News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – Influenza activity continued its early-season upward trend in the United States last week, while the flu season showed some signs of getting under way in Europe. In addition, US investigators found another case of swine-origin H3N2 flu, this one in a Minnesotan who has recovered.

(CIDRAP News) – Flu activity in the United States rose substantially last week, hitting the national baseline at the earliest point in the season since the 2003-04 flu season, and the first case of variant H3N2 (H3N2v) since September has been reported from Iowa, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported today.

(CIDRAP News) – The World Health Organization (WHO) is recommending that influenza vaccines for the Southern Hemisphere's 2013 flu season should contain the same three strains as the vaccines now being administered to millions in the Northern Hemisphere.

(CIDRAP News) – Influenza activity is widespread across most of Australia and is running above baseline levels in New Zealand, though activity patterns and circulating virus strains vary among Southern Hemisphere countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in its latest global flu update.

(CIDRAP News) – US flu activity is still hanging on, though some indicators show signs of declining, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today.