Rhiza Labs FluTracker Forum

That's good to hear. One of the few (only?) cases where ECMO worked.

_________________
I am not a doctor, virologist, or any of type of medical/life sciences professional.

I am a layman with a background in the physical sciences.

Thousands of critically ill patients leave hospital because of bed shortage

Almost 2,000 critically ill patients were discharged early from NHS intensive care units last year because of a shortage of beds, the Conservatives have claimed.

Data from eight out of ten hospital trusts in England suggests that a further 20,000 patients had their discharge from intensive care delayed because there were no suitable beds in other wards to which they could be transferred.

On average, hospitals had all their intensive care beds full for almost one third of the year in 2008, the responses to questions under the Freedom of Information Act show.

About 1,000 patients had to be transferred to other hospitals to get an intensive care bed, while double that number were discharged early to make room for other patients.
Related Links

* Leaked NHS report urges axe of 137,000 staff

* Partnerships to breathe life into healthcare

The Conservatives said that the findings raised concerns about how hospitals would cope with predicted demand because of swine flu and related complications this winter.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_a ... 825581.ece

http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Displa ... 125957.xml

news about England .... from Qatar ...

LONDON: Britain is “tantalisingly close” to fending off the H1N1 influenza pandemic, medical officials said yesterday, as figures show infections continue on a downward trend.

England, which has a separate health authority from other parts of Britain, had an estimated 3,000 new cases in the last week, down from 4,500 the week before, Donaldson said. There was a 24 percent decrease in influenza-like illness. Five people in England died of the flu, bringing the total British H1N1 death toll to 75.

Despite the virus’s retreat, health authorities have been requested to make sure they can double the intensive care facilities they could make available in an emergency.

As this would remove ventilators from operating theatres, this would mean routine operations would have to be cancelled.

A 53-year-old man from Fife has become the first person to die from swine flu in Scotland without having an underlying medical condition.

He was the eighth person to die north of the border after contracting the H1N1 strain of the virus.

His family have requested no further details are released about the case.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/8250739.stm

The death of a baby is suspected to be the second fatal case of swine flu in Northern Ireland.
A postmortem examination is to be conducted on the baby to confirm if the H1N1 virus was the underlying cause.

Health Minister Michael McGimpsey told the Assembly today he had been informed of a possible second swine flu fatality, but did not reveal any further details.

“Obviously every death is tragic and my thoughts and sympathies are with the family,” said the Ulster Unionist.

Last month, a 39-year-old mother of two from Co Antrim became the first swine flu victim in the North. Caroline Hoy from Ahoghill, Co Antrim, died in Belfast City hospital. She was already terminally ill with cancer when she contracted the virus.

In July, Coleraine born solider Lee Porter (30) died in a hospital in England from swine flu.

Within Northern Ireland there have now been 217 laboratory confirmed cases, although the number of clinically diagnosed cases is now almost 9,000. A total of 94 people have been hospitalised.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/bre ... king46.htm

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5jmXPFmVSO5vQMDZSjnCyQU2odbGQ

Swine flu cases rise slightly in England, 2 Tamiflu-resistant viruses found

LONDON — Swine flu cases increased slightly in England last week, mostly in school-age children, British health authorities said Thursday.

Officials guessed there were about 5,000 new cases last week, compared to about 3,000 cases the week before. Since they are no longer counting individual swine flu cases, the numbers are only a rough estimate.

Officials have warned the virus could surge in the fall, after schools reopened in September and as the temperature drops. Children are particularly susceptible to swine flu and flu viruses survive better in colder weather.

Health experts also reported finding two virus samples with the genetic mutation linked to Tamiflu resistance. Both cases were in patients that had weakened immune systems. Drug-resistant viruses are more likely to emerge in patients with weak immune systems, and experts worry those viruses might then begin to spread in the general population.

"There is no evidence of onward transmission of the resistant viruses," said Britain's Health Protection Agency in a statement.

An increase in UK swine flu cases suggests that the predicted second wave of the outbreak may have begun. The majority of new cases have been in children of school age.



New cases of swine flu in England have risen by a third, with the latest official figures showing 5,200 new infections in a week. Rates are also up in Scotland and Northern Ireland but have decreased slightly in Wales.



http://www.nhs.uk/news/2009/04April/Pag ... atest.aspx

http://www.wirralnews.co.uk/src/webroot/wirralnews/wirral-news/local-wirral-news/2009/09/21/wirral-councillor-suzanne-moseley-died-of-blood-clot-on-brain-92534-24738539/

Wirral councillor Suzanne Moseley died of blood clot on brain

A COUNCILLOR found dead at her home died of natural causes according to early findings from an autopsy, an inquest heard.

Cllr Suzanne Moseley, 47, was found on Thursday morning after colleagues became concerned that she had not been in work.

Merseyside Police later confirmed that the body of a woman found at the house on Bradgate Close, in Moreton, had been formally identified as Suzanne Moseley and said they were not treating her death as suspicious.

An inquest was opened on Friday and adjourned by Wirral Coroner Christopher Johnson.

Coroner’s officer Arthur Flower told the inquest, held at Mr Johnson’s offices in West Kirby, that police had received an emergency call at 10.04am on Thursday, after Ms Moseley had not arrived in work.

He said she had been off for part of the previous week with flu-like symptoms but had returned to work on Tuesday. On Wednesday, she had been working at home.

Mr Flower told the inquest colleagues went to her home, where the curtains were closed. The front door was closed but unlocked and officers entered to find Ms Moseley in a sitting position in her kitchen between a table and work unit, slumped forward.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
autopsy found that she died of natural causes......