The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued a new fact sheet, “Control of Pandemic Flu Virus on Environmental Surfaces in Homes and Public Places,” which explains how cleaning and disinfecting surfaces in homes and public places can help to prevent the spread of pandemic influenza. How Flu Viruses Spread A flu pandemic is an outbreak of illness ...
Scientists and public health officials, wary that the H5N1 avian influenza virus could trigger an influenza pandemic, have looked to past pandemics, including the 1918 “Spanish Flu,” for insight into pandemic planning. However, in a Journal of Infectious Diseases review article now posted online, David M. Morens, MD, and Anthony S. Fauci, MD, of the National Institute of Allergy and ...
To test whether the H5N2 virus could survive water treatments, such as chlorine, UV light and bacterial digesters, chicken embryos were inoculated with the treated virus. Days later researchers removed fluid from the eggs and tested whether the virus survived and replicated. Photo: Alexis Wenski-Roberts/Cornell A close relative of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (H5N1) can be ...
TORONTO -- Despite cautions to the contrary, news media reporting of avian flu and concerns about pandemic spread were followed by hoarding of the antiviral medication Tamiflu (Oseltamivir) by Americans according to a collaborative study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Medco Health Solutions, Inc. The findings from the first national study of personal Tamiflu ...
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today announced it expects more influenza vaccine doses to be available this season than ever before. However, a recent National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) survey found many Americans forgo annual vaccination, not recognizing the severity of influenza and the risk of transmitting it to their loved ones. CDC ...
A Nevada television station reporter tested two Las Vegas homes for various kinds of disease-causing bacteria, swabbing tile floors, carpeted areas, the soles of shoes, and even the family pet’s paws. The samples were taken to the Silver State Analytical Labs and scientists there found mold, fungus and coliform found ...
BALTIMORE -- New vaccine requirements will affect anyone who is applying for an immigrant visa for entry into the U.S. and anyone seeking adjustment of status for permanent residence. Applicants must show proof of vaccinations against vaccine-preventable diseases, as recommended by the U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Passport Health, ...
As Midwest floodwaters recede and clean-up efforts get underway, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) offers advice to help reduce the risk of infection:Nothing beats hand hygiene – It’s critical to remember to practice basic hand hygiene during the emergency period. Always wash your hands with ...
Georgia Tech associate professor Pinar Keskinocak, graduate student Faramroze Engineer and executive secretary of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the CDC Larry Pickering (left to right) display the new online tool they developed that allows parents and pediatricians to ensure that the missed vaccines and future vaccines are ...
Research shows that only 20 percent of consumers use thermometers, and a mere 30 percent are aware that they should have them in their refrigerators. Several experts addressed home-based food safety issues in “Consumers’ Refrigerators: A Danger Zone” Monday at the Institute of Food Technologists’ annual meeting and food expo ...
Bacteria and viruses are the microscopic organisms – otherwise known as germs -- that are responsible for causing and transmitting illness and disease. These microbes are so small, that according to the American Society for Microbiology, if the smallest of all microbes was the size of a baseball, an average bacterium would then be the size of the pitcher's mound, and just one of the millions of cells that make up your body would be the size of the ballpark!
