The Pharmaceutical Industry Swindle: Swine flu recedes in North America, Europe, WHO says

The second wave of pandemic H1N1 influenza is winding down in North America and much of Europe ( was there a first wave?), but flu activity is still widespread and intensifying in India, Egypt and elsewhere and it's too soon to say the pandemic is over, officials of the World Health Organization said this morning. "It is still premature and too early for us to say we have come to an end of the influenza pandemic worldwide," WHO director-general Dr. Margaret Chan said in her annual year-end address to the media. "It would be prudent and appropriate ...to continue to monitor the evolution of the pandemic for the next six to 12 months," she said, in large part because many experts expect a third wave. She added that she is very happy that the pandemic has proved to be milder than most experts had anticipated. "The fact that the long overdue influenza pandemic is so moderate in its impact is probably the best health news of the decade," she said. But "the one thing we need to guard against is a sense of complacency."

Swine flu recedes in North America, Europe, WHO says | Booster Shots | Los Angeles Times

Irish Times: Concern in Germany as safety of swine flu vaccines questioned - by Derek Scally

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Concern in Germany as safety of swine flu vaccines questioned - by Derek Scally

Germany's swine flu vaccination program has been hit by public health concerns over the vaccines being used – one of which has been ordered by the Irish Government. Germany’s 16 federal states have spent a reported €600 million buying 50 million doses of the Pandemrix vaccine, produced by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). This new vaccine, one of two to be offered by Irish doctors, is the subject of controversy in Germany because it contains a “booster” substance known as an “adjuvant”. This allows less virus material to be used per dose and, according to GSK, boosts the immune system’s response to the jab.

RFE: HEALTH ALERT: WHO Debates Whether To Declare Flu Pandemic

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HEALTH ALERT: WHO Debates Whether To Declare Flu Pandemic

The World Health Organization (WHO) is consulting with its emergency committee of flu experts as the UN agency debates whether to declare a swine flu pandemic. A decision to declare a pandemic could trigger large-scale production of vaccines as the flu continues spreading worldwide. The June 11 meeting of the emergency committee of flu experts will help determine if that is the case. It comes just a day after reports from 74 countries to WHO indicated that the total number of confirmed flu infections worldwide has reached 27,737. The infections have resulted in 141 deaths. If the WHO does declare a pandemic, that would be a signal to health officials worldwide to plan for the possibility of larger numbers of people catching the virus. And the declaration could prompt pharmaceutical companies to speed up the production of vaccines in an effort to counter the flu’s spread. The disease, which was first detected in Mexico in March, is considered particularly threatening to younger adults.

ABC/EU-Digest: Swine Flu: What You Need to Know - by Huma Khan

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Swine Flu: What You Need to Know - by Huma Khan

The rapidly spreading swine flu is a new virus that includes combination of swine, bird and human strains. It has taken the lives of 81 people in Mexico, and sickened more than a thousand south of the border. In the United States, 20 cases have been confirmed thus far -- seven in California, two in Kansas, eight in New York City, one in Ohio and two in Texas. Spain's Health Ministry Sunday said three persons have been brought to Spanish hospitals in the last 24 hours with symptoms of potential swine flu, in what may be the first recorded cases of the virus in Europe. Some other cases have also been detected in Canada, and Britain and France.

Simple preventive measures, such as washing hands frequently and avoiding people who are coughing or sneezing, can go a long way toward keeping you safe from the virus, which health officials expect is likely to afflict more people.

Concerns of the uncertainty and spread of the virus dealt a blow to the travel and leisure industry in Europe Monday. British Airways shares lost 11.5% and EasyJet fell 5.7% amid swine flu fears. TUI Travel declined 7.5% and Thomas Cook shed 4.8%. However, pharmaceutical and healthcare stocks got a boost. Shares of Switzerland's Roche rose 4.6%. The company said it stands ready to deliver 3 million doses of flu treatment Tamiflu, which has proven effective in treating swine flu. The U.K.'s GlaxoSmithKline rose 3.1%. The company has also been contacted by the WHO regarding its Relenza treatment, another antiviral drug.

Over the weekend, the World Health Organization declared the strain of swine flu to be a "public health emergency of international concern," with at least 103 people in Mexico dead, and advised all countries to be on the lookout for unusual outbreaks of flu.