Breaking News: Influenza

• share
• favorite_border

A scholarly article “Avoiding panic in pandemics,” offers the first comprehensive, international baseline evidence about background illness and sudden death rates in healthy populations.

• share
• favorite_border

Flipping a coin may be more effective in diagnosing flu infections, says Loyola researcher, studies.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology have found that previous influenza infections may provide at least some level of immunity to the H1N1 “swine” flu. “The question we asked was, “Is the swine flu more like the seasonal flu or like a totally new strain of influenza where there would be no immunity?,” said Alessandro Sette, Ph.D., an internationally recognized vaccine expert and director of the La Jolla Institute’s Center for Infectious Disease.

• share
• favorite_border

As the number of deaths related to the pandemic H1N1 virus, commonly known as “swine flu,” continues to rise, researchers have been scrambling to decipher its inner workings and explain why the incidence is lower than expected in older adults.

• share
• favorite_border

University of Michigan researchers say that implementing and sustaining infection-limiting measures will be a challenge during pandemics.

• share
• favorite_border

People who have questions about the H1N1 flu can get answers from infectious disease experts at Rush University Medical Center during a one-hour, live Facebook chat to be held on Friday, November 20 from12 p.m. until 1 p.m.

• share
• favorite_border

New methods of studying avian influenza strains and visually mapping their movement around the world will help scientists more quickly learn the behavior of the pandemic H1N1 flu virus, researchers say.

• share
• favorite_border

Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers are studying statins, the class of drugs long associated with lowering cholesterol, as a way to reduce H1N1-related deaths.

• share
• favorite_border

A Kansas State University study has shown that when preparing frozen foods, adolescents are less likely than adults to wash their hands and are more susceptible to cross-contaminating raw foods while cooking.

• share
• favorite_border

Fears of contracting the H1N1 virus this flu season have people steering clear of strangers with coughs and scolding friends who don’t sneeze into their crooked elbows. With everyone trying to stay germ free, hand sanitizer has become a popular means of protection. But although a quick pump from a Purell dispenser is the most convenient form of hand cleaning, is it the best?

• share
• favorite_border

Event will focus on infection control, impact of diagnostic testing, preparedness and reporting and surveillance.

• share
• favorite_border

The flu symptoms self-assessment tool on MayoClinic.com helps you assess whether you or your loved ones have some form of flu, or just a cold.

• share
• favorite_border

In contrast with some common perceptions regarding 2009 influenza A(H1N1) infections, an examination of cases in California indicates that hospitalization and death can occur at all ages, and about 30 percent of hospitalized cases have been severe enough to require treatment in an intensive care unit, according to a study in the November 4 issue of JAMA.

• share
• favorite_border

The swine flu (H1N1) pandemic has received extensive media coverage this year. The World Health Organization, in addition to providing frequent updates about cases of infection and death tolls, recommends hyper vigilance in daily hygiene such as frequent hand washing or sneezing into the crook of our arms. News reports at all levels, from local school closures to airport screenings and global disease surveillance, continue to remind us of the high risk.

• share
• favorite_border

The effectiveness of pandemic flu vaccination campaigns – like that now underway for H1N1 – could be undermined by the public incorrectly associating coincidental and unrelated health events with the vaccines, according to a paper in The Lancet.

• share
• favorite_border

Study of potential risks to children when thimerosol, a mercury-based preservative, is used in childhood vaccines.

• share
• favorite_border

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have classified all children, 6-months to 24-years, one of the high risk groups for contracting the H1N1 (swine) flu, and recommend this population receive the H1N1 vaccine for immunity against the disease. But what about the millions of children who are already battling other diseases – chronic diseases including asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV, irritable bowel disease (IBD) and other digestive disorders such as Crohn’s disease?

• share
• favorite_border

“Do Women Need Such Big Flu Shots?” explains how swine flu vaccine may be different for women.

• share
• favorite_border

Pregnant women who catch the flu are at serious risk for flu-related complications, including death, and that risk far outweighs the risk of possible side effects from injectable vaccines containing killed virus, according to an extensive review of published research and data from previous flu seasons.

• share
• favorite_border

An experimental drug cocktail that includes three prescriptions now widely available offers the best hope in developing a single agent to treat drug-resistant H1N1 swine flu, says a UAB virology researcher. The combo of oseltamivir, amantadine and ribavirin drug works better than currently recommended single or double antiviral therapies used to treat both seasonal and swine flu strains.

• share
• favorite_border

An epidemiological study finds that patients over age 65 with dementia have an increased risk of dying from complications of the flu. The obstacles to early diagnosis and treatment of flu among older patients with dementia include limited access to health care and inadequate testing practices, as well as patients’ difficulty communicating symptoms.

• share
• favorite_border

The Institute of Food Technologists is a nonprofit scientific association with 20,000 professionals working in food science, food technology, and related professions in industry, academia, and government. IFT is offering two of its experts to discuss H1N1 Flu, the importance of hand washing during flu season, vaccine safety and distribution, and infection control.

• share
• favorite_border

Some doctors fear people who think the seasonal flu shot gave them H1N1 won't come back for the seasonal shot next year, opening themselves and others up to serious illness.

• share
• favorite_border

Only one in two U.S. adults with arthritis received seasonal flu vaccinations in 2007, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Philadelphia, Pa.

• share
• favorite_border

Pregnant women in the U.S. infected with the novel H1N1 influenza A virus have died at a rate six times higher than the general population. With flu season upon us, that mortality rate may escalate, so UMDNJ physicians strongly advise expectant mothers to get immunized as soon as the H1N1 vaccine becomes available.

• share
• favorite_border

In order to get out in front of a potential pandemic flu outbreak, The State University of New York has undertaken a comprehensive, collaborative system-wide campaign to prepare for all forms of flu; to educate about the virus and to respond effectively to parents, students, employees and the general public.

• share
• favorite_border

Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA) view updated statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with concern - new data shows that 26 percent of patients who have been hospitalized for H1N1 flu this season had asthma. About 1,400 adults and about 500 children have been hospitalized with H1N1 since the pandemic began this summer; 81 children have died of complications from H1N1, the CDC reports.

• share
• favorite_border

Tracking and understanding the patterns of H1N1’s spread remains crucial to keeping a big-picture look at the disease. Says UAB’s chief of travel medicine, ‘Back in 1918 and 1919 when we had the great flu epidemic, it took six months or more to spread across the world. The new H1N1 swine flu spread across the world in six weeks.’

• share
• favorite_border

University of Michigan researchers find patients with severe H1N1 could develop life-threatening complications, including pulmonary emboli.

• share
• favorite_border

Mass vaccination clinics to protect against the 2009 H1N1 virus offer public health officials a chance to hone procedures for future emergencies, says University of Maryland expert, Jeffrey Herrmann. “It’s like a preseason game for public health officials," says Herrmann, an engineer who developed software officials use to plan logistics of mass vaccinations.

• share
• favorite_border

Hospital workers are asking the same questions about the safety and necessity of flu vaccines as the general public, according to a survey conducted by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP). The survey of pharmacy directors at 341 hospitals across the country raise troubling concerns about whether health care workers will choose to get vaccinated against H1N1 and seasonal flu.

• share
• favorite_border

Critical illness among Canadian patients with 2009 influenza A(H1N1) occurred rapidly after hospital admission, often in young adults, and was associated with severely low levels of oxygen in the blood, multi-system organ failure, a need for prolonged mechanical ventilation, and frequent use of rescue therapies, according to a study to appear in the November 4 issue of JAMA. This study is being published early online to coincide with its presentation at a meeting of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine.

• share
• favorite_border

Critical illness from 2009 influenza A(H1N1) in Mexico occurred among young patients, was associated with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome and shock, and had a fatality rate of about 40 percent, according to a study to appear in the November 4 issue of JAMA. This study is being published early online to coincide with its presentation at a meeting of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine.

• share
• favorite_border

Despite the severity of disease and the intensity of treatment, most patients in Australia and New Zealand who experienced respiratory failure as a result of 2009 influenza A(H1N1) and were treated with a system that adds oxygen to the patient’s blood survived the disease, according to a study to appear in the November 4 issue of JAMA. This study is being published early online because of its public health importance.

• share
• favorite_border

What to do if your child has flu-like symptoms.

• share
• favorite_border

Waiting rooms are full, physician phone lines are overwhelmed and questions are running rampant as federal health officials say the H1N1 flu virus is spreading quickly. UT Health Science Center at Houston experts can provide answers.

• share
• favorite_border

Trying to catch flu early goes against medicine, public-health practice.

• share
• favorite_border

Creighton University is among the first eight institutions nationally to be recognized for “stellar” examples of vaccination mandates in a health care setting.

• share
• favorite_border

Infectious disease experts are awaiting an infinitesimal event of momentous importance: the mutation of the novel H1N1 influenza virus. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization are constantly monitoring the virus as it spreads,” says John Tudor, Ph.D., a microbiologist and professor of biology at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, “but there is no way to predict where, when or if mutation will occur.”

• share
• favorite_border

Yes, it's true that there's a flu pandemic thanks to H1N1, but University of Iowa business professor and handshake expert Greg Stewart does not advise using that as a reason to avoid shaking hands during a job interview.

• share
• favorite_border

According to a new Harris poll, when encountered by a public restroom without soap or towels, 74% of people who use public restrooms say they would rinse their hands with water and let them air dry. However, LifeBridge Health experts stress that this action is meaningless without soap.

• share
• favorite_border

Pharmacists are increasingly being called on to take a more active role in public health. ASHP’s new book, Pharmacy in Public Health: Basics and Beyond, provides pharmacists and with critical information they’ll need to play a much-needed role in public health, for flu season, emergency preparedness, and chronic disease prevention and management.

• share
• favorite_border

In response to the growing concern about the H1N1 (swine) flu pandemic, Anatomical Chart Company (ACC) and Lippincott’s NursingCenter.com offer a free teaching aid to help healthcare practitioners explain the H1N1 virus to their patients. The highly visual color handout is available as a free download in English and Spanish at http://www.anatomical.com/swineflu and www.nursingcenter.com/h1n1handout.

• share
• favorite_border

C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health finds nearly 90% of public supports required H1N1 vaccination for health care workers in case of outbreak, while only 38% of health care workers intend to get vaccinated.

• share
• favorite_border

Surgical masks appear to be no worse than, and nearly as effective as N95 respirators in preventing influenza in health care workers, according to a study released early online today by JAMA. The study was posted online ahead of print because of its public health implications. It will be published in the November 4 issue of JAMA.

• share
• favorite_border

People exposed to a H1NI strain of influenza A while in utero were significantly more likely to have cardiovascular disease later in life, reveals a new study to be published in Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease on Oct. 1.

• share
• favorite_border

Johns Hopkins has a wide range of experts available for interviews and comments about H1N1 and seasonal flu, emergency preparedness, infection control, transmission in children, vaccine safety, flu treatment, public health ethics, flu in cancer patients, and public communications strategies.

• share
• favorite_border

“The center of the protection bull’s-eye should be children,” says one of the four U.S. physicians serving on the federal Safety Monitoring Committee reviewing trials of H1N1 vaccines. The reasoning behind making children the highest priority comes from decades of experience with flu transmission, prevention strategies, infection monitoring and many other factors.

• share
• favorite_border

Last spring, closing schools was an often contested strategy to control influenza A/H1N1. U-Michigan and CDC researchers conducted a qualitative analysis of U.S. cities and public school systems during the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic to uncover lessons applicable to today’s communities.

• share
• favorite_border

Unfortunately, kids will probably be dismayed to learn that they will need an extra shot this year since recommendations call for children to receive both a seasonal flu vaccine and the H1N1 vaccine. Here are some tips to help kids survive the needle sticks.