2009 May | Swine Flu Remedies

Archive for May, 2009

Information for Pregnant Women in Education, Child Care, and Health Care

This information is for pregnant women who work in jobs where they are more likely to be exposed to people with confirmed, probable, or suspected novel H1N1 virus infection.

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CDC Updates

Antiviral Medications to Prevent and Treat Pandemic Influenza

Four different influenza antiviral medications (amantadine, rimantadine, oseltamivir, and zanamivir) are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment and/or prevention of influenza. All four usually work against influenza A viruses. However, the drugs may not always work, because influenza virus strains can become resistant to one or more of these medications. For example, the influenza A (H5N1) viruses identified in human in Asia in 2004 and 2005 have been resistant to amantadine and rimantadine. Monitoring of avian viruses for resistance to influenza antiviral medications continues.

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Flu Information

H1N1 Flu Info for Child Care Providers

Child care and preschool programs can help protect the health of their staff and the children and families they serve by calling attention to the every day preventive actions that parents can initiate to protect their children.

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CDC Updates

UPDATED H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) and You

Two new questions answered: What is CDC doing in response to the outbreak? What epidemiological investigations are taking place in response to the recent outbreak?

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CDC Updates

Vaccines to Protect Against Pandemic Influenza Viruses

A vaccine probably would not be available in the early stages of a pandemic. When a new vaccine against an influenza virus is being developed, scientists around the world work together to select the virus strain that will offer the best protection against that virus. Manufacturers then use the selected strain to develop a vaccine. Once a potential pandemic strain of influenza virus is identified, it takes several months before a vaccine will be widely available. If a pandemic occurs, the U.S. government will work with many partner groups to make recommendations guiding the early use of available vaccine.

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Flu Information

Phases of a Pandemic

The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed a global influenza preparedness plan. The plan from WHO, which defines the stages of a pandemic, outlines the role of WHO, and makes recommendations for national measures before and during a pandemic. There are four periods and 6 phases to the plan developed by WHO and they are:

Interpandemic period

Phase 1 : No new influenza virus subtypes have been detected in humans. An influenza virus subtype that has caused human infection may be present in animals. If present in animals, the risk of human infection or disease is considered to be low.

Phase 2 : No new influenza virus subtypes have been detected in humans. However, a circulating animal influenza virus subtype poses a substantial risk of human disease.

Pandemic alert period

Phase 3 : Human infection(s) with a new subtype exist. During Phase 3 there is no human-to-human spread or at most rare instances of spread to humans during close contact.

Phase 4 : Small cluster(s) of infection have been detected with limited human-to-human transmission. The spread is highly localized suggesting that the virus is not well adapted to humans at this point.

Phase 5 : Larger cluster(s) of infection are present. The spread from human-to-human is still localized, suggesting that the virus is becoming increasingly better adapted to humans but may not yet be fully transmissible. Phase 5 indicates that there is a substantial pandemic risk.

Pandemic Period

Phase 6 : Pandemic: Phase 6 indicates a pandemic due to increased and sustained transmission of the virus in the general population.

Post-pandemic period

Once the virus has run its course and has no further hosts to infect, it will stop spreading. After the Pandemic period there will be a return to the Interpandemic Period (Phase 1)

The distinction between phase 1 and phase 2 is based on the risk of human infection or disease resulting from circulating strains in animals. The distinction is based on various factors and their relative importance according to current scientific knowledge. Factors may include pathogenicity (the ability of a pathogen to produce an infectious disease in an organism) in animals and humans, occurrence in domesticated animals and livestock or only in wildlife, whether the virus is enzootic (the non-human equivalent of endemic and means, in a broad sense, “belonging” or “native to”, “characteristic of”, or “prevalent in” a particular geography, race, field, area, or environment) or epizootic (a disease that appears as new cases in a given animal population, during a given period, at a rate that substantially exceeds what is “expected” based on recent experience), geographically localized or widespread, and other scientific parameters.

The distinction among phases 3 and 4 is based on an assessment of the risk of a pandemic. Various factors and their relative importance according to current scientific knowledge may be considered. Factors may include rate of transmission, geographical location and spread, severity of illness, presence of genes from human strains (if derived from an animal strain), and other scientific parameters.

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Flu Information

Video Podcast: Clean Hands Help Prevent the Flu

This podcast explains the proper way to wash your hands. Clean hands can help prevent the spread of infectious diseases, such as flu.

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CDC Updates

UPDATE Interim Guidance for Swine influenza A (H1N1): Taking Care of a Sick Person in Your Home

Interim Guidance for Swine influenza A (H1N1): Taking Care of a Sick Person in Your Home

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CDC Updates

UPDATED Interim Guidance: Pregnant Women and H1N1 (Swine Influenza): Considerations for Clinicians

Pregnant women with H1N1 influenza would be expected to present with typical acute respiratory illness (e.g., cough, sore throat, rhinorrhea) and fever or feverishness. Many pregnant women will go on to have a typical course of uncomplicated influenza. However, for some pregnant women, illness might progress rapidly, and might be complicated by secondary bacterial infections including pneumonia.

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CDC Updates

UPDATED – Guidance for Professionals: 3 Protocols for Laboratories

Protocol for Antiviral Susceptibility Testing by Pyrosequencing, Sequencing Primers and Protocol, and CDC Protocol of Realtime RTPCR for Swine Influenza A(H1N1)