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Scientists track H1N1 virus for small changes which may mean big problems
A team at the University of California-San Francisco is using cutting-edge technology to track tiny genetic changes in H1N1 virus samples from around the word; what the scientists are worried about is a big change called genetic “shift,” when there is a dramatic re-assortment and exchange of strands of genetic material that trigger hard-to-predict epidemic trajectories
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Kent State to train lab workers for biocontainment
The increasing number of high-containment laboratories and the constant threat from emerging diseases and bioterrorism require more extensive biosafety training of the highest caliber, and more facilities in which to offer this training
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Tracking swine flu spread by monitoring electronic prescription records
Rhode Island is using information supplied by pharmacies to document how much Tamiflu and other antivirals are being dispensed to patients; the information — categorized by zip codes of the pharmacies where the medicine is dispensed and the age group of the patient receiving it — is given to epidemiologists at the state health department
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Uganda to conduct Marburg and Ebola vaccine trials
Ebola and Marburg are viral infections that have a high mortality, killing 90 percent of victims; no effective treatment exists for these highly infectious diseases, which cause extensive internal bleeding and rapid death
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University of California campuses on alert for swine flu outbreak
University of California campuses have been active informing students, faculty, and staff about swine flu; the medical centers on these campuses have emergency plans
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Majority of Americans would refuse emergency use H1N1 vaccine or additive
Some 46 percent of people surveyed said they were concerned about
getting swine flu, but nearly 86 percent said they thought it was unlikely or very unlikely that they themselves would become ill -
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Citizens worried about Fort Detrick biolab
A $680 million biolab is being constructed in Maryland; people living in the neighborhood told a panel that the military has not fully considered the possibility of a release of deadly germs by a disturbed or disgruntled worker
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Swine flu continues to spread long after fever stops
Swine flu appears to be contagious longer than ordinary seasonal flu, several experts said; more than 1 million Americans have been infected and nearly 600 have died from it
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Ohio to train EMTs to give flu vaccine
Ohio has about 41,000 EMTs and paramedics; the state wants them trained in giving swine flu shots if needed
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H1N1 remains relatively mild as vaccine production advances
CDC says most U.S. children who died ad pre-existing conditions; WHO pressures companies to donate 10% of their swine flu vaccine production to the developing world
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New business model for researching, producing vaccines
Relying on venture capital-funded biotech research is problematic when it comes to vaccines for pandemics and bioterrorism; an expert proposes a private-public partnership within the HHS Biomedical Advance Research and Development Authority
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U.S. pays $31 million for development of smallpox treatment
Florida company awarded $31 million to to produce an inhaled version of an existing smallpox drug; Danish company in negotiations with the U.S. to develop a freeze-dried form of its smallpox vaccine
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Swine flu still poses a deadly threat
While H1N1 mostly causes mild disease, some people — estimates suggest fewer than 1 percent — become deathly ill, very fast; experts warned that these cases could overwhelm hospitals
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Better immune defense against anthrax
Scientists discover a gene in anthrax-causing bacteria may help defend against this form of bio-warfare
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The long view
Vaccine Integrity Project Says New FDA Rules on COVID-19 Vaccines Show Lack of Consensus, Clarity
Sidestepping both the FDA’s own Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee and the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), two Trump-appointed FDA leaders penned an opinion piece in the New England Journal of Medicine to announce new, more restrictive, COVID-19 vaccine recommendations. Critics say that not seeking broad input into the new policy, which would help FDA to understand its implications, feasibility, and the potential for unintended consequences, amounts to policy by proclamation.