Pandemic News and Research

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A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. During a pandemic, transmission can be anticipated in the workplace, not only from patient to workers in health care settings, but also among co-workers in general work settings. A pandemic would cause high levels of illness, death, social disruption, and economic loss. Everyday life would be disrupted because so many people in so many places become seriously ill at the same time. Impacts could range from school and business closings to the interruption of basic services such as public transportation and food delivery.

Aethlon Medical receives approval for Chronic HCV Infection treatment

Aethlon Medical, Inc., the pioneer in developing therapeutic filtration devices to address infectious disease and cancer, announced today that the Medanta Independent Ethics Committee (MIEC) at Medanta, The Medicity Institute (Medicity) has approved a treatment program entitled "Use of the Aethlon Hemopurifier in Treating Chronic HCV Infection in Combination with Standard of Care (SOC) Drug Therapy."

26 Aug 2010

Study finds measurable immunity to pandemic H1N1 virus in Norway population

By autumn 2009, almost half of the population of Norway had been vaccinated against the pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus. Many had also been infected by the virus during the summer and autumn outbreaks. The majority of those who were vaccinated or were infected are expected to have developed immunity to the virus.

25 Aug 2010

Also in Global Health News: IDUs in Kenya; Haiti recovery; Pandemic preparedness; Somalia hunger; HIV in Mozambique; Strengthening immune system against HIV

In Kenya, "[i]ntravenous drug users (IDUs) have been largely ignored by the government's HIV programmes on the basis that drug-taking is illegal, but a new policy is being drafted with the aim of reducing HIV transmission among this high-risk group," IRIN/PlusNews reports. The article includes comments from Nicholas Muraguri, head of the National AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections Control Programme, who said that the policy would treat drug use as a health issue, not a criminal one.

25 Aug 2010

HHS Secretary releases review of new federal approach to medical countermeasures

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today released an examination of the federal government's system to produce medications, vaccines, equipment and supplies needed for a health emergency, known as medical countermeasures. The Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasure Enterprise Review: Transforming the Enterprise to Meet Long Range National Needs reviews the process and makes recommendations for a better approach.

21 Aug 2010

HHS unveils $1.9B strategy to better prepare for biological threats

"Acknowledging that the development of medical countermeasures against bioterrorism threats and pandemic flu is lagging, [U.S.] federal authorities Thursday announced a $1.9 billion makeover of the system for identifying and manufacturing drugs and vaccines for public-health emergencies," Tribune Company/Seattle Times reports.

21 Aug 2010

Feds to revamp bioterrorism and flu plans

Federal officials say they will revamp strategies for dealing with bioterrorism and pandemic flu because efforts to develop medical solutions have lagged, the Los Angeles Times reports. They "announced a $1.9-billion makeover of the system for identifying and manufacturing drugs and vaccines for public health emergencies." The makeover includes plans to hasten manufacturing time and improve surveillance to detect such threats more quickly.

21 Aug 2010

First Edition: August 20, 2010

Today's headlines include articles on health insurance for college students, new plans to overhaul the government's bioterror and flu preparations, changes in store for health care for the homeless and a look at the new high risk insurance plans.

20 Aug 2010

General Physics to provide AAR/IP to gauge overall response to H1N1 outbreak

Global performance improvement solutions provider General Physics Corporation, a subsidiary of GP Strategies Corporation, has been selected by the Maryland Department of Public Health and Mental Hygiene to provide an After Action Report/Improvement Plan for the 2009 response to the H1N1 virus. GP will collect data from public health entities in order to gauge the overall response to the H1N1 outbreak and lessons learned, for DHMH to evaluate and consider for future pandemic response.

19 Aug 2010

Innovative approach to eliminate HIV in host by targeted killing of only HIV infected cells

Current HIV treatments do not eradicate HIV from host cells but rather inhibit virus replication and delay the onset of AIDS. However, a new research published in BioMed Central's open access journal, AIDS Research & Therapy describes an innovative approach to eliminate HIV in host by targeted killing of only HIV infected cells. This approach if successful could lead into an anti-HIV therapy that will eradicate the virus.

19 Aug 2010

ASEAN representatives participate in week-long exercise aimed at improving region's pandemic response

A group of experts from Southeast Asia gathered in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Monday for the start of a four-day exercise to help bolster "the capabilities of [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] ASEAN member states, both individually and collectively, to prepare for and respond to a severe pandemic with potentially devastating effects on the region," Agence France-Presse/The Independent reports (8/17).

18 Aug 2010

Gentiva closes acquisition of Odyssey HealthCare

Gentiva Health Services, Inc., a leading provider of home health and hospice services, today announced the closing of its acquisition of Odyssey HealthCare, Inc. in an all cash transaction for a price of $27 per share of Odyssey common stock, without interest, for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $1.0 billion, including fees and expenses.

18 Aug 2010

Intercell reports significant increase in second quarter revenue

Today, Intercell AG announced its financial results for Q2 and H1 2010.IXIARO/JESPECT sales increased significantly from EUR 2.4m in Q2 2009 to EUR 5.2m in Q2 2010 Continued focus on growing marketing and sales of product in traveler and military markets

17 Aug 2010

CEL-SCI Corporation third quarter 2010 net loss decreases to $0.6 million

CEL-SCI reported a net loss for the three months ended June 30, 2010 of ($0.6) million versus a loss of ($6.2) million during the same three months in fiscal year 2009. Net loss per basic share was ($0.00) for the three months ended June 30, 2010 versus a loss per basic share of ($0.05) during the same three months in fiscal year 2009. The loss during the quarter ended June 30, 2010 was reduced by a gain on derivative instruments of $2.75 million.

17 Aug 2010

Politics and Health Reform: Democrats, Republicans trying to sway seniors

The Associated Press: Democrats, "running scared in an election year," are hopeful that a $250 check - to help seniors afford prescription drugs - will turn the tide of public opinion. "Democrats ... are trying to overcome older people's mistrust of the new health care law, which expands coverage for younger generations by cutting Medicare payments to hospitals and insurers. … Behind the hoopla, the reality is modest. The $250 check, for example, is just a fraction of what many people in the prescription coverage gap have to pay.

16 Aug 2010

Green Cross receives KFDA approval to manufacture, market i.v. peramivir: BioCryst Pharmaceuticals

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that its partner, Green Cross Corporation has received marketing and manufacturing approval from KFDA for intravenous peramivir to treat patients with influenza A & B viruses, including pandemic H1N1 and avian influenza. Green Cross Corp. intends to launch peramivir under the commercial name PeramiFlu in South Korea.

16 Aug 2010

Sinovac Biotech second-quarter 2010 sales increase 131% to $10.3 million

Sinovac Biotech Ltd., a leading China-based vaccine manufacturer, announced today its unaudited financial results for the three-month and six-month periods ended June 30, 2010.

16 Aug 2010

National organization releases “Lessons from the Frontlines” report on H1N1

The Canadian Medical Association (CMA), the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC), and the National Specialty Society of Community Medicine (NSSCM) today released Lessons from the Frontlines, a collaborative report on H1N1 describing the physician experience on the frontlines of the pandemic.

13 Aug 2010

WHO releases H1N1 Emergency Committee roster

Five of the 15 experts advising the WHO on H1N1 (swine flu) had ties to the pharmaceutical industry, "including for flu vaccine research," according to the Emergency Committee members' list released by the agency Wednesday, Agence France-Presse reports.

13 Aug 2010

Survey finds high level of noncompliance with PPE protocols among safety professionals

Nearly all of the safety professionals in a survey released today said that workers in their organizations had at some point failed to wear the necessary safety equipment while on the job. An exceedingly high 98 percent of respondents who attended the recent American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) show in Baltimore answered "yes" when asked if they had observed workers not wearing safety equipment when they should have been, according to the survey, which was conducted by Kimberly-Clark Professional.

12 Aug 2010

News outlets look at how H1N1 will inform WHO's future outbreak response

Following the WHO's decision on Tuesday to declare the H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic over, several news outlets reviewed the emergence of the virus around the world, exploring how some of the lessons learned from H1N1 could assist the WHO's handling of future outbreaks.

12 Aug 2010

Pandemic News and Research

Further Reading

Aethlon Medical receives approval for Chronic HCV Infection treatment

Study finds measurable immunity to pandemic H1N1 virus in Norway population

Also in Global Health News: IDUs in Kenya; Haiti recovery; Pandemic preparedness; Somalia hunger; HIV in Mozambique; Strengthening immune system against HIV

HHS Secretary releases review of new federal approach to medical countermeasures

HHS unveils $1.9B strategy to better prepare for biological threats

Feds to revamp bioterrorism and flu plans

First Edition: August 20, 2010

General Physics to provide AAR/IP to gauge overall response to H1N1 outbreak

Innovative approach to eliminate HIV in host by targeted killing of only HIV infected cells

ASEAN representatives participate in week-long exercise aimed at improving region's pandemic response

Gentiva closes acquisition of Odyssey HealthCare

Intercell reports significant increase in second quarter revenue

CEL-SCI Corporation third quarter 2010 net loss decreases to $0.6 million

Politics and Health Reform: Democrats, Republicans trying to sway seniors

Green Cross receives KFDA approval to manufacture, market i.v. peramivir: BioCryst Pharmaceuticals

Sinovac Biotech second-quarter 2010 sales increase 131% to $10.3 million

National organization releases “Lessons from the Frontlines” report on H1N1

WHO releases H1N1 Emergency Committee roster

Survey finds high level of noncompliance with PPE protocols among safety professionals

News outlets look at how H1N1 will inform WHO's future outbreak response

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