CDC: Swine Flu Vaccine Safe; No Big Problems Seen

ATLANTA (AP) -- There's no evidence that the swine flu vaccine is causing any serious side effects, U.S. health officials said, in their first report on the safety of the new vaccine. 

 

Since vaccinations began in early October, the government has been tracking the safety of the swine flu vaccine. By mid-November, about 22 million Americans had gotten the vaccine and there were about 3,200 reports of possible side effects, the vast majority for minor things like soreness or swelling from the shot.

Health officials didn't expect to see any serious problems — the swine flu vaccine is basically the same as the regular winter flu vaccine. And there weren't any signs of trouble in the tests done in thousands to find the right dose.

Still, it is “very reassuring” to see that confirmed in their first report, said Dr. Anne Schuchat of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The vaccine data so far really suggests this is a safe vaccine,” she said at a press conference.     Read More

Situation Update

From: CDC (Center For Disease Control And Prevention.)

During the week of November 8-14, 2009, influenza activity decreased slightly in the United States as reported in FluView. Flu activity is widespread in 43 states. Nationally, visits to doctors for influenza-like-illness declined from last week, but are still higher than expected for this time of year. Flu-related hospitalizations and deaths have declined slightly, but are still very high nation-wide compared to what is expected for this time of year.

See More On Key Flu Indicators »

Older Americans Have Some Immunity to Swine Flu, but It’s Not Absolute

When they do contract a severe case of flu, they face greater risk

By: Katharine Greider | Source: AARP Bulletin Today | November 11, 2009

One of the most surprising characteristics of the pandemic H1N1 flu virus galloping across the country this fall is the way it tends to spare older people, striking hardest among the young. More than half of U.S. patients hospitalized with the so-called swine flu have been under the age of 25. Small studies have found that people over age 60 have some antibodies to the bug.

But, whatever immunity to H1N1 older people may enjoy, it’s definitely not foolproof. A recent report on H1N1 cases in California injects a note of caution about the risk profile of people age 50-plus. While they were less likely to get a severe case of H1N1 flu, those who did were more likely than younger people to lose that battle and die.

Published Nov. 4 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the study examined the first 1,088 H1N1 cases in California that required hospitalization or resulted in death, the bulk of them occurring between last spring and early summer. The median age of these sick patients was only 27, with about a third under 18. While those 50 and older were underrepresented in the group, their fatality rate was 18 to 20 percent, compared with only 11 percent overall.

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FDA Fights Online Flu Cure Scams

Fierce Government IT
November 8, 2009 — 6:14pm ET

The Food and Drug Administration is fighting the swine flu on two fronts--the legitimate one and the one that has cropped up that promises healing gels and powders can protect you against this panacea. It has identified 140 different products sold online that claim to prevent or treat the H1N1 virus, and has sent cease-and-desist letters to more than 75 of them, warning them to stop making fraudulent claims.

The agency has gone after sellers of gloves, inhalers, masks, shampoos, herbal extracts, air fresheners and an "ionic silver" that claims to kill every known germ, bacteria or virus within six minutes.

"In public health emergencies, there are individuals, businesses and websites that are taking advantage of public fears," Alyson Saben, deputy director of the agency's office of enforcement, told the New York Times. She added that about 80 percent of the companies that received warning letters from the FDA complied with demands to stop misleading marketing.

If they do not, the agency can start a criminal case, seize products and make third parties--Internet service providers, for example--aware that the companies are violating federal law.

N.C. Pork Producers Seeing Flu's Impact On Business

Posted: Nov. 4 11:09 p.m.
Updated: Nov. 4 11:50 p.m.

WRAL.com

Sims, N.C. — As more pigs test positive for the H1N1 virus, North Carolina's pork industry continues to take an economic hit.

A commercial hog herd in Indiana tested positive this week for the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday. Several show pigs at the Minnesota State Fair contracted the virus last month.

The name “swine flu” and misconceptions about the virus have caused a hardship for the nation's $15 billion pork industry.

“We simply were the victims of a bad name,” said Neil Strother, owner of Strother Swine Farms in Wilson County.

Strother said the H1N1 virus has scared many people away from pork products. People somehow became confused into thinking they could catch the virus from pork.

"Absolutely, complete misinformation was out there,” Strother said. 

Agricultural officials have stressed that the virus is not food-borne and that people should not fear consuming pork products.

"There has never been a case of this new pandemic, H1N1, ever being transmitted from animals to humans,” said Dr. Tom Ray, a veterinarian and North Carolina director of livestock health.  The Rest Of The Story