webmaistro

Zend announces public beta of Zend Server

2009-02-20T20:59:00.002+01:00

Zend announces the public beta release of Zend Server, their next generation PHP Web Application Server designed from the ground up to be the best possible stack for production PHP applications. Zend Server combines new functionality with capabilities found in Zend Core and Zend Platform into a single reliable PHP stack for developing and managing PHP applications.

Zend Server includes:

Fully supported and certified distribution of PHP 5.2

Fully supported Zend Framework 1.7 release

Integrated native installers (RPM/DEB/MSI)

Web-based administration Interface

Comprehensive out-of-the-box database connectivity

Powerful PHP monitoring capabilities to identify problems and help fix them quickly

URL-based output caching required by today's modern web applications

Zend Optimizer+ - byte code cache to boost application performance

New "Guard Loader" to enable processing of Zend Guard encoded files

Zend would like to invite you to participate in their beta program and experience Zend Server.

To join the beta program, simply download Zend Server from: http://www.zend.com/en/products/server/downloads. For installation questions, support and feedback, visit the new Zend forum at: http://forums.zend.com/ and login using your Zend ID.

San Diego F 18 jet crash

2008-12-08T23:57:00.002+01:00

(pic:wikipedia)

"When I first heard the noise, I thought it was a gunshot," said Costa, 54, who lives about two blocks from the crash site.

"I could see black smoke going up. Then we heard a secondary blast. Flames were shooting as high as the light pole," Costa told The Associated Press.

Costa's son Dean felt the house vibrate. He made his way close to the crash site and saw two houses on fire and several cars explode.

"It was just crazy," said Dean Costa, 22. "There was debris everywhere."

PalmZ Micro Plane ->Geeky Christmas gifts!

2008-12-05T23:42:00.003+01:00

Air battles at the office, anyone ?

Perform amazing aerobatics in your own living room with this miniature indoor aeroplane with a slow fly design feature for small indoor environment control.

The PalmZ is ready-to-fly straight out the box thanks to its single powerful micro motor and geared pusher prop. These are very easy to fly and because they are made of durable materials they can withstand even the most brutal crashes.

Wingspan approximately 8" and 7 1/4" long. Its two-channel super wide infra-red controller gives great manoeuvrability for flights of 5 minutes or more.

Easy and convenient recharging process to the built-in Li-Poly batteries through the transmitter in just 15 minutes. Small enough to hold in your hand, it is made from soft, lightweight polypropylene foam. Transmitter: 4 X AA size batteries required

-
This is the ultimate christmas present!

InLinks paid links service sparks debate

2008-11-27T20:39:00.004+01:00

Chris Crum |
Staff Writer WebProNews

And the Gloves Come Off...

Quite a storm of debate has erupted over a new service called
InLinks - essentially a paid text link service that allegedly
makes it hard for Google (and other search engines) to detect them.
And mouths of Internet marketers begin to salivate.

The debate has basically turned into Matt Cutts vs. the "Yeah,
let's stick it to Google" crowd. .As far as I can tell, this
started with TechCrunch reporting on InLinks, which prompted Matt
Cutts to send them an email from which the following is a sample:

Google has been very clear that selling such links that pass
PageRank is a violation of our quality guidelines. Other search
engines have said similar things. The Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) has also given unambiguous guidance on this subject in the
recent PDF where
they said "Consumers who endorse and recommend products on their
blogs or other sites for consideration should do so within the
boundaries set forth in the FTC Guides Concerning Use of
Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising and the FTC's
guidance on word of mouth marketing," as well as "To date, in
response to this concern, the FTC has advised that search engines
need to disclose clearly and conspicuously if the ranking or other
presentation of search results is a function of paid placement,
and, similarly, that consumers who are paid to engage in word-of-
mouth marketing must disclose that fact to recipients of their
messages.

From Inlinks :

Blogger Benefits

Ads that are easy on the eyes. Sell in content ads without the annoying pop up!

Predictable revenue. Get paid a flat rate per month per ad sold.

Full editorial control. Approve or deny ads as they are sold or allow us to control.

Blog friendly. Install our simple plugin and we take care of the rest. Just sit back and collect your monthly earnings.

_
Plugins are available for MovableType, Wordpress and Drupal

my opinion:
as long as it ain't down, it's up, Sparky.

Spam@$200 a piece : Facebook

2008-11-25T22:24:00.004+01:00

Friday, (21-11-08) federal Judge Jeremy Fogel awarded Facebook $873 million in damages against Adam Guerbuez and Atlantis Blue Capital. According to the social network, it is the largest award ever under the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act (CAN-SPAM).

According to Max Kelly, Facebook’s director of security, the company doesn’t expect to ever collect the money but believes it will be a powerful deterent to anyone who messes with the company or its users.

According to the complaint, Guerbuez sent more than 4 million spam messages to Facebook users between March and April. He allegedly did so by stealing Facebook users' logon details using phishing messages and through data obtained from third parties. He then allegedly bombarded Facebook users' message posting pages, or "walls," with messages from the hijacked accounts of spam recipients' Facebook friends.

The sleazy messages could be viewed by anyone viewing an affected Facebook profile, and appeared to be endorsed by the account owner and the friend who posted it.

"The spam promoted numerous products and Web sites that, on information and belief, are offensive and embarrassing," the complaint explains. "The products marketed by these spam messages included marijuana, male enhancement pills and sexually oriented material."

earthtimes.org

Woops

2008-11-23T10:12:00.003+01:00

I was programming a mini-site that spawns about 90.000 pages out of the blue, and to test it I put it on a subdomain on a server. I was just starting to normalize the database and program the functions layer, adding some MooTools Ajax stuff and it's starting to look good.

At some point I check the SeoQuake stats bar and I suddenly see "3 indexed pages" and I go "****". I used search engine friendly url rewrites with a domain database table tag as category but as my data is all test-data, half of the tags don't match so if GoogleBot decides to go for it, I get 90.000 screwed up pages full of old incorrect data in the Google index with the wrong urls.

Like /sex/news.google.com/

I don't think Google will appreciate that :) So I put the entire on Disallow in robots.txt, I heard that works. I hope so, otherwise I had better erase the subdomain.

the Sarah Palin Doodles

2008-11-18T18:10:00.003+01:00

TNR senior editor Noam Scheiber says :

Toward the end of our interview, Chase brought out a box of odds and ends she'd saved from that campaign and emptied it onto her kitchen table. Buried in the pile of material were various pictures, mailings, correspondences, newspaper clippings--and this page of doodling. Chase didn't remember a ton about it, but did tell me it had been written on the back of a budget document, which (she seemed to think) had been distributed at a Wasilla city council meeting.

Chase is the person who gave me the doodle sheet and she had this to say about its origins:

That [the doodles] was the first document she [Palin] gave me when she first came over and talked to me about managing her campaign. She wanted me to turn it into a poster. It was like, "Uh-uh. This is like a circus ad." There was so much in it. What I did was sit down with her and I pulled out different components. And we--I told her we needed to brainstorm the total campaign. We needed a slogan, we needed to devise the look, the image. We needed all of that information. We sat down and started talking from that point. That’s where we came up with "energetic, positive, determined." I developed actually a few different types of pieces. I would take, for example, "You would be my boss" and we'd have a postcard. Essentially, this [the doodles] is all she had. She walked over, handed it to me ... a "flyer" was what she called it. It was like: "Uh-uh. No way. It wouldn’t be effective."

Chase then e-mailed Noam Scheiber later in the night--after some more digging--to append the following:

There were two initial documents--Sarah's draft flyer layout [the doodles] and this two page document--that Sarah brought over to me when I agreed to work on her campaign.

source : The New Republic

Earthquake rocks San Diego, Palomar

2008-11-17T15:14:00.000+01:00

A M4.1 earthquake occurred at 4:35AM this morning, located 10 miles north of the Palomar Observatory in San Diego County. This event was felt by those near the epicentral region, and as far away as Orange County to the north, Riverside/San Bernardino Counties to the north and northeast, and San Diego to the south.

A microearthquake (magnitude 1.0) freaked me out 4:40 AM today. I was peacefully asleep until I heard a few seconds of rumble as loud as an airplane (like the passenger planes taking off that is heard inside an airport). Then immediately afterwards my bed shook once from the left side to right. David thought that something heavy brushed up against the house, but I thought it was more like an airplane crash that hit our street and vibrated the ground.

Read more on tracy-miller.blogspot.com : earthquake in san diego county

wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov

From: NOAA/NWS/West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center
Subject: Tsunami Information Statement issued 11/17/2008 at 4:38AM PST

At 4:36 AM Pacific Standard Time on November 17, an earthquake with preliminary magnitude 4.2 occurred 55 miles/89 Km northeast of San Diego, California.

The magnitude is such that a tsunami WILL NOT be generated. This will be the only WCATWC message issued for this event.

The location and magnitude are based on preliminary information. Further information will be issued by the United States Geological Survey or the appropriate regional seismic network.

deCODE me retail dna test

2008-11-15T10:33:00.006+01:00

Never before has it been so easy to learn how scientific knowledge about ancestry, disease risk and the inheritance of physical traits applies to you and your genome. Your guide on this journey is deCODE genetics, one of the most trusted names in human gene discovery.

deCODE.me

For about $1000, deCODE will scan my genome for genetic markers linked to such killers as heart disease, diabetes, certain types of cancer and Alzheimer’s. All that’s required is for me to order a kit, swab the inside of my cheek, drop the swab into the mail, wait a few weeks and then log on to decodeme.com to view my results.

deCODEyou.com

NBC Nightly News on deCODE genetics

Dr. Robert Superko - How a deCODE genetic test helped

from the deCode blog :

your health, genetics and genetic tests

With a simple swab from the inside of your cheek, deCODE genetics can scan your DNA, map your markers and assess your risk of developing 29 common diseases. Edward Weinman, self-described hypochondriac, wonders if he should look too closely at his possible future.

...and what do clients say ?

But is it really a good idea for a hypochondriac like myself to know my own DNA? What if I discover that I have a high risk of heart disease? Will I soon be hauling myself off to the ER complaining of chest pains? Until recently, my view is that it would have been better to live and hope for the best rather than discover I have a high probability of developing a fatal condition. Ignorance is bliss.

...I exercise like a banshee. However, despite all the hours logged in the gym, I’ve taken more than one trip to the ER because of chest pains. I’ve had EKGs, stress tests, even a CT angiogram which all revealed that my heart was strong. The cause of my chest pains: stomach ulcers and, later, anxiety. But that helpless feeling of lying in the ER as doctors connect EKG leads to my chest sometimes returns. I worry about my health more than most 41-year-olds. So maybe a genetic test is exactly what I need to put my mind at rest.

Yes, I want to arm myself with as much information as possible in order to fight what might be coming, or at least prepare for what might await me on the horizon."

Q: how about a cure for the common cold ?

23 and me - frequently asked questions

2008-11-14T17:09:00.010+01:00

1. What is 23andMe?

23andMe is a web-based service that helps customers read and understand their DNA. Customers submit a small saliva sample that is processed using a custom DNA chip. The resulting data is then presented on a secure website using interactive tools that offer information about ancestry, inherited traits and disease risk.

2. How much does it cost?

$399 per person, plus shipping and handling.

3. Can I order it for my family?

Yes. You can order as many kits as you need for your family to the same shipping address.

4. What countries do you ship to?

The United States, Canada and most countries in Europe.

5. How can I give the Personal Genome Service as a gift?

Simply enter your credit card and billing information in our online store, but list the shipping address of your gift recipient(s). You will need to provide names of all the people to whom you wish to give genotyping services. Each saliva collection kit that we ship will be clearly labeled with the name of the person for whom it is designated. Detailed instructions regarding the sample collection process and 23andMe account creation will be included, along with consent forms that must be read and signed by each customer.

What information will other users see when I share with them?

When you invite another 23andMe user to share profiles, you will be able to compare yourself with them using some of our features but not others. Sharing is two-way, so you and the other user will both be able to see the same information in each other's accounts. When inviting someone to share, you can choose between two levels as described below:

Basic Sharing:

Compare your genetic similarities in Genetic Comparisons under Genome Labs.

See each other's haplogroups in Maternal & Paternal Ancestry.

Trace your genes with family members in Family Inheritance under Ancestry.

Compare your similarities to the populations in Global Similarity under Ancestry.

See each other's patterns of chromosome origins in Ancestry Painting.

Extended Sharing:

Everything in the Basic Sharing level, plus...

Compare your data in most Health and Traits topics

You will not, in either level, be able to:

Search the other person's raw data.

Download the other person's raw data.

Share your data or see the other person's data in opt-in Health and Traits topics such as Parkinson's Disease.

How does genome sharing work?

If you've been genotyped through our service, you can share your genome with other 23andMe users and compare yourself with them using our various features.

To share with someone, simply ask them for their 23andMe username. If they have chosen to make themselves searchable on 23andMe, you can also search for them by name or e-mail address. Then invite them using the "Share Your Genome" button on the Genome Sharing page, and they will get an e-mail prompting them to log in to their account to accept the invitation. Either party can stop sharing at any time by clicking on the "Stop Sharing" link. If you do not wish to receive invitations from other users, set the Privacy Option on your Account Settings page.

You can share with other users at different levels, which are explained here.

As with any online account, please remember that the person with whom you are sharing may provide access to their account to other people. For example, if you share with a friend, their spouse may also have access to the account and would be able to see your genome.

Also note that 23andMe cannot verify that customer-chosen usernames represent actual identities. Before sharing, you may want to independently verify that you are sharing with the person you intended, for example by calling them on the phone.

Can I use the saliva collection kit for infants and toddlers?

The saliva kit 23andme provide for participation in their service is not optimized for children under three years of age. If you are purchasing a kit for an infant or toddler, it may be difficult to obtain the required amount of saliva.

Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) is U.S. federal legislation that protects Americans from discrimination (in health insurance and employment decisions) on the basis of genetic information. It was signed into law this year, May, 2008 by President Bush.

Click here for more information on 23 and me

Celente predicts riots and US revolution

2008-11-13T23:30:00.004+01:00

Celente of Trends Research Institute, who successfully predicted the 1997 Asian Currency Crisis, the subprime mortgage collapse and the massive devaluation of the U.S. dollar, told UPI in November last year that the following year would be known as “The Panic of 2008

We are going to see economic times the likes of which no living person has seen

“We’re going to see the end of the retail Christmas….we’re going to see a fundamental shift take place….putting food on the table is going to be more important that putting gifts under the Christmas tree,” said Celente, adding that the situation would be “worse than the great depression”.

“America’s going to go through a transition the likes of which no one is prepared for,” said Celente, noting that people’s refusal to acknowledge that America was even in a recession highlights how big a problem denial is in being ready for the true scale of the crisis.

In a separate recent interview, Celente went further on the subject of revolution in America.

There will be a revolution in this country,” he said. “It’s not going to come yet, but it’s going to come down the line and we’re going to see a third party and this was the catalyst for it: the takeover of Washington, D. C., in broad daylight by Wall Street in this bloodless coup. And it will happen as conditions continue to worsen.

The first thing to do is organize with tax revolts. That’s going to be the big one because people can’t afford to pay more school tax, property tax, any kind of tax. You’re going to start seeing those kinds of protests start to develop.

It’s going to be very bleak. Very sad. And there is going to be a lot of homeless, the likes of which we have never seen before. Tent cities are already sprouting up around the country and we’re going to see many more.

We’re going to start seeing huge areas of vacant real estate and squatters living in them as well. It’s going to be a picture the likes of which Americans are not going to be used to. It’s going to come as a shock and with it, there’s going to be a lot of crime. And the crime is going to be a lot worse than it was before because in the last 1929 Depression, people’s minds weren’t wrecked on all these modern drugs – over-the-counter drugs, or crystal meth or whatever it might be. So, you have a huge underclass of very desperate people with their minds chemically blown beyond anybody’s comprehension.”

my opinion :

Some would love for America to collapse, the Americans are facing a decade of tedious (credit-card) payments. Proclaim a revolution, pretend you're a completely new country and the debts are not yours at all and have your hysteric revolution. Weasels are us.

One Flu over the Google's nest

2008-11-12T16:40:00.002+01:00

After the anthrax-scare, Google-Flu

Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google (NASDAQ: GOOG), has announced grants of more than $14 million to support partners working in Southeast Asia and Africa to prevent the next pandemic.

Google.org's Predict and Prevent initiative is supporting efforts to identify hot spots where diseases may emerge, detect new pathogens circulating in animal and human populations, and respond to outbreaks before they become global crises. Several new lethal infectious diseases crop up every year. Examples include the well-known killers, HIV/AIDS, bird flu, and SARS, as well as drug-resistant strains of ancient scourges malaria and tuberculosis. Three-quarters of new diseases are zoonoses, meaning they've jumped from animals to humans.

"Business as usual won't prevent the next AIDS or SARS. The teams we're funding today are on the frontiers of digital and genetic early detection technology. We hope that their work, with partners across environmental, animal, and human health boundaries, will help solve centuries-old problems and save millions of lives," said Dr. Larry Brilliant, Executive Director, Google.org.

Mountain View, Calif. (October 21, 2008)

Flu Trends

By tracking the popularity of certain Google search queries, our engineers have discovered that we can accurately estimate the level of flu in each state, in near real time. Today Google.org launched a tool, Flu Trends, that makes this information accessible to all.

While traditional flu tracking systems take 1-2 weeks to collect and release data, Google search queries can be automatically counted immediately. During the last flu season, we shared our preliminary results with the Epidemiology and Prevention Branch of the Influenza Division at CDC, and together we saw that our search-based flu estimates had a consistently strong correlation with real CDC flu data.

Flu affects millions, and kills hundreds of thousands every year. Early detection is critical to helping health officials respond more quickly and save lives. Flu Trends can help serve as an early-warning system for outbreaks of influenza.

November 11, 2008

To learn more, check out the Official Google Blog and www.google.org/flutrends.

Flu Preparedness Checklist

2008-11-12T15:34:00.000+01:00

Flu Preparedness Checklist

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), CDC, and health experts ask
individuals to stock up on foods and other necessities, improve health, and plan ahead for how they will care for themselves and family members during a flu pandemic.

Stock Up:
Store nonperishable foods, bottled water, over-the-counter drugs, health supplies, and other necessities.HHS recommends having a 2-week supply, but stocking up can take place over time. These supplies can be useful in other types of emergencies, such as power outages.

Items to have on hand for an extended stay at home: (For additional ideas and suggestions, consult your local
Red Cross chapter).

Examples of food and nonperishables

Ready-to-eat canned meats, fish, fruits, vegetables,
beans, and soups

Dry cereal or granola

Peanut butter or nuts

Dried fruit

Crackers

Canned juices

Bottled water

Canned or jarred baby food and formula

Pet food

Other nonperishable foods

Examples of medical, health, and emergency supplies

Prescribed medical supplies, such as glucose and
blood-pressure monitoring equipment

Soap and water, or alcohol-based (60%–95%) hand
wash

Medicines for fever, such as acetaminophen or
ibuprofen

Thermometer

Antidiarrheal medication

Vitamins

Fluids with electrolytes

Cleansing agent/soap

Flashlight

Batteries

Portable radio

Manual can opener

The Flu : A Guide for your childrens parents

2008-11-12T15:12:00.004+01:00

What is the flu?
The flu (influenza) is an infection of the nose, throat, and lungs that is caused by influenza virus. The flu can spread from person to person. Most people with flu are sick for about a week, but then feel better. However, some people (especially young children, pregnant women, older people, and people with chronic health problems) can get very sick and some can die.

What are the symptoms of the flu?
Most people with the flu feel tired and have fever (usually high), headache, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, and sore muscles. Some people, especially children, may also have stomach problems and diarrhea. Cough can last two or more weeks.

How does the flu spread?
People that have the flu usually cough, sneeze, and have a runny nose. This makes droplets with virus in them. Other people can get the flu by breathing in these droplets, getting them in their nose or mouth, or touching contaminated surfaces.

How long can a sick person spread the flu to others?
Healthy adults may be able to spread the flu from 1 day before getting sick to up to 5 days after getting sick. This can be longer in children and in people who don’t fight disease as well (people with weakened immune systems).

How can I protect my child from the flu?
A flu vaccine is the best way to protect against the flu. CDC recommends that all children from the ages of 6 months up to their 19th birthday get a flu vaccine every fall or winter (children getting a vaccine for the first time need two doses).
Flu shots can be given to children 6 months and older.
A nasal-spray vaccine can be given to healthy children 2 years and older (children under 5 years old who have had wheezing in the past year or any child with chronic health problems should get the flu shot).
You can protect your child by getting a flu vaccine for yourself too. Also encourage your child’s close contacts to get a flu vaccine. This is very important if your child is younger than 5 or has a chronic health problem like asthma (breathing disease) or diabetes (high blood sugar levels).

Is there medicine to treat the flu?
There are antiviral drugs for children 1 year and older that can make your child feel better and get better sooner. But these drugs need to be approved by a doctor. They should be started during the first 2 days that your child is sick for them to work best. Your doctor can discuss with you if these drugs are right for your child.

What Can YOU Do?

How else can I protect my child against flu?

Take time to get a flu vaccine and get your child vaccinated too.
Take everyday steps to prevent the spread of germs. This includes:

Clean your hands often and cover your coughs and sneezes

Tell your child to:

Stay away from people who are sick

Clean hands often

Keep hands away from face

Cover coughs and sneezes to protect others (it’s best to use a tissue).

What should I use for hand cleaning?
Washing hands with soap and water (for as long as it takes to sing the Happy Birthday song twice) will help protect your child from many different germs. When soap and water are not available, wipes or gels with alcohol in them can be used (the gels should be rubbed into your hands until they are dry).

What can I do if my child gets sick?
Consult your doctor and make sure your child gets plenty of rest and drinks a lot of fluids. If your child is older than 2 years, you can buy medicine (over-the-counter) without a prescription that might make your child feel better. Be careful with these medicines and follow the instructions on the package. But never give aspirin or medicine that has aspirin in it to children or teenagers who may have the flu.

What if my child seems very sick?

has a high fever or fever that lasts a long time

has trouble breathing or breathes fast

has skin that looks blue

is not drinking enough

seems confused, will not wake up, does not want to be held, or has seizures (uncontrolled shaking)

gets better but then worse again

has other conditions (like heart or lung disease, diabetes) that get worse

Can my child go to school if he or she is sick?

Should my child go to school if other children are sick?

When can my child go back to school after having the flu?

Fever (usually high)

Headache

Tiredness

Cough

Sore throat

Runny or stuffy nose

Body aches

Diarrhea and vomiting

Diagnosing the Flu

Know the Risks from the Flu

People May Have Different Reactions to the Flu

Know How the Flu Spreads

Best Protection against the Flu: Vaccination

The "flu shot" — an inactivated vaccine (containing killed virus) that is given with a needle, usually in the arm. The flu shot is approved for use in people older than 6 months, including healthy people and people with chronic medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease).

The nasal-spray flu vaccine — a vaccine made with live, weakened flu viruses that do not cause the flu (sometimes called LAIV for “live attenuated influenza vaccine” or FluMist®). LAIV (FluMist®) is approved for use in healthy* people 2-49 years of age who are not pregnant.

Yearly flu vaccination should begin in September or as soon as vaccine is available and continue throughout the influenza season, into December, January, and beyond. This is because the timing and duration of influenza seasons vary. While influenza outbreaks can happen as early as October, most of the time influenza activity peaks in January or later.
Related Information

Antiviral drugs are available to treat and prevent the flu. For more about treating the flu with antiviral drugs, see Influenza Antiviral Drugs.

Antiviral Drugs for Seasonal Flu

What are flu antiviral drugs?

Flu antiviral drugs are drugs that decrease the ability of flu viruses to reproduce. While getting a flu vaccine each year is the best way to protect you from the flu, antiviral drugs can be used as a second line of defense to treat the flu or to prevent flu infection.

What are the treatment benefits of flu antiviral drugs?

For treatment, antiviral drugs should be started within 2 days after becoming sick. When used this way, these drugs can reduce the severity of flu symptoms and shorten the time you are sick by 1 or 2 days. They also may make you less contagious to other people.

How effective are antiviral drugs at preventing the flu?

When used to prevent the flu, antiviral drugs are about 70% to 90% effective. It’s important to remember that flu antiviral drugs are not a substitute for getting a flu vaccine.

What flu antiviral drugs does CDC recommend for use in the United States for the 2008-09 season?

CDC and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommend that oseltamivir (brand name Tamiflu®) or zanamavir (brand name Relenza®) should be used for the treatment and prevention of flu in the United States this season. Although amantadine and rimantadine (two other influenza antiviral drugs) also are FDA-approved for treatment or prevention of influenza, these two drugs are NOT recommended for use in the United States during the 2008-09 flu season because recent flu viruses are resistant to these drugs. When viruses are resistant to drugs, the drugs don’t work or don’t work as well.

Who should take antiviral drugs for flu?

CDC has provided guidelines for health care professionals on the use of antiviral drugs (see Information for Health Care Professionals: Using Antiviral Agents for Seasonal Influenza). In general, antiviral drugs can be offered to anyone who wants to avoid and/or treat the flu, people who are at high risk of serious flu-related complications may benefit most from these drugs. Also, close contacts of people with the flu who are at high risk of serious flu-related complications may benefit from antiviral drugs to protect them from getting sick.

How can I get an antiviral drug for flu?

Antiviral drugs must be prescribed by a health care professional.

How long should antiviral drugs be taken?

The length of time antiviral drugs should be taken depends on how they are being used. To prevent flu, antiviral drugs should be taken for as long as flu viruses are circulating in a given setting. To treat flu, oseltamivir and zanamivir are taken for 5 days. See Treatment & Prevention: Influenza Antiviral Drugs for more information.

What side effects can occur with flu antiviral drugs?

Side effects differ for each drug. If an antiviral drug has been prescribed for you, ask your doctor to explain how to use the drug and any possible side effects. Health care professionals prescribing flu antiviral drugs should alert patients about adverse events that can occur. For more information about side effects, see Antiviral Drugs: Summary of Side Effects.

Can flu antiviral drugs help with other illnesses such as the common cold?

No. Flu antiviral drugs only work against flu viruses. They will not help reduce symptoms from the common cold or any other flu-like illnesses caused by viruses other than flu viruses. Many other viruses cause winter illnesses besides the flu.

Can people who are not in a high-risk group receive antiviral drugs?

Yes. Consult with your doctor to determine if you should take antiviral drugs this season.

Can antiviral drugs be helpful for people unable to take the flu vaccine?

Yes. CDC and ACIP recommend use of antiviral drugs for people allergic to eggs (which can cause them to have an allergic reaction to the vaccine) or for people who previously have encountered complications from Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) associated with influenza vaccination. In addition, taking antiviral drugs may be recommended among persons that may not have a good immune response to the flu vaccine.

Should people use antiviral drugs before or after receiving the live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) called FluMist®?

LAIV is one of two types of flu vaccine. It is given as a nasal spray and contains weakened, live virus. Flu antiviral drugs taken from 48 hours before through 2 weeks after getting LAIV can lower or prevent the vaccinated person from responding to the vaccine and the person may not get immune protection from the vaccine.

Antiviral drugs can be taken with the inactivated (i.e. killed) flu vaccine.

Can antiviral drugs be given even if a person is not tested for flu or if a flu test does not indicate that they have influenza?

Yes. For individual patients, influenza testing is not required for antiviral drugs to be prescribed. Testing is done based on health care provider recommendations.

Tests are available that can test for flu viruses in as little as 30 minutes or less. Flu testing can be used to rapidly confirm the flu as the cause of outbreaks. However, results from these rapid tests are not 100% accurate; the test may indicate that a person does not have influenza even though they really do have the flu. So, other information in addition to influenza test results, if done, need to be factored into decisions about using antiviral drugs. One consideration will be information about influenza circulating in the community in general.
What are Tamiflu® (oseltamivir) and Relenza® (zanamivir)?

Tamiflu® and Relenza® are chemically related antiviral drugs known as neuraminidase inhibitors that fight against both influenza A and B viruses.

Oseltamivir (brand name Tamiflu ®) is approved to both treat and prevent flu in people one year of age and older.

Zanamivir (brand name Relenza ®) is approved to treat flu in people 7 years and older and to prevent flu in people 5 years and older.

What are the possible side effects of Tamiflu® (oseltamivir)?

Tamiflu® has been in use since 1999. The most common side effects are nausea and vomiting which usually happen in the first 2 days of treatment. Taking Tamiflu® with food can reduce the chance of getting these side effects. On November 13, 2006, a new precaution about Tamiflu® was added. The precaution warns that people with the flu, mostly children, may be at an increased risk of self-injury and confusion shortly after taking Tamiflu® and should be closely monitored for signs of unusual behavior. This precaution was added after the FDA received post marketing reports (mostly from Japan) about persons (primarily among children and adolescents) who had purposefully injured themselves or been delirious while using Tamiflu® (oseltamivir) to treat influenza. The reports appear to be uncommon. For more information, visit the Food & Drug Administration's MedWatch page.

What should be done if complications while taking Tamiflu® (oseltamivir) occur?

Contact a health care professional immediately if someone taking Tamiflu® shows any signs of unusual behavior.

What are the possible side effects of Relenza® (zanamivir)?

Relenza® has been in use since 1999. The most common side effects are diarrhea, nausea, sinusitis, runny or stuffy nose, bronchitis, cough, headache, dizziness, and ear, nose and throat infections. Some persons, mostly those who already had a chronic lung disease such as asthma, have reported serious breathing problems such as wheezing or shortness of breath after taking Relenza® (zanamivir). In rare cases, people have had an allergic reaction to the drug, including rashes and edema (a build up of fluid in body-tissue) of the face and throat.

Who is at risk for complications from Relenza® (zanamivir)?

Persons with chronic lung diseases such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are not recommended to use Relenza® (zanamivir), as some patients have reported difficulty breathing after inhaling the drug.

What should be done if complications while taking Relenza® (zanamivir) occur?

If you have side effects while taking Relenza® (zanamivir) talk to your health care provider immediately.

Can influenza antiviral drugs be used in pregnant women?

Oseltamivir and zanamivir are both "Pregnancy Category C" medications, indicating that no studies have been conducted to assess the safety of these drugs for pregnant women. Because of the unknown effects of these drugs on pregnant women and their unborn children, these two drugs should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the unborn child. Physicians considering using one of these drugs in a pregnant woman should consult that drug package insert.

Transmit Now gigs agenda

2008-11-12T10:52:00.006+01:00

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12.nov.2008