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Journalists, experts discuss China's response to H7N9 outbreak

In a conversation in the ChinaFile blog, David Wertime, co-founder and co-editor of Tea Leaf Nation, an English-language online magazine that analyzes Chinese social media, speaks with Yanzhong Huang, a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations; journalist Isabel Hilton; Donald Clarke, a professor at the George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C.; Susan Jakes, editor of ChinaFile; Dorinda Elliott, editor at large at ChinaFile; and James Fallows, a correspondent for The Atlantic, about the emergence of a new strain of avian flu called H7N9 in China and the country's response to the outbreak so far.

6 Apr 2013

China begins slaughter of birds in Shanghai market after 6th death from H7N9 announced; U.S., global experts begin vaccine research

"China announced a sixth death from a new bird flu strain Friday, while authorities in Shanghai halted the sale of live fowl and slaughtered all poultry at a market where the virus was detected in pigeons being sold for meat," the Associated Press reports (Wong, 4/5).

6 Apr 2013

Anti-vaccination messages spread more easily than positive ones on Twitter, researchers find

On Twitter, a popular microblogging and social-networking service, statements about vaccines may have unexpected effects -- positive messages may backfire, according to a team of Penn State University researchers led by Marcel Salath-, an assistant professor of biology.

5 Apr 2013

Editorial, opinion pieces address emergence of new bird flu strain in China

"Memories of China's repression of news during its tumultuous 2002-03 SARS outbreak could fuel panic and unrest at home and suspicion in the West," Hall, a novelist, writes.

5 Apr 2013

China reports 2 more cases of H7N9; Researchers continue to investigate transmission routes

"China has found two more cases of a new strain of bird flu and one of the victims has died, state media said on Wednesday, bringing to nine the number of confirmed human infections from the previously unknown flu type," Reuters reports (Blanchard/Kelland, 4/3).

5 Apr 2013

Walgreens to expand health care services to include treatment of chronic illness

The retail chain becomes the first to offer such extensive primary care through nurse practitioners and physician assistants at more than 300 in-store clinics in 18 states.

5 Apr 2013

First Edition: April 4, 2013

Kaiser Health News staff writer Julie Appleby, working in collaboration with USA Today, reports: "It's not just sore throats and flu shots anymore. Walgreens today became the first retail store chain to expand its health care services to include diagnosing and treating patients for chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes and high cholesterol. The move is the retail industry's boldest push yet into an area long controlled by physicians, and comes amid continuing concerns about health care costs and a potential shortage of primary care doctors" (Appleby, 4/4).

4 Apr 2013

China reports 4 more cases of H7N9 bird flu virus; Officials investigating route of transmission

"On Tuesday, China reported four more cases of infection with the H7N9 influenza virus, a type of bird flu, in the eastern Jiangsu province," Time reports.

4 Apr 2013

Viewpoints: Obama's brain initiative is 'modest but welcome start;' Disability insurance facing 'immediate crisis'

President Obama officially announced his new brain research initiative on Tuesday, with a pledge to put $100 million in his 2014 budget to support work at three federal agencies.

4 Apr 2013

More information needed about new strain of bird flu in China

In a Foreign Policy opinion piece, Laurie Garrett, senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations, recounts recent events in China, including the discovery of hundreds of dead pigs, ducks, and geese in rivers and the diagnosis of several human cases of a new strain of avian influenza, H7N9, and she writes, "[T]his could be how pandemics begin."

3 Apr 2013

Study: Pradaxa drug may increase risk and severity of viral infections

A study led by researchers at the University of North Carolina indicates that a newly approved blood thinner that blocks a key component of the human blood clotting system may increase the risk and severity of certain viral infections, including flu and myocarditis, a viral infection of the heart and a significant cause of sudden death in children and young adults.

2 Apr 2013

New strain of avian flu kills two Chinese men, officials say

"Two people in China have died and another remains critical after falling ill with a strain of bird flu not detected before in humans, the official Chinese news agency Xinhua reported," CNN reports (Mullen, 4/1).

2 Apr 2013

New technique for vaccine design could prove useful against HIV, other viral strains

A team led by scientists from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) has unveiled a new technique for vaccine design that could be particularly useful against HIV and other fast-changing viruses.

30 Mar 2013

Research paper highlights implementation of infectious disease curriculum in Boston Public Schools

A research paper published online this month in Academic Medicine highlights the successful development, implementation, and effects of an infectious disease curriculum that has now been piloted in five Boston Public Schools.

27 Mar 2013

Study shows certain T cells are stimulated to provide protective antibody responses with flu vaccines

Collaborating scientists from Nationwide Children's Hospital, Baylor Institute for Immunology Research, and Mount Sinai School of Medicine have identified an important mechanism for stimulating protective immune responses following seasonal influenza vaccinations.

25 Mar 2013

Viewpoints: Indian health hit by budget cuts; Health care doesn't work like normal markets; Gov. Rick Scott paying a price for Medicaid expansion

The Congressional Republicans who brought us the mindless budget cuts known as the sequester have shown remarkable indifference to life-sustaining government services, American jobs and other programs.

22 Mar 2013

UCLA researchers predict hotspots for future outbreaks of influenza virus

This year's unusually long and rocky flu season would be nothing compared to the pandemic that could occur if bird flu became highly contagious among humans, which is why UCLA researchers and their colleagues are creating new ways to predict where an outbreak could emerge.

17 Mar 2013

Study: Novel strategy could lead to universal influenza vaccine that can provide long-lasting protection

Seasonal epidemics of influenza result in nearly 36,000 deaths annually in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Current vaccines against the influenza virus elicit an antibody response specific for proteins on the outside of the virus, specifically the hemagglutinin protein.

15 Mar 2013

H1N1 flu vaccination associated with small excess risk of acquiring Guillain-Barré syndrome, but benefits outweigh risks

A meta-analysis of safety data gathered during the 2009 H1N1 vaccination programme in the US has established that the vaccination was associated with a small excess risk – about 1.6 extra cases per one million people vaccinated – of acquiring Guillain-Barré syndrome, a disorder of the nervous system which can result in temporary or more long-lasting paralysis and infrequently death. The authors conclude that the benefits of the 2009 H1N1 vaccination campaign greatly outweighed the risks.

14 Mar 2013

Cardiohelp assists heart by pumping blood to oxygenator in seriously ill patients

A viral infection was causing life-threatening heart failure in Loyola University Medical Center patient Michelle Rivera.

14 Mar 2013

Flu News and Research

Journalists, experts discuss China's response to H7N9 outbreak

China begins slaughter of birds in Shanghai market after 6th death from H7N9 announced; U.S., global experts begin vaccine research

Anti-vaccination messages spread more easily than positive ones on Twitter, researchers find

Editorial, opinion pieces address emergence of new bird flu strain in China

China reports 2 more cases of H7N9; Researchers continue to investigate transmission routes

Walgreens to expand health care services to include treatment of chronic illness

First Edition: April 4, 2013

China reports 4 more cases of H7N9 bird flu virus; Officials investigating route of transmission

Viewpoints: Obama's brain initiative is 'modest but welcome start;' Disability insurance facing 'immediate crisis'

More information needed about new strain of bird flu in China

Study: Pradaxa drug may increase risk and severity of viral infections

New strain of avian flu kills two Chinese men, officials say

New technique for vaccine design could prove useful against HIV, other viral strains

Research paper highlights implementation of infectious disease curriculum in Boston Public Schools

Study shows certain T cells are stimulated to provide protective antibody responses with flu vaccines

Viewpoints: Indian health hit by budget cuts; Health care doesn't work like normal markets; Gov. Rick Scott paying a price for Medicaid expansion

UCLA researchers predict hotspots for future outbreaks of influenza virus

Study: Novel strategy could lead to universal influenza vaccine that can provide long-lasting protection

H1N1 flu vaccination associated with small excess risk of acquiring Guillain-Barré syndrome, but benefits outweigh risks

Cardiohelp assists heart by pumping blood to oxygenator in seriously ill patients

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