In light of interest in the ongoing H1N1 influenza outbreak, several pandemic influenza-related scientific papers are being published online ahead of schedule. A special supplement to the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH) on influenza preparedness, in which these and other papers appear, will be published as scheduled later this year.
A research article published online May 20 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) suggests that low-dose exposure to arsenic in drinking water may significantly alter components of the immune system and cause a number of changes in the body's response to respiratory infection caused by influenza A, also known as H1N1.
Promising new research announced by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute could provide an entirely new tool to combat the flu. The discovery is a one-two punch against the illness that targets the illness on two fronts, going one critical step further than any currently available flu drug.
The recent H1N1 influenza epidemic raises questions about how animal viruses move to human populations. While there is no evidence veterinarians had a direct role in the H1N1 epidemic, a new report finds veterinarians at markedly increased risk of infection with viruses and bacteria that can infect both animals and humans.
Scientists at Baylor Institute for Immunology Research (BIIR) in Dallas, part of Baylor Research Institute (BRI) and the Baylor Health Care System, announced today that they received a renewal of a multi-million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to design new vaccines to prevent influenza"”including swine flu (H1N1).
Published studies back use of latex gloves in swine flu kits. Latex is also the only environmentally friendly glove option, since it's made from a renewable resource (natural rubber) and is biodegradable.
Although many have touted strategies from travel avoidance to Tamiflu to halt the spread of H1N1 flu or swine flu, a large body of evidence from the Cochrane Library suggests that concentrating on children's hand washing might be the best way to reduce the spread of respiratory illnesses.
The disease formerly known as Swine Flu likely will hammer exports of agricultural products such as corn, soybeans, sorghum, beef, poultry and pork to the U.S.' second-largest trade partner.
Tapping the Internet is fast becoming a way to get a complete, up-to-the-minute view of public health threats, say researchers from the Informatics Program at Children's Hospital Boston in a Perspectives article published Online First by The New England Journal of Medicine on May 7. In an accompanying sidebar, they describe the use of HealthMap.org in tracking the H1N1 swine flu.
Loyola Occupational Health Services gives tips on keeping the flu out of the office.
Students from The University of Texas School of Public Health are gaining firsthand surveillance experience in response to the recent H1N1 flu outbreak. The Student Epidemic Intelligence Society (SEIS) was organized in 2002 shortly after Kristy Murray, DVM, Ph.D., assistant professor of epidemiology at the UT School of Public Health joined the faculty at the UT School of Public Health. As a former Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, she was invited to assist the city health department with the increasing number of West Nile virus cases being diagnosed in Houston.
Responses during times of medical emergencies and stress offer opportunities for adults and children to teach and learn. Educational resources available from the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, or CSTS, of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, or USU, at www.cstsonline.org/pandemicflu.shtml, may be helpful in understanding and explaining the risks and prevention of exposure to the H1N1 and other viruses.
Swine flu, or H1N1, is spreading around the globe and has reached pandemic levels. As more cases are reported and more details are revealed, American University experts can provide analysis on similar outbreaks in the past, such as the Spanish flu of 1918, or how the outbreak could affect international trade.
David P. Fidler of the Indiana University Maurer School of Law says the developing debate about the responses to Influenza A (H1N1) is important but that people should be wary of simplistic hype about the "panic" public health responses to the outbreak have ostensibly caused.
A wet spring in the Corn Belt and scaled-back harvest estimates in South America have helped revive grain prices that slid in the wake of a widespread influenza outbreak in the U.S. and Mexico, a University of Illinois economist says.
The Iowa Electronic health Market--a spin-off of the University of Iowa's Iowa Electronic Market--has opened several new markets to track and forecast trends in the current H1N1 swine flu outbreak.
Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA), the leading patient advocacy group for allergy and asthma, provided guidelines for people with asthma to prevent H1N1, often referred to as swine flu, and prepare themselves in the event they contract this virus that is threatening to become a global pandemic.
With heightened concerns over the swine flu outbreak, The Soap and Detergent Association is reminding families that disease prevention is in their hands "“ literally. SDA offers three quick tips for parents to help keep their kids healthy in school.
Experts in the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, the College of Medicine and the School of Public Health at the University of Saskatchewan are available to comment on the swine flu outbreak.
In 1918 a human influenza virus known as the Spanish flu spread through the central United States while a swine respiratory disease occurred concurrently. A Kansas State University researcher has found that the virus causing the pandemic was able to infect and replicate in pigs, but did not kill them, unlike in other mammalian hosts like monkeys, mice and ferrets where the infection has been lethal.
Behind the scenes and all levels of government, the swine flu outbreak has triggered a rapid, coordinated, "˜connect-the-dots' public health response "“ the first big test of the bio-threat system in the post-9/11 world, says public administration expert Donald Kettl, incoming public policy dean at the University of Maryland. "The issue of coordination is really huge and there will be many lessons about preparedness and response to learn from this outbreak," Kettl says.
With cases of swine flu continuing to spread, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Homeland Security Department have declared a public health emergency, and the World Health Organization and governments around the globe are organizing to confront the potential crisis. UCLA has experts.
Researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech are using high-performance computer simulations to show how diseases like flu spread through large populations. They want to provide policymakers, decision-makers, and public health experts with a way to test health interventions that would help to put the brakes on the spread of a deadly influenza outbreak.
A new study by University of Maryland researchers suggests that the potential for an avian influenza virus to cause a human flu pandemic is greater than previously thought. Results also illustrate how the current swine flu outbreak likely came about.
Experts available to comment on aspects of viral infections, such as viral gene replication, the communication challenges the local and national health agencies are likely to face, communicating health information, epidemiology, health law, public policy and pandemic preparedness.
Thanks to the 24-hour media coverage about swine flu, we're all aware that a potential flu pandemic could be nigh. But before you stock up on face masks and hand sanitizer, it's important to put some things in perspective.
The University of Michigan School of Public Health and the U-M Health System have several experts available to discuss various aspects of the recent swine flu outbreak, including disease transmission, nonpharmaceutical interventions, antiviral resistance, quarantine, viruses and trauma.
University of Maryland pharmacy faculty is a good source for swine flu issues of treatments and vaccines compared with seasonal flu.
Indiana University experts in statistical analysis and computer modeling of epidemics, health law and public health discuss statistical models for U.S. cases, challenges to addressing the spread of the swine flu and advice for staying healthy.
"There isn't a Republican or Democratic way to protect individuals from swine flu," says University of Maryland's Donald Kettl, an expert in public administration. "The Obama administration has to very carefully calibrate awareness without creating panic. It has to build partnerships across all levels of government, across the health sector, and with other nations."
A virologist currently investigating transmission of swine viruses between species and a virologist who has developed a novel vaccine technology, which has broad applicability to almost all viruses, are available to respond to media queries related to Swine flu and related issues.
The following faculty members of The George Washington University Medical Center are available to comment on topics regarding the swine flu outbreak.
The University of Maryland has a number of experts who can talk about the Swine Flu epidemic.
Iowa State University has swine flu experts available, including the current president of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians, which includes veterinarians from Mexico.
With more outbreaks of the new strain of swine flu come outbreaks of misinformation and rumor. Below are 20 questions answered by infectious disease expert Charles Ericsson, M.D., professor of internal medicine and director of Travel Medicine at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston.
The Swine Flu has infected 40 people in the United States and hundreds more in Mexico. Temple University has specialists who can comment on a number of areas related to the outbreak, including: understanding the disease, preparedness and prevention of outbreak, spread of the virus, development and production of vaccinations, and the media's role in disseminating information.
Concerns about a Swine flu outbreak lowered retail stocks on Monday. According to food safety expert Nancy Childs, Ph.D., pandemic reactions create consumer distrust in the safety of the retail environment. "Any potential for further slowdown in global economic activity is a concern," she says.
Georgia Tech professors have developed models that show how a flu outbreak would spread in the state of Georgia and what the best intervention strategies are.
Jon Stone, safety and health specialist at Michigan Technological University and safety officer on the University's Incident Command Team, can talk knowledgably about handling a potential epidemic or pandemic on a university campus.
Richard P. Wenzel, M.D., internationally known expert on infectious disease, is available for comment on swine flu and can talk to the implications for the nation of a potential epidemic, a global pandemic and how epidemics have been handled historically.
Two infectious disease experts at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill "“ Dr. David Weber and Dr. Myron Cohen -- are available to discuss swine flu.
RTI International has three public health experts who can discuss issues surrounding the swine flu outbreak.
RSS
Medicine keyboard_arrow_right
Sciencekeyboard_arrow_right
Life keyboard_arrow_right
Business keyboard_arrow_right
Journal News keyboard_arrow_right
By Location keyboard_arrow_right
Meetings, Grants, and Events keyboard_arrow_right