Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Studies Examine H1N1 Treatment, Outcome Differences In Mexico, Canada
New studies suggest that "[d]eveloping countries with limited access to advanced health-care facilities may be in for a rough ride with swine [H1N1] flu and even countries with high-tech ICUs may find themselves pushed to the limit as their hospitals struggle to save gravely ill H1N1 patients," the Canadian Press reports. The studies, which compare outcomes among H1N1 patients admitted to intensive care units in Canada and Mexico," show "the death rate in the latter was more than double that seen among Canadian patients. Just over 40 percent of critically ill Mexican patients succumbed to their illness by day 60, compared to 17.3 percent of Canadian patients by day 90." The findings were reported online in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on Monday.
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