Blog Archive for July, 2009
CDC: EMS workers a priority for H1N1 vaccine
ATLANTA — Health care workers, emergency medical personnel, pregnant women and healthy people between 6 months and 24 years old are among the target groups to receive the vaccine against the H1N1 virus when it first becomes available.
That’s one of several recommendations approved Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
The recommendations are based upon completion of clinical trials and when a safe vaccine is available. Five companies are making the vaccine, which officials hope will be available in October.
Trainers warn athletes of MRSA, heat stroke, concussions
By Robin Fambrough
The Advocate
EMS1.com
BROADMOOR, La. — A coach can use the words “triple threat” to compliment a versatile athlete.
When an athletic trainer uses the same words, they take on a different meaning.
Heat-related illnesses, the staph infection MRSA and concussions make up a triple threat coaches, athletes and parents can’t forget as high schools begin fall practice.
Australian ambulance service takes measures to protect staff from swine flu
July 28, 2009
by EMS1.com
NEW SOUTH WALES, Australia — In an effort to protect workers from the H1N1 influenza virus, all members of the Ambulance Service of New South Wales, Australia, are now required to wear face masks while tending to patients.
Signed into effect on Tuesday, the new Standard Operating Procedure mandates all paramedics, patient transport officers, and ambulance volunteers employ protective goggles and masks until respiratory symptoms can be excluded from patient diagnoses.
The measure is designed to maximize staff safety and minimize risk for patients, according to Ambulance Service of NSW chief executive Greg Rochford.
Swine flu could sicken over 2 billion in 2 years
msnbc.com news services
updated 2:56 p.m. ET, Fri., July 24, 2009
ATLANTA - U.S. health officials say swine flu could strike up to 40 percent of Americans over the next two years and as many as several hundred thousand could die if a vaccine campaign and other measures aren’t successful.
Those estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mean about twice the number of people who usually get sick in a normal flu season would be struck by swine flu. Officials said those projections would drop if a new vaccine is ready and widely available, as U.S. officials expect.
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All County Jails Suspending Visits Due to Spread of Swine Flu
KFMB-TV
www.cbs8.com
Posted: Jul 13, 2009 8:35 PM
The local swine flu outbreak has now hit San Diego County’s jails.
Law enforcement officials say 56 inmates and 11 employees are showing symptoms of the swine flu.
Swine flu tally halted as school year fears loom
msnbc.com staff and news service reports
updated 6:32 p.m. ET, Fri., July 17, 2009
Worldwide cases of the new H1N1 swine flu virus are spreading so fast that overwhelmed global health officials have stopped counting and officials with the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say they’ll soon follow suit.
But that’s likely only a preview of what will happen in the fall — or even sooner — when a surge of new cases is likely to emerge as families resume more normal schedules after the summer break.
Summer camps contend with swine flu
By Kristen Wyatt
The Associated Press
EMS1.com
LOVELAND, Colo. — Summer camps are contending with more than bug bites and poison ivy this year: They’re on the lookout for swine flu.
While regular flu all but disappears in the summer, swine flu is spreading, and more than 50 summer camps in 20 states have sent kids home early or canceled sessions after suspected outbreaks.
Most cases have been mild, but they have deprived campers and parents of a cherished summertime tradition.
Swine flu spurs restrictions on Calif. prisoner intake
By Matthew B. Stannard
The San Francisco Chronicle
www.correctionsone.com
SAN QUENTIN, Calif. — Seeking to prevent an outbreak of swine flu from spreading beyond prison walls, officials at San Quentin State Prison on Wednesday stopped accepting prisoners from 16 Northern California counties, including all nine in the Bay Area.
The move follows by two days the prison’s decision to stop transferring prisoners to other facilities in the state.
Swine Flu Worries Spark Cambridge Jail Riot
Prisoners Evacuated After Middlesex Jail Floods
CAMBRIDGE (wbztv.com) ―
Inmate fears over an apparent swine flu outbreak sparked a riot at the Middlesex County Jail in Cambridge on Sunday.
Several prisoners became unruly, breaking sprinkler heads which in turn flooded the entire building. The jail’s fire suppression system was also damaged and power to the entire facility had to be cut off.
Tests Confirm Police Officer Died from H1N1
WXYZ.com
Last Update: 6/18 6:52 pm
The Michigan Department of Community Health confirms that a Madison Heights Police Officer who died after falling ill tested positive for the H1N1 swine flu.
Officer Ryan Settlemoir was hospitalized last month after experiencing flu-like symptoms. It has also been determined that the 28-year-old officer had other health conditions, but the MDCH says he died from the H1N1 virus.