I’ve been very moved by the story of Charla Nash since I first heard of her being mauled by her friend’s chimpanzee, and I posted about it here more than a month ago. It’s probably because I’m both a nurse and an animal lover that it has affected me so much. I was relieved to hear that the family does not blame the chimp. Said her brother Michael, “I do not blame Travis. He is an animal that acted as a chimpanzee. Living in a cage is cruel for this animal and amounts to mental torture.” […]

The New York Times reports today that, with 121 reported cases of H1N1 virus so far, Japan has taken aggressive measures to contain its spread, closing 1,000 schools and kindergartens. Overreaction, or admirable thoroughness?

“Japan is well known in public health circles for being exceptionally nervous about flu; it has an aging population and a national obsession with cleanliness that makes even Switzerland look messy.

“Masks are common on subways because it is considered rude to lack one if you are sneezing. Before the outbreak began last month, Japan used about 60 percent of the world’s stock of the antiviral drug Tamiflu.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has posted guidance on managing pregnant women with “confirmed, probable, or suspected” H1N1 influenza A or who have come into close contact with those who might have it. A recent MMWR report documents the course of the illness in three of the 15 cases in pregnant women that were confirmed as of May 12 and notes that, historically, pregnant women seem to be more susceptible to influenza.

And this just in: “WHO Chief Warns Against False Security About Flu”