Swine Flu Watch: Health staff would refuse vaccination; Doctors’ “outrageous” pandemic fees
Study: Half of health staff would refuse swine flu shot, despite plans to vaccinate them first
About half of Hong Kong’s health workers would refuse the swine flu vaccine, new research says, a trend that experts say would likely apply worldwide.
In a study that polled 2,255 Hong Kong health workers this year, researchers found even during the height of global swine flu panic in May, less than half were willing to get vaccinated.
Most said they would pass on the swine flu shot, which is not yet available, because they were afraid of side effects and doubted how safe and effective it would be.
Full Article: here.
Special pandemic fees for doctors ‘outrageous’: nurses’ federation
It’s “outrageous” that any Canadian doctors should be negotiating extra fees for treating H1N1 flu patients during a pandemic, says the president of the Canadian Federation of Nurses.
Linda Silas said she was “stunned” to hear doctors in Alberta have negotiated a special payment rate as high as $518 an hour, in the event the provincial government is forced to declare a public health emergency over the flu pandemic. Alberta nurses, who are salaried employees of the health system, will not be offered enhanced payment.
Full Article: here.
Food and Drug Administration authorizes emergency use of swine flu test for US troops overseas
The Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday it has authorized the emergency use of a swine flu test for U.S. troops overseas, allowing the military to speed up diagnoses and treatment of a virus that could cause widespread infections again this fall.
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The authorization allows for the use of unapproved medical products or unapproved uses of approved medical products during a public health emergency, the FDA said.
The FDA said the test will help to speed up diagnosis of H1N1 infections so that deployed troops can quickly begin treatment.
Full Article: here.
Tags: h1n1, news round-up, swine flu
