H1N1 NEWS SCAN: Severe illness, antiviral protection, hand hygiene

H1N1 2009 Pandemic Influenza
Pandemic Influenza

Jul 28, 2010

Beijing study: Obesity, pregnancy not tied to serious H1N1
A study of 475 severe, 73 critical, and 69 fatal pandemic H1N1 cases in Beijing last year showed that heart disease, diabetes, and allergies increased the risk of serious disease, while obesity and pregnancy did not. Also, those aged 6 to 17 years had a lower risk of serious illness. The city had a case-fatality rate of 0.6%, and serious cases made up 5.7% of all H1N1 cases. About half the patients had no underlying condition (58% of severe, 53% of critical, and 41% of fatal cases).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jinf.2010.07.010
Jul 27 J Infect abstract

Antivirals protected against secondary infection
Japanese public health staff visited 124 homes of people infected with pandemic flu last year, educating household contacts about flu-avoidance steps and providing 88% of contacts with antiviral drugs (postexposure prophylaxis, or PEP). The secondary attack rate (SAR) in the households visited was 0.6% in contacts given PEP (2 of 331, including an antiviral-resistant case), compared with 26.1% in those with no PEP (12 of 46). The researchers estimated the protective efficacy of PEP to be 98%.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jinf.2010.06.019
Jul 27 J Infect abstract

Pandemic led to better hand hygiene
South Korean researchers who surveyed 942 college students last December found that 30% said they had increased their frequency of hand washing over the previous year. Female students, students who perceived hand washing to be effective, and those who perceived H1N1 illness to be more severe were more likely to wash hands frequently. The authors say their results suggest that public education campaigns are effective at changing behavior.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2334-10-222
Jul 28 BMC Infect Dis abstract

This week's top reads

  1. FDA significantly limits COVID-19 vaccine recommendations

    Critics said today’s announcement is more evidence of the current administration’s willingness to undermine public trust in vaccines.

    Stephanie Soucheray
    FDA building

  2. USDA suspends southern border livestock imports over New World screwworm threat

    As cattle detections track northward, Mexico recently reported its first human case.

    Lisa Schnirring
    screwworm larva

  3. Meta-analysis: Zika-infected pregnant moms 4 times more likely to have babies with microcephaly

    Five of 22 studies noted that over 50% of newborns had microcephaly, and the same number of studies observed that over 5% had congenital Zika syndrome. 

    Mary Van Beusekom

  4. Woman dies of Creutzfeldt-Jakob almost 50 years after taking prion-contaminated growth hormone

    The patient, who presented with gait imbalance and tremors, wasn't diagnosed until she was in a coma, shortly before she died.

    Mary Van Beusekom
    Woman in hospital bed

  5. HHS expected to discontinue COVID vaccine recommendations for some groups

    When CDC advisers widened their recommendation in 2023, most members were swayed by data, including those for long COVID, showing that no group is at low risk for the virus.

    Lisa Schnirring

  6. Data suggest COVID-19 reinfections less likely to cause long COVID

    The risk of long COVID was two to three times higher after the initial infection (14.8%) than after first (5.8%) or second (5.3%) reinfections.

    Stephanie Soucheray
    LONG COID

  7. WHO advisers say current strains OK for COVID vaccine production

    Current vaccine strains show high neutralization against the latest variants, but the LP.8.1 antigen may provide similar or moderately higher cross-reactive antibody response.

    Lisa Schnirring
    senior vaccination

  8. Texas announces more measles cases, including first in Dallas area

    Two cases near the Dallas area are now included in the large outbreak, which now totals 717 cases.

    Lisa Schnirring

  9. US measles outbreak grows to 1,024 cases

    Texas remains the country's hot spot, with 718 cases. 

    Chris Dall
    Doctor treating child with measles

  10. Saudi Arabia confirms 9 MERS cases, including hospital cluster

    Since 2023, the country has ramped up MERS-CoV testing as part of sentinel surveillance.

    Lisa Schnirring
    hospital isolation

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