Tag Archives: US News

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 […]

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 […]

H1N1 Vaccine Safety: FDA Letter to Health Care Professionals 2

Commissioner’s Letter to Health Care Professionals Letter from the Commissioner to Nation’s Health Care Professionals on H1N1 Vaccine Safety U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Jan 14, 2010 KEY points and excerpts: FDA and CDC are assessing H1N1 vaccine safety on a continuing basis and have published a detailed report describing the safety profile of […]

H1N1 Vaccine Safety: Guillain-Barré Syndrome – Less Mysterious, More Manageable and Very Rare 1

Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) is a very rare disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system. Specifically, “GBS damages the nerves’ protective covering (myelin sheath) and this interferes with the signaling process, causing weakness, numbness or paralysis.”  There is no cure for GBS but it is treatable.  Most recover and […]

Video Digest: H1N1 Vaccination Push – Sketches from Maine and California; Memories of Flu Resurgence in Winter 1958 Comments Off on Video Digest: H1N1 Vaccination Push – Sketches from Maine and California; Memories of Flu Resurgence in Winter 1958

 

A Shot in the Arm: New Public Information Campaign Push for H1N1 Vaccination Comments Off on A Shot in the Arm: New Public Information Campaign Push for H1N1 Vaccination

As the nation enters 2010 with ample H1N1 vaccine supplies and a public weary from H1N1, HHS has ramped up public information efforts encouraging Americans to get vaccinated. Several events are planned for National Influenza Vaccination Week, which has been rescheduled to the week of Jan 10. New public-service announcements (PSA’s) are appearing on radio, […]

Op-Ed: 2009 in Review – Public Information and Awareness, Transparency are Indispensable to H1N1 Fight 2

As 2009 comes to a close, an estimated 60 million Americans have been vaccinated for H1N1. This represents a remarkable achievement. Despite waning H1N1 infection rates in the U.S., recent surveys show that half of all Americans desire the vaccine. While HHS handling of the H1N1 pandemic has drawn criticism, overall public awareness has been […]

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 […]