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(CIDRAP News) – The first wave of pandemic H1N1 influenza cases in Mexico hit hardest in the most crowded parts of Mexico City and may have been spurred by an Easter Week event that drew 2 million visitors to one of those areas, according to Mexican researchers.

Oct 8, 2010

(CIDRAP News) – The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday issued final estimates for last season's flu vaccine and the 2009 H1N1 monovalent vaccine, confirming a record number of flu vaccine doses distributed.

The CDC's report on the vaccines, published yesterday on its Web site, is a follow-up to preliminary and state-by-state coverage estimates that it issued in April.

(CIDRAP News) – In its review of summer flu activity in the United States and across the globe today, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that patterns, which included a few clusters and sporadic illness, were typical.

(CIDRAP News) – As the nation enters its first flu season under a new universal flu immunization recommendation, federal health officials and representatives from several professional groups today gathered in Washington, DC, to rally support for seasonal flu vaccination, armed with new information about vaccine patterns in physicians, consumers, and mothers.

Oct 7, 2010

(CIDRAP News) – A new report says that a cell culture derived influenza vaccine and a conventional egg-based vaccine both proved effective in a large international clinical trial, offering support for those who contend that cell-based vaccines should become an important part of flu vaccine supplies in coming years.

Oct 6, 2010

(CIDRAP News) – Two internationally known health officials yesterday gave their assessment of the global response to the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, saying good decisions were made based on what was known early in the outbreak but adding that the experience yielded several important lessons, such as the need for more flexible pandemic plans and the need to communicate more clearly about risks.

(CIDRAP News) – A review of how the first wave of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic affected Southern Hemisphere countries found many similarities with Northern Hemisphere countries, though many patients had no underlying risk factors for flu complications and pregnant women didn't seem to have severe outcomes.

(CIDRAP News) – In a study that could help bolster seasonal flu vaccination levels in pregnant women, researchers who monitored newborns over three flu seasons found that babies born to vaccinated mothers had lower risks of infections and hospitalizations and had higher antibody levels during their first few months of life.

Oct 4, 2010

Oct 1, 2010

(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.

Sep 30, 2010

(CIDRAP News) – Speaking at a Senate committee hearing today, US Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said a cell-based seasonal influenza vaccine from Novartis could be on the US market in time for the 2011-12 flu season.

(CIDRAP News) – The external committee tasked with reviewing the World Health Organization's (WHO's) response to the H1N1 pandemic wrapped up its third round of live meetings in Geneva today, hearing from an array of country and organization health representatives, as well as WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, who strongly defended the organization's response.