Two die following nursing home flu outbreak


Two people have died following outbreaks of flu at nursing homes in Swansea.

Public Health Wales is now investigating the outbreaks, which has seen eight patients testing positive for influenza A at one home, five of who have been hospitalised, and two died.

A further nine patients and three staff have been unwell with symptoms of flu.

At the second nursing home, 12 out of 46 patients have been ill with flu-like symptoms and nine people have tested positive for Influenza A.

One person from the home has been admitted to hospital.

Public Health Wales say it is not naming the nursing homes involved to protect the identify of patients.

Dr Jorg Hoffmann, consultant in communicable disease control for Public Health Wales, said: "Flu circulates in the UK between October and April and is not uncommon to see outbreaks in closed communities like nursing homes, where the disease can spread easily.

"People with flu will usually experience a fever, chills, headache, body aches and fatigue.

"Fit and healthy people will usually recover from flu without any complications and without needing medication. However, in elderly people flu can be more serious and therefore we have treated patients at this nursing home with Tamiflu as a precaution."

Seasonal flu vaccination is offered every year to people over 65, pregnant women and people with chronic conditions that make them vulnerable to complications, and it is strongly recommended that eligible people are vaccinated.

http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/story ... story.html?


14 nurses diagnosed with swine flu (Bangladesh)

At least 14 nurses of Kurigram Nursing Training Institute have been tested positive for swine flu.


"Fourteen nurses among the 37 whose blood and cough samples were brought to the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) in the capital for diagnosing have been tested H1N1 positive, Prof Mahmudur Rahman, the director of the institute, told The Daily Star on Wednesday.


"The affected are now safe as doctors started prompt treatment with anti-viral drugs," Mahmudur Rahman said.


Swine flu can strike Bangladesh from April to September, he said.


Meanwhile, Dr Aminul Islam, a doctor of Kurigram Sadar Upazila Health Complex, quoting the IEDCR report told our Kurigram correspondent that the swine flu virus that affected the nurses are not life threatening.


A six-member IEDCR team rushed to the Kurigram nursing institute on April 12 after the deputy civil surgeon of the district informed that 53 students of the dormitory were down with an unknown ailment.


They complained of fever, headache, throat ache, cough and occasional vomiting.


The first case of swine flu in Bangladesh was detected in 2009.


Patients with swine flu-like symptoms--fever above 104 degrees Fahrenheit, cough or other respiratory symptoms, runny nose, pneumonia--are presumed to carry the virus.


The H1N1 virus spreads mainly through coughing and sneezing. Touching something that contains the virus and then touching the mouth or nose is also risky.


Experts suggest avoiding crowded places or close contact with ill people.


They have urged people to keep at least an arm's distance from people with the symptoms.


H1N1 is a new contagious influenza virus first detected in the US in March, 2009.


The virus is new to pigs, humans and birds. It consists of genetic materials from influenza viruses of birds, humans and pigs. Humans have no protection against it.

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/l ... ?nid=37164

Swine flu is back

Dhaka, Apr 17 (bdnews24.com) – Swine flu strikes back in Bangladesh after two years as the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) has confirmed an outbreak in a northern district's nursing dormitory on Tuesday.

At least 14 have been tested H1N1 positive, director Prof Mahmudur Rahman told bdnews24.com.

A six-member IEDCR team rushed to the Kurigram nursing institute on April 12 after the deputy civil surgeon of the district informed the national institute that 42 students of the dormitory were down with an unknown ailment.


Prof Rahman said they were suffering from fever, cough and occasional vomiting. "All of them recovered as doctors started prompt treatment with anti-viral drugs."

The H1N1 influenza virus was first reported in April 2009 in Mexico before spreading across the globe. The World Health Organisation declared a global H1N1 flu pandemic on June 11.

Bangladesh's first case was detected on June 18, 2009, which created panic.

"We are not worried at this moment. But the thing is that the virus is back after two years," Prof Rahman said, adding it killed eight and caused sufferings to thousands during 2009 pandemic.

"Physicians should keep this in mind. They have to consider anti-viral drugs while treating flu in this season."

He urged people not to panic, rather be aware of the disease.

"Just maintain personal hygiene, cough into the crook of the elbow and avoid spitting just anywhere," he said. "A person with flu should be treated in isolation with protective measures."

"As it can pass one to another, it spread rapidly among the dormitory inmates," the director said, quoting his investigators that Kurigram nursing institute students live in a crammed room and share beds.

With four strains of flu virus – H5N1, H1N1, H3N2 and H9N2 – circulating in the air, global experts warn Bangladesh against resurgence of a new mutated form of a virus.

http://www.bdnews24.com/details.php?id=222657&cid=13


More flu cases confirmed at Conn. veterans home

ROCKY HILL, Conn. (WTW) — Four more veterans at the state veterans' home have been hospitalized for treatment following an outbreak of influenza at the Rocky Hill complex.

State Veterans Affairs Commissioner Linda Schwartz told The Associated Press on Tuesday that a total of 22 veterans have been sent to area hospitals since Monday. One veteran has returned to the home, which includes a health care center and a residential facility.

Schwartz said public health officials have taken nasal swabs of residents reporting flu-like symptoms to determine if this is an identified flu strain. Schwartz said the outbreak is unusual because the veterans had received flu shots. Also, it is late in the flu season.

Schwartz said the veterans being hospitalized remain in stable condition and 11 staff are off work with flu-like symptoms.

http://www.lohud.com/usatoday/article/3 ... 7CNews%7Cs


INFLUENZA (32): VACCINE EFFICACY
********************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
Date: Tue 17 Apr 2012
From: Robert Benjamin [edited]


Re: ProMED-mail Influenza (31): USA (WA, NV, CO) surveillance 20120416.1103337
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It appears to be a late season for influenza type A in Seattle/King County…....most hospital staff had been immunised.

As I have been saying for several years, the duration of (currently configured) Flu Vax immunity may be too short to carry through an extended flu season, especially if people get vaccinated early. While a stronger formulation for Seniors is available, thought should be given (admittedly, cost consideration is major) to a hypothetical 2-dose regimen.

Unfortunately, the report does not mention the time interval between immunization and onset of illness.

http://www.promedmail.org/?p=2400:1000: ... 702832:::::

State of the Bible 2012

The good news about the Good Book is that it's still the No. 1 seller of all time, with an estimated 6 billion copies sold.

The not-so-good news though, according to a new survey by The American Bible Society, is that it's lost a bit of its prominence in affecting people's lives.

The "State of the Bible 2012" looked at the trends surrounding the most influential book of Western civilization. The survey found that while 82 percent of Americans revere the Bible as sacred literature, that number is down slightly from a year ago when 86 percent thought so.

And when asked whether The Bible contains "everything a person needs to know to live a meaningful life," 69 percent agreed either strongly or somewhat. That number was down also from the previous year, when 75 percent responded the same way.

The ABS sees opportunity rather than disappointment in the results.

Lamar Vest, President and CEO of ABS, says, "We do see that as something to be concerned about, but it is still a very high percentage, when you have 82 percent of Americans agreeing on anything. So we're still very pleased about it. We're sorry for the slippage, but still, 82 percent gives us an incredible open door."

One of the challenges the ABS is launching is encouraging people to read the Bible. The survey found that when asked about certain spiritual truths, nearly half (46%) of Americans couldn't differentiate between the teachings of the Bible, the Koran, or the Book of Mormon.

Vest says, "There are probably five Bibles on every shelf in American homes. Americans buy the Bibles, they debate the Bible, they love the Bible... they just don't read the Bible."

Vest is meeting with Joshua Dubois, the head of the President's Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, to begin a dialogue on the importance of the Bible in the founding of the country.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/04/18/st ... z1sQ4MiHH9

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-CpCUOy ... re=related

play for the show

Petrol crisis looms as tanker drivers reject deal that could have averted strikes

Fuel tanker drivers have rejected a proposed deal aimed at averting industrial action, raising fresh threats of strikes which would cripple petrol supplies.

Around 60 Unite officials overwhelmingly turned down a deal which was thrashed out during six days of talks between the union and representatives of six fuel distribution companies.

The union urged motorists not to panic buy and stressed that it had not yet decided whether to name any strike dates.


Diana Holland, assistant general secretary of Unite, said: 'While there has been some progress it is clear that our members need more guarantees and assurances from the employers about their commitment to meaningful minimum standards.

'We remain committed to achieving a negotiated settlement that brings stability and security to a vital industry and gives this workforce, and the public, confidence that the race to the bottom is ending.'

Ms Holland accused operators of presiding over an 'undercutting' and 'erosion' of standards covering issues such as health and safety and pensions.

Unite officials have contacted the conciliation service Acas and said it hoped employers would agree to hold fresh talks in the coming days.

Peter Harwood Acas chief conciliator said: 'Naturally, we are disappointed at today’s outcome, following the parties’ intensive talks at Acas over the last two weeks. We are contacting the parties and the challenge now is to see if we can find a way forward.'
The union will have to name strike dates, or other forms of industrial action, by Friday afternoon unless employers agree to extend the deadline.

After the row flared last month the Government advised motorists to top up their cars with petrol and to store fuel in jerry cans, leading to panic buying and shortages of supplies.

There were chaotic scenes at garages as long queues built up, leading to criticism of the Government for the way they had handled the dispute.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1sQhiTQLk

Pound at 19-month high against the Euro as Bank of England signals an end to quantitative easing over inflation fears

The pound soared today as the Bank of England hinted it has called time on its money printing programme amid fears over inflation.
Minutes from this month's meeting of the monetary policy committee showed that 'arch-dove' Adam Posen surprisingly ditched calls for more quantitative easing.

It marked a dramatic change of heart for the American economist who has consistently argued for more QE since joining the Bank in September 2009.


came as Bank deputy governor Paul Tucker warned that inflation is 'uncomfortably' high and will remain well above the 2pc target for much of this year.

Official figures on Tuesday showed a shock rise in the Consumer Prices Index rate of inflation from 3.4pc in February to 3.5pc in March after five months of decline.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1sQiaG63c


IMF fears $3.8 trillion forced asset sale by eurozone banks

An escalation of the eurozone debt crisis could force European banks to sell assets worth up to $3.8 trillion (£2.4 trillion) by the end of 2013 and trigger a fresh credit crunch, the International Monetary Fund has warned.


The IMF's spring Global Financial Stability Report said that should markets lose faith in the effectiveness of eurozone policies, rising funding costs and increased stresses within the banking system could force banks to rapidly reduce their balance sheets to raise capital buffers.


Under the scenario, the supply of eurozone credit would fall by 4.4pc and growth in the region would be cut by 1.4pc.


The sell-off among 58 of the biggest banks in the European Union included in the IMF's analysis would be equivalent to 10pc of total assets, and the balance sheet adjustment would also involve a significant reduction in bank lending, it said.


The UK banks involved in the study were state-backed Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group, as well as HSBC and Barclays.


A second global credit crunch would make it more difficult still for UK households and businesses to borrow from banks.

Such a large-scale deleveraging would have consequences well beyond the euro area. The fire sale of bank assets could have a significant impact on asset prices and market liquidity," the IMF said.

José Viñals, director of Monetary and Capital Markets at the IMF, said that while policy actions in the eurozone had eased the sense of crisis, risks remained.

"Policy actions have brought gains but current efforts are not enough to bring lasting stability. It is too soon to say we have exited the crisis. Pressures on European banks remain."

He said that while some deleveraging was desirable where it increased banks' capital positions and reduced the reliance on wholesale funding, the pace and nature must be correct.

The IMF said that banks would prioritise the disposal of non-core and foreign assets before moving onto home markets and lending reduction the higher the stress.

To achieve lasting global financial stability, the IMF said swift fiscal integration was needed in the eurozone, close regulation of banks, continued loose monetary policy, and a gradual withdrawal of fiscal support where possible.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/fina ... banks.html

yea right buddy just looks so bleedin sorry in the picture they have of him...pltttttttttt

funny how they are soooooooo sorry after they caught with their hand in the cookie jar and some takes notice,but if no says anything about it..well they might as well go ahead and spend spend spend...and he is just the cats meow posing in the picture with a dead elephant..which is probably killed for sport and no other purpose..what an arse he is

'I made a mistake': Spanish King Juan Carlos in unprecedented apology over elephant hunting safari... as calls grow for him to be axed from WWF presidency

Spain's king Juan Carlos today apologised for going elephant-hunting in Africa while everyday people in his country endure a severe economic crisis.

In an unprecedented act of royal contrition, the monarch said: 'I am very sorry. I made a mistake. It won't happen again.'
Looking sheepish and using crutches to walk, he spoke as he left the Madrid hospital where underwent surgery after breaking his hip in a fall during the trip to Botswana.


The 74-year-old monarch had come under scathing criticism this week after he went on the expensive safari as both Spain and its citizens struggled amid an economic crisis that has worsened by the day.
The trip came to light when the king fell and had to be rushed back to Spain on Friday.

A royal palace official denied news accounts that the monarch left the country without telling the government saying that he told the prime minister where he was going.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1sQjvbQSK

Save our elderly savers, say MPs: Millions 'should be compensated for their shattered retirement dreams'Treasury report reveals crippling impact of Bank's decision to pump £325bn into the economy


Millions of thrifty pensioners who have had their retirement plans shattered by the Bank of England should be given compensation, MPs say today.
A damning report lays bare the crippling impact on the recently retired and savers of the Bank’s decision to pump £325billion into the economy.
Since so-called quantitative easing began three years ago, campaigners have highlighted how older people have become the sacrificial lambs of the Bank’s emergency rescue policy. The aim of QE has been to keep interest rates low to boost economic growth, prevent a wave of mortgage repossessions and pump money into the flagging economy.


But today the Treasury select committee makes it clear that an urgent lifeline must be thrown to those hurt by QE.
It also highlights the plight of savers since the Bank cut the base rate to a historic low of 0.5 per cent in 2009, describing the combination of low interest rates and QE as ‘extremely lax monetary policy’.

The report says: ‘We recommend that the Government consider whether there are any measures that should be taken to mitigate the redistributional effects of QE.’
It calls on ministers to ‘consult’ on any help, such as compensation, that could be given at the time of the Autumn Statement, expected in November.

MPs also want the Bank to publish its estimate of ‘the overall benefit and loss to pensioners and savers’ from QE.

For the first time, this would put an official – and explosive – figure on just how much money the Bank’s emergency policy has cost millions of Britons.

Last night Dr Ros Altmann, director general of Saga, the old age specialists, said: ‘There is precious little evidence that QE is actually working to boost the economy. But there is plenty of evidence that it is having a dreadful impact on pensions and pension funds.


-------------------------------------

drum roll please...here is the bottom line


Simon Rose from the campaign group Save our Savers said: ‘The Bank seems to have no idea of what their policies actually do, particularly at the poorer end of the society.’

The Bank declined to comment.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1sQmCHYMe

Canada unwavering in IMF fund talks


Canada heads into a weekend meeting of global finance chiefs refusing to budge in its stance against contributing additional funds to the International Monetary Fund to deal with fallout from the European debt crisis.

The IMF has been pressing for increased resources to be able protect the world economy from Europe's debt crisis.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said Europe needed to "step up to the plate much more than they have", while Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney said rescue funds were not the key to resolving the problem, but rather European's own actions over a long period of time.

"Solving the issues in Europe is not about a firewall, it's about decisions that will be taken in Europe over a sustained period of time; and it's European actions that will be decisive here as opposed to outside money," Carney told a news conference ahead of meetings in Washington of the Group of 20 leading economies and the International Monetary Fund.

Addressing the IMF's position on the need to boost rescue funds for Europe, Carney said, "The IMF has a view but there's not a consensus within the G20 at this stage."

A senior finance official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Canada's position going into the weekend meetings was that it was not prepared at this time to make a bilateral commitment to increase IMF resources.

He said Canadian officials were willing to discuss the issue with counterparts and reflect on the situation.

http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/canada ... 29264.html

Bank of Canada lifts some forecasts, warns on debt



The Bank of Canada on Wednesday raised its economic growth forecasts for the first three quarters of 2012 and repeated a warning about high household debt, pointing to the popularity of home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) as part of the problem.

Thanks to low borrowing costs, household spending and business investment will power Canada's moderate economic growth through the end of 2014, while exports remain weak and high oil prices fail to bring the usual benefits, the central bank said in its quarterly Monetary Policy Report.

"Private domestic demand, supported by accommodative financial conditions, is expected to account for almost all of Canada's economic growth over the projection horizon," the bank said.

Canadians will start to save a little more and growth in residential investment will slow over the next 2-1/2 years, the bank predicted. But it sees the ratio of household debt to income rising further from near-record highs as spending remains strong relative to gross domestic product.

The report comes a day after the bank held its key interest rate at 1 percent but surprised markets by saying some modest withdrawal of monetary stimulus "may become appropriate" due to firmer growth and inflation and a less daunting global backdrop.

Market players focused on the detailed quarterly forecasts, which suggest the bank sees excess slack in the economy disappearing in the first quarter of 2013, which in turn helps predict the start of monetary tightening.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/bank-canada-li ... iness.html

Bank of America Faces Bad Home-Equity Loans: Mortgages

k of America Corp., whose home- equity mortgage portfolio exceeds its stock market value, probably will say about $2 billion of junior loans are bad assets tomorrow even as some borrowers are still paying on time.

--------------
Regulators are pressing for the change on concern that falling home prices have wiped out collateral on many second mortgages, leaving them as unsecured debt. About 20 percent of the nation’s $845 billion of home-equity loans exceed the value of the properties when combined with primary mortgages, according to CoreLogic Inc., and about 36 percent of Bank of America’s were at least partly “underwater” at the end of last year, according to regulatory filings.

“The reclassification may change the way the investors look at the company but as far as the vulnerability it does nothing to take that away,” said Jeffrey Sica, the Morristown, New Jersey-based president of SICA Wealth Management who helps oversee $1 billion of assets and who’s bet on a decline in the shares of Bank of America in the past. “This is something they have very much tried to keep under wraps.”

Almost a quarter of homes in the U.S. were worth less than the mortgages against them, according to CoreLogic, the data firm based in Santa Ana, California. About 4.4 million had home- equity mortgages, the firm said.

Stripping Value

Banks have been carrying some high-risk junior mortgages on their balance sheets at full value even after a rout in home prices stripped almost $7 trillion from property values, according to the Federal Reserve and other bank regulators. Executives including Bank of America Chief Executive Officer Brian T. Moynihan and Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf have said borrowers tend to keep paying as long as they are able, even if home prices decline.

The risk for lenders is that if the borrower does default and the property is auctioned, a junior loan stands behind the primary mortgage for repayment. Typically, the second-lien holder suffers a total loss.

more at link

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-1 ... gages.html

Blow for middle classes as Bank of England deputy says the squeeze is here to stay


The brutal squeeze on middle class family finances will last for longer than expected, the Bank of England warned yesterday.
In a bitter blow to millions of households, deputy governor Paul Tucker said Britain will be stuck with high inflation for much of 2012.

The stark warning from Mr Tucker – who is among the favourites to succeed Sir Mervyn King as governor next year – dashed hopes that the worst squeeze on household incomes since the 1920s will come to an end any time soon.

The Bank also warned that Britain could already be in the midst of a nine-month recession before recovering in the second half of the year.
The gloomy verdict comes as cash-strapped families struggle to make ends meet in the face of muted wage growth and soaring prices.

Savers – who have been hammered since interest rates hit lows of 0.5 per cent more than three years ago – are also suffering as no high street savings accounts are currently beating inflation.

And millions of thrifty pensioners have seen their retirement plans shattered by the Bank’s £325billion money printing programme.


------------------------

But Mr Tucker yesterday admitted there had been ‘bad news on the inflation front’ and it ‘remains uncomfortably above target’, dealing a blow to hopes of recovery.

He told a conference in Liverpool: ‘I think inflation might remain above 3 per cent throughout the second quarter of this year and possibly into the second half of the year.’


Simon Ward, chief economist at asset management firm Henderson, said the Bank was on course for another ‘forecasting miss in 2012’.
He warned that even the projection that inflation would finish the year at 2.75 per cent may be too optimistic.

The Bank is likely to have to ratchet up its predictions once again in next month’s Inflation Report, in another embarrassing revision to its forecasts.

Mr Tucker blamed a 5 per cent rise in oil and gas prices since February and a host of tax changes in last month’s Budget, including a 37p rise in cigarette duty.

‘Already in February there was a risk that inflation might fall back towards target less quickly than incorporated into our “most likely” central outlook,’ he added.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1sTIFrTkp

Cash lifeline ‘won’t boost bank loans to small firms' warns influential treasury committee

Small firms are being crippled by ‘serious and often insurmountable problems’ in getting money from banks at a reasonable rate, MPs warned yesterday.

The report, from the influential Treasury Committee, raises serious doubts about the Government’s latest attempt to send a financial lifeline to cash-strapped small firms.

MPs said they were concerned the scheme ‘was not designed to solve the problem that many small firms, who may be reasonable credit risks, are unable to access bank funding at all in the current market conditions’.


The initiative, known as the National Loan Guarantee Scheme, involves the Government guaranteeing up to £20billion of cheaper loans to small firms.

The money, which will be handed out by banks such as Barclays, Santander and Royal Bank of Scotland, will be offered at a lower rate than they could normally obtain. But the report said: ‘Access to finance for small firms remains a significant problem’.
It also refers to ‘the degree of dysfunctionality of the market’.

In a chilling assessment of the problem, it states: ‘Small and medium-sized firms face serious and often insurmountable problems in obtaining bank lending at reasonable rates.’

It comes more than three years after the Bank of England started to pump a total of £325billion into the economy through its controversial quantitative easing programme. One of the key aims of the so-called money-printing programme was to ensure that banks could continue to lend money to businesses around the country


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1sTJEsQgb

'We're starving!' Furious Iranians jump on to Ahmadinejad’s open-topped car in extraordinary display of civil disobedience

The political situation in Iran and the plight of its people is commonly kept away from the outside world by its repressive regime.
But new and extraordinary footage released today shows screaming protesters climbing on president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's car during an open-topped tour of the southern city of Bandar-Abbas.

A rare YouTube clip from the country first shows a furious elderly man shouting 'I'm a pensioner', while gesticulating at the controversial politician


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1sTOpPUJt

Syria 'failing to keep to truce', says Ban Ki-moon


The UN secretary general says Syria has failed to comply with its obligation under a peace plan to pull troops and heavy weapons out of urban areas.

In a letter to the UN Security Council, Ban Ki-moon also called for an observer mission to be expanded from the small number already in the country to 300.

There are continued reports of violence in Syria, threatening the fragile week-old ceasefire there.

However, Mr Ban also there was an "opportunity for progress".

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will meet foreign ministers in Paris later to discuss the crisis.

Violence 'escalating'

The peace plan, negotiated by UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, aims to end more than a year of unrest thought to have killed at least 9,000 people.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-17765654