New swine flu with pandemic potential identified by China researchers
G4 strain has already infected 10% of industry ’s workers in China but no evidence yet that it can be passed from human to humanResearchers in China have discovered a new type of swine flu that is capable of triggering a pandemic, according to a study in the US science journal PNAS, although experts said there is no imminent threat.Named G4, it is genetically descended from the H1N1 strain that caused a pandemic in 2009.Continue reading... (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - June 30, 2020 Category: Science Authors: Agence France-Presse Tags: Swine flu World news Health China Infectious diseases Science Source Type: news

COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Builds on Pandemic Flu Plan COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Builds on Pandemic Flu Plan
Developing a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and distribution plan is an ' insurmountable task ' but can be done with timely planning that builds on lessons learned during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic.Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Pharmacist Headlines)
Source: Medscape Pharmacist Headlines - June 26, 2020 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Tags: Infectious Diseases News Source Type: news

Homeless people are more likely to be put on ventilators for respiratory infections than non-homeless
FINDINGSResearchers from UCLA, Harvard Medical School and the University of Tokyo found that during   a recent six-year period, homeless people in New York state were more likely to hospitalized and treated with mechanical ventilators for respiratory infections than people who are not homeless.Of 20,000 patients hospitalized for influenza at 214 New York hospitals between 2007 and 2012, the study found,  6.4% were homeless, and nearly all of the homeless people were seen in just 10 of the hospitals. The gap between homeless and non-homeless hospitalizations was particularly wide during 2009’s H1N1 influenza pandemic, ...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - June 18, 2020 Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news

H1N1 Fast Facts
Read Fast Facts from CNN about the H1N1 influenza virus, also known as swine flu. There was a global outbreak which lasted from 2009 to 2010. (Source: CNN.com - Health)
Source: CNN.com - Health - June 17, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

DoD Funds Clinical Trial of Seraph Blood Filter to Treat COVID-19
The Department of Defense is funding a clinical trial of a COVID-19 treatment using ExThera Medical’s Seraph 100 Blood filter. The device was selected to be in the multi-center randomized clinical trial because it showed encouraging preliminary results in critically ill COVID-19 patients at a military hospital in the U.S. and 14 other hospitals in Europe. Investigators at the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda will run the trial of the Martinez, CA-based company’s device. Initial reports indicate Seraph 100 stabilizes blood pressure and inflammatory biomarkers that correlate with ...
Source: MDDI - June 10, 2020 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Omar Ford Tags: COVID-19 Business Source Type: news

‘We Know What Is Best for Us.’ Indigenous Groups Around the World Are Taking COVID-19 Responses Into Their Own Hands
When Eric Freeland, 34, started coughing at the end of March, he didn’t think much of it. But when his symptoms grew worse, Freeland’s mother began to worry. Freeland is a Native American living with his family in the Navajo Nation in the southwestern U.S., where access to healthcare is limited. He is also diabetic, putting him at greater risk to the coronavirus. When Freeland’s breathing became short and stuttered, his mother drove him to the nearest hospital where within minutes of arriving, he lost consciousness. He awoke three weeks later, hooked up to a ventilator, from a medically induced coma. &l...
Source: TIME: Health - May 29, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Mélissa Godin Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 feature Londontime Source Type: news

Politics, Profits Undermine Public Interest in Covid-19 Vaccine Race
By Anis Chowdhury and Jomo Kwame SundaramSYDNEY and KUALA LUMPUR, May 26 2020 (IPS) With well over five million Covid-19 infections worldwide, and deaths exceeding 340,000, the race for an effective vaccine has accelerated since the SARS-Cov-2 virus was first identified as the culprit. Expecting to score politically from being ‘first’ to have a vaccine, US President Trump’s Operation Warp Speed promises to get 300 million doses to Americans by January, after the November polls, following several failed attempts to monopolize vaccines being developed by European companies. Anis Chowdhury More than 115 vaccine develop...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - May 26, 2020 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Anis Chowdhury and Jomo Kwame Sundaram Tags: Aid Economy & Trade Featured Global Headlines Health Humanitarian Emergencies TerraViva United Nations Jomo Kwame Sundaram & Anis Chowdhury Source Type: news

COVID-19 Severity in Pregnancy Appears Lower Than H1N1
Single case reports describe harrowing births and outcomes for women with COVID-19, but preliminary data suggest that overall, pregnant women do as well as the general public when it comes to COVID-19. (Source: WebMD Health)
Source: WebMD Health - May 19, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

COVID-19 Severity in Pregnancy Appears Lower Than H1N1 COVID-19 Severity in Pregnancy Appears Lower Than H1N1
Single case reports describe harrowing births and outcomes for women with COVID-19, but preliminary data suggest that overall, pregnant women do as well as the general public when it comes to COVID-19.Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Infectious Diseases Headlines)
Source: Medscape Infectious Diseases Headlines - May 18, 2020 Category: Infectious Diseases Tags: Ob/Gyn & Women ' s Health News Source Type: news

There Isn ’t a COVID-19 Vaccine Yet. But Some Are Already Skeptical About It
Amid the American flags, “Make America Great Again” hats and “freedom is essential” posters appearing at recent protests against coronavirus lockdowns in Sacramento, Calif., another familiar slogan has materialized: “We do not consent.” It’s long been a popular rallying cry among antivaccine activists, who claim without evidence that vaccines cause autism or other conditions. As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, those activists have become intertwined with demonstrators who want businesses to reopen despite public health experts’ warnings. Offline, the “anti-vaxxers”...
Source: TIME: Health - May 18, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tara Law Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 Source Type: news

Lessons learned during H1N1 guide Ottawa's response to COVID-19 in First Nations
The federal government is looking to hire paramedics who can fly up to remote First Nations in case there’s a surge of COVID-19 cases, and officials say it’s evidence of a different approach to Indigenous health care than during the H1N1 outbreak. (Source: CBC | Health)
Source: CBC | Health - May 8, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: News/Canada/Manitoba Source Type: news

Pediatric coronavirus disease (COVID-19) x-ray, CT in review of new lung disorders
(American Roentgen Ray Society) Although the clinical symptoms of SARS, H1N1, MERS, EVALI, and COVID-19 may be nonspecific, some characteristic imaging findings are emerging, says the American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR). Careful evaluation of the distribution, lung zone preference, and symmetry of the abnormalities with an eye for a few unique differentiating imaging features can allow radiologists to offer a narrower differential diagnosis in pediatric patients, leading to optimal patient care. (Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases)
Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases - May 8, 2020 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news

Beat the Common Cold
Researchers in Canada and China are testing a powerful immune booster that provides broad-spectrum protection against the common cold and a number of viruses including SARS, Ebola and H1N1. They’re currently running clinical trials to prove its effectiveness against coronavirus. I’m talking about quercetin – a powerful antioxidant that is already available as a supplement. Previous research shows that quercetin’s antiviral capacity works in three ways. Quercetin can: Stop the virus from infecting cells Reduce the reproduction of cells that are already infected And reduce infected cells resistance to tr...
Source: Al Sears, MD Natural Remedies - May 6, 2020 Category: Complementary Medicine Authors: Dr.A.Sears Tags: Health Source Type: news

Strong Data Systems Are Crucial during Coronavirus
By Katherine Seaton, Editorial OfficerMay 04, 2020Data systems are crucial for health care all the time, but during a natural disaster, war, or pandemic like COVID-19, functioning data systems can mean the difference between life and death.Data help us know what the health needs are, what capabilities each nearby hospital and clinic has, and where health workers should be deployed. Essential for responding to a pandemic, these data help monitor the spread and intensity of disease and help everyone, not just health workers, understand its severity and impact on society.If the systems are operating smoothly, we don’t...
Source: IntraHealth International - May 4, 2020 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: kseaton Tags: Digital Health Health Workforce & Systems Source Type: news

New Acquisition Could Give Abiomed Access to Help COVID-19 Patients
Abiomed, maker of the Impella heart pump, could have the chance to reach some COVID-19 patients with its latest acquisition. The Danvers, MA-based company said it acquired Breethe, a developer of an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation system for an undisclosed sum. Breethe has applied for a 510K clearance of the ECMO system. The Baltimore, MD-based company’s technology has the potential to serve the needs of patients whose lungs can longer provide sufficient oxygenation, including patients suffering from cardiogenic shock, cardiac arrest or respiratory failure such as due to ARDS, H1N1, SARS, or COVID-19....
Source: MDDI - May 1, 2020 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Omar Ford Tags: COVID-19 Cardiovascular Source Type: news