Influenza A and B

The neuraminidase inhibitor oseltamivir phosphate (Tamiflu) was approved for the treatment of uncomplicated acute illness caused by influenza A and B infection in adults who have been symptomatic for < 2 days. Approval was based on two phase-III, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials of 1,355 patients who received oseltamivir, 75 mg bid for 5 days, within 40 hours of symptom onset. Median time to improvement was 1.3 days for participants in the active treatment group. The recommended dose is 75 mg bid, and treatment should begin within 2 days of symptom onset. The most common adverse events were nausea and vomiting, but these were mild to moderate in nature and typically occurred during the first 2 days of treatment.

New booklet highlights U.S. progress on asthma control

By: Krisberg, Kim, Nation's Health, 00280496, Mar2009, Vol. 39, Issue 2

A NEW booklet hopes to breathe fresh life into the nation's asthma control efforts.

Authored and published via a partnership between APHA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "America Breathing Easier" tells the story of CDC's successful National Asthma Control Program and the many state and local efforts to ease the burden of asthma. According to the February booklet, more than 32 million people living in the United States have been diagnosed with asthma at some time, and every year, 4,000 people die from asthma-related causes. However, state programs are making significant inroads and as the National Asthma Control Program approaches its 10th anniversary, "we decided it was time to tell our story," said Paul Garbe, DVM, MPH, chief of CDC's Air Pollution 'and Respiratory Health Branch, which houses the national asthma program.

"We created me program to launch a public health approach to asthma and we believe it plays a critical role in helping Americans better understand asthma," Garbe said. "It's the public health approach to asthma that is the success story we can bring to the American people."

Created for anyone with an interest in asthma control, but particularly for state and national policymakers, the booklet highlights the history and goals of CDC's National Asthma Control Program, which funds city, state and school programs, as well as successes from state efforts. For example, the booklet features the story of Iowa's Asthma Control Program, which is a collaboration of the Iowa Department of Public Health, American Lung Association of Iowa, Iowa Asthma Coalition and a number of other partners. The state's asthma program developed an asthma management curriculum, cleverly titled "The Young and the Breathless," that has been disseminated to more than 1,000 child care providers, more than 200 child care centers and four major school districts since 2003. By May 2008, the state's asthma program had reached 19,000 Iowa children.

The Iowa Asthma Control Program is a good example of the power that partnerships can play in curbing asthma's burden--a message Garbe hopes readers take to heart. In fact, developing partnerships with organizations that also have a stake in reducing asthma's effects is among the three components that build the foundation of asthma programs, Garbe noted. The other two components are conducting surveillance and developing innovative interventions.

In terms of interventions, Garbe said state asthma programs are strongly encouraged to tailor their efforts to reach populations most at risk. While asthma affects people across race, age and gender lines as well as people living in every part of the nation, certain groups suffer a disproportionate burden. The chronic" disease is most often seen among children, women, blacks, Puerto Ricans, people living in the Northeast, those living below the federal poverty line and those with particular work-related exposures, Garbe told The Nation's Health. Creative state efforts to address such disparities are highlighted in the new booklet.

Continuing work to analyze asthma's racial and ethnic disparities and developing culturally competent interventions are among the many future directions that the National Asthma Control Program will embark on, according to the booklet.

For more information on how to receive or download a free copy of "America Breathing Easier," visit www.cdc.gov/asthma or www.apha.org/programs/environment.