The ECDC (The European version of the CDC) has just published an interesting work trying to gauge the likely scenario for the flu in Europe for the next year. This is to help them with resource allocation and vaccine planning. The work was done in conjunction with their Advisory Forum, other European health experts and the WHO. The work was specifically designed to “imagine” what could most reasonably be expected in the first half of [...]
H1N1 (Swine Flu): Flu, Flu – Where’s the Flu?
CDC just issued the weekly report “Flu View” and it is amazingly quiet…no H3N2 anywhere (our old seasonal flu) and H1N1 is as quiet as a lamb. What does that mean? Who knows!!! Anything is possible with influenza. No states reported widespread influenza activity. Regional influenza activity was reported by six states (Alabama, Georgia, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Carolina). Local influenza activity was reported by Puerto Rico and 11 states (Connecticut, Hawaii, [...]
H1N1 (Swine Flu): New Study Sheds Light On The Immune Response Of The Elderly To H1N1 – The Connection? The 1918 Spanish Flu
Since May 2009, the H1N1 virus has been spreading throughout the world. Epidemiological data indicate that the elderly are underrepresented among the ill individuals. Approximately 1,000 serum specimens collected in Finland in 2004 and 2005 from individuals born between 1909 and 2005, were analyzed by haemagglutination-inhibition test for the presence of antibodies against the 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) and recently circulating seasonal influenza A viruses. Ninety-six per cent of individuals born between 1909 and 1919 [...]
H1N1 (Swine Flu): HHS New Interactive Timeline on Flu.Gov – Meeting the Challenge
In 2009, the world responded to its first influenza pandemic since 1968. A new strain of the virus was discovered in March when three children (California and Texas) were hospitalized for respiratory infections. The following month, the H1N1 virus took its first victim: a young boy in Mexico. As the severity of the outbreak became clearer, a massive coordinated response effort was undertaken by government agencies, scientists, private industry, and the general public. Over the [...]
