The Buzz: Ramping Up for Fall H1N1 Explosion

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Though reported Swine Flu cases have dwindled over the summer months, the Centers for Disease Control warns that a full-blown pandemic is on the horizon as fall inaugurates the 2009-2010 Flu Season, mirroring the progression of the 1918 Spanish Influenza. Now, with the advent of vaccines and medical technologies, as well as improved personal and public hygiene, communities are better equipped to control the spread of infectious disease. As the nation waits for the release of the H1N1 vaccine, ScienceBloggers weigh in on the implications, applications, and ethics of preventing, tracking, and controlling disease. Respectful Insolence discusses both the World Health Organization's vehement dismissal of homeopathic remedies in health care, as well as the rise of infectious diseases as vaccination rates fall. On A Blog Around the Clock, technology and medicine meet in PLoS Currents: Influenza, a "Google Knol hosted collection of rapid communications about the swine flu." Mike the Mad Biologist gets back to basics, discussing personal hygiene and easy flu etiquette such as "not spraying your snot hither and yon."

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