• http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/whatsnew.htm

Information for individuals and parents on Pandemic H1N1 Influenza Virus

• http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/sick.htm
  
• http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/parents.htm
  
• http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/talkingtokids.htm
  
• http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/hiv_flu.htm

Travel notices related to Pandemic H1N1 Influenza Virus:

• http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/

Information on Pandemic H1N1 Influenza Virus and pork:

• http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/key_facts.htm
  
• http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/pdf/brochure.pdf
  
• http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2009/h1n1_20090430/en/index.html

Resources and Information in Spanish:

• http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/espanol/influenza-porcina-info-general.htm
  
• http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/espanol/psa/

Resources in other languages:
In addition to English and Spanish, several of CDC’s novel Influenza A (H1N1) resources are now also available in Arabic, French, Russian, and simplified Chinese.  The materials can be accessed in these languages through the sidebar on the right at:

• http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/key_facts.htm
  
• http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/qa.htm

CDC: H1N1 (Swine Flu) Resources for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

CDC has developed resources on novel Influenza A (H1N1) for the deaf and hard of hearing at: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/deaf.htm.  The resources include a sign language hand washing video and a public service announcement on Pandemic H1N1 Influenza Virus.

New Novel Influenza A (H1N1) MMWR Publication
The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) published an article, "Update: Novel Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Infection --- Mexico, March--May, 2009."  The article (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5821a2.htm?s_cid=mm5821a2_e) provides an update on Pandemic H1N1 Influenza Virus in Mexico and summarizes public health actions taken to date by Mexico to monitor and control the outbreak.

How does Pandemic H1N1 Influenza Virus compare to seasonal flu in terms of its severity and infection rates?
CDC is still learning about the severity of the Pandemic H1N1 Influenza Virus. At this time, there is not enough information to predict with certainty how severe this Pandemic H1N1 Influenza Virus outbreak will be in terms of illness and death over the full course of this flu season, how it will compare with seasonal influenza, and whether this will change if this same virus infects large numbers in the fall.  With seasonal flu, we know that seasons vary in terms of timing, duration and severity. Seasonal influenza can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. Each year, in the United States, on average 36,000 people die from flu-related complications and more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu-related causes. Of those hospitalized, 20,000 are children younger than 5 years old. Over 90% of deaths and about 60 percent of hospitalization occur in people older than 65.

With H1N1, confirmed cases have predominated among the young. There have been 2,228 hospitalizations and 87 deaths, with the median age of death at 31.5 years. Pregnancy and other previously recognized high risk medical conditions from seasonal influenza appear to be associated with increased risk of complications from this novel H1N1.

Guidance Documents

CDC has and continues to develop a number of guidance documents related to novel Influenza A (H1N1). The documents target a variety of clinical, professional, and individual audiences. The guidance documents are regularly updated as CDC continues to learn more about novel Influenza A (H1N1). All current guidance documents are available at: Novel Influenza A (H1N1) Guidance. Guidance documents include:

Epidemiology and Surveillance

• Case Definitions for Investigations of Cases
  
• Screening in Regions with Few or no Reported Cases

Clinician Guidance

• Identifying and Caring For Patients
  
• Antiviral Recommendations
  
• Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) of Medical Products
  
• Clinical Data Collection Forms and Templates
• Interim guidance for use of 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine during novel influenza A (H1N1) outbreak

Clinician Guidance for Specific Audiences

• Patients With Cardiovascular Disease.
  
• HIV-Infected Adults and Adolescents
  
• Pregnant Women.
  
• Young Children
  
• Interim Guidance for Correctional and Detention Facilities on Novel Influenza A (H1N1) Virus

Infection Control

• Post-mortem Care and Safe Autopsy Procedures for Novel H1N1 Influenza
• Infection Control for Patients In a Healthcare Setting
  
• Biosafety Guidelines for Lab Workers
  
• Infection Control in Outpatient Hemodialysis Centers
• Interim Guidance for Homeless and Emergency Shelters on the Novel Influenza A (H1N1) Virus New

Laboratory Testing

• Specimen Collection, Processing, and Testing for Suspected Infection
  
• Use of Rapid Influenza Diagnostic Tests
  
• Submission of Tissue Specimens for the Pathologic Evaluation
  
• Protocol for Antiviral Susceptibility Testing by Pyrosequencing
  
• Sequencing Primers and Protocol
  
• CDC Protocol of Realtime RTPCR for Swine Influenza A(H1N1)
  
• DSAT Guidance on CDC Import Permits for Swine-Originated Flu

Useful resources

1. A public service announcement to provide information and guidance for recent fraudulent activity surrounding ads for flu remedies. Visit http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/psa/consumerfraud.htm to listen to the announcement.

2. A PowerPoint presentation to provide general information about H1N1 flu to employees, constituents and other partners is available at http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/business/.

FDA, FTC Warn Public of Fraudulent 2009 H1N1 Influenza Products The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission are alerting the public to be wary of Internet sites and other promotions for products that claim to diagnose, prevent, mitigate, treat or cure the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus. The agencies are also advising operators of offending web sites that they must take prompt action to correct and/or remove promotions of these fraudulent products or face enforcement action. Visit http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm166801.htm to learn more.

Guidance for Patients

• Patients With Cardiovascular Disease
  
• Caring for a Sick Person in Your Home

Guidance for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women

• Breastfeeding Your Baby: What Parents Should Know
  
• Information for Pregnant Women in Education, Child Care, and Health Care
  
• What Pregnant Women Should Know About H1N1 (formerly called swine flu) Virus

Workplace Guidance

• General Business and Workplace Guidance for Prevention in Workers

Emergency Personnel Guidance

• EMS and 9-1-1 Personnel:Managing Confirmed or Suspected Infections

Guidance for Community Settings

• Public Gatherings
  
• Facemask and Respirator Use

Guidance for Schools, Colleges and University

• Update on School (K – 12) and Child Care Programs
  
• Interim Guidance for Institutions of Higher Education
• Interim CDC Guidance on Day and Residential Camps

Travel & Travel Industry Guidance

• Guidance for Cruise Ships
  
• Flight Crews Arriving from Affected Areas
  
• Identifying Passengers Who May Have Swine Influenza

PSA for Children

• New Audio Public Service Announcement (PSA) for Kids

How does CDC conduct influenza surveillance?
The Epidemiology and Prevention Branch in the Influenza Division at CDC collects, compiles and analyzes information on influenza activity year round in the United States and produces a weekly report from October through mid-May. The U.S. influenza surveillance system is a collaborative effort between CDC and its many partners in state and local health departments, public health and clinical laboratories, vital statistics offices, healthcare providers, clinics and emergency departments. Information in five categories is collected from nine different data sources.

• Viral Surveillance — About 80 U.S. World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Laboratories and 70 National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System (NREVSS) laboratories, located throughout the United States, participate in virologic surveillance for influenza. All state public health laboratories participate as WHO collaborating laboratories along with some county public health laboratories and some large tertiary care or academic medical centers. Most NREVSS laboratories participating in influenza surveillance are hospital laboratories. In 2007, human infection with a novel influenza A virus became a nationally notifiable condition. The 2009 influenza A (H1N1) virus is a novel virus. Novel influenza A virus infections include all human infections with influenza A viruses that are different from currently circulating human influenza H1 and H3 viruses.
  
• Outpatient Illness Surveillance — Information on patient visits to health care providers for influenza-like illness is collected through the U.S. Outpatient Influenza-like Illness Surveillance Network (ILINet).
  
• Mortality Surveillance — Rapid tracking of influenza-associated deaths is done through two systems:
  • 122 Cities Mortality Reporting System. Each week, the vital statistics offices of 122 cities report the total number of death certificates received and the number of those for which pneumonia or influenza was listed as the underlying or contributing cause of death by age group. The percentage of all deaths due to pneumonia and influenza (P&I) are compared with a seasonal baseline and epidemic threshold value calculated for each week.
    
  • Surveillance for Influenza-associated Pediatric Mortality. Influenza-associated deaths in children (persons less than 18 years) was added as a nationally notifiable condition in 2004. Laboratory-confirmed influenza-associated deaths in children are reported through the Nationally Notifiable Disease Surveillance System.
• Hospitalization Surveillance — Two systems monitor hospitalizations with laboratory confirmed influenza infections.
  • Emerging Infections Program (EIP). The EIP Influenza Project conducts surveillance for laboratory-confirmed influenza related hospitalizations in children (persons less than 18 years) and adults in 60 counties covering 12 metropolitan areas of 10 states (San Francisco CA, Denver CO, New Haven CT, Atlanta GA, Baltimore MD, Minneapolis/St. Paul MN, Albuquerque NM, Las Cruces, NM, Albany NY, Rochester NY, Portland OR, and Nashville TN).
    
  • New Vaccine Surveillance Network (NVSN). The New Vaccine Surveillance Network (NVSN) provides population-based estimates of laboratory-confirmed influenza hospitalization rates for children less than 5 years old residing in three counties: Hamilton County OH, Davidson County TN, and Monroe County NY.
• Summary of the Geographic Spread of Influenza — State health departments report the estimated level of spread of influenza activity in their states each week through the State and Territorial Epidemiologists Reports. States report influenza activity as no activity, sporadic, local, regional, or widespread.
  

For a more detailed explanation of these influenza surveillance systems visit: Flu Activity and Surveillance

Travel

As the summer travel season begins, CDC recognizes that both you and your constituents are concerned about the possible impact of flu on travel plans.  At this time, CDC is not recommending exit screening of travelers, but is encouraging people who are feeling ill to defer their travel plans until they are well.

CDC is continuing to develop updated travel guidance and resources for business and recreational travelers.  Please go to www.cdc.gov/travel for more information, and check back at this site, or call 1-800-CDC-INFO, for more information about healthy and safe travel.

Where to Find Updates

CDC is committed to ensuring Congress, public health partners, the media, and the public are able to obtain up-to-date and accurate information regarding the human Pandemic H1N1 Influenza Virus cases and CDC’s related activities. CDC is providing daily updates on our Web site. For more information regarding CDC’s novel Influenza A (H1N1) activities, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/.

CDC also maintains a presence online using social media (www.cdc.gov/socialmedia) to provide H1N1 flu-related information when, where and how Americans want it. Ongoing social media activities include: posting information to CDC Facebook, MySpace, and DailyStrength social networking profiles; posting videos and podcasts to the CDC YouTube Channel; reaching out to blog writers to ensure credible information is being shared in blogs; sending email updates to users who have subscribed to receive information about the flu; developing widgets so that CDC flu information can be posted on other Web sites and blogs; and providing updated information to mobile phones.

Congressional offices can point constituents to these interactive tools to get information, including:

• Signing up for email updates, RSS feeds, or Twitter to getting alerts about updated H1N! Flu information on CDC.gov
• Listening to podcasts and subscribing to podcast series on Flu information
• Watching videos on Flu and tips for prevention on CDC TV and CDC's YouTube channel
• Visiting any of CDC's social networks: Facebook, MySpace, or DailyStrength
• Adding a widget and/or a Web image to your Web page or personal blog

In addition, the World Health Organization (WHO) has additional information on the global situation at: http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html. Many state health departments are adding or updating information on novel Influenza A (H1N1) flu on their Web sites. A full list of state health departments and their contact information is available at http://www.astho.org/Programs/Infectious-Disease/H1N1/ under State H1N1 Information.

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