Word: viruses
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...influenza virus has only eight genes--far fewer than the estimated 25,000 that human beings possess--but its simplicity hasn't stopped it from wreaking havoc on humanity for centuries. Even today, with vaccines and antivirals, normal seasonal influenza kills some 36,000 Americans each year. And every once in a while, it gets much worse. When new flu viruses arise and begin spreading easily, they can trigger global pandemics. Sometimes they're relatively mild, like the pandemics of 1957 and '68. But sometimes they can be as catastrophic as the Spanish flu of 1918, which killed as many...
...officials said the H1N1 vaccine, which is still in development, appears to be a good match to the virus so far; the shot is currently in the human-testing phase but probably won't be available until mid-October at the earliest. Officials have not yet determined whether a vaccination program will be necessary, but if it is, schools may become a center for administering shots to students, who were identified by the CDC last week as one of the first target groups for vaccination, along with pregnant women and those living in households with infants younger than six months...
...fever-reducing medication). Previous guidelines, issued during the height of the outbreak, suggested that kids stay home for seven days after the onset of the first flu symptoms. "This recommendation is based on new information from studies both in the lab and person-to-person on how the virus spreads," said the CDC's Frieden. "This is a shorter period, and it's more practical...
...said. "The fundamental point from the end of last spring and now is the same - it's a local decision," said Frieden. "Now it's more clear to us than before that there are relatively rare times where it makes sense to close a school just because a virus is present...
...children younger than kindergarten age; those recommendations will be issued Aug. 23, officials said. In the meantime, CDC experts are closely monitoring the march of H1N1 through the southern hemisphere, in Australia and in South America as well as in the U.S. So far, data show that the virus is having about the same health impact as seasonal flu, which still causes about 30,000 deaths each year. And, as Sebelius noted, "Typically parents do not keep their children home if their classmates come down with the flu." That's worth remembering this fall, as the school year gets under...