With 25,288 confirmed cases of influenza A(H1N1) as of June 8, the threat of a serious outbreak has not disappeared, says pandemic expert Dr. Maurice A. Ramirez. He recommends offering a "flu benefit" and says employers should prepare for having 30 percent of their workers unavailable because of flu.
In response to the need for expanded monitoring and reporting of health care-associated infections (HAIs), the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) recently announced its support for the use of automated surveillance technologies in the health care setting as an essential part of infection prevention and control activities. The recommendations are published in the APIC position paper, "The Importance of Surveillance Technologies in the Prevention of Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs)."
The Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission are alerting the public to be wary of Internet sites and other promotions for products that claim to diagnose, prevent, mitigate, treat, or cure the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus. The agencies are also advising operators of offending Web sites that they must take prompt action to correct and/or remove promotions of these fraudulent products or face enforcement action.
The standard will require hospitals, health and correctional facilities, EMS, homeless shelters, labs, and others to develop control measures to lower employees' risk of infection.
The recent H1N1 influenza epidemic has raised many questions about how animal viruses move to human populations. One potential route is through veterinarians, who, according to a new report by University of Iowa College of Public Health researchers, are at markedly increased risk of infection with zoonotic pathogens--the viruses and bacteria that can infect both animals and humans.
President Obama has chosen Dr. Thomas Frieden, commissioner of New York City's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene for seven years, to replace Julie Gerberding atop CDC, according to news reports today.
Mexico has recorded 60 deaths, and the count of countries where cases have turned up remained at 33 today, WHO said in its daily update.
Michael Bell, MD, Medical Officer for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will provide conference attendees with important updates and further CDC guidance related to the H1N1 flu virus at the 36th Annual Educational Conference and International Meeting of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), on Wednesday, June 10 at 8 a.m. in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The meeting, which runs from June 7-11, is an annual gathering of infection preventionists from around the world.
"The decision to declare an influenza pandemic will fall on my shoulders," Dr. Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization, said Friday. "I can assure you, I will take this decision with utmost care and responsibility."
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new manufacturing facility used to produce influenza virus vaccines. The facility is approved for seasonal influenza vaccine production and could be used for the production of vaccine against the new 2009 H1N1 influenza strain.
The Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission are alerting the public to be wary of Internet sites and other promotions for products that claim to diagnose, prevent, mitigate, treat, or cure the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus.
The Office of Disability Employment Policy's Job Accommodation Network (JAN) has released a fact sheet that provides information to help employers consider the needs of employees with disabilities during a pandemic flu outbreak.
"Planning for pandemic influenza is critical, and the business community must not delay in considering the impact of a pandemic and to adjust their company's employee health and safety plans accordingly," says AIHA President Lindsey Booher, CIH, CSP.
There are currently no products authorized for sale in Canada that are indicated specifically for the treatment of H1N1, the federal department says.
A new study by University of Maryland researchers suggests that the potential for an avian influenza virus to cause a human flu pandemic is greater than previously thought. Results also illustrate how the current swine flu outbreak likely came about.
People with swine influenza virus infection should be considered potentially contagious as long as they are symptomatic and possible for up to 7 days following illness onset. Children, especially younger children, might potentially be contagious for longer periods.
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius also announced her agency has begun moving 400,000 treatment courses to Mexico to help slow the spread of the H1N1 virus there.