Welcome to Modern Healthcare's informational site on the H1N1 "swine flu" pandemic and other flu-related issues. The site will be updated regularly with news stories, studies and features on flu threats. Primary sources will be Modern Healthcare staff reporting as well as stories from other news organizations and reports from government sites and public health agencies.
By Jessica Zigmond November 20, 2009 Although average flu activity in the U.S. has declined slightly in the past week, the level of flu activity remains higher than normal for this time of year, said a top official for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. ... FULL STORY
By Joe Carlson November 19, 2009 A federal judge has declined to prevent HCA from implementing a flu-vaccine policy in five hospitals in Northern California despite anecdotal evidence presented by a workers' union that the policy was exposing workers to negative public attention. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond November 10, 2009 The head of the Food and Drug Administration is urging healthcare professionals to report any adverse effects they believe might be linked to the H1N1 influenza vaccine to the agency's Vaccine Event Reporting System. ... FULL STORY
November 10, 2009 Sanofi-aventis CEO Chris Viehbacher and Sanofi Pasteur President and CEO Wayne Pisano plan to discuss the challenges of manufacturing H1N1, or swine flu, vaccine, during a webcast conference starting at 2:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, Nov. 11. David Greenberg, senior director of scientific and medical affairs at Sanofi Pasteur, will provide new data from adult and pediatric clinical trials of the U.S. licensed vaccine. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond November 03, 2009 Severe illness from the H1N1 virus can occur at all ages, with about 30% of hospitalized cases requiring treatment in an intensive-care unit, says a new study in the Nov. 4 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. ... FULL STORY
By Joe Carlson November 03, 2009 In a legal battle pitting the nation’s largest healthcare union against the nation’s largest hospital owner, bargaining units of the Service Employees International Union are suing Nashville-based HCA over the system’s goal of having all of its direct-care workers receive flu shots. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond November 03, 2009 The American College of Emergency Physicians—together with HHS' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response and its Emergency Care Coordination Center—have developed a set of guidelines to help the public determine if their flu-like symptoms merit an emergency-department visit. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond October 29, 2009 As state health departments and healthcare providers wait for more shipments of the H1N1 flu vaccine to arrive, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports there are 24.8 million doses available as of Thursday, an increase of 1.6 million doses since Wednesday. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond October 26, 2009 The federal government last week drew praise for its efforts so far to combat the H1N1 flu outbreak even as officials worried about the nation’s ability to cope with the disease. ... FULL STORY
By Associated Press October 24, 2009 President Barack Obama has declared the H1N1 “swine flu” outbreak a national emergency. Officials said the proclamation would allow medical officials to bypass certain federal requirements, describing the move as similar to a declaration ahead of a hurricane making landfall. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond October 23, 2009 The state of New York has reversed course on an earlier decision mandating that healthcare workers receive flu shots, as State Health Commissioner Richard Daines has suspended the requirement. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond October 23, 2009 With 46 states reporting widespread flu activity, the leader for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that the H1N1 virus has now caused more than 1,000 deaths and more than 20,000 hospitalizations in the U.S. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond October 22, 2009 The American Medical Association has launched a new Web site intended to help patients determine the severity of their flu symptoms and share information with their physician. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond October 21, 2009 Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) lauded the efforts of three Cabinet departments in managing the spread of the 2009 H1N1 flu outbreak, but also expressed concerns about a delay in vaccine production, the capacity of hospitals and health departments to handle a surge in hospital visits, and the availability of intravenous anti-viral medications for those patients who need it. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond October 19, 2009 When the deadly H1N1 influenza virus emerged last spring, federal health officials reported a fact that surprised many Americans: About 36,000 people in the U.S. die from the seasonal flu each year. ... FULL STORY
By Jean DerGurahian October 13, 2009 Some nurses in New York state are preparing to fight a state mandate that requires healthcare workers to receive the flu vaccine this year. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond October 12, 2009 As 37 states reported widespread flu activity for the week of Oct. 5—up from 27 the week before—an official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said nearly all of those cases have been identified as the 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus, and a vaccine is still the best protection against the deadly disease. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond October 09, 2009 Thirty-seven states are reporting widespread flu activity—up from 27 last week—and nearly all of the cases have been identified as the 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond October 06, 2009 The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said he expects the distribution of the vaccine for the deadly H1N1 virus—which began this week—to be a bumpy process, but that the vaccine will soon be widely available. ... FULL STORY
By Vince Galloro September 24, 2009 State and local health agencies must develop protocols that guide providers on how to allocate scarce resources during public health crises, such as terrorist attacks or pandemics, the Institute of Medicine said in a new report to HHS, which commissioned the study. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond September 21, 2009 Before the World Health Organization declared a global flu pandemic in June, a sampling of states and localities showed they had not implemented an electronic medical system for managing medical volunteers in a surge, says a new report from the HHS inspector general's office. ... FULL STORY
By Associated Press September 19, 2009 Global production of swine flu vaccines will be "substantially less" than the previous maximum forecast of 94 million doses a week, the World Health Organization said Friday.The number of doses produced in a year will therefore fall short of the 4.9 billion doses the global health body previously hoped could be available for the pandemic, WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl told reporters in Geneva.Production will be lower because some manufacturers are still turning out vaccines for seasonal flu—an illness that can be serious in sick and elderly people, Hartl said. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond September 18, 2009 Vaccination of healthcare workers against the deadly H1N1 flu virus plays an important role in quality of care, said an epidemiologist who leads the H1N1 vaccine task force at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond September 16, 2009 The Food and Drug Administration said it has approved four vaccines against the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus, popularly known as swine flu, which caused the World Health Organization to declare a global flu pandemic this summer. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond September 03, 2009 To reduce the risk of infection, healthcare workers who are in close contact with individuals who have the influenza H1N1, or swine flu, virus should use fit-tested N95 respirators or other respirators that are shown to be more effective, according to a new report from the Institute of Medicine. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond September 03, 2009 In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, President Barack Obama designated $2.7 billion to help various federal agencies respond to the potential spread of the deadly 2009 H1N1 virus. The funding will help HHS and the State, Agriculture, Defense and Veterans Affairs departments procure vaccine product and supplies, antiviral medications, preparations for a vaccine campaign and other related activities. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond August 31, 2009 After a presidential advisory committee report last week said a resurgence of the 2009 H1N1 virus could cause 30,000 to 90,000 U.S. deaths later this year, healthcare providers expressed concern about protecting their employees against the deadly flu strain. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond August 24, 2009 As the fall flu season approaches, the 2009 H1N1 virus is unlikely to mirror the deadly pandemic of 1918-19, but still “poses a serious threat” to the country, according to a new report from a presidential advisory committee of scientists from industry and academia. ... FULL STORY
By Andis Robeznieks August 24, 2009 This past spring, many flu patients avoided hospital emergency departments and visited clinics instead. For the upcoming flu season, the focus will be on treating people with the HIN1 virus in their homes and avoiding hospitalizations, according to Thomas Michaels, an infection-control specialist with Minnesota's HealthPartners system. ... FULL STORY
By Andis Robeznieks August 20, 2009 Healthcare providers should be prepared for more patients infected with the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, in the upcoming flu season than they saw last spring, but how severe any outbreak will be remains unclear, according to speakers participating in a CMS-sponsored conference call called the Hospitals Open Door Forum. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond August 19, 2009 New York's State Hospital Review and Planning Council has approved an emergency regulation requiring each healthcare facility to provide or arrange for influenza vaccinations for personnel, at no cost to its workers, either at the facility or elsewhere. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond August 06, 2009 About 100 nurses rallied on the main campus of the University of California at San Francisco Medical Center to demand better safeguards against the H1N1, or “swine flu,” virus on the same day a preliminary survey showed weaknesses in protecting healthcare workers against the deadly disease. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond August 03, 2009 As a federal advisory panel last week recommended that pregnant women and healthcare workers be among the first to receive a vaccine against the H1N1 virus, experts said both providers and patients need to do a better job of taking precautions against it. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond July 30, 2009 Pregnant women, caregivers of young children, and healthcare workers should be among the first to receive a vaccine against the H1N1 virus when one becomes available, recommends a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention committee. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond July 29, 2009 Pregnant women infected with the 2009 H1N1 virus, commonly referred to as swine flu, had a higher rate of hospitalization and greater risk of death than the general population, according to new data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ... FULL STORY
By Associated Press July 25, 2009 Health officials are projecting that up to 40% of Americans could get the so-called swine flu this year and next and several hundred thousand could die without a successful vaccine campaign and other measures. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond July 20, 2009 Anticipating a potential resurgence of the H1N1 influenza virus this fall, HHS in the past few weeks has invested more federal dollars to try to ensure the nation is well-prepared to manage the disease. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond July 07, 2009 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched a Web-based tool that allows scientists, health professionals and members of the public to track environmental exposures and chronic health conditions. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond July 07, 2009 State health departments did a better job of communicating information quickly to the public than local health departments at the start of the H1N1 outbreak this spring, according to a new report. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond July 06, 2009 The American College of Emergency Physicians has released a national strategic plan on how to manage emergency departments during outbreaks of the H1N1 influenza virus, or swine flu. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond June 19, 2009 Half of healthcare workers infected with H1N1 influenza A, commonly known as swine flu, acquired the virus in a healthcare setting and did not use all recommended forms of personal protective equipment on a consistent basis, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in its weekly report. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond June 11, 2009 The World Health Organization on Thursday declared a global flu pandemic in response to this year’s outbreak of the HIN1 influenza A virus, commonly referred to as swine flu. It is the first pandemic in 41 years. ... FULL STORY
By Jennifer Lubell May 15, 2009 Healthcare groups applauded the appointment of New York City Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden as the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, saying he has the experience and toughness necessary to fight infectious disease. ... FULL STORY
By Melanie Evans May 11, 2009 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acting director continued to call for vigilance last week as health officials closely monitored the global flu outbreak. ... FULL STORY
By Gregg Blesch May 08, 2009 Richard Besser, M.D., acting administrator of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said he is concerned that people are beginning to think the world has “dodged a bullet” because the 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus, or swine flu, has yet to deliver the scope of death and disease they feared. ... FULL STORY
By Melanie Evans May 07, 2009 The acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stressed community awareness and said the outbreak of 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus, or swine flu, is “still in the upswing of what we call the epidemic curve” in a daily briefing. ... FULL STORY
By Shawn Rhea May 07, 2009 A new manufacturing facility for flu virus vaccines has received Food and Drug Administration approval, according to a news release. ... FULL STORY
May 06, 2009 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention remains “concerned” as the agency continues to learn more about the transmission of the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus, or swine flu, acting CDC Director Richard Besser told reporters in a briefing on the outbreak that has now claimed two lives in the U.S., including a Texas woman who had recently given birth. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond May 05, 2009 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it no longer recommends that communities with a laboratory-confirmed case of H1N1 influenza A, or swine flu, consider adopting school dismissal or childcare closure measures. ... FULL STORY
By Melanie Evans May 04, 2009 Richard Besser, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a teleconference that initial laboratory tests of the 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus, widely known as swine flu, offer "encouraging signs" as health officials continue to closely track its spread. ... FULL STORY
By USA Today November 09, 2009 Although still used in doctors' offices and emergency departments, "rapid influenza diagnostic tests" actually do a fairly poor job of sniffing out H1N1, a growing body of evidence shows. ... FULL STORY
By the Associated Press October 26, 2009 HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the H1N1 flu vaccine "is coming out the door as fast as it comes off the production line."But at the same time, she acknowledged delays in getting a sufficient supply for all those demanding it. ... FULL STORY
October 23, 2009 Associated Press via YahooAir “sterilizers.” A photon machine. Supplement pills to boost the immune system. Protective shampoos and face masks. Even fake Tamiflu. These and other products making bogus claims to prevent or treat swine flu are flooding the Internet as scam artists prey on the public’s fears while the vaccine is delayed and real Tamiflu—made by Switzerland’s Roche Group—is rationed. FULL STORY ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond October 16, 2009 A top official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there will likely be 10 million to 12 million fewer doses of the H1N1 flu vaccine available than the Atlanta-based agency had expected by the end of October. ... FULL STORY
October 12, 2009 New York TimesAcross the country, state and local health hot lines are jammed and message boards are lighting up with one question: When can I get my vaccination? FULL STORY ... FULL STORY
By the Associated Press October 08, 2009 One quarter of Americans sick enough to be hospitalized with swine flu last spring wound up needing intensive care and 7% of them died, the first such study of the early months of the global epidemic suggests. ... FULL STORY
October 08, 2009 New York TimesWhile concern over the spread of the H1N1 virus sweeps the country, epidemiologists in New York and a few other cities that were awash in swine flu last spring are detecting very little evidence of a resurgence. FULL STORY ... FULL STORY
By the Associated Press October 05, 2009 Swine flu vaccinations begin this week, after months of preparations and promises. But don't start bugging your doctor about an appointment just yet. ... FULL STORY
By New York Times October 02, 2009 Swine flu is now widespread across the entire country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday as federal health officials released Tamiflu for children from the national stockpile and began taking orders from the states for the new swine flu vaccine. ... FULL STORY
September 28, 2009 Washington PostAfter months of warnings and frantic preparations, the second wave of the swine flu pandemic is starting to be felt around the country, as doctors, health clinics, hospitals and schools are reporting rapidly increasing numbers of patients experiencing flu symptoms. FULL STORY ... FULL STORY
September 24, 2009 (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.) Star TribuneClinics in Minnesota’s Twin Cities have a message for flu patients: Unless you're really, really sick, don’t come in. Facing a flu pandemic that could infect as many as a quarter of all Americans this fall, primary-care clinics are gearing up for big crowds and a supreme exercise in logistics: how to treat the sick while keeping them from infecting the healthy. FULL STORY ... FULL STORY
By Associated Press September 19, 2009 Global production of swine flu vaccines will be "substantially less" than the previous maximum forecast of 94 million doses a week, the World Health Organization said Friday.The number of doses produced in a year will therefore fall short of the 4.9 billion doses the global health body previously hoped could be available for the pandemic, WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl told reporters in Geneva.Production will be lower because some manufacturers are still turning out vaccines for seasonal flu—an illness that can be serious in sick and elderly people, Hartl said. ... FULL STORY
September 18, 2009 Associated Press via YahooGlobal production of swine flu vaccines will be “substantially less” than the previous maximum forecast of 94 million doses a week, the World Health Organization said. FULL STORY ... FULL STORY
September 15, 2009 Associated Press via YahooWhen the coughing stops is probably a better sign of when a swine flu patient is no longer contagious, experts said after seeing new research that suggests the virus can still spread many days after a fever goes away. FULL STORY ... FULL STORY
September 14, 2009 The children's hospital in San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina, handled lots of tough cases during a recent swine-flu outbreak, but none more wrenching than the sudden deaths of two of its own nurses in July. ... FULL STORY
September 02, 2009 Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said that people should expect "a big influx" of swine flu cases this fall and prepare as best they can. ... FULL STORY
August 27, 2009 Associated Press via YahooGovernment health officials are urging people not to panic over estimates of 90,000 people dying from swine flu this fall. “Everything we’ve seen in the U.S. and everything we’ve seen around the world suggests we won’t see that kind of number if the virus doesn’t change,” said Thomas Frieden, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. FULL STORY ... FULL STORY
August 21, 2009 Associated Press via YahooThe global spread of swine flu will endanger more lives as it speeds up in the coming months and governments must boost preparations for a swift response to a coming “explosion” of cases, the World Health Organization said. FULL STORY ... FULL STORY
By the Associated Press August 08, 2009 The government is urging school officials to stay calm when swine flu strikes this fall, closing buildings only in drastic cases and allowing sick students to return as soon as 24 hours after their fever is gone. ... FULL STORY
By the Associated Press August 07, 2009 Get ready to roll up your sleeve three times for flu shots this fall. That's right, three times. This year's flu season is shaping up to be a very different one. Most people will need one shot for the regular seasonal flu and probably two others to protect against the new swine flu. ... FULL STORY
July 06, 2009 Associated PressThe United Nations may need more than $1 billion this year to help poor countries fight the swine flu pandemic, the world body’s secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, said. “The funding has not been flowing as we have been expecting,” Ban said. “We are now mobilizing all resources possible.” FULL STORY ... FULL STORY
June 26, 2009 Associated Press via YahooSwine flu has infected as many as 1 million Americans, U.S. health officials said, adding that 6% or more of some urban populations are infected. The estimate voiced by a government flu scientist Thursday was no surprise to the experts who have been closely watching the virus. FULL STORY ... FULL STORY
June 19, 2009 New York TimesAlthough it is fading in much of the nation as warmer weather comes on, swine flu is causing outbreaks in summer camps just as it has in schools, federal officials said. FULL STORY ... FULL STORY
June 16, 2009 UPIThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration has reissued its warning against Web sites marketing products claiming to cure, prevent or treat the swine flu virus. FULL STORY ... FULL STORY
June 09, 2009 Associated Press via YahooThe head of the World Health Organization says the swine flu outbreak appears to have reached pandemic proportions. FULL STORY ... FULL STORY
June 05, 2009 New York TimesSix years of worrying about bird flu did much to prepare the U.S. for the current swine flu outbreak, federal officials and an independent monitoring group said, but they cautioned that there were still gaps in planning. FULL STORY ... FULL STORY
May 29, 2009 ReutersThe U.S. could authorize emergency use of some currently unapproved immune system boosters called adjuvants to make a swine flu vaccine more effective, an official at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. FULL STORY ... FULL STORY
May 28, 2009 ReutersBritish scientists have produced a strain of H1N1 flu virus that could be used for large scale production of a vaccine, health authorities said on Thursday. FULL STORY ... FULL STORY
By Crain's New York Business May 26, 2009 The New York state health department is proposing mandatory flu vaccines for all healthcare workers in the state. The new rule would apply not just to staff, but to anyone who potentially comes into direct contact with patients. That includes contract workers, students and volunteers. ... FULL STORY
By Crain's Chicago Business May 26, 2009 Fearing a flu pandemic, some Chicago companies are stockpiling influenza-fighting drugs. Exelon Corp. has stashed thousands of doses of anti-viral medications such as Tamiflu for employees and their dependents in case a pandemic hits, sources said. And Chicago-based Options Clearing Corp. said that by next month it will have multiple doses stocked for each of its 350 employees and their family members. ... FULL STORY
By the Associated Press May 26, 2009 Authorities in Mexico announced three more swine flu deaths and the U.S. and Canada one more death each as the world's largest vaccine maker signed a deal with the U.S. to produce a swine flu vaccine. ... FULL STORY
May 22, 2009 Reuters via YahooCountries should be ready for more serious H1N1 flu infections and more deaths from the newly discovered virus, World Health Organization chief Margaret Chan said Friday. The highly contagious strain must be closely monitored in the Southern Hemisphere, where the winter season is beginning, as it could mix with seasonal influenza and mutate in “unpredictable ways,” she said. FULL STORY ... FULL STORY
May 21, 2009 New York TimesConfirming the first impressions of many American and Mexican doctors, federal health officials say that people born before 1957 appear to have some immunity to the swine flu virus now circulating. FULL STORY ... FULL STORY
May 20, 2009 Reuters via YahooDeadly pneumonia caused by so-called superbugs are spreading outside hospitals and represent a growing threat to the public, U.S. researchers warned. Making the problem more worrying is the recent swine flu outbreak because the “superbug” pneumonia most commonly appears following an influenza-like illness, Alicia Hidron of the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta reported. FULL STORY ... FULL STORY
May 19, 2009 Associated Press via YahooDrug manufacturers won’t be able to start making a swine flu vaccine until mid-July at the earliest, weeks later than previous predictions, the World Health Organization said Tuesday. It will then take months to produce a new vaccine. FULL STORY ... FULL STORY
May 18, 2009 New York TimesAn assistant principal at a New York City public school died of complications from swine flu in an intensive-care unit of a Queens hospital on Sunday night, the first death in New York state of the flu strain that has swept across much of the world since it was first identified in April. FULL STORY ... FULL STORY
May 15, 2009 Associated Press via YahooPharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline said it has received orders from several countries to stockpile swine flu vaccine as soon as it gets the vaccine’s key ingredient from the World Health Organization. FULL STORY ... FULL STORY
May 14, 2009 Associated Press via YahooVaccine makers and other experts met at the World Health Organization in Geneva to discuss the tough decisions that must be made quickly to fight the evolving virus. FULL STORY ... FULL STORY
May 13, 2009 Associated Press via YahooIn China, mask-wearing police cordoned off more hotels Wednesday, quarantining anyone who came in contact with swine flu patients, no matter how mild their symptoms. Not so in Mexico, where the health secretary encouraged tourists to come relax in their favorite vacation spots despite a growing swine flu caseload. FULL STORY ... FULL STORY
May 08, 2009 Associated Press via YahooBird flu kills more than 60% of its human victims, but doesn’t easily pass from person to person. Swine flu can be spread with a sneeze or handshake, but kills only a small fraction of the people it infects. So what happens if they mix? FULL STORY ... FULL STORY
