News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – In two new reports, the Canadian government gives itself a generally good grade for its response to the H1N1 pandemic but also lists many areas for improvement.

"Overall, the response of [health authorities] to the H1N1 pandemic is considered to have been effective," says the Public Health Agency of Canada's (PHAC's) report, released yesterday. The report covers the actions of that agency and of Health Canada.

(CIDRAP News) – The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today published a detailed look at the early field and epidemiologic studies it used to guide its response to the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, such as spread among household contacts, disease severity, and the impact on high-risk groups.

(CIDRAP News) – A team of US and Argentine researchers has proposed an unusual biological mechanism to explain severe pandemic H1N1 influenza cases in nonelderly adults, involving antibodies that react with but fail to stop the virus.

(CIDRAP News) – During the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, when colleges faced unique challenges, a group of large US universities found that preparedness paid off and that students were able to play a key role in response efforts, according to a new report.

(CIDRAP News) – More than 15,000 Canadians were hospitalized with pandemic influenza last year, thousands more than in a typical year, which prompted hospitals to cope by employing such steps as reducing the number of planned admissions, according to a report from a government-funded research institute.

(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) – A new study suggests that about half of essential workers, such as police and emergency medical personnel, might be unwilling to work during a serious pandemic. Meanwhile, another study indicates that it's common for employees in private industry to work while sick with flu-like symptoms.

Both studies were published on Sep 25 in an early online edition of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.