FDA approved four vaccines against the 2009 H1N1 virus, from CSL, MedImmune, Novartis and sanofi pasteur, all made by the same processes used for seasonal flu vaccine. Preliminary data show most healthy adults mount a robust response 8 to 10 days after one dose; child dosing studies continue.
Section archive
Page 268 of 288
Health News
Drugs, disease, healthcare, government and lifestyle: health news beyond the plate.
- All desks
- Abortion
- Accutane
- Acetaminophen
- Acid Reflux
- Acidic Foods
- Acne
- Acrylamide
- Acupuncture
- Additives
- ADHD
- Adiposity
- Advisories
- Aerobic Exercise
- Aflatoxin
- Agave
- Agent Orange
- Aging
- Agriculture
- AIDS
- Air Pollution
- Airline Passengers
- Airport
- ALA
- Alcohol
- Alcoholic Beverage
- Alerts
- Allergy
- Alli
- Aloe Vera
- ALS
- Alternative Medicine
- Aluminum
- Alzheimer's
- Amalgam
- AMD
- Ampyra
- Amygdala
- Anal Cancer
- And
- Anemia
- Angiogenesis
- Animal Protein
- Animals
- Anorexia
- Anthocyanins
- Anthrax
- Anti-Angiogenesis
- Anti-Obesity
- Antibacterial
- Antibiotic
Disease
2008-2009 Influenza Season Week 36 ending September 12, 2009
CDC's surveillance for September 6-12, 2009: 18.2% of specimens tested positive for influenza, 99% of subtyped influenza A was 2009 H1N1, two pediatric deaths were reported, and 21 states saw widespread activity.
Disease
CDC:Influenza-like illness (ILI) are increasing nationally
CDC's FluView reported doctor visits for influenza-like illness rising for a fifth straight week in September 2009, well above normal for the season, with 21 states reporting widespread activity and nearly all viruses identified as 2009 H1N1.
Environment
EWG offers tips on how to reduce cell phone radiation
The Environmental Working Group's eight tips for cutting cell phone radiation: pick a low-emission model, use a headset or speaker, hold the phone away from your body, text rather than talk, avoid calls on weak signals, keep phones from children, and skip radiation shields.
Government
CDC updates recommendations for obstetric use of anntiviral medications
CDC's updated interim guidance recommends oseltamivir or zanamivir for pregnant women with suspected or confirmed influenza in any trimester, for five days, started within 48 hours and without waiting for lab confirmation, since rapid tests catch only 10 to 70 percent of cases.
Lifestyle
Religious Teens More Likely to Have Unexpected Pregnancy
A Reproductive Health study by Drexel's Joseph Strayhorn compared state data and found states scoring higher on religiosity also had the highest teen pregnancy rates, even after controlling for income and abortion. A family therapist says such teens often skip birth control out of guilt.
Government
FDA:Vaccines Approved for H1N1 Influenza Virus
The FDA approved four 2009 H1N1 vaccines, from CSL, MedImmune, Novartis and sanofi pasteur, for national distribution within four weeks. Preliminary data show a robust immune response in most healthy adults eight to 10 days after one dose; child dosing studies are under way.
Disease
The Simple Inexpensive Way to Radically Reduce Your Risk of Heart Disease
Researchers describe a mechanism tying low vitamin D to heart disease in people with diabetes: short of vitamin D, macrophages take up cholesterol they cannot clear and become foam cells, one of the earliest markers of atherosclerosis.
Healthcare
Many Health Workers Won't Take Swine Flu Vaccine
Surveys found fewer than half of nearly 400 public hospital workers who returned questionnaires meant to accept pre-pandemic H1N1 vaccination, and few of 85 focus group participants in British Columbia would take it. Side effects were the top reason for refusal, then doubts about efficacy.
Drug
New guidelines to cut needless radiation exposure
A UC Davis study of 42,000 children with head trauma at 25 hospitals found nearly a quarter of children under two, and one in five older children, received unneeded CT scans. Researchers offer prediction rules to spare low-risk children the radiation, not to replace clinical judgment.
Lifestyle
Low breast feeding numbers "pathetic," say doctors
CDC figures show almost 74 percent of US women breast-fed in the days after birth in 2005, but only 12.3 percent did so exclusively for six months. Doctors call those numbers pathetic and the CDC plans a Call to Action; advocates blame formula marketing, while officials say the causes run deeper.
Disease
New Breakthrough Studies of ADHD Promising
Brain images of 55 adults with ADHD and 44 without, published in JAMA, showed lower concentrations of dopamine markers in the ADHD group. The piece also previews a panel on transcendental meditation, after students meditating twice a school day reported halved stress in three months.
Miscellaneous
Does Your Dog Play Well With Others?
Evanston's dog beach on Lake Michigan is bigger than some of its people beaches and is not free, but it runs May through October. On a day when the water hit 72 degrees, about 20 dogs dug, sunned themselves and played fetch while the people beach sat closed.
Lifestyle
Pathogenic bacteria found abundant in shower heads
Testing 50 shower heads from nine US cities, University of Colorado researchers found 30% harbored Mycobacterium avium at levels 100 times higher than ordinary tap water. The bacteria can cause lung infection, mainly in people whose immunity is compromised.
Drug
Daily Aspirin Regimen May Not be Prudent for Healthy People
A Lancet review of 22 studies and 100,000 people found daily aspirin prevented 5 vascular events per 10,000 among those who had never had one, while causing 3 extra cases of gastric bleeding. For people with a prior event it prevented 150 events per 10,000.
Drug
Breast Cancer Drugs Not Without Their Own Risk
Women who learn they carry a breast cancer mutation face hard choices. Annals of Internal Medicine reports raloxifene and tamoxifen can cut invasive breast cancer risk by up to half - 7 to 10 fewer cases per 1,000 women - while adding 4 to 7 blood clots per 1,000.
Drug
H1N1 vaccines approved by the FDA
The FDA approved H1N1 vaccines and expects national distribution in a few weeks. Early adult trials showed a robust immune response 8 to 10 days after one dose; child doses are still being studied. Some formulations contain thimerosal; people with severe egg allergy should not be vaccinated.
Drug
Ancient Chinese remedy may help stop swine flu
Researchers at Kaohsiung Medical University in Taiwan tested roots of Ferula asafetida, used against the 1918 influenza pandemic, and found some of its compounds killed H1N1 virus as potently as a prescription antiviral. They say the finding may aid new drug development.
5182 stories