• 60-Second Earth
• 
• Can Swine Flu Be Blamed on Industrial Farming?
  Some have linked the new strain of H1N1 to an industrial hog farm in Mexico

• News
• 
  ISTOCKPHOTO/ALANDJ
• 5 Ways to Protect Yourself (and Others) from Swine Flu
  Swine flu has yet to escalate into a global pandemic, but here's what to do if it does

• 60-Second Science
• 
• Vaccine makers await critical swine flu samples; Swine flu won't be in seasonal flu vaccines
  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
• 
  ISTOCKPHOTO/LAYC
• Why Should We Worry about Swine Flu?
  A professor of public health who studies influenza explains what makes this strain of flu different and how it might be treated

 

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60-Second Science Blog
What is swine flu? U.S. declares public health emergency
The first U.S. cases were confirmed following an outbreak in Mexico

60-Second Science Blog
Swine flu outbreak prompts U.S. government preparations for pandemic
The government says that it is closely monitoring the swine flu outbreak and is preparing for further spread

60-Second Science Blog
WHO hikes pandemic alert to phase 4 on swine flu fears
A phase 4 alert describes a viral outbreak in which human-to-human transmission is efficient and sustained enough to cause community-level outbreaks

60-Second Science Blog
WHO braces for the worst as more swine flu cases are confirmed
The World Health Organization has confirmed swine flu cases in two more countries--the U.K. and New Zealand

60-Second Science Blog
WHO raises pandemic alert level from 4 to 5 as swine flu spreads
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

60-Second Science Blog
Will Egypt's plans to kill pigs protect it from swine flu -- sorry, H1N1 flu?
The country, without a confirmed case of swine flu as of yet, announced plans to cull all 300,000 pigs within its borders

60-Second Science Blog
Widespread Tamiflu resistance sparks new look at pandemic flu drug stockpile
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

Features
The Search for a Universal Flu Vaccine: A Q&A with Walter Fiers
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

Ask the Experts
What's the difference between cold and flu?
The two respiratory illnesses may look alike, but pay attention to tell them apart

60-Second Science Blog
Worried about the flu? Get a mask
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

News
How to Clip Bird Flu's Wings
The best way to beat bird flu and other zoonotic diseases is to keep humans and wildlife healthy

News
Researchers Make Human Flu Antibodies at Record Speed
Fast treatment manufactured from flu survivors' antibodies could pave the way to more effectively thwarting pandemics

Features
Killer Resurrected
U.S. military researcher uncovers clues about the 1918 pandemic flu virus

Scientific American
How to Prevent the Next Pandemic
An international network for monitoring the flow of viruses from animals to humans might help scientists head off global epidemics

60-Second Science Blog
Google Flu Trends: Your own disease tracker
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

60-Second Science
1918 Flu Antibodies Alive and Well
Extremely elderly survivors of the 1918 flu pandemic still have active antibodies that recognize that virus

Scientific American Magazine
Preparing for a Pandemic
One day a highly contagious and lethal strain of influenza will sweep across all humanity, claiming millions of lives. It may arrive in months or not for years--but the next pandemic is inevitable. Are we ready?

Scientific American Magazine
Cooping Up Avian Flu
Buying time to arm for a pandemic is possible--maybe

60-Second Science Blog
First, pork invades Washington, then superbugs invade pork
Pigs around the world often harbor antibiotic-resistant staph bacteria

60-Second Science
Humidity Helps Fight Flu
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

60-Second Science Blog
U.S. health officials: All school-age children should get flu shots
In September, U.S. health officials urged all children between six months and 18 years of age to get flu shots

Features
Capturing a Killer Flu Virus
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?

60-Second Science Blog
Could a mild flu pandemic prevent a more deadly one?
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