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Saturday, 12 December 2009 06:09 |
 The NPHS influenza surveillance scheme, which records reports of diagnoses of flu from more than 300 GP practices across Wales, shows that the rate of influenza consultation remains stable. Further detail can be found on the NPHS website.
The report from 8 December estimates there were 27.8 cases of a flu-like illness diagnosed by GPs out of every 100,000 people in Wales - this is the equivalent of 834 people in Wales contacting their GPs in the last seven days with flu like symptoms. Not all of these people will have swine flu and not everyone with flu like symptoms will contact their GP. |
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Thursday, 10 December 2009 05:08 |
 The 2009 H1N1 influenza virus used a new strategy to cross from birds into humans, a warning that it has more than one trick up its sleeve to jump the species barrier and become virulent. In a report in this week's early online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, researchers show that the H1N1, or swine flu, virus adopted a new mutation in one of its genes distinct from the mutations found in previous flu viruses, |
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Thursday, 10 December 2009 04:46 |
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 The German government is looking to sell over 2 million leftover doses of the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine, the country's health minister said Monday, Agence France-Presse reports. "A health ministry senior official in the state of Thuringia,
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Thursday, 03 December 2009 06:11 |
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 The Washington Post: "Citing the balky swine flu vaccination campaign and other shortcomings in the nation's medical defenses, a top Obama administration official has announced a major review of the government's efforts to develop new protections against pandemics, bioterrorism and other health threats." The impetus for the review came "in part because the H1N1 vaccine shortage had highlighted the nation's dependence on antiquated technology." Sebelius said she anticipates the review to be complete by "early next year" (Stein, 12/1).
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Thursday, 03 December 2009 06:05 |
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 The number of H1N1 (swine flu) cases in the U.S. appears to be decreasing, the CDC said Tuesday, CQ HealthBeat reports. "Flu was widespread in 32 states by the end of the week of Nov. 21, a decrease from 43 states in the prior week and 46 states earlier this fall, according to the CDC," the news service writes. "At the same time, supplies of H1N1 vaccine doses slowly are building and it's expected the vaccine will be more widely available in the coming weeks" (Norman, 12/1).
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Tuesday, 01 December 2009 06:04 |
Governor Edward G. Rendell announced that 100,000 Pennsylvanians at-risk for the H1N1 flu were vaccinated during the weekend at public health clinics held by the Department of Health and local health departments.
"With the federal government unable to provide accurate estimates and projections regarding the availability of H1N1 vaccine, distribution has been challenging," said Governor Rendell. "Overall, we are pleased with the H1N1 vaccine distribution process in Pennsylvania. |
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Thursday, 26 November 2009 05:53 |
 Rates of infection by the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus may have peaked in late October, but the pandemic flu virus continues to be a potential source of illness in all age groups, including the elderly, according to a new report by Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE: DGX), the world's leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services. |
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Saturday, 21 November 2009 02:50 |
 Pet owners who contract H1N1 flu may pass the disease along to their pets, especially if the pet is a cat or ferret.
"A small number of companion animal H1N1 flu cases have been confirmed in the U.S.," said Dick Hesse, a flu expert and director of virology in Kansas State University's Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. "The pets appear to have become ill after being in close contact with their owners and caretakers who were sick with H1N1. There is no evidence of pets passing H1N1 to people at this time." |
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Wednesday, 18 November 2009 22:45 |
 The H1N1 flu virus is spreading misery around the country, but University of Michigan researchers say that implementing and sustaining infection-limiting measures will still be a challenge.
In focus groups with residents from four Michigan communities, U-M researchers found that people's mistrust in government and concerns about job security or financial burdens would make social distancing efforts hard to maintain in any pandemic. The study's results were published this month in the American Journal of Bioethics. |
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Saturday, 14 November 2009 06:39 |
 Memorial Blood Centers addressed recent concerns about the potential effect of H1N1 on the local blood supply and detailed the steps the organization continues to take to meet the needs of its 30 area hospital partners for a safe and ample supply of blood and blood products. |
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Saturday, 12 December 2009 06:04 |
 American adults are not being vaccinated against the seasonal flu any more often than they were last year, despite increased public discussion of the importance of influenza vaccines resulting from the worldwide outbreak of the H1N1 virus, according to a new RAND Corporation study. |
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Thursday, 10 December 2009 04:56 |
 A new study from researchers at the UK Medical Research Council and the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) projects that the severity of the H1N1 flu during the autumn-winter flu season in the U.S. will likely be less than previously feared. |
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Tuesday, 08 December 2009 06:31 |
Research published this week in PLoS Medicine presents the most accurate assessment to date of the severity of the swine flu (H1N1) pandemic in the US.
Scientists need to measure the severity of swine flu (how often infection with the swine flu virus results in symptoms leading to illness, hospitalization or death) so that appropriate pandemic plans can be put into place. |
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Thursday, 03 December 2009 06:08 |
 Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX) reported favorable initial results from the first stage of a two-stage pivotal Phase II study evaluating the safety and immunogenicity of the company's 2009 H1N1 virus-like particle (VLP) pandemic influenza vaccine. Novavax is conducting this study in collaboration with Avimex Laboratories of Mexico to support registration of the vaccine in Mexico and potentially other countries. |
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Tuesday, 01 December 2009 06:08 |
 One additional patient has tested positive for swine flu resistant to Tamiflu at a Cardiff hospital unit.
The patient - who was linked with the previous group of five people found to be resistant to Tamiflu last week - was tested as part of the routine screening arrangements introduced at the University Hospital of Wales. |
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Thursday, 26 November 2009 05:59 |
 The NPHS influenza surveillance scheme, which records reports of diagnoses of flu from more than 300 GP practices across Wales, shows that there has been a decrease in the rate of influenza consultations. Further detail can be found on the NPHS website.
The report from 22 November estimates there were 38.2 cases of a flu-like illness diagnosed by GPs out of every 100,000 people in Wales - this is the equivalent of 1,146 people in Wales contacting their GPs in the last seven days with flu like symptoms. Not all of these people will have swine flu and not everyone with flu like symptoms will contact their GP. |
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Saturday, 21 November 2009 02:59 |
 Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held company, announced that it has expanded its Phase 2 clinical study of a proprietary investigational triple-combination antiviral drug therapy for influenza to include centers in the United States, Canada and Europe. |
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Saturday, 21 November 2009 02:47 |
 A new study on pediatric H1N1 influenza admissions has found that asthma is a significant risk factor for severe disease in children with pandemic H1N1 compared with the seasonal flu. The study (http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/rapidpdf/cmaj.091724), led by researchers from The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto, Ontario, is published online in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). |
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Tuesday, 17 November 2009 06:16 |
 Researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology have found that previous influenza infections may provide at least some level of immunity to the H1N1 "swine" flu. "The question we asked was, "Is the swine flu more like the seasonal flu or like a totally new strain of influenza where there would be no immunity?," said Alessandro Sette, Ph.D., an internationally recognized vaccine expert and director of the La Jolla Institute's Center for Infectious Disease. "What we have found is that the swine flu has similarities to the seasonal flu, which appear to provide some level of pre-existing immunity. |
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Saturday, 14 November 2009 06:37 |
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 Ahead of the anticipated CDC release of revised U.S. H1N1 (swine flu) death toll estimates, Reuters examines how the agency and WHO measure the impact of the virus, after both organizations "stopped trying to count actual cases months ago, once it became clear that H1N1 was a pandemic that would infect millions."
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