As you know, H1N1 dominates the news – cases are being seen in new locations, and the tallies are increasing. You have probably heard that CDC estimates 1 million Americans could now have been infected with the virus, and in all countries the age of those affected is on the young side (average age estimated in the US population is 12 years).
Book Recommendation: The Coming Plague by Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Laurie Garrett.
A worry also surfacing in the news, but well-known to those in local health – how do we get people vaccinated for seasonal flu as well as the novel H1N1? With a possible 4 flu shots for seasonal first-timers, the logistics get serious, especially considering staff cutbacks nearly across the board in state and local health departments. In addition, recommendations for who will get the H1N1 vaccine have not yet been determined, but they could vary from the recommendations for who gets the seasonal vaccine, adding to the difficult logistics and public communications challenges.
But, alas, I would like to get you thinking about something other than influenza. In our Module 2 Live Meeting, we discussed dengue. Because you already have access to details about this, this week’s disease of the week lists viral hemorrhagic fevers – these guys are always interesting. I wanted to bring to your attention one of this year’s Dengue outbreaks.
Book Recommendation: Virus Hunter by CDC great CJ Peters
Sri Lanka officials report a dengue outbreak has affected over 11,000. A large concern is that dengue-3 is currently circulating, whereas dengue-1 and -2 are the strains more typically seen. As we discussed in the live meeting, with dengue re-infection with a different strain can cause the disease to be worse. See this ProMed posting (#9 in the list) to read more about officials’ concerns in May. Currently, as health officials try to control dengue breeding places, they are requiring police assistance. Apparently some local citizens do not appreciate being told to dump out standing water sources. The Sri Lanka Daily News reports that the number of cases at the end of June is several times the number of cases normally expected for this time of year.
Hello picada,
I was scrolling through your blog posting and notice a familar book I read over 12 years ago when I was in college “The Coming Plague.” It gave a great overview of the HIV/AIDS spread and remember thinking it seemed a little overboard. However with SARs, H1N1, overcrowding, etc…. I might have to revisit this book. The other book you posted looks quite interesting.
Thanks!
Todd
Let me suggest a couple new epi books that I just received as gifts to add to my “epi bookshelf”:
1) Dread: How Fear and Fantasy Have Fueled Epidemics from the Black Death to Avian Flu, by Philip Alcabes
2) The Lassa Ward: One Man’s Fight Against One of the World’s Deadliest Diseases, by Ross I. Donaldson
There’s nothing like curling up on the porch or in a beach chair on a hot summer’s day to read some great disease books (when I’ve finished TA-ing, of course!), right?
Thanks Pam… these books sound pretty interesting…especially the 1st one!