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Jun 10, 2009
The World Health Organization's (WHO's) count of novel H1N1 influenza cases reached 26,563 today, an increase of 1,275 since yesterday, Dr. Keiji Fukuda reported at a news briefing from Geneva. The death toll increased by 1, to 140, while the number of affected countries stayed the same at 73. Fukuda is the WHO's assistant director-general for health security and the environment.[Canwest News Service story]
An official from the World Health Organization (WHO) said today that health experts are closely monitoring novel H1N1 influenza infections in Canada's Inuit populations, following reports that the communities are seeing more than their share of severe cases.
(CIDRAP News) The World Health Organization (WHO) is getting "very close" to declaring that a novel H1N1 influenza pandemic has arrived, but the agency wants to spend more time preparing the world for that step so it won't cause panic, a WHO official said today.
Jun 8, 2009
(CIDRAP News) Government officials and researchers may have underestimated the potential role of pigs as "mixing vessels" for influenza viruses and the importance of swine surveillance for identifying new pandemic threats, veterinary experts from Mexico asserted recently.
Jun 5, 2009
(CIDRAP News) President Barack Obama this week asked Congress for another $2 billion in supplemental funds to fight the novel H1N1 influenza epidemic, on top of $2 billion requested a month ago, and also proposed to tap federal economic stimulus funds for up to another $3.1 billion for the same purpose.
Meanwhile, public health advocates said even more may be needed if a nationwide H1N1 vaccination campaign is launched in the fall.
(CIDRAP News) In an update on novel influenza developments in Mexico, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported today that patterns look like those in the United States and other nations, with cases leveling off nationwide and areas of localized transmission.
Jun 4, 2009
(CIDRAP News) A coalition of health policy groups today offered a "good news, bad news" evaluation of the US response to the novel H1N1 influenza epidemic so far.
The good news: The experience has shown that years of pandemic preparation have paid dividends, particularly with regard to coordination, communication, antiviral drugs, and vaccine development.
The irony is hard to miss. Much is being discussed and published about the "lessons learned" from the 2009 pandemic of the novel H1N1 influenza. And I expect the World Health Organization (WHO) will (as I did in my last column) finally call it a pandemic any moment now, based on extensive and growing transmission of the novel influenza virus in Australia and Europe.
(CIDRAP News) Australian health officials acknowledged today that the novel H1N1 influenza virus has achieved sustained community transmission in the state of Victoria, where 521 cases were reported today, an increase of 126 since yesterday.
Jun 3, 2009
Jun 2, 2009
(CIDRAP News) The global novel H1N1 influenza situation is drawing closer to the status of a true pandemic but is not there yet, the World Health Organization's (WHO's) lead spokesman on the issue said today.
"Globally we believe we're in phase 5 but are getting closer to phase 6," said Dr. Keiji Fukuda, the WHO assistant director-general for health security and the environment, referring to the WHO's pandemic alert phases.
Jun 1, 2009
May 29, 2009
