The government, for the first time, is urging doctors not to prescribe two antiviral drugs commonly used to fight influenza after discovering that the predominant strain of the virus has built up high levels of resistance to them at alarming speed. (excite.com)

December 31, 2005

Four western states are the nation's hotspots for flu, and an epidemiologist predicts infections will grow after the holidays as children return to school and adults go back to work.

Arizona, Utah, California and New Mexico report widespread flu infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's weekly flu report. "Widespread" is the CDC's highest designation for flu activity. (excite.com)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Flu Virus

November 07, 2005

Tommy G. Thompson's schedule for Sept. 11, 2001, had penciled into the 9:30 a.m. slot: "flu vaccine briefing."

Experts from several federal agencies were going to tell the new secretary of Health and Human Services what to expect in the upcoming flu season -- and give him a status report on preparations for a possible worldwide outbreak of influenza, a pandemic. (Washington Post)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Bird Flu

October 27, 2005

Pharmaceutical company Roche said Thursday it temporarily suspended shipments of Tamiflu to private sector recipients in the United States to ensure that enough of the antiviral drug that experts believe is most effective in treating bird flu will be available for the influenza season. (excite.com)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Flu Virus

October 15, 2005

Millions of America's health-conscious parents are lining up their children for this year's flu shot.

But many are unaware that some doses contain mercury, a potent poison. Even more do not know that a mercury-free flu shot exists. That lack of understanding has driven down demand and reduced the availability of mercury-free vaccine this year. (Fort Wayne News Sentinel)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Flu Virus

Chiron Corp., which was forced to scrap its entire inventory of flu vaccine last year and triggered a U.S. public health crisis, got approval to re-enter the flu shot market Wednesday as drug regulators said they had released three lots of Chiron's product Fluvirin. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Flu Virus

September 28, 2005

Health officials say there won't be a flu shot shortage this year. "We don't have any indication there will be a shortage," said Dr. Dean Sienko, acting medical director of the Michigan Department of Public Health. (Detroit Free Press)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Flu Virus

September 25, 2005

City and county health officials from across the United States called for universal flu shots Thursday while warning that the nation's public health infrastructure may not be ready for a flu pandemic. (excite.com)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Flu Virus

In the first few years after federal regulators approved the influenza-fighting pill Tamiflu in 1999, the drug suffered from lackluster sales and indifference from U.S. health officials more focused on creating new vaccines. Now, demand for Tamiflu is outstripping supply. (USAToday)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Flu Virus

April 13, 2005

Scientists around the world were scrambling to prevent the possibility of a pandemic after a nearly 50-year-old killer influenza virus was sent to thousands of labs, a decision that one researcher described as “unwise.” (MSNBC)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Flu Virus