Latest Flu pandemic in the United States Stories

The anticipated onset of a second wave of the H1N1 influenza pandemic could present a host of thorny medical ethics issues best considered well in advance, according to the University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics, which today released nine papers for public discussion.Topics include duty of health care workers to work during a serious flu pandemic; government restrictions on individual freedoms and privacy and their responsibilities administering vaccination programs; how to allocate...

DALLAS, Sept. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- T-System, Inc., the nation's largest provider of emergency department (ED) clinical documentation tools, today announced it has issued revised H1N1 point-of-care charting templates reflecting the most recent recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The charts, which are available for free download via the T-System Web site (www.tsystem.com/h1n1flu), now include discharge instructions for patients, developed by ExitCare, the...

U.S. health officials said Friday 3.4 million doses of H1N1 flu vaccine are expected to be available the first week of October. Jay Butler, a medical epidemiologist and chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's H1N1 vaccine task force, said most of these initial doses of H1N1 vaccine will be the nasal spray form, which is not recommended for pregnant women, people age 50 and older, or those with asthma, heart disease or other chronic diseases. The first doses will primarily...

HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Capital BlueCross announced today that it will cover an administration fee for the H1N1 Flu vaccine for fully-insured members and those with individual coverage during the upcoming 2009-2010 flu season. Self-funded groups may opt to have their coverage customized to include this benefit. A vaccine is expected to be available to the public in October. Various clinical vaccine trials have begun, some under the direction of the National Institutes of...

REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- It's the start of the school year, and there are already empty seats in classrooms and lecture halls because of unfortunate outbreaks of the H1N1 flu virus. Today, Microsoft Corp. is furthering its commitment to the U.S. Department of Education and schools and universities across the nation by offering a free technology resource that will help educators stay connected with their students and continue the learning process if they are forced...

DULUTH, Ga., Sept. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI) is a distance training institution committed to developing relevant and up-to date online coursework that meets the training needs of the child care industry. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), children less than 5 years of age are at risk of complications from influenza, with the greatest risk among children less than 2 years of age. The CDC recommends that early childhood providers...

Using sophisticated modeling, U.S. researchers showed H1N1 flu infection rates vary via pathways of exposure -- touching, coughing, inhaling air. Dr. Mark Nicas of the University of California Berkeley's School of Public Health and Dr. Rachael M. Jones of the University of Illinois Chicago's School of Public Health say while healthcare workers and caregivers attending known or suspect influenza patients are a high-risk group, individuals in classrooms or crowded stores with people with...

Treating people with H1N1 flu with anti-virals oseltamivir and zanamivir should only be considered for those at high risk of complications, U.S. officials say. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report released Thursday says oseltamivir resistance was found in pandemic H1N1 virus from two patients who developed influenza while taking oseltamivir. The patients attended a summer camp in North Carolina where oseltamivir was given to most campers and...

As public health experts warn of potential widespread outbreaks of H1N1 flu this school year, a new study from North Carolina State University shows that students do not comply with basic preventative measures as much as they think do. In other words, the kids aren't washing their hands."Hand washing is a significant preventative measure for many communicable diseases, from respiratory diseases like H1N1 to foodborne illness agents, such as norovirus," says Dr. Ben Chapman, assistant...

India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Indonesia report regional or widespread H1N1 flu, World Health Organization officials say. Pandemic H1N1 influenza continues to be the predominant circulating flu virus, both in the Northern and Southern hemispheres, WHO officials say. Many tropical regions of South Asia and Southeastern Asia report increased or sustained high levels of respiratory disease, but Thailand and Brunei Darussalam report a declining trend. In tropical...