Differences between the 1976 and 2009 swine flu outbreaks

2010-11-29T15:15:50Z

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H1N1_swine_flu_facts

2010-11-03T09:35:32Z

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Scientists could end flu pandemic alert: WHO

2010-06-01T09:16:39Z

Scientists advising the World Health Organisation on Tuesday held a meeting to give their latest assessment of swine flu, in a move that could end the pandemic alert, a WHO spokesman said.

The UN health agency said the result of the confidential meeting would be announced on Wednesday.

Speaking shortly before the teleconference began, W...

WHO chief: We got lucky with swine flu pandemic

2010-05-17T08:00:33Z

The U.N.'s global health chief says the world was lucky that the swine flu pandemic was relatively mild.

WHO Director-General Margaret Chan tells government delegations that the virus hadn't mutated into a more dangerous form, and that treatments such as World Health Organisation said Thursday that the swine flu pandemic virus would spread again next winter in the northern hemisphere and recommended its inclusion in the regular influenza vaccine.

Protection against two other seasonal strains should be incorporated along with the A(H1N1) pandemic strain that swept across the world in 2009, the

Swine flu to be included in north's seasonal vaccine

2010-04-16T07:04:30Z

The World Health Organisation said Thursday that the swine flu pandemic virus would threaten again next winter in the northern hemisphere and recommended its inclusion in the regular influenza vaccine.

Protection for two other seasonal strains should be incorporated along with the A(H1N1) pandemic strain that swept across the world last year, the

Global swine flu pandemic deaths pass 10,000: WHO

2010-04-16T08:17:48Z

The number of swine flu deaths worldwide passed the 10,000 mark about eight months after the pandemic strain was uncovered in April, reaching 10,582, World Health Organisation data showed Friday.

"As of 13 December 2009, worldwide more than 208 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including at least 10,582 deaths," ...

Flu death toll jumps by over 1,000 in a week: WHO

2010-04-16T08:50:57Z

The number of swine flu deaths jumped by over 1,000 in a week, reaching at least 7,826 worldwide since the virus was first uncovered in April, World Health Organisation data showed Friday.

The number of deaths reported to the UN health agency showed the biggest rise in the Americas, where 5,360 deaths have now been recorded compared to 4,806 ...

WHO urges swift antiviral treatment for riskiest flu cases

2010-04-16T09:12:21Z

The World Health Organisation on Thursday called on doctors to use antiviral drugs swiftly on the most vulnerable swine flu patients, to prevent severe cases and avoid swamping hospitals.

WHO clinical expert Niki Shindo said the agency would issue new guidelines targeting three key groups in countries where the A(H1N1) virus is spreading, to avoid ...

H1N1 shows no widespread antiviral resistance: WHO

2010-04-16T09:21:11Z

GENEVA (Reuters) - Cases of the H1N1 pandemic influenza virus showing resistance to antiviral drugs are "isolated and infrequent," the World Health Organization said on Thursday.

"We see no evidence at all that there is widespread occurrence of antiviral resistance," the U.N. h...

Afghanistan reports first swine flu death

2010-04-16T09:35:16Z

Afghanistan has recorded its first death from the swine flu pandemic, the public health ministry announced on Wednesday.

"The victim was an engineer from Kabul. He was working for a construction company," ministry spokesman Farid Rahid told AFP.

The spokesman said the man who died in a Kabul hospital on Tuesday had a "connection...

Swine flu toll climbs to 4,735: WHO

2010-04-16T09:48:27Z

At least 4,735 people have died from swine flu infections since the A(H1N1) virus was uncovered in April, the World Health Organisation said Friday.

This is an increase of 210 fatal cases from a week ago when 4,525 deaths were recorded, the UN health agency said in its weekly update of the pandemic.

Most deaths occurred in the Americas ...

Cuba announces first swine flu deaths

2010-04-16T09:54:14Z

Cuba announced that three pregnant women died after contracting swine flu, the first report of A(H1N1) casualties on the communist island.

"We unfortunately have to regret three confirmed cases of people who died" of swine flu, Deputy Health Minister Jose Angel Portal Miranda said on a television news program.

He did not say when the three women died.

According to government officials, the number of confirmed H1N1 cases in the co...

Swine flu toll climbs to 4,525: WHO

2010-04-16T09:54:38Z

At least 4,525 people have died from swine flu infections since the A(H1N1) virus was uncovered in April, the World Health Organisation said Friday.

This is an increase of 417 fatal cases from a week ago when 4,108 deaths were recorded, the UN health agency said in its weekly update of the pandemic.

Most deaths occurred in the Americas ...

Swine flu mild for now, but could worsen

2010-04-16T09:57:30Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The new pandemic of H1N1 swine flu is causing a strong second wave of disease in many Northern Hemisphere countries, according to the World Health Organization.

While the United States, China and ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Rich countries should make more vaccine available to poorer nations where the H1N1 virus is starting to hit, U.N. health officials said on Sunday.

They said increased readiness for swine flu was needed in developing countries with weaker medical systems and with large, young populations, wh...

'Explosive' swine flu threat for poor nations: UN

2010-04-16T09:59:44Z

Poor countries face "explosive outbreaks" of the global swine flu pandemic and need speedy financial assistance to access vaccines, UN officials warned on Sunday.

"What we see now is that the A(H1N1) virus is beginning to penetrate into some of the poorest communities in the world," said Julie Hall, an expert from the UN's Reuters) - Fresh donations of H1N1 vaccines are expected to swell a global stockpile created to ensure poorer nations have good supplies to contain the swine flu pandemic, a top United Nations health official said on Friday.

Dr. David Nabarro, the U.N. coordinator for fighting new emerging flu...

UN seeks $1.5 billion for swine flu

2010-04-16T10:09:40Z

UN asks for $1.5 billion to fight swine flu, but experts wonder whether it's worth it

United Nations health officials claim in a new report they need nearly $1.5 billion to prevent the swine flu epidemic from spiraling into a global catastrophe.

But for a virus from which most people recover without ever being treated, not all experts are convinced swine flu merits such attention — and some critics ...

Swine Flu or H1N1

2010-10-06T02:25:58Z

As I said at the end of 2008, the swine flu or H1N1 looks a lot like the pattern of the Spanish flu of 1918-19 which killed millions, when the population was a lot smaller. And this version has the potential of actually causing a "double dip" in the world economies. It is that strong with that much potential. And now we have a United Nations report that looks very serious.

The swine flu pandemic could kill millions and cause anarchy in the world's poorest nations says a UN report. The...

WHO warns of winter swine flu surge in Asia

2010-04-16T10:25:55Z

The World Health Organization on Wednesday urged Asian countries to prepare for a surge in swine flu cases as the northern hemisphere's winter approaches.

Much of Asia has so far been hit relatively lightly, but the WHO said hospitals in the region should be prepared for "a surge of severe cases requiring active case management."

"A winter surge is a real ...

Swine flu deaths climb past 2,800: WHO

2010-04-16T10:30:02Z

The World Health Organisation said Friday that at least 2,837 people had died from swine flu virus infections.

"There are now at least 2,837 deaths attributable to pandemic H1N1," said Gregory Hartl, spokesman for the UN health agency.

The data mark an increase of 652 deaths from...

China approves one-dose homegrown swine flu vaccine

2010-06-12T14:51:01Z

China on Thursday granted approval to its first home-grown swine flu vaccine, which producer Sinovac says is effective after only one dose, as the country braces for a feared winter outbreak.

The decision could boost the global fight against A(H1N1) influenza, as most experts had assumed that two doses of vaccine per person would be needed to provide adequate protection.

"The Sinovac (A)H1N1 vaccine is officially approved," the head o...

Health Highlights: Aug. 31, 2009

2010-10-24T09:16:15Z

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Health Highlights: Aug. 28, 2009

2010-10-24T09:16:16Z

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'New flu' takes on different names as crosses borders

2010-04-16T11:08:21Z

The flu pandemic sweeping the globe has triggered a heated semantic debate, with different names favoured in different countries and even top health officials baffled over what to call the virus.

The World Health Organisation, the UN body leading efforts to fight the virus, originally went with the term "swine flu" but then junked the evocati...

UN chief: $1 bln may be needed against swine flu

2010-04-16T11:29:20Z

UN chief says $1 billion may be needed for antivirals, vaccines against swine flu this year

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says the world body may need over $1 billion to fight the swine flu pandemic for the rest of this year.

Ban says funds have not come in as expected. He says the money is needed to ensure the poorest countries get vaccine ...

Thai PM urges against swine flu panic

2010-04-16T11:49:34Z

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva Sunday urged the country not to panic about swine flu, after the number of cases suddenly soared and a cluster emerged in a key tourist hub.

Health authorities reported 106 confirmed cases of the A(H1N1) virus late Saturday -- which was nearly seven times the number just three days earlier and includes a number of foreigners.

Officials last week said 21 of the new infection...

WHO decides to declare flu pandemic

2010-04-16T11:51:23Z

The World Health Organisation decided to declare its first influenza pandemic in 40 years after an emergency meeting of scientific experts Thursday on a swine flu outbreak which has hit 74 countries.

A formal declaration was expected after the UN body's chief Margaret Chan briefs diplo...

Japan girls with swine flu attended mock UN meet

2010-04-16T12:12:25Z

Two Japanese schoolgirls who have caught swine flu had attended a mock conference in New York reportedly joined by 2,300 students from around the world, officials said Thursday.

The girls, both aged 16, tested positive for the A(H1N1) virus Wednesday, becoming the first known cases in the greater Tokyo area, officials said.

They were diagnosed after returning Tuesday from a week-long vis...

Swine flu cases soar towards 10,000

2010-04-16T12:14:11Z

United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon urged people to remain "vigilant and alert" about swine flu on Tuesday as the number of cases around the world shot up to almost 10,000.

Previous pandemics had shown flu outbreaks could start mild and worsen, Ban said as he addressed the World Health Organisati...

A third of world could get swine flu: WHO

2010-04-16T12:27:23Z

The World Health Organisation on Thursday said that in a pandemic situation it was "reasonable" to estimate that a third of the world's population would catch the swine flu virus.

"If you look at past pandemics, it would be a reasonable estimate that a third of the population would be infected" if the current swine flu outbreak became a pandemic, said

Swine flu cases top 1,000: WHO

2010-04-16T12:31:21Z

The number of swine flu victims topped the 1,000 mark on Monday as the United Nations' most senior health official warned a second wave of the virus could be far worse.

As Mexico, the epicenter of the outbreak, prepared for the reopening on Wednesday of restaurants and businesses shuttered by the A(H1N1) virus, the number of affected countries climbed once again.

Mexico ra...

Ivory Coast

2011-01-02T12:30:25Z

In this Thursday, Dec. 30, 2010, photo, Jordanian peace keepers, patrol on the street in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Some people yell "U.N. out!" as the Jordanian U.N. peacekeepers pass by in their armored personnel carriers, but generally these soldiers don't understand French and so miss the comments yelled at them, although one man honk...

South Sudan Vote

2010-12-28T11:31:27Z

Southern Sudanese men store recently delivered ballot papers, inside a warehouse in Juba, southern Sudan on Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2010. More than 7.3 million ballots have arrived in Southern Sudan for an independence referendum that is likely to create the world's newest country. U.N. official

APTOPIX Ivory Coast

2010-12-24T01:31:06Z

UN forces drive past a billboard for President Laurent Gbagbo in, Ivory Coast, Abidjan Thursday, Dec. 23, 2010. The United Nations said Thursday that at least 173 people have been killed and dozens of others have gone missing or been tortured following Ivory Coast's disputed ...

Richardson Koreas

2010-12-23T18:31:25Z

In this Dec. 22, 2010 photo, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson answers questions about his recent trip to North Korea during an interview in his office in Santa Fe, N.M. A former U.S. ambassador to the ...

Switzerland Human Rights Council Ivory Coast

2010-12-23T07:00:28Z

Korean Kyung-Wha Kang, United Nations deputy high Commissioner for Human Rights speaks during the 14th special session on the situation in Ivory Coast of the Human Rights Council at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland

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