How to dodge germs in the time of H1N1

By Elizabeth Cohen, CNN Senior Medical Correspondent

November 5, 2009 9:15 a.m. EST

(CNN) -- On a recent flight from San Francisco, California, to Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. Julie Gerberding was thrilled to get bumped up to first class. The thrill, however, quickly disappeared: As she did her victory walk to the front cabin, she noticed that the woman in the seat next to hers was hacking up a lung.

"She was on her cell phone, saying, 'I feel miserable. I just know I have swine flu,' " Gerberding remembered. "I thought to myself, 'Oh, great.' "

For the duration of her transcontinental flight, Gerberding played viral roulette as she sat shoulder-to-shoulder next to Ms. Sneezy in a confined space.

Gerberding, the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, had a few strategies for avoiding this woman's germs, some of which you can use on planes, trains, automobiles and anywhere else if you get stuck next to Typhoid Mary -- or, in this case, H1N1 Mary.

Gerberding's first step was to point the air vent in the ceiling toward the sick woman and away from herself.

"That helped point the germs towards her and away from me," she said.

She then pivoted her body -- she was sitting on the aisle seat -- away from Ms. Sneezy.

"There wasn't much else I could do. At some point, I just crossed my fingers," Gerberding said.

Actually, Gerberding realized later there was one more thing she could have done.

"I could have approached a flight attendant and said, 'The person sitting next to me has swine flu. Could you please offer her a mask?' In retrospect, I wish I had done that."

On airplanes, you're most likely to catch an illness from the people sitting in your row and in the row behind you, according to researchers at Purdue University, who developed an animation showing how germs move around an airplane.

"The bad news is if you're in that strike zone, you're at risk," Gerberding said. "If someone sitting right near you has the flu, there's a pretty good chance you'll get it. Flu is very transmissible."

Watch how easily germs spread

Gerberding adds that you probably won't catch the flu from someone sitting several rows away, since circulating air on planes goes through a HEPA filter. "

The good news is, if you're not right in that strike zone, you're probably at low risk," she said.

Whenever you're out in public, you can catch a germ from anyone within about six feet of you; that's how far some germs can travel, according to Dr. Rhonda Medows, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Community Health.

"Air droplet spray actually comes into your body. You're inhaling it. You're breathing those respiratory droplets," Medows said.

Another way you can catch a germ from someone is if you touch something a sick person has touched. For example, think about a busy escalator handrail.

"You and millions of others have touched it," Medows said. "And they could be sneezing, wiping their nose, coughing in their hands, and then they touch the handrail."

Watch secret -- and not so secret -- sources of germs

If you're healthy, your immune system should be able to fight off most of what's on a germy handrail, but even if you're in tip-top shape, chances are you have no immunity to the H1N1 virus, since it's so new.

Medows' strategy: After you touch something like a handrail, make a conscious effort not to touch your eyes, nose or mouth, and use hand sanitizer as soon as you can.

The National Institutes of Health offers more advice about preventing the spread of germs.

Charles Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona known as "Dr. Germ," says his research shows that another potential bastion of germs are water fountains. Some schools have actually shut down their water fountains for the duration of flu season.

But you don't have to avoid water fountains. Gerberding says that if you want to drink from a fountain, follow these simple steps: Don't let your lips touch the spout, and before taking a sip, let the water run for a few seconds to flush away germs. Also, wash or sanitize your hands afterward, since the bar or button that turns on the fountain has probably been touched by many other hands before yours.

Watch what you can do to avoid germs

You might be wondering why Gerberding didn't go back to her seat in coach or ask for another one when she saw she'd be sitting next to Ms. Sneezy in first class.

"It was a full flight ,so someone else would have had to sit next to her," she explained. "And I'm healthy, so I figured if someone had to be near her, better me than someone who's immune-compromised in some way."

By the way, Gerberding didn't get sick from Ms. Sneezy on that long flight from San Francisco to Atlanta. She says she doesn't know whether it's because of her germ-prevention strategies or just dumb luck.

CNN's Sabriya Rice, Caitlin Hagan, Sharisse Scineaux and Matt Sloane contributed to this report.

H1N1 is now world's dominant flu virus, World Health Organization says

(CNN) -- The H1N1 virus has now become the dominant influenza virus around the globe, with high levels and an increase of activity in many regions, the World Health Organization said Thursday.

In a weekly update, the WHO's point person on the H1N1 virus, Dr. Keiji Fukuda, also warned the public not to treat the virus like just another flu.

Like seasonal flu, H1N1 is more active in the winter than in the summer, and a majority of infected people get better on their own, Fukuda said. H1N1 also is as transmissible and infectious as seasonal flu, he said.

But unusually for influenza, Fukuda said, H1N1 continues at high levels over the summer months, and many of the serious illnesses and deaths are concentrated in people younger than 65.

Seven months into the pandemic, the virus commonly known as swine flu remains at high levels and continues to increase in North America, Fukuda said. Mexico, for example, has seen more cases from September to November than they saw in the preceding months from April, when the virus emerged, he said.

The virus is also becoming more active in Europe and Central and Western Asia, Fukuda said.

Health officials this week reported an outbreak of cases in Ukraine, which now has more than 250,000 cases of influenza-like illness, with 235 patients requiring intensive care, the WHO said.

Activity is picking up in East Asia, Fukuda said. Mongolia reported "a number" of cases over the past week, he said.

"East Asia is one of the parts of the world where seasonal influenza viruses have remained in reasonably high circulation," Fukuda said. "But even in that part of the world, the pandemic virus is becoming dominant."

More cases are being reported from a number of Caribbean countries such as Cuba and Haiti, he said.

In Central America and the Southern Hemisphere, however, activity levels have dropped as those regions enter the summer season, Fukuda said.

"There are several regions in the world -- North America, Europe, Northern and Central Asia -- where we are clearly seeing pandemic influenza activity increase," he said, but "there is no one single place in the world where we are focused on."

Disease activity has been difficult to predict, Fukuda said.

"We really are not going to know what the future is going to bring, and so the main focus of our effort here is ... what steps are needed to make sure countries are as prepared as possible to deal with disease levels," he said.

H1N1 poses different challenges in different countries, but it does seem to be affecting indigenous groups more heavily than nonindigenous groups, he said.

In Australia, for example, "aboriginal groups are disproportionately represented in people who end up in hospitals from diseases related to the pandemic," Fukuda said.

The WHO still doesn't know whether the effect on indigenous groups is because of the pandemic itself or because of underlying factors.

Because most people infected with swine flu tend to recover on their own and don't suffer major problems afterwards, some people are tempted to dismiss the infection and think it's not serious. But Fukuda said that's a dangerous mind-set.

"At WHO, we remain quite concerned about the patterns we are seeing, particularly because a sizable number of people develop complications [that lead to death]," he said. "We do see that the serious complications are concentrated in the younger age groups rather than the older age groups."

While the complications are most often seen in people who have chronic, underlying health conditions and in pregnant women, they also can develop in people "who are currently healthy and young."

But contrary to some reports, Fukuda said, the WHO has not seen big mutations in the virus since it first emerged. He said viruses being isolated now are "generally similar" to those isolated over the past several months, indicating they haven't changed much.

The WHO also has no evidence of widespread resistance to antiviral medication, Fukuda said. There have been sporadic instances of resistance to oseltamivir -- the generic name for Tamiflu, one of the main drugs used against influenza -- but such cases are still "isolated and infrequent," he said.

"Antivirals are quite useful against these infections," he said.

Fukuda praised as "innovative" the decision by Norway to distribute antiviral medication over the counter for a limited period of time. The move can help take stress off the primary health system and allow patients to get the medicine more quickly, he said.

Other useful protections against H1N1 are vaccines, which the WHO recommends against pandemic infections, Fukuda said.

"These vaccines now have been used in a significant number of countries ... and based on this experience, in which millions of people have now received vaccine, we in fact see that these vaccines are very safe," he said.

The only side effects are swelling and pain at the injection site, but "these are occurring at rates that are expected and usually seen with seasonal influenza vaccine," Fukuda said.

"WHO, along with other public health authorities, believes that these vaccines are very useful against pandemic infections and [we] do support their use," he said.

H1N1 spreading even as supply of vaccine grows

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- As the new H1N1 flu virus keeps spreading, more vaccine is available to fight it, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.

Forty-eight states are reporting widespread flu activity, two more than a week ago, Dr. Thomas R. Frieden said at the CDC's weekly briefing.

There have been 114 pediatric deaths since April, when the H1N1 virus first emerged, with 19 reported to the CDC in the past week, he said.

Frieden also told reporters on Friday that in the past two months, more people younger than 65 have been hospitalized than would be expected in a full season of more common strains of flu.

He urged people with underlying illnesses who exhibit flu symptoms to seek medical attention promptly, saying that only half of the people in this high-risk group appear to be doing so.

To prevent getting H1N1, health officials continue to urge vaccination, and that might be becoming easier, Frieden said.

"We have more vaccine," he told reporters Friday -- 26.6 million doses are now available in the United States, up more than 10 million doses from a week ago.

Watch a video about rationing the vaccines

The CDC had hoped to have 40 million doses of vaccine by the end of October, but vaccine-manufacturing delays forced them to revise that number down to 28 million.

Earlier Friday, the latest recommendations from the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) were discussed by Dr. Marie-Paule Kieny, director of the Initiative for Vaccine Research at the World Health Organization.

The experts met Wednesday to review the current status of the H1N1 pandemic vaccines, including the results of clinical trials.

SAGE has concluded that one dose of H1N1 vaccine is sufficient for children older than 10, the vaccine is safe for pregnant women, and it can often be given at the same time as seasonal vaccines, said Kieny, speaking to reporters via teleconference from Geneva, Switzerland.

Doctors have found there is an immune response to the vaccine in children as young as 6 months. More clinical trials are being done on children ages 6 months to 10 years and on people with immune deficiency disorders, Kieny said.

She noted that in September, the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) recommended that children receive two doses of the H1N1 vaccine, as has the CDC in Atlanta, Georgia.

However, the EMEA also acknowledged that one dose may be sufficient, if a child has received a flu vaccine before.

Some countries may opt to give one shot in order to vaccinate more people, and that is their option, Kieny said. Nations also have a right to choose which company to use to supply the vaccine.

Not every country is getting the same vaccine. The virus for the vaccine distributed in the United States is grown in chicken eggs. Some vaccine licensed in Europe has been manufactured using a new cell-based technology.

Also, in some countries the vaccine has an added booster called an "adjuvant" to amplify the vaccine's ability to produce antibodies. Other countries, like the United States, are using non-adjuvanted vaccine. This makes a difference in how the vaccine works and how many doses may be necessary.

As a result, countries may have different guidelines.

Trials involving several thousand pregnant women are showing that the safety of the H1N1 vaccine is similar to that of the seasonal vaccine, Kieny said. Pregnant women should be vaccinated because they are at "significantly higher risk for infection," especially in their second and third trimesters, she noted.

WHO is donating vaccine to countries unable to buy enough. She said the goal is to distribute 200 million doses, which should allow 95 percent of the eligible nations to vaccinate at least 10 percent of their population.

Pacquiao graces Time cover

MANILA, Philippines – Boxing greats Joe Louis, Max Schmeling, Sugar Ray Robinson, Joe Frazier, Cassius Clay aka Muhammad Ali.

And now Manny Pacquiao.

The Filipino ring icon is the latest fighter to make it to the list of professional boxers to be featured in the cover of well-respected magazine Time — and only the second non-heavyweight fighter to do so.

This also makes Pacquiao the second Filipino to grace Time’s cover after former President and democracy icon Corazon Aquino, who was named the magazine’s "Woman of the Year" in 1986.

Apart from heavyweights Louis, Schmeling, Frazier, Ali and middleweight Robinson, other boxers who had made it to the magazine’s cover include heavyweights Jack Dempsey, Primo Carnerra, Gene Tunney and the controversial Mike Tyson.

In its latest Asia edition issue, Time pays homage to the General Santos City-based southpaw in a story titled “The Meaning of Manny,” which branded the Filipino spitfire as “the latest savior of boxing.”

The story delves into Pacquiao’s stature as the Philippines’ favorite son, his humble beginnings, recent ring accomplishments, among others.

The same magazine previously included Pacquiao in its list of 100 most influential people in the world, with former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis providing a brief write-up on him.

Pacquiao is set to collide with Puerto Rican bomber Miguel Cotto for a record seventh world title in as many weight classes. The fight, dubbed “Firepower,” is scheduled on Nov. 14 (Nov. 15 in Manila) at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. - By Dino Maragay (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

Michael Jackson soundtrack zooms to No. 1

• 

MANILA – Certified chart-topper Michael Jackson, whose “This Is It” film was declared the No. 1 worldwide, scored another hit with the movie’s official soundtrack.

The “This Is It” OST is on top of the Billboard 200 with 373,000 copies sold during the week ended November 1, Nielsen SoundScan reported.

According to Billboard.com, “This Is It” is the late King of Pop’s 6th No. 1 album on the Billboard 200. Jackson’s other No. 1 albums are “Thriller,” “Bad,” “Dangerous,” “HIStory,” and “Invincible.”

“This Is It” edged “Full Circle” by rock band Creed (No. 2 with 110,000 copies), “Fearless” by country teen sensation Taylor Swift (No. 3 with 109,000 copies) and “Soulbook” by British singer-songwriter Rod Stewart (No. 4 with 84,000 copies).

The soundtrack features the original album masters of some of Jackson’s hits arranged in the same sequence as they appear in the movie, an article on MichaelJackson.com said.

It also has 2 versions of the “This Is It” song, a spoken word poem titled “Planet Earth,” and previously unreleased versions of some of his tracks. A 36-page commemorative booklet also goes with the CD.

Before “This Is It” topped the Billboard 200 this month, Jackson’s compilation of his greatest hits, “Number Ones,” was declared the best-selling album in the United States for 2009 with about 1.62 million copies sold.

The “This Is It” movie, meantime, earned about $101 million in five days since opening worldwide on Wednesday, Columbia Pictures noted as reported by Reuters.

The film’s run in the US has been extended up to Thanksgiving (November 29) from a limited 2-week screening. The movie’s screening will also be extended overseas on a per-country basis, Columbia Pictures added.

“This Is It” puts together Jackson’s rehearsal footage for his “final curtain call” concert tour slated in London. Jackson was not able to stage the concerts as he suffered a cardiac arrest and died on June 25.

His death has been ruled a homicide by the Los Angeles County coroner, Reuters reported, due to an overdose of the powerful anesthetic propofol.

Meanwhile, several exhibits paying tribute to the music legend have opened in the US and Great Britain.

The GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles, California has the “Michael Jackson: A Musical Legacy” exhibit which will run until 2010. It earlier had a temporary memorial display after Jackson’s death.

“Michael Jackson: The Official Exhibition, the Arts and Exhibitions International,” meanwhile, opened at The O2 bubble in London last month. –

With reports from MichaelJackson.com, Top40.about.com, Billboard.com and Reuters

M.Y.M.P. breaks up!

Win some, lose some?

It’s true.

The other night, the duo M.Y.M.P. (Make Your Mama Proud) Juris Fernandez and Chin Alcantara won the top award for Group Artist of the Year at the first Philippine Movie Press Club (PMPC) Star Awards for Music held at the Sky Dome of SM North EDSA.

It was a happy-sad victory for the duo who wasn’t present at the awards. Instead, it was talent manager Noel Ferrer who received the trophy on their behalf.

“I was asked to do the honor by the manager of M.Y.M.P.,” said Noel. “The manager told me to get the trophy kung sakaling manalo ang M.Y.M.P.”

Noel called up the manager to congratulate him and M.Y.M.P. and that’s when he got a little shocker.

The manager thanked Noel and said, “Congrats sa album natin. Pero ‘yon na ang last nina Juris at Chin as a duo. Juris is going solo.”

Sad, isn’t it? As the song goes, some good things never last...

“Nalungkot ako,” sighed Noel.

Funfare did some sleuthing and here’s what I dug up:

Juris quit the duo after Chin “booted” her and her manager Carla Lozada out due to disagreement over an “exposure” in the A.S.A.P. Sessionista.

Added Noel, “Juris is slated to launch her long-overdue solo album under Star Records, with five songs produced by Chin. The other original cuts were done by Jimmy Antiporda, Ryan Cayabyab and Gary Valenciano.”

No, Juris won’t be using her M.Y.M.P. “connection” anymore.

According to Noel, Chin told her, “Magkakamatayan tayo kapag ginamit n’yo ang pangalan ng M.Y.M.P. But what’s in a name? The people are after Juris’ voice, not so much the duo’s name. She will sound just as well even under another name.”

But still, Juris and Chin still have commitments as a duo until end of this year and they will honor them, thank you.

“Juris is excited about her new career as a solo artist,” assured Noel. “She’s looking forward to a happy brand-new year.”

Meanwhile, Chin is looking for a new partner.

* * *

The Men of the ‘80s continues its successful tour with a one-night- only stint at the Sky Dome SM North EDSA on Nov. 21. Just back from a successful US concert tour, Raymond Lauchengco, Randy Santiago, Louie Heredia and Gino Padilla are doing the hits that made them the top heartthrobs of two decades ago and other memorable songs from the ‘80s era.

Raymond, an actor and singing star, was part of the Bagets. He is best known for enduring favorites like Farewell, I Need You Back, So It’s You and others.

Randy comes from one of the country’s top showbiz families. He made his mark with songs like Babaero, Hindi Magbabago, Paikot-ikot, Para Sa ‘yo and Yakap-yakap.

Louie also had a long series of hit recordings that included Nag-iisang Ikaw, Can Find No Reason, Iisang Damdamin and Kahit Kunwari Lang.

On the other hand, Gino is fondly remembered for having sung with Tina Turner and tunes like Closer You And I, Gusto Kita, I Believe In You and Let The Love Begin.

Presented by Viva Concerts & Events, the Men Of The ‘80s show is sponsored by PCSO, People’s Journal, Business World, MYX, PBO, Viva Prime and Viva Cinema.

(Note: Tickets to Men Of The ‘80s are now available at all SM Ticketnet outlets. Prices are P1,500 for Gold and P1,000 for Silver. Call Ticketnet 911-5555 or Viva Concerts and Events 687-6181 local 627 or 620 for inquiries. For more info, log on to www.viva.com.ph.)

(E-mail reactions at rickylo@philstar.net.ph or at entphilstar@yahoo.com) - FUNFARE By Ricardo F. Lo (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

FRIENDSTER VS FACEBOOK

Di ba kaylan lang, FRIENDSTER kainitan
Milyon-milyong miyembro, ito'y pinagpiyestahan
Bata, matanda, may ngipin o wala
Lahat ka- FS, lakas ng tama

Hanggang sa nalibang dito sa isa
FACEBOOK, nagmula doon sa Amerika
Dating miyembro ng FS, dito lumipat
FS noon, FB ang naging katapat

MGA PAGKAKAIBA (ADVANTAGE AND DIS-ADVANTAGE ON BOTH SIDE:

1. sa FS walang laro,
sa FB lahat ng klaseng laro naroon
2. sa FB walang layouts,
sa FS pwedeng mamili sa ibat ibang sites
3. sa FB pwedeng magcomment sa status,
sa FS di pwedeng magcomment sa bulletin
4. sa FS pwede ang photo grabbing
sa FB dapat save as
5. sa FB may profile badge panlagay sa blog
sa FS link lang ang pwedeng icopy
6. sa FB pwedeng magchat
sa FS di pwde
7. sa FS may testimonials
sa FB wala
8. sa FB may comment notification
sa FS comment approval lng