H1N1 Influenza Center

Hospitalized H1N1 Patients — A Profile

Details are provided for 30 patients hospitalized in California with confirmed or probable novel influenza A (H1N1) virus infection.

Stephen G. Baum, MD summarizes and comments on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Hospitalized patients with novel influenza A (H1N1) virus infection — California, April–May, 2009. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2009 May [...]

Online First May 27, 2009, from the New England Journal of Medicine

Online First from NEJM — Articles on H1N1 (Swine) Influenza. Published May 27, 2009.

H1N1 Update for May 22: Older People Show Immune Reactivity with Novel H1N1 Viral Antigens

Older adults show some immunologic familiarity with the novel H1N1 virus, according to an MMWR study. A CDC official calls the observation “interesting,” but says it does not necessarily mean that the elderly are protected against the virus. READ MORE…

Early Estimate of Pandemic Potential of Influenza A H1N1 “Swine Flu”

The current virus is transmitted efficiently but probably is less lethal than past pandemic viruses.
Anthony Komaroff, MD, summarizes and comments on Fraser C et al. Pandemic potential of a strain of influenza A (H1N1): Early findings. Science 2009 May 14; [e-pub ahead of print]. (http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1176062). READ MORE..

Novel Influenza A (H1N1) Infections Reported in Pregnant Women

The CDC recommends that pregnant women with confirmed, probable, or suspected novel influenza A (H1N1) infection receive antiviral therapy with oseltamivir (Tamiflu).
Anna Wald, MD, MPH, summarizes and comments on an MMWR dispatch. READ MORE…

H1N1 Update for May 18: New York City Schools and California Hospitals

An MMWR dispatch details the 30 hospitalizations among the roughly 500 suspected or confirmed H1N1 infections in California.
The New York Times reports on the death from H1N1 of a Queens assistant principal and on the closing of several more schools in the borough.
Also in the Times: the efforts to create a universal flu vaccine.

H1N1 Update for May 13: Some Cases Without Fever; Postexposure Prophylaxis in Pregnancy

Pregnant women “in close contact” with those who have confirmed, probable, or suspected swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) infection should receive a 10-day course of zanamivir or oseltamivir, according to an MMWR Dispatch report on three pregnant women with H1N1, one of whom died. READ MORE…

Flu Cases — But Not Severity — Increase with Wider Testing; Journals Weigh In

The count of H1N1 cases in the U.S. is approaching 2000, and more are expected as test kits reach the states, but cases generally seem “self-limited and uncomplicated,” MMWR reports.
In response to the epidemic, medical journals have begun to weigh in with data, advice, and resources. READ MORE…

From the Archive

These articles from our archive include descriptions of avian influenza A, the 1976 swine flu epidemic, the 1918-1919 influenza epidemic, and even the influenza epidemic of 1837. Also included are review articles on the management of seasonal influenza.

The CDC’s Report on the New Swine-Origin Influenza A (H1N1) Virus

The formal surveillance report of the widely reported cases of S-OIV infection.
Peggy Sue Weintrub, MD, summarizes and comments on Dawood FS et al. Emergence of a novel swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus in humans. N Engl J Med 2009 May 7. READ MORE…