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(CIDRAP News) – For the second time this week, scientists have reported the discovery of a human antibody that, at least in theory, could lead to development of a vaccine or drug effective against most types of influenza A, including the deadly H5N1 avian flu virus.

(CIDRAP News) – The number of pediatric influenza deaths outstripped last week's spike, and three more states reported widespread activity, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its weekly surveillance update.

Editor's note: This story was updated Feb 27 to include more information about an intradermal vaccine that Sanofi Pasteur is developing for the US market.

(CIDRAP News) – The European Union has approved the first influenza vaccine injected with a shallow needle prick into the skin instead of a jab all the way into muscle, according to Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccine's manufacturer.

Feb 26, 2009

(CIDRAP News) – More evidence that the Salmonella strain responsible for a nationwide outbreak was present in two widely separated Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) facilities surfaced yesterday when Texas officials announced they had found the contaminant in a product from PCA's Plainview, Tex., processing plant.

(CIDRAP News) – Americans who receive anthrax shots—mainly members of the military—are likely to get five injections into muscle tissue instead of six subcutaneous injections, as a result of action today by the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).

WHO confirms Vietnam's recent H5N1 deathThe World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed the death of a 23-year-old woman from H5N1 avian influenza. Her Feb 21 death raises the country's death toll to 53 among 109 cases, second only to Indonesia, which has 141 WHO-confirmed cases.[Feb 24 WHO statement]

(CIDRAP News) – The world's capacity to produce vaccines for an influenza pandemic has risen sharply in the past 2 years, but it would still take an estimated 4 years to meet the global demand if a pandemic emerged now, according to a report from an international strategy consulting firm.

(CIDRAP News) – In a development that could create new tools to prevent and treat seasonal and pandemic influenza, researchers have identified and tested human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that can neutralize influenza A viruses, including lethal H5N1 avian influenza.

Feb 23, 2009

Feb 20, 2009

(CIDRAP News) – The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today reported a spike in the number of pediatric influenza deaths, an increase that mirrors a continuing rise in flu activity across the nation.

(CIDRAP News) – The National Governors Association (NGA) today issued a report to help states protect their workforce and sustain key government functions such as law enforcement and water treatment during an influenza pandemic.

(CIDRAP News) – From stigmatization of people exposed to the virus to maintaining methadone treatment facilities, public health officials need to plan for a wide spectrum of mental health challenges that would likely emerge during an influenza pandemic, federal officials said today at a US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) live Web seminar (webinar).

Editor's note: The item on the Salmonella outbreak was revised Feb 19 to correct information on case numbers for specific states.

(CIDRAP News) – A US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee today recommended that pharmaceutical companies use one new influenza strain, the B component, in next season's flu vaccine.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) offered additional evidence today that the Peanut Corp of America (PCA) plant in Blakely, Ga., may not be the only PCA facility that has contributed to the nationwide Salmonella outbreak linked to peanut products.

Feb 17, 2009

Vietnam reports new H5N1 caseA Vietnamese man has tested positive for H5N1 avian influenza, according to an Associated Press (AP) story today. The 35-year-old man from Ninh Binh province in the north developed a fever Feb. 5 after slaughtering and eating several ducks that his family had raised, said a provincial health official. If confirmed by the World Health Organization, his case would be the country's 109th overall and second this year.