News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – US influenza policy experts who gathered in Washington, DC, today called for better vaccines and other steps for improving pandemic and seasonal flu preparedness, themes echoed in an action plan released by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).

(CIDRAP News) – Although antiviral drugs were used to treat many seriously sick people during the H1N1 influenza pandemic, experts at a conference today said they could have been used more widely and that some opportunities to learn from their use were missed.

(CIDRAP News) – Two federal officials who frequently appeared on television as top sources during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic provided a rare glimpse behind the curtain at some of the event's pivotal moments today during a panel discussion at an infectious disease conference in Washington, DC.

(CIDRAP News) – The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued new guidance for preventing flu in healthcare settings that reflects a year's worth of new information about the 2009 H1N1 virus and recommends surgical masks rather than N-95 respirators when providing routine care for flu patients.

(CIDRAP News) – Federal officials today allowed the public health emergency declaration that was prompted by the H1N1 influenza outbreak last year to lapse, signaling an end to emergency authorizations for certain special uses of antiviral drugs and other items.

Editor's Note: This is the first of a series of articles reviewing the world's experience with pandemic H1N1 influenza and what we've learned in the past year. Look for further installments in the days to come.

(CIDRAP News) – A year's experience with the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus has underscored the endless unpredictability of flu.

(CIDRAP News) – A new study suggests that patients infected with pandemic H1N1 influenza can transmit the live virus longer than previously thought, though it's not clear if the findings will lead to changes in self-isolation recommendations.

(CIDRAP News) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today revised its novel H1N1 influenza (swine flu) guidance for schools, urging schools and parents to identify and isolate sick children rather than close schools when cases are identified or suspected.

(CIDRAP News) – Vice President Joe Biden today told Matt Lauer on NBC's "Today" show that he has advised his family not to fly on airlines or ride subways to avoid exposure to the swine flu virus, a message that goes well beyond the government's current travel advice for Americans to avoid nonessential trips to Mexico.