Jan 7, 2010
College flu activity down, vaccination up
Mirroring the national pattern, flu activity at colleges continues to decline, according to the American College Health Association (ACHA). It said new cases were down 21% from the week before. One new death was reported. The attack rate was 2.7 cases per 10,000 students. The percentage of students who have been vaccinated rose slightly to 8%, with some states reaching 20% with vaccine availability improving.
http://www.acha.org/ILI_Project/ILI_Surveillance.cfm/?date=010710
ACHA report for week ending Dec 18
NYC's early flu cases helped steer treatment
A review of New York City's first hospitalized pandemic flu patients, used early in the outbreak to guide local and federal response, revealed that people with asthma or the obese were more likely to have severe illness, according to the latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Findings that early antiviral treatment led to shorter hospital stays influenced recommendations that patients at risk for flu complications receive early osteltamivir (Tamiflu) treatment.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5851a2.htm
Jan 8 MMWR report
Kids' cases show false-negatives, coinfections
In a review of the first 13 pediatric patients hospitalized for pandemic flu at Johns Hopkins, researchers found that all but one had an underlying medical condition, especially asthma, and that respiratory effects from the disease varied widely. Their report, published in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, also notes that rapid tests were negative in 8 of 13 children and that about a fourth developed bacterial coinfections. Half needed ventilators, but none died.
http://journals.lww.com/pccmjournal/Abstract/publishahead/The_critically_ill_child_with_novel_H1N1_influenza.99631.aspx
Dec 31 Ped Crit Care Med abstract
Turkey to cancel some vaccine orders
Turkey plans to scale back its purchase of 43 million doses of H1N1 vaccine, joining other countries taking similar steps, Today's Zaman newspaper reported today. The ministry said pandemic flu activity has been declining since late November. So far half of the 8 million doses Turkey has received have been administered. The ministry said one in five people have been infected with the virus, especially adults under 50, children, and pregnant women.
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news-197730-100-turkish-health-ministry-reduces-swine-flu-vaccine-purchase.html
Jan 7 Today's Zaman story
H1N1 in California turkeys, Illinois pigs
California officials announced that the pandemic H1N1 virus has been detected in a turkey breeding flock in the central part of the state, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) reported. The only sign of illness was a drop in egg production. Meanwhile, the US Department of Agriculture reported that its National Veterinary Services Laboratories have confirmed the virus in swine herd samples from Illinois that were collected Dec 16.
http://www.avma.org/public_health/influenza/new_virus/default.asp
Jan 6 AVMA report
