News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – Researchers who took a detailed look at 2009 H1N1 deaths in Mexico, where the virus was first detected, found that the new flu virus was more deadly than most seasonal flu epidemics and more lethal than in other countries, which confirms impressions early in the pandemic that the disease was worse in Mexico.

(CIDRAP News) – A thorough surveillance study from France reinforces findings from other countries about obesity and delayed antiviral treatment as risk factors for severe 2009 H1N1 influenza, while indicating that the pandemic put a greater burden on intensive care units (ICUs) than seasonal flu typically does.

(CIDRAP News) – India and New Zealand are still the world's hot spots for pandemic H1N1 flu activity, with flu and other respiratory illness activity low in most of the Southern Hemisphere, which is nearing the end of its winter flu season, the World Health Organization (WHO)said today.

(CIDRAP News) – Pandemic H1N1 flu activity is intense in parts of India and New Zealand and is circulating at low-to-moderate levels in a few other parts of the world, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported today.

Earlier this week the WHO declared that the H1N1 influenza pandemic was over and changed the pandemic alert phase to the post-pandemic period, but it warned that the virus was still circulating and warranted continued surveillance.