The CDC says older children with underlying health problems should be among the first to be vaccinated. Adolescents are at higher risk of dying from the pandemic H1N1 influenza virus than younger children, a situation that is the opposite of that encountered with seasonal flu, health authorities said this morning. And those with underlying health problems, such as cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and neurodevelopmental disorders, are at the highest risk and should be among the first to be vaccinated against the new virus, according to the report in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s...

by Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor Doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers taking care of people infected with the new swine flu should wear special masks known as respirators, but need to protect themselves in other ways, too, according to a report released on Thursday. The Institute of Medicine stressed that scientists still do not know much about how influenza viruses are transmitted, and that healthcare workers in general are bad at protecting themselves and their patients against such infections. While recommending more research into how flu is transmitted and the best defenses...

By Sheryl Ubelacker (CP) TORONTO — With fears that Canada could be hit by a massive wave of H1N1 influenza cases this fall, nurses across the country are preparing to take their places on the front lines of the pandemic – and bracing for the worst. For months, provincial and territorial nurses groups have been engaged in pandemic planning with hospitals and government, while readying their members for a possible onslaught of cases that could swamp the system. One of the greatest concerns is that there simply will not be enough nurses to handle a sustained influx of patients, especially...

Most people living today were not around when the Swine Flu made its first deadly appearance in April 1918 and reappeared in the fall killing over 50 million people. It was the H1N1 virus that was responsible for the worst single source of casualties in US history according to Tommy Thompson former US Secretary of Health & Human Services. The flu season of 1918 killed more Americans than all modern wars we’ve been in combined. Hospitals around the country have been monitoring cases since last April and have seen the same pattern developing that occurred in 1918. The World Health Organization...

By Citizen staff, The Ottawa Citizen Get the seasonal flu vaccine. It won’t protect you directly against the H1N1 virus, but will prevent you from getting seasonal flu, which weakens your immune system and makes you more susceptible to H1N1. -Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. -Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based cleansers are also effective. Read More…

Some Say While Severe Swine Flu Exists, Warnings May Be Overblown The World Health Organization warned Friday that doctors around the world are now reporting a severe form of swine flu that goes straight to the lungs of otherwise healthy young people — but some infectious disease experts said the alarm could be unwarranted. The WHO update comes in the wake of reports from some countries that as many as 15 percent of patients infected with the new H1N1 pandemic virus require extensive — and expensive — hospital care. “During the winter season in the southern hemisphere,...

By ANNA TONG, Sacramento Bee In the race to check the H1N1 pandemic, some California nurses are at odds with their hospitals. They complain that rules on the use of one simple, yet important weapon — respirators — may not protect them from on-the-job exposure to the virus. But hospitals counter that their respirator practices are safe. The novel H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu, has spread around the globe since it emerged this winter from a Mexican village. A new surge in infections is expected this fall, raising concern among health care workers about workplace safety. The federal...

London, Aug 23 (PTI) It may appear to be above the cut, but a barber in Britain gets 15,000 pounds for trimming Sultan of Brunei’s hair. Ken Modestou, who runs a barber’s at the Dorchester hotel in central London, was recently flown over to Brunei and given a self-contained suite on Singapore Airlines flight for the 7,000-mile trip to the Sultanate. The cabin, which costs just under 11,000 pounds, was deemed necessary as the 63-year-old Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah wanted to ensure his barber was isolated from possible swine flu among other passengers, ‘The Sunday Times’...

A campaign has been launched urging people to give blood before the predicted surge in swine this winter. The NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) said people cannot give blood when they have flu so the organisation needs to build up its stocks now ahead of the dip in donations expected due to the H1N1 virus and seasonal flu. Hospitals in across Kent, Sussex, Surrey and Berkshire need 5,290 units of blood each week to treat patients. Sarah Barker, who lives in Tunbridge Wells, is helping the appeal and urging people to donate blood after she experienced the benefit of the service first hand. “About...

By GILLIAN WONG (AP) BEIJING — The World Health Organization’s flu chief urged drug makers on Saturday to donate swine flu vaccines to the world’s poorest countries, which are more vulnerable in the fight against the pandemic. Dr. Keiji Fukuda said the agency is working hard to lobby the world’s rich nations and flu vaccine makers for donations. “It is clear that the poorest countries in general are just the most vulnerable to any number of diseases, and so it is a big concern,” Fukuda said on the sidelines of a symposium of health officials and experts in Beijing....