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As swine influenza reaches the U.S., a guide to what you need to know and what happens next. Plus, a look at pandemics past
April 27, 2009 |
News
Swine flu has yet to escalate into a global pandemic, but here's what to do if it does
60-Second Earth
Some have linked the new strain of H1N1 to an industrial hog farm in Mexico
60-Second Science
The CDC and others are working to create the virus reference strain by the end of May that drug companies need to make a vaccine
Ask the Experts
A professor of public health who studies influenza explains what makes this strain of flu different and how it might be treated
The first U.S. cases were confirmed following an outbreak in Mexico
The government says that it is closely monitoring the swine flu outbreak and is preparing for further spread
A phase 4 alert describes a viral outbreak in which human-to-human transmission is efficient and sustained enough to cause community-level outbreaks
The World Health Organization has confirmed swine flu cases in two more countries--the U.K. and New Zealand
Concerned over the disease's rapid spread, the World Health Organization has upped the influenza pandemic alert to phase 5, just one step short of declaring a bona fide global pandemic
The country, without a confirmed case of swine flu as of yet, announced plans to cull all 300,000 pigs within its borders
A whopping 98 percent of this year's circulating H1N1 flu strains are immune to the antiviral Tamiflu, compared with only 12 percent during the 2007-2008 flu season
A vaccine that can eliminate seasonal flu shots and provide protection against pandemics? Walter Fiers discovered that targeting a particular protein segment on the influenza virus might just do the trick
The two respiratory illnesses may look alike, but pay attention to tell them apart
You can cut your risk of contracting the flu or other respiratory viruses by as much as 80 percent by wearing a mask over your nose and mouth, according one recent study
The best way to beat bird flu and other zoonotic diseases is to keep humans and wildlife healthy
Fast treatment manufactured from flu survivors' antibodies could pave the way to more effectively thwarting pandemics
U.S. military researcher uncovers clues about the 1918 pandemic flu virus
An international network for monitoring the flow of viruses from animals to humans might help scientists head off global epidemics
The all-knowing search engine has a tool, Google Flu Trends, that estimates U.S. flu activity up to two weeks earlier than government disease trackers
Pigs around the world often harbor antibiotic-resistant staph bacteria
In September, U.S. health officials urged all children between six months and 18 years of age to get flu shots
The deadliest flu strain in history has been resurrected. What can the 1918 VIRUS reveal about why it killed millions and where more like it may be lurking?
A review of the effects of the 1918 flu pandemic on American soldiers and British sailors and civilians found that people who were infected during the first, milder spring and summer wave had a lower risk of catching the more severe strain than those who weren't infected earlier
Extremely elderly survivors of the 1918 flu pandemic still have active antibodies that recognize that virus
In a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers found that high absolute humidity can help kill flu virus particles in a given environment
Pigs had not been infected with the new virus until now
A 22-month-old boy has died in Houston from swine flu as the outbreak continues to expand in the U.S. and abroad
Researchers are looking for ways to keep the outbreak in check
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