swine flu
A Bird Flu Spreads in Seals. Could Humans Be Next?
Last fall, 162 harbor seal pups mysteriously washed up dead on the shores of New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Puzzled, scientists conducted autopsies on five of the animals, which suggested that a respiratory infection had killed …
H1N1 Vaccines Linked to Guillain-Barre Syndrome but Not Birth Defects
Two new studies confirm that the benefits of getting a flu shot outweigh the very small risks
How a New Swine Flu Virus Could Complicate Influenza Season
Since August, the CDC has logged 12 cases of human infection with H3N2, a new flu virus from pigs. Should we be worried?
In Southern China, a Mixing Bowl of Swine Flu
Pigs may seem cute, but from a virological perspective, they’re oinking time bombs. That’s because swine can become infected with both avian and human flu viruses, making them influenza mixing bowls.
A New Project to Track Animal Diseases Before They Infect Humans
Back at the start of 2009, I thought I was sure where the next influenza pandemic would come from: Asia. I’d spent a few years in the region following the steady progression of the H5N1 avian flu virus as it spread from wild and …
Some 40 million doses of H1N1 vaccine to be destroyed
As much as 43% of the U.S. swine flu vaccine supply may ultimately go unused — and be destroyed — according to a new report from the Associated Press. Roughly 40 million doses, or one quarter of the total supply produced by the U.S. to cope with the outbreak, have already expired and will be incinerated by public health authorities.
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WHO: Pharma ties didn’t impact swine flu decisions
In response to an investigation published last week in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) which pointed to affiliations between World Health Organization (WHO) advisers and pharmaceutical companies manufacturing H1N1 flu vaccines, WHO inspector general Margaret Chan said that industry ties had no impact on the global health agency’s
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BMJ: WHO swine flu advisers had drug company ties
Almost exactly one year ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the swine flu outbreak had reached global pandemic proportions. The announcement, made on June 11, 2009, spurred governments to order huge stocks of vaccines and prompted broad public health initiatives around the globe. And while we can all be grateful that
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A case of canine swine flu
A dog from the New York City suburb of White Plains is the first in the nation to have a case of H1N1 flu, according to the Associated Press. The 13-year-old male mixed breed, who is now recovering, was taken to a veterinary hospital in Bedford Hills, New York, after showing signs of breathing problems. The dog supposedly caught the flu
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One dose of H1N1 vaccine may be enough for children
Though current guidelines call for two doses of the H1N1 vaccine for children under age 10, according to new research that will be published in the January 6 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, one swine flu shot may offer sufficient protection for infants and young children. As Alice Park reports for TIME:
The
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CDC confirms 4 cases of drug-resistant swine flu
Tests run by the Centers for Disease Control confirm that four patients at Duke University Medical Center have strains of Tamiflu- (oseltamivir) resistant H1N1 flu. All four patients with the resistant strains had underlying conditions that compromised their immune systems, and were being treated in an isolated unit at the North Carolina
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Santa’s holiday wish: the swine flu shot
With Black Friday and the official kick-off of holiday mania just a week away, Santas are gearing up for the season—and this year, that doesn’t just mean dusting off the red suit and beard. As they prepare to populate the malls, the Associated Press reports, Santas across the country are hoping for a little gift from U.S. public health
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