The Cross-Border Biotech Blog

Biotechnology, Health and Business in Canada, the United States and Worldwide

Tag Archives: Human Swine Influenza

Ontario H1N1 Swine Flu Update: November 10, 2009. 212 Hospitalized, Seven Dead.

This week’s Ontario Ministry of Health Influenza Bulletin shows continuing increases across all metrics. Clinic hours have expanded, and the definition of “high risk” groups entitled to be vaccinated has expanded.  Also this week, the CDC reported a cumulative total of 4,000 swine flu deaths. The Ontario numbers continue to look grim: Nine new institutional [...]

Ontario H1N1 Swine Flu Update October 31: All Indicators Still Increasing. 2 New Deaths, 10 Toronto Clinics

Checking out this week’s Influenza Bulletin, indications are that the Fall’s Swine Flu outbreak in Ontario is going to get worse before it gets better.  Unfortunately, the vaccine is just starting to become available.  This coming week, there will be 10 public clinics open in the greater Toronto area, but still only for those among the [...]

Ontario H1N1 Swine Flu Update October 27: Vaccine is on the Way

The latest actual figures on Ontario Swine Flu are in Ontario’s weekly “Influenza Bulletin”. See below for some interesting data from last Friday’s edition. While you’re perusing those, note that vaccine is on the way.  The message from Deb Matthews, Ontario’s Minister of Health and Long-Term Care is: “Get vaccinated when it’s your turn.”   First in [...]

Ontario H1N1 Swine Flu Update June 11: 1,562 Total Cases, 10 in Hospital. Oh, and It’s a Pandemic.

Ontario’s update yesterday brought the total number of cases in the province to 1,562 with two deaths, both fatalities having been people with underlying medical conditions.  The number of people hospitalized has increased from 6 to 10 since our last update (no word on the turn-over in that number), some of whom do and some of whom do not [...]

Ontario H1N1 Swine Flu Update June 3: Two Deaths, 894 Total Cases

Coverage of Swine Flu has declined, but incidence of Swine Flu has not.  Yesterday, we got the report of a second swine flu-related death in Ontario.  Although the press release goes out of it’s way to emphasize that almost all the cases are considered mild, there is an interesting tidbit here: Six people who have [...]

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not: CSL Gets Mixed Messages from Uncle Sam

Last week, CSL heard from the Federal Trade Commission that the agency is opposed to CSL’s proposed $3.1 billion merger with Talecris Biotherapeutics. Don’t worry, CSL, Health and Human Services still loves you.  To the tune of a $180 million order for CSL’s H1N1 swine flu vaccine bulk antigen.  HHS will also fund the clinical trials.

Ontario Swine Flu Update May 26: First Death, 352 Total Cases

Ontario reported yesterday that: A 44-year old Toronto man with a chronic pre-existing medical condition passed away on May 23rd. On May 24th laboratory testing confirmed a positive test for H1N1 in this individual. It is not clear what role the H1N1 virus played in the fatality which is now under investigation by the Office [...]

Human Swine Flu Ontario Update May 14: Tracking the Ontario Numbers Plus Vaccine Updates

Ontario reported 36 new cases of Swine Flu today.  All cases are still considered mild, although one patient was hospitalized for unrelated reasons.  I thought this would be a good time to look back at the Ontario press releases and plot the number of new cases reported since Ontario started releasing numbers on April 28th.  [...]

Swine Flu Update Monday May 11: Ontario, Canada and Colbert Nation

Ontario has reached a total of 110 confirmed human swine flu cases, all still considered mild.  The age range is between 1 and 62.  Canada reported its first swine flu fatality, an Alberta woman with asthma. ScienceInsider has had outstanding coverage, and I’m adding their swine flu RSS feed to the sidebar on the right [...]

H1N1 Human Swine Flu Wednesday Update: Ontario, Genetics and Sanofi News

Ontario confirms 13 new cases as of Wednesday afternoon, bringing the total to 49 in the province, all considered mild.  A lot of the public health messaging over the last 48 hours has been advising people not to relax too much. Today also saw an interesting Canadian development on the scientific front.  Although commentary around [...]

Human Swine Flu: Ontario Update and Other New Info

There are five new confirmed cases in Ontario today, according to the press release following the 3pm call, bringing the total to 36. Nature has a good scientific update, including the latest thinking on the basic reproductive rate, R0, “which is the number of new cases that an infected individual will give rise to,” and [...]

Confirmed Human Swine Flu Cases in Ontario Double

As testing capacity ramps up in Ontario, suspect cases are becoming confirmed cases at a rapid rate — 17 new confirmations from yesterday (and  two being re-assessed) brings the total number of confirmed cases in Ontario to 31.  The geographic and age range are both expanding, but all cases are reportedly still considered mild.  Here’s [...]

Swine Flu, Snake Oil

A warning from Health Canada about various products you should not buy or take that claim to “to fight or prevent H1N1 flu virus.”  Basically, there is no such thing as generic Tamiflu or Relenza approved in Canada.  Don’t get swine-dled.

Ontario Human Swine Flu Update: 16 Confrimed, All Mild

UPDATED Sunday: A press release from Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s Acting Chief Medical Officer of Health, confirms 2 new cases of Human Swine Flu (aka H1N1 Influenza, aka Grippe Porcine) in Ontario today Sunday, bringing the total confirmed so far to 1416, with all reporting mild symptoms and recovering at home. More from the press [...]

Human Swine Influenza: Understaffed

The volume of Human Swine flu info has exceeded my ability to keep up.  I will try to post sporadically on interesting scientific, political or business implications. In the meantime, I have added two widgets on the right side of this page: Google news RSS for “swine” Twitter RSS for #swineflu That should help visitors keep up [...]

Human Swine Influenza Update: Canadian Cases Confirmed, Public Health Emergency Declared in U.S.

CDC transcript from today’s briefing. White House Press Briefing transcript. New York Times story: Mexico data: 1,300 infected, 80 dead. U.S. data: 20 infected, one temporarily hospitalized now recovered. Canada data: 6 infected, all linked to travel to Mexico. 2 in BC, 4 in Nova Scotia. No WHO decision on pandemic alert level until Tuesday.

Human Swine Influenza Update: World Health Organization (WHO) Resources

The World Health Organization has a new page up collecting resources and news related to the Human Swine Influenza outbreak, including: the transcript of yesterday’s call (pdf) (info on coordination, no new epidemiology or M&M data); a pdf with genetic sequences from the A(H1N1) strain to assist with updating disagnostic tools, and guidance for public health [...]

Human Swine Influenza Update: Saturday CDC Call

While I eat lunch, I’m keeping half an ear on the CDC conference call updating media on their investigation of the human cases of swine influenza.  Original post here with some background and previous call info. Speaking on the call: Anne Schuchat, M.D., Interim Deputy Director for Science and Public Health Program Daniel Jernigan, M.D., [...]

Updated: Swine Flu Outbreak

This is not good news.  FierceBiotech says at least 16 of 57 dead in Mexico have been confirmed killed by swine flu and hundreds more have taken sick, and that “there is abundant evidence that the flu is being spread from person to person.” The New York Times reports that the Mexico victims died from the same new [...]

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