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CDC H1N1 Flu Website Situation Update

Key Flu Indicators
Each week CDC analyzes information about influenza disease activity in the United States and publishes findings of key flu indicators in a report called FluView. During the week of February 28 –March 6, 2010, most key flu indicators remained about the same as during the previous week.

Below is a summary of the most recent key indicators:

Visits to doctors for influenza-like illness (ILI) nationally remained stable and ILI remains low nationally. ILI is also looked at by region and three of 10 U.S. regions are reporting elevated ILI. Elevated ILI was seen in regions 4, 7 and 9. Region 4 is comprised of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Region 7 is comprised of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. And region 9 is comprised of Arizona, California, Hawaii and Nevada.

Laboratory-confirmed hospitalizations rates have leveled off and very few hospitalizations were reported by states during the week ending March 6.

The proportion of deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza (P&I) based on the 122 Cities Report showed a very slight decrease over last week and in general remains low. No flu-related pediatric deaths were reported this week. Since April 2009, CDC has received reports of 329 laboratory-confirmed pediatric deaths: 277 due to 2009 H1N1, 50 pediatric deaths that were laboratory confirmed as influenza A, but the flu virus subtype was not determined, and two pediatric deaths that were associated with seasonal influenza viruses. (Laboratory-confirmed deaths are thought to represent an undercount of the actual number. CDC has provided estimates about the number of 2009 H1N1 cases and related hospitalizations and deaths.

No states reported widespread influenza activity. Five states reported regional influenza activity. They are: Alabama, Georgia, Maine, Mississippi and South Carolina.
The majority 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. Some influenza B viruses are circulating at low levels, and these viruses remain similar to the influenza B virus component of the 2009-10 seasonal flu vaccine.
*All data are preliminary and may change as more reports are received.


Prostate Cancer Treatment in a Virus?
A common respiratory virus, called a reovirus, may provide a new, safe approach to treating prostate cancer.

The reovirus is a non-attenuated, environmental virus that has oncolytic potential -- the ability to cause cancer cell death -- against many types of cancer, specifically lymphoid, ovarian, breast, pancreatic and high grade glioma cancer, according to a new study. This is the first time the virus has been studied in the area of prostate cancer."The reovirus is a very common, ubiquitous virus that most people are exposed to," Don Morris, M.D., Ph.D., medical oncologist in the Department of Oncology at the Tom Baker Cancer Center in Alberta, Canada, was quoted as saying. "As far as we know, it doesn't cause any significant illness in humans, even though when someone is exposed to it, it manifests, at most, as a mild respiratory infection or mild diarrhea.

For the treatment of localized prostate cancer, we found that the reovirus is safe and has evidence of specific tumor vs. normal prostate cell efficacy."Dr. Morris and colleagues examined the efficacy of the reovirus as an experimental therapeutic for prostate cancer in vitro and in vivo. Among the six patients who participated in the study, all had early-stage, organ-confined prostate cancer. Each patient underwent a single intralesional virus injection into a suitable prostate cancer nodule via transrectal ultrasound guidance. Three weeks later, Dr. Morris and his team removed the prostate as part of the patient's standard treatment for correlative science analysis.

Findings showed safety and efficacy with minimal toxicity and no viral replication in the normal parts of the prostate, according to Dr. Morris. Cancer cell death was evident in the prostate. Studies to date have suggested that the virus' side effects are relatively modest, consisting of mild, self-limiting, flu-like symptoms."Our results are a stepping stone into future prostate cancer clinical trials with another category of cancer therapeutics," said Dr. Morris.Robert Clarke, Ph.D., D.Sc., professor of oncology at Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University, agreed, stating that he believes this study is worthy of subsequent clinical trials of the reovirus as a possible way of treating some prostate cancers."People have known of this application of the reovirus in trials, but no one to my knowledge has conducted studies in prostate cancer," Dr. Clarke was quoted as saying. "I think this is an interesting approach. There is not a lot done in oncolytics, but clearly it is an area that is getting increasing attention, and we need everything we can get our hands on to make a difference in these patients."


Federal Citizen Information Center - In the News
For more than 35 years, the Federal Citizen Information Center (FCIC) has been a trusted one-stop source for answers to questions about consumer problems and government services. http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/inthenews.htm


National Center for Disaster Fraud
The NCDF is to coordinate Haitian and Chilean fraud complaints. Hotline telephone numbers are listed here if you suspect fraud.
http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/scams/sc19032.htm


Chlamydia and Gonorrhea
Two Most Commonly Reported Notifiable Infectious Diseases in the United States
Adolescent girls and young women are especially hard hit by these two diseases. The largest number of reported cases of both chlamydia and gonorrhea in 2008 was among girls between 15 and 19 years of age, followed closely by young women 20 to 24 years of age.