Swine Flu - 60 Dead, 800 infected in Mexico, Schools Closed, Now 7 infected in USA

U.S. Swine Flu Cases Rise To 7 As Health Officials Investigate Mexico Epidemic

Kris Alingod - AHN Contributor

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - Health officials are investigating if an outbreak of swine flu in Mexico that has reportedly left nearly 60 dead has spread to the United States, where cases of a new strain of H1N1 virus has infected seven people.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it is investigating the five confirmed cases of swine influenza in California and two in Texas.

All seven people, including a nine-year old girl in Imperial County, CA, did not have contact with pigs. They have fully recovered but the virus that caused the infections "contain[s] a unique combination of gene segments that previously has not been reported among swine or human influenza viruses in the United States or elsewhere," the CDC said.

Swine flu is a rare among humans, and only 12 cases have been reported in the United States since 2005. Infections are usually among people who work in close proximity to pigs. Its symptoms include fever, coughing and a lack of appetite.

More than 800 people are believed to be infected with swine flu in Mexico, which canceled classes in all levels on Friday. Mexican officials have confirmed 20 deaths, but as much as 60 people are suspected to have died due to the epidemic.

The Public Health Agency of Canada has issued a travel advisory warning that people who recently returned from Mexico could be infected.

The World Health Organization has said the exposures in the Latin American nation was among healthy adults.

"Because these cases are not happening in the very old or the very young, which is normal with seasonal influenza, this is an unusual event and a cause for heightened concern," WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl told CBC.

AHN Story

CDC Release

Hello from HIMSS09!

I am in Chicago this week, attending HIMSS09! What is HIMSS you ask? Well... The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) is the healthcare industry's membership organization exclusively focused on providing global leadership for the optimal use of healthcare information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of healthcare.

I will be scoping out the best the Health IT industry has to offer!

Sebelius does not mind using reconcilliation to ram through health care reform

This is getting really dangerous... and a bit ridiculous... I know that the Democrats won the election, but ramming health care reform through Congress is dangerous! They rammed through the stimulus package - without even reading it- which was negligent at best.. are we really going to let them handle our health care the same way?

Congress will be out of town on recess from April 6 - April 17 - Hopefully some of the folks back home meet with their Congressman and let them know that the process of passing bills without reading them has to stop.

It is kind of funny when you look at the number of lawyers that are Congressman - If they were practicing law, they certainly would advise their clients to read something before signing it, well, shouldn't the same standard apply to Congress?


WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, President Barack Obama's nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services, indicated Tuesday she wouldn't take off the table a fast-track process for passing a health-care overhaul bill despite Republicans' opposition to the tactic.

Sebelius, testifying before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said she had spoken with members of Congress who support using the budget-reconciliation process to pass health legislation, which would allow a bill to pass in the Senate with only 51 votes rather than 60. She appeared to support using that approach under some circumstances, saying there was an interest in Congress in "not taking tools off the table prematurely, but being very dedicated to a bipartisan process and bipartisan bill."

Republicans fear that it would severely curtail their involvement in crafting a bill. Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., the leading Republican on the panel, warned that including "instructions" for health legislation in a budget resolution currently being considered in Congress would be tantamount to "a declaration of war."

Still, Sebelius pointed to her experience as governor and insurance commissioner in Kansas, a state dominated by Republicans.

"You have my commitment, if confirmed, that I will not only be an eager partner to work with Congress, but that I understand bipartisanship," Sebelius said.

Sebelius came under tough questioning from Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who pressed her on whether she would support the creation of a government-run health plan. Lawmakers have debated recently whether a public insurance option is needed to compete with private insurers as a component of a health-care bill.

While Sebelius first appeared to state opposition to a government-run health-care program, she clarified her comments to say that would support a public insurance option.

"If the question is, do I support a public option side by side with private insurers in a health-insurance exchange, the answer is, yes, I do," Sebelius said.

She expressed opposition to a proposal by McCain from his 2008 presidential campaign to lift an exclusion on taxing employers for the health insurance they provide, saying that she wanted to preserve the employer-based health-insurance system.

Complete WSJ Story

Voters Say Obama Should Wait on Health Care Till Economy Improves

Voters Say Obama Should Wait on Health Care Till Economy Improves

March 2, 2009 10:54 AM

Nearly half of likely voters say that Barack Obama should wait until the economy improves before he pushes ahead with an ambitious overhaul of health care, according to a Rasmussen Reports poll conducted Feb. 26-27.

Forty-nine percent hold that view compared to 42 percent who want him to move forward and 10 percent who are undecided. The White House is focusing this week on health care with a meeting set for Thursday of all the players and groups involved in the issue.

Seventy-eight percent said reining in health spending was very or somewhat important to improving the nation's economy.

Voters were skeptical of Obama's ability to keep his promises to reduce the number of uninsured Americans, improve the quality of care and save the typical family $2,500 a year in medical costs. Fifty-three percent believe is not very likely or likely at all that Obama will achieve all three while 44 percent think he will. They are the most optimistic on the promise to reduce the number of uninsured Americans with 50 percent believing that.

Complete Story from CQ Politics

Bad Blago!

Illinois County Judge Renews Ruling to Block Gov. Blagojevich's FamilyCare Expansion Initiative

Cook County, Ill., Judge James Epstein on Wednesday renewed an order prohibiting the state from making payments under a health coverage expansion enacted under an emergency order by Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) and said the state must outline how it will comply with the ruling, the AP/Chicago Tribune reports (Robinson, AP/Chicago Tribune, 10/15). Last month, the Illinois Appellate Court upheld an earlier decision that Blagojevich did not have the authority to expand the FamilyCare program without approval from the General Assembly (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 9/30).

Epstein refused to stay the order pending an appeal by the state and said the state has 14 days to explain how it intends to comply with the order. He said that people who gained coverage under the expansion "do not have a right to continue to receive coverage under this improperly promulgated program."

The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services in a statement following Epstein's action said the agency is "currently reviewing the decision, but the governor is committed to making sure that these families continue to get the insurance they need" (AP/Chicago Tribune, 10/15).

2% of U.S. Medical Students Plan To Become Primary Care Physicians

2% of U.S. Medical Students Plan To Become Primary Care Physicians, Study Says

Two percent of medical students in a survey said they planned to go into general internal medicine, according to a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, USA Today reports. According to the study, general internists provide a large portion of care for older patients and people with chronic illnesses, but the number of students becoming general internists is declining as the number of older U.S. residents is expected to nearly double between 2005 and 2030. The survey notes that according to one estimate, there will be a shortage of 200,000 doctors in the U.S. by 2020.

As I have recently learned, the hot new area of practice for physicians is dermatology. Think about it- you rarely have to be 'on call', there are not many dermatology emergencies, and most of your clinics are well to do and pay CASH. Makes sense right?

A first year med school graduate in the United States makes around 194,000 on average - compare that to France, where they would earn around 55,000.

How the Candidates Line Up on Health Care

A new website has been launched which provides analysis on the health care positions of Senator McCain and Senator Obama. Healthcare needs to be a national priority in 2009 and this website does a good job laying out the positions of each candidate.

HealthDecision08

Also of interest, Medpedia is gearing up for its launch in late 2008. According to the website:

"The goal of The Medpedia Project is to collaboratively build the living encyclopedia of health, medicine, and the body. The process of making the content and the site better is, by its nature, an ongoing one, and everyone is going to be invited to participate in some way in its evolution. Medpedia is a collaborative project, so giving your feedback and ideas is essential."

Find Medpedia on the web at http://www.medpedia.com

The Fight Against Obesity

As Seen in the New York Times -
June 13, 2008
Japan, Seeking Trim Waists, Measures Millions
By NORIMITSU ONISHI

Two months ago, a new law came into effect in Japan, requiring companies and local governments to measure the waistlines of people between the ages of 40 and 74. The move marks the government’s latest effort to curtail “metabolic syndrome” (or “metabo” as it is colloquially known), a collection of factors including abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, and high blood glucose and cholesterol levels. Metabo has become national shorthand for “overweight.”

The new law mandates limits on waistlines -- 33.5 inches for men and 35.4 inches for women. People exceeding the limit and having a weight-related illness will be given dieting guidance if they do not lose weight within three months of being measured. Companies and local governments that fail to meet specific targets will be fined.

Complete Story Here