Welcome to Medical alert
The Medical Alert Alarms Australia Page
Latest Medical Alert Alarms Australia News
Read more
Medical Alert Alarms Australia Questions asked
Resolved Question: swine flu im scard!!!!??!?!!!!?
WHO: World Closer to Swine Flu Pandemic
June 2, 2009 -- The world is "getting closer" to a full-scale swine flu pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) warns.
The official declaration of a pandemic alert -- triggered by widespread H1N1 swine flu beyond the Americas -- will come with a new severity rating, said Keiji Fukuda, WHO interim assistant director-general for health security and environment.
The WHO has been dragging its feet over declaring a worldwide pandemic to avoid causing undue alarm and to allow it time to develop specific guidance for different parts of the world.
When swine flu broke out, the world was already at phase 3 of its six-phase pandemic warning system. That was because the deadly H5N1 bird flu was infecting humans but not spreading from person to person.
When swine flu burst upon the world in April, the WHO rapidly raised its warning level from phase 4 and then to phase 5 as it became clear a flu virus new to humans was spreading easily -- and widely -- from person to person.
"Globally we believe we are at phase 5 but getting closer to phase 6," Fukuda said today at a news conference. "It is clear the virus continues to spread internationally. There are a number of countries that appear to be in transition [to widespread infections at the community level]. These countries include the U.K., Spain, Japan, Chile, and also Australia."
When the WHO finally does declare a global swine flu pandemic, it likely will rate the severity of the disease as moderate, not mild or severe.
"It is fair to call the situation moderate," Fukuda said. "We know this infection can be fatal in a number of individuals. This includes people who have some underlying medical conditions and it includes women who are pregnant -- but it also includes people who are perfectly healthy. So we do have some hesitation calling such an infection mild."
Fukuda noted that severity does not solely depend on the virulence of the virus.
"Severity is not just a quality of the virus and its ability to harm people, but a combination of that virulence and the vulnerability of populations -- how well off they are in terms of chronic conditions and poverty and malnourishment," he said. "And it's also a matter of the resilience of nations, how well they are able to cope with diseases."
Fukuda said the WHO's rating would be flexible in order to change as the pandemic becomes more or less severe.
Meanwhile, all eyes are on the Southern Hemisphere -- particularly Chile and Australia -- as swine flu hits that part of the world just as it's entering normal flu season. At this early point in their flu season, Fukuda said, nearly all flu cases appear to be swine flu and not seasonal flu.
"We will look carefully to see if the kind of illness typical of flu is seen in the Southern Hemisphere, and particularly at which age groups," Fukuda said. "Will there be a change in the number of people who develop serious illness? Will there be a change in the virus itself? We expect the virus to drift, but does that really lead to any changes in the behavior of the virus, and to the antigenicity of the virus [that would affect vaccine development]? We will be monitoring that carefully."
http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/20090602/who-world-closer-to-swine-flu-pandemic
moreResolved Question: Medical alert Alarms in Southern New South Wales Australia ?
I am trying to source information about an electronic device I can arrange for my mother to have that she can use if she needs assistance. She lives in another state to me and I am trying to make her as *safe* as possible.
I was hoping some people here might be able to advise me about how I should go about getting her one... ?
Thank-youshe lives at home and is still very active but has a few medical issues. She is not ready to move into a retirement unit ( perish the thought that I even mention that lol )thank-you thing .. will definitely give them a call
moreResolved Question: Why??????????
ON (AFP) - France is tops, and the United States dead last, in providing timely and effective healthcare to its citizens, according to a survey Tuesday of preventable deaths in 19 industrialized countries.
ADVERTISEMENT
The study by the Commonwealth Fund and published in the January/February issue of the journal Health Affairs measured developed countries' effectiveness at providing timely and effective healthcare.
The study, entitled "Measuring the Health of Nations: Updating an Earlier Analysis," was written by researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. It looked at death rates in subjects younger than 75 that could have been prevented by timely and effective medical care.
The researchers found that while most countries surveyed saw preventable deaths decline by an average of 16 percent, the United States saw only a four percent dip.
The non-profit Commonwealth Fund, which financed the study, expressed alarm at the findings.
"It is startling to see the US falling even farther behind on this crucial indicator of health system performance," said Commonwealth Fund Senior Vice President Cathy Schoen, who noted that "other countries are reducing these preventable deaths more rapidly, yet spending far less."
The 19 countries, in order of best to worst, were: France, Japan, Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Some countries showed dramatic improvement in the periods studied -- 1997 and 1998 and again between 2002 and 2003 -- outpacing the United States, which showed only slight improvement.
White the United States ranked 15th of 19 between 1997-98, by 2002-03 it had fallen to last place.
"It is notable that all countries have improved substantially except the US," said Ellen Nolte, lead author of the study.
Had the United States performed as well as any of the top three industrialized countries, there would have been 101,000 fewer deaths per year, the researchers said.
Email Story IM Story Printable View RECOMMEND THIS STORY
Recommend It:
Average (303 votes)
» Recommended Stories
Top Stories
McCain, Clinton look ahead after wins AP Bush visits Israel to push for peace AP At least 3 dead in Fla. 50-car pileup AP Stocks rebound partly from pullback AP Iranian TV: Pentagon video, audio fake AP Most Viewed: Top Stories
Clinton, McCain head to next campaign fights Reuters U.S. warns Iran of consequences of any new naval crisis Reuters Suicide bomb "mastermind" arrested in Pakistan Reuters Iran warned of "consequences" of any new naval crisis Reuters The latest tactic in Iraq: anthropology Reuters Top Stories Video
McCain Is Back ABC News - 1 hour, 13 minutes ago Obama Takes Second ABC News - 1 hour, 16 minutes ago Clinton talks about NH win CNN - 2 hours, 1 minute ago Edwards: 'Two down, 48 states to go' AP - 2 hours, 5 minutes ago
AFP/HO/File Photo: Surgeons operating at a US hospital. The United States come dead last, in providing timely... Top Stories Video
McCain Is Back
ABC News
Obama Takes Second
ABC News
» All news video
2008: YEAR IN PREVIEW
What's ahead?
Match wits with Yahoo! columnists and readers like you.
»Year in Review Elsewhere on the Web
CNN.com: Dobbs: Pundits take it in the teeth
ABC News: And They're Off! Clinton, McCain Celebrate-- Race On For Votes
USATODAY.com: Gentrification ebbs in NYC neighborhood
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS ALERTS
Get an alert when there are new stories about:
Sweden
United Kingdom
Austria
Greece
New Zealand
» More alertsOk why is the U.S is last in this survey?
when there is so much money here in the U.S. I think there is something wrong when you come in last.
I hope this is more clear of question.
more
Top Medical Alert Alarms Australia Links
| Medical alert Alarms in Southern New South Wales Australia ? ... the bus operator suppossed to first use his silent alarm to alert ... |
| Our Medical Alert Help Button will get you fast help within minutes. |
| Medical Alarm Fall Detector; Calgary Medical Alarm; Medical Alert Alarms In Australia; Medical Alert Alarms In Sydney; Seniors Medical Alarm Systems; Medical Equipment Alarm Movement |
| Medical Alert Systems allow people to stay on in their own home longer giving them independent ... Medi-Alarm The Medi-Alarm is a sophisticated emergency signaling product, which ... |
| Medical Alert Systems providing telephone based emergency alarms and Floorsafe products to make slippery surfaces safe. Managing Director Robert McClelland began Priority Call in ... |
| Australia Barbados Bulgaria Costa Rica Croatia Egypt Finland France Hong Kong Iceland ... No Charges to use Our Medical Alerts/Alarm Systems Ever ! No Monthly Fee No Contracts. |
| Texas Senior Citizens: Medical Alert Paging Systems: Alarms: Emergency ... Australia Canada China Germany India Singapore United ... Freedom Alert - Medical Alert Phone *** SPECIAL ... |