May 24, 2010
Study shows sepsis, fetal distress with H1N1 in pregnancy
Among 18 pregnant women hospitalized with pandemic flu, 9 had gastrointestinal symptoms, 13 met sepsis criteria, 4 experienced fetal distress, 1 had a miscarriage, and 1 2-day-old baby died from sepsis. Among the mostly minority women, 5 had asthma, 2 had sickle cell disease, 1 had diabetes, and 1 was HIV-positive. All patients received oseltamivir (Tamiflu), which, the authors write, may have improved outcomes. All were released from the hospital with good outcomes.
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/170/10/868
May 24 Arch Intern Med abstract
Symptoms differ between H1N1, seasonal flu
A study of hospital patients in Singapore in the first 3 months of the pandemic showed that H1N1 patients were younger but had fewer symptoms, on average, than those with seasonal flu. Of 547 patients with novel H1N1 pandemic flu, 42% were age 6 to 18, 35% were 19 to 35, and just 6% were 51 or older. In 193 patients who had seasonal flu, the respective numbers were 16%, 21%, and 23%. Fever was more common in those with seasonal flu, but cough, sore throat, and muscle aches were more common with H1N1.
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/170/10/861
May 24 Arch Intern Med abstract
H1N1 shedding, transmission akin to seasonal flu
A study of pandemic flu virus shedding and transmission in German households found that most patients stopped shedding virus by 5 days, consistent with other studies, and that the secondary attack rate for contacts was 26%, somewhat higher than other studies. Investigators also found that nasal wash was the most sensitive specimen type. They concluded that the findings are similar to seasonal influenza patterns.
http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/171/11/1157
Jun 1 Am J Epidemiol abstract
FDA clears H1N1 diagnostic test
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said today it has approved the first diagnostic test for pandemic H1N1 flu through its normal regulatory pathway. The newly approved Simplexa influenza A H1N1 test was previously available through an emergency use authorization. The approval will allow clinicians to continue using the test even after the public health emergency expires, the FDA said in a statement. The test is made by Focus Diagnostics, of Cypress, Calif.
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm212997.htm
May 24 FDA statement
Brazil extends vaccine campaign
Brazil's Health Ministry last week announced plans to extend its H1N1 vaccination campaign by almost 2 weeks, to Jun 2, according to China's news agency Xinhua. Since March, the country has vaccinated more than 61 million people, about 70% of the campaign's goal The ministry also decided to broaden vaccination to include children 2 to 5 years old, which will require almost 11 million additional doses.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/health/2010-05/22/c_13309319.htm
May 21 Xinhua story
