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China showing signs of second pandemic flu wave

(CIDRAP News) – In a move designed to lighten the burden on emergency departments and clinics, Minnesota officials today unveiled a flu triage line staffed by nurses who can discuss symptoms with sick patients, suggest treatment steps, and prescribe an antiviral drug if the caller is in a high-risk category.

OSHA to issue standards for H1N1-related healthcare inspections

(CIDRAP News) – Federal health officials presented more evidence today that pandemic H1N1 influenza primarily targets young people, reporting that more than half of recently hospitalized patients and close to a quarter of those who died were younger than 25.

(CIDRAP News) – The German Ministry of Food, Agriculture & Consumer Protection (BMELV) today announced that it has agreed to host the influenza gene sequence database of the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID), putting its future on a more solid footing as the world enters the second wave of the H1N1 flu pandemic.

(CIDRAP News) – The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) today confirmed the pandemic H1N1 flu virus in a sample from a Minnesota pig, marking the first detection of the virus in pigs in the United States.

Oct 19, 2009

Oct 16

(CIDRAP News) – The susceptibility of some young, healthy people to severe illness with pandemic H1N1 influenza marks a striking difference from the pattern of disease seen in seasonal flu epidemics, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today.

(CIDRAP News) – Production delays are cutting into federal pandemic vaccine–supply projections at a time when virus activity is widespread in 41 states and children's deaths are spiraling, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today.

Since August, federal officials have predicted that 45 million pandemic vaccine doses would be available by mid October, but today the CDC said the total so far is 11.4 million.

(CIDRAP News) – In response to questions from citizens at a meeting yesterday, a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official said the agency would make a decision "fairly soon" about permitting emergency use of the experimental antiviral drug peramivir to help patients severely ill with pandemic H1N1 influenza.

Flu up slightly on US campuses
The American College Health Association (ACHA) reports that the incidence of flu-like illnesses on member campuses last week was 19.2 per 10,000 students, an increase of about 2% from the 18.9 per 10,000 the week before. The report listed 5,959 new cases at 238 schools. By region, the most new cases were reported in the middle Atlantic states and the Southeast.

(CIDRAP News) – The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today issued eagerly awaited recommendations on pandemic H1N1 infection control in healthcare settings, which affirms its earlier guidance on N-95 respirators but spells out other options for when the respirators are in short supply.

Oct 14, 2009

(CIDRAP News) – Top state health officials said today they have been kept busy battling rumors and myths about the pandemic H1N1 vaccine, on top of the demanding work of coordinating the vaccination program just getting under way.

(CIDRAP News) – About half of the pandemic H1N1 vaccine coming from manufacturers is now injectable doses, and shipments are on their way to states to use this week alongside the nasal-spray version that is already available, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today.

NIAID launches vaccine trials in HIV-infected groups

(CIDRAP News) – A collection of new studies is demonstrating once again the ability of the pandemic H1N1 virus to make some people desperately sick and is raising questions about the potential strain on critical-care resources this fall and winter.

Oct 12, 2009

Oct 9, 2009