What makes pandemic H1N1 tickNovember 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientist have come one step closer to understanding why the pandemic H1N1 virus, commonly known as "swine flu," is lower than expected in older adults as it continues to evolve. Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center in California sought to understand why children and young adults were more susceptible to the rising H1N1 strain.
22 mn Americans hit by swine flu, 3,900 dead in six monthsNovember 13th, 2009 more imagesWASHINGTON - At least 22 million Americans have come down with swine flu since the virus first surfaced in April and approximately 3,900 people have died, including an estimated 540 children, according to an US health official. "What we are seeing in 2009 is unprecedented.
H1N1 pediatric deaths quadruple in US under new methodNovember 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Pediatric deaths from swine flu in the US are much more extensive than previously thought after health officials expanded their counting method, the nation's disease control agency said Thursday. An estimated 540 children under age 18 have died since the H1N1 flu virus emerged in mid April, more than four times the 129 pediatric deaths reported as of last week by the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia.
Public sneezing in times of flu pandemic triggers fear of unrelated hazardsNovember 3rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new American study suggests that sneezing in public in times of a flu pandemic creates a huge fear of health threats, including risks that cannot possibly be linked to germs. The research conducted by Spike Lee and Norbert Schwarz, psychologists at the University of Michigan will appear in the latest issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
Eight swine flu myths that could put your life at riskOctober 29th, 2009 WASHINGTON - With as much information as we all are hearing about swine flu, there is also a lot of misinformation. Therefore, learning about myths surrounding swine flu can provide protection against the virus, reports New Scientist.
US gearing up to fight swine flu amid vaccine shortageOctober 27th, 2009 WASHINGTON - As the deadly H1N1 swine flu spread widely in 46 of 50 American states with some 1,000 confirmed deaths since April, the Obama administration geared up to meet the threat on a war footing amidst a vaccine shortage. After President Barack Obama declared the H1N1 swine flu a national emergency Saturday, his top health official Monday assured Americans that the swine flu vaccine "is coming out the door as fast as it comes off the production line."
Appearing Monday morning on three network news shows, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius acknowledged delays in getting the swine flu vaccine to Americans, but assured that eventually there will be enough supplies "for everyone."
"We were relying on the manufacturers to give us their numbers, and as soon as we got numbers we put them out to the public," Sebelius said on a morning network news programme.
Rapid vaccine rollout effective in reducing H1N1 influenza virus attack rateOctober 14th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A simulation model of a pandemic outbreak developed by Canadian researchers has shown that timely steps, especially the quick distribution of vaccines, can help limit and reduce the attack rate of the H1N1 influenza virus. The model developed by researchers from the University of Toronto, the Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion and the Research Institute of the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario, was presented in a new report that has appeared in the CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
Native populations 'at increased swine flu risk'October 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - While the entire world is traumatised by the news of swine flu pandemic, it is the native people who are suffering a swine flu infection rate four to five times higher than that of the general population, says a recent report. The world's indigenous people-tribes and other groups who inhabit the lands where, as far as anyone knows, their ancestors arose-are at greatest risk from the swine flu pandemic, according to native-rights groups.
Grounding planes won't stop swine flu from spreadingOctober 3rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - At a recent meeting in Washington, a panel of experts from the government, academia and the airlines industry, has determined that attempting to ground planes won't stop pandemics like swine flu from spreading. One of the major conclusions from the two-day meeting was that restricting air travel during a pandemic, such as the current swine flu strain of influenza that is circulating globally, is not likely to have much of an effect.
Aspirin misuse behind high death toll during 1918-1919 flu pandemicOctober 3rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - The high death toll during the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic might be attributed to the misuse of aspirin, says an article. Published in the online edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases, the article sounds a cautionary note at a time when health experts are discussing their concerns about the novel H1N1 virus.
Exposure to H1N1 strain in womb linked to higher heart disease riskOctober 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Looking at more than 100,000 individuals born during and around the time of the 1918 flu pandemic in the US, a collaborative study has shown that people exposed to an H1NI strain of influenza A were significantly more likely to develop cardiovascular disease later in life. "Our point is that during pregnancy, even mild sickness from flu could affect development with longer consequences," said senior author Caleb Finch, USC professor of gerontology and biological sciences.
US approves swine flu vaccineSeptember 15th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US Food and Drug Administration Tuesday approved a vaccine designed to protect against the swine flu and hopes to make it available within a month. The regulator approved the vaccine manufactured by four different drug companies and said the first batches of shots should be available in the US within the next four weeks.
Scientists propose aggressive vaccination program to control swine flu pandemicSeptember 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Researchers at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute (VIDI) at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have concluded that an aggressive vaccination program that first targets children, and ultimately reaches 70 percent of the US population, would mitigate pandemic influenza H1N1 that is expected this fall. The researchers came to the above conclusion after conducting computer modelling and analysis of observational studies.
Why do doctors think swine flu might need 2 shots? The answer is in the immune systemSeptember 2nd, 2009 Single flu dose or two? Why doctors aren't sureWASHINGTON — Why do scientists warn it may take two doses of vaccine to protect against swine flu when one dose is the norm in a regular flu season? Blame your naive immune system. It takes the immune system a while to ramp up to fight unique types of influenza.
H1N1 virus unlikely to mutate into 'superbug'September 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - The H1N1 virus, responsible for spreading swine flu, is unlikely to mix with other flu strains to form a more virulent 'superbug', say researchers. In the study, researchers from University of Maryland exposed ferrets to three different viruses and no evidence that the H1N1 combines with other flu strains to form a superbug, but overtook it.
