CDC Confirms That You Can Get Swine Flu Twice

The Charleston Daily Mail had reported that a Pediatrician stated that she contracted swine flu twice. Once in August and again in October. While the allegation was met with skepticism by the medical community, no less than the Center For Disease Control has confirmed her claims

You can read about the account here:

Does being infected in the 1st wave of H1N1 provide a person with immunity to the second or third H1N1 wave?

One question that has been raised again and again is the that of whether being infected in the 1st H1N1 pandemic wave provide a person with immunity to the second or third pandemic waves.

There are numerous opinions on this but one of the best indicators would be the data from the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic.

The Flu Wiki discusses this at length and it seems that being infected in the 1st wave DOES NOT protect one against the second wave BUT it protects against DEATH.

This matter should be evaluated carefully by both the government authorities (only in nations with competent officials) and / or the individual.

Low Level H1N1 Outbreak Declared in Metro Manila

The two major news networks reported tonight that the DOH has declared a low level community level outbreak in Metro Manila.

Click here for the ABS CBN News report

Click here for the GMA News Report

In an earlier report, the DOH warned the public regarding the possibility of a more devastating "second wave" or what is more commonly known as a mutation. The DOH spokesperson specifically mentioned the 1918 outbreak as well.

Click here for the report on ABS CBN

1st H1N1 Vaccine already produced by Novartis

In a news report on MEDLINE PLUS, the first vaccine for H1N1 is already here, courtesy of Novartis.

Further details on this story can be read on the Medline site

Missing link a cause for alarm?

PHOTO SHOWS THE INFLUENZA A H1N1 VIRUS

There appears to be a problem brewing in the outbreak of H1N1 in the Philippines.

The outbreak in a remote rural town in Nueva Ecija has Health authorities at a loss as to how the disease was transmitted there. After extensive investigation, a missing link is yet to be found. IN connection with this, the DOH has declared a community level transmission in this town. There is a furher move to declare a state of calamity but as of this posting, it has not been declared.

To add to their worries, another outbreak has occurred in Bulacan. It will be remembered that it was in Bulacan where the deadly Ebola Reston virus infected numerous pigs in the area.

Of course the Health Department has continualy maintained that H1N1 is relatively mild. However they forget to mention that the true danger lies in mutation, the probability of which increases as the number of infections increases.

Here are a few links that may be of interest to readers:

GMA News article about the fears of an enlightened virologist that H1N1 might mutate to a deadlier form, a danger more pronounced in the Philippines

GMA News report about the H1N1 outbreak in Bulacan

ABS CBN report on the Nueva Ecija outbreak

WHO report on Feb 2009 Ebola Reston outbreak in the Philippines

WIKI News article about experts probing the deadly outbreak of Ebola Reston in the Philippines

Ateneo De Manila orders suspension of High School classes for 10 days due to 3 confirmed H1N1 cases

One of the premier educational institutions has suspended classes in the High School and Grade School due to 3 confirmed H1N1 cases in the High School

The official bulletin of the Ateneo High School is here

The Ateneo Grade School Bulletin can be found here

As mentioned in the earlier post, the moves of the Department of Health and the Department of Education should be watched closely. The various schools in the Philippines, at least on the Elementary and High School levels, have been doing on their own what the government should have been doing.

Well no matter what the various officials in the government say, their respective roles are quite clear and the proverbial buck stops with them. This is a very sobering look at how prepared the different officials are in handling a crisis. It seems that politics take precedence over public safety.

Addressing the Influenza A H1N1 Swine Flu Crisis

With the specter of a global pandemic looming, MedAlerts has addressed the need to inform our readers immediately. Thus we will pick out information specific to the Influenza A H1N1 swine flu virus and modify our layout to ensure that the important news is readily accessible.

This is an ongoing work in progress so please bear with us as we feel that bringing the news fast will trump aesthetics any day.