Oct 1, 2009
Poll: Americans iffy on pandemic flu shot
Americans are uncertain about getting the pandemic H1N1 vaccine, according to a poll conducted in early September by the Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center. Only 34% said they would definitely get the vaccine when it's available, while 21% said they would decline. Forty-three percent said they will wait and see what happens with flu developments. The nation survey of 1,502 adults found that 35% will have their children vaccinated, 50% are unsure, and 14% will not.
http://blogs.consumerreports.org/health/2009/09/swine-flu-poll-majority-of-americans-unsure-about-getting-swine-flu-vaccine-preventing-swine-flu.html
Consumer Reports poll results
US Army records H1N1 death
An apparently healthy 23-year-old soldier may be the US military's first fatality from the novel strain. Spec. Christopher Hogg of Deltona, Fla., serving at Fort Jackson, S.C., died of flu-related pneumonia Sep 10, 10 days after falling ill. The fort's commanding general told media that autopsy data confirmed Spec. Hogg had no underlying conditions that would have made him vulnerable. More than 50 soldiers at the 10,000-member base, the Army's largest training center, currently have flu.
http://www.thestate.com/local/story/966039.html
Oct 1 The State (Columbia, S.C.) article
Flu sidelines 1 in 14 on US Navy ship
An outbreak of H1N1 flu aboard the USS Boxer, a Navy amphibious assault ship holding more than 2,200 sailors and Marines, put 166 personnel into isolation for an average of 3.6 days each, according to military medical surveillance. Epidemiologists described the illness, which struck 7.3% of personnel, as mild and brief, with cough, aches, sore throat and fevers less than 102 degrees. The month-long outbreak began after the ship completed a 5-day "liberty port" in Phuket, Thailand.
Sanofi warns of delay in seasonal flu shots
A spokeswoman from Sanofi said today that the company is behind on its shipments of seasonal flu vaccine because of pressure to quickly produce the pandemic flu vaccine, the Associated Press (AP) reported today. Sanofi said it has shipped more than half of the 50.5 million doses ordered by US providers, who may face delays into November. Some clinics have had to turn patients away, despite advice to get seasonal flu shots early to make way for the pandemic H1N1 shot.
Navy awards $1.25 million for DNA flu vaccine
San Diego biotech company Vical Inc. said Thursday it has received $1.25 million from the US Navy to support a phase 1 human clinical trial of its DNA-based vaccine against H1N1 flu. The company received earlier grants from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for the technology, which has shown early positive results using strains of H5N1 avian flu.
Sanofi study confirms H1N1 vaccine 1-dose efficacy
Sanofi today announced the results of additional trials that confirm the company's pandemic H1N1 vaccine is effective with just one dose, similar to initial findings from a National Institutes of Health study. Results of the latest trial of 849 adults show that a single 15-microgram dose is protective after 21 days, even in seniors. US regulators approved Sanofi's vaccine on Sep 15.
