The next update will be on Thursday, January 28th, at 0830 hrs PST.
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 January 17, 2010
National News
Through the current H1N1 and past pandemics, aboriginal populations have historically been more prone to severe illness. However, a new study published by the Canadian Medical Association Journal says that this is not due to any genetic susceptibility. The report examined cases involving Canadian First Nations people, Australian Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders. It noted that all three groups share a high vulnerability, yet have no ancestry in common, but “what they do have in common is a history of colonization, combined with historic and continuing social inequities that have led to significant health disparities.” The researchers were looking for factors linking why some people became severely ill from H1N1, while others did not. Canadian Medical Association Journal
International News
The United States, China, and Hungary have each conducted their own separate inquiries to investigate the safety and efficacy of pandemic H1N1 vaccinations. The three reports contain data previously available only to state regulators, and all three recommend vaccination as a safe, effective safeguard against H1N1 proliferation. The studies randomized people to receive either the vaccine or a placebo, and recorded antibody levels and reported side effects to assess vaccination. Approximately 100 million doses of A/H1N1 flu vaccine have been administered worldwide since September 2009. New England Journal of Medicine
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that charges by some European officials that the pandemic is “fake” are “wrong and irresponsible.” In a statement, the WHO also said cooperation from a range of partners, including the private sector, is needed to conduct essential public health actions and it has safeguards in place to guard against conflicts of interest. In December a Council of Europe group, introduced a resolution asking the council to investigate charges that pharmaceutical companies have pressured countries to waste resources on inefficient immunization campaigns using vaccines that they say haven't been thoroughly tested. CIDRAP
Vaccine News
Reports from the Public Health Agency of Canada show that, in the first two weeks of January, indicators used to determine influenza levels were normal or even below expectations for this time of year. While the H1N1 virus is still the dominant strain, so far the virus hasn't shifted in its composition. “The indications are that it's not doing too much,” said Earl Brown, executive director of the emerging pathogens research at the University of Ottawa. The H1N1 vaccine has been administered to 45 to 50 percent of the population and thousands of Canadians have recovered from infection, which has helped stem the virus’ spread, Brown said. “The immunity in the population is probably quite solid so it's going to be hard for this virus to move around in the population.” Vancouver Sun
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