Filling the need for trusted information on national health issues
The Obama administration on Thursday said a nationwide vaccination program could begin as early as mid-October to protect Americans from the H1N1 (swine flu) virus and pledged $350 million to help prepare communities across the country for this effort, the Washington Times reports.
WHO leaders and international health ministers met Thursday for a two-day meeting in Cancun, Mexico, to share the lessons learned from the spread of H1N1 (swine flu) (Xinhua, 7/3) and strategies for “battling the pandemic,” the AP/Washington Post reports.
HIV-Positive Babies More Likely To Contract Deadly TB If Given BCG A three-year study in South Africa found that babies who were born HIV-positive had a higher risk of contracting a deadly form of tuberculosis if given the widely used BCG vaccine, the AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. The study, which was…
The vaccine manufacturer Roche on Wednesday announced a program to help ensure developing countries have access to its antiviral Tamiflu, for “the management of a novel influenza strain defined by the WHO as having significant and current pandemic potential,” Reuters reports.
A spokesperson from the vaccine manufacturer Roche confirmed reports Monday that a Denmark patient with H1N1 (swine flu) developed resistance to the antiviral Tamiflu, a drug known to decrease the spread and severity of the virus, Reuters reports.
Malawian Government Supplies 250,000 HIV-Positive Citizens With Free Antiretrovirals The government of Malawi supplies 250,000 of its HIV positive citizens with antiretrovirals (ARVs) free of charge, Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika said during an AIDS candlelight memorial outside of the capital city, Blantyre, on Sunday, the AFP reports. The president…
The CDC convened a national vaccine advisory committee Friday to discuss the best response to the spread of H1N1 (swine flu) with an estimated 6,000 new cases in the U.S. last week alone, Reuters reports.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Chilean President Michelle Bachelet on Thursday emphasized the importance of developing countries having access to a vaccine that offers protection against the H1N1 (swine flu), “that has killed over 200 people and infected tens of thousands worldwide,” AFP/MSN Philippine News reports.
The HHS on Tuesday announced its decision to award a $35 million contract to a U.S. company using “insect cell technology” to develop flu vaccines, AFP/Google.com reports.
The number of polio cases in Nigeria has gone down from 799 in 2008 to 353 this year, according to the country’s National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Africa Science News Service reports.
