swine flu

Last spring, experts thought it was possible swine flu would kill 1 out of every 100 people who got the virus.

But the death rate so far is around 1 out of every 2,000. The CDC says the number of children who've died is troublesome, however, and worries if people think the threat is over, they'll be less likely to get vaccinated.

Four and a half months after the new H1N1 swine flu virus was first found infecting people in California and Mexico, researchers are reporting that they've got a vaccine that works better than anyone expected.

Researchers say one shot appears to be strong enough to offer protection within 10 days of the shot.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

Fifty-six million kids are heading back to school this fall. It's shaping up to be a year when schools face more demands with fewer resources.

We have three reports on the challenges confronting schools this year. Jennifer Wing of member station KPLU reports reports on the Seattle School District's 34 million dollar deficit.

NPR's Greg Allen reports on what school officials in the Miami-Dade system will do when money from the economic stimulus package runs out.

A New Zealand woman offered a novel defense against drunk-driving charges. She said the wine she'd had was more potent because she was getting over swine flu.

The judge rejected the defense. And in Colorado Springs, Colo., two armed robbers were foiled. They walked up to a McDonald's drive-through window — waving a gun and demanding cash.

The employees simply closed the window.

The swine flu panic has faded, but the damage could be lasting to Mexico's tourism industry. Millions of dollars of have been lost from the country's third largest source of revenue.

The Caribbean resort of Cancun has been particularly hard hit, with 22 hotels closed and about 10,000 workers furloughed.

» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

In the wake of the worldwide swine flu outbreak, experts from across The University of Texas at Austin are available to comment on many aspects of viral infections, such as viral gene replication, the communication challenges the local and national health agencies are likely to face and more.

Health Communication LeeAnn Kahlor, assistant professor, Department of Advertising 512-471-8498 kahlor [at] mail [dot] utexas [dot] edu Kahlor [...]