NATIONAL
January 23, 2010 | By Tim Chitwood
You can't get the swine flu virus by pigging out on barbecue, even if the pigs you used for chow had the disease, the federal government has confirmed. A new study conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture provided "additional confirmation" that meat from pigs exposed to the H1N 1 virus did not have the virus in it. "This research provides additional reassurance for consumers about the safety of pork," Edward B. Knipling, research service administrator with the department, said in a statement this week.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
January 15, 2010 | By Molly Hennessy-Fiske
California Latinos have been nearly twice as likely as whites to die of H1N1 flu since the pandemic began last spring, according to statewide figures released Thursday by the California Department of Public Health. Over the same months, blacks in the state have been 50% more likely to die of H1N1 flu than whites, the report said. "Not everybody has been impacted equally" by H1N1, said state epidemiologist Dr. Gilberto Chavez, who added that statistics have shown "very important racial disparities" in H1N1 mortality and hospitalization rates.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
January 8, 2010 | By Rong-Gong Lin II and Molly Hennessy-Fiske
Virtually all communities in California now have an abundance of H1N1 vaccine, the state health officer said Thursday. Dr. Mark Horton said in a conference call that California has received about 15 million doses of the vaccine, approximately two-thirds of the supply the state is expected to get of the H1N1 vaccine this season. Almost all jurisdictions are reporting that they have enough vaccine to inoculate the general public, instead of just the priority groups most at risk for H1N1, also known as the swine flu. Numerous production delays last year affected communities nationwide, leading to long lines and complaints of poorly run vaccination clinics until supply caught up with demand.
SCIENCE
December 25, 2009 | By Thomas H. Maugh II
California is one of only seven states where H1N1 influenza is still widespread, but a variety of indicators suggest that this wave of the pandemic is abating even here, Dr. Mark Horton, director of the state Department of Public Health, said at a news conference Thursday. Hospitalizations for flu declined last week for the third week in a row, and visits to physicians' offices for flu-like illnesses also dropped. The only indicator that did not drop was deaths from flu, but that typically lags a couple of weeks behind other indicators.
NEWS
December 23, 2009 | By Thomas H. Maugh II, Los Angeles Times
Vaccine maker MedImmune has voluntarily recalled 13 lots of vaccine against the pandemic H1N1 influenza because they have lost some potency since they were manufactured, the company said Tuesday. "This is not a safety issue," Norman Baylor, director of the Office of Vaccines Research and Review at the Food and Drug Administration, said in a conference call. "All lots passed pre-release testing for safety, purity and potency. There has just been a slight decrease in potency." The 13 lots recalled involved 4.7 million doses of the intranasal vaccine, which is based on a live, weakened virus, but officials believe most of them were administered in October and November when the product would have still been at full potency.
SCIENCE
December 23, 2009 | By Thomas H. Maugh II
Veterinarians in White Plains, N.Y., have identified the first known case of pandemic H1N1 influenza in a dog -- a 13-year-old mixed-breed male who is now recovering. The dog was tested because his owner previously had swine flu. The virus has been found before in other pets, including at least three ferrets, several cats and pigs and a cheetah named Gijima at a wildlife preserve in Santa Rosa, Calif. A couple of the cats died, but most of the animals recovered. In each case, the virus is thought to have been transmitted to the animal by its owner or handler; there is no evidence of the virus being passed back to a human.