Swine Flu Dominates in U.S. Where 98% Test Positiv

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   Swine Flu Dominates in U.S. Where 98% Test Positive

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601124&sid=aJgM8Q9Incs8

By Tom Randall 		  

           June 25 (Bloomberg) -- Swine flu is responsible for about
98 percent of the influenza cases tested in the U.S.,
overshadowing other strains in a population with little natural
resistance to the new virus, a U.S. study found.     
       The new flu, H1N1, is widespread across 11 states and
circulating in parts of 19 others, according to a report by U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientists presented
today in Atlanta. The number of seasonal flu cases has declined
as swine flu spread after it was first identified in April.     
       Scientists have used laboratory tests to confirm 27,715
cases of swine flu in the U.S., and as many as 1 million people
may have been sick and not had testing, the CDC said. Widespread
flu is unusual in the U.S. at this time of the year.     
       “We’re all tightening our belts -- there isn’t anybody
that does not anticipate that we’re going to be dealing with
this virus in a serious way this fall and winter,” said William
Schaffner, an influenza expert at Vanderbilt University School
of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee, in an interview at the
conference.     
       A swine flu vaccine may not be available until mid-October,
and health officials are trying to figure the best way to
distribute a two-shot immunization, Schaffner said. The seasonal
flu shot will be available as early as August, he said.     
       No Decline     
       “So far it doesn’t look like transmission is declining at
all,” Lyn Finelli, a flu researcher at the CDC, said today in a
presentation.     
       Swine flu hasn’t shown resistance to Roche Holding AG’s
Tamiflu or GlaxoSmithKline Plc’s Relenza, antiviral medicines
that lessen the severity of the disease when administered in the
first few days. Last flu season, about 95 percent of the
seasonal H1N1 virus was resistant to Tamiflu.     
       Flu season in the U.S. typically lasts from November through
March, according to the CDC. The seasonal virus strikes 5
percent to 15 percent of the population and kills 250,000 to
500,000 people a year worldwide, according to the World Health
Organization.     

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Wolfmanjack Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Valued Member Joined: April 25 2009 Status: Offline Points: 211	Post Options Post Reply Quote Wolfmanjack Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Swine Flu Dominates in U.S. Where 98% Test Positiv Posted: June 26 2009 at 3:13am
	Swine Flu Dominates in U.S. Where 98% Test Positive http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601124&sid=aJgM8Q9Incs8 By Tom Randall June 25 (Bloomberg) -- Swine flu is responsible for about 98 percent of the influenza cases tested in the U.S., overshadowing other strains in a population with little natural resistance to the new virus, a U.S. study found. The new flu, H1N1, is widespread across 11 states and circulating in parts of 19 others, according to a report by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientists presented today in Atlanta. The number of seasonal flu cases has declined as swine flu spread after it was first identified in April. Scientists have used laboratory tests to confirm 27,715 cases of swine flu in the U.S., and as many as 1 million people may have been sick and not had testing, the CDC said. Widespread flu is unusual in the U.S. at this time of the year. “We’re all tightening our belts -- there isn’t anybody that does not anticipate that we’re going to be dealing with this virus in a serious way this fall and winter,” said William Schaffner, an influenza expert at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee, in an interview at the conference. A swine flu vaccine may not be available until mid-October, and health officials are trying to figure the best way to distribute a two-shot immunization, Schaffner said. The seasonal flu shot will be available as early as August, he said. No Decline “So far it doesn’t look like transmission is declining at all,” Lyn Finelli, a flu researcher at the CDC, said today in a presentation. Swine flu hasn’t shown resistance to Roche Holding AG’s Tamiflu or GlaxoSmithKline Plc’s Relenza, antiviral medicines that lessen the severity of the disease when administered in the first few days. Last flu season, about 95 percent of the seasonal H1N1 virus was resistant to Tamiflu. Flu season in the U.S. typically lasts from November through March, according to the CDC. The seasonal virus strikes 5 percent to 15 percent of the population and kills 250,000 to 500,000 people a year worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.