influenza

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Flu's 'Ground Zero' May Be Mexican 5-Year-Old

4-year-old boy survived flu in village near huge pig farm

(Newser) - Mexican authorities have tracked the first known case of a mutant strain of swine flu to a boy in a village near a huge pig farm, the Guardian reports. Edgar Hernandez, 4, survived the outbreak of illness in the eastern Mexico village of La Gloria in February, but two babies...

Mexico Prepares to Shut Down Capital

Schools closed as Mexico scrambles to contain outbreak blamed for 149 deaths

(Newser) - Mexican authorities scrambling to contain the swine flu outbreak have closed schools and universities across the country and are considering a total shutdown of the capital, reports the Financial Times. Some businesses have remained open in Mexico City, but people are avoiding bars and restaurants, and the public transport system...

With 41 Sick, US Moves 'As If' Flu Is 'Full Pandemic'

(Newser) - With up to 41 people sickened by swine flu in five states and 149 dead in Mexico, the Obama administration is treating the outbreak like a full pandemic, the AP reports. Officials warned Americans against traveling to Mexico—where more than 1,600 have been infected—and sent flu-fighting medications...

Swine Flu Sends Travel Stocks Falling
 Swine Flu Sends 
 Travel Stocks Falling 
MARKETS

Swine Flu Sends Travel Stocks Falling

Airlines decline while drugmakers advance; Mexican peso tumbles

(Newser) - Stocks declined worldwide today, with travel companies leading losses as investors gave their first reaction to the outbreak of swine flu. Airlines took a pummeling—Lufthansa fell more than 12%, British Airways 8.7%—and tour operators like Carnival also suffered sharp drops. But pharmaceutical companies did well: drugmaker Roche,...

Obama Exposed to Possible Swine Flu Case

(Newser) - President Barack Obama was exposed this month in Mexico to a potential case of swine flu the day before the ailing Mexican official died, reports the Independent. Distinguished archeologist Felipe Solis, who met Obama at a state dinner, showed the president around Mexico's anthropology museum 11 days ago during Obama's...

Swine Flu Fears Prompt Quarantine Plans, Pork Bans

(Newser) - Canada became the third country to confirm human cases of swine flu today as global health officials considered whether to raise the global pandemic alert level. Nations from New Zealand to Spain also reported suspected cases and some warned citizens against travel to North America while others planned quarantines, tightened...

Swine Flu Spreads as Far as New Zealand

10 students infected with mild strain after returning from Mexico

(Newser) - Ten students from New Zealand who just returned from Mexico have tested positive for influenza, and the country's health minister said the cases are "likely" to be swine flu. The students were quarantined after returning to New Zealand yesterday, and one student had to be hospitalized. The minister added...

Experts Fear Swine Flu Pandemic

(Newser) - Experts are stumped and very nervous about the current swine flu outbreak, the Wall Street Journal reports. The previously unknown flu strain, which has killed up to 68 in Mexico and infected eight Americans, is doing two new things: passing from person to person, and mixing viruses in a...

Mexican Swine Flu Outbreak Kills 60
Mexican Swine Flu Outbreak Kills 60
updated

Mexican Swine Flu Outbreak Kills 60

WHO officials link 'novel' strain to 7 non-lethal cases in US

(Newser) - An outbreak of swine flu in Mexico has left 60 people dead and hundreds of others infected, the BBC reports. The World Health Organization says the strain that killed at least 12 of the victims has the same genetic structure of the flu that sickened seven people in Texas and...

Bizarre Swine Flu Strikes West

Newly detected swine flu virus may be spreading from person to person

(Newser) - Seven people in California and Texas have been struck by swine flu despite having no contact with pigs, the Los Angeles Times reports. Baffled investigators believe the unusual, newly detected form of the flu may be spreading from person to person. The symptoms are similar to standard influenza, leading officials...

Tamiflu Useless Against Dominant Flu Strain

Substitute isn't safe for everyone

(Newser) - The dominant flu strain circulating in much of the US is nearly 100% resistant to Tamiflu, the most commonly used antiviral, the Los Angeles Times reports. Despite a milder than usual flu season, the resistance is still causing concern, and the CDC is advising doctors to substitute Tamiflu with Relenza,...

Busy? Get Your Drive-Thru Flu Shot

(Newser) - A Massachusetts hospital has a novel way to administer influenza vaccinations: the drive-through. Caritas Norwood, south of Boston, has nurses on hand to administer the shot in a designated areas of the hospital’s driveway, the Boston Globe reports. Some 250 people, at $20 a pop, have received the vaccine...

Feds Target Kids for Flu Shots
 Feds Target Kids for Flu Shots 

Feds Target Kids for Flu Shots

Vaccines for young germ-spreaders may curb effect on broader population

(Newser) - Kids are the focus of flu vaccination efforts this year in an unprecedented push to lower the overall number of US infections, the Los Angeles Times reports. Children get the flu more often than adults, and research suggests they are biologically more effective at spreading it; for the first time,...

Record 145M Targeted for Flu Shots

CDC pushes vaccine for 86% of Americans

(Newser) - Enough flu vaccine is now being manufactured to give shots to a record 145 million people, reports the Washington Post. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans an unprecedented campaign to ensure as many children, seniors and pregnant women as possible get shots, up to 86% of the population....

Pandemic Risk Real, Mounting
 Pandemic Risk Real, Mounting 

Pandemic Risk Real, Mounting

Experts fear spread of disease, entrenched in avian population, to humans

(Newser) - The danger of a worldwide bird flu epidemic is growing as the virus becomes established in the avian population, Reuters reports. World Health Organization experts today urged all nations to prepare in case the H5N1 virus mutates into a form easily transferable between humans. In birds, the strain has spread...

Doctors Fear Flu-Superbug Combo
Doctors Fear Flu-Superbug Combo

Doctors Fear Flu-Superbug Combo

Mix kills 2 kids in Boston after taking 22 lives last year

(Newser) - Doctors nationwide took notice yesterday when two Boston kids died of a combined flu and fatal superbug—an increasingly common mix, ABC News reports. The blend of influenza and the staph infection MRSA killed 22 people last year, a huge jump from three cases the year before. Now, doctors fear...

Asia Unique in Geography of Flu Outbreaks

Climate, season seen as key in incubating strains of virus

(Newser) - Researchers have found yet another thing the West imports from China: the flu. East and Southeast Asia serve as a birthplace for new flu strains, the Times of London reports, thanks to the region’s unique mix of climates. By the time Europe and America get the sniffles six to...

All Schoolkids Should Get Flu Shot, Feds Say

CDC panel proposes vaccinations for additional 30M kids

(Newser) - All schoolchildren in the US should get flu shots, a CDC panel advises. Current guidelines call for shots for those ages 6 months to 5 years, but the new recommendation raises the age to 18, an expansion of 30 million youngsters, the AP reports. The CDC is expected to adopt...

Flu Shot: Better Luck Next Year
Flu Shot: Better Luck Next Year

Flu Shot: Better Luck Next Year

FDA includes new strains in formula

(Newser) - Next year's influenza vaccine will be reformulated to include three new flu strains in the hope of developing a more potent vaccine than this year's effort, according to US News & World Report. An FDA panel approved the move, following the lead of the World Health Organization. This year's vaccine...

This Year's Flu Vaccine Missing the Mark

Only 40% effective as unexpected virus strains hit the public

(Newser) - Flu season peaks in early February and experts say this could be a very bad year. Health officials say that is partly because this year's flu vaccines aren't effective enough, the AP reports. "Every area of the country is experiencing lots of flu right now," said a doctor...

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