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Drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline says that nine additional countries have ordered 96 million doses of swine flu vaccine since last month.
As the government warns that hundreds of outbreaks of swine flu at summer camps around the country could predict a when students return to school, advisers have set priorities for groups that should be first in line for vaccinations against the H1N1 virus.
It’s been just a week since Monica Hankins first heard scientists were looking for volunteers to test an experimental vaccine to prevent the H1N1 swine flu, but the Festus, Mo., mom and her family already are signed up. She wants her two young daughters, Isabella, 3, and Maya, 19 months, to be among the first to be protected against the previously unknown virus that has launched a global pandemic and claimed more than 800 lives worldwide, including more than 300 in the United States. “I kind of jumped at the chance,” said Hankins, 28, a home health care worker. “The way that it’s sounding, it’s something that I’ve never experienced before. It’s really scary to me.”From Seattle to St. Louis, at least 3,000 people so far have told scientists they’re eager to be part of fast-track clinical trials to assess the early safety of a shot aimed at preventing widespread infection, serious illness or death in a huge swath of the U.S. population.
A few months from now, a highly contagious disease will spread through a Japanese elementary school. The epidemic will start with several unwitting children, who will infect others as they attend classes and wander the halls.
The rest of the world may be exhaling at the apparent easing of a potential swine flu pandemic, but some global experts are tempering their optimism with concerns about what one calls "the fall question."
A World Health Organization spokesman says the agency may raise its pandemic level to its highest alert, signifying a swine flu pandemic.
As the swine flu outbreak continues its , msnbc.com readers are concerned about this new strain, its risks and what they can do to protect themselves from infection.
With the swine flu outbreak rapidly spreading, state and local health officials are queasily considering what effect a pandemic could have on their budgets, already due for deep spending cuts amid the lingering recession.
Many cases of swine flu in the United States , but at least one msnbc.com reader wondered how companies should respond if their employees get sick with the virus, or if the pandemic alert is raised to the top level. Others are unsure how the virus is identified or whether to go ahead and take antiviral medication — just in case.
When a representative of the World Health Organization steps up to the microphone and announces that we’re on the verge of a pandemic, how could anyone not freak out at least a little bit?
Education leaders sought to reassure parents Wednesday that they had plans in place to deal with a potential swine flu pandemic and stressed that classrooms by and large remained safe places for children after President Barack Obama suggested that more schools may have to close.
When faced with the threat of disease, the impulse of most Americans is to think about medical technology and miracle drugs. These are not likely to be much help in the battle against swine flu — but the history books might.
The World Health Organization has six phases of pandemic alert to assess the potential for a new global flu outbreak.
As new cases of swine flu emerge around the globe, from Ohio to Nova Scotia to New Zealand, the declaration of a "public health emergency" in the United States has further stoked fears and confusion.
Doctors know some patients needing lifesaving care won't get it in a flu pandemic or other disaster. The gut-wrenching dilemma will be deciding who to let die.
Pregnant women, babies and toddlers would join doctors, emergency workers and soldiers at the head of the line for scarce vaccine if a super-strain of flu triggers the next pandemic, says a draft government plan to be released Tuesday.
Children would likely be both prime spreaders and targets of a flu pandemic, but they're being overlooked in the nation's preparations for the next super-flu, pediatricians and public health advocates reported Wednesday.
The first potential bird flu vaccine for humans to help prevent a widespread outbreak in the US won support from US experts on Tuesday as an interim measure until better versions come along.
A new warning label has been added to the influenza drug Tamiflu following reports of delirium and hallucinations among people – mostly children - taking the medication.
A new strain of H5N1 bird flu has emerged in China that is poised to start yet another global wave of infection.
Ask Americans if they would hole up at home to keep from spreading a super-strain of flu, and at first they pledge to cooperate.
In a flu pandemic, millions of people are expected to take the antiviral drug Tamiflu, but new research shows that ultimately much of the drug will pass through the people taking it and end up in waterways. Chances are it will then linger long enough to promote Tamiflu-resistant flu viruses in wild birds.
As vaccine manufacturers struggle to make a standard flu vaccine for the deadly H5N1 bird flu, US scientists have found that a totally different approach might work better.
China’s leading vaccine manufacturer, Sinovac Biotech, has published its first tests of a vaccine against H5N1 bird flu, and the news is good.
It gives a new meaning to the phrase "publish or perish". Scientists have not been sharing information about bird flu fast enough, say experts. While the World Health Organization keeps a database of viral sequences, access has been restricted, and other researchers have hoarded data for fear of rivals publishing it without giving them credit.
Updated November 8, 2009 What is the current status of the pandemic in the U.S?
A day in the life of a pandemicOn Thursday it was 63,500 swine flu doses, and hundreds of thousands in need. So who will get the vaccine? Inside the world of the state officials and doctors who must make that sobering choice, and of the worried people clamoring to be next in line
Amednews: AMA's Flu Site 1st to Link to Care After Rating Symptoms :: Nov. 2, 2009 ... American Medical NewsSeveral organizations have launched Web sites in recent weeks that help patients determine the severity of flu symptoms. But the American Medical Association on Oct.
Obama to Lift HIV/AIDS Travel BanIt appears that President Obama is doing everything in his power to enforce laws against the majority of Americans.
Oversight panel: Government was slow on H1N1 threatWASHINGTON — The federal government's preparedness for the H1N1, or swine flu, pandemic that's claimed for more than 1,000 lives nationwide was inadequate and incomplete, a congressional subcommittee said Tuesday.
Is your business prepared for H1N1? Have you considered the consequences of not taking precautions against this flu? You're not alone – studies show that a surprising number of businesses have not engaged in any sort of planning – despite the growing threat.
Worst Case: Choosing Who Survives in a Flu EpidemicIn recent years, officials in a host of states and localities, as well as the federal Veterans Health Administration, have been quietly addressing one of medicine's most troubling questions: Who should get a chance to survive when the number of severely ill people far exceeds t …
Obama Declares Swine Flu a National EmergencyWASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama declared the swine flu outbreak a national emergency, giving his health chief the power to let hospitals move emergency rooms offsite to speed treatment and protect noninfected patients.
Obama Declares Swine Flu a National EmergencyThe White House on Saturday said Obama signed a proclamation that would allow medical officials to bypass certain federal requirements. The White House said Obama signed the declaration on Friday evening.
Updated October 27, 2009.
Swine Flu Vaccinations not at the readySo, plans for pandemic, that have been in place for over 4 years, along with months of knowing the swine flu would hit, leave us all hanging waiting for a vaccination. Welcome to the future of your health care and drug innovation....
U.S. Congressman contracts H1N1 Swine Flu"Oregon Republican Congressman Greg Walden released a message through Twitter on Tuesday to declare his doctor confirmed he has the H1N1 Swine Flu Virus." "Other cases may continue to persist in Washington as Senate and House pages have exhibited flu-like symptoms..."
House approves pandemic bill (Massachusetts)BOSTON - With swine flu concerns on the rise across the state, area lawmakers yesterday approved a bill, 113-36, giving local health officials the power to close public buildings, quarantine sick people and dispense medicine in the event of a public health emergency.
H1N1 flu causes unusual damage to lungs - studiesThu Oct 15, 2:20 pm ET WASHINGTON Reuters) – The new pandemic H1N1 flu may cause blood clots and other unusual damage in the lungs and doctors need to be on the lookout, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday.
TED Blog: Q&A on swine flu with virus hunter Nathan Wolfe: "We've created a perfect storm for viruses"Viruses transfer from animals to humans.
Regular Flu Vaccine Supplies Run Short in Places With all the attention on the swine flu pandemic, another influenza problem has arisen, almost overlooked. Supplies of the vaccine for the garden-variety seasonal flu have run short.
Duck Flu Defense? Tamiflu From Urine Builds Up DownstreamA team of researchers recently discovered that Tamiflu, the leading flu-fighting drug, is accumulating in rivers downstream from sewage-treatment plants in Kyoto.
Flu Vaccine - 12 dumbass reasons to not get it - Journals - CafeMomThe following blog is directed at heath care workers, but I thought I'd share with everyone considering the dumbassery I have recently read regarding the flu shot. Mark Crislip is an infectious disease specialist/doctor/whathaveyou.
Swine flu (I refuse to call it "H1NI" virus on general principles, even if "swine flu" is not the most accurate name) is a normal flu--perhapses MILDER than most flu strains. I was born in 1947.
Should You Get A Swine Flu Shot? Definitely Maybe. - Page 1 - MSN Health & Fitness - Cold and FluAnyone falling within the stated perimeters of susceptible people should probably get the shot, it is said. GG
Did U.S. government lie about deadly virus? U.S. officials seem to have quietly reversed an assurance they gave publicly last month—that a deadly virus, which scientists recently recreated, would not leave a secure government facility.
Paul Simpson, M.D.: Why Your Doctor May Have PTSDThe great fallacy here is the idea that medicine is just another industry that will function best through a free market Our health is too important to trust to an arrangement driven by greed.
U.S. to Review Masks as Study Shows Flu Gets Through The U.S. government said it's reviewing recommendations on the use of surgical masks to protect health-care workers from flu after a study showed they don't help. Thicker, more expensive respirators should be used, the study found.
Swine Flu May Require Restraint in Affectionate Greetings As the world braces for a second wave of the swine flu that broke out in the spring and resulted in the deaths of more than 2,100 people worldwide, the disease is altering long-established patterns of everyday greeting. Handshakes have been cut short, kisses aborted.
The H1N1 Swine Flu Pandemic: Manipulating the Data to Justify a Worldwide Public Health EmergencyThe spread of the disease is measured by country-level reports of confirmed and probable cases.
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