Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

Latest Cold, Flu & Cough News and Research

U.S. Senate's unanimous confirmation of Dr. Benjamin as Surgeon General commended

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that on Thursday, the United States Senate unanimously confirmed Dr. Regina Benjamin as the nation’s Surgeon General.

31 Oct 2009

Canada's doctors thank government for easing sick note requirements during H1N1 pandemic

Canadian Medical Association President Dr. Anne Doig commended the federal government today for easing its requirements for sick notes during the H1N1 pandemic.

31 Oct 2009

Schering-Plough receives FDA complete response letter regarding PEGINTRON

Schering-Plough Corp. announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a complete response letter to the company's supplemental Biologics License Application regarding PEGINTRON® (pegylated interferon alfa-2b) for the adjuvant treatment of patients with stage III malignant melanoma after complete lymphadenectomy.

31 Oct 2009

Four abstracts on RSV and influenza prevention in pediatric health to be presented

MedImmune announced today it will present four abstracts at the 47th Annual Meeting of Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) being held here October 29 through November 1, 2009. These abstracts advance the body of data surrounding respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza prevention, highlighting MedImmune's leadership in pediatric health.

31 Oct 2009

Patients who acquire SSTIs in healthcare settings may stay longer in hospitals to control the infection

Patients who acquire skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) in a hospital or other healthcare setting may be more likely to receive inappropriate antibiotic therapy at the beginning of their treatment. As a result, they also may have significantly longer hospital stays to control the infection.

31 Oct 2009

MMR Information Systems offers free guide to Personal Health Records

MMR Information Systems, Inc. announced today that it is offering a free guide to Personal Health Records ("PHRs") by Dr. Arnold W. Klein, a world-renowned Beverly Hills Dermatologist, through its MyMedicalRecords PHR website www.mymedicalrecords.com. The Company made the announcement in response to the White House declaring the H1N1 "Swine Flu" virus a National Emergency.

31 Oct 2009

Exposure to mercury-based preservative in vaccines is minimal, says researchers

The injectable, multi-dose H1N1 vaccine contains the mercury-based preservative thimerosol to reduce risks of bacterial contamination. The presence of thimerosol has once again raised concerns whether there are risks posed to children when the tiny amount of mercury contained in thimerosol is included in a vaccine.

31 Oct 2009

Revised standards for four ingredients widely used in prescription and over-the-counter drugs announced

To further protect patients from adulterated medicines, the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) today announced revised standards for four ingredients widely used in prescription and over-the-counter drugs.

31 Oct 2009

MedImpact to provide a suite of free, online flu self-assessment tools

MedImpact has collaborated with the American Medical Association (AMA) and other health care organizations to provide a suite of free, online flu self-assessment tools to MedImpact clients and to the 32 million individual members they serve.

31 Oct 2009

Procter & Gamble's Vicks products containing vitamin C being marketed unlawfully, FDA warns

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today sent a warning letter to Procter & Gamble notifying the company that its Vicks DayQuil Plus Vitamin C and Vicks Nyquil Plus Vitamin C are illegally marketed combinations of drug ingredients and a dietary ingredient.

31 Oct 2009

Tufts University receives $185M grant as part of the USAID Emerging Pandemic Threats program

Tufts University has been tapped by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as part of a multidisciplinary team that will receive a grant of up to $185-million to create better synergies among veterinarians, doctors, and public health officials in responding to emerging infectious diseases.

31 Oct 2009

Women may need smaller dose of H1N1 vaccine

THE emergence of the H1N1 swine flu has added urgency to what has become an annual ritual for millions of Americans: getting a flu shot. The good news is that scientists have developed a vaccine against the H1N1 virus. But it is taking much longer than expected to produce the hundreds of millions of doses the government had planned to distribute. And it is still too soon to know how effective the vaccine will be in preventing swine flu.

31 Oct 2009

New York Times examines efforts underway to prevent spread of H1N1 during Hajj

The New York Times examines how Saudi Arabia is preparing for the upcoming annual pilgrimage of some "2.5 million people from 160 countries" to Mecca, some who "will be bringing the swine flu. The Saudi authorities, fearing that the hajj could turn their holy city into a petri dish for viral mutations and a hub for spreading a new pandemic wave around the world, are working hard to head that off," the newspaper writes.

31 Oct 2009

Public concern can undermine flu vaccination campaigns

The effectiveness of pandemic flu vaccination campaigns - like that now underway for H1N1 - could be undermined by the public incorrectly associating coincidental and unrelated health events with the vaccines.

31 Oct 2009

Recent releases in Global Health

"Action always leads to reaction, a fundamental law of nature," write the authors of an introduction appearing in a Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes (JAIDS) supplemental issue that focuses on global health systems.

30 Oct 2009

New York Times examines debate over U.S. global health spending priorities

The New York Times examines the "debate over whether the United States and other rich nations spend too much on AIDS, which requires lifelong medications, compared with diarrhea and the other leading killer of children, pneumonia, both of which can be treated inexpensively."

30 Oct 2009

130 million children to be immunised against pneumonia

Marking the first international World Pneumonia Day on 2 November, the GAVI Alliance plans to immunise 130 million children in poor countries against pneumonia, the world's leading child killer.

30 Oct 2009

Senate confirms Benjamin as surgeon general

The Senate confirmed Alabama doctor Regina Benjamin as surgeon general Thursday night. Her confirmation, which was approved with a voice vote, comes at a critical time as the nation deals with a swine flu emergency.

30 Oct 2009

CDC study finds swine flu may have infected as many as 5.7 million Americans

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released new swine flue estimates that suggest the number of people affected by the disease is much greater than the 43,677 cases confirmed earlier.

30 Oct 2009

Avicenna's work on respiratory diseases highlighted in SAGE journal

For pulmonary ailments, certain mediaeval physicians had a useful medical textbook on hand offering detailed information remarkably similar to those a modern doctor might use today. One of the fathers of medicine, the great Persian scholar Avicenna left a wealth of information in his many works. Iranian academics dust off one of these in an article published today in the SAGE journal Therapeutic Advances in Respiratory Disease, sharing in English details of Avicenna's work that still fascinate both physicians and historians of medicine alike.

30 Oct 2009