influenza

Hong Kong flu epidemic spurs vaccination campaign

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 07:59:57 -0400

Hong Kong officials were quick to make sure that the recent deaths of several children in an influenza epidemic had no link to bird flu. And the city has moved aggressively to stop the spread of the flu as well as the fear it has inspired. In one of the most muscular examples of an organized response to a flu outbreak in recent times, Hong Kong shuttered schools for two weeks and is now rolling out a free vaccination program for a million children 12 and under. With its history of deadly viruses, including a SARS outbreak that killed 300 people and brought the city to a virtual standstill, Hong Kong is using every tool in the kit to stop this epidemic as quickly as possible. And they're creating a blueprint for other crowded cities which face the same challenge in the future.

- read the report in China Daily

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Japanese R&D team targets next gen flu jabs

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 07:59:56 -0400

Investigators in Japan have designed a new vaccine that has been effective in animal tests against multiple strains of influenza, including varieties of the dread bird flu. Using a peptide derived from influenza virus that carries an antigen on the surface that triggers an immune response, the researchers noted that the vaccine worked on the inside of cells, rather than the surface. That's a dramatic departure from the vaccines used today, which target the surface of cells. Those surfaces change as the virus mutates, making the vaccines ineffective to the emerging strains of influenza.

The researchers at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases say that their breakthrough could provide a new generation of flu vaccines able to work across a broad spectrum of strains. They're now working on a vaccine that can be tested in humans.

- read the report from News-Medical

ALSO: Japanese investigators say they're seeing good results from a new bird flu vaccine that is sprayed up the nose rather than injected, a feature that could make it far easier to distribute in developing countries. Story

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CDC recommends flu jab for children up to 18

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 06:59:55 -0500

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice has greatly expanded the population of people it's recommending for an annual flu shot. The group is urging parents to make sure everyone aged six months to 18 has an annual jab, well beyond the six month to five-year time frame that has applied. The recommendation adds a population of 30 million young people to the list of people who should get a vaccination.

For the vaccine industry, the recommendation is likely to significantly boost demand for the annual flu shot. The industry distributed 132 million doses for the current flu season, though most were ineffective against the varieties of flu in circulation in many states. The flu has been widespread this year, affecting most of the country.

The advisory group hopes that by expanding the number of young people who get a flu shot, they can reduce the massive amount of time parents and children spend at the doctor's office and reduce the amount of antibiotics that are used to control complications from the flu.

"I think it's a great idea because we know that young children are often the first to introduce influenza into a community," says Dr. Anita Barry, director of communicable disease control for the Boston Public Health Commission.

- read the article in the New York Times
- and here's the report from the Boston Globe

ALSO: Presented with evidence that a combination vaccine made by Merck was linked to a higher rate of fever-related convulsions, the advisory panel also withdrew its preference for the combined therapy over two separate shots. Report

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