http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Amid concerns about a pandemic of swine flu, researchers from Nebraska report for the first time that poultry carcasses infected with another threat — the 'bird flu' virus — can remain infectious in municipal landfills for almost 2 years. Their report is scheduled for the June 15 issue of ACS’ semi-monthly journal Environmental Science & Technology. http://phys.org/news162666620.html Medicine & Health Wed, 27 May 2009 18:10:40 EST news162666620 (AP) -- Inching closer to a swine flu vaccine, the government is beginning to analyze two candidates for the key ingredient to brew one. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hopes to deliver one or both to vaccine manufacturers by the end of next week so they can begin the months-long process of producing shots. http://phys.org/news162232504.html Medicine & Health Fri, 22 May 2009 17:36:28 EST news162232504 Singapore scientists report an evolutionary analysis of a critical protein produced by the 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus strain in Biology Direct journal's May 20 issue. http://phys.org/news162211487.html Chemistry Fri, 22 May 2009 11:45:29 EST news162211487 (AP) -- New test results show what scientists have suspected - people in their 60's and older have greater immunity to the new swine flu virus. http://phys.org/news162129179.html Medicine & Health Thu, 21 May 2009 12:53:17 EST news162129179 (AP) -- No one has identified ground zero in the swine flu epidemic. Just where or when the new strain of influenza first jumped from a pig and began infecting people is a scientific mystery - one that a group of flu detectives is determined to solve. http://phys.org/news162110152.html Medicine & Health Thu, 21 May 2009 07:36:21 EST news162110152 (AP) -- In scores of schools across the United States, the mop has been the weapon of choice in the fight against swine flu. Schools from New York to California have spent days disinfecting desks and tables after cases of the virus turned up. But health experts say those cleanings probably do little to control the spread of the disease. http://phys.org/news162063986.html Medicine & Health Wed, 20 May 2009 18:47:05 EST news162063986 Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) have identified a critical molecular mechanism that allows the influenza virus to evade the body's immune response system. http://phys.org/news162056670.html Biology Wed, 20 May 2009 16:44:55 EST news162056670 Those travelling abroad should take seriously advice to pack their condoms and keep their needles to themselves: research published today in the open access journal Retrovirology shows that tourists, travellers and migrants from Greece, Portugal, Serbia and Spain actively export HIV-1 subtype B to other European nations. http://phys.org/news162033302.html Medicine & Health Wed, 20 May 2009 10:15:48 EST news162033302 (PhysOrg.com) -- What happens if the next big influenza mutation proves resistant to the available anti-viral drugs? This question is presenting itself right now to scientists and health officials this week at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, as they continue to do battle with H1N1, the so-called swine flu, and prepare for the next iteration of the ever-changing flu virus. http://phys.org/news161959308.html Chemistry Tue, 19 May 2009 13:42:11 EST news161959308 (AP) -- The chief of the World Health Organization says she is not raising the world swine flu alert level just yet. http://phys.org/news161869706.html Medicine & Health Mon, 18 May 2009 12:48:52 EST news161869706 Japan's number of confirmed swine flu cases soared to 93 at the weekend, officials said late Sunday, as senior health officials gathered in Geneva for talks on containing the spread of the virus. http://phys.org/news161788650.html Medicine & Health Sun, 17 May 2009 14:18:12 EST news161788650 (AP) -- Health experts are looking very closely at the spread of swine flu among people in Spain, Britain and Japan, a WHO official said Sunday as Japan reported a one-day explosion of over 70 new cases, mostly among teenagers. http://phys.org/news161786401.html Medicine & Health Sun, 17 May 2009 13:40:35 EST news161786401 A team of Princeton University scientists may have found a better way to make a vaccine against the flu virus. http://phys.org/news161365680.html Medicine & Health Tue, 12 May 2009 16:48:33 EST news161365680 (AP) -- The swine flu virus spread to more countries Tuesday, and scientists said the official numbers represent only a fraction of the many thousands of people sickened around the world. At the center of the epidemic, health officials said the worst is over despite more deaths. http://phys.org/news161345528.html Medicine & Health Tue, 12 May 2009 11:12:34 EST news161345528 (PhysOrg.com) -- International alarm about swine flu is ebbing as the virus has proven far less virulent than was feared. But important questions and concerns remain about the new flu strain and its potential to wreak havoc around the world. http://phys.org/news161030944.html Medicine & Health Fri, 08 May 2009 19:49:31 EST news161030944 (AP) -- People hospitalized in the United States for swine flu are turning out to be younger than is typical for regular flu. http://phys.org/news160843290.html Medicine & Health Wed, 06 May 2009 15:42:05 EST news160843290 (AP) -- Mexican health officials say that testing of backlogged cases has increased the confirmed swine flu death toll from 31 to 42. That includes three new deaths in the past two days. http://phys.org/news160824653.html Medicine & Health Wed, 06 May 2009 10:53:04 EST news160824653 US health officials confirmed the first death of a US citizen from swine flu Tuesday and announced a spike in the number of confirmed cases, but assured there was no cause for alarm. http://phys.org/news160766359.html Medicine & Health Tue, 05 May 2009 18:19:42 EST news160766359 (AP) -- U.S. health officials are no longer recommending that schools close because of swine flu. http://phys.org/news160750967.html Medicine & Health Tue, 05 May 2009 14:04:28 EST news160750967 (AP) -- A leading U.S. health expert said Monday that while "there are encouraging signs" of a leveling off in the severity of the swine flu threat, it's still too early to declare the problem under control. http://phys.org/news160643484.html Medicine & Health Mon, 04 May 2009 08:12:05 EST news160643484 (AP) -- The government's tally of confirmed swine flu cases in the United States jumped Sunday to 226 in 30 states, but officials said that's largely from catching up on a backlog of lab tests rather than a sudden spurt in new infections. http://phys.org/news160593646.html Medicine & Health Sun, 03 May 2009 18:21:09 EST news160593646 One week into the race to catch up with the swine flu virus, here's the score: Virus, hundreds. Vaccine, zero. While the virus has moved with lightning speed to four continents, U.S. authorities are debating whether to make a protective vaccine. Will it be too late? http://phys.org/news160547534.html Medicine & Health Sun, 03 May 2009 05:33:43 EST news160547534 (AP) -- As the number of swine flu cases in Mexico wanes and rises, experts are being forced to walk a public health tightrope - if they push their message too far and the virus fizzles out, they could lose credibility. But if they back off and it suddenly surges, they will be blamed. http://phys.org/news160544908.html Medicine & Health Sun, 03 May 2009 04:49:51 EST news160544908 (AP) -- Scores more schools shut down around the country because of the swine flu virus at week's end and Education Secretary Arne Duncan offered tips to teachers and students on how to deal with classroom interruptions. http://phys.org/news160459128.html Medicine & Health Sat, 02 May 2009 04:59:11 EST news160459128 (AP) -- The swine flu virus that has frightened the world is beginning to look a little less ominous. New York City officials reported Friday that the swine flu still has not spread beyond a few schools. In Mexico, very few relatives of flu victims seem to have caught the virus. http://phys.org/news160416786.html Medicine & Health Fri, 01 May 2009 17:13:27 EST news160416786 (AP) -- The new swine flu virus lacks genes that made the 1918 pandemic strain so deadly, a U.S. health official said Friday. http://phys.org/news160406074.html Medicine & Health Fri, 01 May 2009 14:14:55 EST news160406074 (AP) -- President Barack Obama voiced hope Friday that the swine flu virus will run its course "like ordinary flus" as the government reported more than two dozen new cases and Continental Airlines curtailed flights into more heavily ravaged Mexico. http://phys.org/news160404467.html Medicine & Health Fri, 01 May 2009 13:48:18 EST news160404467 Mexico began a five-day shutdown Friday to try to halt the spread of swine flu as the country was approved for three billion dollars in international loans to fund its battle against the virus. http://phys.org/news160387775.html Medicine & Health Fri, 01 May 2009 09:10:49 EST news160387775 (AP) -- No matter what you call it, leading experts say the virus that is scaring the world is pretty much all pig. So while the U.S. government and now the World Health Organization are taking the swine out of "swine flu," the experts who track the genetic heritage of the virus say this: If it is genetically mostly porcine and its parents are pig viruses, it smells like swine flu to them. http://phys.org/news160371024.html Medicine & Health Fri, 01 May 2009 04:35:41 EST news160371024 A disease spread simulation has emphasized that flu interventions must be imposed quickly, if they are to be effective. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Public Health have shown that staying at home, closing schools and isolating infected people within the home should reduce infection, but only if they are used in combination, activated without delay and maintained for a relatively long period. http://phys.org/news160311362.html Medicine & Health Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:56:32 EST news160311362