vendredi 1 mai 2009
la pensée de Mohammed Arkoun
1/Dialogue entre le monde musulman et occidental
Il plaide pour l'identification systématique et la destruction des préjugés et des stéréotypes négatif, parfois très anciens, qui ont cours de part et d'autre.
Selon lui, l’Occident n’est pas l'incarnation du démon matérialiste, immoral et athée,
et l’Islam n’est réductible au fondamentalisme intégriste, terreau du terrorisme et incompatible avec la démocratie et la modernité.
Mohammed Arkoun entretient lui-même un dialogue étroit avec le christianisme et le judaïsme, et il a co-écrit des ouvrages avec des intellectuels des deux confessions.
Laïcité
Il réfléchit sur la laïcité qu'il défend comme valeur, y compris pour le monde musulman, mais dans le cadre de la nécessité qu'il rappelle, de devoir prendre en compte les spécificités de cette culture dans son histoire. Son plaidoyer pour la laïcité n'est pas dépourvu d'une critique envers celle-ci, du fait des formes particulières qu'elle a empruntée dans l'histoire et les contradictions qu'elle a aussi engendrées, qu'il voudrait voir dépassées, et qui se résume selon lui, à une incompréhension de l'autre culture :
« Je m'efforce depuis des années, à partir de l'exemple si décrié, si mal compris et si mal interprété de l'islam, d'ouvrir les voies d'une pensée fondée sur le comparatisme pour dépasser tous les systèmes de production du sens - qu'ils soient religieux ou laïcs - qui tentent d'ériger le local, l'historique contingent, l'expérience particulière en universel, en transcendantal, en sacré irréductible. Cela implique une égale distance critique à l'égard de toutes les «valeurs» héritées dans toutes les traditions de pensée jusques et y compris la raison des Lumières, l'expérience laïque déviée vers le laïcisme militant et partisan. »
[Ouvertures sur l'islam. Paris 1989. 2e édition revue et augmentée. Paris 1992. p. 199-200.]
Cette défense de la laïcité, s'accompagne d'une critique d'une certaine tradition historique, plus particulièrement la française. Si la laïcité peut s'exporter, ni son histoire, ni ses formes ne le peuvent. Il pense en effet que « la pensée laïque dans son cadre institutionnel le plus avancé - la République française - en est encore au stade du refus, du rejet, de la condamnation à l'égard d'une grande tradition de pensée et de civilisation.
Au lieu de reconnaitre la fécondité intellectuelle du débat que l'islam, grâce, si je puis dire, à son décalage historique, réintroduit dans une société qui n'a pas épuisé la confrontation des modes religieux et laïque de production du sens, on voit se multiplier des campagnes de dénigrement contre le retour des «ténèbres du Moyen Age». » [idem]
pense en effet que sans l'appréhension des particularités des sociétés islamiques, le projet laïque n'a pas de sens pour les dites sociétés. Et d'après lui, l'absence de tradition laïque dans cette culture n'est pas seulement analysable en termes de développement, moindre, des sociétés islamiques, mais tient aussi à leur différence qui ne montrent pas seulement ce fameux retard historique, mais ont une expérience différente dans leur rapport à la raison et à la science. Il insiste sur ce qui lui apparaît comme une différence caractérisant les sociétés islamiques, profondément différentes des sociétés occidentales, dans leur rapport au sacré, et de ce fait, dans leur rapport à la science et à la raison laïque. Il écrit encore :
«Il est certain que la conscience collective musulmane actuelle ne connaît pas cette rupture psycho-culturelle, qu'on constate depuis au moins le XIXe siècle, dans l'Occident sécularisé. Mais il faut se garder d'attribuer cette différence à une résistance au mouvement de laïcisation plus efficace en islam qu'en chrétienté. La catégorie théo-anthropologique de la Révélation est identique pour les trois religions du Livre, mais elle a connu des assauts différents de la part de la raison scientifique et de la civilisation industrielle. Cela ne veut pas dire non plus que le passage à la laïcité entraînant la marginalisation, voire l'élimination de la théologie par l'anthropologie (cf. les débats sur la mort de Dieu) est une évolution inéluctable que doit connaître l'islam après le christianisme.»[Dans: The politics of Islamic revivalism (ed. Shireen Hunter). Bloomington & Indianapolis 1988.].
-----------
Mohamed Arkoun a développé une discipline nouvelle : l’islamologie appliquée.
Il a inaugurée celle-ci dans diverses universités d’Europe et des États-Unis.
Mohamed Arkoun affirme que la plupart des musulmans refusent aujourd’hui de prendre véritablement en compte l'histoire de l'Islam et de la reconnaître telle qu'elle est, y compris en remontant assez loin dans le temps pour avoir une vision d'ampleur qui intègre le passé lointain et permette un recul éclairant pour l'esprit.
Il insiste sur le fait que le XIII° siècle marque une interruption dans le développement de l'islam. Au Xe siècle, en effet, il exista une vie intellectuelle brillante et très riche, au sein du monde musulman.
Ce fut un moment où la philosophie fut très présente, et occupa les esprits savants. La philosophie islamique est née et s'est développée, au contact de l'Antiquité grecque Platon, Aristote furent lus et traduits dans un échange avec les Anciens, repris, étudiés et accueillis dans la perspective d'une synthèse à accomplir avec la pensée musulmanes. Ils furent lus et interprétés également dans un échange avec les philosophes européens, chrétiens et juifs. C'est l'époque qui a vu l'apparition d'un humanisme, où la culture musulmane était ouverte aux autres cultures, en particulier à celles qui étaient présentes au Proche-Orient, et également dans l'Espagne de al-Andalus. Ce fut sa période la plus brillante. Mohamed Arkoun précise toutefois ce point d'importance sur lequel il insiste, à savoir que la religion n'était pas alors en situation de prétendre contrôler la culture et la vie intellectuelle.
Il plaide pour l'identification systématique et la destruction des préjugés et des stéréotypes négatif, parfois très anciens, qui ont cours de part et d'autre.
Selon lui, l’Occident n’est pas l'incarnation du démon matérialiste, immoral et athée,
et l’Islam n’est réductible au fondamentalisme intégriste, terreau du terrorisme et incompatible avec la démocratie et la modernité.
Mohammed Arkoun entretient lui-même un dialogue étroit avec le christianisme et le judaïsme, et il a co-écrit des ouvrages avec des intellectuels des deux confessions.
Laïcité
Il réfléchit sur la laïcité qu'il défend comme valeur, y compris pour le monde musulman, mais dans le cadre de la nécessité qu'il rappelle, de devoir prendre en compte les spécificités de cette culture dans son histoire. Son plaidoyer pour la laïcité n'est pas dépourvu d'une critique envers celle-ci, du fait des formes particulières qu'elle a empruntée dans l'histoire et les contradictions qu'elle a aussi engendrées, qu'il voudrait voir dépassées, et qui se résume selon lui, à une incompréhension de l'autre culture :
« Je m'efforce depuis des années, à partir de l'exemple si décrié, si mal compris et si mal interprété de l'islam, d'ouvrir les voies d'une pensée fondée sur le comparatisme pour dépasser tous les systèmes de production du sens - qu'ils soient religieux ou laïcs - qui tentent d'ériger le local, l'historique contingent, l'expérience particulière en universel, en transcendantal, en sacré irréductible. Cela implique une égale distance critique à l'égard de toutes les «valeurs» héritées dans toutes les traditions de pensée jusques et y compris la raison des Lumières, l'expérience laïque déviée vers le laïcisme militant et partisan. »
[Ouvertures sur l'islam. Paris 1989. 2e édition revue et augmentée. Paris 1992. p. 199-200.]
Cette défense de la laïcité, s'accompagne d'une critique d'une certaine tradition historique, plus particulièrement la française. Si la laïcité peut s'exporter, ni son histoire, ni ses formes ne le peuvent. Il pense en effet que « la pensée laïque dans son cadre institutionnel le plus avancé - la République française - en est encore au stade du refus, du rejet, de la condamnation à l'égard d'une grande tradition de pensée et de civilisation.
Au lieu de reconnaitre la fécondité intellectuelle du débat que l'islam, grâce, si je puis dire, à son décalage historique, réintroduit dans une société qui n'a pas épuisé la confrontation des modes religieux et laïque de production du sens, on voit se multiplier des campagnes de dénigrement contre le retour des «ténèbres du Moyen Age». » [idem]
pense en effet que sans l'appréhension des particularités des sociétés islamiques, le projet laïque n'a pas de sens pour les dites sociétés. Et d'après lui, l'absence de tradition laïque dans cette culture n'est pas seulement analysable en termes de développement, moindre, des sociétés islamiques, mais tient aussi à leur différence qui ne montrent pas seulement ce fameux retard historique, mais ont une expérience différente dans leur rapport à la raison et à la science. Il insiste sur ce qui lui apparaît comme une différence caractérisant les sociétés islamiques, profondément différentes des sociétés occidentales, dans leur rapport au sacré, et de ce fait, dans leur rapport à la science et à la raison laïque. Il écrit encore :
«Il est certain que la conscience collective musulmane actuelle ne connaît pas cette rupture psycho-culturelle, qu'on constate depuis au moins le XIXe siècle, dans l'Occident sécularisé. Mais il faut se garder d'attribuer cette différence à une résistance au mouvement de laïcisation plus efficace en islam qu'en chrétienté. La catégorie théo-anthropologique de la Révélation est identique pour les trois religions du Livre, mais elle a connu des assauts différents de la part de la raison scientifique et de la civilisation industrielle. Cela ne veut pas dire non plus que le passage à la laïcité entraînant la marginalisation, voire l'élimination de la théologie par l'anthropologie (cf. les débats sur la mort de Dieu) est une évolution inéluctable que doit connaître l'islam après le christianisme.»[Dans: The politics of Islamic revivalism (ed. Shireen Hunter). Bloomington & Indianapolis 1988.].
-----------
Mohamed Arkoun a développé une discipline nouvelle : l’islamologie appliquée.
Il a inaugurée celle-ci dans diverses universités d’Europe et des États-Unis.
Mohamed Arkoun affirme que la plupart des musulmans refusent aujourd’hui de prendre véritablement en compte l'histoire de l'Islam et de la reconnaître telle qu'elle est, y compris en remontant assez loin dans le temps pour avoir une vision d'ampleur qui intègre le passé lointain et permette un recul éclairant pour l'esprit.
Il insiste sur le fait que le XIII° siècle marque une interruption dans le développement de l'islam. Au Xe siècle, en effet, il exista une vie intellectuelle brillante et très riche, au sein du monde musulman.
Ce fut un moment où la philosophie fut très présente, et occupa les esprits savants. La philosophie islamique est née et s'est développée, au contact de l'Antiquité grecque Platon, Aristote furent lus et traduits dans un échange avec les Anciens, repris, étudiés et accueillis dans la perspective d'une synthèse à accomplir avec la pensée musulmanes. Ils furent lus et interprétés également dans un échange avec les philosophes européens, chrétiens et juifs. C'est l'époque qui a vu l'apparition d'un humanisme, où la culture musulmane était ouverte aux autres cultures, en particulier à celles qui étaient présentes au Proche-Orient, et également dans l'Espagne de al-Andalus. Ce fut sa période la plus brillante. Mohamed Arkoun précise toutefois ce point d'importance sur lequel il insiste, à savoir que la religion n'était pas alors en situation de prétendre contrôler la culture et la vie intellectuelle.
Kolmogorov
Andreï Nikolaïevitch Kolmogorov (en russe : Андрей Николаевич Колмогоров ; 25 avril 1903 à Tambov - 20 octobre 1987 , Moscou) est un mathématicien russe dont les apports en mathématiques sont incommensurables.
En 1922, Kolmogorov publie ses premiers résultats concernant la théorie des ensembles et, en 1923, ses travaux concernant l'analyse de Fourier et commence à devenir connu à l’étranger. Il publie ses travaux sur la théorie de l'intégration, sur l’analyse de Fourier et pour la première fois sur la théorie des probabilités.
Après la fin de ses études supérieures en 1925, il commence son doctorat auprès de Nikolaï Louzine, qu’il termine en 1929.
Au cours de voyages sur la Volga et dans le Caucase, il se lie d’amitié avec Pavel Aleksandrov avec lequel il entreprend en 1930 et 1931 un voyage d’études à Göttingen, à Munich et à Paris. En 1931, il reçoit une chaire de professeur à l'Université de Moscou.
En 1933, paraît en allemand son manuel des Fondements de la théorie des probabilités ((de) Grundbegriffe der Wahrscheinlichkeitsrechnung), dans lequel il présente son axiomatisation du calcul des probabilités.
En 1934, il publie son travail sur la cohomologie (concept de la topologie) et obtient, grâce à cette thèse, le titre de docteur en mathématique et en physique.
En 1953 et 1954, il décrit la théorie KAM (Kolmogorov-Arnold-Moser) des systèmes dynamiques. Il introduit également la notion d'entropie métrique pour les systèmes dynamiques mesurés.
Kolmogorov a résolu en partie les sixième et treizième problèmes de David Hilbert.
En probabilités, la Loi du zéro un de Kolmogorov affirme que certains événements, appelés événements queues [tail events], soit seront presque sûrement réalisés, soit ne seront presque sûrement pas réalisés. C'est-à-dire que la probablité d'un tel événement vaut 1 ou 0.
Exemple pour une indéfinité de lancers d'une pièce à pile ou face, le fait qu'une séquence de 100 "faces" consécutives soit réalisée une indéfinité de fois, est un événement queue de Kolmogorov.
Pour ma part il n'y a que des évenements queues ou VraiPile/FauxFace/piece cassée soit que 0 et 1 qui existe, le ]0,1[ des réels de dimension de Cantor égal à R ou plus exactement le ]0,1[ des rationnels de dimension de Cantor égal à N n'existe que dans nos esprit d'être humain calculateur...
De façon pas si surprenante, il est parfois aisé de prouver grâce à cette loi qu'un événement a une probabilité dans {0,1}, mais très difficile de déterminer laquelle de ces deux valeurs est la bonne.
Démonstration :
L'indépendance des Xk conduit à celle des tribus Un = σ(Xk;k < n) et Tn = σ(Xk;k > = n)
Si nous notons Tq la tribu de queue, on a \forall n T_q \subset T_n
Ce qui nous assure, pour tout n, l'indépendance de Tq et Un.
Posons alors Uq la tribu engendrée par les Un pour tout n.
La suite de tribus (U_n)_{n \in \mathbb{N}} est croissante, donc sa limite \cup U_n est un π-système qui engendre Uq. Comme \cup U_n et Tq sont indépendants, Uq et Tq le sont.
Ainsi pour tout événements A \in U_q B \in T_q on a P(A \cap B) = P(A)P(B).
Or comme T_q \subset U_q , on prend A=B ce qui donne P(A) = P(A)^2
On en conclut que P(A)=0 ou 1
En 1922, Kolmogorov publie ses premiers résultats concernant la théorie des ensembles et, en 1923, ses travaux concernant l'analyse de Fourier et commence à devenir connu à l’étranger. Il publie ses travaux sur la théorie de l'intégration, sur l’analyse de Fourier et pour la première fois sur la théorie des probabilités.
Après la fin de ses études supérieures en 1925, il commence son doctorat auprès de Nikolaï Louzine, qu’il termine en 1929.
Au cours de voyages sur la Volga et dans le Caucase, il se lie d’amitié avec Pavel Aleksandrov avec lequel il entreprend en 1930 et 1931 un voyage d’études à Göttingen, à Munich et à Paris. En 1931, il reçoit une chaire de professeur à l'Université de Moscou.
En 1933, paraît en allemand son manuel des Fondements de la théorie des probabilités ((de) Grundbegriffe der Wahrscheinlichkeitsrechnung), dans lequel il présente son axiomatisation du calcul des probabilités.
En 1934, il publie son travail sur la cohomologie (concept de la topologie) et obtient, grâce à cette thèse, le titre de docteur en mathématique et en physique.
En 1953 et 1954, il décrit la théorie KAM (Kolmogorov-Arnold-Moser) des systèmes dynamiques. Il introduit également la notion d'entropie métrique pour les systèmes dynamiques mesurés.
Kolmogorov a résolu en partie les sixième et treizième problèmes de David Hilbert.
En probabilités, la Loi du zéro un de Kolmogorov affirme que certains événements, appelés événements queues [tail events], soit seront presque sûrement réalisés, soit ne seront presque sûrement pas réalisés. C'est-à-dire que la probablité d'un tel événement vaut 1 ou 0.
Exemple pour une indéfinité de lancers d'une pièce à pile ou face, le fait qu'une séquence de 100 "faces" consécutives soit réalisée une indéfinité de fois, est un événement queue de Kolmogorov.
Pour ma part il n'y a que des évenements queues ou VraiPile/FauxFace/piece cassée soit que 0 et 1 qui existe, le ]0,1[ des réels de dimension de Cantor égal à R ou plus exactement le ]0,1[ des rationnels de dimension de Cantor égal à N n'existe que dans nos esprit d'être humain calculateur...
De façon pas si surprenante, il est parfois aisé de prouver grâce à cette loi qu'un événement a une probabilité dans {0,1}, mais très difficile de déterminer laquelle de ces deux valeurs est la bonne.
Démonstration :
L'indépendance des Xk conduit à celle des tribus Un = σ(Xk;k < n) et Tn = σ(Xk;k > = n)
Si nous notons Tq la tribu de queue, on a \forall n T_q \subset T_n
Ce qui nous assure, pour tout n, l'indépendance de Tq et Un.
Posons alors Uq la tribu engendrée par les Un pour tout n.
La suite de tribus (U_n)_{n \in \mathbb{N}} est croissante, donc sa limite \cup U_n est un π-système qui engendre Uq. Comme \cup U_n et Tq sont indépendants, Uq et Tq le sont.
Ainsi pour tout événements A \in U_q B \in T_q on a P(A \cap B) = P(A)P(B).
Or comme T_q \subset U_q , on prend A=B ce qui donne P(A) = P(A)^2
On en conclut que P(A)=0 ou 1
réhPaul Pierre Lévy; compension réelle des probabilités
Paul Pierre Lévy est un des probabilistes et mathématiciens les plus clairs du XXième.
Paul Pierre Lévy (Paris, 15 septembre 1886; Paris , 15 décembre 1971) est un mathématicien français. Il figure, avec Émile Borel, Andreï Kolmogorov, etc.., parmi les fondateurs de la théorie moderne des probabilités.
Il va au lycée St Louis où il obtient des prix du concours général de mathématiques et de grec[. En 1904, à 18 ans, il passe les concours de ENS et de X. Reçu premier à l’une et deuxième à l’autre, il choisit d'aller à X et y publiera son premier article sur les séries semi-convergentes, alors qu'il est encore étudiant en 1905.
En 1907 il rentre au corps des mines, suit en parallèle des cours au Collège de France et y rencontre Jacques Hadamard qui sera son directeur de thèse. Il passe sa thèse en 1911 sur l'analyse fonctionnelle de Volterra et des fonction de Green avec pour jury les mathématiciens Émile Picard, Henri Poincaré et Jacques Hadamard et reçoit son doctorat en 1912.
En 1920 il est nommé professeur d'analyse à X et découvre à cette occasion la discipline terrible qu'est le calcul des probabilités.
Il y reste jusqu'en 1940 où il est radié suite aux lois de Vichy. Il passe la guerre dans la clandestinité. Après la guerre il retrouve son poste à X et y reste jusqu'en 1959. Il est élu à l'Académie des sciences en 1964. Il meurt le 15 décembre 1971.
Il eut un fils et deux filles, dont l’une, Marie-Hélène, épouse le mathématicien Laurent Schwartz.
Etrangement, Michel Loève fut le seul étudiant en thèse de Paul Lévy!!!!!
Livres:
* Leçons d’analyse fonctionnelle, 1922
* Calcul des probabilités, 1925. Réédition en 2004 par Jacques Gabay. (ISBN 2876472311)
* Théorie de l’addition des variables aléatoires, Gauthier-Villars, 1937, 1954. Réédition en 2003 par Jacques Gabay. (ISBN 2876472074)
* Paul Lévy, Processus stochastiques et mouvement brownien Gauthier-Villars, 1948. Réédition en 1992 par Jacques Gabay. (ISBN 2876470918)
* Paul Lévy, Quelques aspects de la pensée d’un mathématicien, Paris, 1970.
Articles:
http://www.numdam.org/numdam-bin/recherche?h=aur&aur=Levy,+Paul&format=short
-------
Sa compréhension des probabilités est la plus fine que je connaisse avec aussi la pensée sublime de Kolmogorov.
------
He was active especially in probability theory, introducing Lévy flights.
Lévy processes, Lévy measures, Lévy's constant, the Lévy distribution, the Lévy skew alpha-stable distribution, the Lévy area and the fractal Lévy C curve are also named after him.
see macTutor:
http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Levy_Paul.html
Not only did Lévy contribute to probability and functional analysis but he also worked on partial differential equations and series. In 1926 he extended Laplace transforms to broader function classes. He undertook a large-scale work on generalised differential equations in functional derivatives. He also studied geometry.
Paul Pierre Lévy (Paris, 15 septembre 1886; Paris , 15 décembre 1971) est un mathématicien français. Il figure, avec Émile Borel, Andreï Kolmogorov, etc.., parmi les fondateurs de la théorie moderne des probabilités.
Il va au lycée St Louis où il obtient des prix du concours général de mathématiques et de grec[. En 1904, à 18 ans, il passe les concours de ENS et de X. Reçu premier à l’une et deuxième à l’autre, il choisit d'aller à X et y publiera son premier article sur les séries semi-convergentes, alors qu'il est encore étudiant en 1905.
En 1907 il rentre au corps des mines, suit en parallèle des cours au Collège de France et y rencontre Jacques Hadamard qui sera son directeur de thèse. Il passe sa thèse en 1911 sur l'analyse fonctionnelle de Volterra et des fonction de Green avec pour jury les mathématiciens Émile Picard, Henri Poincaré et Jacques Hadamard et reçoit son doctorat en 1912.
En 1920 il est nommé professeur d'analyse à X et découvre à cette occasion la discipline terrible qu'est le calcul des probabilités.
Il y reste jusqu'en 1940 où il est radié suite aux lois de Vichy. Il passe la guerre dans la clandestinité. Après la guerre il retrouve son poste à X et y reste jusqu'en 1959. Il est élu à l'Académie des sciences en 1964. Il meurt le 15 décembre 1971.
Il eut un fils et deux filles, dont l’une, Marie-Hélène, épouse le mathématicien Laurent Schwartz.
Etrangement, Michel Loève fut le seul étudiant en thèse de Paul Lévy!!!!!
Livres:
* Leçons d’analyse fonctionnelle, 1922
* Calcul des probabilités, 1925. Réédition en 2004 par Jacques Gabay. (ISBN 2876472311)
* Théorie de l’addition des variables aléatoires, Gauthier-Villars, 1937, 1954. Réédition en 2003 par Jacques Gabay. (ISBN 2876472074)
* Paul Lévy, Processus stochastiques et mouvement brownien Gauthier-Villars, 1948. Réédition en 1992 par Jacques Gabay. (ISBN 2876470918)
* Paul Lévy, Quelques aspects de la pensée d’un mathématicien, Paris, 1970.
Articles:
http://www.numdam.org/numdam-bin/recherche?h=aur&aur=Levy,+Paul&format=short
-------
Sa compréhension des probabilités est la plus fine que je connaisse avec aussi la pensée sublime de Kolmogorov.
------
He was active especially in probability theory, introducing Lévy flights.
Lévy processes, Lévy measures, Lévy's constant, the Lévy distribution, the Lévy skew alpha-stable distribution, the Lévy area and the fractal Lévy C curve are also named after him.
see macTutor:
http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/Biographies/Levy_Paul.html
Not only did Lévy contribute to probability and functional analysis but he also worked on partial differential equations and series. In 1926 he extended Laplace transforms to broader function classes. He undertook a large-scale work on generalised differential equations in functional derivatives. He also studied geometry.
Levy: Sur les lois de probabilité dont dépendent les quotients complets et incomplets d'une fraction continue
Levy: Sur les lois de probabilité dont dépendent les quotients complets et incomplets d'une fraction continue: "Levy, P.
Sur les lois de probabilité dont dépendent les quotients complets et incomplets d'une fraction continue. Bulletin de la Société Mathématique de France, 57 (1929), p. 178-194
Full text djvu | pdf | Reviews JFM 55.0916.02 | 2 citations in Numdam"
Sur les lois de probabilité dont dépendent les quotients complets et incomplets d'une fraction continue. Bulletin de la Société Mathématique de France, 57 (1929), p. 178-194
Full text djvu | pdf | Reviews JFM 55.0916.02 | 2 citations in Numdam"
jeudi 30 avril 2009
informations sures et scientitifique sur la grippe mexicaine
INFLUENZA A (H1N1) "SWINE FLU": WORLDWIDE
*****************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
****This is a revised and expanded version of yesterday?s
?Influenza A (H1N1) virus, human: worldwide? ? ProMED****
In this update:
[1] WHO latest information
[2] WHO declares health emergency
[3] Lab biosafety guidelines
[4] WHO update -- North America
[5] USA - CDC update (NYC confirmed, Ohio confirmed case)
[6] Canada -- Nova Scotia confirmed, British Columbia: suspected
[7] New Zealand, France, Israel: suspected
[8] Europe: 1st confirmed case ? Spain
******
[1]: Mon 27 Apr 2009
WHO Epidemic and Pandemic Alert and Response (EPR)
Swine influenza
WHO is coordinating the global response to human cases of swine
influenza A (H1N1) and monitoring the corresponding threat of an
influenza pandemic. Information on this page tracks the evolving
situation and provides access to both technical guidelines and
information useful for the general public.
Latest information
Interim WHO guidance for the surveillance of human infection with
swine influenza A(H1N1) virus [pdf 146kb]
27 April 2009
Swine flu illness in the United States and Mexico - update 2
26 April 2009 [see below]
<http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html>
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
*******
[2] Date: Sat 25 Apr 2009
Source: WHO declares health emergency
Date: Associated Press [edited]
<http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/nation_world/20090425_ap_whodeclaresswineflucrisisahealthemergency.html>
WHO declares swine flu crisis a health emergency
------------------------------------------------
The World Health Organization has declared the swine flu outbreak in
North America a "public health emergency of international concern".
The decision means countries around the world will be asked to step up
reporting and surveillance of the disease implicated in dozens of
human deaths in Mexico and at least 8 non fatal cases in the USA. WHO
fears the outbreak could spread to other countries and is calling for
a coordinated response to contain it.
WHO director-general Margaret Chan made the decision late on Saturday
after consulting influenza experts during an emergency meeting. She
earlier told reporters the outbreak had "pandemic potential." But her
agency held off raising its pandemic alert level, citing the need for
more information.
"It would be prudent for health officials within countries to be alert
to outbreaks of influenza-like illness or pneumonia, especially if
these occur in months outside the usual peak influenza season," Chan
told reporters by telephone from Geneva, where she convened an
emergency meeting of influenza experts. "Another important signal is
excess cases of severe or fatal flu-like illness in groups other than
young children and the elderly, who are usually at highest risk during
normal seasonal flu," she said. Several Latin American and Asian
countries have already started surveillance or screening at airports
and other points of entry.
At least 62 people have died from severe pneumonia caused by a
flu-like illness in Mexico, WHO says. Some of those who died are
confirmed to have a unique flu type that is a combination of bird,
pig, and human viruses. The virus is genetically identical to one
found in California. US authorities said 8 people were infected with
swine flu in California and Texas, and all recovered. So far, no other
countries have reported suspicious cases, according to WHO [but see
below]. But the French government said suspected cases are likely to
occur in the coming days because of global air travel. A French
government crisis group began operating Saturday. The government has
already closed the French school in Mexico City and provided French
citizens there with detailed instructions on precautions.
Chile
------
Chilean authorities ordered a sanitary alert that included airport
screening of passengers arriving from Mexico. No cases of the disease
have been reported so far in the country, deputy health minister
Jeanette Vega said, but those showing symptoms will be sent to a
hospital for tests.
Peru
------
In Peru, authorities will monitor travelers arriving from Mexico and
the USA and people with flu-like symptoms will be evaluated by health
teams, Peru's Health Ministry said.
Brazil
-----
Brazil will "intensify its health surveillance in all points of entry
into the country," the Health Ministry's National Health Surveillance
Agency said in a statement. Measures will also be put in place to
inspect cargo andluggage, and to clean and disinfect aircraft and
ships at ports of entry.
Asia
-----
Some Asian nations enforced checks Saturday on passengers from Mexico.
Japan's biggest international airport stepped up health surveillance,
while the Philippines said it may quarantine passengers with fevers
who have been to Mexico. Health authorities in Thailand and Hong Kong
said they were closely monitoring the situation. Asia has fresh
memories of an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS,
which hit countries across the
region and severely crippled global air travel. Indonesia, China,
Thailand, Vietnam and other countries have also seen a number of human
deaths from H5N1 bird flu, the virus that researchers have until now
fingered as the most likely cause of a future pandemic.
Europe
--------
The Dutch government's Institute for Public Health and Environment has
advised any traveler who returned from Mexico since April 17 and
develops a fever over 101.3 degrees Fahrenheit (38.5 Celsius) within 4
days of arriving in the Netherlands to stay at home. The Polish
Foreign Ministry has issued a statement that recommends that Poles
postpone any travel plans to regions where the outbreak has occurred
until it is totally contained. The Stockholm-based European Center for
Disease Prevention and Control said earlier Saturday it shared the
concerns about the swine flu cases and stood ready to lend support in
any way possible. [One case now confirmed in Spain ? see below].
WHO's emergency committee, called together Saturday for the first time
since it was created in 2007, draws on experts from around the world.
They may decide that the outbreak constitutes an international public
health emergency. If so, they will consider whether WHO should
recommend travel advisories, trade restrictions or border closures and
raise its pandemic alert level.
[byline: Maria Cheng]
******
[3] Lab biosafety
Date: Fri 24 Apr 2009
Source: CDC. Swine influenza A (H1N1) virus biosafety guidelines for
laboratory workers
<http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/guidelines_labworkers.htm>
Swine influenza A (H1N1) virus biosafety guidelines for laboratory workers
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
This guidance is for laboratory workers who may be processing or
performing diagnostic testing on clinical specimens from patients with
suspected swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection, or performing
viral isolation.
Check these websites for further information and updates:
<http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu> and
<http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/investigation.htm>.
The Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) swine influenza web
page can be found at
<http://www.aphl.org/aphlprograms/infectious/outbreak/Pages/swineflu.aspx>.
--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail rapporteur Brent Barrett
******
[4] WHO update - North America
Date: 26 Apr 2009
Source: WHO Epidemic and Pandemic Alert and Response (EPR)
<http://www.who.int/csr/don/2009_04_26/en/index.html>
Swine flu illness in the United States and Mexico - update [26 Apr 2009]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
As of [26 Apr 2009], the United States Government has reported 20
laboratory confirmed human cases of swine influenza A/H1N1 (8 in New York,
7 in California, 2 in Texas, 2 in Kansas, and 1 in Ohio). All 20 cases have
had mild influenza-like illness with only one requiring brief
hospitalization. No deaths have been reported. All 20 viruses have the same
genetic pattern based on preliminary testing. The virus is being described
as a new subtype of A/H1N1 not previously detected in swine or humans.
Also as of 26 April, the Government of Mexico has reported 18 laboratory
confirmed cases of swine influenza A/H1N1. Investigation is continuing to
clarify the spread and severity of the disease in Mexico. Suspected
clinical cases have been reported in 19 of the country's 32 states.
WHO and the Global Alert and Response Network (GOARN) are sending experts
to Mexico to work with health authorities. WHO and its partners are
actively investigating reports of suspect cases in other member states as
they occur, and are supporting field epidemiology activities, laboratory
diagnosis and clinical management.
On Saturday, [25 Apr 2009], upon the advice of the Emergency Committee
called under the rules of the International Health Regulations, the
director-general declared this event a public health emergency of
international concern.
WHO is not recommending any travel or trade restrictions.
Daily updates will we posted on the WHO swine influenza website
<http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html>.
--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail
******
[5] USA - CDC update (NYC confirmed, Ohio confirmed case)
Date: 26 Apr 2009
Source: CDC Swine flu investigation website
<http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/investigation.htm?s_cid=swineFlu_outbreak_002>
Human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection have been
identified in the United States. Human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1)
virus infection also have been identified internationally. The current US
case count is provided below.
US human cases of swine flu infection
State: No. of laboratory confirmed cases
California: 7 cases
Kansas: 2 cases
New York City: 8 cases
Ohio: 1 case
Texas: 2 cases
Total count: 20 cases
Investigations are ongoing to determine the source of the infection and
whether additional people have been infected with swine influenza viruses.
CDC is working very closely with officials in states where human cases of
swine influenza A (H1N1) have been identified, as well as with health
officials in Mexico, Canada and the World Health Organization. This
includes deploying staff domestically and internationally to provide
guidance and technical support. CDC has activated its Emergency Operations
Center to coordinate this investigation.
Laboratory testing has found the swine influenza A (H1N1) virus susceptible
to the prescription antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir and has
issued interim guidance for the use of these drugs to treat and prevent
infection with swine influenza viruses. CDC also has prepared interim
guidance on how to care for people who are sick and interim guidance on the
use of face masks in a community setting where spread of this swine flu
virus has been detected. This is a rapidly evolving situation and CDC will
provide new information as it becomes available.
--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail
******
[6] Canada -- Nova Scotia confirmed, British Columbia suspected
Date: 26 Apr 2009
Source: CJFW FM
<http://www.cjfw.ca/news/14/918493>
Nova Scotia confirms 4 cases of swine flu in province
-----------------------------------------------------
Health authorities in Nova Scotia are confirming 4 cases of swine flu in
the province. The province's public health officer, Dr Robert Strang, says
the 4 infected people in the Windsor area are recovering from the illness.
All of them had what he describes as "mild" cases of the flu.
Sources say British Columbia has found a pair of cases but it is not yet
clear if they have a link to Mexico.
Canadian officials are planning a briefing today in Ottawa on the swine flu
situation, which WHO has declared to be a "public health emergency of
international concern."
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
******
[7] Spain, New Zealand, France, Israel: suspected
Date: 26 Apr 2009
Source: Yahoo News / Associated Press
<http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090426/ap_on_re_au_an/swine_flu_world>
Nations from New Zealand to France also reported suspected cases and some
warned citizens against travel to North America while others planned
quarantines, tightened rules on pork imports, and tested airline passengers
for fevers.
A senior WHO official said the agency's emergency committee will
meet for a second time on Tuesday [28 Apr 2009] to examine the extent to
which the virus has spread before deciding whether to increase the pandemic
alert beyond phase 3. The same strain of the A/H1N1 swine flu virus has
been detected in several locations in Mexico and the United States, and it
appears to be spreading directly from human to human, said Keiji Fukuda,
WHO's assistant director-general in charge of health security.
Mexico's health minister says the disease has killed up to 86 people and
likely sickened up to 1400 since [13 Apr 2009]. US officials say the virus
has been found in New York, California, Texas, Kansas, and Ohio, but so far
no fatalities have been reported.
Governments including China, Russia, and Taiwan began planning to put
anyone with symptoms of the deadly virus under quarantine. Others were
increasing their screening of pigs and pork imports from the Americas or
banning them outright despite health officials' reassurances that it was
safe to eat thoroughly cooked pork. Some nations issued travel warnings for
Mexico and the United States.
WHO's emergency committee is still trying to determine exactly how the
virus has spread, Fukuda said. "Right now we have cases occurring in a
couple of different countries and in multiple locations," he said. "But we
also know that in the modern world that cases can simply move around from
single locations and not really become established."
New Zealand said that 10 students who took a school trip to Mexico "likely"
had swine flu.
Israel said a man who had recently visited Mexico had been
hospitalized while authorities try to determine whether he had the disease.
French Health Ministry officials said 4 possible cases of swine flu in 2
regions are currently under investigation. All recently returned from Mexico.
Spain's Health Ministry said 3 people who just returned from Mexico
were under observation in hospitals in the northern Basque region, in
south eastern Albacete and the Mediterranean port city of Valencia.
[Now confirmed ? see below].
Hong Kong and Taiwan said visitors who came back from flu-affected areas
with fevers would be quarantined. China said anyone experiencing flu-like
symptoms within 2 weeks of arrival from an affected area had to report to
authorities. A Russian health agency said any passenger from North America
running a fever would be quarantined until the cause of the fever is
determined.
Tokyo's Narita airport installed a device to test the temperatures of
passengers arriving from Mexico.
Indonesia increased surveillance at all entry points for travelers with
flu-like symptoms -- using devices at airports that were put in place years
ago to monitor for severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, and bird
flu. It said it was ready to quarantine suspected victims if necessary.
Hong Kong and South Korea warned against travel to the Mexican capital and
3 affected provinces. Italy, Poland, and Venezuela also advised their
citizens to postpone travel to affected areas of Mexico and the United States.
The virus is usually contracted through direct contact with pigs, but
Joseph Domenech, chief of animal health service at UN Food and Agriculture
Agency in Rome, said all indications were that the virus is being spread
through human-to-human transmission. No vaccine specifically protects
against swine flu, and it is unclear how much protection current human flu
vaccines might offer.
Russia banned the import of meat products from Mexico, California, Texas
and Kansas. South Korea said it would increase the number of its influenza
virus checks on pork products from Mexico and the U.S.
[byline: Frank Jordans]
--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail
**********
[8] Europe: 1st confirmed case ? Spain
Date: 27 Apr 2009
Source: CBC Canada
<http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/04/27/swine-flu042709.html?>
Case confirmed in Spain. Returning from Mexico.
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
***********
[The media feeding frenzy is very reminiscent of the early days of SARS --
an apparently highly contagious novel viral febrile respiratory infection
cropping up in multiple locations, with many unknowns as to the origin of
the virus and what will happen next.
To summarize the status of confirmed cases and suspected cases as best as
one can (given the exponential growth of press releases and press
interviews leading to thousands of newswires): There are presently 20
confirmed cases in the United States involving 5 States -- California (7),
Kansas (2), New York City (8), Ohio (1) and Texas (2). Of these, only one
has been hospitalized and all have been relatively mild and self-limited
infections. There have been no fatalities attributable to this novel H1N1
virus infection in the USA reported as of today (26 Apr 2009). In Mexico
there have been over 1400 reported cases in 19 of 32 States, with 81 (or 86
depending upon the source) reported fatalities. (This number of fatalities
has not altered significantly from the ProMED-mail posting on this outbreak
earlier today (see Influenza A (H1N1) virus, swine, human - N America (03)
20090426.1566). There have been 6 cases confirmed in Canada, 4 in Nova
Scotia, 2 in British Columbia -- all 6 cases have been mild with self
limited illnesses. In addition to the confirmed cases in North America,
there are suspected cases reported from New Zealand, Spain, France, Israel
-- all involving travellers returning from Mexico. At this point in time,
any individual with a history of travel to a location with known confirmed
cases of the novel H1N1 virus who develops an influenza like illness (ILI)
is considered a suspected cases until results from laboratory testing are
available. One would expect the volume of reports of suspected cases to
grow, as more and more travellers return to their countries of origin, with
a proportion of them having ILIs -- a well observed illness following
airline flights.
In an earlier posting, this moderator pointed out that the reported cases
in Mexico were hospitalized pneumonia cases, with surveillance data coming
from inpatient facilities. In contrast, the information on the reported
cases in the USA involved surveillance data coming from outpatient
facilities. This difference in sentinel reporting sites biases reported
cases in Mexico to be more severe cases as they are cases that were severe
enough to merit hospitalization. In turn, the use of outpatient sentinel
surveillance sites in the USA leads to a bias selecting milder cases --
those that do not require hospitalization. One suspects that once the
countries heighten ILI surveillance to include both inpatient as well as
outpatient facilities, these disparities will lessen. One also suspects
that the true number of cases in Mexico is significantly higher than the
currently reported approximately 1500 cases, which would further lower the
calculated case fatality rate (CFR). (Information on the actual number of
reported cases in Mexico is not readily available on the Ministry of Health
website, so all figures are estimates based on earlier figures provided in
CDC and WHO reports and on newswire reports. Hopefully these figures will
be available on a regularly updated basis to permit following the course of
the outbreak).
Based on the currently available information, the novel H1N1 virus involved
in these outbreaks has genetic material from human viruses (permitting
human to human transmission), avian influenza viruses, and swine influenza
viruses. For years the scientific community has been speculating that new
influenza strains might arise when an avian influenza virus infects swine
that are also coinfected with human influenza viruses. This coinfection in
the same host, along with a possible 3rd coinfection of a swine influenza
virus, has been felt to offer the potential for reassortment of the genetic
material of the viruses, that might ultimately produce a virus that is
novel to humans, and can infect humans and be transmitted between them. -
Mod.MPP]
[see also:
Influenza A (H1N1) virus, human: worldwide 20090426.1577
Influenza A (H1N1) virus, human - New Zealand, susp 20090426.1574
Influenza A (H1N1) virus, human - N America (04) 20090426.1569
Influenza A (H1N1) virus, human - N America (03) 20090426.1566
Influenza A (H1N1) virus, human - N America (02) 20090425.1557
Influenza A (H1N1) virus, human - N America 20090425.1552
Acute respiratory disease - Mexico, swine virus susp 20090424.1546
Influenza A (H1N1) virus, swine, human - USA (02): (CA, TX) 20090424.1541
Influenza A (H1N1) virus, swine, human - USA: (CA) 20090422.1516
Influenza A (H1N1) virus, swine, human - Spain 20090220.0715
2008
---
Influenza A (H1N1) virus, swine, human - USA (TX) 20081125.3715
2007
---
Influenza A (H2N3) virus, swine - USA 20071219.4079
2006
---
Influenza, swine, human - USA (IA): November 2006 20070108.0077]
....................cp/mpp/sh/jw
*##########################################################*
************************************************************
ProMED-mail makes every effort to verify the reports that
are posted, but the accuracy and completeness of the
information, and of any statements or opinions based
thereon, are not guaranteed. The reader assumes all risks in
using information posted or archived by ProMED-mail. ISID
and its associated service providers shall not be held
responsible for errors or omissions or held liable for any
damages incurred as a result of use or reliance upon posted
or archived material.
************************************************************
Become a ProMED-mail Premium Subscriber at
<http://www.isid.org/ProMEDMail_Premium.shtml>
************************************************************
Visit ProMED-mail's web site at <http://www.promedmail.org>.
Send all items for posting to: promed@promedmail.org
(NOT to an individual moderator). If you do not give your
full name and affiliation, it may not be posted. Send
commands to subscribe/unsubscribe, get archives, help,
etc. to: majordomo@promedmail.org. For assistance from a
human being send mail to: owner-promed@promedmail.org.
############################################################
*****************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
****This is a revised and expanded version of yesterday?s
?Influenza A (H1N1) virus, human: worldwide? ? ProMED****
In this update:
[1] WHO latest information
[2] WHO declares health emergency
[3] Lab biosafety guidelines
[4] WHO update -- North America
[5] USA - CDC update (NYC confirmed, Ohio confirmed case)
[6] Canada -- Nova Scotia confirmed, British Columbia: suspected
[7] New Zealand, France, Israel: suspected
[8] Europe: 1st confirmed case ? Spain
******
[1]: Mon 27 Apr 2009
WHO Epidemic and Pandemic Alert and Response (EPR)
Swine influenza
WHO is coordinating the global response to human cases of swine
influenza A (H1N1) and monitoring the corresponding threat of an
influenza pandemic. Information on this page tracks the evolving
situation and provides access to both technical guidelines and
information useful for the general public.
Latest information
Interim WHO guidance for the surveillance of human infection with
swine influenza A(H1N1) virus [pdf 146kb]
27 April 2009
Swine flu illness in the United States and Mexico - update 2
26 April 2009 [see below]
<http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html>
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
*******
[2] Date: Sat 25 Apr 2009
Source: WHO declares health emergency
Date: Associated Press [edited]
<http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/nation_world/20090425_ap_whodeclaresswineflucrisisahealthemergency.html>
WHO declares swine flu crisis a health emergency
------------------------------------------------
The World Health Organization has declared the swine flu outbreak in
North America a "public health emergency of international concern".
The decision means countries around the world will be asked to step up
reporting and surveillance of the disease implicated in dozens of
human deaths in Mexico and at least 8 non fatal cases in the USA. WHO
fears the outbreak could spread to other countries and is calling for
a coordinated response to contain it.
WHO director-general Margaret Chan made the decision late on Saturday
after consulting influenza experts during an emergency meeting. She
earlier told reporters the outbreak had "pandemic potential." But her
agency held off raising its pandemic alert level, citing the need for
more information.
"It would be prudent for health officials within countries to be alert
to outbreaks of influenza-like illness or pneumonia, especially if
these occur in months outside the usual peak influenza season," Chan
told reporters by telephone from Geneva, where she convened an
emergency meeting of influenza experts. "Another important signal is
excess cases of severe or fatal flu-like illness in groups other than
young children and the elderly, who are usually at highest risk during
normal seasonal flu," she said. Several Latin American and Asian
countries have already started surveillance or screening at airports
and other points of entry.
At least 62 people have died from severe pneumonia caused by a
flu-like illness in Mexico, WHO says. Some of those who died are
confirmed to have a unique flu type that is a combination of bird,
pig, and human viruses. The virus is genetically identical to one
found in California. US authorities said 8 people were infected with
swine flu in California and Texas, and all recovered. So far, no other
countries have reported suspicious cases, according to WHO [but see
below]. But the French government said suspected cases are likely to
occur in the coming days because of global air travel. A French
government crisis group began operating Saturday. The government has
already closed the French school in Mexico City and provided French
citizens there with detailed instructions on precautions.
Chile
------
Chilean authorities ordered a sanitary alert that included airport
screening of passengers arriving from Mexico. No cases of the disease
have been reported so far in the country, deputy health minister
Jeanette Vega said, but those showing symptoms will be sent to a
hospital for tests.
Peru
------
In Peru, authorities will monitor travelers arriving from Mexico and
the USA and people with flu-like symptoms will be evaluated by health
teams, Peru's Health Ministry said.
Brazil
-----
Brazil will "intensify its health surveillance in all points of entry
into the country," the Health Ministry's National Health Surveillance
Agency said in a statement. Measures will also be put in place to
inspect cargo andluggage, and to clean and disinfect aircraft and
ships at ports of entry.
Asia
-----
Some Asian nations enforced checks Saturday on passengers from Mexico.
Japan's biggest international airport stepped up health surveillance,
while the Philippines said it may quarantine passengers with fevers
who have been to Mexico. Health authorities in Thailand and Hong Kong
said they were closely monitoring the situation. Asia has fresh
memories of an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS,
which hit countries across the
region and severely crippled global air travel. Indonesia, China,
Thailand, Vietnam and other countries have also seen a number of human
deaths from H5N1 bird flu, the virus that researchers have until now
fingered as the most likely cause of a future pandemic.
Europe
--------
The Dutch government's Institute for Public Health and Environment has
advised any traveler who returned from Mexico since April 17 and
develops a fever over 101.3 degrees Fahrenheit (38.5 Celsius) within 4
days of arriving in the Netherlands to stay at home. The Polish
Foreign Ministry has issued a statement that recommends that Poles
postpone any travel plans to regions where the outbreak has occurred
until it is totally contained. The Stockholm-based European Center for
Disease Prevention and Control said earlier Saturday it shared the
concerns about the swine flu cases and stood ready to lend support in
any way possible. [One case now confirmed in Spain ? see below].
WHO's emergency committee, called together Saturday for the first time
since it was created in 2007, draws on experts from around the world.
They may decide that the outbreak constitutes an international public
health emergency. If so, they will consider whether WHO should
recommend travel advisories, trade restrictions or border closures and
raise its pandemic alert level.
[byline: Maria Cheng]
******
[3] Lab biosafety
Date: Fri 24 Apr 2009
Source: CDC. Swine influenza A (H1N1) virus biosafety guidelines for
laboratory workers
<http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/guidelines_labworkers.htm>
Swine influenza A (H1N1) virus biosafety guidelines for laboratory workers
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
This guidance is for laboratory workers who may be processing or
performing diagnostic testing on clinical specimens from patients with
suspected swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection, or performing
viral isolation.
Check these websites for further information and updates:
<http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu> and
<http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/investigation.htm>.
The Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) swine influenza web
page can be found at
<http://www.aphl.org/aphlprograms/infectious/outbreak/Pages/swineflu.aspx>.
--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail rapporteur Brent Barrett
******
[4] WHO update - North America
Date: 26 Apr 2009
Source: WHO Epidemic and Pandemic Alert and Response (EPR)
<http://www.who.int/csr/don/2009_04_26/en/index.html>
Swine flu illness in the United States and Mexico - update [26 Apr 2009]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
As of [26 Apr 2009], the United States Government has reported 20
laboratory confirmed human cases of swine influenza A/H1N1 (8 in New York,
7 in California, 2 in Texas, 2 in Kansas, and 1 in Ohio). All 20 cases have
had mild influenza-like illness with only one requiring brief
hospitalization. No deaths have been reported. All 20 viruses have the same
genetic pattern based on preliminary testing. The virus is being described
as a new subtype of A/H1N1 not previously detected in swine or humans.
Also as of 26 April, the Government of Mexico has reported 18 laboratory
confirmed cases of swine influenza A/H1N1. Investigation is continuing to
clarify the spread and severity of the disease in Mexico. Suspected
clinical cases have been reported in 19 of the country's 32 states.
WHO and the Global Alert and Response Network (GOARN) are sending experts
to Mexico to work with health authorities. WHO and its partners are
actively investigating reports of suspect cases in other member states as
they occur, and are supporting field epidemiology activities, laboratory
diagnosis and clinical management.
On Saturday, [25 Apr 2009], upon the advice of the Emergency Committee
called under the rules of the International Health Regulations, the
director-general declared this event a public health emergency of
international concern.
WHO is not recommending any travel or trade restrictions.
Daily updates will we posted on the WHO swine influenza website
<http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html>.
--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail
******
[5] USA - CDC update (NYC confirmed, Ohio confirmed case)
Date: 26 Apr 2009
Source: CDC Swine flu investigation website
<http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/investigation.htm?s_cid=swineFlu_outbreak_002>
Human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection have been
identified in the United States. Human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1)
virus infection also have been identified internationally. The current US
case count is provided below.
US human cases of swine flu infection
State: No. of laboratory confirmed cases
California: 7 cases
Kansas: 2 cases
New York City: 8 cases
Ohio: 1 case
Texas: 2 cases
Total count: 20 cases
Investigations are ongoing to determine the source of the infection and
whether additional people have been infected with swine influenza viruses.
CDC is working very closely with officials in states where human cases of
swine influenza A (H1N1) have been identified, as well as with health
officials in Mexico, Canada and the World Health Organization. This
includes deploying staff domestically and internationally to provide
guidance and technical support. CDC has activated its Emergency Operations
Center to coordinate this investigation.
Laboratory testing has found the swine influenza A (H1N1) virus susceptible
to the prescription antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir and has
issued interim guidance for the use of these drugs to treat and prevent
infection with swine influenza viruses. CDC also has prepared interim
guidance on how to care for people who are sick and interim guidance on the
use of face masks in a community setting where spread of this swine flu
virus has been detected. This is a rapidly evolving situation and CDC will
provide new information as it becomes available.
--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail
******
[6] Canada -- Nova Scotia confirmed, British Columbia suspected
Date: 26 Apr 2009
Source: CJFW FM
<http://www.cjfw.ca/news/14/918493>
Nova Scotia confirms 4 cases of swine flu in province
-----------------------------------------------------
Health authorities in Nova Scotia are confirming 4 cases of swine flu in
the province. The province's public health officer, Dr Robert Strang, says
the 4 infected people in the Windsor area are recovering from the illness.
All of them had what he describes as "mild" cases of the flu.
Sources say British Columbia has found a pair of cases but it is not yet
clear if they have a link to Mexico.
Canadian officials are planning a briefing today in Ottawa on the swine flu
situation, which WHO has declared to be a "public health emergency of
international concern."
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
******
[7] Spain, New Zealand, France, Israel: suspected
Date: 26 Apr 2009
Source: Yahoo News / Associated Press
<http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090426/ap_on_re_au_an/swine_flu_world>
Nations from New Zealand to France also reported suspected cases and some
warned citizens against travel to North America while others planned
quarantines, tightened rules on pork imports, and tested airline passengers
for fevers.
A senior WHO official said the agency's emergency committee will
meet for a second time on Tuesday [28 Apr 2009] to examine the extent to
which the virus has spread before deciding whether to increase the pandemic
alert beyond phase 3. The same strain of the A/H1N1 swine flu virus has
been detected in several locations in Mexico and the United States, and it
appears to be spreading directly from human to human, said Keiji Fukuda,
WHO's assistant director-general in charge of health security.
Mexico's health minister says the disease has killed up to 86 people and
likely sickened up to 1400 since [13 Apr 2009]. US officials say the virus
has been found in New York, California, Texas, Kansas, and Ohio, but so far
no fatalities have been reported.
Governments including China, Russia, and Taiwan began planning to put
anyone with symptoms of the deadly virus under quarantine. Others were
increasing their screening of pigs and pork imports from the Americas or
banning them outright despite health officials' reassurances that it was
safe to eat thoroughly cooked pork. Some nations issued travel warnings for
Mexico and the United States.
WHO's emergency committee is still trying to determine exactly how the
virus has spread, Fukuda said. "Right now we have cases occurring in a
couple of different countries and in multiple locations," he said. "But we
also know that in the modern world that cases can simply move around from
single locations and not really become established."
New Zealand said that 10 students who took a school trip to Mexico "likely"
had swine flu.
Israel said a man who had recently visited Mexico had been
hospitalized while authorities try to determine whether he had the disease.
French Health Ministry officials said 4 possible cases of swine flu in 2
regions are currently under investigation. All recently returned from Mexico.
Spain's Health Ministry said 3 people who just returned from Mexico
were under observation in hospitals in the northern Basque region, in
south eastern Albacete and the Mediterranean port city of Valencia.
[Now confirmed ? see below].
Hong Kong and Taiwan said visitors who came back from flu-affected areas
with fevers would be quarantined. China said anyone experiencing flu-like
symptoms within 2 weeks of arrival from an affected area had to report to
authorities. A Russian health agency said any passenger from North America
running a fever would be quarantined until the cause of the fever is
determined.
Tokyo's Narita airport installed a device to test the temperatures of
passengers arriving from Mexico.
Indonesia increased surveillance at all entry points for travelers with
flu-like symptoms -- using devices at airports that were put in place years
ago to monitor for severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, and bird
flu. It said it was ready to quarantine suspected victims if necessary.
Hong Kong and South Korea warned against travel to the Mexican capital and
3 affected provinces. Italy, Poland, and Venezuela also advised their
citizens to postpone travel to affected areas of Mexico and the United States.
The virus is usually contracted through direct contact with pigs, but
Joseph Domenech, chief of animal health service at UN Food and Agriculture
Agency in Rome, said all indications were that the virus is being spread
through human-to-human transmission. No vaccine specifically protects
against swine flu, and it is unclear how much protection current human flu
vaccines might offer.
Russia banned the import of meat products from Mexico, California, Texas
and Kansas. South Korea said it would increase the number of its influenza
virus checks on pork products from Mexico and the U.S.
[byline: Frank Jordans]
--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail
**********
[8] Europe: 1st confirmed case ? Spain
Date: 27 Apr 2009
Source: CBC Canada
<http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/04/27/swine-flu042709.html?>
Case confirmed in Spain. Returning from Mexico.
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
***********
[The media feeding frenzy is very reminiscent of the early days of SARS --
an apparently highly contagious novel viral febrile respiratory infection
cropping up in multiple locations, with many unknowns as to the origin of
the virus and what will happen next.
To summarize the status of confirmed cases and suspected cases as best as
one can (given the exponential growth of press releases and press
interviews leading to thousands of newswires): There are presently 20
confirmed cases in the United States involving 5 States -- California (7),
Kansas (2), New York City (8), Ohio (1) and Texas (2). Of these, only one
has been hospitalized and all have been relatively mild and self-limited
infections. There have been no fatalities attributable to this novel H1N1
virus infection in the USA reported as of today (26 Apr 2009). In Mexico
there have been over 1400 reported cases in 19 of 32 States, with 81 (or 86
depending upon the source) reported fatalities. (This number of fatalities
has not altered significantly from the ProMED-mail posting on this outbreak
earlier today (see Influenza A (H1N1) virus, swine, human - N America (03)
20090426.1566). There have been 6 cases confirmed in Canada, 4 in Nova
Scotia, 2 in British Columbia -- all 6 cases have been mild with self
limited illnesses. In addition to the confirmed cases in North America,
there are suspected cases reported from New Zealand, Spain, France, Israel
-- all involving travellers returning from Mexico. At this point in time,
any individual with a history of travel to a location with known confirmed
cases of the novel H1N1 virus who develops an influenza like illness (ILI)
is considered a suspected cases until results from laboratory testing are
available. One would expect the volume of reports of suspected cases to
grow, as more and more travellers return to their countries of origin, with
a proportion of them having ILIs -- a well observed illness following
airline flights.
In an earlier posting, this moderator pointed out that the reported cases
in Mexico were hospitalized pneumonia cases, with surveillance data coming
from inpatient facilities. In contrast, the information on the reported
cases in the USA involved surveillance data coming from outpatient
facilities. This difference in sentinel reporting sites biases reported
cases in Mexico to be more severe cases as they are cases that were severe
enough to merit hospitalization. In turn, the use of outpatient sentinel
surveillance sites in the USA leads to a bias selecting milder cases --
those that do not require hospitalization. One suspects that once the
countries heighten ILI surveillance to include both inpatient as well as
outpatient facilities, these disparities will lessen. One also suspects
that the true number of cases in Mexico is significantly higher than the
currently reported approximately 1500 cases, which would further lower the
calculated case fatality rate (CFR). (Information on the actual number of
reported cases in Mexico is not readily available on the Ministry of Health
website, so all figures are estimates based on earlier figures provided in
CDC and WHO reports and on newswire reports. Hopefully these figures will
be available on a regularly updated basis to permit following the course of
the outbreak).
Based on the currently available information, the novel H1N1 virus involved
in these outbreaks has genetic material from human viruses (permitting
human to human transmission), avian influenza viruses, and swine influenza
viruses. For years the scientific community has been speculating that new
influenza strains might arise when an avian influenza virus infects swine
that are also coinfected with human influenza viruses. This coinfection in
the same host, along with a possible 3rd coinfection of a swine influenza
virus, has been felt to offer the potential for reassortment of the genetic
material of the viruses, that might ultimately produce a virus that is
novel to humans, and can infect humans and be transmitted between them. -
Mod.MPP]
[see also:
Influenza A (H1N1) virus, human: worldwide 20090426.1577
Influenza A (H1N1) virus, human - New Zealand, susp 20090426.1574
Influenza A (H1N1) virus, human - N America (04) 20090426.1569
Influenza A (H1N1) virus, human - N America (03) 20090426.1566
Influenza A (H1N1) virus, human - N America (02) 20090425.1557
Influenza A (H1N1) virus, human - N America 20090425.1552
Acute respiratory disease - Mexico, swine virus susp 20090424.1546
Influenza A (H1N1) virus, swine, human - USA (02): (CA, TX) 20090424.1541
Influenza A (H1N1) virus, swine, human - USA: (CA) 20090422.1516
Influenza A (H1N1) virus, swine, human - Spain 20090220.0715
2008
---
Influenza A (H1N1) virus, swine, human - USA (TX) 20081125.3715
2007
---
Influenza A (H2N3) virus, swine - USA 20071219.4079
2006
---
Influenza, swine, human - USA (IA): November 2006 20070108.0077]
....................cp/mpp/sh/jw
*##########################################################*
************************************************************
ProMED-mail makes every effort to verify the reports that
are posted, but the accuracy and completeness of the
information, and of any statements or opinions based
thereon, are not guaranteed. The reader assumes all risks in
using information posted or archived by ProMED-mail. ISID
and its associated service providers shall not be held
responsible for errors or omissions or held liable for any
damages incurred as a result of use or reliance upon posted
or archived material.
************************************************************
Become a ProMED-mail Premium Subscriber at
<http://www.isid.org/ProMEDMail_Premium.shtml>
************************************************************
Visit ProMED-mail's web site at <http://www.promedmail.org>.
Send all items for posting to: promed@promedmail.org
(NOT to an individual moderator). If you do not give your
full name and affiliation, it may not be posted. Send
commands to subscribe/unsubscribe, get archives, help,
etc. to: majordomo@promedmail.org. For assistance from a
human being send mail to: owner-promed@promedmail.org.
############################################################
pandémie grippe mexicaine voyage université personnels chercheurs
GRIPPE MEXICAINE : Note d'information de la présidence des universités
à l'ensemble des personnels, enseignants-chercheurs et étudiants de l’Université.
Des cas de grippe « mexicaine » ont été détectés en Europe.
Nous vous signalons que des informations officielles sont disponibles sur le site de l'Institut de veille sanitaire à l'adresse :
Cette situation, dont nous ne connaissons pas encore les conséquences, illustre la nécessité que notre établissement se prépare à mettre en œuvre le plan ministériel de prévention et de lutte contre la pandémie grippale, paru au BO du 18 décembre 2008. Nous tenions à vous assurer que le plan d’organisation de l'Université XXXXX en cas de pandémie est prêt.
Nous vous tiendrons bien évidement constamment informé-e-s sur ce dossier.
En complément d’information:
- les règles d'hygiène à recommander, ainsi que d'autres conseils, sont précisés sur le site "Mon quotidien en pandémie" : http://www.grippe-aviaire.gouv.fr/monquotidienenpandemie/index.php
- les déplacements à destination du Mexique sont fortement déconseillés sauf raison impérative, selon le ministère des affaires étrangères. Celui-ci donne des conseils aux voyageurs pour chaque pays : http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/nseils-aux-voyageurs_909/pays_12191/mexique_12292/index.html
MacTeX - TeX Users Group
MacTeX - TeX Users Group: "The MacTeX-2008 Distribution
[ for Mac OS 10.3, 10.4, and 10.5 for PPC and Intel ]
The current distribution is MacTeX-2008.
To obtain the distribution, click the link below.
MacTeX.mpkg.zip
[ approximately 1.2G - 20 March 2009 ]
Once you have the package, double click it to install.
If the previous link fails, use one of the specific sites on this mirror page.
***
The two links below lead to other optional download packages:
MacTeXtras.zip [ 282M - 18 April 2009 ]
Smaller Packages [ for users with slow download speed ]"
[ for Mac OS 10.3, 10.4, and 10.5 for PPC and Intel ]
The current distribution is MacTeX-2008.
To obtain the distribution, click the link below.
MacTeX.mpkg.zip
[ approximately 1.2G - 20 March 2009 ]
Once you have the package, double click it to install.
If the previous link fails, use one of the specific sites on this mirror page.
***
The two links below lead to other optional download packages:
MacTeXtras.zip [ 282M - 18 April 2009 ]
Smaller Packages [ for users with slow download speed ]"
quelle vérité et à quel moment pour diffuser l'information scientifique sur la grippe mexicaine
les media mettent les gens dans une peur immense face au A/H1N1.
Publié le 24avril2009 (MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2009 Apr 24;58(15):400-2.),
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) réalisent un bon travail.
--article CDC:
Les virus chez deux cas (2 enfants; c'est important: pas des immuno-depress;
lieu=San Diego et des comtés Impériaux) sont proche génétiquement
et contiennent une combinaison unique de segments de gène
qui n'a pas été annoncée auparavant chez le porc ou chez l' humain.
Aucun des 2 enfants n'avait eu de contact avec des porcs.
Donc la source de l'infection est inconnue.
remarque personnelle: Mais il existe dans les banlieux de Mexico les élevages les plus gigantesques du monde où hommes et oiseaux cohabitent avec un fort brassage de ces 3 populations...
-le virus est résistant à amantadine et rimantadine
-ce n'est pas un nouveau sous-type de grippe.
-le souci est dans le fait suivant :
cette nouvelle grippe "proche" de celle du porc (type H1N1) diffère
considérablement de la grippe humaine.
Une grande proportion de la population pourrait être susceptible à l'infection.
Le vaccin contre la grippe saisonniere H1N1 ne pourrait pas fournir une
protection efficace hélas.
Le manque d'exposition connue aux porcs dans les deux cas augmente la
possibilité de transmission homme-à-homme mais d'autres modes peuvent exister.
-----------
en plus il existe un autre lieu=mexico (le plus grand brassage de population au monde: >2 fois Paris en taille humaine)
Preuve de la propagation: la souche détectée sur 12 cas mortels mexicains est
'génétiquement identique' à celle découverte en Californie, aux Etats-Unis, pays
voisin où huit cas (non mortels?) ont été identifiés, a précisé l'OMS.
les media parlent de mexico "ville morte" ce qui amplifie la peur...
Il faut faire attention au terme et à ne pas propager de nouvelles erronées.
En outre il faut de la transparence. Nous savons avec certitude (MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2009 Apr 24;58(15):400-2.) que 2 enfants sont morts à San diego depuis mi-Avril et au 1er mai tous les media annoncent 0 morts aux USA.
Ce décalage de 15jours soulignera une défiance des citoyens vis-à-vis des medias scientifiques et des medias classiques.
Au Mexique, trois foyers ont été identifiés au 24 avril:
1/le principal à Mexico, la capitale, avec 20 décès (selon l'OMS),
2/le deuxième dans le centre, à San Luis Potosi (24 cas, dont 3 mortels, selon
l'OMS)
3/un troisième, plus modeste, à la frontière avec les Etats-Unis, à Mexicali (4
cas non mortels?).
---------------
Les inquiétudes sont d'autant plus vives que ce virus "inédit" se transmettrait
d'homme à homme
et est constitué de plusieurs souches:
'c'est la première fois que nous voyons
une souche aviaire,
deux souches porcines
une souche humaine',
a expliqué M. Daigle, le porte-parole des CDC, Dave Daigle.
Publié le 24avril2009 (MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2009 Apr 24;58(15):400-2.),
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) réalisent un bon travail.
--article CDC:
Les virus chez deux cas (2 enfants; c'est important: pas des immuno-depress;
lieu=San Diego et des comtés Impériaux) sont proche génétiquement
et contiennent une combinaison unique de segments de gène
qui n'a pas été annoncée auparavant chez le porc ou chez l' humain.
Aucun des 2 enfants n'avait eu de contact avec des porcs.
Donc la source de l'infection est inconnue.
remarque personnelle: Mais il existe dans les banlieux de Mexico les élevages les plus gigantesques du monde où hommes et oiseaux cohabitent avec un fort brassage de ces 3 populations...
-le virus est résistant à amantadine et rimantadine
-ce n'est pas un nouveau sous-type de grippe.
-le souci est dans le fait suivant :
cette nouvelle grippe "proche" de celle du porc (type H1N1) diffère
considérablement de la grippe humaine.
Une grande proportion de la population pourrait être susceptible à l'infection.
Le vaccin contre la grippe saisonniere H1N1 ne pourrait pas fournir une
protection efficace hélas.
Le manque d'exposition connue aux porcs dans les deux cas augmente la
possibilité de transmission homme-à-homme mais d'autres modes peuvent exister.
-----------
en plus il existe un autre lieu=mexico (le plus grand brassage de population au monde: >2 fois Paris en taille humaine)
Preuve de la propagation: la souche détectée sur 12 cas mortels mexicains est
'génétiquement identique' à celle découverte en Californie, aux Etats-Unis, pays
voisin où huit cas (non mortels?) ont été identifiés, a précisé l'OMS.
les media parlent de mexico "ville morte" ce qui amplifie la peur...
Il faut faire attention au terme et à ne pas propager de nouvelles erronées.
En outre il faut de la transparence. Nous savons avec certitude (MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2009 Apr 24;58(15):400-2.) que 2 enfants sont morts à San diego depuis mi-Avril et au 1er mai tous les media annoncent 0 morts aux USA.
Ce décalage de 15jours soulignera une défiance des citoyens vis-à-vis des medias scientifiques et des medias classiques.
Au Mexique, trois foyers ont été identifiés au 24 avril:
1/le principal à Mexico, la capitale, avec 20 décès (selon l'OMS),
2/le deuxième dans le centre, à San Luis Potosi (24 cas, dont 3 mortels, selon
l'OMS)
3/un troisième, plus modeste, à la frontière avec les Etats-Unis, à Mexicali (4
cas non mortels?).
---------------
Les inquiétudes sont d'autant plus vives que ce virus "inédit" se transmettrait
d'homme à homme
et est constitué de plusieurs souches:
'c'est la première fois que nous voyons
une souche aviaire,
deux souches porcines
une souche humaine',
a expliqué M. Daigle, le porte-parole des CDC, Dave Daigle.
science grippe mexicaine aviaire porcien humaine; febrile respiratory illness in children; genetically similar swine influenza A (H1N1) viruses
Il existe un véritable risque pandémique avec cette souche.
Les ré-arrangements entre souches sont très fréquents et il est très possible d'avoir des co-infections successives par des souches mutées qui aboutissent au patchwork de la souche actuelle.
Je ne pense pas que l'inquiétude actuelle soit surestimée, même s'il faut raison garder.
Le virus de la grippe est probablement le pathogène de destruction massive le plus efficace quand les conditions de son émergence sont réunies, ce qui pourrait être le cas avec cette souche.
-----Message d'origine-----
De : owner-promed-ahead-edr@promed.isid.harvard.edu [mailto:owner-promed-ahead-edr@promed.isid.harvard.edu] De la part de ProMED-mail
Envoyé : samedi 25 avril 2009 14:57
À : promed-ahead-edr@promedmail.org
Objet : PRO/AH/EDR> Influenza A (H1N1) virus, swine, human - N America
INFLUENZA A (H1N1) VIRUS, SWINE, HUMAN - NORTH AMERICA
******************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
In this update:
[1] USA - MMWR
[2] USA, Mexico - WHO
[1] USA - MMWR
Date: 24 Apr 2009
Source: MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep Dispatch 24 Apr 2009/58 (dispatch);1-3
<http://cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm58d0424a1.htm>
Update: swine influenza A (H1N1) infections --- California and Texas, April
2009
--------------------
On [21 Apr 2009], CDC reported that 2 recent cases of febrile respiratory
illness in children in southern California had been caused by infection
with genetically similar swine influenza A (H1N1) viruses. The viruses
contained a unique combination of gene segments that had not been reported
previously among swine or human influenza viruses in the United States or
elsewhere (1). Neither child had known contact with pigs, resulting in
concern that human-to-human transmission might have occurred. The seasonal
influenza vaccine H1N1 strain is thought to be unlikely to provide
protection. This report updates the status of the ongoing investigation and
provides preliminary details about 6 additional persons infected by the
same strain of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus identified in the previous
cases, as of [24 Apr 2009]. The 6 additional cases were reported in San
Diego County, California (3 cases), Imperial County, California (one case),
and Guadalupe County, Texas (2 cases). CDC, the California Department of
Public Health, and the Texas Department of Health and Human Services are
conducting case investigations, monitoring for illness in contacts of the 8
patients, and enhancing surveillance to determine the extent of spread of
the virus. CDC continues to recommend that any influenza A viruses that
cannot be subtyped be sent promptly for testing to CDC. In addition, swine
influenza A (H1N1) viruses of the same strain as those in the US patients
have been confirmed by CDC among specimens from patients in Mexico.
Clinicians should consider swine influenza as well as seasonal influenza
virus infections in the differential diagnosis for patients who have
febrile respiratory illness and who 1) live in San Diego and Imperial
counties, California, or Guadalupe County, Texas, or traveled to these
counties or 2) who traveled recently to Mexico or were in contact with
persons who had febrile respiratory illness and were in one of the 3 US
counties or Mexico during the 7 days preceding their illness onset.
Case reports
------------
San Diego County, California. On [9 Apr 2009], an adolescent girl aged 16
years and her father aged 54 years went to a San Diego County clinic with
acute respiratory illness. The youth had onset of illness on [5 Apr 2009].
Her symptoms included fever, cough, headache, and rhinorrhea. The father
had onset of illness on [6 Apr 2009] with symptoms that included fever,
cough, and rhinorrhea. Both had self-limited illnesses and have recovered.
The father had received seasonal influenza vaccine in October 2008; the
daughter was unvaccinated. Respiratory specimens were obtained from both,
tested in the San Diego County Health Department Laboratory, and found to
be positive for influenza A using reverse transcription--polymerase chain
reaction (RT-PCR), but could not be further subtyped. Two household
contacts of the patients have reported recent mild acute respiratory
illnesses; specimens have been collected from these household members for
testing. One additional case, in a child residing in San Diego County, was
identified on [24 Apr 2009]; epidemiologic details regarding this case are
pending.
Imperial County, California. A woman aged 41 years with an autoimmune
illness who resided in Imperial County developed fever, headache, sore
throat, diarrhea, vomiting, and myalgias on [12 Apr 2009]. She was
hospitalized on [15 Apr 2009]. She recovered and was discharged on [22 Apr
2009]. A respiratory specimen obtained [16 Apr 2009] was found to be
influenza A positive by RT-PCR at the San Diego Country Health Department
Laboratory, but could not be further subtyped. The woman had not been
vaccinated against seasonal influenza viruses during the 2008--09 season.
Three household contacts of the woman reported no recent respiratory illness.
Guadalupe County, Texas. Two adolescent boys aged 16 years who resided in
Guadalupe County near San Antonio were tested for influenza and found to be
positive for influenza A on [15 Apr 2009]. The youths had become ill with
acute respiratory symptoms on [10 Apr 2009] and [14 Apr 2009],
respectively, and both had gone to an outpatient clinic for evaluation on
[15 Apr 2009]. Identification and tracking of the youths' contacts is under
way.
Five of the new cases were identified through diagnostic specimens
collected by the health care facility in which the patients were examined,
based on clinical suspicion of influenza; information regarding the 6th
case is pending. The positive specimens were sent to public health
laboratories for further evaluation as part of routine influenza
surveillance in the 3 counties.
Outbreaks in Mexico
-------------------
Mexican public health authorities have reported increased levels of
respiratory disease, including reports of severe pneumonia cases and
deaths, in recent weeks. Most reported disease and outbreaks are reported
from central Mexico, but outbreaks and severe respiratory disease cases
also have been reported from states along the US-Mexico border. Testing of
specimens collected from persons with respiratory disease in Mexico by the
CDC laboratory has identified the same strain of swine influenza A (H1N1)
as identified in the US cases. However, no clear data are available to
assess the link between the increased disease reports in Mexico and the
confirmation of swine influenza in a small number of specimens. CDC is
assisting public health authorities in Mexico in testing additional
specimens and providing epidemiologic support. None of the US patients
traveled to Mexico within 7 days of the onset of their illness.
Epidemiologic and laboratory investigations
-------------------------------------------
As of April 24, epidemiologic links identified among the new cases included
1) the household of the father and daughter in San Diego County, and 2) the
school attended by the 2 youths in Guadalupe County. As of April 24, no
epidemiologic link between the Texas cases and the California cases had
been identified, nor between the 3 new California cases and the 2 cases
previously reported. No recent exposure to pigs has been identified for any
of the 7 patients. Close contacts of all patients are being investigated to
determine whether person-to-person spread has occurred.
Enhanced surveillance for additional cases is ongoing in California and in
Texas. Clinicians have been advised to test patients who visit a clinic or
hospital with febrile respiratory illness for influenza. Positive samples
should be sent to public health laboratories for further characterization.
Seasonal influenza activity continues to decline in the United States,
including in Texas and California, but remains a cause of influenza-like
illness in both areas.
Viruses from 6 of the 8 patients have been tested for resistance to
antiviral medications. All 6 have been found resistant to amantadine and
rimantidine but sensitive to zanamivir and oseltamivir.
Reported by: San Diego County Health and Human Svcs; Imperial County Public
Health Dept; California Dept of Public Health. Dallas County Health and
Human Svcs; Texas Dept of State Health Svcs. Naval Health Research Center;
Navy Medical Center, San Diego, California. Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Svc, US Dept of Agriculture. Div of Global Migration and
Quarantine, National Center for Preparedness, Detection, and Control of
Infectious Diseases; National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne, and
Enteric Diseases; Influenza Div, National Center for Infectious and
Respiratory Diseases, CDC.
Editorial note
--------------
In the US, novel influenza A virus infections in humans, including swine
influenza A (H1N1) infections, have been nationally notifiable conditions
since 2007. Recent pandemic influenza preparedness activities have greatly
increased the capacity of public health laboratories in the US to perform
RT-PCR for influenza and to subtype influenza A viruses they receive from
their routine surveillance, enhancing the ability of US laboratories to
identify novel influenza A virus infections. Before the cases described in
this ongoing investigation, recent cases of swine influenza in humans
reported to CDC occurred in persons who either had exposure to pigs or to a
family member with exposure to pigs. Transmission of swine influenza
viruses between persons with no pig exposure has been described previously,
but that transmission has been limited (2,3). The lack of a known history
of pig exposure for any of the patients in the current cases indicates that
they acquired infection through contact with other infected persons.
The spectrum of illness in the current cases is not yet fully defined. In
the 8 cases identified to date, 6 patients had self-limited illnesses and
were treated as outpatients. One patient was hospitalized. Previous reports
of swine influenza, although in strains different from the one identified
in the current cases, mostly included mild upper respiratory illness; but
severe lower respiratory illness and death also have been reported (2,3).
The extent of spread of the strain of swine influenza virus in this
investigation is not known. Ongoing investigations by California and Texas
authorities of the 2 previously reported patients, a boy aged 10 years and
a girl aged 9 years, include identification of persons in close contact
with the children during the period when they were likely infectious
(defined as from 1 day before symptom onset to 7 days after symptom onset).
These contacts have included household members, extended family members,
clinic staff members who cared for the children, and persons in close
contact with the boy during his travel to Texas on April 3. Respiratory
specimens are being collected from contacts found to have ongoing illness.
In addition, enhanced surveillance for possible cases is under way in
clinics and hospitals in the areas where the patients reside. Similar
investigations and enhanced surveillance are now under way in the
additional 6 cases.
Clinicians should consider swine influenza infection in the differential
diagnosis of patients with febrile respiratory illness and who 1) live in
San Diego and Imperial counties, California, or Guadalupe County, Texas, or
traveled to these counties or 2) who traveled recently to Mexico or were in
contact with persons who had febrile respiratory illness and were in one of
the 3 US counties or Mexico during the 7 days preceding their illness
onset. Any unusual clusters of febrile respiratory illness elsewhere in the
United States also should be investigated.
Patients who meet these criteria should be tested for influenza, and
specimens positive for influenza should be sent to public health
laboratories for further characterization. Clinicians who suspect swine
influenza virus infections in humans should obtain a nasopharyngeal swab
from the patient, place the swab in a viral transport medium, refrigerate
the specimen, and then contact their state or local health department to
facilitate transport and timely diagnosis at a state public health
laboratory. CDC requests that state public health laboratories promptly
send all influenza A specimens that cannot be subtyped to the CDC,
Influenza Division, Virus Surveillance and Diagnostics Branch Laboratory.
As a precautionary step, CDC is working with other partners to develop a
vaccine seed strain specific to these recent swine influenza viruses in humans.
As always, persons with febrile respiratory illness should stay home from
work or school to avoid spreading infections (including influenza and other
respiratory illnesses) to others in their communities. In addition,
frequent hand washing can lessen the spread of respiratory illness (5).
Interim guidance on infection control, treatment, and chemoprophylaxis for
swine influenza is available at
<http://www.cdc.gov/flu/swine/recommendations.htm>. Additional information
about swine influenza is available at <http://www.cdc.gov/flu/swine/index.htm>.
References
----------
1. CDC. Swine influenza A (H1N1) infection in two children -- Southern
California, March-April 2009. MMWR 2009; 58: 400-2. [available at
<http://cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5815a5.htm>
2. Myers KP, Olsen CW, Gray GC. Cases of swine influenza in humans: a
review of the literature. Clin Infect Dis 2007; 44: 1084-8.
3. Wells DL, Hopfensperger DJ, Arden NH, et al. Swine influenza virus
infections. Transmission from ill pigs to humans at a Wisconsin
agricultural fair and subsequent probable person-to-person transmission.
JAMA 1991; 265: 478-81.
4. Newman AP, Reisdorf E, Beinemann J, et al. Human case of swine influenza
A (H1N1) triple reassortant virus infection, Wisconsin. Emerg Infect Dis
2008; 14: 1470-2.
5. Ryan MA, Christian RS, Wohlrabe J. Handwashing and respiratory illness
among young adults in military training. Am J Prev Med 2001; 21: 79-83.
--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail
******
[2] USA, Mexico - WHO
Date: 24 Apr 2009
Source: WHO Epidemic and Pandemic Alert and Response (EPR) [edited]
<http://www.who.int/csr/don/2009_04_24/en/index.html>
Influenza-like illness in the United States and Mexico 24 April 2009
------------------------------------------------------
The United States Government has reported 7 confirmed human cases of swine
influenza A/H1N1 in the USA (5 in California and 2 in Texas) and 9 suspect
cases. All 7 confirmed cases had mild influenza-like illness (ILI), with
only one requiring brief hospitalization. No deaths have been reported.
The Government of Mexico has reported three separate events. In the Federal
District of Mexico, surveillance began picking up cases of ILI starting 18
March [2009]. The number of cases has risen steadily through April and as
of 23 April there are now more than 854 cases of pneumonia from the
capital, 59 of whom have died. In San Luis Potosi, in central Mexico, 24
cases of ILI, with 3 deaths, have been reported. And from Mexicali, near
the border with the United States, 4 cases of ILI, none fatal, have been
reported.
Of the Mexican cases, 18 have been laboratory confirmed in Canada as swine
influenza A/H1N1, while 12 of those are genetically identical to the swine
influenza A/H1N1 viruses from California.
The majority of these cases have occurred in otherwise healthy young
adults. Influenza normally affects the very young and the very old, but
these age groups have not been heavily affected in Mexico. Because there
are human cases associated with an animal influenza virus, and because of
the geographical spread of multiple community outbreaks, plus the somewhat
unusual age groups affected, these events are of high concern.
The swine influenza A/H1N1 viruses characterized in this outbreak have not
been previously detected in pigs or humans. The viruses so far
characterized have been sensitive to oseltamivir, but resistant to both
amantadine and rimantadine.
The World Health Organization has been in constant contact with the health
authorities in the United States, Mexico, and Canada in order to better
understand the risk which these ILI events pose. WHO (and the Pan American
Health Organization [PAHO]) is sending missions of experts to Mexico to
work with health authorities there. It is helping its member states to
increase field epidemiology activities, laboratory diagnosis and clinical
management. Moreover, WHO's partners in the Global Alert and Response
Network have been alerted and are ready to assist as requested by the
member states.
WHO acknowledges the US and Mexico for their proactive reporting and their
collaboration with WHO and will continue to work with member states to
further characterize the outbreak.
--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail
******
[3] Mexico - Newswire
Date: 24 Apr 2009
Source: Yahoo News / Associated Press
<http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090424/ap_on_he_me/med_swine_flu>
A unique strain of swine flu is the suspected killer of dozens of people in
Mexico, where authorities closed schools, museums, libraries and theaters
in the capital on Friday [24 Apr 2009] to try to contain an outbreak that
has spurred concerns of a global flu epidemic.
The worrisome new virus -- which combines genetic material from pigs, birds
and humans in a way researchers have not seen before -- also sickened at
least eight people in Texas and California, though there have been no
deaths in the US "We are very, very concerned," WHO spokesman Thomas
Abraham said. "We have what appears to be a novel virus and it has spread
from human to human ... It's all hands on deck at the moment."
The outbreak caused alarm in Mexico, where more than 1000 people have been
sickened. Residents of the capital donned surgical masks and authorities
ordered the most sweeping shutdown of public gathering places in a quarter
century. President Felipe Calderon met with his Cabinet Friday [24 Apr
2009] to coordinate Mexico's response.
WHO was convening an expert panel to consider whether to raise the pandemic
alert level or issue travel advisories. It might already be too late to
contain the outbreak, a prominent US pandemic flu expert said late on Friday.
Given how quickly flu can spread around the globe, if these are the first
signs of a pandemic, then there are probably cases incubating around the
world already, said Dr Michael Osterholm at the University of Minnesota.
In Mexico City, "literally hundreds and thousands of travelers come in and
out every day," Osterholm said. "You'd have to believe there's been more
unrecognized transmission that's occurred."
There is no vaccine that specifically protects against swine flu, and it
was unclear how much protection current human flu vaccines might offer. A
"seed stock" genetically matched to the new swine flu virus has been
created by the US Centers for Disease Control, said Dr Richard Besser, the
agency's acting director. If the government decides vaccine production is
necessary, manufacturers would need that stock to get started.
Authorities in Mexico urged people to avoid hospitals unless they had a
medical emergency, since hospitals are centers of infection. They also said
Mexicans should refrain from customary greetings such as shaking hands or
kissing cheeks. At Mexico City's international airport, passengers were
questioned to try to prevent anyone with flu symptoms from boarding
airplanes and spreading the disease.
Epidemiologists are particularly concerned because the only fatalities so
far were in young people and adults. The 8 US victims recovered from
symptoms that were like those of the regular flu, mostly fever, cough, and
sore throat, though some also experienced vomiting and diarrhea.
US health officials announced an outbreak notice to travelers, urging
caution and frequent handwashing, but stopping short of telling Americans
to avoid Mexico.
Mexico's health secretary Jose Angel Cordoba said 68 people have died of
flu and the new swine flu strain had been confirmed in 20 of those deaths.
At least 1004 people nationwide were sick from the suspected flu, he said.
The geographical spread of the outbreaks also concerned the WHO -- while 13
of the 20 deaths were in Mexico City, the rest were spread across Mexico --
4 in central San Luis Potosi, 2 up near the US border in Baja California,
and one in southern Oaxaca state.
Scientists have long been concerned that a new flu virus could launch a
worldwide pandemic of a killer disease. A new virus could evolve when
different flu viruses infect a pig, a person or a bird, mingling their
genetic material. The resulting hybrid could spread quickly because people
would have no natural defenses against it.
Still, flu experts were concerned but not alarmed about the latest
outbreak. "We've seen swine influenza in humans over the past several
years, and in most cases, it's come from direct pig contact. This seems to
be different," said Dr Arnold Monto, a flu expert with the University of
Michigan. "I think we need to be careful and not apprehensive, but
certainly paying attention to new developments as they proceed."
CDC says 2 flu drugs, Tamiflu [oseltamivir] and Relenza [zanamivir], seem
effective against the new strain. Roche, the maker of Tamiflu, said the
company is prepared to immediately deploy a stockpile of the drug if
requested. Both drugs must be taken early, within a few days of the onset
of symptoms, to be most effective. Cordoba said Mexico has enough Tamiflu
to treat 1 million people, but the medicine will be strictly controlled and
handed out only by doctors.
Mexico's government had maintained until late on Thursday that there was
nothing unusual about the flu cases, although this year's flu season had
been worse and longer than past years. The sudden turnaround by public
health officials angered many Mexicans. The city was handing out free
surgical masks to passengers on buses and the subway system, which carries
5 million people each day. Government workers were ordered to wear the
masks, and authorities urged residents to stay home from work if they felt ill.
Closing schools across Mexico's capital of 20 million kept 6.1 million
students home, as well as thousands of university students. All state and
city-run cultural activities were suspended, including libraries, state-run
theaters, and at least 14 museums. Private athletic clubs closed down and
soccer leagues were considering canceling weekend games. The closures were
the first citywide shutdown of public gathering places since millions died
in the devastating 1985 earthquake.
Mexico's response brought to mind other major outbreaks, such as when SARS
hit Asia. At its peak in 2003, Beijing shuttered schools, cinemas and
restaurants, and thousands of people were quarantined at home. In March
2008, Hong Kong ordered more than half a million students to stay home for
2 weeks because of a flu outbreak. It was the first such closure in Hong
Kong since the outbreak of SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome.
"It's great they are taking precautions," said Lillian Molina, a teacher at
the Montessori's World preschool in Mexico City, who scrubbed down empty
classrooms with Clorox, soap and Lysol between fielding calls from worried
parents.
US health officials said the outbreak is not yet a reason for alarm in the
United States. The 5 people sickened in California and 3 in Texas have all
recovered. It's unclear how the 8, who became ill between late March and
mid-April, contracted the virus because none were in contact with pigs,
which is how people usually catch swine flu. And only a few were in contact
with each other.
CDC officials described the virus as having a unique combination of gene
segments not seen before in people or pigs. The bug contains human virus,
avian virus from North America and pig viruses from North America, Europe,
and Asia. It may be completely new, or it may have been around for a while
and was only detected now through improved testing and surveillance, CDC
officials said.
The most notorious flu pandemic is thought to have killed at least 40
million people worldwide in 1918-19. Two other, less deadly flu pandemics
struck in 1957 and 1968.
[byline: Mark Stevenson]
--
communicated by:
Daniel Madar
[ProMED-mail would like to thank all our subscribers who have been
submitting numerous information sources on the above outbreak(s) situation
that is unfolding by the hour as more and more information becomes available.
According to the above information are now 8 confirmed cases of the novel
influenza A H1N1 virus infection in the USA, all mild, occurring in
counties with known increased population flow/transit between the USA &
Mexico. According to the official report from WHO, there have been now more
than 854 cases of pneumonia reported from the capital (Mexico City) of
which 59 have died (case fatality rate [CFR] 6.9 per cent). In San Luis
Potosi (central Mexico) there were 24 cases of influenza-like illness (ILI)
reported with 3 deaths (CFR 12.5 per cent) and in Mexicali, (near the
border with the United States), there have been 4 cases of ILI reported
with no deaths.
It should be noted here that the data from Mexico refers to inpatient
hospitalized cases, whereas the ILI surveillance sites in the USA are
predominantly from sentinel reporting outpatient facilities. This
difference in surveillance sites may account for an apparent disparity in
severity of the illnesses in cases reported in Mexico vs those presently
reported in the USA. As more uniform active surveillance (case finding) is
implemented, these disparities may lessen.
The absence of direct connection between the cases in the USA and the cases
in Mexico does not rule out the outbreaks being linked, as the population
flow between the 2 countries is high and 12 isolates from Mexico are
reported to be genetically identical to those isolated in the USA. One
suspects the epidemic curve is already multiple generations past the "index
case". The virus has apparently been circulating in Mexico for several
weeks, and in the USA for at least 2 weeks according to the above reports.
- Mod.MPP
We should call it swine flu as this is common parlance but there have been
no cases in swine to date. We don't know if this strain has occurred in
swine but there is no evidence that it has. No surveillance yet but the SIV
(swine influenza virus) is endemic and controlled by vaccination here in
the US and probably in Mexico. Mexico's pork production is just like that
in the US, Canada and Europe -- very intensive. I do not know about the
extent of backyard swine but will try to find out. - Mod.PC
The map link shows the proximity of Texas, California, and Mexico
Les ré-arrangements entre souches sont très fréquents et il est très possible d'avoir des co-infections successives par des souches mutées qui aboutissent au patchwork de la souche actuelle.
Je ne pense pas que l'inquiétude actuelle soit surestimée, même s'il faut raison garder.
Le virus de la grippe est probablement le pathogène de destruction massive le plus efficace quand les conditions de son émergence sont réunies, ce qui pourrait être le cas avec cette souche.
-----Message d'origine-----
De : owner-promed-ahead-edr@promed.isid.harvard.edu [mailto:owner-promed-ahead-edr@promed.isid.harvard.edu] De la part de ProMED-mail
Envoyé : samedi 25 avril 2009 14:57
À : promed-ahead-edr@promedmail.org
Objet : PRO/AH/EDR> Influenza A (H1N1) virus, swine, human - N America
INFLUENZA A (H1N1) VIRUS, SWINE, HUMAN - NORTH AMERICA
******************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
In this update:
[1] USA - MMWR
[2] USA, Mexico - WHO
[1] USA - MMWR
Date: 24 Apr 2009
Source: MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep Dispatch 24 Apr 2009/58 (dispatch);1-3
<http://cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm58d0424a1.htm>
Update: swine influenza A (H1N1) infections --- California and Texas, April
2009
--------------------
On [21 Apr 2009], CDC reported that 2 recent cases of febrile respiratory
illness in children in southern California had been caused by infection
with genetically similar swine influenza A (H1N1) viruses. The viruses
contained a unique combination of gene segments that had not been reported
previously among swine or human influenza viruses in the United States or
elsewhere (1). Neither child had known contact with pigs, resulting in
concern that human-to-human transmission might have occurred. The seasonal
influenza vaccine H1N1 strain is thought to be unlikely to provide
protection. This report updates the status of the ongoing investigation and
provides preliminary details about 6 additional persons infected by the
same strain of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus identified in the previous
cases, as of [24 Apr 2009]. The 6 additional cases were reported in San
Diego County, California (3 cases), Imperial County, California (one case),
and Guadalupe County, Texas (2 cases). CDC, the California Department of
Public Health, and the Texas Department of Health and Human Services are
conducting case investigations, monitoring for illness in contacts of the 8
patients, and enhancing surveillance to determine the extent of spread of
the virus. CDC continues to recommend that any influenza A viruses that
cannot be subtyped be sent promptly for testing to CDC. In addition, swine
influenza A (H1N1) viruses of the same strain as those in the US patients
have been confirmed by CDC among specimens from patients in Mexico.
Clinicians should consider swine influenza as well as seasonal influenza
virus infections in the differential diagnosis for patients who have
febrile respiratory illness and who 1) live in San Diego and Imperial
counties, California, or Guadalupe County, Texas, or traveled to these
counties or 2) who traveled recently to Mexico or were in contact with
persons who had febrile respiratory illness and were in one of the 3 US
counties or Mexico during the 7 days preceding their illness onset.
Case reports
------------
San Diego County, California. On [9 Apr 2009], an adolescent girl aged 16
years and her father aged 54 years went to a San Diego County clinic with
acute respiratory illness. The youth had onset of illness on [5 Apr 2009].
Her symptoms included fever, cough, headache, and rhinorrhea. The father
had onset of illness on [6 Apr 2009] with symptoms that included fever,
cough, and rhinorrhea. Both had self-limited illnesses and have recovered.
The father had received seasonal influenza vaccine in October 2008; the
daughter was unvaccinated. Respiratory specimens were obtained from both,
tested in the San Diego County Health Department Laboratory, and found to
be positive for influenza A using reverse transcription--polymerase chain
reaction (RT-PCR), but could not be further subtyped. Two household
contacts of the patients have reported recent mild acute respiratory
illnesses; specimens have been collected from these household members for
testing. One additional case, in a child residing in San Diego County, was
identified on [24 Apr 2009]; epidemiologic details regarding this case are
pending.
Imperial County, California. A woman aged 41 years with an autoimmune
illness who resided in Imperial County developed fever, headache, sore
throat, diarrhea, vomiting, and myalgias on [12 Apr 2009]. She was
hospitalized on [15 Apr 2009]. She recovered and was discharged on [22 Apr
2009]. A respiratory specimen obtained [16 Apr 2009] was found to be
influenza A positive by RT-PCR at the San Diego Country Health Department
Laboratory, but could not be further subtyped. The woman had not been
vaccinated against seasonal influenza viruses during the 2008--09 season.
Three household contacts of the woman reported no recent respiratory illness.
Guadalupe County, Texas. Two adolescent boys aged 16 years who resided in
Guadalupe County near San Antonio were tested for influenza and found to be
positive for influenza A on [15 Apr 2009]. The youths had become ill with
acute respiratory symptoms on [10 Apr 2009] and [14 Apr 2009],
respectively, and both had gone to an outpatient clinic for evaluation on
[15 Apr 2009]. Identification and tracking of the youths' contacts is under
way.
Five of the new cases were identified through diagnostic specimens
collected by the health care facility in which the patients were examined,
based on clinical suspicion of influenza; information regarding the 6th
case is pending. The positive specimens were sent to public health
laboratories for further evaluation as part of routine influenza
surveillance in the 3 counties.
Outbreaks in Mexico
-------------------
Mexican public health authorities have reported increased levels of
respiratory disease, including reports of severe pneumonia cases and
deaths, in recent weeks. Most reported disease and outbreaks are reported
from central Mexico, but outbreaks and severe respiratory disease cases
also have been reported from states along the US-Mexico border. Testing of
specimens collected from persons with respiratory disease in Mexico by the
CDC laboratory has identified the same strain of swine influenza A (H1N1)
as identified in the US cases. However, no clear data are available to
assess the link between the increased disease reports in Mexico and the
confirmation of swine influenza in a small number of specimens. CDC is
assisting public health authorities in Mexico in testing additional
specimens and providing epidemiologic support. None of the US patients
traveled to Mexico within 7 days of the onset of their illness.
Epidemiologic and laboratory investigations
-------------------------------------------
As of April 24, epidemiologic links identified among the new cases included
1) the household of the father and daughter in San Diego County, and 2) the
school attended by the 2 youths in Guadalupe County. As of April 24, no
epidemiologic link between the Texas cases and the California cases had
been identified, nor between the 3 new California cases and the 2 cases
previously reported. No recent exposure to pigs has been identified for any
of the 7 patients. Close contacts of all patients are being investigated to
determine whether person-to-person spread has occurred.
Enhanced surveillance for additional cases is ongoing in California and in
Texas. Clinicians have been advised to test patients who visit a clinic or
hospital with febrile respiratory illness for influenza. Positive samples
should be sent to public health laboratories for further characterization.
Seasonal influenza activity continues to decline in the United States,
including in Texas and California, but remains a cause of influenza-like
illness in both areas.
Viruses from 6 of the 8 patients have been tested for resistance to
antiviral medications. All 6 have been found resistant to amantadine and
rimantidine but sensitive to zanamivir and oseltamivir.
Reported by: San Diego County Health and Human Svcs; Imperial County Public
Health Dept; California Dept of Public Health. Dallas County Health and
Human Svcs; Texas Dept of State Health Svcs. Naval Health Research Center;
Navy Medical Center, San Diego, California. Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Svc, US Dept of Agriculture. Div of Global Migration and
Quarantine, National Center for Preparedness, Detection, and Control of
Infectious Diseases; National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne, and
Enteric Diseases; Influenza Div, National Center for Infectious and
Respiratory Diseases, CDC.
Editorial note
--------------
In the US, novel influenza A virus infections in humans, including swine
influenza A (H1N1) infections, have been nationally notifiable conditions
since 2007. Recent pandemic influenza preparedness activities have greatly
increased the capacity of public health laboratories in the US to perform
RT-PCR for influenza and to subtype influenza A viruses they receive from
their routine surveillance, enhancing the ability of US laboratories to
identify novel influenza A virus infections. Before the cases described in
this ongoing investigation, recent cases of swine influenza in humans
reported to CDC occurred in persons who either had exposure to pigs or to a
family member with exposure to pigs. Transmission of swine influenza
viruses between persons with no pig exposure has been described previously,
but that transmission has been limited (2,3). The lack of a known history
of pig exposure for any of the patients in the current cases indicates that
they acquired infection through contact with other infected persons.
The spectrum of illness in the current cases is not yet fully defined. In
the 8 cases identified to date, 6 patients had self-limited illnesses and
were treated as outpatients. One patient was hospitalized. Previous reports
of swine influenza, although in strains different from the one identified
in the current cases, mostly included mild upper respiratory illness; but
severe lower respiratory illness and death also have been reported (2,3).
The extent of spread of the strain of swine influenza virus in this
investigation is not known. Ongoing investigations by California and Texas
authorities of the 2 previously reported patients, a boy aged 10 years and
a girl aged 9 years, include identification of persons in close contact
with the children during the period when they were likely infectious
(defined as from 1 day before symptom onset to 7 days after symptom onset).
These contacts have included household members, extended family members,
clinic staff members who cared for the children, and persons in close
contact with the boy during his travel to Texas on April 3. Respiratory
specimens are being collected from contacts found to have ongoing illness.
In addition, enhanced surveillance for possible cases is under way in
clinics and hospitals in the areas where the patients reside. Similar
investigations and enhanced surveillance are now under way in the
additional 6 cases.
Clinicians should consider swine influenza infection in the differential
diagnosis of patients with febrile respiratory illness and who 1) live in
San Diego and Imperial counties, California, or Guadalupe County, Texas, or
traveled to these counties or 2) who traveled recently to Mexico or were in
contact with persons who had febrile respiratory illness and were in one of
the 3 US counties or Mexico during the 7 days preceding their illness
onset. Any unusual clusters of febrile respiratory illness elsewhere in the
United States also should be investigated.
Patients who meet these criteria should be tested for influenza, and
specimens positive for influenza should be sent to public health
laboratories for further characterization. Clinicians who suspect swine
influenza virus infections in humans should obtain a nasopharyngeal swab
from the patient, place the swab in a viral transport medium, refrigerate
the specimen, and then contact their state or local health department to
facilitate transport and timely diagnosis at a state public health
laboratory. CDC requests that state public health laboratories promptly
send all influenza A specimens that cannot be subtyped to the CDC,
Influenza Division, Virus Surveillance and Diagnostics Branch Laboratory.
As a precautionary step, CDC is working with other partners to develop a
vaccine seed strain specific to these recent swine influenza viruses in humans.
As always, persons with febrile respiratory illness should stay home from
work or school to avoid spreading infections (including influenza and other
respiratory illnesses) to others in their communities. In addition,
frequent hand washing can lessen the spread of respiratory illness (5).
Interim guidance on infection control, treatment, and chemoprophylaxis for
swine influenza is available at
<http://www.cdc.gov/flu/swine/recommendations.htm>. Additional information
about swine influenza is available at <http://www.cdc.gov/flu/swine/index.htm>.
References
----------
1. CDC. Swine influenza A (H1N1) infection in two children -- Southern
California, March-April 2009. MMWR 2009; 58: 400-2. [available at
<http://cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5815a5.htm>
2. Myers KP, Olsen CW, Gray GC. Cases of swine influenza in humans: a
review of the literature. Clin Infect Dis 2007; 44: 1084-8.
3. Wells DL, Hopfensperger DJ, Arden NH, et al. Swine influenza virus
infections. Transmission from ill pigs to humans at a Wisconsin
agricultural fair and subsequent probable person-to-person transmission.
JAMA 1991; 265: 478-81.
4. Newman AP, Reisdorf E, Beinemann J, et al. Human case of swine influenza
A (H1N1) triple reassortant virus infection, Wisconsin. Emerg Infect Dis
2008; 14: 1470-2.
5. Ryan MA, Christian RS, Wohlrabe J. Handwashing and respiratory illness
among young adults in military training. Am J Prev Med 2001; 21: 79-83.
--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail
******
[2] USA, Mexico - WHO
Date: 24 Apr 2009
Source: WHO Epidemic and Pandemic Alert and Response (EPR) [edited]
<http://www.who.int/csr/don/2009_04_24/en/index.html>
Influenza-like illness in the United States and Mexico 24 April 2009
------------------------------------------------------
The United States Government has reported 7 confirmed human cases of swine
influenza A/H1N1 in the USA (5 in California and 2 in Texas) and 9 suspect
cases. All 7 confirmed cases had mild influenza-like illness (ILI), with
only one requiring brief hospitalization. No deaths have been reported.
The Government of Mexico has reported three separate events. In the Federal
District of Mexico, surveillance began picking up cases of ILI starting 18
March [2009]. The number of cases has risen steadily through April and as
of 23 April there are now more than 854 cases of pneumonia from the
capital, 59 of whom have died. In San Luis Potosi, in central Mexico, 24
cases of ILI, with 3 deaths, have been reported. And from Mexicali, near
the border with the United States, 4 cases of ILI, none fatal, have been
reported.
Of the Mexican cases, 18 have been laboratory confirmed in Canada as swine
influenza A/H1N1, while 12 of those are genetically identical to the swine
influenza A/H1N1 viruses from California.
The majority of these cases have occurred in otherwise healthy young
adults. Influenza normally affects the very young and the very old, but
these age groups have not been heavily affected in Mexico. Because there
are human cases associated with an animal influenza virus, and because of
the geographical spread of multiple community outbreaks, plus the somewhat
unusual age groups affected, these events are of high concern.
The swine influenza A/H1N1 viruses characterized in this outbreak have not
been previously detected in pigs or humans. The viruses so far
characterized have been sensitive to oseltamivir, but resistant to both
amantadine and rimantadine.
The World Health Organization has been in constant contact with the health
authorities in the United States, Mexico, and Canada in order to better
understand the risk which these ILI events pose. WHO (and the Pan American
Health Organization [PAHO]) is sending missions of experts to Mexico to
work with health authorities there. It is helping its member states to
increase field epidemiology activities, laboratory diagnosis and clinical
management. Moreover, WHO's partners in the Global Alert and Response
Network have been alerted and are ready to assist as requested by the
member states.
WHO acknowledges the US and Mexico for their proactive reporting and their
collaboration with WHO and will continue to work with member states to
further characterize the outbreak.
--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail
******
[3] Mexico - Newswire
Date: 24 Apr 2009
Source: Yahoo News / Associated Press
<http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090424/ap_on_he_me/med_swine_flu>
A unique strain of swine flu is the suspected killer of dozens of people in
Mexico, where authorities closed schools, museums, libraries and theaters
in the capital on Friday [24 Apr 2009] to try to contain an outbreak that
has spurred concerns of a global flu epidemic.
The worrisome new virus -- which combines genetic material from pigs, birds
and humans in a way researchers have not seen before -- also sickened at
least eight people in Texas and California, though there have been no
deaths in the US "We are very, very concerned," WHO spokesman Thomas
Abraham said. "We have what appears to be a novel virus and it has spread
from human to human ... It's all hands on deck at the moment."
The outbreak caused alarm in Mexico, where more than 1000 people have been
sickened. Residents of the capital donned surgical masks and authorities
ordered the most sweeping shutdown of public gathering places in a quarter
century. President Felipe Calderon met with his Cabinet Friday [24 Apr
2009] to coordinate Mexico's response.
WHO was convening an expert panel to consider whether to raise the pandemic
alert level or issue travel advisories. It might already be too late to
contain the outbreak, a prominent US pandemic flu expert said late on Friday.
Given how quickly flu can spread around the globe, if these are the first
signs of a pandemic, then there are probably cases incubating around the
world already, said Dr Michael Osterholm at the University of Minnesota.
In Mexico City, "literally hundreds and thousands of travelers come in and
out every day," Osterholm said. "You'd have to believe there's been more
unrecognized transmission that's occurred."
There is no vaccine that specifically protects against swine flu, and it
was unclear how much protection current human flu vaccines might offer. A
"seed stock" genetically matched to the new swine flu virus has been
created by the US Centers for Disease Control, said Dr Richard Besser, the
agency's acting director. If the government decides vaccine production is
necessary, manufacturers would need that stock to get started.
Authorities in Mexico urged people to avoid hospitals unless they had a
medical emergency, since hospitals are centers of infection. They also said
Mexicans should refrain from customary greetings such as shaking hands or
kissing cheeks. At Mexico City's international airport, passengers were
questioned to try to prevent anyone with flu symptoms from boarding
airplanes and spreading the disease.
Epidemiologists are particularly concerned because the only fatalities so
far were in young people and adults. The 8 US victims recovered from
symptoms that were like those of the regular flu, mostly fever, cough, and
sore throat, though some also experienced vomiting and diarrhea.
US health officials announced an outbreak notice to travelers, urging
caution and frequent handwashing, but stopping short of telling Americans
to avoid Mexico.
Mexico's health secretary Jose Angel Cordoba said 68 people have died of
flu and the new swine flu strain had been confirmed in 20 of those deaths.
At least 1004 people nationwide were sick from the suspected flu, he said.
The geographical spread of the outbreaks also concerned the WHO -- while 13
of the 20 deaths were in Mexico City, the rest were spread across Mexico --
4 in central San Luis Potosi, 2 up near the US border in Baja California,
and one in southern Oaxaca state.
Scientists have long been concerned that a new flu virus could launch a
worldwide pandemic of a killer disease. A new virus could evolve when
different flu viruses infect a pig, a person or a bird, mingling their
genetic material. The resulting hybrid could spread quickly because people
would have no natural defenses against it.
Still, flu experts were concerned but not alarmed about the latest
outbreak. "We've seen swine influenza in humans over the past several
years, and in most cases, it's come from direct pig contact. This seems to
be different," said Dr Arnold Monto, a flu expert with the University of
Michigan. "I think we need to be careful and not apprehensive, but
certainly paying attention to new developments as they proceed."
CDC says 2 flu drugs, Tamiflu [oseltamivir] and Relenza [zanamivir], seem
effective against the new strain. Roche, the maker of Tamiflu, said the
company is prepared to immediately deploy a stockpile of the drug if
requested. Both drugs must be taken early, within a few days of the onset
of symptoms, to be most effective. Cordoba said Mexico has enough Tamiflu
to treat 1 million people, but the medicine will be strictly controlled and
handed out only by doctors.
Mexico's government had maintained until late on Thursday that there was
nothing unusual about the flu cases, although this year's flu season had
been worse and longer than past years. The sudden turnaround by public
health officials angered many Mexicans. The city was handing out free
surgical masks to passengers on buses and the subway system, which carries
5 million people each day. Government workers were ordered to wear the
masks, and authorities urged residents to stay home from work if they felt ill.
Closing schools across Mexico's capital of 20 million kept 6.1 million
students home, as well as thousands of university students. All state and
city-run cultural activities were suspended, including libraries, state-run
theaters, and at least 14 museums. Private athletic clubs closed down and
soccer leagues were considering canceling weekend games. The closures were
the first citywide shutdown of public gathering places since millions died
in the devastating 1985 earthquake.
Mexico's response brought to mind other major outbreaks, such as when SARS
hit Asia. At its peak in 2003, Beijing shuttered schools, cinemas and
restaurants, and thousands of people were quarantined at home. In March
2008, Hong Kong ordered more than half a million students to stay home for
2 weeks because of a flu outbreak. It was the first such closure in Hong
Kong since the outbreak of SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome.
"It's great they are taking precautions," said Lillian Molina, a teacher at
the Montessori's World preschool in Mexico City, who scrubbed down empty
classrooms with Clorox, soap and Lysol between fielding calls from worried
parents.
US health officials said the outbreak is not yet a reason for alarm in the
United States. The 5 people sickened in California and 3 in Texas have all
recovered. It's unclear how the 8, who became ill between late March and
mid-April, contracted the virus because none were in contact with pigs,
which is how people usually catch swine flu. And only a few were in contact
with each other.
CDC officials described the virus as having a unique combination of gene
segments not seen before in people or pigs. The bug contains human virus,
avian virus from North America and pig viruses from North America, Europe,
and Asia. It may be completely new, or it may have been around for a while
and was only detected now through improved testing and surveillance, CDC
officials said.
The most notorious flu pandemic is thought to have killed at least 40
million people worldwide in 1918-19. Two other, less deadly flu pandemics
struck in 1957 and 1968.
[byline: Mark Stevenson]
--
communicated by:
Daniel Madar
[ProMED-mail would like to thank all our subscribers who have been
submitting numerous information sources on the above outbreak(s) situation
that is unfolding by the hour as more and more information becomes available.
According to the above information are now 8 confirmed cases of the novel
influenza A H1N1 virus infection in the USA, all mild, occurring in
counties with known increased population flow/transit between the USA &
Mexico. According to the official report from WHO, there have been now more
than 854 cases of pneumonia reported from the capital (Mexico City) of
which 59 have died (case fatality rate [CFR] 6.9 per cent). In San Luis
Potosi (central Mexico) there were 24 cases of influenza-like illness (ILI)
reported with 3 deaths (CFR 12.5 per cent) and in Mexicali, (near the
border with the United States), there have been 4 cases of ILI reported
with no deaths.
It should be noted here that the data from Mexico refers to inpatient
hospitalized cases, whereas the ILI surveillance sites in the USA are
predominantly from sentinel reporting outpatient facilities. This
difference in surveillance sites may account for an apparent disparity in
severity of the illnesses in cases reported in Mexico vs those presently
reported in the USA. As more uniform active surveillance (case finding) is
implemented, these disparities may lessen.
The absence of direct connection between the cases in the USA and the cases
in Mexico does not rule out the outbreaks being linked, as the population
flow between the 2 countries is high and 12 isolates from Mexico are
reported to be genetically identical to those isolated in the USA. One
suspects the epidemic curve is already multiple generations past the "index
case". The virus has apparently been circulating in Mexico for several
weeks, and in the USA for at least 2 weeks according to the above reports.
- Mod.MPP
We should call it swine flu as this is common parlance but there have been
no cases in swine to date. We don't know if this strain has occurred in
swine but there is no evidence that it has. No surveillance yet but the SIV
(swine influenza virus) is endemic and controlled by vaccination here in
the US and probably in Mexico. Mexico's pork production is just like that
in the US, Canada and Europe -- very intensive. I do not know about the
extent of backyard swine but will try to find out. - Mod.PC
The map link shows the proximity of Texas, California, and Mexico
Pour la science - De la lumière dans le cerveau
Pour la science - De la lumière dans le cerveau: "Pour la Science N°376 - fevrier 2009
* >> Sommaire
* Imprimante
* pdf
* Réagir à l'article
synthese
Neurobiologie
De la lumière dans le cerveau
Une nouvelle technique, l'optogénétique, associe les outils de l'optique et de la génétique pour révéler et stimuler le système nerveux. On contrôle ainsi le cerveau avec une précision jusque-là inégalée.
Gero Miesenböck
C'est ainsi que le neuroscientifique Charles Scott Sherrington, de l'Université d'Oxford, décrivait le cerveau au réveil en 1937. Il avait imaginé ce qui allait devenir une description classique du cerveau. Des points de lumière signalent l'activité des cellules nerveuses et de leurs connexions. Pendant le sommeil profond, seules quelques petites régions du cerveau brillent, donnant à l'organe l'apparence d'un ciel de nuit étoilé. Mais au réveil, de multiples scintillements éphémères envahissent le cerveau.
C'est comme si la Voie lactée avait entamé une sorte de danse cosmique. Tout à coup, la masse cérébrale se transforme en métier à tisser enchanté que des millions de navettes traversent à grande vitesse, tissant des motifs signifiants, mais éphémères, qui s'évanouissent aussitôt ; une harmonie changeante de scintillements.
Cette métaphore poétique recèle une idée scientifique importante : celle du cerveau révélant ses mécanismes par des techniques optiques. Comprendre comment les neurones se coordonnent pour produire des pensées ou des comportements est une des questions ouvertes de la biologie, notamment parce que les neurobiologistes ne peuvent pas voir l'ensemble des circuits neuronaux en action. Si tel était le cas, ils sauraient déduire comment les circuits nerveux sont disposés et comment ils fonctionnent.
Les neuroscientifiques ont alors eu l'idée de combiner le génie génétique et l'optique pour étudier différents types cellulaires. Ce domaine de recherche émergeant est nommé l'optogénétique. Il a déjà permis de visualiser les fonctions de divers groupes neuronaux. De plus, on peut contrôler les neurones à distance – avec un simple « interrupteur de lumière»». On espère un jour cartographier les circuits cérébraux."
* >> Sommaire
* Imprimante
* Réagir à l'article
synthese
Neurobiologie
De la lumière dans le cerveau
Une nouvelle technique, l'optogénétique, associe les outils de l'optique et de la génétique pour révéler et stimuler le système nerveux. On contrôle ainsi le cerveau avec une précision jusque-là inégalée.
Gero Miesenböck
C'est ainsi que le neuroscientifique Charles Scott Sherrington, de l'Université d'Oxford, décrivait le cerveau au réveil en 1937. Il avait imaginé ce qui allait devenir une description classique du cerveau. Des points de lumière signalent l'activité des cellules nerveuses et de leurs connexions. Pendant le sommeil profond, seules quelques petites régions du cerveau brillent, donnant à l'organe l'apparence d'un ciel de nuit étoilé. Mais au réveil, de multiples scintillements éphémères envahissent le cerveau.
C'est comme si la Voie lactée avait entamé une sorte de danse cosmique. Tout à coup, la masse cérébrale se transforme en métier à tisser enchanté que des millions de navettes traversent à grande vitesse, tissant des motifs signifiants, mais éphémères, qui s'évanouissent aussitôt ; une harmonie changeante de scintillements.
Cette métaphore poétique recèle une idée scientifique importante : celle du cerveau révélant ses mécanismes par des techniques optiques. Comprendre comment les neurones se coordonnent pour produire des pensées ou des comportements est une des questions ouvertes de la biologie, notamment parce que les neurobiologistes ne peuvent pas voir l'ensemble des circuits neuronaux en action. Si tel était le cas, ils sauraient déduire comment les circuits nerveux sont disposés et comment ils fonctionnent.
Les neuroscientifiques ont alors eu l'idée de combiner le génie génétique et l'optique pour étudier différents types cellulaires. Ce domaine de recherche émergeant est nommé l'optogénétique. Il a déjà permis de visualiser les fonctions de divers groupes neuronaux. De plus, on peut contrôler les neurones à distance – avec un simple « interrupteur de lumière»». On espère un jour cartographier les circuits cérébraux."
"social brain" et Robin Ian MacDonald Dunbar, Cambridge->Oxford->London->Liverpool->Oxford depuis 2007 (neurosciences and waves)
"social brain" et Robin Ian MacDonald Dunbar, Cambridge->Oxford->London->Liverpool->Oxford depuis 2007 (neurosciences and waves): "'social brain' et Robin Ian MacDonald Dunbar, Cambridge->Oxford->London->Liverpool->Oxford depuis 2007
Le professeur Dunbar est actuellement le directeur du British Academy Centenary Research Project (BACRP)
'De Lucy au langage : L'archéologie du cerveau social' et est impliqué dans le projet 'Identifying the Universal Religious Repertoire' du BACRP.
Robin Ian MacDonald Dunbar (born June 28, 1947, east Africa) is a British anthropologist and evolutionary biologist, specialising in primate behaviour [1,2].
He is best known for formulating Dunbar's number, roughly 150, a measurement of the 'cognitive limit to the number of individuals with whom any one person can maintain stable relationships'.[3]
Dunbar, son of an engineer, received his early education at Northamptonshire, then Magdalen College, Oxford, where his teachers included Nico Tinbergen. He spent two years as a freelance science writer.[2]
Dunbar's academic and research career includes the University of Bristol,[4] University of Cambridge from 1977 until 1982, and University College London from 1987 until 1994. In 1994, Dunbar became Professor of Evolutionary Psychology at University of Liverpool, but he left Liverpool in 2007 to take up the post of Director of the Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Oxford.[5][1]
Professor Dunbar is a director of the British Academy Centenary Research Project (BACRP)
References
1. ^ a b 'British Academy Fellows Archive'. British Academy. http://www.britac.ac.uk/fellowship/directory/archive.asp?fellowsID=1242. Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
2. ^ a b c 'Professor Robin Dunbar FBA'. British Humanist Association. http://www.humanism.org.uk/about/people/distinguished-supporters/Professor-Robin-Dunbar-FBA. Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
3. ^ Malcom Gladwell (June 17, 2007). 'Dunbar’s Number'. scottweisbrod. http://www.scottweisbrod.com/index.php/?p=92. Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
4. ^ 'Dominance and reproductive success among female gelada baboons'. March 24, 1977. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v266/n5600/abs/266351a0.html. Retrieved on 2007-12-03.
5. ^ 'Prof. Robin Dunbar FBA'. liv.ac.uk. http://www.liv.ac.uk/evolpsyc/dunbar.html. Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
6. ^ 'Faculty of Science'. liv.ac.uk. http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:0Lguj1bOUlUJ:www.liv.ac.uk/commsec/pdfs/emeritus_professors,_chairs_and_honorary_graduates.pdf+%22Robin+Ian+MacDonald+Dunbar%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=8&gl=us. Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
Selected publications
* Dunbar. 1984. Reproductive Decisions: An Economic Analysis of Gelada Baboon Social Strategies. Princeton University Press ISBN 0691083606
* Dunbar. 1988. Primate Social Systems. Chapman Hall and Yale University Press ISBN 0801420873
* Dunbar. 1996. The Trouble with Science. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674910192
* Dunbar (ed.). 1995. Human Reproductive Decisions. Macmillan ISBN 0333620518
* Dunbar. 1997. Grooming, Gossip and the Evolution of Language'. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674363345
* Runciman, Maynard Smith, & Dunbar (eds.). 1997. Evolution of Culture and Language in Primates and Humans. Oxford University Press.
* Dunbar, Knight, & Power (eds.). 1999. The Evolution of Culture. Edinburgh University Press ISBN 0813527309
* Dunbar & Barrett. 2000. Cousins. BBC Worldwide: London ISBN 0789471558
* Cowlishaw & Dunbar. 2000. Primate Conservation Biology. University of Chicago Press ISBN 0226116360
* Barrett, Dunbar & Lycett. 2002. Human Evolutionary Psychology. London: Palgrave ISBN 069109621X
* Dunbar, Barrett & Lycett. 2005. Evolutionary Psychology, a Beginner's Guide. Oxford: One World Books ISBN 1851683569
* Dunbar. 2004. The Human Story. London: Faber and Faber ISBN 0571191339
External links
* Research profile at the Evolutionary Psychology and Behavioural Ecology Research Group, University of Liverpool.
* Publications list for the Evolutionary Psychology and Behavioural Ecology Research Group.
* 'The Social Brain Hypothesis' by Dunbar (1998).
* The Human Behaviour and Evolution Society
* Video Lecture
--------------
Dunbar's number
is a theoretical cognitive limit to the number of people with whom one can maintain stable social relationships. These are relationships in which an individual knows who each person is, and how each person relates to every other person.[1] Proponents assert that numbers larger than this generally require more restricted rules, laws, and enforced norms to maintain a stable, cohesive group. No precise value has been proposed for Dunbar's number, but a commonly cited approximation is 150.
Dunbar's number was first proposed by anthropologist Dunbar, who theorized that
'this limit is a direct function of relative neocortex size, and that this in turn limits group size ... the limit imposed by neocortical processing capacity is simply on the number of individuals with whom a stable inter-personal relationship can be maintained.'
On the periphery, the number also includes past colleagues such as high school friends with whom a person would want to reacquaint themselves if they met again.[2]
Research background
Primatologists have noted that, due to their highly social nature, non-human primates have to maintain personal contact with the other members of their social group, usually through grooming. Such social groups function as protective cliques within the physical groups in which the primates live. The number of social group members a primate can track appears to be limited by the volume of the neocortex region of their brain. This suggests that there is a species-specific index of the social group size, computable from the species' mean neocortex volume.
In a 1992 article, Dunbar used the correlation observed for non-human primates to predict a social group size for humans. Using a regression equation on data for 38 primate genera, Dunbar predicted a human 'mean group size' of 148 (casually rounded to 150), a result he considered exploratory due to the large error measure (a 95% confidence interval of 100 to 230).
Dunbar then compared this prediction with observable group sizes for humans. Beginning with the assumption that the current mean size of the human neocortex had developed about 250,000 years BCE, i.e. during the Pleistocene, Dunbar searched the anthropological and ethnographical literature for census-like group size information for various hunter-gatherer societies, the closest existing approximations to how anthropology reconstructs the Pleistocene societies. Dunbar noted that the groups fell into three categories — small, medium and large, equivalent to bands, cultural lineage groups and tribes — with respective size ranges of 30-50, 100-200 and 500-2500 members each.
Dunbar's surveys of village and tribe sizes also appeared to approximate this predicted value, including 150 as the estimated size of a neolithic farming village; 150 as the splitting point of Hutterite settlements; 200 as the upper bound on the number of academics in a discipline's sub-specialization; 150 as the basic unit size of professional armies in Roman antiquity and in modern times since the 16th century; and notions of appropriate company size.
Dunbar has argued that 150 would be the mean group size only for communities with a very high incentive to remain together. For a group of this size to remain cohesive, Dunbar speculated that as much as 42% of the group's time would have to be devoted to social grooming. Correspondingly, only groups under intense survival pressure[citation needed], such as subsistence villages, nomadic tribes, and historical military groupings, have, on average, achieved the 150-member mark. Moreover, Dunbar noted that such groups are almost always physically close: '... we might expect the upper limit on group size to depend on the degree of social dispersal. In dispersed societies, individuals will meet less often and will thus be less familiar with each, so group sizes should be smaller in consequence.' Thus, the 150-member group would occur only because of absolute necessity — i.e., due to intense environmental and economic pressures.
Dunbar, author of Grooming, Gossip, and the Evolution of Language, proposes furthermore that language may have arisen as a 'cheap' means of social grooming, allowing early humans to efficiently maintain social cohesion. Without language, Dunbar speculates, humans would have to expend nearly half their time on social grooming, which would have made productive, cooperative effort nearly impossible. Language may have allowed societies to remain cohesive, while reducing the need for physical and social intimacy.[3]
Dunbar's number has since become of interest in anthropology, evolutionary psychology,[4] statistics, and business management. For example, developers of social software are interested in it, as they need to know the size of social networks their software needs to take into account.
Alternative numbers
Dunbar's number is not derived from systematic observation of the number of relationships that people living in the contemporary world have. As noted above, it comes from extrapolation from nonhuman primates and from inspection of selected documents showing network sizes in selected pre-industrial villages and settlements in less developed countries.
Anthropologist H. Russell Bernard and Peter Killworth and associates have done a variety of field studies in the United States that came up with an estimated mean number of ties - 290 - that is roughly double Dunbar's estimate. The Bernard-Killworth median of 231 is lower, due to upward straggle in the distribution: this is still appreciably larger than Dunbar's estimate. The Bernard-Killworth estimate of the maximum likelihood of the size of a person's social network is based on a number of field studies using different methods in various populations. It is not an average of study averages but a repeated finding.[5][6] Nevertheless, the Bernard-Killworth number has not been popularized as widely as Dunbar's.
Popularization
* Dunbar's number has been most popularized by Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point, where it plays a central role in Gladwell's arguments about the dynamics of social groups.
* In a 1985 paper titled 'Psychology, Ideology, Utopia, & the Commons,' psychologist Dennis Fox proposed the same concept as it is applied to anarchy, politics, and the tragedy of the commons.
* Neo-Tribalists have also used it to support their critiques of modern society.[citation needed]
* Recently, the number has been used in the study of Internet communities, especially MMORPGs such as Ultima Online, and social networking websites such as Facebook[7] and MySpace.[8]
* The Swedish tax authority planned to reorganize its functions in 2007. The number 150 was set as the maximum number of people in an office, referring to Dunbar's research.[9]
References
1. ^ Gladwell, Malcolm (2000). The Tipping Point - How Little Things Make a Big Difference. Little, Brown and Company. pp. 177-181,185-186. ISBN 0-316-34662-4.
2. ^ Carl Bialik (2007-11-16). 'Sorry, You May Have Gone Over Your Limit Of Network Friends'. The Wall Street Journal Online. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119518271549595364.html?mod=googlenews_wsj. Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
3. ^ Dunbar, Robin (1998). Grooming, Gossip, and the Evolution of Language. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674363361. http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/DUNGRO.html.
4. ^ Nuno Themudo (2007-03-23). 'Virtual Resistance: Internet-mediated Networks (Dotcauses) and Collective Action Against Neoliberalism' (pg. 36). University of Pittsburg, University Center for International Studies. http://www.ucis.pitt.edu/clas/events/gap_conference/VirtualResistanceInternetMediatedNetworks-Themudo.pdf. Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
5. ^ McCarty,C., Killworth, P.D., Bernard,H.R., Johnsen, E. and Shelley, G. “Comparing Two Methods for Estimating Network Size”, Human Organization 60:28-39. (2000).
6. ^ Bernard, H. Russell, Gene Ann Shelley and Peter Killworth. 1987. 'How Much of a Network does the GSS and RSW Dredge Up?' Social Networks 9: 49-63. H. Russell Bernard. 2006. 'Honoring Peter Killworth's contribution to social network theory.' Paper presented to the University of Southampton, September. http://nersp.osg.ufl.edu/~ufruss/
7. ^ http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13176775
8. ^ One example is Christopher Allen, 'Dunbar, Altruistic Punishment, and Meta-Moderation'.
9. ^ The Local – Sweden's news in English, July 23, 2007. 'Swedish tax collectors organized by apes'.
Further reading
* Dunbar, R.I.M. (1992) Neocortex size as a constraint on group size in primates, Journal of Human Evolution 22: 469-493.
* Dunbar, R.I.M. (1993), Coevolution of neocortical size, group size and language in humans, Behavioral and Brain Sciences 16 (4): 681-735.
* Edney, J. J. (1981a). Paradoxes on the commons: Scarcity and the problem of equality. Journal of Community Psychology, 9, 3-34.
* Sawaguchi, T., & Kudo, H. (1990), Neocortical development and social structure in primates, Primates 31: 283-290.
* Wong, David (2005) Inside the Monkeysphere, [1], a semi-satirical introduction to Dunbar's Number for the average internet user.
External links
* A pre-publication version of Coevolution of neocortical size, group size and language in humans. (See also Bibliography section there.)
* University of Liverpool Research Intelligence No. 17, August 2003 - 'The ultimate brain teaser' - an article on Dunbar's research.
* Some speculations about a correlation between the monkeysphere and Guild size in online multiplayer role playing games.
* Mospos blog entry - Communities of practice and Dunbar's number
* Life With Alacrity blog entry - Applying Dunbar's number to online gaming, social software, collaboration, trust, security, privacy, and internet tools, by Christopher Allen."
Le professeur Dunbar est actuellement le directeur du British Academy Centenary Research Project (BACRP)
'De Lucy au langage : L'archéologie du cerveau social' et est impliqué dans le projet 'Identifying the Universal Religious Repertoire' du BACRP.
Robin Ian MacDonald Dunbar (born June 28, 1947, east Africa) is a British anthropologist and evolutionary biologist, specialising in primate behaviour [1,2].
He is best known for formulating Dunbar's number, roughly 150, a measurement of the 'cognitive limit to the number of individuals with whom any one person can maintain stable relationships'.[3]
Dunbar, son of an engineer, received his early education at Northamptonshire, then Magdalen College, Oxford, where his teachers included Nico Tinbergen. He spent two years as a freelance science writer.[2]
Dunbar's academic and research career includes the University of Bristol,[4] University of Cambridge from 1977 until 1982, and University College London from 1987 until 1994. In 1994, Dunbar became Professor of Evolutionary Psychology at University of Liverpool, but he left Liverpool in 2007 to take up the post of Director of the Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Oxford.[5][1]
Professor Dunbar is a director of the British Academy Centenary Research Project (BACRP)
References
1. ^ a b 'British Academy Fellows Archive'. British Academy. http://www.britac.ac.uk/fellowship/directory/archive.asp?fellowsID=1242. Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
2. ^ a b c 'Professor Robin Dunbar FBA'. British Humanist Association. http://www.humanism.org.uk/about/people/distinguished-supporters/Professor-Robin-Dunbar-FBA. Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
3. ^ Malcom Gladwell (June 17, 2007). 'Dunbar’s Number'. scottweisbrod. http://www.scottweisbrod.com/index.php/?p=92. Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
4. ^ 'Dominance and reproductive success among female gelada baboons'. March 24, 1977. http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v266/n5600/abs/266351a0.html. Retrieved on 2007-12-03.
5. ^ 'Prof. Robin Dunbar FBA'. liv.ac.uk. http://www.liv.ac.uk/evolpsyc/dunbar.html. Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
6. ^ 'Faculty of Science'. liv.ac.uk. http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:0Lguj1bOUlUJ:www.liv.ac.uk/commsec/pdfs/emeritus_professors,_chairs_and_honorary_graduates.pdf+%22Robin+Ian+MacDonald+Dunbar%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=8&gl=us. Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
Selected publications
* Dunbar. 1984. Reproductive Decisions: An Economic Analysis of Gelada Baboon Social Strategies. Princeton University Press ISBN 0691083606
* Dunbar. 1988. Primate Social Systems. Chapman Hall and Yale University Press ISBN 0801420873
* Dunbar. 1996. The Trouble with Science. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674910192
* Dunbar (ed.). 1995. Human Reproductive Decisions. Macmillan ISBN 0333620518
* Dunbar. 1997. Grooming, Gossip and the Evolution of Language'. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674363345
* Runciman, Maynard Smith, & Dunbar (eds.). 1997. Evolution of Culture and Language in Primates and Humans. Oxford University Press.
* Dunbar, Knight, & Power (eds.). 1999. The Evolution of Culture. Edinburgh University Press ISBN 0813527309
* Dunbar & Barrett. 2000. Cousins. BBC Worldwide: London ISBN 0789471558
* Cowlishaw & Dunbar. 2000. Primate Conservation Biology. University of Chicago Press ISBN 0226116360
* Barrett, Dunbar & Lycett. 2002. Human Evolutionary Psychology. London: Palgrave ISBN 069109621X
* Dunbar, Barrett & Lycett. 2005. Evolutionary Psychology, a Beginner's Guide. Oxford: One World Books ISBN 1851683569
* Dunbar. 2004. The Human Story. London: Faber and Faber ISBN 0571191339
External links
* Research profile at the Evolutionary Psychology and Behavioural Ecology Research Group, University of Liverpool.
* Publications list for the Evolutionary Psychology and Behavioural Ecology Research Group.
* 'The Social Brain Hypothesis' by Dunbar (1998).
* The Human Behaviour and Evolution Society
* Video Lecture
--------------
Dunbar's number
is a theoretical cognitive limit to the number of people with whom one can maintain stable social relationships. These are relationships in which an individual knows who each person is, and how each person relates to every other person.[1] Proponents assert that numbers larger than this generally require more restricted rules, laws, and enforced norms to maintain a stable, cohesive group. No precise value has been proposed for Dunbar's number, but a commonly cited approximation is 150.
Dunbar's number was first proposed by anthropologist Dunbar, who theorized that
'this limit is a direct function of relative neocortex size, and that this in turn limits group size ... the limit imposed by neocortical processing capacity is simply on the number of individuals with whom a stable inter-personal relationship can be maintained.'
On the periphery, the number also includes past colleagues such as high school friends with whom a person would want to reacquaint themselves if they met again.[2]
Research background
Primatologists have noted that, due to their highly social nature, non-human primates have to maintain personal contact with the other members of their social group, usually through grooming. Such social groups function as protective cliques within the physical groups in which the primates live. The number of social group members a primate can track appears to be limited by the volume of the neocortex region of their brain. This suggests that there is a species-specific index of the social group size, computable from the species' mean neocortex volume.
In a 1992 article, Dunbar used the correlation observed for non-human primates to predict a social group size for humans. Using a regression equation on data for 38 primate genera, Dunbar predicted a human 'mean group size' of 148 (casually rounded to 150), a result he considered exploratory due to the large error measure (a 95% confidence interval of 100 to 230).
Dunbar then compared this prediction with observable group sizes for humans. Beginning with the assumption that the current mean size of the human neocortex had developed about 250,000 years BCE, i.e. during the Pleistocene, Dunbar searched the anthropological and ethnographical literature for census-like group size information for various hunter-gatherer societies, the closest existing approximations to how anthropology reconstructs the Pleistocene societies. Dunbar noted that the groups fell into three categories — small, medium and large, equivalent to bands, cultural lineage groups and tribes — with respective size ranges of 30-50, 100-200 and 500-2500 members each.
Dunbar's surveys of village and tribe sizes also appeared to approximate this predicted value, including 150 as the estimated size of a neolithic farming village; 150 as the splitting point of Hutterite settlements; 200 as the upper bound on the number of academics in a discipline's sub-specialization; 150 as the basic unit size of professional armies in Roman antiquity and in modern times since the 16th century; and notions of appropriate company size.
Dunbar has argued that 150 would be the mean group size only for communities with a very high incentive to remain together. For a group of this size to remain cohesive, Dunbar speculated that as much as 42% of the group's time would have to be devoted to social grooming. Correspondingly, only groups under intense survival pressure[citation needed], such as subsistence villages, nomadic tribes, and historical military groupings, have, on average, achieved the 150-member mark. Moreover, Dunbar noted that such groups are almost always physically close: '... we might expect the upper limit on group size to depend on the degree of social dispersal. In dispersed societies, individuals will meet less often and will thus be less familiar with each, so group sizes should be smaller in consequence.' Thus, the 150-member group would occur only because of absolute necessity — i.e., due to intense environmental and economic pressures.
Dunbar, author of Grooming, Gossip, and the Evolution of Language, proposes furthermore that language may have arisen as a 'cheap' means of social grooming, allowing early humans to efficiently maintain social cohesion. Without language, Dunbar speculates, humans would have to expend nearly half their time on social grooming, which would have made productive, cooperative effort nearly impossible. Language may have allowed societies to remain cohesive, while reducing the need for physical and social intimacy.[3]
Dunbar's number has since become of interest in anthropology, evolutionary psychology,[4] statistics, and business management. For example, developers of social software are interested in it, as they need to know the size of social networks their software needs to take into account.
Alternative numbers
Dunbar's number is not derived from systematic observation of the number of relationships that people living in the contemporary world have. As noted above, it comes from extrapolation from nonhuman primates and from inspection of selected documents showing network sizes in selected pre-industrial villages and settlements in less developed countries.
Anthropologist H. Russell Bernard and Peter Killworth and associates have done a variety of field studies in the United States that came up with an estimated mean number of ties - 290 - that is roughly double Dunbar's estimate. The Bernard-Killworth median of 231 is lower, due to upward straggle in the distribution: this is still appreciably larger than Dunbar's estimate. The Bernard-Killworth estimate of the maximum likelihood of the size of a person's social network is based on a number of field studies using different methods in various populations. It is not an average of study averages but a repeated finding.[5][6] Nevertheless, the Bernard-Killworth number has not been popularized as widely as Dunbar's.
Popularization
* Dunbar's number has been most popularized by Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point, where it plays a central role in Gladwell's arguments about the dynamics of social groups.
* In a 1985 paper titled 'Psychology, Ideology, Utopia, & the Commons,' psychologist Dennis Fox proposed the same concept as it is applied to anarchy, politics, and the tragedy of the commons.
* Neo-Tribalists have also used it to support their critiques of modern society.[citation needed]
* Recently, the number has been used in the study of Internet communities, especially MMORPGs such as Ultima Online, and social networking websites such as Facebook[7] and MySpace.[8]
* The Swedish tax authority planned to reorganize its functions in 2007. The number 150 was set as the maximum number of people in an office, referring to Dunbar's research.[9]
References
1. ^ Gladwell, Malcolm (2000). The Tipping Point - How Little Things Make a Big Difference. Little, Brown and Company. pp. 177-181,185-186. ISBN 0-316-34662-4.
2. ^ Carl Bialik (2007-11-16). 'Sorry, You May Have Gone Over Your Limit Of Network Friends'. The Wall Street Journal Online. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119518271549595364.html?mod=googlenews_wsj. Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
3. ^ Dunbar, Robin (1998). Grooming, Gossip, and the Evolution of Language. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674363361. http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/DUNGRO.html.
4. ^ Nuno Themudo (2007-03-23). 'Virtual Resistance: Internet-mediated Networks (Dotcauses) and Collective Action Against Neoliberalism' (pg. 36). University of Pittsburg, University Center for International Studies. http://www.ucis.pitt.edu/clas/events/gap_conference/VirtualResistanceInternetMediatedNetworks-Themudo.pdf. Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
5. ^ McCarty,C., Killworth, P.D., Bernard,H.R., Johnsen, E. and Shelley, G. “Comparing Two Methods for Estimating Network Size”, Human Organization 60:28-39. (2000).
6. ^ Bernard, H. Russell, Gene Ann Shelley and Peter Killworth. 1987. 'How Much of a Network does the GSS and RSW Dredge Up?' Social Networks 9: 49-63. H. Russell Bernard. 2006. 'Honoring Peter Killworth's contribution to social network theory.' Paper presented to the University of Southampton, September. http://nersp.osg.ufl.edu/~ufruss/
7. ^ http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13176775
8. ^ One example is Christopher Allen, 'Dunbar, Altruistic Punishment, and Meta-Moderation'.
9. ^ The Local – Sweden's news in English, July 23, 2007. 'Swedish tax collectors organized by apes'.
Further reading
* Dunbar, R.I.M. (1992) Neocortex size as a constraint on group size in primates, Journal of Human Evolution 22: 469-493.
* Dunbar, R.I.M. (1993), Coevolution of neocortical size, group size and language in humans, Behavioral and Brain Sciences 16 (4): 681-735.
* Edney, J. J. (1981a). Paradoxes on the commons: Scarcity and the problem of equality. Journal of Community Psychology, 9, 3-34.
* Sawaguchi, T., & Kudo, H. (1990), Neocortical development and social structure in primates, Primates 31: 283-290.
* Wong, David (2005) Inside the Monkeysphere, [1], a semi-satirical introduction to Dunbar's Number for the average internet user.
External links
* A pre-publication version of Coevolution of neocortical size, group size and language in humans. (See also Bibliography section there.)
* University of Liverpool Research Intelligence No. 17, August 2003 - 'The ultimate brain teaser' - an article on Dunbar's research.
* Some speculations about a correlation between the monkeysphere and Guild size in online multiplayer role playing games.
* Mospos blog entry - Communities of practice and Dunbar's number
* Life With Alacrity blog entry - Applying Dunbar's number to online gaming, social software, collaboration, trust, security, privacy, and internet tools, by Christopher Allen."
MacTeX - Ensiwiki
MacTeX - Ensiwiki: "acTeX est une suite complète pour installer un système complet LaTeX. Elle inclut les différents packages pouvant supporter :
* TeX
* LaTeX
* AMSTeX
* ConTeXt
* XeTeX"
* TeX
* LaTeX
* AMSTeX
* ConTeXt
* XeTeX"
dimanche 26 avril 2009
Les offres internet mobile 3G+ - Orange
Les offres internet mobile 3G+ - Orange: "daptateurs 3G par Orange
Clé 3G+ E160
* Format compact : 8,5 cm, 30 gr
* Plug and Play : pas besoin de CD d'installation
* Compatible Windows 2000, Windows XP, Vista et Mac OS X
* Compatbile GPRS, EDGE, 3G et 3G+ (jusqu'à 3,6 Méga)
* Quadribande: utilisable dans 90 pays
* Quadribande (utilisation possible dans 90 pays)
* Emplacement carte mémoire microSD"
Clé 3G+ E160
* Format compact : 8,5 cm, 30 gr
* Plug and Play : pas besoin de CD d'installation
* Compatible Windows 2000, Windows XP, Vista et Mac OS X
* Compatbile GPRS, EDGE, 3G et 3G+ (jusqu'à 3,6 Méga)
* Quadribande: utilisable dans 90 pays
* Quadribande (utilisation possible dans 90 pays)
* Emplacement carte mémoire microSD"
Les offres internet mobile 3G+ - Orange
Les offres internet mobile 3G+ - Orange: "Adaptateurs 3G par Orange
Clé USB Icon 225
* Format compact : 40g, 63x26x13 mm
* Plug and Play : branchez, vous êtes connecté
* Compatible Windows XP et Vista
* Compatible MacOS 10.4 et 10.5
* Quadribande: utilisable dans 90 pays
* 3G+ : débit jusquà 3,6 Mégas théorique soit environ 500 Ko/s !
Disponible à 9€"
Clé USB Icon 225
* Format compact : 40g, 63x26x13 mm
* Plug and Play : branchez, vous êtes connecté
* Compatible Windows XP et Vista
* Compatible MacOS 10.4 et 10.5
* Quadribande: utilisable dans 90 pays
* 3G+ : débit jusquà 3,6 Mégas théorique soit environ 500 Ko/s !
Disponible à 9€"
Les offres internet mobile 3G+ - M6mobile
Les offres internet mobile 3G+ - M6mobile: "Adaptateur 3G M6 Mobile
Clé USB M6 Mobile
# Plug and Play : branchez, vous êtes connecté
# Compatible Windows et MAC
# 3G+ sous Orange: débit jusquà 3,6 Mégas théorique soit environ 500 Ko/s !
Disponible à partir de 39 € au lieu de 69 €"
Clé USB M6 Mobile
# Plug and Play : branchez, vous êtes connecté
# Compatible Windows et MAC
# 3G+ sous Orange: débit jusquà 3,6 Mégas théorique soit environ 500 Ko/s !
Disponible à partir de 39 € au lieu de 69 €"
Netbook 3G » Point sur les offres clés 3G et netbooks des opérateurs Telecom
Netbook 3G » Point sur les offres clés 3G et netbooks des opérateurs Telecom: "J’ai décidé de faire un petit point sur les offres clé 3G que proposent les différents opérateurs 3G sur le marché francais.
Cet article a été rédigé avec les offres en vigueur au 10 février 2009.
Les nouveaux venus:
M6 Mobile
M6 Mobile est un MVNO sur le réseau Orange:
Prix de la clé 3G Huawei E160: 69€ + une offre de remboursement de 30€, ce qui vous amène la clé à 39€
Coté tarif, les prix vont de 3€ pour 20 minutes de surf à 10€ pour 1h de surf + 1h de 20h à 8h. Ces tarifs sont bien sur des tarifs pour un usage pré-payé et sans engagement.
Retrouvez les offres sur le site de M6Mobile
Auchan Telecom:
Auchan Telecom est également un MVNO mais sur le réseau SFR:
La clé 3G vous coutera 79€ avec 5h de crédit temps, il n’y a pas la possibilité d’acheter la clé seule. La carte SIM seule coute quant à elle 30€, ce qui n’est pas donné…
Coté prépayé les tarifs semblent plus intéressant avec 1h pour 7€ jusqu’à 20h pour 75€… Cependant attention vous êtes limité en temps et en consommation…
Chose intéressante également, Auchan propose 2 forfaits DATA bloqués:
* 9.9€/mois pour 20Mo
* 19.9€/mois pour 50Mo
Retrouvez les offres sur le site d’AuchanTelecom
Coriolis Telecom:
Coriolis est également un MVNO sur le réseau SFR, il propose des abonnements mensuel ajustable avec un prix de départ à 16,80€/mois pour 10 Mo jusqu’à 41,80€/mois pour 600Mo avec un engagement de 24 mois. Ajoutez 4€/mois pour réduire votre engagement à 12 mois.
Coriolis propose également une offre netbook SAMSUNG NC10 + clé 3G à 200€ avec le renvoi d’un coupon de remboursement. (merci bestak)
The Phone House
The PhoneHouse comme tout le monde le sais est un revendeur de téléphone et forfait pour les différents opérateurs présents. Toutefois ThePhone House commercialise également des produits qui lui sont propres, c’est le cas du Netbook Airis Kira 10160 avec carte 3G intégrée non simlockée, vendu avec le forfait de l’opérateur de votre choix à partir de 199€.
Retrouvez les offres sur le site de The PhoneHouse
Les 3 Opérateurs:
Bouygues Telecom:
Bouygues propose la clé ZTE MFC626 à 1€ si vous prenez un forfait ou 49€ si vous prenez un pass sans engagement.
Pour le pass sans engagement il n’y a que des recharges de 10Mo pour 2€. Les forfaits commences à partir de 17,90€ pour 50Mo et un engaement de 24 mois. Cliquez sur l’image ci dessous pour avoir le détail.
Bouygues Telecom propose également le netbook Lenovo Ideapad S10 avec une clé 3G ZTE à partir de 249€. Nous l’avons testé il y a quelques semaines
Retrouvez les offres Bouygues sur leur site
Orange
Orange propose la clé 3G Huawei E160, équipé d’un lecteur de carte MicroSD, pour 1€ avec un des forfait ci dessous
La même clé 3G est proposé au prix de 49€ avec une offre de remboursement de 30€ ce qui la fait à 19€. Le premier pass sans engagement commence à 3€ pour 20 minutes pour aller jusqu’à 25€ pour 6h.
orange propose égale ment une Offre MIPE constitué d’un netbook et d’une clé 3G à un tarif préférentiel, mais uniquement réservé aux étudiants.
Retrouvez les offres 3G sur le site d’Orange
SFR
SFR propose sa clé 3G Huawei E160 à partir de 1€ avec un forfait à 10€/mois pour 3H pour un engagement de 24 mois. Si vous souhaiter être facturé au Mo, le premier forfait est à 19.9€ pour 50Mo avec toujours un engagement de 24mois.
Il semblerait à l’heure actuelle que SFR ne propose plus de pass sans engagement.
SFR propose également 200€ de remboursement si vous achetez un PC portable et que vous vous abonnez à une offre clé 3G.
Pour les netbooks, SFR commercialise l’Eee PC 901 3G, et le SAMSUNG NC10 3G
SFR tout comme Orange propose une offre MIPE avec un netbook et un forfait 3G à tarif préférentiel, réservé aux étudiants
Retrouvez les offres sur le site de SFR
Voici quelques petits rappels qui vous aideront à bien choisir votre forfait clé 3G:
Les clés 3G simlockées des MVNO sont normalement compatible avec les forfaits de l’opérateur qui les héberge et vice versa. Exemple: Une Clé 3G simlockée Orange est normalement utilisable avec une puce M6 Mobile.
Consommation:
Comme nous avons pu le voir dans les offres ci dessous, le premier palier vaut 10Mo, ce qui parait vraiment dérisoire, mais que peut on réellement faire avec 10Mo de trafic.
J’ai procédé aux tests suivants et voici la consommation (upload + download):
* Page d’accueil du site Le monde.fr + lecture d’un article de la une: 1.35Mo
* Consultation de netbook3G.com ainsi que 2 articles: 270Ko
* Page d’accueil du site Rue89.com + lecture d’un article: 2.11Mo
* Page d’accueil du site PCInpact + lecture de 2 articles: 1.09Mo
* Page d’accueil du site pagesjaunes.fr + une recherche: 899Ko
* Page d’accueil du site Voyages SNCF + simulation d’achat d’un billet de train AR Paris/Marseille: 2Mo
* Page d’accueil du site ratp.fr + recherche d’un itinéraire: 420Ko
* Page d’accueil de Gmail + consultation de 4 mails (pas de pièce jointe, juste texte et images): 950Ko
Pensez également à utiliser notre proxy pour réduire votre consommation de bande passante en 3G et Edge, ainsi que de suivre nos 3 conseils pour optimiser votre surf sur netbook grâce à Firefox.
Articles Similaires:
* Le Samsung NC10 3G chez Bouygues Télécom confirmé [MAJ]
* Les offres 3G Orange de Noël à partir du 13/11
* Orange sort (enfin) son offre MIPE pour étudiant avec le MEDION AKOYA E1210 et une clé 3G
* Comparatif des offres d’abonnement clé 3G chez SFR, Bouygues et Orange
* Bouygues offre 80€ pour l’achat d’un netbook + forfait DATA 3G
Si vous aimez cet article, votez pour nous:
votez
0
7 Commentaires »
1.
Max a dit
Le 13 février 2009 @ 19:49
Hello,
Vous pouvez rajouter également Call in Europe qui est sans abo, sans prepaid et marche très bien en occasionnel et hors france
2.
bestak a dit
Le 13 février 2009 @ 21:18
Il existe aussi d’autres MVNO de SFR:
http://www.coriolis.com/forfait-Internet-Ajustable-3G+/forfait-Ajustable-24mois.aspx
Abo (mensuel) prix de 16,80 à 41,80€ pour 25Mo à 600Mo sur 24 mois
Clé Icon 225 et Offre Samsun NC10 + clé à 200€ via ODR
en 12 mois cela donne: de 20,80 à 45,80
3.
Christophe a dit
Le 14 février 2009 @ 12:48
Merci Max et Bestak,
je vais mettre à jour l’article ASAP…
4.
Christophe a dit
Le 14 février 2009 @ 18:01
C’est mis à jour, par contre pour call in Europe, il n’y a pas de forfait DATA pur, il faut prendre un forfait voix et activer une option data comme les illimythique & Co…
5.
Arnaud a dit
Le 14 février 2009 @ 21:20
Bonjour, j’aimerai une petite confirmation, sur le Hyper@ de Auchan j’ai l’impression qu’il se limite au EDGE et non la 3G.
Merci
6.
Christophe a dit
Le 15 février 2009 @ 21:44
Salut Arnaud,
effectivement c’est une bonne remarque en plus pour les forfaits voix, il semblerait que Auchan utilise SFR, mais pour la data la carte de couverture renvoie vers Bouygues Telecom… Vu que Bouygues Telecom a ouvert son réseau 3G il n’y a que quelques mois, cela expliquerai pourquoi sur le site d’Auchan Mobile ils ne parlent que d’une couverture “Edge”…
Je mène l’enquête, je mettrais à jour l’article…
7.
Romain Perea a dit
Le 16 février 2009 @ 20:51
En fait, actuellement, il n’y a que Bouygues qui commercialise un illimité vraiment intéressant: 29.90 € par mois, sur 24 mois…
Ca vient directement concurrencer les forfaits ADSL…"
Cet article a été rédigé avec les offres en vigueur au 10 février 2009.
Les nouveaux venus:
M6 Mobile
M6 Mobile est un MVNO sur le réseau Orange:
Prix de la clé 3G Huawei E160: 69€ + une offre de remboursement de 30€, ce qui vous amène la clé à 39€
Coté tarif, les prix vont de 3€ pour 20 minutes de surf à 10€ pour 1h de surf + 1h de 20h à 8h. Ces tarifs sont bien sur des tarifs pour un usage pré-payé et sans engagement.
Retrouvez les offres sur le site de M6Mobile
Auchan Telecom:
Auchan Telecom est également un MVNO mais sur le réseau SFR:
La clé 3G vous coutera 79€ avec 5h de crédit temps, il n’y a pas la possibilité d’acheter la clé seule. La carte SIM seule coute quant à elle 30€, ce qui n’est pas donné…
Coté prépayé les tarifs semblent plus intéressant avec 1h pour 7€ jusqu’à 20h pour 75€… Cependant attention vous êtes limité en temps et en consommation…
Chose intéressante également, Auchan propose 2 forfaits DATA bloqués:
* 9.9€/mois pour 20Mo
* 19.9€/mois pour 50Mo
Retrouvez les offres sur le site d’AuchanTelecom
Coriolis Telecom:
Coriolis est également un MVNO sur le réseau SFR, il propose des abonnements mensuel ajustable avec un prix de départ à 16,80€/mois pour 10 Mo jusqu’à 41,80€/mois pour 600Mo avec un engagement de 24 mois. Ajoutez 4€/mois pour réduire votre engagement à 12 mois.
Coriolis propose également une offre netbook SAMSUNG NC10 + clé 3G à 200€ avec le renvoi d’un coupon de remboursement. (merci bestak)
The Phone House
The PhoneHouse comme tout le monde le sais est un revendeur de téléphone et forfait pour les différents opérateurs présents. Toutefois ThePhone House commercialise également des produits qui lui sont propres, c’est le cas du Netbook Airis Kira 10160 avec carte 3G intégrée non simlockée, vendu avec le forfait de l’opérateur de votre choix à partir de 199€.
Retrouvez les offres sur le site de The PhoneHouse
Les 3 Opérateurs:
Bouygues Telecom:
Bouygues propose la clé ZTE MFC626 à 1€ si vous prenez un forfait ou 49€ si vous prenez un pass sans engagement.
Pour le pass sans engagement il n’y a que des recharges de 10Mo pour 2€. Les forfaits commences à partir de 17,90€ pour 50Mo et un engaement de 24 mois. Cliquez sur l’image ci dessous pour avoir le détail.
Bouygues Telecom propose également le netbook Lenovo Ideapad S10 avec une clé 3G ZTE à partir de 249€. Nous l’avons testé il y a quelques semaines
Retrouvez les offres Bouygues sur leur site
Orange
Orange propose la clé 3G Huawei E160, équipé d’un lecteur de carte MicroSD, pour 1€ avec un des forfait ci dessous
La même clé 3G est proposé au prix de 49€ avec une offre de remboursement de 30€ ce qui la fait à 19€. Le premier pass sans engagement commence à 3€ pour 20 minutes pour aller jusqu’à 25€ pour 6h.
orange propose égale ment une Offre MIPE constitué d’un netbook et d’une clé 3G à un tarif préférentiel, mais uniquement réservé aux étudiants.
Retrouvez les offres 3G sur le site d’Orange
SFR
SFR propose sa clé 3G Huawei E160 à partir de 1€ avec un forfait à 10€/mois pour 3H pour un engagement de 24 mois. Si vous souhaiter être facturé au Mo, le premier forfait est à 19.9€ pour 50Mo avec toujours un engagement de 24mois.
Il semblerait à l’heure actuelle que SFR ne propose plus de pass sans engagement.
SFR propose également 200€ de remboursement si vous achetez un PC portable et que vous vous abonnez à une offre clé 3G.
Pour les netbooks, SFR commercialise l’Eee PC 901 3G, et le SAMSUNG NC10 3G
SFR tout comme Orange propose une offre MIPE avec un netbook et un forfait 3G à tarif préférentiel, réservé aux étudiants
Retrouvez les offres sur le site de SFR
Voici quelques petits rappels qui vous aideront à bien choisir votre forfait clé 3G:
Les clés 3G simlockées des MVNO sont normalement compatible avec les forfaits de l’opérateur qui les héberge et vice versa. Exemple: Une Clé 3G simlockée Orange est normalement utilisable avec une puce M6 Mobile.
Consommation:
Comme nous avons pu le voir dans les offres ci dessous, le premier palier vaut 10Mo, ce qui parait vraiment dérisoire, mais que peut on réellement faire avec 10Mo de trafic.
J’ai procédé aux tests suivants et voici la consommation (upload + download):
* Page d’accueil du site Le monde.fr + lecture d’un article de la une: 1.35Mo
* Consultation de netbook3G.com ainsi que 2 articles: 270Ko
* Page d’accueil du site Rue89.com + lecture d’un article: 2.11Mo
* Page d’accueil du site PCInpact + lecture de 2 articles: 1.09Mo
* Page d’accueil du site pagesjaunes.fr + une recherche: 899Ko
* Page d’accueil du site Voyages SNCF + simulation d’achat d’un billet de train AR Paris/Marseille: 2Mo
* Page d’accueil du site ratp.fr + recherche d’un itinéraire: 420Ko
* Page d’accueil de Gmail + consultation de 4 mails (pas de pièce jointe, juste texte et images): 950Ko
Pensez également à utiliser notre proxy pour réduire votre consommation de bande passante en 3G et Edge, ainsi que de suivre nos 3 conseils pour optimiser votre surf sur netbook grâce à Firefox.
Articles Similaires:
* Le Samsung NC10 3G chez Bouygues Télécom confirmé [MAJ]
* Les offres 3G Orange de Noël à partir du 13/11
* Orange sort (enfin) son offre MIPE pour étudiant avec le MEDION AKOYA E1210 et une clé 3G
* Comparatif des offres d’abonnement clé 3G chez SFR, Bouygues et Orange
* Bouygues offre 80€ pour l’achat d’un netbook + forfait DATA 3G
Si vous aimez cet article, votez pour nous:
votez
0
7 Commentaires »
1.
Max a dit
Le 13 février 2009 @ 19:49
Hello,
Vous pouvez rajouter également Call in Europe qui est sans abo, sans prepaid et marche très bien en occasionnel et hors france
2.
bestak a dit
Le 13 février 2009 @ 21:18
Il existe aussi d’autres MVNO de SFR:
http://www.coriolis.com/forfait-Internet-Ajustable-3G+/forfait-Ajustable-24mois.aspx
Abo (mensuel) prix de 16,80 à 41,80€ pour 25Mo à 600Mo sur 24 mois
Clé Icon 225 et Offre Samsun NC10 + clé à 200€ via ODR
en 12 mois cela donne: de 20,80 à 45,80
3.
Christophe a dit
Le 14 février 2009 @ 12:48
Merci Max et Bestak,
je vais mettre à jour l’article ASAP…
4.
Christophe a dit
Le 14 février 2009 @ 18:01
C’est mis à jour, par contre pour call in Europe, il n’y a pas de forfait DATA pur, il faut prendre un forfait voix et activer une option data comme les illimythique & Co…
5.
Arnaud a dit
Le 14 février 2009 @ 21:20
Bonjour, j’aimerai une petite confirmation, sur le Hyper@ de Auchan j’ai l’impression qu’il se limite au EDGE et non la 3G.
Merci
6.
Christophe a dit
Le 15 février 2009 @ 21:44
Salut Arnaud,
effectivement c’est une bonne remarque en plus pour les forfaits voix, il semblerait que Auchan utilise SFR, mais pour la data la carte de couverture renvoie vers Bouygues Telecom… Vu que Bouygues Telecom a ouvert son réseau 3G il n’y a que quelques mois, cela expliquerai pourquoi sur le site d’Auchan Mobile ils ne parlent que d’une couverture “Edge”…
Je mène l’enquête, je mettrais à jour l’article…
7.
Romain Perea a dit
Le 16 février 2009 @ 20:51
En fait, actuellement, il n’y a que Bouygues qui commercialise un illimité vraiment intéressant: 29.90 € par mois, sur 24 mois…
Ca vient directement concurrencer les forfaits ADSL…"
Inscription à :
Articles (Atom)
Articles
