http://blogs.das.psu.edu/tetherton Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:19:09 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en A ProMED-mail post (August 2, 2009) Hong Kong's health authorities announced Wednesday [27 Jul 2009] that a new variant of the H3N2 seasonal influenza virus has been found in the city. The Brisbane strain has been the prevalent circulator of H3N2 in the past year, and the new variant is its ... http://blogs.das.psu.edu/tetherton/2009/08/03/h3n2-brings-new-influenza-threat/ A ProMED-mail post (July 23, 2009) Two Canadian Food Inspection Agency [CFIA] inspectors appear to have contracted swine flu while investigating an outbreak of the new virus in pigs on an Alberta farm in late April [2009], the agency confirmed on 21 July 2009. The cases appear to be the first report ... http://blogs.das.psu.edu/tetherton/2009/07/23/health-inspectors-caught-swine-flu-investigating-alberta-pig-farm-outbreak/ A ProMED-mail post (June 19, 2009) Whether speaking of a 58-year-old man or a 38-year-old woman, or a little boy of 9, officials announcing swine flu deaths are almost always quick to note "underlying health  conditions" may have contributed to the fatal outcome. Asthma, heart disease, diabetes, maybe even obesity are ... http://blogs.das.psu.edu/tetherton/2009/06/24/risk-factors-for-severe-swine-flu-a-wide-umbrella-under-which-many-stand/ A ProMED-mail post (May 28, 2009) The following is [1] a statement of the research program of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS), and [2] the outcome of a study of the cross-reactivity of serum samples from US pigs against the new swine origin 2009 ... http://blogs.das.psu.edu/tetherton/2009/05/29/influenza-a-h1n1-swine-immunity/ Martin Enserink and Jocelyn Kaiser Published in SCIENCE:  VOLUME 324:703-705,2009 If and when a pandemic of H1N1 swine flu hits, vaccines might be the world’s best hope for softening the blow. But major uncertainties cloud the prospects for vaccines against the new  strain. No pandemic vaccine yet exists, and it is unclear ... http://blogs.das.psu.edu/tetherton/2009/05/27/devilish-dilemmas-surround-pandemic-flu-vaccine/ From the World Health Organization Assessing the Severity of an Influenza Pandemic The major determinant of the severity of an influenza pandemic, as measured by the number of cases of severe illness and deaths it causes, is the inherent virulence of the virus. However, many other factors influence the overall severity of ... http://blogs.das.psu.edu/tetherton/2009/05/13/assessing-the-severity-of-an-influenza-pandemic/ Terry D. Etherton A recent Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Media Release about the detection of A/H1N1 virus in pigs in Canada is presented below.  The release also was distributed by ProMED. As a point of interest, ProMED is one of the largest publicly available emerging disease and outbreak reporting systems in ... http://blogs.das.psu.edu/tetherton/2009/05/06/influenza-a-h1n1-in-pigs-in-canada-fao-update/ Bob Mikesell, Ph.D. Senior Instructor Department of Dairy and Animal Science Introduction In light of the H1N1 (formerly known as swine flu) virus outbreak, consumers should have an understanding of the influenza virus from a pork producer perspective, and the steps that US swine producers routinely utilize to keep pigs healthy. Influenza background from ... http://blogs.das.psu.edu/tetherton/2009/05/04/pork-production-practices-help-contain-h1n1-fluenza/ Jacob Werner, VMD Assistant Professor of Veterinary Medicine and Dairy and Animal Science Attending Veterinarian for Agricultural Animals and Wildlife Animal Resource Program Penn State University With the media reporting increased numbers of swine flu cases daily, it is time for the swine industry to maintain and, perhaps, expand the strict biosecurity procedures already ... http://blogs.das.psu.edu/tetherton/2009/04/28/swine-flu-revaluating-biosecurity-for-swine-farms/