speel's blog

Swine Flu Lessons: Gaps were exposed in pandemic preparedness.
Monday, May 25, 2009

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/24/AR2009052401927.html

Voice of America - May 21, 2009
Joe DeCapua
Washington D.C.

http://www.aegis.org/news/voa/2009/VA090509.html

The head of the International AIDS Society (IAS) says concern over a new strain of flu or the current economic crisis should not distract from the long-term fight against HIV/AIDS.

Dr. Julio Mantaner is calling the World Health Assembly members, meeting in Geneva this week, to meet their commitments on the epidemic. From Vancouver, Canada, he says the gains made against AIDS must not be lost.

Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report
Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Opinion Piece Examines Efficacy of Foreign Aid
"President Obama signaled recently a major shift in the way the United States tries to help poor countries," Philip Stevens, policy director at the International Policy Network, writes in a Providence Journal opinion piece, adding, "Whereas the Bush presidency pushed to spend enormous sums on individual high-profile diseases such as AIDS, Obama says he will broaden U.S. aid to improve health more generally."

May 20, 2009 edition of the Washington Post has over ten items of interest:
see http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/NewsSearch?st=flu&

1. Article 05/20/2009
WHO seeks swine flu vaccine help for poor nations
FRANK JORDANS and MARIA CHENG (AP Online)
...to reserve some of their pandemic swine flu vaccine for poor countries, but received...offers as experts disclosed that...

2. Photo 05/20/2009
Graphic shows swine flu cases by state P. Santilli

3. Article 05/20/2009
Swine Flu Spreads in Japan, Despite Quarantine Inspections
Blaine Harden, A13 (Post)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/health/swineflu/index.html
The Resources are live links to the following very informative sites:

World Health Organization
Pandemicflu.gov
Pan American Health Organization
Centers for Disease Control: Swine Flu and You
Centers for Disease Control: Interim Guidance for Patients
National Institutes of Health: Timeline of Flu Pandemics
On Leadership: How to Calm a Panicked Public

Tuesday, May 19, 2009
http://globalhealth.kff.org/Daily-Reports/2009/May/19/51909-Swine-Flu-Update.aspx

Monday, May 18, 2009

Over the weekend, the numbers of H1N1 (swine) influenza cases and related-deaths around the world continued to climb, the New York Times reports (McNeil, New York Times, 5/17). Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura on Monday said during a press briefing that Japan has 125 confirmed cases of swine flu, Bloomberg reports. (Lauerman/Pettypiece, Bloomberg, 5/18).

Sanitation vs. Vaccination in Cholera Control

May 14, 2009

Only weeks away from the launch in India of an oral cholera vaccine significantly cheaper than available vaccines, community workers and health officials are still sceptical of whether a vaccine is the best way to control cholera, according to the International Vaccine Institute (IVI).

IVI’s director John Clemens told IRIN some water and sanitation programme managers argue that the focus in cholera control should be on safe water access rather than vaccine development.

Age of Flu Victims Has Big Implications
Scientists Say Relative Youth of Ill People Is Evidence of Pandemic Potential
By David Brown
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, May 17, 2009

The swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus that burst into public consciousness a month ago is starting to behave like a mixture of its infamous, pandemic-causing predecessors.

The Associated Press
Monday, May 18, 2009 11:56 AM

-- Key developments on swine flu outbreaks, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization and government officials:

_Deaths: Global total of 76 _ 68 in Mexico, six in U.S., one in Canada and one in Costa Rica. Officials said victims from Canada, U.S. and Costa Rica also had other medical conditions.

_Confirmed cases: WHO says 40 countries have reported more than 8,829 cases, mostly in U.S. and Mexico.

Global Development: Views from the Center

MAY 6TH, 2009
Tapping Mobile Phone Networks to Monitor Pandemic Flu in Developing Countries
By Jenny Aker

May 3, 2009
By Kate Daily

April 22, 2009

The cholera epidemic in southern Africa continues to abate, but international and local health authorities stress the need to remain vigilant, the United Nations reported.

"Overall, the duration and magnitude of the epidemic underscores the need for strengthening surveillance, preparedness and underscores plans in all countries," according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

[from White House briefing 4 26 09]

It’s important that people understand that there’s a role for everyone to play when there’s an outbreak going on. There are things that individuals do, there are things that families do, communities do and the government and international agencies do to reduce the impact.
At the individual level, it is important that each of us understand how we can prevent respiratory infections. Very frequent hand-washing is something that we talk about time and time again because it is an effective way to reduce transmission of disease.

This community capacity building and small-scale structural mitigation project involved both communities and local government authorities in project implementation, for the sake of sustainability. In each village, "rural disaster teams" and "school disaster teams" took part in theoretical and practical training on disaster management, preparedness, and risk reduction. After an early warning system was developed, team members led a participatory process which involved preparation of village maps and risk areas, and creation of preparedness and contingency plans.