Swine Flu News and Information » Europe

When to see the doctor for the flu

admin — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:33:26 +0000

Many individuals who are experiencing flu symptoms are wondering, “When should I see a doctor?” That’s going to differ for many people based on their general health. However, Public Health – Dayton & Montgomery County offers some suggestions. (whiotv.com)

5 tips for keeping your kids safe

admin — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:40:23 +0000

The Swine Flu, the H1N1 Virus – call it what you will – has parents worried sick across the country now that our kids are back in school. Here are five fast and easy things you can do to keep your kids safe and healthy. (ABC)

Who can slow the swine flu? You can

rquigley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:55:48 +0000

Who’s on the front line of this fall’s flu fight? You are, say HHS and CDC officials.Until Thanksgiving, at the earliest, it’s going to be up to you to try not to catch the flu. And if you do catch it, you can stop the spread. (WebMD)

CDC leery of swine flu toll predictions

rquigley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:53:11 +0000

Government health officials are urging people not to panic over estimates of 90,000 people dying from swine flu. “Everything we’ve seen in the U.S. and everything we’ve seen around the world suggests we won’t see that kind of number if the virus doesn’t change,” said Dr. Thomas Frieden, head of the CDC. (Associated Press)

Swine flu could cripple workplaces

rquigley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:51:10 +0000

Schools aren’t the only ones that need to be on guard about H1N1. The Centers for Disease Control has just released guidelines for helping businesses and employers prepare for the flu season. (WISH-TV Video via YouTube)

Study: Kids 14 times more likely than elderly to get swine flu

rquigley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:47:12 +0000

One of the unusual things about the swine flu is that it often strikes young, healthy people, while skipping over the elderly. The Chicago Department of Public health reports that kids between 5 and 14 were 14 times more likely than the those over 60 to come down with with the H1N1 pandemic flu. (WSJ)

Are minorities at a higher risk?

rquigley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:45:28 +0000

In the early stages of the pandemic H1N1 influenza outbreak in Chicago, blacks and Latinos were about four times more likely than Caucasians to contract the virus, according to the first study that has examined the racial composition of those who caught the flu. (Los Angeles Times)

CDC turns to social media to get flu news out

rquigley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:37:24 +0000

U.S. health authorities are turning to social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter in a bid to prepare people to be vaccinated against the pandemic H1N1 virus. (Reuters)

Pregnant women, new parents urged to get vaccinated

rquigley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:35:53 +0000

Health officials are stressing that it is vital for pregnant women and new parents to get the swine flu vaccine to protect themselves and their children. (Associated Press)

The presidential advisors’ report

rquigley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:31:35 +0000

Read the report from the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology on the nation’s readiness. It details a scenario in which half the U.S. population could become infected with the H1N1 virus. Up to 1.8 million people could be hospitalized. And as many as 90,000 could die. (PDF format)

China’s big effort to fight the flu

rquigley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:28:42 +0000

While the United States prepares for an H1N1 pandemic this fall, China is acting as if it’s already under way. “We are taking all the precautions we can,” said Wang Shuai, a deputy director at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (Kansas City Star)

What you need to know about the H1N1 virus

rquigley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:23:44 +0000

Good information about the swine flu, and what you can do. (Baltimore Sun)

WHO warns of a severe form of swine flu

rquigley — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:15:42 +0000

Doctors are reporting a severe form of swine flu that goes straight to the lungs, causing severe illness in otherwise healthy young people and requiring expensive hospital treatment, the World Health Organization said on Friday. (Reuters)

Sanofi Pasteur receives swine flu seed virus

admin — Wed, 27 May 2009 18:41:08 +0000

The vaccines division of French pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis SA said Wednesday it has received the key ingredient to make a swine flu vaccine. (BusinessWeek)

Study detects flu immunity in older people

admin — Fri, 22 May 2009 16:24:24 +0000

A substantial portion of older Americans may have some immunity to the swine-origin H1N1 influenza virus, a finding that may prove useful when and if a vaccine to the new flu strain becomes available. (Washington Post)

Swine flu cases soar toward 10,000 worldwide

admin — Tue, 19 May 2009 17:00:02 +0000

United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon urged people to remain “vigilant and alert” about swine flu on Tuesday as the number of cases around the world shot up to almost 10,000. Previous pandemics had shown flu outbreaks could start mild and worsen, Ban said as he addressed the World Health Organisation’s annual assembly in Geneva. (AFP)

Tracing the swine flu’s ancestry

admin — Mon, 11 May 2009 17:11:45 +0000

Once Upon a Time there was a little flu virus. It was probably born in Kansas in late 1917 or 1918, although nobody is really sure. Its name was H1N1. It grew up to be very wicked. (Washington Post)

More than 2,500 swine flu cases worldwide

admin — Fri, 08 May 2009 19:55:00 +0000

The World Health Organization on Friday reported 2,500 confirmed cases of swine flu in 25 countries, with 44 deaths from the disease. In the United States, the total number of confirmed cases nearly doubled to 1,639 from the day before, with reports coming from 43 states. (CNN)

Is a swine flu vaccine worth the effort?

admin — Thu, 07 May 2009 16:38:21 +0000

The risk of moving forward is that the virus will fizzle, making such a vaccine unnecessary. This would cost millions and, for pharmaceutical companies, waste time and resources. The risk of delaying, on the other hand, is that the virus will resurge later this year and spread viciously through an unprotected populace. (ABC News)

As flu fears subside, specter of a deadlier time haunts officials

admin — Thu, 07 May 2009 14:38:10 +0000

Stories about the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic handed down bear an eerie similarity to the present outbreak. (Dallas Morning News)

Was the swine flu response an overreaction?

admin — Tue, 05 May 2009 13:56:41 +0000

Was the swine flu pandemic just a lot of hype or did the world mount a credible response to a very real threat and tamp it down? A bioethicist weighs in. (Commentary on MSNBC.com)

Survivors remember the 1918 flu pandemic

admin — Mon, 04 May 2009 19:50:34 +0000

Thanks to their immunity built more than 90 years ago from their brush with one the world’s deadliest pandemics, the survivors of the 1918 Spanish flu could help in a fight against the swine flu. (CNN)

Outbreak growing in Britain

admin — Mon, 04 May 2009 18:36:34 +0000

Nine new cases of swine flu were confirmed in the UK today, leading to the closure of another London school. All but two had caught the infection in this country. (The Guardian)

WHO chief on the unpredictable nature of the flu

admin — Mon, 04 May 2009 16:35:33 +0000

The World Health Organization chief says the world needs to maintain a “high level of vigilance.” Margaret Chan also warns that historically, flu pandemics have come in two or three waves, and that the first wave can be very mild. (BBC News video)

Flu alert level likely to be raised to highest level

admin — Mon, 04 May 2009 12:56:32 +0000

The World Health Organization is likely to raise its alert for the swine flu outbreak to the highest level and declare a pandemic, the director tells a Spanish newspaper. The WHO warns against “unnecessary panic” over the decision. (Fox News)

Confirmed swine flu cases up to almost 1,000 worldwide

admin — Mon, 04 May 2009 12:49:34 +0000

With swine flu widespread in the United States, the World Health Organization reported Monday that the disease had widened globally, too, with 20 countries reporting 985 laboratory confirmed cases, compared to 898 confirmed cases in 18 countries on Sunday. (New York Times)

Experts warn against overuse of anti-viral drugs

admin — Sun, 03 May 2009 14:58:28 +0000

Until a vaccine for swine flu is developed some months from now, the best hope for treating the illness lies with anti-viral drugs.But if you’re healthy or you have only mild symptoms of the flu, experts say you shouldn’t take them. (Chicago Tribune)

Confirmed cases of H1N1 virus now at 787, WHO says

admin — Sun, 03 May 2009 14:52:37 +0000

The number of H1N1 cases worldwide now stands at 787 with two additional deaths reported in Mexico, the World Health Organization announced early Sunday. There were 615 confirmed cases Saturday. (CNN)

Ever-changing swine flu virus a challenge for drug makers

admin — Sun, 03 May 2009 00:06:27 +0000

The swine flu outbreak has left public health officials unsure if they should change the composition of next year’s regular flu vaccine to guard specifically against swine flu. (Washington Post)

A plague or paranoia? It’s hard to tell

admin — Sat, 02 May 2009 14:48:21 +0000

So is this new swine flu outbreak the next great plague, or just a global spasm of paranoia? Like all influenza viruses, it is mutating capriciously and, thus, is not a static and predictable public health threat but an evolving one. (Washington Post)