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Video Digest: H1N1 Vaccine Demand Slowing in the USA – Vignettes from Coast to Coast (Jan/Feb) Comments Off on Video Digest: H1N1 Vaccine Demand Slowing in the USA – Vignettes from Coast to Coast (Jan/Feb)

 

Of Mice and Men: H1N1 Immunity in the USA; Effects of H1N1 Vaccines Past and Present 1

A recent study published in PLoS Pathogens found that vaccines developed from “classical H1N1 viruses (Sw/30 or NJ/76), 1918 virus-like particles, and a human H1N1 virus isolated in 1943 (Wei/43) protected against death from 2009 pandemic H1N1…” when tested in vivo in mice. Another study finding was that the “H1N1 virus underwent little antigenic drift […]

A Tale of Two Essays on Vaccine-Preventable Diseases; Risk Perception, Misinformation and other Barriers to H1N1 Vaccination Among Adults and Children 1

Vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks are on the rise, and are taking an increasing toll in lives and money. Moreover, the recent experience with the 2009 novel H1N1 flu outbreak served as a stark reminder that “there is no strong mechanism in place for vaccinating adults in the United States.” This is the latest brief from Trust […]

H1N1 Virus Mutation and Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) Resistance; Duke University Medical Center Patient Cluster Raises Questions 3

In its Weekly Epidemiological Report (WER), the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed a worldwide count of 225 cases of H1N1 that were resistant to oseltamivir (Tamiflu). The “225 cases came from 20 countries and included 65 cases in the Americas, 77 in Europe, 1 in Africa, and 82 in the Western Pacific region. All cases […]

Diminshed H1N1 Activity in the USA: Forgotten but not Gone 2

According to the latest influenza surveillance from CDC, no states have reported widespread flu activity for four consecutive weeks. However, pneumonia and influenza (P&I) mortality as a percentage of recorded deaths was 8.1% and is hovering above epidemic threshold (7.8%). One expert, speaking on background said the H1N1 epidemic has “one foot in the grave.” […]

Video Digest: H1N1 in the USA – Almost Quiet Winter Flu Season – Spike in pH1N1 Hospitalizations in Memphis Comments Off on Video Digest: H1N1 in the USA – Almost Quiet Winter Flu Season – Spike in pH1N1 Hospitalizations in Memphis

Op-Ed: Fake H1N1 Pandemic Claims Assailed – Anti-Vaccine Communications Challenges Remain Comments Off on Op-Ed: Fake H1N1 Pandemic Claims Assailed – Anti-Vaccine Communications Challenges Remain

Credibility and transparency are essential to building trust in public health communications. During unfolding public health crises, the problem of what and when to warn is an enduring policy dilemma that goes to the heart of public trust. Last week the World Health Organization (WHO) persuasively refuted spurious claims from the Council of Europe that […]

World Notes: Avian Influenza (H5N1) in Egypt – Situation Critical 2

Cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) are surging in Egypt. Last year Egypt recorded 39 human cases of H5N1, a vast jump over eight cases in 2008. Four new cases were reported this month, bringing the country’s case count to 94. Of these, 27 have been fatal. These numbers position Egypt just behind Indonesia […]

Op-Ed: Internet Mashups and H1N1 Experience – Google Analytics Potential to Augment Traditional Influenza Surveillance 2

In the comparatively short lifespans of Influenza Monitor and counterpart blog Market@Flu-Monitor, one of the more striking outcomes as revealed through Google Analytics has been relatively high visitation rankings from countries as diverse as Ukraine, Egypt and India. All of these countries have experienced public health pressures coping with either H1N1 or H5N1. Google researchers […]

Medical Research: German Scientists Identify Human Host Factors Crucial for H1N1/H5N1 Influenza Virus Replication 1

Despite substantial development efforts that go into antiviral drugs and vaccines for influenza, viruses are able to develop resistance due to their high mutation rates. In a recent issue of Nature, a team of German moleclar biologists make the case that by targeting host rather than viral factors, it may be possible to develop flu […]