H1N1 (swine flu) weekly highlights: August 14-20, 2009

• This week, World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 1799 people have died from H1N1 worldwide.

• South Korea, Japan, Ghana, Madagascar, Yemen, Malta, New Caledonia (France), Kuwait, and Cook Islands each reported their first H1N1 fatalities. French Polynesia reported its first death, but diagnostic tests performed in France raised questions about the validity of this report.

• The Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique and Belarus each reported their first confirmed H1N1 case.

• In the United States, federal officials urged businesses to prepare for a resurgence in swine flu. Recommendations included flexible sick leave, cross-training individuals with mission critical tasks, limiting face-to-face meetings and travel, and encouraging hand-washing.

• The Health Protection Agency in the UK sent a letter to neurologists requesting they be alert for any increase in diagnoses of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS). GBS, a sometimes fatal nerve disease, has been linked to the swine flu vaccine administed in the United States in 1976.

• WHO reports that over 1 billion doses of vaccine have been ordered. As many companies report lower than expected yields, many countries, including the US, are warning their citizens of delays to planned vaccination timetables.

• A second piggery in Australia has been quarantined due to swine flu.

Image taken from http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0820/swineflu.html