Another swine flu virus
There is an old vaudeville joke where a man goes to the doctor complaining about pain in his arm: Doctor: Have you ever had it before? Man: Yes, once before. Doctor: Well, you have it again. CDC...
View ArticleNew data on how much infection in the first wave of the pandemic
It was some time after the pandemics of 1957 and 1968 that we were able to judge their severity and it will likely be some time after this one has finally burned itself out, most likely to become “just...
View ArticleThe mosquito star wars defense system
The mosquito is the vector for diseases like malaria, yellow fever and West Nile. They are major scourges of public health, and while we have sunk a fair amount of money in drying to eradicate them, we...
View ArticleBad flu and underlying medical conditions
It is becoming conventional wisdom that the 2009 H1N1 pandemic was not as severe as a bad seasonal flu year. That might be true, although I don’t find it much comfort because a bad seasonal flu year is...
View ArticleA strange case of presumptive rabies
Rabies is one of those diseases that scares the crap out of me. Once clinical symptoms start, it is essentially a death sentence. “Essentially” because there are 6 cases of survival in the medial...
View ArticleFlu deaths in children
Two days ago I went with my daughter to the pediatrician to check out her 20 month old who had a fever and rash. Viral origin, probably. Also an ear infection. Pretty much par for the course at this...
View ArticleFlu vaccines, herd immunity and randomized trials
The latest study on flu vaccine effectiveness in children has been well discussed in the MSM and the flu blogs, so I’ll point you to those excellent pieces (Branswell, crof, Mike Coston at Avian Flu...
View ArticleBlood transfusions and pandemic flu
As predicted, the pandemic of 2009 is beginning to yield more data, some of it directly applicable to pressing practical questions. The answers are still preliminary, and, as with all science, subject...
View ArticleFlu: Georgia on CDC’s mind
A day or two after CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWR) released a report about risks to pregnant women from pandemic 2009 flu, CDC held a suddenly announced press briefing about the...
View ArticleWashing our hands of a difficult (or not so difficult) decision
As the flu pandemic ramped up with no vaccine in sight, attention turned to more prosaic things people might do to avoid infection. At the top of most lists was hand washing. I think hand washing is a...
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