Swine Flu H1N1 Virus Prevention Treatment Health News Updates

Responding to a request from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved emergency use of the experimental intravenous antiviral drug peramivir to treat hospitalized patients with pandemic H1N1 influenza.

Tamiflu, the primary drug used to treat swine flu, is given orally, and Relenza, also used, is given as a nasal spray. Some experiments have been conducted with an intravenous form of Relenza and it has been credited with saving at least one swine flu patient's life, but it is considered more experimental than peramivir.

The problem with existing is that some people have difficulties tolerating the oral Tamiflu and that the nasal spray Relenza may not get deep enough into the lungs to reach the swine flu virus when it causes viral pneumonia. The emergency use authorization says peramivir can be used when other have failed or when delivery by a route other than intravenous is not expected to be feasible.

Peramivir, manufactured by BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Inc., is still in Phase 3 clinical trials. Known side effects include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and decreases in white blood cell count, all of which stop when its use is halted. It has not been tested in pregnant women.

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Swine Flu Homeopathic Remedies Prevention Health News

Homeopaths want research centre for HINI.

With a second wave of H1N1 attack anticipated by experts in November, the underlying demand among people to have homeopathic centers has gained momentum again. A group of experts had sent recommendations to the central government asking for permission to start formal centers in and around the city.

Earlier, about two months back, a committee comprising of five members including principals of homeopathic colleges and Central Council for Research in Homeopathy, had sent recommendations about the treatment module, etc. to be followed by doctors across the state. While the recommendations were approved by the central government within 10 days, it kept mum on whether to allow homeopathic doctors to start formal centers to treat cases of swine flu.

"When swine flu was at its peak, we had many people coming to us for treatment but we had clear guidelines that we can provide only curative and not preventive care," said one of the members of the committee who had sent the recommendations to New Delhi. "We are willing to do more research on H1N1 virus but we did not have adequate access to patients as they were under the care of the pubic health department," the member added.

Additional chief secretary (health) of Maharashtra Sharvaree Gokhale states that at this stage the focus is to curb the spread of the virus with the best available resource. "Homeopathy can be used only as a preventive medicine to boost immunity," she said. "For curative, Tamiflu is the only answer."

Source Link: - http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_homeopaths-want-research-centre-for-hini_1300240

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Swine H1N1 Influenza Vaccine Update Health News Article

Distribution Of Swine Flu Vaccine Will Begin in Oct.

Vaccine for the H1N1 influenza pandemic will be distributed on a three-day turnaround time from four regional warehouses around the country next month. The vaccine deliveries, expected to equal 20 million doses a week by the end of October, will be distributed among 90,000 immunization "providers," including health departments, hospitals, clinics, doctors' offices and pharmacies.

Those were among the details unveiled Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as part of the federal government's increasingly complex response to the pandemic of H1N1 influenza, also known as swine flu.

"This is a huge logistical process. There's not [going to be] a sudden appearance of vaccine in 90,000 refrigerators around the country," said Jay Butler, an epidemiologist who leads the CDC's task force on the vaccine.

About 3.4 million doses of nasal-spray flu vaccine -- which can be used only by people age 2 to 49 -- are expected to be available the first week of October. The form of the vaccine that can be injected, which will form the vast bulk of the 195 million doses the government has ordered, won't be available until later in October when many experts think the flu outbreak will be in full swing.

All of the H1N1 vaccine will be bought by the federal government. It will be divided among states and territories on the basis of population. Providers, including private companies such as pharmacies, will get it for free. They won't be permitted to charge people or health insurers for it, but they can charge an "administration fee" for giving the shots or sprays. In some settings, such as public health clinics, people will get the shots free.

As the vaccine arrives at the four distribution centers -- their location for the moment is secret -- the CDC will tell each state what its allocation will be. States will put in orders based on the need in their jurisdictions and the number of doses that hospitals, clinics and other providers say they can use in the immediate future.

Vaccine will then be sent directly to providers; the CDC expects to have 90,000 names and addresses on file. Orders will be filled in three business days and the vaccine shipped overnight, Butler told reporters in a teleconference Friday.

Government planners expect demand for vaccine will outstrip supply in the first weeks after it becomes available. During that time, states will have to decide which hospitals, clinics and offices are most apt to reach the priority populations and thus should get vaccine first.

The CDC won't police those decisions and expects that very quickly there will be enough vaccine to fill essentially all orders from states.

Source Link: - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/18/AR2009091803050.html?hpid=topnews

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