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MMR Information Systems offers free guide to Personal Health Records

MMR Information Systems, Inc. announced today that it is offering a free guide to Personal Health Records ("PHRs") by Dr. Arnold W. Klein, a world-renowned Beverly Hills Dermatologist, through its MyMedicalRecords PHR website www.mymedicalrecords.com. The Company made the announcement in response to the White House declaring the H1N1 "Swine Flu" virus a National Emergency.

31 Oct 2009

MedImpact to provide a suite of free, online flu self-assessment tools

MedImpact has collaborated with the American Medical Association (AMA) and other health care organizations to provide a suite of free, online flu self-assessment tools to MedImpact clients and to the 32 million individual members they serve.

31 Oct 2009

Procter & Gamble's Vicks products containing vitamin C being marketed unlawfully, FDA warns

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today sent a warning letter to Procter & Gamble notifying the company that its Vicks DayQuil Plus Vitamin C and Vicks Nyquil Plus Vitamin C are illegally marketed combinations of drug ingredients and a dietary ingredient.

31 Oct 2009

Women may need smaller dose of H1N1 vaccine

THE emergence of the H1N1 swine flu has added urgency to what has become an annual ritual for millions of Americans: getting a flu shot. The good news is that scientists have developed a vaccine against the H1N1 virus. But it is taking much longer than expected to produce the hundreds of millions of doses the government had planned to distribute. And it is still too soon to know how effective the vaccine will be in preventing swine flu.

31 Oct 2009

New York Times examines efforts underway to prevent spread of H1N1 during Hajj

The New York Times examines how Saudi Arabia is preparing for the upcoming annual pilgrimage of some "2.5 million people from 160 countries" to Mecca, some who "will be bringing the swine flu. The Saudi authorities, fearing that the hajj could turn their holy city into a petri dish for viral mutations and a hub for spreading a new pandemic wave around the world, are working hard to head that off," the newspaper writes.

31 Oct 2009

Public concern can undermine flu vaccination campaigns

The effectiveness of pandemic flu vaccination campaigns - like that now underway for H1N1 - could be undermined by the public incorrectly associating coincidental and unrelated health events with the vaccines.

31 Oct 2009

Senate confirms Benjamin as surgeon general

The Senate confirmed Alabama doctor Regina Benjamin as surgeon general Thursday night. Her confirmation, which was approved with a voice vote, comes at a critical time as the nation deals with a swine flu emergency.

30 Oct 2009

CDC study finds swine flu may have infected as many as 5.7 million Americans

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released new swine flue estimates that suggest the number of people affected by the disease is much greater than the 43,677 cases confirmed earlier.

30 Oct 2009

Bacterial or viral skin infections continue to grow among high school and college athletes, survey reveals

A recent survey of nearly 650 athletic trainers across the U.S. revealed that in the past 12 months nearly 76 percent of the respondents' athletic programs, mostly high school- and college-based, bacterial or viral skin infections have developed.

30 Oct 2009

Health officials stress the need for continued prevention efforts in view of H1N1 vaccine delay

Responding to delays in the nationwide distribution H1N1 flu vaccine, Department of Health officials today urged Pennsylvanians to continue to take steps to prevent the spread of illness.

30 Oct 2009

Mollen Immunization Clinics sets US record for administering 14,000 vaccinations in a single event

With just 36 hours notice from the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, Mollen Immunization Clinics administered over 14,000 vaccinations to high-risk groups throughout the county, one of the nation's largest with a population of four million residents.

30 Oct 2009

Patients on immunosuppressant medication can receive H1N1 vaccine in the form of shots

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have classified all children, 6-months to 24-years, one of the high risk groups for contracting the H1N1 (swine) flu, and recommend this population receive the H1N1 vaccine for immunity against the disease.

30 Oct 2009

Scientists present new perspective on antigenic drift of flu viruses

Influenza viruses evade infection-fighting antibodies by constantly changing the shape of their major surface protein. This shape-shifting, called antigenic drift, is why influenza vaccines-which are designed to elicit antibodies matched to each year's circulating virus strains-must be reformulated annually.

30 Oct 2009

Most children visit hospitals with mild flu-like symptoms and fever

The CHU Sainte-Justine and The Montreal Children's Hospital of the McGill University Health Centre are currently seeing a significant increase in patients in their Emergency Departments. Children are arriving with mild flu-like symptoms and fever.

30 Oct 2009

Risk of serious flu-related sickness far outpaces risk of injectable vaccine in pregnant women

Pregnant women who catch the flu are at serious risk for flu-related complications, including death, and that risk far outweighs the risk of possible side effects from injectable vaccines containing killed virus, according to an extensive review of published research and data from previous flu seasons.

30 Oct 2009

AMERIGROUP announces financial results for the third quarter of 2009

AMERIGROUP Corporation today announced that net income for the third quarter of 2009 was $22.5 million, or $0.43 per diluted share, versus $37.9 million, or $0.71 per diluted share, for the third quarter of 2008. Third quarter earnings are in line with the preliminary earnings range that the Company issued on October 26, 2009, and reflect elevated medical costs associated with the onset of what appears to be a severe flu season due to the H1N1 virus.

30 Oct 2009

Mintel predicts increased sales of OTC drugs in upcoming months

Autumn has arrived in the northern hemisphere and with shades of yellow and orange comes a less-welcome visitor: cold and flu season. Made worse this year by the H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic, people around the world are flocking to drugstores and supermarkets to stock up on over-the-counter (OTC) medicine, says market research firm Mintel.

30 Oct 2009

Leading gynecologist recommends flu shots for pregnant women

Randy A. Fink, MD says pregnant women ought to be shot – with a flu vaccination needle. “A flu shot offers double protection to both mother and baby,” says Dr. Fink, a Miami board certified specialist who was recently named one of “America's Top Obstetrician/Gynecologists” by the Consumer Research Council.

30 Oct 2009

Antioxidants may hold the key in preventing severe flu-related lung damage

As the nation copes with a shortage of vaccines for H1N1 influenza, a team of Alabama researchers have raised hopes that they have found an Achilles' heel for all strains of the flu-antioxidants. In an article appearing in the November 2009 print issue of the FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) they show that antioxidants-the same substances found in plant-based foods-might hold the key in preventing the flu virus from wreaking havoc on our lungs.

30 Oct 2009

Highly publicized vaccine products not only boost pharmaceutical companies, but also benefit others

Highly publicized vaccine products not only boost the bottom lines of pharmaceutical companies, but also benefit insurance companies, doctors and retailers with their businesses, according to analysis of the recent flu vaccine season by life science market research publisher Kalorama Information.

30 Oct 2009