Feb 18th, 2010 · The World Health Organization meets later this month to decide if the H1N1 flu pandemic is officially over. Cases of pandemic flu have been decreasing. However, a third wave of the flu had been predicted. There also are preparations going on for this coming year's seasonal flu vaccine.
Jan 5th, 2010 · The devastating disease affects 23 million people in the U.S., and it continues to take lives. In his book, Diabetes Rising, reporter Dan Hurley chronicles his nationwide quest to decipher how diabetes became a pandemic.
Dec 21st, 2009 · Earlier this month, the Center for Disease Control and prevention announced that the current wave of the pandemic H1N1, or swine flu, virus appears to have peaked in the U.S. But despite the decrease, the outbreak is continuing to take a heavy toll of hospitalizations and deaths, especially among children. The virus has also been found to hit Native American communities particularly hard. Dr. Matthew Davis, associate professor of pediatrics, internal medicine and public policy at the University of Michigan, and Dr. John Redd, chief of the Infectious Diseases Branch of the Indian Health Service Division of Epidemiology and Disease Prevention, discuss why Native Americans are up to four times more likely to be hospitalized with the virus.
Dec 8th, 2009 · Last spring, experts thought it was possible swine flu would kill 1 out of every 100 people who got the virus. But the death rate so far is around 1 out of every 2,000. The CDC says the number of children who've died is troublesome, however, and worries if people think the threat is over, they'll be less likely to get vaccinated.
Nov 24th, 2009 · A guidance proposing an ethical "framework" for rationing scarce ventilators in the event of a severe influenza pandemic arrived yesterday in relative silence.
Nov 15th, 2009 · The H1N1 flu virus is now the dominant influenza virus around the globe, according to the World Health Organization. The agency has declared the swine flu outbreak a pandemic, with nearly 500,000 confirmed cases and over 6,000 deaths reported worldwide. Host Liane Hansen speaks with the WHO flu specialist Dr. Anthony Mounts about the spread of the virus and the global response.
Nov 1st, 2009 · With the swine flu virus more widespread than ever and concerns about availability of the vaccine circulating, we solicited your questions about the pandemic. NPR's health editors teamed up with experts to tackle your questions.
Oct 26th, 2009 · Millions of Americans already have gotten swine flu. Over the weekend, President Obama declared the pandemic a national emergency. But supplies of vaccine against the new H-1-N-1 flu are way below projections. How does the vaccine shortage affect the government's plan to protect most Americans against the new flu.