H1N1 NEWS SCAN: WHO committee to review critical reports, pandemic waves in Germany studied

H1N1 2009 Pandemic Influenza

Jun 7, 2010

Pandemic review committee to look at new reports
Dr Harvey Fineberg, chairman of the World Health Organization's (WHO's) pandemic review committee, said the group would consider new reports published by the British Medical Journal and the Council of Europe that are critical of the WHO's H1N1 response, Agence France-Presse reported today. He said the committee's second meeting will be in Geneva Jun 30 to Jul 2. The two reports, dismissed by some experts, say conflicts of interest may have swayed WHO decisions on vaccines and antivirals.
http://www.expatica.com/ch/news/swiss-news/who-probe-to-examine-fresh-criticism-of-pandemic-handling_74421.html
Jun 7 AFP story

German study compares summer, fall waves of cases
A study of case-based surveillance in Germany suggests that school holidays and containment efforts may have led to differences between summer and fall 2009 pandemic flu waves, according to a report today in BMC Infectious Diseases. Increased fall spread didn't change risk groups or severity, but the affected age-groups trended younger and the number of people with underlying medical conditions increased slightly. The authors said a case-based approach can help guide public health measures.
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2334/10/155/abstract
Jun 7 BMC Infect Dis abstract

This week's top reads

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    The most common symptom reported by healthcare workers was fatigue.

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  2. Top virologists urge world leaders to act on rising avian flu threat

    Global Virus Network scientists highlight the need for robust surveillance, enhanced biosecurity, and readiness for potential human-to-human viral transmission.

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  3. CIDRAP launches Vaccine Integrity Project to help safeguard US vaccine use

    The steering committee will make recommendations on how non-governmental groups can help ensure that vaccine use is evidence-based.

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  4. Long COVID has unique symptoms, persistence not seen in flu, pneumonia, research suggests

    With increasing time since diagnosis, only the severe infections continued to cause symptoms. 

    Mary Van Beusekom
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  5. US measles cases climb higher, approach 900

    Thirty states have cases, and 83% of infections are part of outbreaks, the largest centered  in West Texas.

    Lisa Schnirring
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  6. USDA withdraws proposal to reduce Salmonella in poultry

    The Biden-era rule would have prevented the sale of raw chicken or turkey with certain levels or strains of Salmonella.

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  7. Tick-borne meat allergy may be related to urbanization in mid-Atlantic US

    The study identified open-space development and low population density as risk factors for Alpha-gal syndrome. 

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  8. Measles cases in Europe, the Americas skyrocket

    Almost 90% of the European cases were reported in Romania.

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  9. 'On the precipice of disaster': Measles may be endemic in 25 years if vaccine uptake stays low, model predicts

    A 10% decline in vaccine uptake could lead to 11.1 million cases of the highly contagious illness in that timeframe.

    Mary Van Beusekom
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  10. Poll finds false measles claims gaining attention amid US outbreaks

    Though confidence in the vaccine remains high, KFF found that misinformation is sowing more doubts.

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