The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) have published a report alleging that the government are “not prioritising significant threat” from animal … read more

In May 2016 the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee conducted an inquiry into Science in emergencies: chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear incidents. The Science Media Centre submitted written evidence and was also called to give oral evidence to the committee.

Three wards at Leicester Royal Infirmary have been closed after a number of cancer patients were diagnosed with the H1N1 strain of influenza. read more

The Academy of Medical Sciences and the Wellcome Trust have published a report into the effectiveness of neuraminidase inhibitor antiviral drugs for the treatment and prevention of influenza. read more

A meta-analysis of safety data gathered in the US during the 2009 H1N1 swine flu vaccination programme, and published in the Lancet, found the vaccination was associated with a small risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome, a disorder of the nervous system which can result in paralysis. read more

A study published in the BMJ found an increased risk of narcolepsy in children and adolescents who received the Pandemrix influenza vaccine during the 2009 pandemic in England. read more

The Lancet Infectious Diseases published a study showing the number of deaths from the 2009 H1N1 (“swine flu”) pandemic may be fifteen times higher than the number of laboratory-confirmed deaths previously reported by countries to the World Health Organization (WHO). read more

The Health Protection Agency’s weekly figures on swine flu revealed that eleven more people died from swine flu in the previous week, taking the total to 50 for this winter. The release also addressed questions over whether enough vaccine had been made available. read more

An independent review lead by Dame Deirdre Hine looked into the UK government’s response to the 2009 influenza pandemic. read more

Swine flu was the biggest health story of last year, but for most people it only resulted in a mild illness. The SMC amassed some of the best experts in swine flu to talk various aspects of last year’s outbreak, including what we knew and didn’t know, whether the reaction was appropriate, how far we’ve come since then and whether we’re now prepared for the next big virus that comes our way. read more

Scientists in Norway discovered a possible mutation to the H1N1 virus which could affect properties such as ease of transmission and virulence. read more

The Tamiflu-resistant strain was found to have emerged within a group of hospital patients in Cardiff, all of whom had underlying health problems and reduced immunity. read more

The extension of the vaccination programme to this age group, announced by the Department of Health, was expected and is part of the normal vaccination roll-out programme. read more

The paper draws attention to a potential shortage in intensive care beds due to a high volume of critical patients with swine flu. read more

The survey, published in the GP magazine Pulse, has raised awareness of the public’s concern over the safety of the vaccine, as well as the issue of what proportion of the public will take up the vaccine. read more

This briefing, run in conjunction with the BBSRC, the Wellcome Trust and the MRC, was held to launch three new research projects looking at various aspects of swine flu, including the monitoring of pigs in the UK, the numbers of cases in the community and the pattern of spread, and whether hospital cases should be the main focus of concern or if the handling of cases should be changed. read more

The SMC brought together a number of the UK’s top experts on all aspects of vaccination to answer questions on areas including the science of vaccines, the manufacture of vaccines, safety testing, and public health issues associated with vaccination during the current flu pandemic. read more

The SMC invited journalists at this year’s British Science Festival in Guildford to come and hear about the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) which was set up to advise the UK government on pandemic influenza, from the group’s co-chair, government Chief Scientific Adviser Prof John Beddington. The briefing also saw the launch of a new Swine Flu Glossary of terms for writers and editors. read more

Surveys of healthcare workers in Hong Kong reveal that a majority would refuse the vaccination, raising questions about the status of front line health workers in this country. read more