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EPIDEMICS
Brazil bans advertising for flu suppressants

Health authorities in S Leone distribute Tamiflu widely
Health authorities in Sierra Leone have begun distribution of a huge consignment of Tamiflu after a scare that the first case of swine flu had been discovered in the west African state, health officials said Friday. According to the Director of Disease Surveillance and Control, Dr Allieu Wurie, "what we have got is a confirmation of H3N2 which is quite different from the swine flu disease." He told correspondents, "we are distributing the drugs however as they can also be used for the treatment of the flu." "This is a human-to-human transmission and has nothing to do with swine or bird flu. The last time it was reported as a pandemic was in 2003 and 2004 and it was mainly in Europe and the Americas." He gave the symptoms as high fever, running nose, cough and generalised muscular pains as well as difficulty in breathing but treatable. The health officer recalled that "about two weeks ago, we noticed an upsurge of flu in the country and this alerted us to undertake some investigations during which we discovered the H3N2 after laboratory test on a patient." "We are on active surveillance to detect or pick out any suspected case of swine flu," he concluded.
by Staff Writers
 Brasilia (AFP) Aug 14, 2009
 Brazil on Friday slapped a temporary ban on advertisements for over-the-counter remedies for flu symptoms because of fears their widespread use might mask the spread of swine flu.

The prohibition was ordered by the National Health Vigilance Agency (Anvisa), which deemed there was "a special circumstance posing a health risk."

While medicines such as paracetamol, ibuprofen and analgesics will still be available in pharmacies, ads on television, radio and the Internet are not permitted under the measure. Advertising for such products in pharmacies is also be proscribed.

"These medicines, sold over the counter in pharmacies, have the ability to relieve flu symptoms and thus obscure the risk situation" for the A(H1N1) swine flu pandemic, an Anvisa spokeswoman told AFP.

The ad ban is aimed at getting people with flu symptoms to see a doctor rather than try to self-medicate, she said.

The over-the-counter remedies do not treat flu viruses themselves, but only alleviate obvious symptoms of headache, sore throats, nasal congestion and muscular aches.

Tamiflu, one of only two drugs shown to be effective in actually treating swine flu, is available in Brazil only on a doctor's prescription after a person is confirmed with a swine flu infection.

Brazil has at least 192 swine flu deaths, according to the health ministry, making it the country with the third highest fatality count in the world, after the United States (426 deaths) and Argentina (404).

A vaccine is being developed against the disease and is being tested in Australia and Germany. It is expected to be commercially available within two to three months.

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EPIDEMICS
Schools shut in India as swine flu anxiety spreads
 Mumbai (AFP) Aug 13, 2009
 Thousands of schools, colleges and cinemas shut down in India's financial capital Mumbai on Thursday to combat the spread of swine flu as the government struggled to contain public anxiety. Blanket media coverage and the growing number of victims caused panic in some affected areas, with the virus already disrupting the Bollywood film industry, local businesses and planning for upcoming ... read more






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