Waking Up Costs

CDC Creates New Flu Web Site

Clark Venable — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 04:00:00 GMT

The CDC has created a new web site with influenza-related information that is a) informative and b) pretty. Take a look: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/ .

CDC: 2007 Influenza Vaccine Update

Clark Venable — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 04:00:00 GMT

The CDC has just released Prevention and Control of Influenza Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), 2007

"The 2007 recommendations include new and updated information. Principal updates and changes include 1) reemphasizing the importance of administering 2 doses of vaccine to all children aged 6 months--8 years if they have not been vaccinated previously at any time with either live, attenuated influenza vaccine (doses separated by >6 weeks) or trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (doses separated by >4 weeks), with single annual doses in subsequent years; 2) recommending that children aged 6 months--8 years who received only 1 dose in their first year of vaccination receive 2 doses the following year, with single annual doses in subsequent years; 3) highlighting a previous recommendation that all persons, including school-aged children, who want to reduce the risk of becoming ill with influenza or of transmitting influenza to others should be vaccinated; 4) emphasizing that immunization providers should offer influenza vaccine and schedule immunization clinics throughout the influenza season; 5) recommending that health-care facilities consider the level of vaccination coverage among HCP to be one measure of a patient safety quality program and implement policies to encourage HCP vaccination (e.g., obtaining signed statements from HCP who decline influenza vaccination); and 6) using the 2007-2008 trivalent vaccine virus strains A/Solomon Islands/3/2006 (H1N1)-like (new for this season), A/Wisconsin/67/2005 (H3N2)-like, and B/Malaysia/2506/2004-like antigens."

National Influenza Vaccination Week starts November 27th

Clark Venable — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 04:00:00 GMT

National Influenza Vaccination Week -- November 27--December 3, 2006

[A]nnual influenza vaccination is recommended for the following groups:
Persons at high risk for influenza-related complications and severe disease, including:
children aged 6--59 months,
pregnant women,
persons aged >50 years,
persons of any age with certain chronic medical conditions

and
Persons who live with or care for persons at high risk, including:
household contacts who have frequent contact with persons at high risk and who can transmit influenza to those persons at high risk, and
health-care workers.

If it's not one virus, it's another

Clark Venable — Thu, 25 May 2006 01:11:45 GMT

Bird flu has been very much in the news, but now another type of virus is also threatening: chikungunya virus (named with a Swahili word meaning 'bent up').

"The chikungunya virus has infected around one-third of the population (about 250,000 people) on the French island of Réunion since early 2005. It has also hit the neighbouring islands of Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar and Mayotte, and reared its head in India."

With only a little over 200 deaths it's not near as big a killer as H5N1 might be, but it would wreak havoc nonetheless. Fevers over 102 and arthralgias. Yuck.

Bird Flu Now Cat Flu....in Germany

Clark Venable — Wed, 01 Mar 2006 02:08:09 GMT

Bird Flu Found in Cat in Germany after eating infected bird.