Influenza

The recognition race of flu vs. COVID is on. The clear reason is minimizing a flood of viral illnesses we cannot distinguish come the fall. Anything we can do to mitigate the influx of patients to higher risk care settings is a national priority, and vaccination will be step one on the to-do list. It […]

The USPTF got schooled in 2009 when they released their guidelines for breast cancer screening.  They did not prepare for the backlash nor did they have media personnel or training to deal with the public’s ire.  The task force learned a lesson, and guideline release and dissemination has changed as a result.  The USPTF has become less forthcoming […]

China has now reported 126 human cases of H7N9 influenza, including 24 deaths. Almost all cases had severe respiratory illnesses requiring hospitalization. No cases have been seen in the US, and the CDC is actively working on a vaccine (CDC update).

This study found that hospitalized influenza patients can transmit influenza particles up to 6 feet away, and the particle sizes were smaller than what could be controlled with standard surgical masks. This study calls into question the efficacy of standard droplet precautions to limit the spread of influenza (abstract).

The CDC has released an advisory concerning a novel Influenza virus circulating in China, H7N9. So far, the CDC has reported 14 cases and 6 deaths. The transmission is believed to be from poultry and not person-to-person (although the poultry do not appear to be ill from the virus) (CDC site).

Early estimates from the CDC have found the 2012-2013 vaccine effectiveness to be only 62% overall (CDC).