Latest epidemics Stories

Many US schools are facing the problem of nurse shortages at a time when cases of the swine flu are on the rise.Experts told the Associated Press that this shortage of school nurses could cause more students to be stricken with the dangerous H1N1 virus."It's really irresponsible of the school district to not really provide medical oversight while kids are in school," Jamie Hintzke, who has two kids in Northern California's Pleasanton Unified School District, told the AP."I'm playing Russian...

About 100 people possibly exposed to plague-related bacteria blamed for a Chicago scientist's death have been given antibiotics as a precaution, officials say. Federal health officials are at the University of Chicago, where they have sealed off the laboratory of geneticist Malcolm Casadaban, who died Sept. 13, while they investigate what happened. Initial autopsy results revealed the presence of a version of Yersenia pestis bacteria he had been researching, the Chicago Tribune reported....

BOSTON, Sept. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- SmarterTravel(R), a comprehensive travel advice resource for the budget-conscious traveler, today released a checklist of strategies for staying safe while traveling during this highly anticipated flu season. Travel Checklist: Check your health insurance: Before you depart, check your healthcare provider's coverage plans in your destination as a precaution in case you develop the swine flu, or any illness, while traveling.Consider travel insurance: With so...

ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- EdOptions (www.edoptions.com), an award-winning educational technology company, announced today that it will offer schools a built-in disaster recovery plan to provide an affordable, accessible strategy for educators to help ensure the continuity of learning. In case of a disaster, natural or otherwise (e.g. H1N1), all students in a school could quickly be added to the Web-delivered system and continue classes from home or another secure location...

CHERRY HILL, N.J., Sept. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Nuvilex, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: NVLX), announced today that Legacy Biotechnologies, Inc., its joint venture partner, has informed the Company that Reme-Flu(TM) will soon be available for sale on Nutralegacy.com, one of the top-rated websites in the world. Reme-Flu(TM) is a unique two-part protocol homeopathic remedy designed to help prevent and treat flu-type symptoms resulting from influenza-like illnesses, including swine flu....

CARLSBAD, Calif., Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a survey released today by the Harvard School of Public Health, only a third of businesses said they could avoid severe operational problems if half of their workforce stayed home for two weeks because of H1N1 swine flu. Disease trackers expect flu cases to rise in the fall. Marv Toyer, President of eBLVD.com, a Carlsbad, CA provider of web-based remote access tools is offering affected businesses a free two-week trial of any of its...

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Blue Shield of California announced today that it will cover the administrative costs of the H1N1 virus (swine flu) vaccine for all its members, regardless of which plan they have. Blue Shield will be waiving prior authorizations, copays and deductibles for office visits when members go to an in-network doctor to get H1N1 vaccinations. The U.S. Government will be providing H1N1 vaccinations (including the equipment, like syringes) free of...

Employees Will Face Challenges As Few Businesses Offer Paid Leave to Care for Sick Family Members In a national survey of businesses that looks at their preparations for a possible widespread H1N1 outbreak, Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers found that only one-third believe they could sustain their business without severe operational problems if half their workforce were absent for two weeks due to H1N1 (also known as "swine flu"). Just one-fifth believe they could...

More than 2,000 students at Washington State University in Pullman have contracted swine flu during the first two weeks of classes, school officials say. But Saturday's football game against Stanford will be played at WSU's Martin Stadium, Washington State officials told The (Spokane) Spokesman-Review. The officials said the chances of contracting the flu at the game are small, but urged people with symptoms to stay home. Those who go to the game should wash their hands frequently, avoid...

A new detailed study of U.S. children killed by swine flu showed the outbreak differs from ordinary flu in that it appears to be taking a higher toll on school-age children than on babies and toddlers, Reuters reported.Scientists with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday that at least 40 children have died, accounting for about one in 13 U.S. swine flu deaths. However, two-thirds of those already had high-risk health problems.Health officials say that while it isn't...