미국 CDC에서 돼지독감 바이러스가 여전히 떠돌고 있으며, 특히 미국 남부지역의 앨라배마, 플로리다, 조지아, 켄터키, 미시시피, 노스 캐놀라이나, 사우스 캐롤라이나, 테네시주에서 발병 사례의 50%가 보고되고 있다고 밝혔다는 로이터 통신의 4월 15일자 뉴스입니다.
CDC는 2010년 3월 4째주의 경우, 전체 사망자의 7.9%의 사망원인이 폐렴이나 인플루엔자였다고 강조했으며, 0~4세의 영유아의 입원율이 높았다고 밝혔습니다.
CDC는 지난 1년간 돼지독감(H1N1) 바이러스 감염에 의해 1만2천명 이상이 사망했을 것이며, 26만 5천명 이상이 입원했을 것으로 추정했습니다.
지난 주 조에 WHO 응급위원회의 존 매킨지( John Mackenzie) 는 신종플루 대유행(H1N1 flu pandemic is) 바이러스는 3백만명 이상의 사망자를 낸 1957년과 1968년 인플루엔자 바이러스만큼 병독력이 강하다는 발언을 했다고 합니다.(존 매킨지가 과학적 근거가 부족한 이러한 발언에 어떻게 책임을 지려는지 지켜봐야겠습니다.)
미국이 주문한 1억6천2백만명분의 돼지독감 백신 중에서 8천1백만~9천1백만명(50~56%) 분만이 예방접종되었다고 밝혔습니다.(주문량의 50~56% 소모)
따라서 8천1백만~1천1백만명분의 백신재고량이 유효기간이 지나면 폐기처분될 상황에 직면해 있습니다.
그러므로 WHO 고위관계자나 미 CDC에서 돼지독감 위험에 대해 지속적인 경고를 하는 이유는 재고백신을 처리하기 위한 목적이 더 강한 것으로 보입니다.
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H1N1 swine flu still around, CDC says
Source: (Reuters) Thu Apr 15, 3:13 pm ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – H1N1 swine flu continues to cause epidemics, especially in the southeast of the United States, U.S. federal researchers reported on Thursday.
Americans who have not been vaccinated should still try to get the shot or nasal spray, the team at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
The CDC’s weekly surveillance report on influenza mirrors the World Health Organization’s warning that the pandemic continues, although at low levels. As long as the virus is being passed among people, it could change and re-emerge at any time, infectious disease specialists say.
“For the week ending March 27, 2010, pneumonia or influenza was reported as an underlying or contributing cause of death for 7.9 percent of all deaths” in the United States, the CDC said. This is slightly above the epidemic threshold of 7.8 percent that the CDC has set for the last week of March.
More than half the reported cases were in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Children were the hardest-hit, in contrast to seasonal influenza, which is usually worst among the elderly.
“This season’s cumulative hospitalization rates from August 30, 2009, through the week ending March 27, 2010, remain highest in children aged 0-4 years,” the CDC said.
Earlier this week John Mackenzie of the WHO’s Emergency Committee said the H1N1 flu pandemic is as severe as influenza pandemics in 1957 and 1968 — which killed 3 million people between them.
The CDC estimates that H1N1 has killed 12,000 Americans and put more than 265,000 in hospital.
Between 81 and 91 million doses of influenza vaccine have been administered of the 162 million doses shipped across the country, the center said.
Early in the pandemic, there were long lines of people clamoring for H1N1 vaccines but there was not enough to go around. By the time vaccines were available in ample supplies, most of the public had lost interest.
The United States has contracts with five influenza vaccine makers — Novartis, AstraZeneca unit MedImmune, Sanofi Aventis, GlaxoSmithKline and Australian vaccine maker CSL.
(Reporting by Maggie Fox, editing by Anthony Boadle)
