Sanofi Says Swine-Flu Vaccine May Mean No Seasonal Flu Shot

By Albertina Torsoli
Last Updated: April 29, 2009 05:39 EDT
April 29 (Bloomberg) — Sanofi-Aventis SA wouldn’t be able to make shots against seasonal influenza, which kills as many as 500,000 people a year, if asked to develop a vaccine to prevent swine flu, Chief Executive Officer Chris Viehbacher said.
Swine flu, if it turns out to [...]

Conn. school districts closed over swine flu

4/29/2009, 2:19 a.m. PDT
The Associated Press
(AP) – HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) Two Connecticut school districts have closed for the day amid concerns about swine flu and two probable cases elsewhere in the state have been reported.
Officials in East Haddam and in Wethersfield have canceled Wednesday classes.
In East Haddam, two students who recently returned from a family [...]

WHO flu chief: Swine flu moving toward pandemic level

Associated Press
April 29, 2009, 10:48AM

GENEVA — The World Health Organization says the swine flu outbreak is moving closer to becoming a pandemic.
WHO flu chief Dr. Keiji Fukuda told reporters today that developments in the disease are moving the agency closer to raising its pandemic alert to phase 5, indicating widespread human-to-human transmission.
He said the health [...]

Egypt orders slaughter of all pigs over swine flu

By MAAMOUN YOUSSEF (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated Press
April 29, 2009 8:17 AM EDT

CAIRO – Egypt began slaughtering the roughly 300,000 pigs in the country Wednesday as a precautionary measure against the spread of swine flu even though no cases have been reported here yet, the Health Ministry said.
The move immediately provoked resistance from pig farmers. [...]

Obama on possible school closures

now on air at press conference.  (Sorry, no link – link should be available later on WH site but this is important information, so I think it should get out now).
 
President Obama:“It’s also the recommendation of our public health officials that schools with confirmed or suspected cases of H1N1 should strongly consider temporarily closing so [...]

More cases in UK

3 more cases confimed in UK
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20090429/tuk-swine-flu-more-cases-in-uk-dba1618.html

CDC Public Service Announcements

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
April 28, 2009 6:45 PM ET
Community Planning for Swine Flu
Audio
Audio – Download MP3 file
Script
Health officials are concerned about a new influenza virus of swine origin that’s spreading from person to person. Officials are acting to combat this threat, but the outbreak might grow. So be prepared.
Store a two-week supply of food and [...]

Swine flu claims first victim in US

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 11:03p.m.
US health officials say swine flu has killed a 23-month-old child in Texas, the first US death in the current outbreak and the first reported outside Mexico.
The flu death was confirmed Wednesday by Dr Richard Besser, acting director of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. In an interview with CNN, [...]

Companies mine Web clues for signs of pandemics

By JESSICA MINTZ (AP Technology Writer)
From Associated Press
April 29, 2009 1:19 AM EDT
SEATTLE – Weeks before the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization alerted the public to a growing number of swine flu cases, a startup based in Seattle’s suburbs already had a hunch something was up.
Veratect Inc., a [...]

US wants ingredient in swine flu vaccine by May

By LAURAN NEERGAARD (AP Medical Writer)
From Associated Press
April 28, 2009 5:08 PM EDT
WASHINGTON – U.S. scientists hope to have a key ingredient for a swine flu vaccine ready in early May, but are finding that the novel virus grows slowly in eggs – the chief way flu vaccines are made.
Even if all goes well, it [...]