pandemic

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Pick Your Poison: Swine Flu or Hand Sanitizer

Recent H1N1-inspired flood of alcohol-based products into schools are also flammable

(Newser) - Schools are loading up on hand sanitizer in an effort to fight swine flu—but the alcohol-based panacea has problems of its own, the Chicago Tribune reports. Bottles and dispensers of the stuff are ubiquitous in classrooms, and officials have belatedly realized the dangers of its 65% alcohol content. “...

'Swine Flu Dorms' Sprout at Colleges Nationwide

Sick students start school in quarantine zones

(Newser) - College freshers across the country are starting their life in higher education confined to buildings full of their coughing peers, the New York Times reports. Fearing the virus will sweep through campuses, colleges have set up quarantine dorms for sick students, keeping them out of class and plying them with...

Colleges Open Their Doors—to Swine Flu

Campus is 'a perfect breeding ground for disease'

(Newser) - Colleges all over the country are welcoming back students—and dealing with an uninvited visitor: swine flu, Bloomberg reports. From the South to the Plains states, schools are reporting hundreds of cases—at Mississippi State University, more than 250 people have flu-like symptoms. “Envision 200 young people being stuffed...

Brit Nurses Fear Swine Flu Vaccine: Poll

One third won't have it for fear of danger; one third undecided

(Newser) - A full two thirds of British nurses are undecided about or outright against getting vaccinated for swine flu, the Telegraph reports. Some 60% of those who plan to decline say they are concerned about the safety of the untested treatment. “I would not be willing to put myself at...

US Braces for Round 2 of Swine Flu

(Newser) - The US and other northern nations are steeling for a possible explosion in swine flu cases as the weather cools, the Washington Post reports. Experts believe the second round of H1N1 cases could cause a major disruption and strain the health care system. "The virus is still around and...

FDA Cracks Down on Swine Flu Snake Oil

(Newser) - The hysteria over the swine flu pandemic has spawned its share of magic cures, and health authorities are busy combating the snake oil salesmen, the Financial Times reports. Nearly half of the warning letters sent by the FDA to manufacturers and retailers since May have been issued to those hawking...

Pregnant Women Win Priority for Swine Flu Vaccine

(Newser) - Pregnant women and people who care for infants will be first in line for the swine flu vaccine this fall, the Washington Post reports. Infants, children and young adults under 24, chronically ill adults aged 25 to 64, and health care workers are the other top priority groups under guidelines...

Brit Nursery Schools Ban Cuddlies on Swine Flu Fears

(Newser) - Teddy bears have been given their marching orders from British nursery schools and day care centers as the government seeks to stop the spread of swine flu, the Guardian reports. New guidelines say soft toys should be removed since they are hard to clean properly, and the sharing of pencils...

WHO Gives Up on Counting Swine Flu Cases

(Newser) - The World Health Organization today instructed member nations to stop counting cases of the rapidly spreading swine flu pandemic and focus instead on the most serious, Reuters reports. “Trying to register and report every single case is a huge waste of resources,” a spokesman said. Authorities should continue...

Swine Flu Soars in England
 Swine Flu Soars in England 
Jul 16, 2009 5:20 AM CDT

Swine Flu Soars in England

(Newser) - Diagnosed cases of swine flu have jumped sixfold in some parts of England over the last week, the Guardian reports. Suspected cases have risen almost 50% across the country. The pandemic has killed 16 people in the UK so far. British doctors say they are being overwhelmed by patients demanding...

Fears Mount as WHO Declares Swine Flu 'Unstoppable'

Agency orders worldwide vaccines

(Newser) - Concerns continue to mount about swine flu in the wake of the World Health Organization's declaration that the illness is "unstoppable" and the deaths in Britain of two apparently strong individuals, a 6-year-old girl and a doctor. WHO officials are calling for worldwide vaccines to protect populations before they...

Spread of Swine Flu 'Unstoppable': WHO

(Newser) - World Health Organization chief Margaret Chan told a summit in Mexico today that, though most cases of swine flu were not deadly, the virus cannot be stopped, the BBC reports. “With well over 100 countries reporting cases, once a fully fit pandemic virus emerges, its further international spread is...

UK Predicts 100,000 New Swine Flu Cases Every Day

Government instructs doctors to stop testing for H1N1

(Newser) - Incidences of swine flu have spiked rapidly across Britain, and the country's health secretary predicted yesterday that the UK could see 100,000 new cases every day by August, the Guardian reports. Doctors are being instructed to concentrate on treatment instead of containment. "We have always known it would...

US Hits 1M Swine Flu Cases
 US Hits 1M Swine Flu Cases 
Jun 25, 2009 3:27 PM CDT

US Hits 1M Swine Flu Cases

(Newser) - Health officials estimate that as many as 1 million Americans now have the H1N1 virus, better known as swine flu. The estimate, made public today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is based on mathematical modeling. Nearly 28,000 US cases have been reported to the CDC, accounting...

New Strain May Mean Year-Round Flu Season: CDC

(Newser) - The US could experience an extended or even year-round flu season thanks to H1N1, the Centers for Disease Control said yesterday. Researchers theorize that a combination of unprepared immune systems and the unusually cool spring could be contributing to the steady stream of flu infections. “The fact that we...

Swiss Pharma Won't Donate Swine Flu Vaccine to Poor

Novartis defies WHO calls to give free doses to poor

(Newser) - Swiss pharma giant Novartis is defying the World Health Organization by refusing to donate swine flu vaccines to the world's poor, despite the designation of H1N1 as the first pandemic in 40 years, reports the Financial Times. Last week the WHO's director general called on drug companies to show "...

What if Swine Flu Meets Bird Flu?

A hybrid could stymie vaccines, increase disease's killing power

(Newser) - Among the scarier prospects for the future of swine flu, which has reached pandemic status but killed relatively few people, is that it mixes with bird flu to form a lethal hybrid. Jokes about flying pigs aside, a mix of the easily spreadable H1N1 and the especially virulent bird flu...

WHO Declares Swine Flu Pandemic
 WHO Declares 
 Swine Flu Pandemic 
UPDATED
Jun 11, 2009 10:20 AM CDT

WHO Declares Swine Flu Pandemic

H1N1 has spread to 74 countries, but may be milder than first thought

(Newser) - The World Health Organization has declared the first influenza pandemic since 1968, Reuters reports. Although the current outbreak has caused mostly mild cases of the illness, today's official declaration that the outbreak has hit phase 6, the highest level, means heightened prevention measures in 193 countries. The designation refers to...

What Lies Beneath the Ice? Maybe the Flu

(Newser) - Another sign of the flu's ingenuity: Two researchers say it can hide for centuries in Arctic ice and re-emerge to infect birds and humans who are no longer immune to that particular strain, reports Wired. When rising temperatures cause the ice to melt, the flu springs back to life and...

Forget Swine Flu— 5 Pandemics to Fear

(Newser) - While the world panics over swine flu, many far more serious outbreaks lie in wait, reports Foreign Policy. Here are some you won’t see on TV—yet:  
  • Cholera: The deadly diarrheal infection is rampant in Africa, with infections shooting up 96% in 2006. The current outbreak in Zimbabwe
...

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