U.S. flu funds; South Africa confirms first case; EU encouraged to coordinate pandemic vaccine policy

The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed a $105.9 billion war-funding bill that "includes $7.7 billion to prepare for pandemic flu," the Washington Post reports (Bacon, Washington Post, 6/19).

South Africa Confirms First Case of H1N1

Also on Thursday, South Africa's Department of Health confirmed the country's first H1N1 case, Reuters reports. The department released a written statement saying, "The patient, a 12-year-old who flew in from the U.S. on Sunday, was admitted to hospital on Monday and was kept in isolation," Reuters writes. He has since been released from the hospital (Bosch, Reuters, 6/18).

Scientific Leaders Appeal For Coordinated EU Pandemic Vaccine Purchasing Policy

The Times of Malta examines the recent appeal by the European Scientific Working group on Influenza (ESWI) that the EU coordinate a influenza pandemic vaccine purchasing policy to "ensure equitable distribution of pandemic vaccines" in the EU and "help the WHO acquire a stockpile of pandemic vaccines for distribution in developing countries" (Times of Malta, 6/18).