Flu Watch News.com

California is facing what could be the state’s biggest outbreak of pertussis since 1958, according to its top public health official. Dr. Mark Horton, director of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) said, “Whooping cough is now an epidemic in California,” “Children should be vaccinated against the disease and parents, family members and [...]

An outbreak of food-borne illness linked to romaine lettuce has spread to four states and sickened at least 23 people, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. People in four states have been sickened in Tennessee,Michigan, Ohio and New York.

Multistate Outbreak of Human E. coli O145 Infections Linked to Shredded Romaine Lettuce from a Single Processing Facility. As of May 5, 2010, a total of 19 confirmed and 10 probable cases related to this outbreak have been reported from 3 states since March 1, 2010. The number of ill persons identified in each state [...]

Five patients diagnosed with Tamiflu-resistant swine flu at a Welsh hospital could be the world’s first cases of person-to-person transmission of the strain. A British Department of Health spokeswoman said: “Examples of Tamiflu resistance are very rare, but when this does occur it has often been among these especially vulnerable patients. In other words, because [...]

Several state health departments, CDC, and the United States Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) are investigating a multi-state outbreak of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infections. The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) updated the list of retail stores who may have received contaminated ground beef.

Demand for hand sanitizer has gone through the roof since the first cases of swine flu broke out earlier this year, and some makers of the germ-fighting gels are scrambling to keep up. read more

Story from CNN Video

Imagine you’re a critical care specialist, and you’ve just been paged to the hospital room of a 28-year-old patient with swine flu symptoms and shortness of breath. Donning a gown and gloves is second nature. But should you cover your nose and mouth? If so, what should you use? The best answer that public health experts [...]

San Francisco Chronicle   The CDC characterized this as “very unusual” for September. In Marin, emergency room visits for the week of Sept. 13 at some area hospitals, jumped over 3% … full story  

The H1N1 flu virus could cause up to 90,000 U.S. deaths, mainly among children and young adults, if it resurges this fall as expected, according to a report released Monday by a presidential advisory panel. read more http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/08/24/us.swine.flu….