The Threat of H1N1 Outbreaks: What Your Campus Needs to Know
Event Date: August 20, 2009 - The arrival of the H1N1 virus on campuses at the end of the last academic year has many campus officials wondering what to expect this fall. What should student affairs, communications and academic professionals be doing to plan for possible outbreaks? This audio conference hosted by Anita Barkin, an expert on campus response to pandemics, costs $199 for a single telephone line; listen yourself or with a group around a conference table. Register early -- through Wednesday, August 5 -- and the cost is only $149. Click on the link above for more informaton.
North American Leaders to Discuss Combating H1N1 at North American Leaders Summit
August 10, 2009 - U.S. President Barack Obama arrived in Mexico for his first summit with his Mexican and Canadian counterparts, with economic and security issues high on the agenda. During the two-day North American Leaders Summit, Mr. Obama, Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper are discussing efforts to stem the spread of the H1N1 flu virus, economic competitiveness, national security, and global climate change, White House officials said. Canada and Mexico are the U.S.'s first- and third-largest trading partners, respectively, and trade-related issues are another focus of the meeting.
August 10, 2009 - Coordinating swine flu vaccination, treatment and containment efforts between the United States, Canada and the United States will be a priority for the countries' leaders as they meet in Guadalajara to begin this week.
Pregnant Women Hit Hard by Swine Flu
July 29, 2009 - Pregnant women are especially susceptible to serious complications as a result of the H1N1 virus.
Swine flu and the School Season
July 28, 2009 - MSN's Dr. Nancy Interviews representatives of US Higher Education Institutions on what measures are being implemented to handle the imminent H1N1 Virus fall outbreak.
July 23, 2009 - Tamiflu, Clorox and isolation room games stockpiled as thousands fall ill.
July 14, 2009 - With nearly 34,000 confirmed cases of the H1N1 "swine flu" virus in the United States -- and an estimated one million people infected when untested cases are taken into account -- college and university health centers across the country are on high alert. Colleges certainly have not been immune to the virus, with many across the country reporting confirmed cases. But with campuses much emptier during the summer months, the million dollar question is what will happen when students return in the fall.
CDC Updates U.S. H1N1 Flu Situation: 54* states | 37,246 cases
July 10, 2009
July 9, 2009 - The Obama Administration sent a strong message to the nation today that it is time to start planning and preparing for the fall flu season and the ongoing H1N1 flu outbreak and that the federal government is prepared to commit resources, training, and new tools to help state and local governments and America’s families get ready.
6 de julio, 2009 - Ahora que los casos de la gripe H1N1 han alcanzado la cifra de 77.201 en todo el mundo y que otros tres casos humanos de la gripe aviar H5N1 ponen la cifra mundial de ésa enfermedad patógena en 436 casos desde 2003, científicos de Estados Unidos están examinando anteriores pandemias para extraer lecciones que puedan ayudar con la respuesta a la pandemia del virus H1N1.
July 1, 2009 - The World Health Organization declared on June 11th, that the world was facing the first pandemic of the 21st Century. Mexico was the first country to detect, last April, the existence of a new virus namely human influenza A (H1N1). The Mexican Government, with participation of all sectors of our society, acted firmly and with responsibility, by putting health protection ahead of the consequences that these decisions could have in other sectors. Mexican society response was extraordinary.
Today, few weeks after the contingency, the people and the Government of Mexico, gives you our warmest welcome on this transcendental occasion.
June 18, 2009 - A "perfect storm" caused by recession, increasingly tight visa regulations and other factors such as concern about swine flu is putting the UK at risk of losing crucial income from overseas students, universities have been warned. Vice-chancellors and college principals fear that international students may be reluctant to travel to the UK because it is perceived to be difficult to enter and a disease risk.
June 19, 2009 - The continued spread signals the new strain of H1N1 flu is causing “something different” to happen in the United States this year — perhaps an extended year-round flu season that disproportionately hits young people, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Education Department Issues Letter on H1N1 Flu & ACE Memo on Pandemic Preparedness Now Available
June 15, 2009 - ...HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Education Secretary Arne Duncan have sent a letter to educators nationwide asking them to review their pandemic preparedness policies in preparation for a potentially wider H1N1 outbreak this fall...
...To assist institutions in such efforts, ACE has posted a memo that gives a brief overview of some key actions and considerations in preparing for a potential infection on campus...
June 11, 2009 - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano issued the following statements today in response to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) decision to raise the pandemic threat level on the novel H1N1 virus.
World now at the start of 2009 influenza pandemic
June 11, 2009 - Statement of Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization:
In late April, WHO announced the emergence of a novel influenza A virus. This particular H1N1 strain has not circulated previously in humans. The virus is entirely new. The virus is contagious, spreading easily from one person to another, and from one country to another. As of today, nearly 30,000 confirmed cases have been reported in 74 countries. This is only part of the picture. With few exceptions, countries with large numbers of cases are those with good surveillance and testing procedures in place. Spread in several countries can no longer be traced to clearly-defined chains of human-to-human transmission. Further spread is considered inevitable...
June 11, 2009 - A new analysis of the current swine-origin H1N1 influenza A virus, published online by the journal Nature, suggests that transmission to humans occurred several months before recognition of the existing outbreak.
June 11, 2009 - The World Health Organization today declared the global outbreak of the novel H1N1 influenza virus to be in Phase 6 -- a full-scale pandemic.
Summer Flu, Fall Headaches
June 9, 2009 - As college students begin leaving for summer vacation, the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu, is cropping up on a surprising number of campuses across the nation. Some national experts say this trend could be an ominous sign for students and health centers in the fall, when flu season traditionally intensifies.
June 8, 2009 - After decades of warnings about the inevitability of another pandemic of influenza, it is astonishing that health officials have failed to make clear to the public, even to many colleagues, what they mean by the word pandemic.
Efectos del A/H1N1 en la movilidad estudiantil
2 de junio del 2009 - Al señalar que el virus A/H1N1 ha tenido fuertes implicaciones en la movilidad estudiantil internacional, pues cerca de mil 500 alumnos suspendieron sus programas educativos de verano en México, el Consorcio para la Colaboración de la Educación Superior en América del Norte (Conahec por sus siglas en inglés) construyó “el único portal” disponible en esta materia con información sobre la influenza en América del Norte.
Japan to abandon quarantine inspections on flights from North America
May 19, 2009 - Japan will discontinue quarantine inspections aimed at detecting cases of A/H1N1 influenza aboard flights arriving in Japan from North America as early as the end of this week, health authorities said Tuesday. The government made the decision at a time when the number of domestic infections cases of A/H1N1 flu in Japan rose above 170 Tuesday. At a press conference, Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said that though the quarantine measure aboard flights has been productive and helped detect the first four infection cases at the Narita International Airport, the government needs to shift its focus to domestic measures in line with the trend of the flu's transmission.
Travel advisory for Mexico lifted
May 19, 2009 - Canada is lifting an advisory against non-essential travel to Mexico as cases of swine flu there start to wane. As well, Canada's chief public health officer, Dr. David Butler-Jones, says this country has seen the worst of the swine flu – for now. The federal government says travel to Mexico – the epicentre of the swine subtype of H1N1 – is no longer a risk to Canadians since the virus has been spreading through Canada for some time. The Canada Border Services Agency will continue to visually check travellers for signs of illness. But the Public Health Agency of Canada will cease some measures such as distributing health alert notices to passengers on direct flights to Mexico and having quarantine officers meet every direct flight entering Canada from Mexico.
US CDC Eases Mexico Travel Warning
May 15, 2009 - Saying that 100,000 Americans are likely infected with a new flu virus, U.S. health officials on Friday announced they were easing the warning on travel to Mexico. Texas health officials also reported on Friday that a man from Corpus Christi died from the new strain of H1N1 swine flu, raising the number of U.S. deaths to five.
May 16, 2009 - It certainly looks like another example of crying wolf. After bracing ourselves for a global pandemic, we've suffered something more like the usual seasonal influenza. Three weeks ago the World Health Organization declared a health emergency, warning countries to "prepare for a pandemic" and said that the only question was the extent of worldwide damage. Senior officials prophesied that millions could be infected by the disease. But as of last week, the WHO had confirmed only 4,800 cases of swine flu, with 61 people having died of it. Obviously, these low numbers are a pleasant surprise, but it does make one wonder, what did we get wrong?
GLOBAL: Swine flu epidemic spreads
May 17, 2009 - More than a third of foreign students studying in Mexico's universities have fled the country as teams of researchers work around the globe on the rapidly spreading virus first known as swine flu but now called the type-A H1N1 virus. China, with the world's biggest population, last week became the latest country to report that a student recently returned from the US was its first confirmed case.
Flu : Students desert campuses in Mexico
May 17, 2009 - More than a third of foreign students studying in Mexico's universities have fled the country as teams of researchers work around the globe on the rapidly spreading virus first known as swine flu but now called the type-A H1N1 virus .China, with the world's biggest population, last week became the latest country to report that a student recently returned from the US was its first confirmed case, reports University World News, the well known online magazine for education.
Tennessee: Flu worries ground study abroad programs
May 18, 2009 - If it weren’t for the swine flu, Tiffany Wilson could be exploring Aztec ruins and stumbling over Spanish words with strangers. The Chattanooga State student was scheduled, along with 25 other Tennessee college students, to arrive in Mexico City last week for a monthlong stay in the country, but concerns over the rapid spread of the H1N1 virus pushed leaders to shelve the trip.
May 12, 2009 - More than 50 colleges in the U.S. have canceled summer study abroad programs to Mexico in response to H1N1 flu. These cancellations affect an estimated 1,300 students, according to data compiled by CONAHEC.
May 1, 2009 - Preliminary analysis of the H1N1 flu virus suggests it is a fairly mild strain, scientists say.
May 2, 2009 - Mexico has revised down the suspected death toll from H1N1 flu from 176 to 101, indicating that the outbreak may not be as bad as was initially feared.
May 11, 2009 - The major determinant of the severity of an influenza pandemic, as measured by the number of cases of severe illness and deaths it causes, is the inherent virulence of the virus. However, many other factors influence the overall severity of a pandemic’s impact.
May 12, 2009 - The H1N1 virus spread to more countries Tuesday as scientists estimated the new strain could have sickened 23,000 people in Mexico alone before anyone realized it was an epidemic.
May 1, 2009 - University of Florida officials continue to closely follow developments in Florida and elsewhere related to the H1N1flu.
May 11, 2009 - The first case of H1N1 flu in China was confirmed Monday as the strain continued moving around the world, with the World Health Organization reporting about 4,700 laboratory-confirmed cases in 30 countries.
May 3, 2009 - There is no evidence of the H1N1 flu virus spreading in a sustained way outside North America, a top World Health Organization official says.
4 de mayo del 2009 - Ante la alerta epidemiológica que vive nuestro país con el virus de influenza tipo A H1N1, 53 universidades de Estados Unidos y una de Canadá anunciaron la cancelación de sus programas de estudio para el verano en México, además de que otras 23 universidades de ambos países solicitaron el regreso de sus estudiantes a su país
12 de mayo del 2009 - Los participantes en la XIV conferencia ministerial entre la Unión Europea y el Grupo de Río mostrarán a México su solidaridad por la epidemia y agradecerán la pronta y eficaz respuesta que han dado a la crisis
12 de mayo del 2009 - Ante los señalamientos de Fidel Castro sobre un presunto ocultamiento de información sobre la epidemia de influenza en México, el Presidente dijo que su gobierno evitó la muerte de 8 mil personas
12 de mayo del 2009 - La canciller Patricia Espinosa Cantellano reconoció en esta ciudad que el impacto económico de la epidemia de influenza A H1N1 en México podría alcanzar 1% del Producto Interno Bruto (PIB).
12 de mayo del 2009 - El virus de la influenza A H1N1 no se podrá erradicar, porque es nuevo y se continuará transmitiendo, especialmente hacia el hemisferio sur con el inicio del invierno, en tanto que en el norte se espera un mayor rebote empezando otoño, señaló Jon K Andrus, encargado de la Oficina Regional para las Américas de la Organización Panamericana de la Salud (OPS).
12 de mayo del 2009 - El secretario de Salud, José Ángel Córdova, rechazó que tenga elementos para señalar que en los estados donde se presentó un rebrote de influenza A H1N1 se ocultó la información sobre los casos, y pidió que eso “no se utilice como arma política”.