Category Archives: US News

Severe H1N1 and Lung Damage: A Pefect (Cytokine) Storm ? Comments Off on Severe H1N1 and Lung Damage: A Pefect (Cytokine) Storm ?

Medical evidence continues to accumulate on lung damage in severe cases of H1N1 influenza. Researchers at Sao Paul University Medical School found three distinct patterns of lung damage revealed from autopsies conducted on 21 patients who died from H1N1. Their findings, published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, indicated that acute […]

H1N1 Research: Scientists discover natural flu-fighting proteins 1

CHICAGO, Dec. 18, 2009 (Reuters) — U.S. researchers have discovered antiviral proteins in cells that naturally fight off influenza infections, a finding that may lead to better ways to make vaccines and protect people against the flu. Comment: The scientists published their findings in the journal Cell in a paper titled The IFITM Proteins Mediate […]

Public Health Service Preparedness: “Ready or Not ?” Comments Off on Public Health Service Preparedness: “Ready or Not ?”

A report by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation revealed the H1N1 flu outbreak has exposed serious underlying gaps in states’ ability to respond to public health emergencies.  The report titled, Ready or Not? Protecting the Public’s Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism, concluded had the outbreak had been more […]

Press Release: PBS Newshour website features H1N1 experts and resource guide for “Anatomy of a Pandemic” Comments Off on Press Release: PBS Newshour website features H1N1 experts and resource guide for “Anatomy of a Pandemic”

“PBS NEWSHOUR” WEBSITE FEATURES H1N1 EXPERTS
AND RESOURCE GUIDE FOR “ANATOMY OF A PANDEMIC”
— Interviews, Latest News, Local and National Resources Featured in Companion Website to PBS Flu Special that Airs Nationwide on December 14 —

WASHINGTON, D.C. — “PBS NewsHour,” the premiere news and public affairs website at pbs.org, will launch today, Tuesday, December 8, the companion website to “Anatomy of a Pandemic,” a television special and on-going digital media initiative about a pandemic’s impact on modern society, in response to the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus pandemic.

The “Anatomy of a Pandemic” website (www.pbs.org/newshour/pandemic) will feature a forum after the program’s premiere to ask questions of influenza experts from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. The site will also provide the latest public media news on H1N1, as well as national and local resources

World Notes: H1N1 influenza activity continues to decline in U.S. and Western Europe; virus remains active and intense in Eastern Europe and Central Asia zones Comments Off on World Notes: H1N1 influenza activity continues to decline in U.S. and Western Europe; virus remains active and intense in Eastern Europe and Central Asia zones

Recent CDC data reveal sharp declines in H1N1 activity in the U.S., however the virus remains geographically widespread. Deaths from influenza and pnuemonia, although still above epidemic levels, appear on a firm downward trend. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), H1N1 patterns across the rest of the world are uneven. While H1N1 activity is […]

Situation Update: H1N1 activity declining in U.S.; Hospitalizations and deaths continue above epidemic thresholds Comments Off on Situation Update: H1N1 activity declining in U.S.; Hospitalizations and deaths continue above epidemic thresholds

The good news.  In the week ending Nov. 21, CDC reports that 32 states were reporting widespread influenza activity, down from 48 states a month ago.  Influenza-like illnesses accounted for 4.3 % of outpatient visits, down from nearly twice that proportion in October, but still well above the seasonal norm of 2.3%. The bad news.  H1N1 […]

H1N1 Influenza Internet Resource Guide Comments Off on H1N1 Influenza Internet Resource Guide

The H1N1 Influenza Internet Resource Guide is now maintained on Influenza Monitor. This guide provides a Top 10 list of the best swine flu information resources on the Internet across an array network media to include: newswires, forums, social network sites, blogosphere, mashups and wikis. H1N1 Influenza Internet Resource Guide: The Best Swine Flu Sites

Opinion Research: Minority of businesses make adjustments to employee policies since advent of H1N1; Most Americans consider paid sick leave a basic workplace right 1

Opinion research conducted by the University of Chicago last year indicated Americans support paid sick leave by large majorities regardless of political persuasion. Most Americans consider paid sick leave a basic workplace right. “86% of respondents believed that employers should be required by law to provide paid sick days to workers; 85% endorsed a plan […]

Weak leave policies hinder efforts to contain H1N1; Paid sick leave legislation proposed 1

Around 51 million people, comprising a third of the U.S. workforce, do not have paid sick days.  Hence, staying home from work is not an option for many Americans in the event H1N1 strikes. An ailing economy, in conjunction with weak sick leave policies are fueling concerns about the spread of H1N1 virus. In a […]

Video Digest: Weak leave policies hamper fight against H1N1; Business lobbyists resist new legislative mandates Comments Off on Video Digest: Weak leave policies hamper fight against H1N1; Business lobbyists resist new legislative mandates