The WHO Pandemic Alert level remains at Phase 6
Influenza A (H1N1) Cases and Deaths 
*Cases reported by The World Health Organization (WHO) are as of August 30, 2009
Local/National News
International News
Tropical regions of South and Southeast Asia continue to experience increasing or sustained high levels of respiratory disease. In tropical regions of Central America and the Caribbean, many countries are now reporting a declining trend in the level of respiratory diseases. Sustained influenza activity continues to be reported in South Africa and in the Southern and Western parts of Australia. In Japan, influenza activity continues to increase past the seasonal epidemic threshold, indicating an early beginning to the annual influenza season. In Canada and the United States, influenza activity remains low overall. WHO
The World Health Organization said Friday that 2,837 people have been reported as swine flu fatalities, up at least 625 deaths in the last week. More cases are being seen in the U.S. as schools and colleges resume, focused primarily in five southeastern states, along with an isolated case of swine H3N2 influenza in a patient from Kansas, according to Dr. Thomas Frieden, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CIDRAP
Some 2,000 students at Washington State University have reported symptoms of swine flu, university officials said, in one of the largest reported outbreaks of the virus on a US college campus. The west-coast school last week instituted a blog to help provide information to students about the sudden and dramatic spread of the A(H1N1) virus on campus just days into the new school term. Yahoo News
Vaccine News
Canada will purchase supplies of unadjuvanted swine flu vaccine to offer to pregnant women who might otherwise choose not to be vaccinated. Adjuvants boost the immune system's response to vaccine, allowing smaller doses to be used. Canada is buying adjuvanted pandemic vaccine in order to use "antigen (vaccine) sparing" techniques so that limited global supplies can be stretched. Since there are no data on the use of adjuvanted flu vaccine in pregnant women, their usage may add to the already high degree of reluctance many pregnant women feel about taking any medication or therapy. Yahoo News
New Brunswick rolled out its vaccination plan on September 3rd with 1.1 million doses of vaccine ordered for the 750,000 residents in the province. Mass vaccination clinics will be held starting in November when the vaccine is available. The Department of Health says pregnant women, parents with children under the age of five, First Nations people, and children with chronic conditions will get the vaccine first. CBC
Guidance and Recommendations
To help protect against respiratory infection, health care workers who interact with patients suspected or confirmed of being infected with the H1N1 virus should wear fitted N95 respirators, which filter better than looser medical masks, according to an Institute of Medicine report. Medical masks fit loosely over the face, whereas respirators are designed to form a tight seal against the wearer's skin. When properly fitted and worn as recommended, N95 respirators filter out at least 95% of particles 0.3 μm or larger, which is a threshold smaller than the influenza virus particle. MEDSCAPE
Week’s Feature
Take this interactive quiz and test your knowledge about Influenza A H1N1 also known as “swine flu.”
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