China reports 4th bird flu death in 2009
The Associated Press
Published: January 24, 2009
BEIJING: A woman in China's far west has died from the H5N1 strain of bird flu, the Health Ministry said Saturday, the country's fourth death from the virus this year as the biggest festive season approaches.
The victim, a 31-year-old woman from Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang region, had been to a live poultry market before she fell ill on Jan. 10, the official Xinhua News Agency reported, citing Wang Xiaoyan, a deputy director of the regional health department. She died Friday.
A woman in eastern China, a teenage boy in southwest China and a woman in Beijing have also died from the disease this month.
A 2-year-old girl was also sickened with H5N1 but recovered. The Health Ministry said her mother, who like the toddler went to a live poultry market, had died of pneumonia in early January. Doctors said they could not confirm the cause of death.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Don't take your eye off the ball...
From Reuters AlertNet,
"
China warns of "grim" fight against deadly bird flu
21 Jan 2009 00:29:01 GMT 21 Jan 2009 00:29:01 GMT
Source: Reuters
BEIJING, Jan 21 (Reuters) - China faces a "grim" situation in preventing and controlling human cases of bird flu, the health minister said, after announcing four human infections in the last two weeks and three deaths.
Health Minister Chen Zhu called for hospitals to spare more resources in diagnosing and treating bird flu and more cooperation between agriculture authorities and his ministry, Xinhua news agency said.
A Chinese newspaper reported that the mother of a toddler diagnosed with bird flu had died of severe pneumonia earlier this month, but no samples had been taken to see if she had bird flu. She had been in contact with poultry before her death.
The toddler, and the three recent fatalities, have all fallen ill in areas where there have been no known cases of bird flu in birds. China vaccinates heavily for bird flu, raising concerns among some experts that the vaccines could be masking the presence of the virus.
"The current cases are separate cases. There's no connection," Shu Yuelong, vice director of virus control and prevention with the National Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, was quoted by Xinhua as saying.
"But these cases warn us to improve prevention and supervision over the epidemic and ensure early detection and diagnosis when new cases are found."
The H5N1 strain of flu remains largely a virus among birds, but experts fear it could change into a form that is easily transmitted among humans and could spark a pandemic that could kill millions worldwide.
Since the H5N1 virus resurfaced in Asia in 2003, it has infected 391 people, killing 247 of them, according to WHO figures released in mid-December.
At least 34 people have been infected in China and 23 have died.
(Reporting by Lucy Hornby; Editing by Nick Macfie)
"
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/PEK277826.htm
It's still out there, people. If you're not prepared, get prepared.
"
China warns of "grim" fight against deadly bird flu
21 Jan 2009 00:29:01 GMT 21 Jan 2009 00:29:01 GMT
Source: Reuters
BEIJING, Jan 21 (Reuters) - China faces a "grim" situation in preventing and controlling human cases of bird flu, the health minister said, after announcing four human infections in the last two weeks and three deaths.
Health Minister Chen Zhu called for hospitals to spare more resources in diagnosing and treating bird flu and more cooperation between agriculture authorities and his ministry, Xinhua news agency said.
A Chinese newspaper reported that the mother of a toddler diagnosed with bird flu had died of severe pneumonia earlier this month, but no samples had been taken to see if she had bird flu. She had been in contact with poultry before her death.
The toddler, and the three recent fatalities, have all fallen ill in areas where there have been no known cases of bird flu in birds. China vaccinates heavily for bird flu, raising concerns among some experts that the vaccines could be masking the presence of the virus.
"The current cases are separate cases. There's no connection," Shu Yuelong, vice director of virus control and prevention with the National Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, was quoted by Xinhua as saying.
"But these cases warn us to improve prevention and supervision over the epidemic and ensure early detection and diagnosis when new cases are found."
The H5N1 strain of flu remains largely a virus among birds, but experts fear it could change into a form that is easily transmitted among humans and could spark a pandemic that could kill millions worldwide.
Since the H5N1 virus resurfaced in Asia in 2003, it has infected 391 people, killing 247 of them, according to WHO figures released in mid-December.
At least 34 people have been infected in China and 23 have died.
(Reporting by Lucy Hornby; Editing by Nick Macfie)
"
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/PEK277826.htm
It's still out there, people. If you're not prepared, get prepared.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Come on, America!
Compare the above news sites. The top is the BBC's health news page, the bottom is CNN's. Take a moment and compare the two if you will. The BBC has stories about cutting edge medical advances while CNN has Dr. Gupta revolutionizing modern medicine by curing our inaug-aphobia or whatever. Okay, I admit, if you give the CNN page a second or two, the main story changes, and there was one that might possibly have some interesting neurology in it, but of course it was about eating. CNN seems to be focused on stress, eating, and China's plastic surgery queen, while the BBC is talking about the genetics of cardiology, curing previously incurable diseases, and *perhaps with an eye towards the prurient* something about sperm. Anyway, I stopped checking CNN.com regularly a long time ago. These days I stick to drudge report and the bbc. good news is hard to find!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Back at it! School, Politics, Nursing, etc...
SCHOOL
------------------
Yes, it is back to school time. I'm taking Nursing Leadership, Professional Seminar III (Legal and Professional Issues), and Transcultural Healthcare (the one I dropped part way through last semester). It's shaping up to be an okay semester. It's the last semester before graduation, so how could it not be good!
Last semester was sort of rough due to some dramatics between our class and a new professor. I'll just say it wasn't a great start for her at IPFW. She really seems to have a heart for CHN, but the way our class sessions were organized and executed made it difficult to know what to expect on the tests. It was sort of a trainwreck. Despite the turbulence, I came out with an A in the class, so it's all good.
I'm recomitted to staying organized this semester. I say that pretty much every semester and then end up getting off track halfway through, but I think working in the ICU has drastically improved my organizational abilities. I invested in a very sleek, black planner that outlines every day in 2009 down to the very hour. I have actually been using it and taking it to class and work, and so far all is well.
POLITICS
-----------
Well, prepare to share the wealth, my friends. America has opted for "change" and is being rewarded for it by getting an executive branch with a lot of old Clinton-administration folks and other Democrat party fixtures. Also, DR. SANJAY GUPTA HAS BEEN TAPPED TO BE THE NEXT SURGEON GENERAL? REALLY? Maybe Oprah needs a position in the State Department. I guess Dr. Gupta is a neurosurgeon and all that, and I'm not really clued in to the Surgeon General's job description, but I'm guessing that there are probably docs out there doing more substantive things than cute little news segments on CNN, that are probably better candidates for the job than ol' Sanjay. I guess it's sort of a symbol of part of the reason I'm not crazy about this administration. Barack Obama is sort of a pop star in my eyes. Yes, I realize the fact that being popular is sort of the way a politician succeeds in a Democracy, but I feel like a lot of people like Obama for the wrong reasons. Anyway, I hope Barack and Sanjay both do a great job for America and our health care system.
Anyway, it's not like we have a great alternative to Obama right now. The Republian party has abandoned conservatism for a sort of (cliche, I know) fascism. I'm not sure what else to call strong support for the welfare state mixed with strong nationalism and 'interventionalist' foreign policy. The Republicans need to get back to a more libertarian conservatism along the lines of Ron Paul or Berry Goldwater. They would have to figure out how to market it, but without standing for truly conservative principles, the Republicans will just languish in their current invertebrate state.
On a side note, one thing that gets me about the Democratic Party, is how they can feel like they're civil libertarians while supporting socialist economic policies. How can you be free when the state is footing your bills? The government controls the schools, so they control what our children learn. When the government pays for your healthcare, they will tell you how to live. Both parties are chipping away at our freedom in their own ways. They make it seem good and necessary, but in the end, they are insidiously stripping us of our liberties. The patriot act from one side, nationalized health care from the other. We need to recommit ourselves to proteting our freedoms in this country.
NURSING
-----------
Well, I've been in the STICU for a year now! It really doesn't seem that long... I've learned so much, but it's just the tip of the iceberg. So far I enjoy caring for septic and neuro patients the most, but I am really interested in critically ill patients in general.
My practice is evolving every day. Between work and school, I am going through a lot of growth as a nurse. Every time I show up on the unit, I learn some new aspect of how a certain presentation is medically managed, or I see some unique way that a client psychosoially adapts to their new circumstances. After each shift I am better able to anticipate the needs of my future patients. School is also augmenting my care by teaching me to apply nursing theory and research in new ways. Community health nursing taught me how to better integrate my patients' cultural backgroud into my care, and how to assess families as clients. It also improved the case management side of my practice. I look forward to learning more about the legal aspects of nursing this semester as well as how to improve my nursing leadership abilities.
Basically, I'm loving my job right now, despite the usual complaints. Staffing, pay, prestige, all the things that nurses usually don't get! I love the nursing, it's all the things that get in the way of my practice that get me down.
ETC...
----------
Are Angie, Anika, and I moving to Albion? Probably not. Everything was going swimmingly until we couldn't get the loan. The loan officer at the bank said he has never seen conditions like this. Our credit is pretty darn good, and no one really expected us to have difficutly getting financed, but that's life. We're still negotiating with realtors, but it looks like it's probably not going to happen. Sorry!
Music: I don't get to practice/play enough right now, but summer's coming! Plus, I bought a glockenspiel! Well, actually it's a student bell keyboard set, but it's a lot like a glockenspiel! THE WELCOME WAGON IS THE SWEETEST MUSICAL GROUP SINCE SUFJAN STEVENS! Okay, that's not very long ago, but they're very awesome. They're on the asthmatic kitty label and Sufjan Stevens produced their music. The group consists of a Brooklyn preacher and his wife singing music in the style of traditional Christian hymns with Mr. Stevens' signature sounds to back them up. It's folky and it sort of reminds me of the 150 year old Church in the middle of a cornfield that I used to go to as a kid (that's a good thing).
Movies: I guess a lot of people didn't like it, but Angie and I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, Seven Pounds starring Will Smith. Yeah, it was extremely emotional and improbable, but I personally enjoyed the darkness, the psychology, and the overall feel of the film. Plus, it has a very endearing love story or some such girly thing like that.....
Oh yeah, it's X-TREMELY cold outside.
I'm done now.
------------------
Yes, it is back to school time. I'm taking Nursing Leadership, Professional Seminar III (Legal and Professional Issues), and Transcultural Healthcare (the one I dropped part way through last semester). It's shaping up to be an okay semester. It's the last semester before graduation, so how could it not be good!
Last semester was sort of rough due to some dramatics between our class and a new professor. I'll just say it wasn't a great start for her at IPFW. She really seems to have a heart for CHN, but the way our class sessions were organized and executed made it difficult to know what to expect on the tests. It was sort of a trainwreck. Despite the turbulence, I came out with an A in the class, so it's all good.
I'm recomitted to staying organized this semester. I say that pretty much every semester and then end up getting off track halfway through, but I think working in the ICU has drastically improved my organizational abilities. I invested in a very sleek, black planner that outlines every day in 2009 down to the very hour. I have actually been using it and taking it to class and work, and so far all is well.
POLITICS
-----------
Well, prepare to share the wealth, my friends. America has opted for "change" and is being rewarded for it by getting an executive branch with a lot of old Clinton-administration folks and other Democrat party fixtures. Also, DR. SANJAY GUPTA HAS BEEN TAPPED TO BE THE NEXT SURGEON GENERAL? REALLY? Maybe Oprah needs a position in the State Department. I guess Dr. Gupta is a neurosurgeon and all that, and I'm not really clued in to the Surgeon General's job description, but I'm guessing that there are probably docs out there doing more substantive things than cute little news segments on CNN, that are probably better candidates for the job than ol' Sanjay. I guess it's sort of a symbol of part of the reason I'm not crazy about this administration. Barack Obama is sort of a pop star in my eyes. Yes, I realize the fact that being popular is sort of the way a politician succeeds in a Democracy, but I feel like a lot of people like Obama for the wrong reasons. Anyway, I hope Barack and Sanjay both do a great job for America and our health care system.
Anyway, it's not like we have a great alternative to Obama right now. The Republian party has abandoned conservatism for a sort of (cliche, I know) fascism. I'm not sure what else to call strong support for the welfare state mixed with strong nationalism and 'interventionalist' foreign policy. The Republicans need to get back to a more libertarian conservatism along the lines of Ron Paul or Berry Goldwater. They would have to figure out how to market it, but without standing for truly conservative principles, the Republicans will just languish in their current invertebrate state.
On a side note, one thing that gets me about the Democratic Party, is how they can feel like they're civil libertarians while supporting socialist economic policies. How can you be free when the state is footing your bills? The government controls the schools, so they control what our children learn. When the government pays for your healthcare, they will tell you how to live. Both parties are chipping away at our freedom in their own ways. They make it seem good and necessary, but in the end, they are insidiously stripping us of our liberties. The patriot act from one side, nationalized health care from the other. We need to recommit ourselves to proteting our freedoms in this country.
NURSING
-----------
Well, I've been in the STICU for a year now! It really doesn't seem that long... I've learned so much, but it's just the tip of the iceberg. So far I enjoy caring for septic and neuro patients the most, but I am really interested in critically ill patients in general.
My practice is evolving every day. Between work and school, I am going through a lot of growth as a nurse. Every time I show up on the unit, I learn some new aspect of how a certain presentation is medically managed, or I see some unique way that a client psychosoially adapts to their new circumstances. After each shift I am better able to anticipate the needs of my future patients. School is also augmenting my care by teaching me to apply nursing theory and research in new ways. Community health nursing taught me how to better integrate my patients' cultural backgroud into my care, and how to assess families as clients. It also improved the case management side of my practice. I look forward to learning more about the legal aspects of nursing this semester as well as how to improve my nursing leadership abilities.
Basically, I'm loving my job right now, despite the usual complaints. Staffing, pay, prestige, all the things that nurses usually don't get! I love the nursing, it's all the things that get in the way of my practice that get me down.
ETC...
----------
Are Angie, Anika, and I moving to Albion? Probably not. Everything was going swimmingly until we couldn't get the loan. The loan officer at the bank said he has never seen conditions like this. Our credit is pretty darn good, and no one really expected us to have difficutly getting financed, but that's life. We're still negotiating with realtors, but it looks like it's probably not going to happen. Sorry!
Music: I don't get to practice/play enough right now, but summer's coming! Plus, I bought a glockenspiel! Well, actually it's a student bell keyboard set, but it's a lot like a glockenspiel! THE WELCOME WAGON IS THE SWEETEST MUSICAL GROUP SINCE SUFJAN STEVENS! Okay, that's not very long ago, but they're very awesome. They're on the asthmatic kitty label and Sufjan Stevens produced their music. The group consists of a Brooklyn preacher and his wife singing music in the style of traditional Christian hymns with Mr. Stevens' signature sounds to back them up. It's folky and it sort of reminds me of the 150 year old Church in the middle of a cornfield that I used to go to as a kid (that's a good thing).
Movies: I guess a lot of people didn't like it, but Angie and I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, Seven Pounds starring Will Smith. Yeah, it was extremely emotional and improbable, but I personally enjoyed the darkness, the psychology, and the overall feel of the film. Plus, it has a very endearing love story or some such girly thing like that.....
Oh yeah, it's X-TREMELY cold outside.
I'm done now.
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