News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – An advisory group of experts to the World Health Organization (WHO) welcomed findings from an independent review committee on the agency's 2009 H1N1 pandemic response and expressed concern about findings of narcolepsy in Europe possibly linked to a flu vaccine.

(CIDRAP News) – An article published by the British Medical Journal says three scientists who helped frame World Health Organization (WHO) guidance on pandemic influenza preparedness had consulted for pharmaceutical companies that stood to profit from the WHO guidance and that the WHO did not disclose the scientists' industry ties.

(CIDRAP News) – The World Health Organization's (WHO's) vaccine advisory group recently agreed to keep in place its guidance on pandemic H1N1 vaccines and discussed contamination issues related to the Rotarix rotovirus vaccine.

(CIDRAP News) – Given signs that the pandemic H1N1 virus will continue its dominance over other flu strains, the World Health Organization (WHO) today recommended adding the pandemic strain as the H1N1 component of the seasonal flu vaccine for the Northern Hemisphere's next flu season.

(CIDRAP News) – An expert committee that advises the World Health Organization (WHO) today updated its guidance on pandemic H1N1 vaccines, recommending a single dose for most age-groups and advising that any of the forms are safe for pregnant women.

(CIDRAP News) – The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that seasonal influenza vaccines for use in the southern hemisphere next year contain the pandemic H1N1 virus instead of a current seasonal H1N1 strain, signaling that the pandemic strain is expected to push the older H1N1 strains aside.

(CIDRAP News) – The World Health Organization (WHO) said today that the fast-tracking of vaccines for pandemic H1N1 influenza won't compromise safety, while acknowledging that clinical data will be limited when the first doses are administered.

(CIDRAP News) – The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended today that governments put healthcare workers first in line for pandemic H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available and that countries should choose other priority groups on the basis of their own situations.

(CIDRAP News) – The World Health Organization (WHO) said today it will soon advise most countries to ease the volume of testing for novel H1N1 influenza and said testing related to recent oseltamivir-resistant cases has so far turned up no additional cases.