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Bird Flu Studies to Go Public Over Bioterror Fears

US warns of risk, but scientists say flu is bigger danger

(Newser) - Two months after leading science journals decided to self-censor articles about experiments to alter the bird flu virus and make it more dangerous, the WHO is recommending the journals publish the research after all, reports the New York Times . Well, publish it some time. The moratorium is in place for...

Deadly E. Coli Outbreak Is New Strain: WHO

Mutant form has never been seen before

(Newser) - The deadly outbreak of E. coli that has killed 18 in Europe so far is a new, never-before-seen strain of the bacteria, the World Health Organization said today. It looks to be a mutant strain formed by two different types of E. coli bacteria, which could be why the outbreak...

Cell Phones May Be 'Carcinogenic': Scientists

WHO cancer agency ranks them in same category as DDT

(Newser) - The evidence linking cell phones and other wireless devices to cancer seems to be getting stronger: An international team of scientists has concluded cell phones are "possibly carcinogenic to humans," reports AFP . After reviewing scores of published studies on the issue, the International Agency for Research on Cancer—...

'Vaccination Diplomacy': Taliban Helps UN, Karzai

In 'pact with the devil,' group helps get polio vaccine to far-flung regions

(Newser) - The Taliban may be pariahs to much of the world, but the group's indisputable hold on vast swaths of Afghanistan has produced an unusual arrangement: It's working with UN health officials and the Afghan government to wipe out polio. Volunteers travel to normally dangerous regions to vaccinate children, armed with...

Seasonal Flu Shot May Boost H1N1 Risk

WHO asks other countries to verify Canadian study

(Newser) - The WHO has asked researchers around the world if their findings back up a Canadian study that shows people who received seasonal flu vaccines are more likely to contract swine flu. So far, the results haven't been repeated. “None have been able to find anything like that,” the...

WHO Gives Up on Counting Swine Flu Cases

(Newser) - The World Health Organization today instructed member nations to stop counting cases of the rapidly spreading swine flu pandemic and focus instead on the most serious, Reuters reports. “Trying to register and report every single case is a huge waste of resources,” a spokesman said. Authorities should continue...

Fears Mount as WHO Declares Swine Flu 'Unstoppable'

Agency orders worldwide vaccines

(Newser) - Concerns continue to mount about swine flu in the wake of the World Health Organization's declaration that the illness is "unstoppable" and the deaths in Britain of two apparently strong individuals, a 6-year-old girl and a doctor. WHO officials are calling for worldwide vaccines to protect populations before they...

WHO Declares Swine Flu Pandemic
 WHO Declares 
 Swine Flu Pandemic 
UPDATED

WHO Declares Swine Flu Pandemic

H1N1 has spread to 74 countries, but may be milder than first thought

(Newser) - The World Health Organization has declared the first influenza pandemic since 1968, Reuters reports. Although the current outbreak has caused mostly mild cases of the illness, today's official declaration that the outbreak has hit phase 6, the highest level, means heightened prevention measures in 193 countries. The designation refers to...

WHO Revising Pandemic Standards
WHO Revising Pandemic Standards

WHO Revising Pandemic Standards

New criteria will focus on actual risk, not just geographic spread

(Newser) - The WHO will revise its policy for announcing the global threat of diseases in response to discontent with their alerts regarding the swine flu outbreak, the New York Times reports. The WHO’s deputy director says the new criteria will include an assessment of actual harm to people, as opposed...

Swine Flu Came From Lab: Researcher
Swine Flu Came From
Lab: Researcher

Swine Flu Came From Lab: Researcher

WHO investigates claim that H1N1 arose from human error

(Newser) - The World Health Organization is investigating a claim by an Australian researcher that the swine flu virus may have been created in a laboratory as a result of human error. Adrian Gibbs, who helped develop Tamiflu, said in an interview with Bloomberg that the new strain may have evolved in...

Obama 'Optimistic' as Flu Cases Rise

(Newser) - Continental Airlines said today it will begin cutting flights to Mexico on Monday because of the swine flu outbreak, the Houston Chronicle reports. The airline will cancel 180 of its 450 weekly flights and use smaller planes. As the number of confirmed cases in the US rose to 141 in...

Confirmed Swine Flu Cases Jump

WHO investigators find 257 confirmed cases in 11 countries

(Newser) - The number of confirmed swine flu cases worldwide jumped from 147 to 257 yesterday, according to the World Health Organization. Hundreds more suspected cases are still being investigated. The jump in confirmed cases is likely attributable to investigators working through their backlog of specimens rather than rapidly mounting incidents of...

WHO Raises Pandemic Alert to Second-Highest Level

(Newser) - The World Health Organization today raised the pandemic alert level for swine flu to its second-highest level and asked all nations to ramp up emergency measures, MSNBC reports. The agency says human-to-human transmission of the disease is spreading and believes the world could be on the brink of a global...

Too Late to Contain Flu: WHO
 Too Late to Contain Flu: WHO 

Too Late to Contain Flu: WHO

(Newser) - Officials from the World Health Organization warn it’s too late to contain the swine flu and say governments should instead now focus on protecting their populations as best as possible, the BBC reports. The WHO bumped up its alert level from three to four—two levels shy of global...

Mexico Prepares to Shut Down Capital

Schools closed as Mexico scrambles to contain outbreak blamed for 149 deaths

(Newser) - Mexican authorities scrambling to contain the swine flu outbreak have closed schools and universities across the country and are considering a total shutdown of the capital, reports the Financial Times. Some businesses have remained open in Mexico City, but people are avoiding bars and restaurants, and the public transport system...

CDC Prepares Swine Flu Vaccine

(Newser) - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has prepared a seed stock of vaccine for the swine flu that has killed dozens in Mexico and infected a handful of Americans, Time reports. The CDC has not begun mass production of the vaccine, opting instead to see if the outbreak reaches...

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