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What we can learn from past pandemics
History offers a dark warning to anyone ready to write off the 2009 H1N1 virus. In each of the four major pandemics since 1889, a spring wave of relatively mild illness was followed by a second wave of a much more virulent disease. (CNN.com)
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Will the flu pandemic be mild, or kill millions?
As the swine flu progresses, officials struggle to figure out what the world is facing. “There may be a possibility that the virus will die out and stop, and that would be the best for us. But it can turn the other way,” said Margaret Chan, the WHO’s director-general. (Analysis by Reuters)
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Companies plan for a swine flu pandemic
While it’s still unclear exactly how severe or deadly the swine flu will be or even how devastating it will be the global economy, U.S. and International health officials are taking the threat very seriously. And as a result, so are many companies. (news.CNET.com)
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Obama security agent may have swine flu
A member of the security advance team for President Obama’s recent trip to Mexico is suspected of having contracted the swine flu. The man is on the staff of Energy Secretary Steven Chu, who traveled with Obama to Mexico on April 16. Press secretary Robert Gibbs said Obama has not been affected. (Washington Post)
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WHO decides to not raise flu threat level
GENEVA - The World Health Organization said on Thursday there was no reason to raise a pandemic flu alert to the highest level. But WHO acting Assistant Director General Keiji Fukuda added a note of caution about the southern hemisphere, which is entering into the flu-prone winter season. (Agence France-Presse)
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No more ’swine’: Call it H1N1 Influenza A instead?
The World Health Organization says it will would stop using the term “swine flu” to avoid confusion over the danger posed by pigs. WHO spokesman Dick Thompson said, “We’re going to stick with the technical scientific name H1N1 influenza A.” (Associated Press)
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WHO reports 88 new worldwide swine flu cases
The World Heath Organization has confirmed 236 cases of swine flu infection worldwide, the agency said Thursday, a jump from 148 cases reported the previous day. The largest increase was from Mexico, which has 97 confirmed cases of the virus, compared with 26 cases Wednesday. (CNN.com)
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Toddler who died from swine flu in Houston had visited the mall
A Mexico City toddler who became the first swine-flu death on U.S. soil spent a day with his family shopping at Houston’s Galleria mall the day before he began to show symptoms, although it wasn’t immediately clear where else in the city the child might have gone. (Houston Chronicle)
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Modeling swine flu’s worst-case scenario, one month from now
Engineers at Northwestern University developed a computer model for the spread of the swine flu. The worst-case scenario assumes containment measures are not taken. It might not be as bad as you think. (Houston Chronicle)
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Scientists see this flu strain as relatively mild
Genetic data indicate the swine flu outbreak won’t be as deadly as that of the 1918 Spanish flu, or even the average winter. (Los Angeles Times)
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Mexico limits pubic services as swine flu alerts increase
As the swine flu virus appeared in new locations as far apart as Peru and Switzerland on Thursday, Mexicans braced for a shutdown of restaurants, schools and soccer stadiums in an attempt to slow the spread of the disease. (New York Times)
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Don’t fear the flu? Airlines have a deal for you
Delta, American and other U.S. carriers are slashing round-trip Mexico fares to as little as $260 as the swine flu outbreak erases demand. Tickets to Mexico City from Dallas/Fort Worth on American sold for $260 yesterday, a drop from about $500 recently. (Bloomberg)
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Swine flu death rate slows in Mexico
Swine flu is spreading quickly throughout the world, but the rate of deaths from the illness has dropped, according to the latest Mexican government figures. (London Daily Telegraph)
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President Obama pledges ‘vigilance’ in fight against swine flu
President Barack Obama pledged “great vigilance” in confronting the swine flu outbreak Wednesday night as it began hitting home across the U.S. (Associated Press)
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Closing schools may not stop swine flu from spreading
Closing schools won’t necessarily stop the spread of swine flu. In a worldwide epidemic - which the swine flu outbreak is not - schools could be closed for up to 12 weeks. (Associated Press)
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More than 100 U.S. schools close because of swine flu
At least 74 elementary, junior high and high schools have closed across the country because of confirmed or probable cases of swine flu, the Department of Education said Wednesday. Another 30 schools have closed as a precautionary measure because of the H1N1 virus, Department of Education spokesman Massie Ritsch said. (CNN.com)
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Mystery: Why does the flu appear to be more severe in Mexico?
Doctors and public health experts are puzzling over what may be the most important question as they search for ways to stop the spread of swine flu: Why does the disease seem to be so much more severe in Mexico than in the United States or anywhere else in the world? (SFGate.com)
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A country-by-country list of confirmed swine flu cases
Here are details of the latest number of cases country by
country. (Reuters) -
On U.S.-Mexico border, reactions to swine flu vary widely
A border population that moves daily between the countries has begun to act as though people are simply safer from swine flu on the U.S. side, complicating efforts to contain the outbreak. (Washington Post)
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Making a swine flu vaccine will be tricky
Undertaking work on a vaccine would be challenging for the CDC. In a typical year, formulating the nation’s flu vaccine is a tricky proposition. This is not a typical year. (Los Angeles Times)
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Recession could make fighting swine flu tough
The recession has drained hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of workers from the state and local health departments that now are the front line in the country’s defense against a possible swine flu pandemic. (New York Times)
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WHO chief: Swine flu close to being a pandemic
WHO flu chief Dr. Keiji Fukuda told reporters on Wednesday that developments in the disease are moving the agency closer to raising its pandemic alert to phase 5, indicating widespread human-to-human transmission. (Associated Press)
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U.S. swine flu cases jump to 91 in 10 states
Dr. Richard Besser, the acting chief of the CDC, says thus far only five of those cases needed hospitalization, including a Mexican toddler who became the first death recorded in the U.S., in Texas. (MSNBC.com)
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First victim to die in U.S. from swine flu is from Mexico City
Officials say the first confirmed death in the U.S. from swine flu was a Mexican boy about 2 years old who died in Houston on Monday night. The boy, who has not been identified, had underlying health issues, according to a release from the Texas Department of State Health Services. (statesman.com)
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Instituting a quarantine would be up to locals
Quarantine may seem the stuff of mediocre melodramas, but if the swine flu explodes into an epidemic, involuntary isolation could become a reality for more than a few unlucky Americans. (MSNBC.com)
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Hundreds of students miss standardized tests in Texas due to swine flu scares
At least 17 schools have closed for the week and thousands of Texas students are missing school on an important day of standardized state tests because of swine flu fears. (AP)
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L.A. coroner doubts 2 men died of swine flu
The Los Angeles Coroner says that two men who were suspected of dying from the swine flu are now unlikely to have contracted the disease. (latimes.com)
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Swine flu and travel: What should you do?
Are you rethinking your travel plans in light of swine flu? Here are travel recommendations to keep in mind. (WebMD)
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Possible new cases investigated at second NYC school
A possible new cluster of swine flu infections popped up Tuesday at a Queens elementary school for autistic kids. A team from the city Health Department is at Public School 177 in Fresh Meadows to determine if the swine flu is sickening the students. (New York Daily News)
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Replay a live chat with infectious disease expert
You can replay a live chat and Q&A about the swine flu outbreak with health writer Mary Ann Roser and Dr. Dennis Perrotta, associate director for emerging infectious diseases at the National Center for Emergency Medical Preparedness and Response, Texas A&M Health Science Center. (statesman.com)