A large team of researchers from the World Health Organization (WHO) and many other institutions performed a new analysis of serologic studies from 19 countries in order to estimate the infection rate of the 2009 H1N1 influenza during the first year of the pandemic. The study, published in Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses, showed that about 24% of the population were infected with the H1N1 virus during the first wave of the pandemic. Of these infected, approximately 0.02% died.These results are slightly higher than the official estimates made by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the period immediately following the outbreak of the virus, and confirm the age-related distribution of H1N1 incidence, with the children being the most affected when compared to the over 65. One of the possible limitations of the study, as highlighted by the authors themselves, is that the vaccine might had little impact on their results, due to conflicting results and low vaccine coverage in most countries.
An evaluation of 2009 pandemic infection rate
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The Log and the Speck: The True Causes of Wildfires and Floods
The wildfires in Los Angeles and other extreme events, as well as their media coverage, highlight how immediate causes often overshadow the real issue: climate change, which increases the intensity and frequency of catastrophic phenomena. Tackling this crisis requires urgent action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions using already available technologies and investments to strengthen territorial resilience. Only a combination of mitigation and adaptation can prevent irreversible damage, ensuring a sustainable future for the next generations.
In the image: The Parable of the Speck and the Log. Ottmar Ellinger the Younger
Even in the face of the vast Los Angeles wildfires—still ongoing—as in other recent circumstances, the media's attention is primarily focused on the most immediate and “proximal” causes: the malfunctioning of the power grid, insufficient water reserves, the unpreparedness of newly hired firefighters, and so on.