MBayFluWatchMonterey Bay's Pandemic Flu Watch...keeping Monterey Bay communities informed about influenza |
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MBayFluWatchMonterey Bay's Pandemic Flu Watch...keeping Monterey Bay communities informed about influenza |
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The 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic brought to the forefront many unknowns about the virulence, spread, and nature of the virus, as well as questions regarding personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare personnel. PPE include respirators, face masks, gloves, gowns, eye protection, and face shields. In view of these unknowns, the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) requested the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to conduct a study updating the progress on research and identifying future directions for PPE for healthcare personnel since releasing the 2008 IOM report Preparing for an Influenza Pandemic: Personal Protective Equipment for Healthcare Workers. The IOM has recently released the updated report.
The report emphasizes the importance of proper knowledge regarding PPE, especially the use of respirators and wearing of facemasks. Respirators are designed to provide protection by purifying the air inhaled by the wearer through filtering materials or by independently supplying breathable air. The major concerns with the respirators are the effectiveness of the filter and the extent to which the respirator has a tight seal against the wearer's face to restrict leakage. In contrast, facemasks are loose-fitting coverings of the nose and mouth that are not designed or certified to protect the wearer from exposure to respiratory hazards. Related to PPE, the IOM has three recommendations: (1) Continue and expand research on PPE for healthcare personnel; (2) Examine the effectiveness of face masks and face shields as PPE; and (3) Improve fit-test methods and evaluate user seal checks.
This report emphasizes that the policies for PPE use by healthcare personnel need to be carefully planned and implemented at the organizational and institutional level to ensure a culture of safety, compliance and buy-in at all levels.
Source: Institute of Medicine of the National Academic. Report Brief. January 2011
http://www.iom.edu/~/media/Files/Report%20Files/2011/Preventing-Transmission-of-Pandemic-Influenza-and-Other-Viral-Respiratory-Diseases/Pandemic%20Influenza%202010%20Report%20Brief.pdf
Declan Butler's Avian Flu map exemplifies an innovative use of the time series function of Google Earth. The map shows the places where H5N1 influenza cases among both birds and humans have been reported. Using the time series function, the map demonstrates in slow motion the spread of the H5N1 virus. Points at each location of a reported case provide ancillary data about that case. Link: http://www.declanbutler.info/Flumaps1/Timeseries.kml
Google Flu Trends use aggregated Google search data to estimate current flu activity throughout the world in near real-time. Google researchers have found that there is a close relationship between the number of people searching for flu-related topics and how many of them actually have flu symptoms. Although not every person who searches for "flu" is actually sick, a pattern emerges when all the flu-related search queries are added together. By comparing query counts with traditional flu surveillance systems, Google researchers found that many search queries increased exactly during flu season. By counting the numbers of these search queries, they can estimate the extent of flu penetration in different countries and regions around the world. For further information: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature07634.html
Link: http://www.google.org/flutrends/
The 2010-2011 influenza season is turning out to be a more typical flu season as compared to last year's season that featured the H1N1 pandemic. Seasonal influenza virus has started to spread throughout the south and parts of the northeast including New York City. Other hot spots around the country include Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Illinois and Oklahoma, according to the CDC. The influenza virus A (H3N2) strain is the most prevalent this season. This strain, which causes more pneumonia and other complications than other strains of influenza virus, tends to especially affect the elderly. As a large proportion of the U.S. population was vaccinated last year against the H1N1 strain, there is greater immunity to the H1N1 strain in the U.S. in comparison to Europe where it currently is the prevalent strain.
Given the prevalent strain of influenza virus, CDC expects that the influenza season will become more active, peaking at the end of January and in February. CDC recommends that all persons over the age of six months, get vaccinated against flu and reminding them that it takes between two and three weeks for the vaccine to become fully effective.
Source: Healthy Day
http://health.yahoo.net/news/s/hsn/fluseasonlooksnormalthisyearexpertssay
A study was conducted by the CDC to examine the racial and ethnic disparities in influenza vaccination coverage among all persons older than six months for the 2009-2010 influenza season as well as trends in vaccination coverage from the 2000-2001 through 2009-2010 influenza seasons among adults over the age of 65. The results of the study indicated that among all persons over six months, combined seasonal or H1N1 influenza vaccination coverage was higher among non-Hispanic whites (49.5%) compared with non-Hispanic blacks (40.5%) and Hispanics (43.5%).
Among adults over the age of 65, racial and ethnic differences in influenza vaccination coverage persisted from 2000 through 2010, with non-Hispanic blacks consistently having the lowest coverage each year.
In the context of the Healthy People 2010 (HP2010) objectives, compared with the successes achieved with childhood vaccinations, substantial racial and ethnic disparities in influenza vaccination have persisted among adults above 65 years of age, and coverage remains well below the HP2010 target of 90%. Reasons for disparities in coverage are multi factorial. To eliminate disparities in adult influenza vaccination, evidence-based interventions are needed, including the use of reminder/recall systems, standing orders for vaccination, regular assessments of vaccination coverage levels among provider practices, vaccination registries, improving public and provider awareness of the importance of vaccinations for adults, and public financing of recommended vaccines.
Source: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, CDC
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/su6001a7.htm
A recent study based on public surveillance data from the 2009 Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1) and conducted by the Division of Communicable Disease Control within the California Department of Public Health and the California Pandemic (H1N1) Working Group has demonstrated an association between extreme obesity and increased risk of death.
Defining obesity as a body mass index (BMI) over 30 and extreme obesity as a BMI over 40, the study sought to determine whether obesity, rather than its associated co-morbidities, is an independent risk factor for severe infection among case patients over 20 years old. The study concluded that obesity was more common among the adults hospitalized with 2009 H1N1 infection than it was among the adult population for California and the United States. Based on the findings, BMI categories could be added to current high-risk groups for prioritization of antiviral use and influenza immunization in times of supply shortages.
Source: Clinical Infectious Diseases 2011; 52(3): 300-311
A study of antibodies from people infected with H1N1 virus has added proof that scientists are closing in on a "universal" influenza vaccine. An effective universal flu vaccine could provide immunity to all influenza A virus strains including H1N1 (swine flu) and H5N1 (Avian influenza).
The study indicated that people who were infected during the H1N1 pandemic had an immune response that made antibodies that could protect them from all the seasonal H1N1 influenza strains from the last decade. Flu vaccines and drugs target the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase proteins found on the surface of the influenza virus. Hemagglutinin attracts most of the immune system's antibodies, which mutate rapidly unless they attach to a certain part of the hemagglutinin. While previously thought to be rare, those types of antibodies showed up in abundance in former H1N1 patients. This study shows that it is possible for the immune system to make these antibodies if it has the right stimulation. Based on this notion, a research team from the Emory University School of Medicine is working with a biotechnology company to develop a "universal" influenza vaccine.
A research team at the National Institute of Health has developed a two-step vaccine that uses DNA from stalk-reactive antibodies to prime the immune system. A study has shown that it has protected mice and ferrets against all A influenza virus strains that emerged during 1934-2007. This vaccine is now undergoing clinical testing.
Source: Reuters, Cynthia Osterman, January 10, 2011
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE70938S20110110?pageNumber=1
Health officials reported on December 3, 2010 that 1 in 3 Americans has already received the flu shot. Dr. Anne Shuchat, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reports that a survey of adults and children found that a third of respondents had been vaccinated, 15 percent said that they would definitely get vaccinated, and 25 percent said that they probably would. The highest vaccination rate was found in individuals aged 65 and older. This rate is similar to the seasonal flu vaccination rate of a year ago.
As the flu season gets underway, flu activity is low nationwide except for the Southeast, especially in Georgia. A sharp increase in influenza cases among school-aged children in Georgia has led to the state declaring a regional outbreak. The CDC warns that it may be an early indication of what the rest of nation can expect for this flu season. Flu usually peaks between January and March.
Officials are urging everyone over 6 months to get protected with a flu vaccine or nasal spray. Seasonal flu vaccine is available at a record level with over 160 million doses having been distributed nationwide. This year the seasonal influenza vaccine is comprised of A(H1N1) (swine flu), A(H3N2), and influenza B viruses.
According to CDC estimates, between 5 and 20 percent of Americans are vaccinated annually against the flu. During 1976-2006, flu-associated deaths ranged from a low of about 3,000 to a high of about 49,000 people per year. In addition, more than 200,000 people were hospitalized for flu-related complications.
Full article can be accessed at: http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=646987
December 5, 2010, is the start of National Influenza Week, which highlights the importance of influenza vaccines and the need for individuals to be vaccinated during influenza season (October-May). The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends the influenza vaccine for all persons aged ≥6 months.
Resources and materials to promote influenza vaccination education and awareness are available at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/freeresources
Additional information regarding National Influenza Vaccination Week is available at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/nivw
A CDC report published on December 3, 2010, states that influenza vaccination coverage among pregnant woman was higher during the 2009-2010 season than in past influenza seasons. In 2009, with the emergence of the influenza A (H1N1) virus strain, pregnant women were found to be at greater risk for influenza-related complications from this new virus. As a result, during the 2009-2010 influenza season, two separate influenza vaccines were recommended for pregnant women: the inactivated trivalent seasonal vaccine and the influenza A (H1N1) 2009 monovalent vaccine.
Based on analysis of data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), CDC determined that pregnant women to whom vaccination was offered or recommended by their health-care provider were significantly more likely to be vaccinated against seasonal influenza. The greater vaccination coverage for those who were influenced by their health-care provider reinforces previous findings that recommendations from a medical practitioner for vaccination are key for vaccination uptake. With a new vaccine for the H1N1 virus in 2009 being offered for the first time, the role of health-care providers in reassuring pregnant women might have been critical to ease patient concerns regarding the value of this new vaccine.
Based on the report's findings, the continued education of both health-care providers and pregnant women regarding the risk of influenza complications during pregnancy and the safety and protective effect of vaccinations for both mother and child is needed.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends seasonal influenza vaccination for pregnant women regardless of their trimester.
The full article can be found at: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5947a1.htm?s_cid=mm5947a1_w
| Site Last Modified: February 16, 2011 |
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Copyright © 2011 James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS). All Rights Reserved.