The other casualties are a 70-year-old man, a 39-year-old woman and another adult. All of the victims had underlying health problems.
Three other possible swine flu deaths are also being investigated.
NHS London said the latest fatalities, which happened in the past two weeks, bring the total number of swine flu-related deaths in the capital to 10.
The baby died at Royal Free Hospital last week.
Dr Simon Tanner, regional director of public health at NHS London, said: "We would like to extend our deepest sympathies to each of the families affected at this very difficult time. "It is also important that these deaths be kept in perspective.
"All four had underlying health conditions and these upsetting cases should be kept in context with the many people who have had swine flu and recovered just a few days after experiencing a mild illness."
Andy Wapling, head of emergency preparedness at NHS London, said: "We would like to reassure people that NHS London is well-prepared - all NHS organisations have plans which have been practised and checked regularly.
"NHS London has put in place recently audited plans on how to prepare for flu pandemic and ensure that anyone who needs help will receive it."
Twenty-nine people have now died in the UK after contracting swine flu and the number of new cases hit 55,000 last week.
The NHS has seen a surge in calls and consultations.
Ministers in England have responded by promising the National Flu Service will go live at the end of next week to relieve pressure on hospitals and GPs.
The government has also warned that deaths from swine flu this winter could be between 19,000 and 65,000 in the UK.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Swine Flu Vaccines Being Tested: Vaccine Expected To Be Available In November
Researchers at the University of Antwerp are currently comparing 4 potential vaccines for H1N1v, also known as swine flu or Mexican flu. 300 to 400 volunteers will be recruited for the tests. “There is a good chance that a Mexican flu vaccine is available early November”, expects vaccine expert prof. dr. Pierre van Damme, director of the Centre for the Evaluation of Vaccination (CEV), a department of the Vaccine & Infectious Disease Institute (VAXINFECTIO) at the University of Antwerp.“We were contacted by a number of vaccine producers to test their vaccines as soon as they had a test version”, explains Van Damme. “The CEV can look back on more than 20 years of experience in the scientific evaluation of test vaccines for different producers. We have been cooperating with some of these vaccine companies for many years. Obviously, they do not want to lose time now. That is why the number of test centres has been limited.” Together with the University of Antwerp, the University of Ghent and some centres in Finland, France and Germany are involved in the testing.
“Most producers will have their test vaccines ready by the middle or end of August” says Van Damme. “But a vaccine can only be launched on the market when is has been tested on healthy volunteers. This procedure is also followed for other test vaccines. The vaccination of volunteers will take place in the course of August and September, because all test vaccines come with a vaccination scheme of 2 doses.”
Vaccine probably available from beginning of November
Van Damme expects the final test results in October. "Then the test reports will be delivered to the proper authorities (e.g. EMEA) and it is up to them to give the go-ahead to the vaccine. Consequently, the mass production can start and a few weeks later the vaccine can be launched. This means that a vaccine will probably be available by the beginning of November.”
Van Damme points out that the production will not immediately be sufficient to vaccinate everyone. “That’s way most countries are now identifying target groups to be vaccinated first. It concerns people with crucial professions during a pandemic (e.g. health workers), standard high-risk groups (e.g. people aged over 65 with underlying disorders or people who are chronically ill) and potentially also young children because they can play an important role in the spreading of the flu.”
Time pressure
Van Damme confirms that there is time pressure, but emphasises the need to follow the standard evaluation procedure. “Luckily, this procedure is very similar to the one we use with the winter flu, for which we also use a killed or inactivated vaccine. So we know what side effects we can expect, and we can be certain that the test vaccine will not cause flu symptoms.”
Whether the vaccine will be available on time, is an open question. “On the basis of recent epidemiological data, we estimate the chance that the Mexican flu will quietly fade away (as SARS did a few years ago) to be nearly zero. The data from Spain and the United Kingdom clearly show an increasing spread of the Mexican flu. It is still not clear what the course of the disease will be, but currently the disease symptoms and complications seem to be in the order of the annual winter flu. This situation can continue, but there is also a chance that the flu becomes more serious, for instance when the virus mutates or exchanges genetic material with other winter flu viruses that start circulating. We need to be prepared for these scenarios as well.”
“Most producers will have their test vaccines ready by the middle or end of August” says Van Damme. “But a vaccine can only be launched on the market when is has been tested on healthy volunteers. This procedure is also followed for other test vaccines. The vaccination of volunteers will take place in the course of August and September, because all test vaccines come with a vaccination scheme of 2 doses.”
Vaccine probably available from beginning of November
Van Damme expects the final test results in October. "Then the test reports will be delivered to the proper authorities (e.g. EMEA) and it is up to them to give the go-ahead to the vaccine. Consequently, the mass production can start and a few weeks later the vaccine can be launched. This means that a vaccine will probably be available by the beginning of November.”
Van Damme points out that the production will not immediately be sufficient to vaccinate everyone. “That’s way most countries are now identifying target groups to be vaccinated first. It concerns people with crucial professions during a pandemic (e.g. health workers), standard high-risk groups (e.g. people aged over 65 with underlying disorders or people who are chronically ill) and potentially also young children because they can play an important role in the spreading of the flu.”
Time pressure
Van Damme confirms that there is time pressure, but emphasises the need to follow the standard evaluation procedure. “Luckily, this procedure is very similar to the one we use with the winter flu, for which we also use a killed or inactivated vaccine. So we know what side effects we can expect, and we can be certain that the test vaccine will not cause flu symptoms.”
Whether the vaccine will be available on time, is an open question. “On the basis of recent epidemiological data, we estimate the chance that the Mexican flu will quietly fade away (as SARS did a few years ago) to be nearly zero. The data from Spain and the United Kingdom clearly show an increasing spread of the Mexican flu. It is still not clear what the course of the disease will be, but currently the disease symptoms and complications seem to be in the order of the annual winter flu. This situation can continue, but there is also a chance that the flu becomes more serious, for instance when the virus mutates or exchanges genetic material with other winter flu viruses that start circulating. We need to be prepared for these scenarios as well.”
Five students at MICA diagnosed with probable swine flu
Five students in a Maryland Institute College of Art summer program have been diagnosed with probable H1NI influenza infections, commonly known as swine flu, a college spokeswoman said Friday.
Three of the students enrolled in MICA's pre-college program who were showing symptoms have gone home, said Kathleen Murray, the spokeswoman. One student has been isolated, as recommended by the Baltimore City Health Department, and another is asymptomatic, beyond the seven-day period of infection, Murray said.
The Health Department notified MICA of the probable infections Thursday afternoon, and an e-mail was sent to parents, faculty, staff and students that night, Murray said. As of Friday morning, no new cases had been reported, and the five students were recovering, Murray said.
Pre-college program attendees, typically high school students, stay together in a MICA residence hall, but Health Department officials said there was no need to close any buildings or shut down the program, Murray said.
"The only recommendation was to isolate the five students," she said.
MICA's building services staff was instructed to sanitize surfaces such as elevator buttons more frequently. Sanitizer was also available at guard desks, college offices and in dining facilities.
Maryland health officials have confirmed 732 cases of swine flu. Three of those infected have died from the virus.
Summer camps are feeling the impact. Two children were sent home from a Harford County camp after testing positive for swine flu, health officials said this week. Sandy Hill Camp in Cecil County sent campers home midway through a two-week session last week after 19 children came down with flulike symptoms in 48 hours.
The Muscular Dystrophy Association canceled more than half of its weeklong camp sessions - including two scheduled for Camp Maria in Leonardtown - amid fears that children with already compromised immune systems could become critically ill if they came down with flu, something that is more likely in a setting of shared cabins and meals in close quarters.
Baltimore Sun reporter Mary Gail Hare contributed to this article.
Three of the students enrolled in MICA's pre-college program who were showing symptoms have gone home, said Kathleen Murray, the spokeswoman. One student has been isolated, as recommended by the Baltimore City Health Department, and another is asymptomatic, beyond the seven-day period of infection, Murray said.
The Health Department notified MICA of the probable infections Thursday afternoon, and an e-mail was sent to parents, faculty, staff and students that night, Murray said. As of Friday morning, no new cases had been reported, and the five students were recovering, Murray said.
Pre-college program attendees, typically high school students, stay together in a MICA residence hall, but Health Department officials said there was no need to close any buildings or shut down the program, Murray said.
"The only recommendation was to isolate the five students," she said.
MICA's building services staff was instructed to sanitize surfaces such as elevator buttons more frequently. Sanitizer was also available at guard desks, college offices and in dining facilities.
Maryland health officials have confirmed 732 cases of swine flu. Three of those infected have died from the virus.
Summer camps are feeling the impact. Two children were sent home from a Harford County camp after testing positive for swine flu, health officials said this week. Sandy Hill Camp in Cecil County sent campers home midway through a two-week session last week after 19 children came down with flulike symptoms in 48 hours.
The Muscular Dystrophy Association canceled more than half of its weeklong camp sessions - including two scheduled for Camp Maria in Leonardtown - amid fears that children with already compromised immune systems could become critically ill if they came down with flu, something that is more likely in a setting of shared cabins and meals in close quarters.
Baltimore Sun reporter Mary Gail Hare contributed to this article.
Swine flu cancels camp for children with HIV/AIDS
MILWAUKEE - A camp session in Minnesota for children with HIV or AIDS has been canceled after two volunteers tested positive for swine flu.
One Heartland, a Milwaukee-based charity, had planned to start the weeklong camp session in Willow River in eastern Minnesota on Friday.
One Heartland founder and CEO Neil Willenson says there are no known cases of swine flu among children who already attended the camp this summer. But he says the camp session was canceled out of concern for campers and volunteers.
One Heartland offers the summer camps for homeless children and children with HIV or AIDS.
One Heartland, a Milwaukee-based charity, had planned to start the weeklong camp session in Willow River in eastern Minnesota on Friday.
One Heartland founder and CEO Neil Willenson says there are no known cases of swine flu among children who already attended the camp this summer. But he says the camp session was canceled out of concern for campers and volunteers.
One Heartland offers the summer camps for homeless children and children with HIV or AIDS.
Good News - Cherie Blair Gets Swine Flu - Pigs Strike
There will be no more bacon until Cherie Blair reveals where she got her swine flu.
The probability exists that Ms Blair has used undue influence to obtain a better virus than that available to the man in the street. Parliamentary Expenses investigators are pursuing several lines of enquiry.Swine are concerned that they will be blammed if a more virulent virus mutates during Ms Blair's illness.
The combination of Grinning Gibbon Flu with Swine flu is awful to contemplate.
Ugly, greedy, frogmouthed people with legal training would however be the most likely victims and the almost certain prospect of the death of most lawyers is some comfort.
The British Pig Herd has withdrawn its support of the manufacture of Swine Flu vaccine and has set up picket lines at plasma collection centres.
Mr Tony Blair, Centre of the Universe was advised by the Dark Lord Mangelson, not to comment.
The probability exists that Ms Blair has used undue influence to obtain a better virus than that available to the man in the street. Parliamentary Expenses investigators are pursuing several lines of enquiry.Swine are concerned that they will be blammed if a more virulent virus mutates during Ms Blair's illness.
The combination of Grinning Gibbon Flu with Swine flu is awful to contemplate.
Ugly, greedy, frogmouthed people with legal training would however be the most likely victims and the almost certain prospect of the death of most lawyers is some comfort.
The British Pig Herd has withdrawn its support of the manufacture of Swine Flu vaccine and has set up picket lines at plasma collection centres.
Mr Tony Blair, Centre of the Universe was advised by the Dark Lord Mangelson, not to comment.
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