Study says Ontario's vaccine campaign worth it
Even though it began late in the pandemic, Ontario's H1N1 vaccination efforts may have saved 50 lives, averted 1 million cases, and was well worth the cost, according to a new study. Using data on hospitalizations and deaths before the start of the campaign, Ontario health officials used a computer model to predict what would have happened without the vaccine. They estimated the vaccine prevented 420 hospitalizations, 28,000 emergency-department trips, and 100,000 visits to physicians' offices.
http://www.canada.com/health/H1N1+immunization+campaign+prevented+deaths+hospitalizations+Study/3295585/story.html
Jul 19 Postmedia News story
Pandemic kills 21 more in India
India reported 332 pandemic flu cases and 21 deaths this past week, up a bit from 330 cases and 17 deaths the week before, according to the Press Trust of India (PTI) today. The southern states of Kerala and Maharashtra reported the most deaths, 8 and 11, respectively. Only 1 of the 332 patients contracted the disease outside India.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100719/jsp/frontpage/story_126999610.jsp
Jul 19 PTI article
India mandates vaccine for health workers
With pandemic flu on the increase in the country and more than 60% of its vaccine still unused, India's health secretary has made flu vaccination of healthcare workers mandatory. Union Health and Family Welfare Secretary K. Sujatha Rao asked the state to make the vaccination "mandatory for all health workers without fail." Stressing urgency, she said, "The life of this vaccine is not very long and needs to be utilised well before its expiry date."
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/81854/use-h1n1-vaccine-stock-centre.html
Jul 16 Deccan Herald story
Experts criticize Egypt's pandemic response
Egyptian health experts are questioning their government's pandemic response, according to a report from the UN's Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN). They point to the nation's culling of all swine early on, which affected many people's livelihoods, as well as its cutting class sizes in half and being unable to vaccinate many people. "Egypt is probably the only country in the world that acted in such an insane way towards the virus," said Saed Aun, a former health ministry adviser.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=89873
Jul 19 IRIN report
