Pandemic Influenza

NEWS SCAN: Sweden's H1N1 vaccine narcolepsy payout, measles update, cholera in Africa, US preparedness goal

Oct 7, 2011

BARDA: Many biodefense products to mature within 5 years

(CIDRAP News) In releasing a new 5-year strategic plan yesterday, the federal agency tasked with developing new medical countermeasures (MCMs) for bioterrorist attacks and emerging diseases said many such products will be ready for regulatory review within the next 5 years.

Robert Roos

Study finds H1N1 pandemic in Mexico more deadly

(CIDRAP News) Researchers who took a detailed look at 2009 H1N1 deaths in Mexico, where the virus was first detected, found that the new flu virus was more deadly than most seasonal flu epidemics and more lethal than in other countries, which confirms impressions early in the pandemic that the disease was worse in Mexico.

Lisa Schnirring

Study suggests 1918 flu waves were caused by 'distinct' viruses

(CIDRAP News) A new analysis of influenza outbreak patterns in several navies in 1918 suggests that the first and second waves of the pandemic were caused by "antigenically distinct" viruses, a conclusion that runs counter to some other recent studies that have tried to discern why the second wave was so much more deadly than the first.

Robert Roos

Study: Few states advance ethics guidelines for pandemics

(CIDRAP News) Few US states have addressed ethical issues surrounding pandemic flu preparedness in recent years, according to a new study in the American Journal of Public Health.

Also, the study authors found, states that have tackled the issues have focused rather narrowly, typically on allocating scarce hospital resources, while virtually ignoring such issues as community engagement surrounding isolation and quarantine plans.

Jim Wappes

Preparedness law renewal proceeds with minor tweaks

(CIDRAP News) Reauthorization of the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA), which has cleared a US House committee, now awaits relatively minor tweaking before final House and Senate approval, a representative for the US Health and Humans Services (HHS) said today at a biodefense advisory committee.

Lisa Schnirring

Autopsy study leaves severity of fall 1918 pandemic wave a mystery

(CIDRAP News) A study of preserved lung sections from 68 US soldiers who died in the 1918 influenza pandemic shows that cases from the spring and fall pandemic waves looked much the same and that there is no evidence of viral mutations that could readily explain why the fall wave was so lethal.

Robert Roos

NEWS SCAN: Flu death in kids, births after 1918 pandemic, ground turkey Salmonella cases, flu activity, virulent H1N1-H5N1 combo, flu from pigs, cytokine storm discovery

Sep 15, 2011

'Contagion' portrays extreme but not impossible scenario

(CIDRAP News) – In the film "Contagion," opening in theaters today, a respiratory virus from Malaysia makes its way from bats to humans, spreading quickly around the world and killing a high proportion of those infected. It's clearly an extreme scenario, but not an impossible one, say experts who have seen the movie.

Robert Roos