort Smith woman is in critical condition with H1N1. She went down fast, only a matter of days from first symptoms to a medically induced coma. She was 20 weeks pregnant but lost the baby. Family members say her body automatically delivered the baby, in response to the infection.
California, U.S.A.: State health officials report spike in deaths. Current deaths are almost at the number of all Golden State influenza deaths for all of the 2012-13 flu season.
Idaho, U.S.A.: Department of Health and Welfare declared the influenza outbreak to be at “widespread” level. H1N1 is the dominate strain.
Illinois, U.S.A.: McLean County reports two influenza deaths. One of the men who died was confirmed infected with H1N1.
Iowa, U.S.A.: Department of Public Health reports a child died from H1N1. They refuse to give the age or sex, or name of the victim. They also said there were several adult deaths that could’ve been caused by influenza.
Louisiana, U.S.A.: An 18 years old senior at Oak Hill High School, in Rapides Parish, died from H1N1. His family says he was hit hard, laying still in his bed, then a few days later he died.
Michigan, U.S.A.: “This year what is concerning is the unusual number of young, previously healthy adults getting sick, needing to be put on life support, and dying from H1N1.”-Matthew Davis, Michigan Department of Community Health
Montana, U.S.A.: Department of Health and Human Services reports 19-hundred influenza cases, 150 hospitalizations and three deaths since the start of the 2013-14 flu season in October. Realize that Montana is a sparsely populated state, and you can see their number of cases are relatively high.
Ohio, U.S.A.: Toledo-Lucas County health officials are warning that they could see record H1N1 deaths this flu season. Seven deaths in the Buckeye State so far.
Texas, U.S.A.: In Denton, a 46 years old mother of two is now in a coma with H1N1. Doctors say they were forced to induce the coma, to try and save her.
Researchers from Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that their study shows that giving children the flu shot along with the pneumococcal shot can make them sick: “Parents should be made aware that their child might develop a fever following simultaneous influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations…….For the small group of children who must avoid fever, these findings provide important information….”-Melissa Stockwell, Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons