Residents line up for H1N1 vaccine

These article about H1N1 vaccine.

PULASKI — John and Amy Matczak of Sobieski decided Wednesday that the close proximity of the H1N1 flu vaccine clinic was worth loading up their four small children and taking the short road trip.

They were among several hundred who turned out at the Pulaski Middle School for the first of two public clinics this week sponsored by the Brown County Health Department. The second clinic is scheduled for 3 to 6 p.m. today at Shopko Hall in Ashwaubenon.

"It's their first one," Amy Matczak said, referring to her 3-year-old daughter and 2-year-old twins. "It wasn't a problem. They got the (nasal) mist."

These are the first vaccines available locally to the general public after the health officials determined that target groups — primarily pregnant women, children younger than 10 years, and those with health problems — were adequately covered and more vaccines became available.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials say 85 million doses of the vaccine are now available and 10 million more are coming out every week.

Marcee Gohr, a nurse at the Pulaski Middle School, said a line began to form 45 minutes before the clinic opened at 3 p.m. Wednesday, and the traffic remained steady as people of all ages came for vaccinations in the school auditorium.

Gordon Maki of Suamico was one of them. He received a regular flu shot in September but wanted to get the H1N1 vaccination as soon as it became available.

The CDC announced Wednesday that 800,000 doses of the vaccine intended for young children are being recalled because the antigen content is below specified limits. However, the CDC said the vaccine is safe.

Judy Friederichs, director of the Brown County Health Department, said none of the doses have been sent to Green Bay.

"Parents don't need to do anything about it," Friederichs said.

Meanwhile, the state Department of Health Services reported Wednesday that four more people have died from the H1N1 flu, bringing the state death toll to 47 since April.

The new deaths were reported in the last week in Bayfield, Dane, Milwaukee and Polk counties.

The department says the number of H1N1-related hospitalizations has also increased to 854 even though the number of overall cases is declining all over the state at the moment.

Public health officials say another wave of cases could be coming, and now is a good time to get vaccinated.

Source

Combats More Severe Flu Season With New Antibodies

Today's article about HK combats more severe flu season with new antibodies.

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Doctors hope to treat this year's severe flu epidemic in Hong Kong by harvesting antibodies from patients who have recovered, medical experts said on Tuesday.

The experts said they hoped to treat more than 70 severely ill flu patients with certain antibodies taken from patients who have recovered earlier from the H1N1 swine flu virus, now the most prevalent seasonal flu strain in Hong Kong.

Kelvin To, clinical assistant professor at the University of Hong Kong's microbiology department, told reporters that this winter had proved colder, dryer and longer than previous years and "that increases the survival of this virus and its transmission."

To and colleagues observed that patients who fell severely ill this winter developed the "cytokine effect," when the immune system goes into overdrive, killing not only the virus, but also healthy tissues.

"This chaos in the immune system led to a decrease in an important kind of antibody in the blood of these patients ... called immunoglobulin G2, which is important in our defense against many bacteria that cause secondary infection in patients with severe influenza," they wrote in a statement.

The doctors said they planned to harvest these antibodies from the blood plasma of recovered patients and use them to treat severely ill patients in the coming weeks.

"We are aiming for over 70 patients. The epidemic is ongoing, we constantly have patients enrolling into this study," To said. "We believe the concentrated antibodies will be much more effective than ordinary convalescent plasma."

This clinical trial goes a step further from an earlier Hong Kong study which found that severely ill flu patients responded well when treated with convalescent plasma.

In his comments to reporters, To said flu patients this year had a two- to fourfold decrease in antibody counts.

H1N1 has killed 10 people in Hong Kong and 51 people have undergone intensive care in public hospitals since January 24, according to a government spokeswoman -- with the median age in intensive care 51.5, lower than previous years.

The H1N1 swine flu virus makes up 90 percent of all diagnosed flu cases against 40 percent last winter.

Seasonal flu kills between 250,000 to 500,000 people each year globally and H1N1 swine flu may be slightly more deadly, but statistics will take years to gather. It affects younger adults and children more severely compared to other strains.

Source...

Seasonal Flu Vaccination Result in Higher Risk of Pandemic Flu Infection?

These article about seasonal flu vaccination.

Recent studies have suggested that vaccination with seasonal influenza vaccine resulted in an apparent higher risk of infection with pandemic influenza H1N1 2009. Geoffry N. Mercer, of the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health at Australian National University in Canberra, Australia, and colleagues, constructed a simple mathematical model incorporating strain competition and a hypothesised temporary strain-transcending immunity to investigate this observation. The model assumes that seasonal vaccine has no effect on the risk of infection with pandemic influenza.

The researchers say that results of the model over a range of reproduction numbers and effective vaccination coverage confirm this apparent increased risk in the Northern, but not the Southern, hemisphere. This is due to unvaccinated individuals being more likely to be infected with seasonal influenza (if it is circulating) and developing hypothesised temporary immunity to the pandemic strain. Because vaccinated individuals are less likely to have been infected with seasonal influenza, they are less likely to have developed the hypothesised temporary immunity and are therefore more likely to be infected with pandemic influenza. If the reproduction number for pandemic influenza is increased, as it is for children, an increase in the apparent risk of seasonal vaccination is observed. The maximum apparent risk effect is found when seasonal vaccination coverage is in the range of 20 percent to 40 percent.

Mercer, et al. conclude that only when pandemic influenza is recently preceded by seasonal influenza circulation is there a modeled increased risk of pandemic influenza infection associated with prior receipt of seasonal vaccine. Their research was published in BMC Public Health.

H1N1 Vaccine Launched in Cameroon

Article about Cameroon launches huge H1N1 vaccine campaign.

The government says it only has a restricted amount of the vaccine from the WHO and is targeting population segments with the highest risks of astringent the H1N1 virus.

Dr.Robinson Mbu is director of the Family Health Department of Health says that 1.3 million doses of vaccine available for children 5 to 15 years, people over 65, women at least the fourth month of pregnancy, labor health and people with chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, sickle cell anemia and HIV.

The nationwide vaccination effort follows a government announcement in October that 75 cases of H1N1 had been detected. The Ministry of Health says no deaths have been recorded. A swine flu pandemic killed tens of thousands across the world last year.

H1N1 is a contagious respiratory virus containing a combination of different influenza viruses endemic in pigs. Scientists say transmission from animals to humans is not common. They say it is not contracted by eating properly cooked pork, although people who often come in contact with swine may be more exposed to the virus.

It is spread among people when infected persons cough, sneeze or speak. People can also get infected by touching contaminated surfaces and objects. Within a day, they may be contagious, even before they begin to exhibit symptoms, including fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, chills and fatigue. Health care practitioners say the resemblance to flu makes early detection a problem and can facilitate its rapid spread.

Last May, 35 African countries formally notified the WHO of a combined total of 18,500 confirmed cases of the flu and a death toll of 168. South Africa alone accounted for more than two-thirds of the cases.

As a preventive measure; Cameroon inoculated a thousand supporters of its soccer team travelling to South Africa for the 2010 World Cup. But the effort was not enough to prevent infections.

The renewed effort to eradicate the disease is being carried out by hundreds of health workers at public hospitals across the country. Others are going house-to-house and school-to-school to ensure its success amid concerns that pockets of resistance may emerge.

Previous vaccination campaigns for other diseases have met with resistance, especially from some religious groups that suspect a veiled scheme by the West to render parts of the population sterile.

But Dr. Tsafack Rose Ernestine, a vaccination team leader in Cameroon’s largest city, Douala, says the claims are unfounded.

She says she is counting on journalists to deflect such myths. In principle, the campaign should end on October 30 but will be extended if resistance emerges. She says about 65 million people around the world have received the vaccine and are not complaining of sterility.

The vaccine being administered in Cameroon is branded Paneza and is made in Spain. Health care practitioners say it provides immunity for between 9 and 12 months. They say its only known side effect is mild dizziness. But they warn that persons allergic to eggs should avoid getting the shot because some batches are made from them. In those who are allergic, the vaccine can provoke Guillain-Barre, a rare syndrome that can cause nervous and muscle disorders.

Local traditional rulers are joining the effort to inform the public about the vaccine. A Douala canton chief, HM Essaka Ekwalla, is calling on his subjects to ignore the skeptics and rush to be vaccinated.

He says there is nothing to lose because the vaccine is free and causes no pain. He says old people like himself will benefit hugely from getting vaccinated because if they are Suffer with the virus, it will become hard to breathe, and they could die. The vaccine, says the conventional rulers, is cover against premature death.

Meanwhile, the government has been applauded by WHO and its partners to provide the H1N1 vaccine for free. Health Minister, Andre Mama Fouda, says that poor countries like Cameroon could not afford to fund mass vaccines on their own.

H1N1 Flu Vaccine

Article about Bharat Biotech Launches H1N1 Flu Vaccine.

Bharat Biotech announced Monday the launch of cultured cells "indigenously developed vaccine against the H1N1 influenza HNVAC brand. In a press release here, the company said this was the first indigenously developed Indian culture cells H1N1 swine influenza vaccines. It has been tested extensively in phase I, II and III clinical trials in the country and is proven safe and well tolerated. The release said it is developing the world's influenza vaccine produced in cell culture production process is sterile and control, instead of eggs.

The single dose vaccine will be priced competitively. Bharat Biotech’s CMD, Krishna Ella, said their immediate goal was to get the vaccine easily accessible and at an affordable cost to high risk groups. The key benefit of cell culture vaccine was its potential to scale up and produce large quantities when required and enabling quicker response in the event of a pandemic.

The company received the approval from Drugs Controller General of India earlier this month to launch HNVAC vaccine. It was developed with approved strains from WHO and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Atlanta. “USFDA has discouraged the use of egg-based vaccines due to adverse reactions from egg-based proteins, especially in children,” the release added. HNVAC will be made available in the private market and through government procurement agencies.

H1N1 Vaccines For Haj Pilgrims

Article about H1N1 vaccines for haj pilgrims.

Abu Dhabi: Haj pilgrims across the Emirate of Abu Dhabi are required to receive vaccinations against H1N1 and Meningitis two weeks prior to travelling, as per an announcement by the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (Haad).

Effective from Monday, the free of charge mandated vaccinations will be available in various primary health care centres across Abu Dhabi.

Educational material about the control of communicable diseases, health care requirements and recommendations will also be distributed to Haj pilgrims, who are expected to travel to travel to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) during Eid Al Adha, from November 14 to 17.

Haj pilgrims are expected to be given two vaccinations this year — one for the seasonal flu, which provides protection against the H1N1 virus, and the Meningococcal vaccine which provides protection against Meningitis.

"All pilgrims must show proof of the vaccination for seasonal flu and Meningococcal vaccination on a valid certificate of vaccination [International Certificate of Vaccination or an authorised vaccination card] before entering the KSA to perform Al Haj," said Dr Farida Al Hosani, acting section head of communicable diseases at Haad.

She added: "Each year millions of people travel to the KSA to perform Haj. Because of the sheer number of pilgrims, and their close proximity to each other in crowded sites, diseases — particularly the bacteria which cause meningitis — can spread quickly between the pilgrims."

Despite H1N1 and meningitis jabs made compulsory for those going to Makkah, Gulf News reported last November, that an expected 6,228 UAE Haj pilgrims would be vaccinated, out of which 5,228 are Emiratis.

However, few turned up for the vaccination.

Vaccinations: Where to go

Haj vaccination is available free of charge in a large number of clinics throughout the emirate.

H1N1: The Swine Flu Virus

Above info about H1N1. What it is and vaccinating information. Try product from the bottom of this blog under sponsor links. ^_^

The H1N1 virus, also known as the swine flu, reached global pandemic levels in 2009. More is known now and you can protect yourself better and stay healthy.

Influenza is a virus that affects millions of people worldwide. There are no cures for viruses and must run their course. Flu shots are available and they are designed to protect against the most common strains of the flu. The H1N1 virus, also dubbed the “swine flu” was a strain mankind had no immunity to, and as a result, caused a global pandemic in 2009.

What the H1N1 Virus is All About

The H1N1 virus is a virus that causes influenza. It is contagious and spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes onto someone else. The germs travel through the air and enter the nose, eyes or throat of someone and infect them. The H1N1 virus can also live on hard surfaces such as countertops and doorknobs and can infect someone when they touch their mouth or nose.

What The Symptoms of the H1N1 Virus Are

Similar to other flus, the H1N1 Virus displays the following symptoms:

• Cough and fever
• Fatigue
• Muscle aches
• Sore Throat
• Headache
• Loss of Appetit
• Runny Nose
• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting

How the H1N1 Virus is Different from other Viruses

Because the H1N1 virus is new, your body doesn’t yet have immunity against the virus and your body will begin to aggressively attack it. Your body can attack so aggressively it can attack your healthy organs too, known as a “cytokine storm”. Cytokines are not fully understood, but they are responsible for cell communication. A cytokine storm can be so intense it can overpower the nervous system and lead to breathing problems.

Vaccinations for the H1N1 Virus

Annual shots are available if you want to get a vaccination for the H1N1 virus. You can check Health Canada here for flu clinics near you.

The H1N1 vaccination does have side effects and can cause paralysis among other conditions. Be sure to speak with your doctor before getting the vaccination and weigh your risks.

Treatment for the H1N1 Virus

Once you have H1N1 virus you cannot do anything to make it go away right away. You can use pain medicine to relieve fever and headaches. Stay well hydrated and keep your household clean. Prevention is your best defense against the H1N1 virus.

For people who are at risk of severe disease or very sick, your doctor may recommend and antiviral medication, which can reduce how long it will take to recover from the H1N1 virus.

Read more at Suite101: H1N1: The Swine Flu Virus. What it is and Vaccination Information http://www.suite101.com/content/h1n1-the-swine-flu-virus-what-it-is-and-vaccination-information-a296582#ixzz12LD2orn4

Get The Flu Shot

Article about H1N1. Read, click and try product from the bottom of this blog under sponsor links. ^_^

Last year at this time, a monster called H1N1 was preparing to make life miserable for more than 25,000 Canadians.

By the time the swine flu pandemic had passed, it was responsible for 427 deaths.

This year? Nothing quite as scary on the horizon, but that doesn't mean you can skip the flu shot. If anything, last year proved why everyone should get vaccinated every year, say Niagara's health professionals.

"I have five grandchildren, and they all get immunized ... because I've seen the results of not being immunized," says Donna Kalailieff, manager of the vaccine preventable disease program with Niagara Region Public Health.

She calls last year an "anomaly" because H1N1 surfaced after the regular flu vaccine was already prepared. This led to many people getting two flu shots, and in the case of the H1N1 vaccine, a long wait.

This year's regular flu shot will include the vaccine for H1N1 and two other strains.

The first shipment of vaccines arrived Wednesday, and doctors can start giving shots immediately.

Public Health's flu clinic opens at the MacBain Community Centre Nov. 3, and at the Leisureplex in Fort Erie Nov. 17.

But if you don't want to wait that long, Urgent Care Niagara's flu clinic at 6150 Valley Way opened Friday. In addition, employers can arrange for a free onsite clinic so workers don't have to leave work to get a shot.

Tim Windsor, clinical services director, says there are about 12,000 people in Urgent Care Niagara's database awaiting word on the opening of this year's flu clinics.

As always, part of flu season is educating people what, exactly, the flu shot is.

Vaccine H1N1 offered

Above about free H1N1 vaccine offered in Johnson County.

The Johnson County Health Department is still offering free H1N1 vaccine, it announced Thursday.

People are still contracting the flu, though in much smaller numbers, and officials are recommending that people get vaccinated.

Johnson County has enough vaccine to last until about September, officials said, when a new seasonal flu vaccine will come out that includes protection against the H1N1 strain.

Of 309 million residents in the United States, officials said, about 60 million were infected with H1N1 in the past year and 75 million got the vaccine.

That leaves more than half of citizens still vulnerable, they said.

The vaccines are offered without appointments to all who want them, officials said. They can get them at the clinic in Olathe at 11875 S. Sunset Drive or the one in Mission at 6000 Lamar Ave.

Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/06/24/2041454/free-h1n1-vaccinations-offered.html#ixzz0rrHyEHpW

H1N1 Vaccination coming in the fall

These are info about H1N1 vaccination.

We're a few months away from Flu season, but the Centers for Disease Control continues to prepare for Influenza and the H1N1 virus.

In La Crosse County, there is still potential for another wave of H1N1 to hit our community.  However, testing in La Crosse County and throughout the country shows there's been a longer period of time between outbreaks which means the spread of the virus is slowing.

To continue in this direction, the La Crosse County Health Department is still recommending people get their vaccination.  And there's good news, there will be a change to the vaccine this fall.  La Crosse Co. Health Director Doug Mormann says, "my understanding at the moment is we'll be looking at one influenza vaccine this fall rather than the two vaccines that we had last fall."

The CDC and vaccine manufacturers are still working out the exact details for this fall's influenza vaccination.

Vaccine agains influenza H1N1

Above about vaccine of influenza H1N1.

By Erin McGowan, who rely on their sixth child around New Year, volunteer to try the vaccine against influenza H1N1 is unclear.

Not only voluntary, but wrote all but his youngest son, which is equal to 1, but unacceptable for a child test vaccine against swine flu.

How to survive flu season unscathed
Map: swine influenza in the region of U.S. tennis
Q & A: H1N1 and seasonal influenza: Vaccination Questions

H1N1 influenza pandemic, "she said, a pregnant mother and five" Itty Bitty children - the eldest son-6 is a "substance that forms the disaster."

McGowan, 33, remains at home, Saint Louis, with a doctorate in psychology, told about how pregnant women are at high risk of complications from H1N1.

On September 3, 6% of deaths from H1N1 flu is confirmed as pregnant women, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. And infections of H1N1, pregnant women are more likely to be hospitalized than the general population, according to the National Institute of allergy and infectious Diseases.

Do you want to test the vaccine to people who need it most, "said Sharon Frey, professor of internal medicine overseeing the process of pregnancy at the University of Saint Louis, where he received his first dose of the McGowan Monday. Five other centers also enroll pregnant women in this process, which attracts up to 120.

Jitter Test

Analysis of vaccine in pregnant women is the effect, but that does not mean that this process is less clear.

"I walked to the point of calling it will have a point in thinking of drugs education and vaccines during pregnancy," said Anne Lyerly, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Duke University and experts field of Bioethics. "We know very little about how to treat these diseases during pregnancy, rather than a study of how the drugs work the body in a state of pregnancy.

Thousands of drugs sold in the United States, only a dozen are tested and approved for pregnant women, "says Lyerly.

Manufacturers do not pregnant women for fear of damaging their fetuses. The same concern many pregnant women are nervous to stop taking drugs, even non-controlled chronic diseases such as asthma can damage the mother and child.

Test for H1N1, "My first reaction was that I needed to talk to my doctor and see what you think, because I was afraid," says Kathy Вт, 26. BT plans to begin shipping their first child on December 15. "Of course, advised not to get involved.

Although no guarantees, says Watts, he said he was not test pregnant women showed that an H1N1 vaccine "completely safe". As McGowan, he said that the amount of time to be first in line for him. Watts enrolled in Vanderbilt University, where he works in development and relationships with students.

Kathryn Edwards, professor of paediatrics, which oversees the process of pregnancy H1N1 in Vanderbilt, said, "We knew a long time," Garden variety of seasonal flu increases the risk of hospital during the last three months, four or five times.

However, he said, only 15% of pregnant women get the vaccine against seasonal flu. "A very positive aspect of H1N1 pandemic could be all that people are a little" more comfortable getting the vaccine against seasonal flu.

Talks about volunteers needed H1N1 vaccine trials

Above about H1N1 vaccine trials.

Healthy volunteers may help the rest of us stay that way if the H1N1 virus makes a comeback in the fall.

In August, Rochester Clinical Research in Irondequoit will begin testing vaccines against the so-called swine flu, and the company needs about 300 volunteers of all ages.

Six vaccines are being tested among more than a dozen sites across the country, and RCR will be testing four, according to Patricia Larrabee, president and chief executive officer. Should any or all of the vaccines prove effective against H1N1, they could be used during the upcoming flu season.

RCR is the only Monroe County site involved in testing vaccines.

The University of Rochester is not involved in clinical trials to test the effectiveness of H1N1 vaccines being developed. But if the vaccines are used during the flu season, UR researchers would track how well they do the job.

H1N1 has stayed in the news since emerging this spring and there is concern that it could re-emerge in the fall with a vengeance. Research to be published in the journal Nature reported that swine flu multiplies in the respiratory system with more severity than seasonal flu. The current H1N1 has been compared to the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic.

Questions remain about how an H1N1 vaccine would be administered and which age groups would get priority. Traditionally, the elderly have been given precedence with vaccines against seasonal flu. But H1N1 has tended to be more troublesome for younger people. “Under 20 is where we’ve seen the bulk of the disease,” said Dr. Andrew Doniger, director of the Monroe County Health Department.

Public health officials also have to determine whether an H1N1 vaccine would be given at the same time as a seasonal flu vaccine. Other logistical issues, such as how the vaccine would be distributed, still need to be worked out.

But, as Doniger points out, fall — when flu vaccines start to be given — is coming. Usually it takes months for researchers to get to the stage of a clinical trial. For example, researchers have been working for two years on a vaccine for avian flu, Larrabee said.

But the quick start to this trial has researchers running a drill. RCR received word in June that it would run a clinical trial. Its first trial begins the first week of August. Another will start two weeks later and a third is scheduled for September.

Depending on the age group, Larrabee said that RCR needs as few as 10 people and as many as 160 for the trials. Worldwide, several thousand people will be needed.

RCR’s job is to make sure volunteers are eligible to participate, then administer the vaccine and prepare the volunteers’ blood to be analyzed.

In order to protect the integrity of the study, neither the researchers nor the volunteers will know who gets a placebo and who gets the vaccine.