Federal travel tips: Get H1N1 shot, have papers in order

“Directives issued Thursday by federal officials advise holiday travelers to have their papers in order, suggest what kind of shoes to wear and encourage those about to travel to get seasonal and H1N1 flu shots.

The federal agencies also guide travelers on how to cough and sneeze.

The U.S. Homeland Security Department, Transportation Security Administration, Centers for Disease Control and other federal agencies issued the travel tips and suggestions for those planning to travel during the Thanksgiving holiday.”

(Source: Federal travel tips: Get H1N1 shot, have papers in order – Phoenix Business Journal:)

E. coli outbreak hits East Coast, kills 2

“Two people — one in New Hampshire and a second in New York — have died, 16 have been hospitalized and 28 have been sickened in an outbreak of E. coli that may be linked to ground beef distributed on the East Coast, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

As of October 28, there have been 28 persons whose illness appears to be associated with this outbreak, all but three from the Northeast. Eighteen of the 28 are from New England, says the CDC’s Lola Scott Russell. There have been two cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome, which causes kidney failure. “

(Source: E. coli outbreak hits East Coast, kills 2 – USATODAY.com)

H1N1 flu virus kills 16 people in Michigan, hospitalizes 396

“Swine flu has killed 16 Michigan residents, hospitalized 396 and sickened scores of people as demand exceeds supply for the H1N1 vaccine, Michigan Department of Community Health officials said Monday.

‘We are at number you might see at the peak of a bad flu season,’ said Gregory S. Holzman, state Chief Medical Executive. ‘This is unprecedented.’

The news comes as the number of people reporting flu-like illnesses continues to spike, schools are closing across Michigan, hospitals are starting to ban children from visiting and health departments are administering the H1N1 vaccine to groups deemed most at risk. “

(Source: H1N1 flu virus kills 16 people in Michigan, hospitalizes 396 | detnews.com | The Detroit News)

H1N1 flu spurs closures of hundreds of schools

“The number of students staying home sick with the flu is multiplying nationwide and normally quiet school nurses’ offices suddenly look like big-city emergency rooms, packed with students too ill to finish the day.

The federal government has urged schools to close because of the H1N1 swine flu only as a last resort. But schools are closing by the dozens as officials say they are being hit so hard and fast by the virus that shutting down for a few days is the only feasible option.

‘There was nothing else we could do,’ said Michael Frechette, the superintendent of Connecticut’s Middletown Public Schools where a middle school closed for the rest of the week after 120 students stayed home sick Monday and another 25 were sent home by noon. “

(H1N1 flu spurs closures of hundreds of schools – Salt Lake Tribune)

Obama declares swine flu a national emergency

“President Barack Obama declared the swine flu outbreak a national emergency, giving his health chief the power to let hospitals move emergency rooms offsite to speed treatment and protect noninfected patients.

The declaration, signed Friday night and announced Saturday, comes with the disease more prevalent than ever in the country and production delays undercutting the government’s initial, optimistic estimates that as many as 120 million doses of the vaccine could be available by mid-October.”

(Obama declares swine flu a national emergency – Yahoo! News)

H1N1 kills 2 ineligible for the vaccine

“The H1N1 virus is being blamed for two more deaths in Pima County. County health officials say two adults died at least a week ago. Both were women with underlying health concerns. Both died at home.

The deaths bring to five the number of people who have died from H1N1 in Pima County since April.

The two latest victims were not in the priority groups eligible to receive the first batch of the swine flu vaccine. And that’s raising questions about the eligibility.”

(KVOA News 4 | Tucson, Arizona |H1N1 kills 2 ineligible for the vaccine)

Delays in Swine Flu Vaccine Trouble Senators

“Senators grilled the heads of three cabinet agencies about delays in the availability of H1N1 flu vaccine and whether states are ready to cope with the rising number of cases.”

(Delays in Swine Flu Vaccine Trouble Senators | Kansas City infoZine News | USA)

Study says H1N1 vaccines are too late

“The study conducted by Purdue University says the H1N1 vaccine won’t be as effective as the regular season vaccine because it was released late in the season. Scientists are predicting about 60 percent of the US population will get be infected by the end of this year, but only about one quarter of Americans will actually get sick from the virus. From now until October 25th is supposed to be the biggest wave of sickness and the vaccines won’t help that, since it just became available.”

(Source: Study says H1N1 vaccines are too late | vaccines, beach, late – Top Story – CBS Channel 12 News)

Many swine flu deaths linked with second infection

“Many people who have died of H1N1 swine flu in the United States have also had bacterial infections, health officials reported on Wednesday.

A study of 77 patients who died of the new pandemic H1N1 virus showed 29 percent of them had so called bacterial co-infections, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

About half of these had Streptococcus pneumoniae, which can be prevented with a vaccine, the CDC said. It said doctors may be missing these infections in people severely ill with flu.”

(Many swine flu deaths linked with second infection | U.S. | Reuters)

What to know about getting H1N1 vaccine

“There are two types of the vaccine available: the flu shot, an inactivated vaccine containing fragments of killed influenza virus, and a nasal-spray, which is made using a weakened live flu virus. The nasal spray will most likely be the first to be widely distributed, however certain groups, including pregnant women, young children and people with compromised immune systems, cannot receive the nasal spray.

So far officials of the National Institutes of Health say that in clinical trials they’ve seen no serious side effects and that study subjects who have been immunized have generated a good response.”

(What to know about getting H1N1 vaccine – CNN.com)

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