Pandemic Influenza

(CIDRAP News) – In a first early look at trends in patients who have been hospitalized with novel influenza H1N1infections, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today that all but one of a group of 30 patients presented with fever and that about two thirds of them had an underlying medical condition.

(CIDRAP News) – As the World Health Organization (WHO) convened its annual meeting today, several countries urged the agency to use caution in weighing whether to declare a full-scale pandemic, despite signs that the novel H1N1 influenza virus is now spreading in Japan.

(CIDRAP News) – An official from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today that novel H1N1 influenza is expanding across the country, with 22 states reporting widespread or regional illnesses.

(CIDRAP News) – A World Health Organization (WHO) official today signaled that the agency is stepping back from plans to develop a way to grade pandemic severity, because its experts believe severity will vary from place to place, making the development of a severity index difficult and its use impractical.

(CIDRAP News) – The World Health Organization (WHO) plans to release clinical guidance that will say most patients sick with the novel H1N1 influenza (swine flu) will not need antiviral treatment, but the drugs should be considered for high-risk groups, a WHO official said today.

(CIDRAP News) – The World Health Organization (WHO) today said the novel H1N1 influenza (swine flu) virus seems to be more contagious than seasonal flu, but it generally causes "very mild illness" in otherwise healthy people.

(CIDRAP News) – A rapid assessment team from the World Health Organization (WHO) today predicted that the novel H1N1 (swine flu) virus may spread similarly to 20th century pandemics, but said it's too early to gauge the future impact on human health.

(CIDRAP News) – With the global outbreak of novel H1N1 influenza (swine flu) entering its fourth week, physicians at emergency rooms, clinics, and hospitals around the United States say they are overwhelmed with "worried well" who have as much as doubled their patient loads.

(CIDRAP News) – As state public health laboratories tackle their novel H1N1 influenza (swine flu) testing backlogs, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said yesterday it expects to see rising case numbers across the nation along with cutbacks in the number of samples tested by states.

(CIDRAP News) – A new survey from Harvard University suggests that a majority of Americans are following the news about the novel H1N1 influenza (swine flu) and taking steps to avoid it, but they are not especially worried about catching it.