Swine flu warning on second wave (ABC News, 8 December 2009)

Australia has the opportunity to prevent a ``second wave'' of swine flu early next year but it is being largely ignored. Professor Robert Booy, the head of clinical research at the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, says a second wave of the potentially deadly virus has already hit much of the northern hemisphere.  Read full story here

Better vaccines for the next pandemic (The Washington Times, USA, 7 December 2009)

New technologies are emerging that could help create better vaccines for the next pandemic, including a process using recombinant DNA, or "gene-splicing," technology to create a vaccine that induces the body to make its own antigen, and then to produce antibodies to that antigen. Read full story here

iCough technology to help diagnose colds and flu (The Courier Mail, 13 November 2009)

Over the phone flu diagnoses could become a reality thanks to revolutionary "iCough"-style medical technology being developed in Queensland. Australian and US researchers are developing hi-tech software that would diagnose pneumonia, flu and other respiratory diseases by analysing the sound of a cough.  Read full story here

Spread of swine flu intense according to study (The Irish Times, 7 November 2009)

There are particularly intense levels of swine flu activity in Ireland, according to a study of European countries released yesterday. The weekly Influenza Surveillance Report from the Swedish-based European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) found only Iceland had experienced a similar level of intensity in Europe. Read full story here

Swine flu becomes most common strain (The Age, 6 November 2009)

The World Health Organisation's flu chief said the swine flu virus has now become the predominant flu strain worldwide. In some countries, swine flu accounts for up to 70 per cent of the flu viruses being sampled, Dr Keiji Fukuda said. Read full story here

Flu death alarm in China as winter nears (The Australian, 3 November 2009)

China's first swine flu death has triggered fears that 100million people could be infected after the early arrival of winter at the weekend.  Premier Wen Jiabao urged tighter prevention measures as temperatures plunged below zero in Beijing for the first time this year. The capital received 15cm of snow on Sunday. Read full story here