The new H1N1 virus appears to outcompete seasonal flu, making it less likely to mix with other circulating flu viruses into a “superbug” as some had feared, US researchers said on Tuesday.  The H1N1, or swine flu, virus also spreads more quickly and causes more severe disease in animal studies, the team said, but it shows no signs of mixing with either of the two seasonal flu viruses to form a new, so-called reassortant virus. “The results suggest that 2009 H1N1 influenza may outcompete seasonal flu virus strains and may be more communicable as well,” said Dr Anthony Fauci, of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.

The study, conducted in ferrets by a team at the University of Maryland, underscores the need for getting vaccinated with the new swine flu vaccine, Fauci said in a statement.  When the team infected ferrets with 2009 H1N1 virus plus either seasonal H1N1 virus or seasonal H3N2 virus, both viruses made them sick, but only the H1N1 virus spread to other ferrets, suggesting it will dominate ordinary flu.  “The H1N1 pandemic virus has a clear biological advantage over the two main seasonal flu strains and all the makings of a virus fully adapted to humans,” Daniel Perez of the University of Maryland said in a statement.

“I’m not surprised to find that the pandemic virus is more infectious, simply because it’s new, so hosts haven’t had a chance to build immunity yet. Meanwhile, the older strains encounter resistance from hosts’ immunity to them,” Perez said.  The researchers also found that the pandemic virus established infections deeper in the ferrets’ respiratory system, including the lungs, while the seasonal flu strains remained in the nasal passages.  That confirmed observations in people.  “The findings of this study are preliminary, but the far greater communicability of the pandemic virus is a clearly blinking warning light,” he said.  The World Health Organization predicts a third of the world’s population will eventually be infected with swine flu.

Seasonal flu infects between 5 percent and 20 percent of a given population every year, but 90 percent of severe cases and deaths are among the elderly. It kills between 250,000 and 500,000 people globally.
Perez and his team used samples of the H1N1 pandemic variety from last April’s initial swine flu outbreak.
They found some of the animals infected with both a seasonal flu strain and the pandemic strain developed both respiratory and intestinal illness. The team plans to study whether this combination may explain some of the deaths attributed to the new virus.
Heart
Experts are concerned about the impact the swine flu epidemic will have on people with heart disease, with some doctors warning it could be a deadly mix leading to a worldwide spike in heart patient fatalities.
For that reason, some doctors warned on the sidelines of a European cardiology meeting this week that patients with heart disease — the world’s top killer — should be among the first to receive a swine flu vaccine when it is available. They also should make sure they take all the usual precautions to avoid viruses, like regular hand-washing.
There could be a silver lining in all this: Most heart patients are 60 or older, the only age group that appears somewhat less susceptible to swine flu, a new virus that no one is immune to.
Still, while heart patients may be less likely to catch the virus, if they do, there could be major complications.
“It’s almost a given that any influenza exposure is going to cause more mortality in heart patients,” said Alfred Bove, president of the American College of Cardiology.
In people with weak hearts, the swine flu virus could prove lethal. Patients with heart failure, a condition where the heart can’t pump enough blood around the body, are especially vulnerable.
“For people with severe heart failure, H1N1 influenza (swine flu) might be the last thing that pushes them over the edge,” said Joep Perk, a professor of health sciences at Sweden’s Kalmar University and spokesman for the European Society of Cardiology.
In many heart failure patients, fluid builds up in the lungs because blood isn’t pumped efficiently enough. Patients can take drugs to get rid of this excess fluid, but if they catch the flu, the drugs don’t work as well.
Ready

Health Minister Dr Hilal Al-Sayer assured here on Tuesday that preperations are ready in all the medical centers in cooperation with Ministry of Education to deal with any swine flu crisis.
In a statement to KUNA, Al-Sayer said after a meeting of the parliamentary health committee that took place today that the health situation in Kuwait is stable, and there is no need for undue concern.
He praised the role of parliament members through their comments and opinions during the meeting, and affirmed to take them into consideration.

During the meeting, the preperation of the Health ministry was presented in the presence of WHO experts to combat the swine flu, where they were invited by Kuwait to examine the sitaution.
Since April, the ministry has been following the situation of swine flu, and therefore, 120 clinics in different schools will be medically equipped in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Al-Sayer added.
He said that the protoclos of the swine flu treatment have been developed and that as a result the number of cases have decreased lately.
Moreover, he mentioned the role of media in making the public aware of this disease, calling all means of media to cooperate.
He moreover called citizens and residents of Kuwait to cooperate in following appropriate procedures to combat this disease.
The government has presented satisfactory preventive measures to combat swine flu, so there is no need to hold an emergency parliamentary session to deliberate on the issue, said some of 22 MPs who attended the parliamentary Health Affairs Committee meeting Tuesday.

In the presence of Health Minister Dr Hilal Al-Sayer and Education and Higher Education Minister Dr Mudhi Al-Humoud, the panel discussed preparations and measures taken to contain the virus, especially after the death of five swine flu patients. 
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, which lasted for five hours, State Minister for Cabinet Affairs and Minister of Communications Dr Mohammad Al-Baseeri disclosed the ministers of health and education presented all the procedures and measures adopted by their respective ministries to avert swine flu outbreak in schools. “We sensed general satisfaction amongst the parliamentarians, who attended the meeting, towards the measures taken by these ministries. We have granted full financial support for both ministries to take the necessary precautionary measures in schools. Medial companies have also intensified their efforts to provide ample supply of swine flu vaccines,” he narrated.
Al-Baseeri affirmed the Cabinet will review the recommendations presented by the parliamentarians during the meeting.
On the other hand, Liberal MP Dr Rola Dashti, one of many parliamentarians who signed a request to hold the emergency session, stressed both ministries have shown deep interest to combat the disease and explained a number of satisfying strategies to protect the health of students and teachers.

“We suggested that classes in various academic levels should start at different periods, rather than all schools opening at the same time, to minimize transmission of the disease. We proposed that high school classes should begin first, followed by the secondary schools a week later, and then the elementary schools from Sept 23 to Oct 18,” Dashti revealed.
Dashti added both ministries are capable of implementing the preventive measures despite “a lot of challenges and difficulties.  If the two ministries will fully abide by their plans, then there is no reason for us to worry.”
Asked if she will withdraw her signature from the petition to hold an emergency session, Dashti clarified “this is not the major issue here. Our main concern is this disease, which has been causing panic among us. Unfortunately, the proponents of the emergency session request did not attend the meeting.”

The Development and Reform Bloc, which called for the emergency session, announced in a press conference earlier this week, its plan to boycott this meeting as the government has rejected the emergency session request.
Member of the bloc and head of the committee MP Dr Waleed Al-Tabtabaei did not attend the meeting.  He contended “if the government is well-prepared for the start of the new academic year and is capable of preventing further spread of the disease, why is it reluctant to attend the session?”
In a related development, parliamentary sources revealed 30 MPs have so far agreed to hold the emergency session on Sept 6 to delve into the government’s preparations regarding swine flu, while seven legislators — mostly from the First Constituency — proposed inclusion of the Mishref sewage plant crisis to the session’s agenda. Sources stated the Development and Reform Bloc approved this suggestion “half-heartedly”, which means the session will most likely take place in spite of the government’s reluctance.

Arabtimes