A recent spout of febrile convulsions has led to the suggestion that vaccinating healthy children against influenza generally causes more harm than good. Heath Kelly examines the evidence.
Influenza
Panicking over the WHO influenza pandemic
Will the scandal about undeclared industry ties of experts who advised the World Health Organisation on pandemic influenza claim the scalp of the Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan? asks Melissa Sweet.
Some billion dollar questions about Tamiflu, influenza policy, drug regulation
The stockpiling and widespread use of antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu has been called into question by an important new review, writes Melissa Sweet.
Deconstructing swine flu: 12 things you didn’t know
You might be over the swine flue jokes, but Associate Professor Heath Kelly offers 12 things you may not know about the swine flu pandemic. How serious has the pandemic been?
Infuenza vaccination: the case against
With the national rollout of pandemic influenza vaccination beginning today, an international expert on influenza vaccination and a leading US consumer advocate have raised several questions for Australian health authorities.
Influenza vaccination: the case for
Dr Michael Wooldridgeresponds to Peter Collignon in the debate about swine flu vaccination: “vaccination will stop this epidemic in its tracks”.
No more deadly than your average non-swine flu
Fear can drive us to make hasty decisions that are not necessarily based on good and robust data. This is exactly what has happened with the swine flue outbreak, writes Professor Peter Collignon.
2009 influenza pandemic: assessing the fallout
Surveillance, control, treatment and prevention of influenza is a multi-billion dollar global industry. But it is built on surprisingly shaky foundations, writes Associate Professor Heath Kelly.
Swine flu and pregnancy: don’t miss the bigger picture
The risk of swine flu for pregnant women has received a lot of attention. But influenza more generally is dangerous for pregnant women, explains Professor Peter McIntyre, though much of it is preventable.
