What have we learned from the swine flu crisis that wasn't? Joan Nichols, associate director of research at the Galveston National Laboratory at the University of Texas Medical Branch, and D.A. Henderson, public health expert and co-author of "Smallpox- the Death of a Disease: The Inside Story of Eradicating a Worldwide Killer," share their differing opinions on what we did right and what went wrong.

 

It's the second day of the Hajj, the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca, in Saudi Arabia. 2 million Muslims from around the world typically make the trip; this year Saudi Government officials are predicting a 40% drop in the number of local pilgrims to Mecca this year because of fear of H1N1. We speak to the BBC's Shahzeb Jillani, from the middle of the Hajj, about the fears, precautions and facts about the spread of the flu at this year's pilgrimage.

Santas across America are asking for priority when it comes to getting vaccinated against H1N1. They say they're at high risk for contracting the flu as they deal with runny-nosed kids sitting on their laps, coughing and sneezing as they tell Santa what they want for Christmas. Ernest Berger, president and founder of Santa America, one of the largest volunteer Santa Claus organizations in the country, joins us to discuss why it is important for Santa to get vaccinated.

Later today, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, along with the CDC and other experts, will hold a briefing to update the nation on the H1N1 virus. In anticipation of the update, we speak with Dr. Peter Hotez, who chairs the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at George Washington University.

On Friday, President Obama signed a declaration elevating the H1N1 influenza outbreak to a national emergency. The declaration comes on the heels of mounting frustration with delays in vaccine production as cases continue to spread. We look at what the declaration means and what is holding up the vaccine with Peter J. Hotez, professor of microbiology at George Washington University.

The federal government has thus far not been able to make good on its promise to deliver 120 million doses of the vaccine for H1N1, commonly known as swine flu. This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that only 13 million doses have so far been delivered, leaving millions of Americans — including those at elevated risk for contracting the flu — unable to obtain it. We talk to Tom Skinner, spokesperson for the CDC, and Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former deputy commissioner at the Food and Drug Administration. They tell us why the shortage is partly a chicken and an egg problem...literally. We also speak to Alison Prange, who hasn't been able to get a vaccine for her 4-year-old daughter who has asthma.

Yesterday, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius announced that U.S. drug regulators have approved a vaccine against the H1N1 virus, commonly known as "swine flu." The U.S. government has purchased 195 million doses of the vaccine and plans to give them out for free to anyone who wants it.  We talk to an expert who says this is one of the largest medical initiatives in the history of influenza: Dr. Richard Wenzel, chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University.

In addition to free flu vaccines, the federal government is partnering with Elmo to help stop the spread of H1N1:

Researchers in the United States and Australia have some good news for the fight against the potential pandemic of H1N1, or "swine flu." Turns out that the vaccine will protect adults with only one dose (and one shot, yay!). This means that the vaccines already in production will go twice as far as previously expected, allowing more people to be inoculated against the flu. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, gives us the details.

Knock it off, Don Juan. In Spain, the health minister has asked citizens to put a stop to the traditional greeting of kisses on both cheeks, to help prevent the spread of H1N1, or "swine flu." Some schools in the U.S. are asking students to refrain from high fives and officials from France to Lebanon and Kuwait have encouraged people to limit contact. Do we really need to swap fist bumps instead of kisses to protect ourselves from the flu? Sewell Chan, from our partner the New York Times, joins us to discuss the risks in greetings.

Tomorrow, children across the country head back to school. Today, however, we’re joined by three health care professionals to talk about what school communities are doing to combat the spread of the H1N1 virus. Dr. William Schaffner is the chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine at the Vanderbilt School, Lisa Swank is a public health emergency preparedness coordinator from Maryland, and Carol Johnson is the superintendent for Boston Public Schools.

With grade schools opening across the nation, many parents are taking measures to prevent their children from catching the H1N1 flu virus. But a new study out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that children under four-years-old may actually be the safest from H1N1. To tell us why is Dr. Richard Wenzel, chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth and the former president of the International Society for Infectious Diseases.

Parents are worried about the spread of H1N1 (or swine flu) when school starts up in September. In advance of potential outbreaks, the Obama administration is finalizing guidelines that could scale back government-recommended school closings in response to outbreaks of H1N1. The goal is to keep schools open as much as possible. This fall, federal authorities will recommend closures only under "extenuating circumstances," such as if a school has many children with underlying medical conditions or if many students or staff members are already sick. For more we turn to Spencer S. Hsu, a staff writer for the Washington Post.

A Centers for Disease Control advisory panel has recommended that pregnant women get top priority for an H1N1 vaccine when it is expected to become available this fall. How is this recommendation reverberating on the frontlines? The Takeaway turns to Dr. Richard Wenzel, an epidemiologist and Chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University, who has just returned from studying the spread of the flu in South America. Also joining the conversation are Leila Laniado, an Atlanta resident who is 5 months pregnant and weighing her options, and Dr. Laura Riley, an OB/GYN at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston explains what she is telling her patients about the vaccine.

The U.S. government is seeking thousands of volunteers, from babies to the elderly, to roll up their sleeves for the first clinical trials of an H1N1 flu vaccine. The race is on to test whether a new vaccine really will protect against this virus before its expected rebound in the fall. Will the vaccines work? Will there be enough vaccines for everyone? What are the dangers of the vaccine itself? The Takeaway talks to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which will oversee the trials.

The swine flu has been out of the headlines lately, but the H1N1 virus has already infected over one million people in the United States. Federal health officials are very concerned about a pandemic when flu season ramps up in the fall. The heads of several federal agencies including Kathleen Sebelius, the head of Health and Human Services, Arne Duncan, the Secretary of Education, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, are all working to try and prevent an epidemic. Dr. Fauci joins The Takeaway with his thoughts on beating the virus.

The Center for Disease Control said on Friday that at least one million people in the U.S. have contracted the H1N1 virus known as swine flu. The Takeaway is talking to Donald McNeil, a science and health reporter for The New York Times who has been following the outbreak of H1N1 from the beginning. Zoom out on the image below to see a map of the U.S. as a whole.

H1N1, commonly known as “swine flu," has now been found in 45 states in the U.S., with over 3,300 confirmed cases across the nation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced this week that pregnant women should be treated with Tamiflu, even though the drug isn't normally recommended during pregnancy, because of the risks that the virus poses. One of the three H1N1-related deaths in the U.S. was a pregnant woman in Texas. Tim Uyecki joins us to talk about sensible protections. He’s a medical epidemiologist at the CDC who’s been shaping the center's guidelines for vulnerable populations like pregnant women and young kids.
For more of The Takeaway's coverage of H1N1, click here.

Other Flu Resources
Map: State-by-state swine flu infections (The Takeaway)
Read and listen to more about swine flu (The Takeaway)
Times Topics: Swine Flu (The New York Times)
Q&A: Swine Influenza and You (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Understanding Swine Flu (The New York Times)
Key Facts (CDC)
Swine Flu (CDC)
Swine Flu Alert Map (HealthMap.org)
Consults Blog (The New York Times)
Follow CDCemergency on Twitter

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You can't get swine flu from eating pork. (And it’s not even called swine flu anymore—technically it’s H1N1 Influenza A.) Nonetheless, the pork industry can’t be happy about having its product associated with a frightening illness, even if that association is completely imaginary. Advertising consultant Cindy Gallop (who's never actually worked for the pork industry) joins The Takeaway with her creative suggestions for resuscitating a product that's been sullied by circumstances.

Curious about the pork industry's response to the flu? Check out our conversation with Mike Faga from Iowa Select Farms, the largest pig producer in Iowa, in Pork producers push back at H1N1 fears.

In the wake of fears over the spread of so-called "swine influenza," pork prices have plummeted. In Alberta, Canada, pigs have been quarantined after catching the flu from a farm employee. In Egypt, riot police clashed with pig farmers while trying to stop farmers from slaughtering their own animals. In Iraq, three wild boars at the Baghdad zoo were slaughtered. Swine flu means bad news for pigs and pig farmers, despite loud messages from the World Health Organization and CDC that the flu is not spread by eating pork. The Takeaway talks to Mike Faga, a Human Resources Director with Iowa Select Farms, the largest pig producer in Iowa.

Looks like H1N1 virus, still more popularly known as the swine flu, is waning in Mexico. The virus has sickened at least 245 people in the U.S., and killed a young boy. So what lies ahead? Obviously no one (except maybe psychic John Edwards) knows for sure, but some disease trackers are mapping a possible course. How? Well, a computer simulation out of Northwestern University is taking inspiration from an unusual source: the dollar bill. Donald McNeil Jr, Science reporter for our partner, The New York Times, joins The Takeaway with a look at how the virus might spread in the U.S.

For more, read Donald G. McNeil Jr.'s article, Predicting Flu With the Aid of (George) Washington, in today's New York Times.