Public Health

Editor's Note: This is the first of a series of articles reviewing the world's experience with pandemic H1N1 influenza and what we've learned in the past year. Look for further installments in the days to come.

(CIDRAP News) – A year's experience with the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus has underscored the endless unpredictability of flu.

(CIDRAP News) – An international avian and pandemic flu meeting in Hanoi concluded yesterday, with health ministers and top officials from more than 70 countries agreeing on a set of strategies for responding to future disease threats.

(CIDRAP News) – In the biggest and most detailed look yet at pandemic flu infections in pregnant women, researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported today that early antiviral treatment was linked to fewer intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and that severe illnesses and deaths are more likely to occur during the third trimester.

(CIDRAP News) – Some reports released during the National Immunization Conference this week support the idea that school-based influenza vaccination programs are a workable way to get flu doses into the arms and noses of more school children faster.

(CIDRAP News) – A panel set up by the World Health Organization (WHO) to review its pandemic response spent the last day of its 3-day meeting yesterday hearing from an expert who denied charged that drug companies swayed response activities and said it may be premature to declare that the pandemic is over, according to media reports.

(CIDRAP News) – A committee of experts appointed by the World Health Organization (WHO) convened today to begin evaluating the agency's and the world's response to the H1N1 influenza pandemic, with WHO Director-General Margaret Chan urging the group to pull no punches.

(CIDRAP News) – Consumer groups have contended that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) investigates less aggressively when it finds E coli O157:H7 in routine testing of ground beef than it does when an E coli outbreak is linked to contaminated meat. As a result, the groups argue, the agency misses a chance to prevent some illnesses.

(CIDRAP News) – A survey by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) shows that budget-squeezed local health departments (LHDs) shed 8,000 jobs in the second half of 2009, bringing the year's total to 16,000 and boosting the 2-year shrinkage in the local health workforce to 15%.

Mar 31, 2010