Swine flu
The Elderly Advantage in Fighting Flu
The 2009 H1N1 pandemic, better known as the season of swine flu, was not like other flu seasons of recent vintage. A typical seasonal strain of influenza is most deadly at the extremities of age, with the highest mortality rates in the very young and very old. One of the reasons why experts were concerned […]
H1N1: A Flu Villain Becomes a Hero?
Two years ago, fear about the the novel H1N1 flu strain spread far more quickly than the virus itself, fueled by equal parts scientific concern about its resemblance to the deadly 1918 flu and media hysteria. In those early days, with a vaccine still months away, scientists were working quickly to develop protections and treatments […]
The 2010-11 Influenza Season Preview
Until last year, the advent of the new influenza season was a pretty routine event on the health care calendar. Around October, people would be urged to receive vaccinations against the viral strains expected to plague North America in the coming months, with young children and older adults encouraged more strongly to get their annual […]
2010 BIO Conference – Wednesday
This is the third day of our coverage of the 2010 BIO International Convention, a massive biotechnology conference being held this week at McCormick Place in Chicago. Come back all day for reports from panels, lectures, and the exhibit floor on how scientists, government leaders, and industry hope to use the combined forces of science […]
Linkage 4/23: Bill Gates & Swine Flu’s Birthday
A College Dropout Returns to Campus The per capita income of Hyde Park experienced a brief spike on Tuesday as Microsoft founder/billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates paid a campus visit as part of his three-day college tour. After meeting with students and professors – including a walk-and-chat with Kevin White, pictured at left – Gates spoke […]
Getting the Jump on the Next Bird Flu
The scenario played out last spring when “swine flu” suddenly became a household name. As public health agencies sprung emergency policies into place, scientists set about tracing the new H1N1 virus back to its source, following it from person to person and eventually to the animals where it originated. Understanding how the virus’ genes mutated […]
Linkage 12/17: Around the Quad and Holiday Risk Factors
Hyde Park Research Flurries There’s been a lot of great research around the University of Chicago this week that hasn’t fallen into our territory at the Medical Center. Not that we’re jealous – we had cancer-fighting nanodiscs and sharp-toothed dinosaurs, after all! But in case you missed these stories from other departments around campus, here’s […]
Linkage: Animal Weirdness, Hubble’s Return and Follow-ups
Our weekly roundup of science news from around the world that doesn’t easily fit anywhere else. Wild Kingdom Gets Weirder If you’re a fan of weird animal stories, this was a week for you. First, there was the discovery of a never-before-seen giant rat and about 40 other unidentified species by a group of British […]
Linkage: “Swine Flu” Special
With the weather cooling and the kids back in school, the media coverage of the H1N1 flu – last spring’s “swine flu” – is building back to a fever pitch, if you’ll pardon the pun. As expected, colleges immediately found themselves dealing with campus outbreaks, and elementary and high schools have also already seen flu […]
Who Gets Dibs on H1N1 Vaccines?
Much of the latest news on the H1N1 virus, colloquially known as swine flu, indicates that the next flu season has the potential to be unusually rough. In some ways the last flu season never really ended; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that 20 states are still seeing widespread or regional flu […]
