Thursday, August 6, 2009

AP: Calif. nurses protest lack of swine flu equipment

A union says some California hospitals aren't adequately protecting nurses from swine flu.

The California Nurses Association plans to protest Wednesday in San Francisco in the wake of a Sacramento nurse's swine flu death last month.

The union wants hospitals to provide better masks, equipment and protocol to protect nurses from further sickness.

The union says nurses across the state are reporting difficulties getting the masks recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and having them properly fitted to be airtight.

The protest comes less than three weeks after Sacramento nurse Karen Ann Hays died after contracting swine flu. The 51-year-old marathoner's death is the first among California health care workers related to sickness.

AP: Calif. nurses protest lack of swine flu equipment

CTV.ca | U.K. lab may have found fix for low flu vaccine yield

A British laboratory may have found a fix for the low yield problem that has been plaguing companies making swine flu vaccine.

The National Institute for Biological Standards and Control says it is ready to ship new versions of its vaccine seed strain to manufacturers as of today.

The lab's principal scientist, John Wood, says early work with the new version of the seed strain shows it generates a virus yield that's on par with what manufacturers get in seasonal flu vaccine production.

CTV.ca | U.K. lab may have found fix for low flu vaccine yield