(Sun, 28 Feb 2010 14:47:00 +0000)
# 4391
It’s been several weeks since my last recap of stories from in and around Flublogia (along with other science blogs), so this quiet Sunday morning seems an ideal time to catch up.
As always, this is a subjective list of things that I found of interest, and by no means mentions every worthy blog post out there.
With influenza on the decline in North America and around the world, much of the focus of Flublogia has shifted away from `breaking news’ to a review of what we’ve learned, or are learning, from this pandemic.
You’ll also find a rise in coverage of other EIDs (Emerging Infectious Diseases).
My apologies for the good stories I may miss. So, with that said, in no particularly order . . .
CIDRAP has a long history of providing in depth coverage of EIDs and other pathogenic threats. Their frequently updated Novel H1N1 Influenza (Swine Flu) overview is a resource I use on a regular basis.
CIDRAP News coverage is second to none, with terrific reporting by editor Robert Roos, staff writer Lisa Schnirring, and contributing writer Maryn McKenna.
A few recent examples include:
Hong Kong reports swine-pandemic flu reassortant
Emergency departments see rise in flu-like illness
Study yields highly pathogenic avian, human flu virus mix
Updated review questions benefits of flu vaccine in elderly
If CIDRAP News isn’t among your daily internet stops (they update weekdays - usually late afternoon/early evening EST), it should be.
While H1N1 may be declining, H5N1 bird flu reports have been on the rise, with both human and poultry infections reported in places like Indonesia, Vietnam, and Egypt.
Often, we get our first glimpse of these cases from the flu forum newshounds who work diligently each and every day, combing through foreign language media for these sorts of reports.
This is exacting (and sometimes exhausting) work, and it requires both dedication and skill. You’ll find a tribute to these volunteers in my essay: Newshounds: They Cover The Pandemic Front.
I won’t attempt to name them all, but the four whose names seem to be showing up the most in this blog over the past few weeks are; Ironorehopper, Dutchy, Ida at BFIC, and Commonground of Pandemic Information News.
My thanks to them, and to all of the other newshounds.
Sharon Sanders, editor of FluTrackers conducted another in her series of high profile radio interviews last week, this time with Gregory Härtl, spokesperson for the World Health Organization.
If you missed the broadcast, the show is archived here.
My buddy Scott McPherson doesn’t blog as often as most of us would like, but when he does it is invariably an informative, and always entertaining, read. You’ll find three new blogs this month on his website.
The countdown to the release of Maryn McKenna’s new book SUPERBUG: The Fatal Menace of MRSA continues, with the big day just over 3 weeks away.
Meanwhile, Maryn continues to update us on emerging antibiotic resistant pathogens via her Superbug blog, with several stories that showcased the reports from CBS Evening News with Katie Couric on the use of antibiotics on the farm.
Revere at Effect Measure is drowning writing a grant proposal, but still manages to come up for air on occasion. Recently Revere looked at the issue of pre-existing conditions and pandemic influenza in Bad flu and underlying medical conditions.
Crof over at Crofsblog, is using his Spanish language skills to track emerging infectious diseases in Central and South America, along with his usual terrific coverage of influenza. You’ll find some of the best coverage of Dengue, Malaria, and other diseases on his blog.
Ian York on his Mystery Rays blog continues to fascinate with his historical look back at disease outbreaks of the past, including his recent look at yellow fever (The deadliest, most awe-inspiring of the Plagues ).
Prior to that Ian looked at the complex issues of virulence and transmission in an intriguing look at Rabbits, virulence, history, and connections .
On the flu front, York `did the math’ and came up with a reasonable approximation on the level of herd immunity we likely have in the United States to novel H1N1 in How many Americans are immune to H1N1?
Paul over at Chen Qi continues to publish – in newspaper format – a terrific daily roundup of disease and disaster news.
Vincent Racaniello at the Virology Blog continues with his series of college virology lectures (#10 is now posted), along with his TWiV and TWiP podcasts.
And of course, the flu forums (I visit Flu Wiki and FluTrackers on a daily basis) continue to provide a font of information.
A sampling of some of my own offerings would include:
Hopefully this roundup will point you towards an article, or perhaps a resource, you may have missed in the past.
