# 4194
Continuing an experiment today.
Since the holidays are upon us and the number of news stories is relatively low, for the next few weeks I will attempt to do a weekly recap of some of the biggest stories, the best blog posts, and most interesting information from Flublogia each Sunday or Monday Morning.
This will be a subjective list of things that caught my eye, and is by no means intended to recap all of the news reports or mention every worthy blog post out there. It is more of a sampling.
My apologies for the good stories I may miss. In no particularly order . . .
On Vincent Racaniello’s Virology Blog we get an assessment of the efficacy of Tamiflu in the wake of a BMJ article (see BMJ: A Review Of Tamiflu’s Efficacy Against Seasonal Influenza) questioning its usefulness.
In Influenza neuraminidase inhibitors work, Professor Racaniello gives us the results of a human study published nearly a decade ago that support the usefulness of the drug against influenza.
Also from Vincent Racaniello, the 63rd installment of TWiV (This week in Virology) Podcast. A fascinating stroll through the world of virology each week. Highly recommended for disease geeks everywhere.
From the Reveres at Effect Measure a pair of flu-related blogs to note. First, an excellent overview of the the experimental antiviral being tested in Japan called T-705 – which while still a long way from being on your pharmacy shelves – shows serious promise.
In A new front line drug for flu in the offing? Revere gives us a good deal of background information on drug which is about to begin human trials.
Also, in CDC's 2009 flu wrap up presser Revere takes a look at the CDC’s last flu press conference, and looks ahead to what might happen this spring.
Maryn McKenna, on her Superbug Blog, makes an important appeal to her readers to help support ProMed Mail, something I heartily endorse as well. In A plea, and not for me: Support ProMED she reminds us of the important – donation supported – work done 24/7 by the editors of ProMail Med.
We are all eagerly awaiting the publication of Maryn’s new book Superbug: The Fatal Menace of MRSA (Hardcover) in March. In the meantime, her excellent MRSA blog Superbug is now available on Kindle.
CIDRAP News provides excellent coverage and analysis of H1N1 and other disease news, and Mayrn McKenna’s report H1N1 poses grave risk to pregnant women, new moms is a perfect example. You’ll find additional terrific reporting from CIDRAP by Lisa Schnirring and Robert Roos.
Crof over at Crofsblog, not only keeps the best tabs on the daily news of the pandemic (along with other flu issues), but also writes terrific commentary from time to time as well. His Blogging H1N1: Lessons so far is a prime example.
Crof may be the hardest working blogger in FluBlogia, and his translations of Spanish Language articles from Mexico and South America are our best window into what is going on in that part of the world.
Chen Qi continues to provide a terrific newspaper-style blog of Flu and Emerging Infectious disease news. One of the most readable sources of information – gleaned from all over the world – on the next.
As a blogger, I am highly dependent upon journalists who cover the `flu beat’, and while there are many excellent reporters out there, two probably show up on these pages more than any others.
Helen Branswell of the Canadian Press and Maggie Fox of Reuters.
Why? Because they understand the science, and I trust them to get the story right.
A few examples of the reports these two reporters have recently filed, all of which I used as fodder for this blog.
H1N1 flu virus voted top news story of 2009 in Canadian Press survey - Branswell
Experts say pandemic could have a silver lining if it knocks out other viruses – Branswell
Other viruses abound in U.S. flu season, tests show - Fox
New Japanese flu drug protects mice from avian flu – Fox
My thanks to both of you, and to many of your colleagues, for the hard work you are doing getting the latest pandemic information out.
Now is a good time to remind my readers that agencies like the Red Cross, Red Crescent, CARE, Save The Children, The H2P Project, UNICEF, and others are working around the world every day to combat poverty and disease, and are on the front lines every day.
They could use your support.
These NGO’s do a great deal with very little, and even small donations can help make a difference. You can find their websites and blogs in my sidebar.
I am somewhat chagrined to admit that it has only been recently that I’ve become a regular visitor to Mystery Rays From Outer Space, a fascinating blog by assistant professor of immunology and virology at Michigan State University, Ian York, Ph. D.
I am thoroughly enjoying going through the Mystery Rays archives, while wondering how I could have gone this long without discovering this resource.
As always, I am heavily reliant on the newshounds on the flu forums (I frequent Flu Wiki and FluTrackers) which continue to provide the best stream of raw news and information on emerging infectious diseases from around the world.
As for my own blogging over this past short holiday week, in addition to covering influenza and disease news, a few of my more in-depth blogs included:
Another H9 Report From Hong Kong
Cytokine Storm Warnings
Enough To Make You ILI
US: Dog Tests Positive For H1N1
All of this represents just a sampling of this week in Flublogia. As you can see, this is a collaborative effort. No one reporter, blogger, or flu forum could cover it all.
Hopefully this recap will highlight some of the stories you may have missed over the past week.
There are a lot of terrific bloggers, flu forums, agencies, and organizations from around the world who contribute to Flublogia each and every week.
You can find a lot of them in my sidebar.
It is worth the time to explore these resources, and go back through their archives, looking for dusty, but no-less-valuable gems of writing.
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