Sep 29, 2010
(CIDRAP News) The external committee tasked with reviewing the World Health Organization's (WHO's) response to the H1N1 pandemic wrapped up its third round of live meetings in Geneva today, hearing from an array of country and organization health representatives, as well as WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, who strongly defended the organization's response.
Sep 27, 2010
(CIDRAP News) Coming a month after federal officials released a blueprint for overhauling the nation's civilian biodefense program, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced the award of eight contracts worth up to $100 million to modernize and speed the development of countermeasures against natural and man-made disease threats.
(CIDRAP News) The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued new guidance for preventing flu in healthcare settings that reflects a year's worth of new information about the 2009 H1N1 virus and recommends surgical masks rather than N-95 respirators when providing routine care for flu patients.
Sep 17, 2010
Sep 3, 2010
(CIDRAP News) Researchers studying facial personal protective equipment (PPE) data at three Vancouver hospitals found that use of surgical masks and N-95 respirators during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic was seven times greater than earlier supply estimates and tested the plans hospitals had in place.
(CIDRAP News) India and New Zealand are still the world's hot spots for pandemic H1N1 flu activity, with flu and other respiratory illness activity low in most of the Southern Hemisphere, which is nearing the end of its winter flu season, the World Health Organization (WHO)said today.
(CIDRAP News) In light of vaccine production problems that delayed the delivery of the pandemic H1N1 vaccine, a report by President Barack Obama's science advisers released today said targeted investments in five specific areas could trim the time needed to quickly produce enough to protect the nation by weeks or months.