Swine Flu News and Information

When to see the doctor for the flu

admin — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:33:26 +0000

Many individuals who are experiencing flu symptoms are wondering, “When should I see a doctor?” That’s going to differ for many people based on their general health. However, Public Health – Dayton & Montgomery County offers some suggestions. (whiotv.com)

Houston Texans rookie has swine flu

admin — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:20:15 +0000

Houston Texans rookie tight end Anthony Hill was hospitalized this week with swine flu in what may be the first confirmed case in an NFL player this season. (AP)

5 tips for keeping your kids safe

admin — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:40:23 +0000

The Swine Flu, the H1N1 Virus – call it what you will – has parents worried sick across the country now that our kids are back in school. Here are five fast and easy things you can do to keep your kids safe and healthy. (ABC)

Who can slow the swine flu? You can

rquigley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:55:48 +0000

Who’s on the front line of this fall’s flu fight? You are, say HHS and CDC officials.Until Thanksgiving, at the earliest, it’s going to be up to you to try not to catch the flu. And if you do catch it, you can stop the spread. (WebMD)

CDC leery of swine flu toll predictions

rquigley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:53:11 +0000

Government health officials are urging people not to panic over estimates of 90,000 people dying from swine flu. “Everything we’ve seen in the U.S. and everything we’ve seen around the world suggests we won’t see that kind of number if the virus doesn’t change,” said Dr. Thomas Frieden, head of the CDC. (Associated Press)

Swine flu could cripple workplaces

rquigley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:51:10 +0000

Schools aren’t the only ones that need to be on guard about H1N1. The Centers for Disease Control has just released guidelines for helping businesses and employers prepare for the flu season. (WISH-TV Video via YouTube)

Study: Kids 14 times more likely than elderly to get swine flu

rquigley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:47:12 +0000

One of the unusual things about the swine flu is that it often strikes young, healthy people, while skipping over the elderly. The Chicago Department of Public health reports that kids between 5 and 14 were 14 times more likely than the those over 60 to come down with with the H1N1 pandemic flu. (WSJ)

Are minorities at a higher risk?

rquigley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:45:28 +0000

In the early stages of the pandemic H1N1 influenza outbreak in Chicago, blacks and Latinos were about four times more likely than Caucasians to contract the virus, according to the first study that has examined the racial composition of those who caught the flu. (Los Angeles Times)

CDC turns to social media to get flu news out

rquigley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:37:24 +0000

U.S. health authorities are turning to social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter in a bid to prepare people to be vaccinated against the pandemic H1N1 virus. (Reuters)

Pregnant women, new parents urged to get vaccinated

rquigley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:35:53 +0000

Health officials are stressing that it is vital for pregnant women and new parents to get the swine flu vaccine to protect themselves and their children. (Associated Press)

The presidential advisors’ report

rquigley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:31:35 +0000

Read the report from the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology on the nation’s readiness. It details a scenario in which half the U.S. population could become infected with the H1N1 virus. Up to 1.8 million people could be hospitalized. And as many as 90,000 could die. (PDF format)

China’s big effort to fight the flu

rquigley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:28:42 +0000

While the United States prepares for an H1N1 pandemic this fall, China is acting as if it’s already under way. “We are taking all the precautions we can,” said Wang Shuai, a deputy director at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (Kansas City Star)

What you need to know about the H1N1 virus

rquigley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:23:44 +0000

Good information about the swine flu, and what you can do. (Baltimore Sun)

WHO warns of a severe form of swine flu

rquigley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:15:42 +0000

Doctors are reporting a severe form of swine flu that goes straight to the lungs, causing severe illness in otherwise healthy young people and requiring expensive hospital treatment, the World Health Organization said on Friday. (Reuters)

CDC reports more than 10,000 U.S. swine flu cases and 17 deaths

admin — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:32:42 +0000

The CDC’s updated map and chart of confirmed and probable cases shows 10,053 confirmed or probable cases of the H1N1 virus and 17 deaths caused by the disease.

Swine flu-stranded passenger leave cruise ship

admin — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:19:44 +0000

Australian authorities Monday let 2,000 people leave a cruise liner at the centre of a swine flu scare that left them stranded at sea for days, as the nation’s number of cases jumped to 306. (AFP)

Sanofi Pasteur receives swine flu seed virus

admin — Wed, 27 May 2009 18:41:08 +0000

The vaccines division of French pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis SA said Wednesday it has received the key ingredient to make a swine flu vaccine. (BusinessWeek)

Possible second wave of swine flu has U.S. on alert

admin — Wed, 27 May 2009 18:34:55 +0000

As the H1N1 swine flu virus continues to wax and wane in different parts of the country, U.S. health officials said they were working as fast as possible to learn as much as they can about the novel pathogen before the return of the flu season in the fall. (AJC.com)

Study detects flu immunity in older people

admin — Fri, 22 May 2009 16:24:24 +0000

A substantial portion of older Americans may have some immunity to the swine-origin H1N1 influenza virus, a finding that may prove useful when and if a vaccine to the new flu strain becomes available. (Washington Post)

U.S. directs $1 billion for new swine flu vaccine

admin — Fri, 22 May 2009 16:17:54 +0000

The U.S. government said on Friday that it was setting aside $1 billion to help companies develop a vaccine against the new strain of H1N1 influenza that is sweeping the world. (Reuters)

U.S. officials consider bumping up flu shot season

admin — Wed, 20 May 2009 19:45:57 +0000

U.S. health officials said on Wednesday they are considering starting the vaccination campaign for seasonal flu earlier this year to make room for a possible second round of shots against the new H1N1 flu. (Reuters)

Swine flu spreading in Japan

admin — Wed, 20 May 2009 19:42:05 +0000

The first cases of the new strain of H1N1 influenza were confirmed both in Tokyo and Shiga Prefecture on Wednesday, bringing the tally of infections in the country to 263 along with other cases in Hyogo and Osaka prefectures in western Japan. (Japan Today)

Swine flu cases soar toward 10,000 worldwide

admin — Tue, 19 May 2009 17:00:02 +0000

United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon urged people to remain “vigilant and alert” about swine flu on Tuesday as the number of cases around the world shot up to almost 10,000. Previous pandemics had shown flu outbreaks could start mild and worsen, Ban said as he addressed the World Health Organisation’s annual assembly in Geneva. (AFP)

Toddler’s death stokes swine flu fears

admin — Tue, 19 May 2009 16:56:11 +0000

New York City health authorities are investigating the death of a 16-month-old child as a possible case of swine flu. The boy, identified as Jonathan Zamora Castillo of Corona, Queens, died at 10:20 p.m. Monday at Elmhurst Hospital Center, less than an hour after being brought in with a high fever. (The New York Times)

Swine flu re-emerges in New York City

admin — Fri, 15 May 2009 19:38:27 +0000

Three public schools in Queens were closed and disinfected on Friday after the re-emergence of swine flu, which the city’s chief health official said appeared to be intensifying in larger clusters. (The New York Times)

More than 4,700 swine flu cases now in U.S.

admin — Fri, 15 May 2009 19:31:13 +0000

The United States has 4,714 confirmed and likely cases of the new H1N1 swine flu virus, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Friday. (Reuters)

Tracing the swine flu’s ancestry

admin — Mon, 11 May 2009 17:11:45 +0000

Once Upon a Time there was a little flu virus. It was probably born in Kansas in late 1917 or 1918, although nobody is really sure. Its name was H1N1. It grew up to be very wicked. (Washington Post)

Death toll from swine flu rises to 56 in Mexico

admin — Mon, 11 May 2009 17:02:59 +0000

The death toll in Mexico from the H1N1 flu outbreak that has spread globally has risen to 56, the health ministry said on Monday, as results of tests on people who died in recent weeks came in. (Reuters)

More than 2,500 swine flu cases worldwide

admin — Fri, 08 May 2009 19:55:00 +0000

The World Health Organization on Friday reported 2,500 confirmed cases of swine flu in 25 countries, with 44 deaths from the disease. In the United States, the total number of confirmed cases nearly doubled to 1,639 from the day before, with reports coming from 43 states. (CNN)

1976 swine flu reponse haunts officials

admin — Fri, 08 May 2009 19:48:27 +0000

As U.S. health officials consider rolling out a plan to inoculate the nation against swine flu in the next several months, they are haunted by the events that unfolded the last time the government stepped in to head off a surprise flu outbreak. (Washington Post)