Category Archives: Flu

Gulf of Mexico oil spill called worst in U.S. history

By doris | Published: May 27, 2010

Full Story at CNN.com Venice, Louisiana (CNN) — The Gulf of Mexico undersea gusher has already spilled more oil than the Exxon Valdez disaster — possibly more than twice as much, making it the largest oil spill in U.S. history — government scientists said Thursday. Scientists observed 130,000 to 270,000 barrels of oil on the [...]

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Experts Say Swine Flu Mutations Do Not Warrant New Alarm

By doris | Published: November 28, 2009

Full Story at NYTimes.com The World Health Organization tried this week to dampen fears about mutations seen in the swine flu virus in several countries, noting that both mutations had been found in very few people. A change that created Tamiflu resistance has been found in about 75 people around the world, said Dr. Keiji [...]

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China expert warns of pandemic flu mutation

By doris | Published: November 25, 2009

Full Story atReuters.com HONG KONG (Reuters) – China must be alert to any mutation or changes in the behavior of the H1N1 swine flu virus because the far deadlier H5N1 bird flu virus is endemic in the country, a leading Chinese disease expert said. Zhong Nanshan, director of the Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Diseases in [...]

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A H1N1 flu to-do (and don’t do) list

By doris | Published: October 25, 2009

Full Story at CNN.com However, the onslaught of information about H1N1 — be it playground rumors, employer signs telling you to cover your cough, memos from your kids’ school, or scary-sounding news reports — is making it pretty hard to figure out what you should be doing right now. Although some people have already been [...]

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Shortage of shots as more kids die of swine flu

By doris | Published: October 17, 2009

Full Story at msnbc.com WASHINGTON – Even as swine flu infections are causing an unprecedented amount of illness for this time of year — and a growing number of deaths, particularly among children — supplies of vaccine to protect against it will be delayed, government health officials said Friday. In the past week, 11 more [...]

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What to know about getting H1N1 vaccine

By doris | Published: October 2, 2009

Full Story a CNN.com There are two types of the vaccine available: the flu shot, an inactivated vaccine containing fragments of killed influenza virus, and a nasal spray, which is made using a weakened live flu virus. The nasal spray will most likely be the first to be widely distributed, however certain groups, including pregnant [...]

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King: H1N1 worries increase awareness on college campuses

By doris | Published: September 20, 2009

Full Story at CNN.com STORRS, Connecticut (CNN) — At the University of Connecticut, planning for the H1N1 virus means, to begin with, clearing some serious storage space: • 15,000 surgical masks for patients who might become infected.• 28,000 doses of Advil• 28,000 doses of Tylenol• 10,000 fever thermometers• Thousands of bottles of hand sanitizers. “We [...]

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First batch of swine flu vaccine produced

By doris | Published: June 14, 2009

Full Story At msnbc.com BASEL, Switzerland – Swiss pharmaceuticals company Novartis AG said Friday it has successfully produced a first batch of swine flu vaccine weeks ahead of expectations. The vaccine was made in cells, rather than grown in eggs as is usually the case with vaccines, the company said. The announcement comes a day [...]

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NYC woman in 50s becomes US’ 11th swine flu death

By doris | Published: May 25, 2009

Full Story At News.yahoo.com NEW YORK – A woman died over the weekend of swine flu, becoming the city’s second victim and the nation’s 11th. The woman, who was in her 50s, had other health conditions, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene spokeswoman Jessica Scaperotti said. No other information on her case was disclosed Sunday. [...]

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US moving closer to swine flu vaccine

By doris | Published: May 23, 2009

Full Story At  news.Yahoo.com WASHINGTON – Inching closer to a swine flu vaccine, the government is beginning to analyze two candidates for the key ingredient to brew one. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hopes to deliver one or both to vaccine manufacturers by the end of next week so scientists can begin the [...]

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Experts: Don’t try ‘pox party’ for swine flu

By doris | Published: May 7, 2009

Full Story At news.yahoo.com NEW YORK – It seems logical: Why not try to get sick with swine flu now, and get some immunity in case it comes roaring back this fall in a deadlier form? Sort of like those “pox parties” to get your kids exposed to a childhood disease. Bad idea, flu experts [...]

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Swine flu: Your questions answered

By doris | Published: May 1, 2009

Full Story At  CNN.com 1. Hasn’t swine flu been around for a while? Yes. Swine flu was first identified in 1930 when researchers isolated the virus in a pig. In 1976, more than 200 soldiers at Fort Dix, New Jersey, got swine flu. From 1976 until 2005, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [...]

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Mexico to shut down government in flu fight

By doris | Published: April 30, 2009

Full Story At  msnbc.com MEXICO CITY – Mexico’s government is suspending all nonessential activity of the federal government and private business as the number of confirmed swine flu cases jumped. The decision came as global health authorities warned Wednesday that swine flu was threatening to bloom into a pandemic, and the virus spread farther in [...]

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Expert on flu’s spread says new strain here to stay

By doris | Published: April 29, 2009

Full Story At  CNN.com And Longini says the apparent new strain of swine flu appears to be here to stay. “We are probably going to have to live with this virus for some time,” he told CNN. Longini specializes in the mathematical and statistical theory of epidemics. He works at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease [...]

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Swine flu creates controversy on Twitter

By doris | Published: April 28, 2009

Full Story At  CNN.com Some observers say Twitter — a micro-blogging site where users post 140-character messages — has become a hotbed of unnecessary hype and misinformation about the outbreak, which is thought to have claimed more than 100 lives in Mexico. “This is a good example of why [Twitter is] headed in that wrong [...]

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Regular flu season precautions advised in current outbreak

By doris | Published: April 27, 2009

Full Story At  CNN.com Health officials’ advice is to follow common-sense precautions: Wash your hands, stay home if you’re sick and listen to your local health authorities. “Very frequent hand-washing is something that we talk about time and time again and that is an effective way to reduce transmission of disease,” Dr. Richard Besser, acting [...]

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