WHO says too early to declare swine flu peak over

2010-02-24T04:16:20Z

<div><p>It is too early to say that the swine flu pandemic has peaked in all parts of the world, the World Health Organisation's emergency committee said.</p><p>"The Committee advised that it was premature to conclude that all parts of the world have experienced peak transmission of the H1N1 pandemic influenza," a spokesman said Tuesday, adding more "time and information was needed."</p&g...

WHO to assess whether H1N1 has peaked within weeks

2010-02-24T03:45:39Z

<div><p>GENEVA (Reuters) - Health experts will review the status of the H1N1 pandemic in a few weeks to decide whether it has peaked but it is already clear that it is less severe than previous outbreaks, the World Health Organization said.</p><p>The WHO's emergency committee decided on Tuesday that it was premature to declare...

H1N1 pandemic at less severe end of spectrum: WHO

2010-02-24T02:30:26Z

<div><p>GENEVA (Reuters) - The current H1N1 swine flu pandemic is relatively less severe than some other influenza outbreaks, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.</p><p>"This pandemic appears to be on the less severe side of the spectrum of pandemics that we have seen in the 20th century," the 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.</p><p>Protection against two other seasonal strains should be incorporated along with the A(H1N1) pandemic strain that swept across the world in 2009, the...

WHO: Add swine flu to regular flu vaccine

2010-02-22T08:53:26Z

<div><p>The World Health Organization is recommending that swine flu be added to regular flu vaccines next season.</p><p>The swine flu pandemic virus, or H1N1, emerged too late last year to be added to the regular flu vaccine, and a separate vaccine was needed.</p><p>For this year's northern hemisphere flu season, however, the two v...

WHO to assess whether swine flu peak is over

2010-02-22T10:07:58Z

<div id="subtitle">WHO experts to meet this month, examine whether peak of swine flu pandemic is over</div><div><p>The World Health Organization will hold an expert meeting later this month to consider whether the swine flu pandemic's peak has passed, a senior official said Thursday.</p><p>WHO's emergency committee will give its ver...

Flu pandemic easing, but risks remain: WHO

2010-02-22T18:41:40Z

<div><p>GENEVA (Reuters) - The H1N1 flu pandemic appears to be easing, but a third wave of infections could yet strike, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.</p><p>"Pandemic infections are occurring in many countries but overall the pattern is decreasing,"

Too early to declare end to swine flu pandemic: WHO

2010-02-23T14:43:59Z

<div><p>Senior World Health Organisation official Keiji Fukuda said Thursday that it was too early to declare the swine flu pandemic over, as it continues at "high levels" in parts of Europe and central Asia.</p><p>Althoug...

WHO to send swine flu vaccine to poor countries

2010-02-23T14:46:20Z

<div><p>The World Health Organization plans to start shipping swine flu vaccine to Azerbaijan, Afghanistan and Mongolia in the next few weeks, flu chief Keiji Fukuda said Thursday....

H1N1 pandemic starting to wane in some countries: WHO

2010-02-24T01:17:50Z

<div><p>GENEVA (Reuters) - H1N1 swine flu has not peaked yet but seems to be waning in Canada and the United States, signaling that the end of the pandemic may be on the horizon, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on...

H1N1 shows no widespread antiviral resistance: WHO

2010-02-24T08:55:13Z

<div><p>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.</p><p>"We see no evidence at all that there is widespread occurrence of antiviral resistance," the World Health Organisation on Thursday urged people not to drop their guard over the swine flu pandemic and insisted on the value of vaccination despite the broadly mild symptoms of the virus.</p><p>"At the WHO we remain quite concerned about the pattern we are seeing, particularly because a sizeable number of people do develop serious complications...

WHO: Swine flu virus is top strain worldwide

2010-02-24T09:34:39Z

<div><p>The World Health Organization's flu chief said the swine flu virus has now become the predominant flu strain worldwide.</p><p>In some countries, swine flu accounts for up to 70 percent of the flu viruses being sampled, said Dr. Keiji Fukuda, WHO's top flu official.</p><p&g...

Flu experts gear up for pandemic of vaccine worry

2010-02-25T06:44:36Z

<div><p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - One million heart attacks, 700,000 strokes and 900,000 miscarriages -- U.S. public health officials want Americans to know these will happen every single year with or without a swine flu vaccine campaign.</p><p>Yet this year, they know a significant number will be blamed on the H1N1 vacci...

Swine flu fears factor in possible school closures

2010-02-25T13:52:01Z

<div id="subtitle">As swine flu returns, US and European officials consider whether _ and when _ to shut schools</div><div><p>As schools around the world reopen, health authorities are bracing for a major spike in swine flu.</p><p>Schools are ideal breeding grounds for the virus. Not only are children more susceptible than adults to swine flu, but the crowded, sometimes unsanitary conditions gives the virus a per...

WHO seeks flu vaccine donations for poorer nations

2010-02-25T18:02:07Z

<div><p>The World Health Organization's flu chief urged drug makers on Saturday to donate swine flu vaccines to the world's poorest countries, which are more vulnerable in the fight against the pandemic.</p><p>Dr. Keiji Fukuda said the agency is working hard to lobby the world's rich nations and flu vacci...

WHO says preparation vital for next swine flu wave

2010-02-25T17:23:09Z

<div><p> World Health Organization chief Margaret Chan on Friday urged governments to prepare for a likely second wave of swine flu cases, cautioning they will face tough decisions on how to dispense vaccines.</p><p>Chan's statement came as more than two dozen pharmaceutical companies around the world s...

Swine flu could hit up to 40 percent in US

2010-02-26T05:06:07Z

<div id="subtitle">US projects swine flu may hit up to 40 percent in 2 years without vaccine, many deaths</div><div><p>In a disturbing new projection, health officials say up to 40 percent of Americans could get swine flu this year and next and several hundred thousand could die without a successful vaccine campaign and other measures.</p><p>The estimates by the WHO flu chief: World still 'relatively early' in swine flu pandemic</div><div><p>The global swine flu epidemic is still in its early stages, even though reports of over 100,000 infections in England alone last week are plausible, the World Health Organization's flu chief said Friday,</p><p>Kyrgyzstan opposition candidate Almazbek Atambayev, who dismissed Thursday's presidential election as fraudulent and called for a rerun.</p><p>___</p><p>"Even if we have hundreds of thousands of cases or a few millions of cases ... we're relative...

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