Health Ministry: Bulgaria is facing a nationwide H1N1 crisis

Sofia echo Wed, Oct 28 2009

Bulgaria is facing a nationwide H1N1 pandemic that could potentially affect as much as half the population, according to the Health Ministry.

Medical authorities, however, have refrained from dispatching an all-out warning because the "
threshold"
needed for that to happen is 200 people infected in every 10 000 although the situation is slowly but irreversibly deteriorating across Bulgaria.

The worst affected regions in the country are Yambol, Shoumen, Pleven, Lovech, Bourgas and Gabrovo, with big cities like Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna also registering increasing cases of the new influenza, according to Dr Angel Kunchev from the contagious diseases department in the Health Ministry, quoted by Dnevnik daily.

An emergency "
holiday"
was introduced in schools in Tryavna on October 28 with as many as 250 students potentially affected, by either swine flu or its seasonal equivalent.

"
Because the town is small, the community is tight and contacts are intense and frequent, we advise people to abstain from any unnecessary interaction at all cost,"
Kunchev told Dnevnik.

"
Six students are confirmed to have contracted the H1N1 virus in Tryavna, which is enough because in such circumstances, it is the dominant virus that usually affects the others in 90 per cent of the cases, and H1N1 is definitely the dominant one in this case"
.

Meanwhile, in Yambol, the situation was significantly worse in the secondary school of mathematics where 247 "
confirmed and tangibly sick children"
carried on attending classes and interacting with fellow pupils in spite of their condition.

"
We have 247 out of 800 students confirmed sick, and they still came to school. We kept telling people that, should they experience the virus, they should remain at home and avoid contact,"
Kunchev said.

"
We uphold the advice from the World Health Organisation that whenever someone displays symptoms of flu, regardless if its seasonal flu, it should be regarded as swine flu and extreme precautionary measures should be implemented,"
he said.

This is a bit worrying I have friends in and around Yambol why are they not giving out the medication surely its better to give it out now rather than wait for the panic

The town of Nikopol, north Bulgaria, Municipality of Pleven, is the first in the country to declare an all-out influenza pandemic emergency, Bulgarian National Television (BNT) said on October 30 2009.

The measures dictate that all play-schools, schools, and all mass events, and gatherings in town and surrounding area are closed or banned.

The extreme measures were announced on television by chief state health inspector Tencho Tonev. He said that a number of other regions in Bulgaria are in 'pre-epidemic phase'.

The worst-affected regions in the country are Yambol, Shoumen, Pleven, Lovech, Bourgas and Gabrovo, with Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna also registering increasing cases of the new influenza, according to Dr Angel Kunchev of the contagious diseases department at the Health Ministry.

"
The disease will peak in the next two to three months, but I maintain that people should remain calm,"
Kunchev said.

Other towns in Bulgaria with rising influenza cases are Montana and Stara Zagora. Local authorities are reporting between 100 and 150 infected for every 10 000 people. A pandemic warning will be heralded in any Bulgarian town when the number of infected reaches the 200 threshold.

Very sad news, sincerely hope they can contain this. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Oddy [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Just read this myself, very worrying!

Note to self: try stay out of doctor's waiting rooms and busy chemist shops for awhile.

Good advice that Chris I do that here in the uk already they are starting to issue the vaccine next week to the most vulnerable

sarah

Here is the latest
H1N1 epidemic declared in two more Bulgarian cities

Sofia echo Mon, Nov 02 2009

The authorities in Bourgas have declared an epidemic until November 6, whereas in the town of Yambol, the emergency situation will last until November 9, the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) reported on November 1 2009.

Schools will remain closed and hospitals will be closed for visitors. Kindergartens will maintain operations but parents will be not be allowed access to the premises.

Meanwhile on November 2, local authorities in the town of Gabrovo, northern Bulgaria, will decide if they should also follow suit and declare an emergency situation.

Simultaneously, the declaration of an epidemic in Turgovishte municipality, which was put into effect on October 30, will continue until November 6.

Bulgaria's Health Minister Bozhidar Nanev is set to inform the public at a press conference of the latest news surrounding the H1N1 assault in the country. According to latest figures, urban centres such as Gabrovo and Varna are approaching 175 infected for every 10 000, just five short of the "
epidemic threshold"
, the BNR said.


Kavarna joins list of H1N1 affected areas in Bulgaria

Sofia echo Mon, Nov 02 2009

Kavarna mayor Tsonko Tsonev has declared that between November 2 and November 9 three kindergartens and three schools are to be sealed off in light of the growing number of people affected by the strain, Dnevnik daily reported on November 2 2009.

According to local authorities, in the secondary school Stefan Karadja alone, more than 40 per cent of students have manifested pronounced respiratory complications - symptoms associated with the influenza - and are awaiting an official municipal order to close the school.

Primary school Yordan Yovkov is also due to be shut, as well as a school in the village of Belgun. Meanwhile, the Bratya Miladinovi primary school in Kavarna is already closed because a medical inspection in the facility determined that more than 26 per cent of students were infected.

In neighbouring Romania,76 cases of the influenza were confirmed over the weekend, according to the local publication Evenimentul Zilei, cited by Focus news agency on November 2 2009.

With the latest addition, this means that the total number of people affected in the country currently receiving treatment stands at 500.

"
This is the largest number of cases registered overnight,"
said Alexander Rafila, member of the health ministry's emergency agency dealing with the influenza.

On November 1, about 40 people were confirmed sick at the Sinaia Hotel, including some foreign tourists. The establishment has been sealed off for 48 hours and all tourists will be isolated in infectious diseases wards.

Update

Health Minister: Bulgaria faces nationwide pandemic emergency in days

Sofia echo Wed, Nov 04 2009

he swine flu epidemic is expected to be declared a national one as early as next week, medical authorities told the Bulgarian National Television (BNT) on the afternoon of November 4 2009.

Already, 48 schools in the capital have closed because of influenza and more people are getting ill by the hour. Experts remind everyone that they should remain calm, as in most cases the flu passes by mildly but that they should, under no circumstances, "
attempt personal treatment"
.

Upon feeling the symptoms - coughing, high fever, running nose, vomiting and/or diarrhea - they should immediately consult a professional. Most of those symptoms are intertwined with other diseases but with H1N1 they usually appear suddenly, and all at once, experts say.

Bulgaria's health minister Bozhidar Nanev, told the media that "
we will discuss on November 5 if we should declare a state of pandemic emergency in the capital"
.

"
It is likely that a nationwide pandemic will be declared on November 9,"
he told the BNT. Across the country, infection levels are expected to surpass 200 for 10 000 people, as early as the end of the week.

Meanwhile the strain claimed the fifth death in Bulgaria on November 4. A young male died early in the morning in a Petrich hospital after suffering "
severe respiratory complications"
. Another person in the same hospital is diagnosed with the strain but he is said to be stable.

Those most vulnerable to the influenza are pregnant women, children and, in particular, young people. The elderly on average are less likely to contract the disease;
however if they do contract it, their situation might be significantly complicated due to other ailments.

Admin wrote:

Upon feeling the symptoms - coughing, high fever, running nose, vomiting and/or diarrhea

Oh No! I woke up with all of the above this morning

Currently trying Lem-Sips with Honey but they don't seem to be doing very much

Sorry to hear that Chris I hope its just normal Flu you have? you say your using lemsip but have you tried this .........

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Sorry couldn't resist it I know its not funny but I hope you and other can see the lighter side here [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I don't know what others think about this, but I remember having the flu vaccine way back in the 60s when it first came out the whole school was done and I reckon we were an 'experiment' ... quite a few of us went down with real proper flu directly after the vaccine I got it both years I had the vaccination and flatly refused to have it again after that, even though my parents had given permission .

INTERESTING, distribute widely! Protect us and especially avoid the fear that can only bring problems later! Nurses speak out! While we are at the dawn of a mandatory vaccination, Read carefully, and to relay to your friends, because the media will not report in order not to harm the lobbies of laboratories.

The View of the French


[url=Http:
//www.
syndicat-infirmier.
com/Vaccination-H1N1-mefiance-des.
html:37ipmyos][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

"
Vaccination H1N1: distrust of nurses Our nursing duty is to properly inform people so that each can take their decision knowingly, with free and informed consent, not by an advertising campaign and alarmist speeches "
. Read absolument.MerciEdith

Translation of link:

The nurses' union SNPI CFE-CGC considers that mass vaccination against a relatively benign influenza virus , is a risk because the vaccine was developed too quickly, and an adjuvant can trigger autoimmune diseases.

We invite the population to be vaccinated against seasonal influenza vaccine;
this (produced under normal conditions) is available from the fourth week of September. This will quickly make a differential diagnosis in cases of influenza-like illness. By cons, everyone must accurately measure the benefit / risk of the H1N1 vaccine: one side a week of flu, the other a chance, but ultimately weak, of having a neurological disease (Guillain-Barre syndrome) or self -immune deficiency.

As our nursing colleagues in Britain and Hong Kong, we fear that the cure may be worse than the disease, and we think you need to know "
keep right"
( some facts? AD). The pandemic could cause an economic crisis and the state was very well organized to deal with (health advice, masks, Tamiflu). "
But inject 94 million doses of a product on which we have no recoil (information? AD) can be a public health problem, and it is our duty as nurses to properly inform people so that each individual takes its decision knowingly, by a free and informed consent, and not by an advertising campaign and alarmist reporting "
said Thierry Amouroux, the Secretary General of SNPI, the National Union of Professional Nurses.

The H5N1 virus responsible for avian flu, had a very high virulence (mortality rate reached 60%) coupled with a very low contagion among humans (several thousands of cases throughout the world). The H1N1 is almost the opposite: it is highly contagious but only slightly aggressive: in France, 2 deaths in patients with severe chronic diseases and carriers of influenza A (H1N1), and 11 serious cases against about 2,000 dead in France from seasonal influenza per year! According INVS at 25.08.09, 85 deaths have been reported in Europe since the beginning of the epidemic, including 59 in the United Kingdom and 16 in Spain.

According to the interministerial crisis committee met Thursday, August 27, 2009, to the Epidemic of Influenza A: "
The unknowns still remaining include: the date of delivery of vaccines by manufacturers, the date of AMM and its perimeter (adults, children, pregnant women ...), the precise definition of those at risk and the fatality rate of influenza virus A (H1N1). "


Deaths during a seasonal influenza is usually associated with decompensation of chronic diseases and secondary bacterial infection, there is no evidence today that these indirect complications are more frequent with influenza A (H1N1).

Risk of Guillain-Barre Syndrome GBS

The Guillain-Barràis a kind of ascending paralysis that begins in the lower limbs to climb gradually. In severe cases it may be complicated by paralysis of respiratory muscles and the person affected will then be placed on a respirator. The paralysis may be irreversible.

How can we avoid a repeat of the complications encountered in 1976 in the United States of America with the vaccine against swine flu? 46 million people were vaccinated, and about 4,000 of them complained afterwards to serious side effects. According to the WHO studies suggest that regular vaccination against seasonal flu could be associated with an increased risk of Guillain-Barre of the order of one to two cases per million vaccinees. During the influenza vaccination campaign of 1976, this risk has increased to about ten cases per million people vaccinated, which led to a withdrawal of the vaccine.

A vaccine against swine flu has again been associated with an increased risk of GBS in 1993-1994. The Americans were then recorded 74 cases of GBS in 1994, up sharply on 1993 (37 cases).

"
We are quite aware of the risk associated with the occurrence of cases of Guillain-Barràpatients vaccinated against influenza,"
said Carmen Kreft-Jais, head of pharmacovigilance at the French Agency for Sanitary Safety of Health Products ( Afssaps) in an article in Le Monde of 20.08.09. We follow closely the evolution of the number of Guillain-Barre pandemic and mass vaccination. "




Specific regulatory procedures have been designed to expedite the approval of vaccines against pandemic influenza. According to WHO, "
specific questions about the safety of vaccines against flu pandemic inevitably arise when we begin to administer a large scale. For example, adverse events, too rare to be highlighted even in clinical trials of major, can occur when the vaccination for very large populations. According to WHO, "
for lack of time, clinical data will inevitably be limited when it will begin administering vaccines against influenza pandemic. Testing safety and effectiveness should therefore be continued after starting to administer.

Problems of the H1N1 vaccine adjuvant

An adjuvant is a chemical that is used to make the vaccine more effective and can afford to use a dose of antigen lower. The question is whether the potential impact of a new adjuvant on autoimmune diseases which are caused precisely by a disruption of the immune system.

An adjuvant, AS03 used for the vaccine developed by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), allows to use very low doses of antigen, thus multiplying the number of doses possible. The surveillance system is in place will ensure that people with autoimmune disease (diabetes, hypothyroidism, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, etc..) Will not see their problems worsen.

The H1N1 vaccine contains 10 times less antigen (for faster production, given the quantities to be produced quickly) through the presence of the adjuvant AS03, an amplifier effect which is a mixture of squalene and polysorbate.

This adjuvant has previously been used in a vaccine marketed widely, and can trigger excessive immune responses and increase the likelihood and frequency of rare, but serious and dangerousvside effects, such as Guillain -Barre.

The additives and adjuvants may affect the safety of vaccines so are completely unpredictable, as we have seen for example with the vaccine meningo-enchÃÂphalite tick TICOVAC, which has been withdrawn from the market in 2001, barely 14 months after its launch, due to serious and frequent side effects . The composition of Ticovac differed from that of its predecessor by only two additives that have been eliminated since: albumin and a preservative containing mercury. Therefore the product is banned in Germany, France and the dosage was halved, and the indication was withdrawn in children under 3 years. (details in the conclusions of the Commission on transparency of the High Authority of Health.

Why not continue to rely on the conventional production methods proven by decades of experience with vaccines against seasonal influenza?

For, unlike these conventional vaccines, widespread use of vaccines containing new substances which enhance the immune response is problematic:
Our experience and our knowledge of adjuvant amplifying the immune response is very low, and every pharmaceutical company uses its own mix, for which it holds patents.
The portion of clinical trials to routine administration is a particularly sensitive phase in the use of drugs. If it has unexpected side effects, they may affect a large number of people before we can go back. Immediate vaccination of tens of millions of people with a vaccine being tested ( not fully tested and still at the experimental stage? AD) is slightly worrying is an experimental scale.
The stimulation of the immune system by three doses of influenza vaccine in a few weeks is a novelty, seasonal influenza in September, then two doses of pandemic vaccine adjuvant three weeks apart

Admin wrote:

Sorry couldn't resist it I know its not funny but I hope you and other can see the lighter side here

Snotty Snout, Tired Trotters and Chilly Chops is about right!

Just phoned the government Swine Flue helpline ... all I got was Crackling

So, instead I e-mailed but all I got back was Spam!

Not that we should joke about such a serious issue, but I hope in my case it's just a normal Common Cold with a few aches and pains.

Your both right its not funny but life is for living and little bit of light heartedness goes a long way sometimes

This is very worrying it does seem to be sweeping across Bulgaria very quickly I just hope that they get all the vaccines they need in time and hope that your ok Chris

sarah

Ps like this new reply box