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By Category: Research

Swine Flu Vaccine Linked To Guillain-Barré Syndrome Risk

(Medical News Today) The 2009 influenza A(H1N1) “swine flu” vaccine, which was administered to millions of people around the world, is associated with a “small but significant risk” of Guillain-Barré Syndrome, an uncommon paralyzing nerve disorder, scientists from Quebec, Canada, reported in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association). The authors added that they believe Read More »

July 13, 2012
| Filed under North America and Research
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DHS chief medical officer defends BioWatch program on false alarms reports – Government Security News

DHS chief medical officer defends BioWatch program on false alarms reportsGovernment Security NewsCalling recent media reports that said DHS's BioWatch biodefense air sampler program produces extensive false alarms “unsubstantiated,” the agency's chief medical officer defended the program online on July 12. In a Blog post on the DHS Website, …

July 13, 2012
| Filed under Research
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Revised Estimate Increases Global H1N1 Mortality Figures by Factor of 15

(Center for Biosecurity of UPMC) The previously reported number of deaths due to laboratory-confirmed H1N1 (18,500) during the 16 months of the 2009-2010 pandemic (April 2009-August 2010)1 is widely acknowledged to be a gross underestimate because most flu patients were not tested. Evidence of this lack of data is that less than 12% of laboratory-confirmed Read More »

July 11, 2012
| Filed under Africa, Asia/Pacific, Policy & Initiatives, Public Health, and Research
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Bird flu three steps from potentially lethal human strain

(Daily Mail) As scientists delve deeper into H5N1 bird flu, they have discovered it is only three steps away from mutating into a potentially lethal human pandemic form. The find has added new urgency to scientists’ quest for a way to prevent a deadly global outbreak that could kill millions. Culls of hundreds of thousands Read More »

July 11, 2012
| Filed under Asia/Pacific, Europe, Public Health, and Research
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Analysis: Bird flu vaccine now? More than a shot in the dark

(Reuters) (Reuters) – Culls of hundreds of thousands of chickens, turkeys and ducks to stem bird flu outbreaks rarely make international headlines these days, but they are a worryingly common event as the deadly virus continues its march across the globe. As scientists delve deeper into H5N1 avian influenza, they have discovered it is only Read More »