By Andrea Kane
CNNhealth.com Producer

Last winter, I was told that my young daughter had walking pneumonia. Walking pneumonia? My mind, fueled by alarm, raced: What is walking pneumonia? (A very mild inflammation of the lungs.) Is it serious? (While it can become serious, it is not usually a problem and often heals on its own.) Is she going to be alright? (Of course.) She had very mild symptoms – a cough, a fever – and she wasn’t all that uncomfortable. Her pediatrician said some people let the walking pneumonia resolve itself (that’s how mild it is!), but that I might want to opt for a course of antibiotics. Not wanting to risk complications, and wanting to ease her symptoms sooner rather than later, I quickly agreed (antibiotic-opposed husband be darned). Thanks to access to medical care, my daughter was well within a couple of days; she and I quickly put the episode behind us.

The story ends differently for the more than 2 million children who die of pneumonia – walking pneumonia’s much more deadly cousin - every year. Save the Children, an international humanitarian organization, reports that pneumonia (which can be cause by bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites) kills more children under 5 worldwide than measles, malaria and AIDS combined. Pneumonia accounts for 20 percent of all deaths in this - the youngest and most vulnerable – age group. That’s one child dead from pneumonia every 15 seconds. The vast majority of deaths – 98 percent – occur in South Asia and sub-Sahara Africa.

A great many of these deaths could be prevented with existing inexpensive vaccines or treated with inexpensive antibiotics. But the families of children in the 68 countries most affected by pneumonia either don’t know about available vaccines and antibiotics, don’t have access to them or can’t afford them. And that’s a tragedy.

But the flip side of tragedy is hope. Global health authorities, including WHO and UNICEF, are recognizing November 2 as the first-annual World Pneumonia Day and have outlined a six-year action plan to take the first steps in beating back this beast. The GAPP plan, as it is called, includes education, protection, prevention and treatment efforts, targeting both governments and individuals.

Dr. Bill Frist (the former U.S. Senate Majority Leader and a trustee of Save the Children) and Dr. Richard Sezibera (Rwanda’s Minister of Health) write in this week’s edition of The Lancet, “… lives continue to be lost from this preventable and treatable disease, and, until recently, there was little outcry.”

I for one am glad there is new attention being brought to bear on an old adversary. No parent should have to mourn the death of a child from a preventable and treatable illness.

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By Miriam Falco
CNN Medical News Managing Editor

The U.S. Department of Agriculture symbolically slapped the news media on the hand Thursday for perpetuating the term "swine" flu in reports about the new H1N1 strain of influenza that's spreading across the world.

In a written statement and during two telebriefings, the USDA reminded reporters that since last Spring they have “consistently asked that the media stop calling this ‘novel’ pandemic virus ‘swine flu.’”

So what's the big deal? Health officials say the H1N1 virus more closely resembles the pandemic Spanish flu of 1918 than a swine flu. The USDA says struggling pork farmers are being hurt in a big way when the virus is called “swine flu.” USDA officials stress that “ you cannot get infected with 2009 pandemic virus from eating pork or pork products."

"Each time the media uses the phrase ‘swine flu’ a hog farmer, their workers and their families suffer,” says USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack in a statement posted on the USDA Web site. “It is simply not fair or correct to associate the 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza with hogs, an animal that does not play a role in the ongoing transmission of the pandemic strain."

USDA officials point out that China is not importing U.S. pork because of the erroneous belief that eating pork is tied to the spread of this new type of flu.

I am a member of the news media and I have used both H1N1 and “swine flu” in my stories because some people know the virus only as “swine flu,” which is what it was originally labeled.

So how did the confusion start?

Back in the spring, when we first heard about "swine" flu, it was given that name because initial tests showed it resembled some known viruses that have circulated in pigs. However, the CDC explains on its Web site, "…further study has shown that this new virus is very different from what normally circulates in North American pigs." The agency explains that this new H1N1 virus has genetic material from viruses found in European and Asian pigs, as well as genes from birds and humans. Plus, USDA officials point out that this is a human virus because it was first detected in humans. They say there are no reports of H1N1 circulating in any swine herds here in the United States. They acknowledge that Canada, Australia and Argentina have found H1N1 in a few pigs. And Deputy Agriculture Secretary Dr. Kathleen Merrigan says she wouldn’t be surprised if the H1N1 virus does eventually surface in U.S. pig herds. But she stresses that pigs infected with the virus would not be sent to market.

Health officials keep reminding us that the best way to avoid getting sick with this new H1N1 flu virus is to take the following precautions:
- Wash your hands frequently.
- Cough into a tissue or your sleeve, not into your hand.
- Get a regular seasonal flu shot now, and the H1N1 flu vaccine when it becomes available, allowing the highest risk groups to get their shots first.

And please don't call it swine flu.

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

While on assignment in Afghanistan, CNN producer Danielle Dellorto and photojournalist Scottie McWhinnie respond to a call for blood donations at a military trauma hospital. 

By Caleb Hellerman
CNN Senior Medical Producer

In the midst of covering the big story of Senator Kennedy’s death on Wednesday, I found myself frantically scrambling for childcare arrangements – the preschool teacher for my 15-month-old son had gone home sick with a 102-degree fever, and the classroom assistant was running out to pick up her own son, with similar symptoms. The head of the preschool stepped in for the afternoon, but did I really want to send my son back on Thursday? To a teacher and a bunch of toddlers who might or might not have been exposed to a nasty virus?

A year ago I might not have fretted, but I’ve got swine flu on the brain – maybe from covering the story here at CNN, or maybe it’s just that I keep seeing reports of cases here, cases there, all over the country. Last week CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden said we’re in a race to make a vaccine available before the H1N1 virus hits. To my eyes, the race is over. The outbreak has started. It may not be the Black Plague, but especially for vulnerable people – like pregnant women, people with underlying illness, or 15-month-old toddlers – it can be quite serious. And anyone with children in school or daycare (we’ve also got a 3-year-old and a 5-year-old) knows that viruses spread fast.

I always teach handwashing and try to use hand sanitizer, but most years I throw up my hands and just accept that the kids will spend a lot of their school year sick. This year, that doesn’t sound so appealing. Our preschool doesn’t yet have a formal plan to deal with H1N1, and neither do a lot of schools in Atlanta – or around the country. My wife, who fortunately happens to be a physician and public health official working on this very issue, is frantically working on detailed guidance for parents at our own preschool. In the meantime, we kept our son home Thursday and Friday. He’s got a cold. No fever, nothing serious – but we’ll just let him rest and go back Monday.

Are you doing anything differently this year, to keep your kids from getting sick?

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By Miriam Falco
CNN Medical Managing Editor

When H1N1, better known as swine flu, first appeared in April, I saw a lot of video of people wearing face masks. Video from Mexico showed people wearing surgical masks in their effort to protect themselves from this new type of flu. But I also remember when we covered SARS and the H5N1 bird flu, we made a point that those often loose-fitting surgical masks don't protect you from getting sick. (I'm talking about in a non-hospital setting) That's because people usually aren't wearing them properly.

I remember one particular bit of video showing a man crossing the street with the mask covering only his mouth, not his nose. The firmer, more industrial strength N-95 masks are much more effective. But they are hard to wear for a long time because they can make breathing difficult. So I was surprised to see the latest CDC guidelines do recommend face masks in certain settings.

I asked a few experts about this, including the CDC's main point person for the H1N1, Dr. Anne Schuchat, who is the director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. She told me that in certain settings, particularly if it's difficult to separate sick people from those who are healthy, wearing a mask can help reduce the amount of virus being spread by blocking some of the virus-carrying droplets that can float through the air. As I look at the guidelines on the CDC Web site, I see some other plausible situations, where face masks are recommended. For instance, when you're sharing common spaces with another family member or when you're breastfeeding.

I also asked Dr. Manoj Jain, an infectious disease expert and adjunct professor at Emory University. I thought he had a pretty good explanation: "The masks are helpful because it makes us more conscious of where our hands are going and we are less likely to put our hands on our nose and mouth. Because that's how the virus gets into your system and can make you sick." He also says wearing a mask can make you more conscious about washing your hands and could ultimately lead to behavior change.

A small study this month in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that if people who had seasonal flu and their families wore surgical face masks and washed their hands in the first 36 hours of symptoms, healthy family members got less seasonal flu. Researchers think the principle would hold true for H1N1 too.

Of course, you don't have to wear a mask. Health officials remind us daily that there are simple ways to protect yourself from the flu and reduce spreading it if you have it already. Cough into a tissue or into your sleeve, not your hands. Wash your hands frequently – even if you cough into your sleeve - because the virus may have lurked on a surface you touched. Get a flu shot – both for the regular flu and for H1N1 when it becomes available. And if you do get sick, stay home, so you don't make other people sick. Other tips can be found at www.flu.gov.

Will you wear a mask? Are you taking special precautions to protect yourself from H1N1? Are you concerned?

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By Akash Goel
CNN Medical News Intern

Happiness is perhaps the most fundamental pursuit of human nature. If happiness does indeed serve as life's benchmark, shouldn't there be an adequate way to measure a nation's collective emotional health? Peter Dodds and Chris Danforth, two researchers from the University of Vermont, think so.

They are combining traditional mathematics with computer assisted data mining to create what they call a digital "hedonometer." The team analyzed nearly 10 million sentences gathered from 2.3 million blogs using the site wefeelfine.org beginning with the words "I feel" or "I am feeling." The team also examined written cultural artifacts such as song lyrics since the ’60s. They then numerically assigned a happiness score to the statements based on previously derived metrics from linguistic studies.

According to their methods, last year’s Election Day was the happiest in four years, and the day of Michael Jackson's death was one of the unhappiest.

"What we hope is that the signals picked up by our ‘hedonometer' will become of the dashboard of indicators we use in making public policy, business decisions, and so on." said Dodds, professor of mathematics and lead researcher of the study.

"While financial indices such as GDP, the many stock market numbers, consumer confidence, unemployment rates, etc., are all important and useful, we think there's great merit in measuring a more human aspect of society: our collective mood."

They hope their methods will serve as a novel and real-time canvassing tool to access the way events and policy decisions affect our national consciousness. Current methods, which are largely survey based, are limited by sample size and bias–people tend to misreport their feelings in research settings.

"When we directly ask people how they're feeling, we have naturally complicated their response," explained Dodd. "People might reasonably wonder why you're asking them these questions and what sort of response is expected."

What is attractive about this research is that their data streams are unfettered and unfiltered. They are also able to mine Web-scale data sets, an output of millions of bloggers.

While these mega data sets are the study’s strength, they may also be its Achilles’ heel. The team seems to be making broad observations about a nation’s emotions based on text from bloggers, a somewhat homogenous demographic. For example, the study automatically excludes the emotional states of people who don’t have access to a computer.

Dodd acknowledges that although bloggers tend to be younger and more highly educated than average, they are reasonably reflective of ethnic diversity. This demographic “selection” problem is a pitfall inherent to all human behavior research studies because researchers are dependent on those participants who are willing to volunteer. In this case, the participants are those willing and able to document their feelings online.

Harvard psychology researcher Matt Killingsworth and creator of the Web site trackyourhappiness.org identifies one caveat when trying to determine trends based on indiscriminate text.

"While people may be much more likely to use positive words such as 'love' on Valentine's Day," he argues, "that doesn't necessarily mean that people are vastly happier on February 14 than they were on February 13."

While evolving trends in song lyrics may serve as interesting fodder for conversation, Killingsworth also suggests that they may be a misleading indicator of happiness.

"Even if typical song lyrics are much more negative in 2009 than they were 30 or 40 years ago, this doesn't necessarily mean that people are much less happy today," he said. "In fact, what data we have suggests that happiness in the U.S. is about the same as it was 30 or 40 years ago."

While the utility of digital happiness trends may not be immediately obvious - they may be illustrative and communicative of our wants and needs just as any other language.

"Blogging and tweeting leave electronic signatures of ourselves," said Dodd. "Over time, these signatures may be as informative as the much more immediate communication of body language."

Do you blog to share emotions? Do you think that blogs serve as a good indication of a nation's emotional health?

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By Caleb Hellerman
CNN Medical Senior Producer

I’d just gotten the kids to bed and was cleaning up the house when the news flashed on my BlackBerry – a Chinese news report that researchers in South Korea, working with a sample from Atlanta, had discovered a potential vaccine against the swine flu H1N1 virus. It was nearly 10 o’clock at night but that’s how this goes – a worldwide, round-the-clock effort for the past several weeks, what some are calling a model of international cooperation.

A few minutes later I was on the phone with Dr. Seo Sang-heui, of Chungnam National University. He told me that yes, he believes he has created a vaccine that could be used against the virus. He’s packed up eight vials of the new vaccine and was waiting for a courier to pick them up and fly them to Atlanta, for testing at the CDC. He figured the courier would arrive in about an hour.

We’re not talking about a usable vaccine, not yet, but this is an important step. Here’s how it works: the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention isolated the 2009 H1N1 virus in its lab, in Atlanta. It sent isolates to a number of researchers around the world – including, it appears, Dr. Seo. These researchers follow a careful regimen, genetically modifying the vaccine to make it grow well, while keeping the traits that will – we hope – induce a strong immune response. It’s a process of trial and error, but Dr. Seo told me that in the past few days he figured out a way to grow the modified virus in an agar solution. He says he’s doing what any vaccine researcher would do, sending the samples back to Atlanta at no charge, with no conditions attached.

CDC spokesman David Daigle told us that he wasn’t aware of the finding — yet. But assuming the samples do arrive, they’ll go straight to the CDC laboratory for genetic analysis. That’ll tell us, one way or the other, if this is really a potential vaccine. Dr. Gupta and I were at the lab just two weeks ago, peering through the window where scientists were tinkering with the swine flu virus under stainless steel hoods that provide special ventilation, keeping the virus from floating around the room and out the door. The hoods look a bit like big fans over a stove, except for a glass front that lets the researchers see what their hands are doing.

Assuming this finding is the real deal, samples of the candidate vaccine will be shipped to manufacturers around the world. These companies have to adapt the material to their own processes. They have to make sure the vaccine grows well in eggs. Yes, chicken eggs. They have to test various mixtures, to see how well it grows and also whether the vaccine produces a strong immune response in animals, probably mice. They’ll want to see if additives – “adjuvants” – can enable them to produce an immune response using less vaccine – an important consideration if there’s limited supply, and we want to inoculate a billion people. At least one company, GlaxoSmithKine (GSK), says it’s already received notices from several governments that they intend to purchase mass quantities of vaccine, once available. According to GSK, Great Britain has pre-ordered 60 million doses and France, 50 million.

If the vaccine works in animal testing, they’ll test it in people. If that works – and seems to be safe – it’s up to regulators – the Food and Drug Administration, in the U.S. – to give the thumbs-up. If all goes well, the first doses could reach the public in anywhere from four to six months. Of course, the U.S. and other governments might not order mass quantities of H1N1 vaccine. There’s a limited number of eggs, and depending on the final formula, buying more H1N1 vaccine might mean producing less of the seasonal flu vaccine. We’ll be following this closely over the next few months.

There’s a long way to go, from Seoul to a pharmacy near you. And keep in mind, there may be other candidate vaccines discovered. But if the finding we hear about last night is confirmed, it’s a pretty big step. A new strain of influenza can be a scary thing, and it will be a big relief if we have an effective vaccine before the next flu season hits.

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By Caleb Hellerman
CNN Medical Senior Producer

Today in the Lancet, a prestigious British medical journal, is a report that global warming is a threat to human health. This is pretty much what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said last month – a move that opens the way to treat greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, as pollution. A lot of people scratch their heads and wonder: Even if global warming is bad, is it really a health issue?

As it happens, I was in Washington, D.C., yesterday with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, as he was interviewing Lisa Perez Jackson, the head of the EPA. She was running late from another appointment and whooshed through the door, sat right down and got started. Why the link between climate change and health? Her answer: Climate change means hotter weather, changes in the cycle of rain and evaporation, and more droughts. On a very basic level, says Jackson, “All those things exacerbate air pollution that we already have. It means people who have lung problems, people who have respiratory problems, are going to have more of them.” We know that’s just a part of it – climate change threatens crops and could even lead to more infectious disease.

The thing is, we know change won’t be easy. A switch to cleaner, greener fuels and materials will carry a cost, at least in the short run. Maybe optimistically, the White House and EPA estimate the cost at approximately $100 to $150 per family, per year. In a tough economy, that’s a lot. Dr. Gupta asked: Is there any price we just can’t afford?

Jackson’s answer: You have to compare that cost with the cost of the status quo. “We don't price human health. We don't price pollution the way we should. A lot of times those costs are hidden. The hospital admissions and the sick days out and the effects on children who aren't in school and the effects on their parents who can't be with them. All of that is sometimes invisible, so we have to make sure we're counting costs and costs, right? The costs of doing nothing and the costs of doing something.”

We got into more than just climate change – we talked about the way the EPA assesses toxic chemicals and how to keep it free from political interference. A few things struck me: Administrator Jackson seems to say the buck stops here – on tough questions she’d say, “I have to make that decision.” Not “we” but “I.” She also said the president is a hands-on guy. He or his staff calls regularly, asking for details or explanations about her weekly reports. It was great to have a front-row seat to the whole conversation – we’ll be playing a lot of it over the next few days.

What, if anything, are you willing to pay to get global warming under control?

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By Nicole Lapin
CNN.com Live anchor

I’m nervous. Adnan’s parents clearly are, too. “Habibi, habibi,” his mother laughs trying to hide her nerves and keep her son entertained for what’s going to be a long night.

Adnan on the surgical table in Alexandria.

Usually the state-run hospital in Alexandria, Egypt, is closed on Friday night. But, tonight is an exception. Select staff members show up to admit kids like Adnan Saleh who will get cleft lip and/or palate surgery in the morning.

“No eating, no drinking starting now,” a nurse says in Arabic as she shuffles six moms and their kids into rooms with as many beds. The mothers sleep in a twin bed with their child, some in full veil and hijab. They’re in cramped, undesirable conditions, but they never complain.

“I would do anything for my son,” Adnan’s father, Mohammed, tells me as he is separated from his wife for the night. I know it’s going to be a sleepless night for everyone involved.

I was right- Saleh is back at the hospital at 7 a.m. the next morning with bloodshot eyes that match those of his wife and baby son. They are in the second group of surgeries the Operation Smile volunteers will perform that morning.

“You will be in the operating room? Right?” Saleh asks me. I nod, unsure how saying yes will put his mind at ease, just that it will.

I put on scrubs for the first time since I was 3 years old and my surgeon father took me into O.R. with him. I only look like a doctor, but there is a team of skilled specialists attending to Adnan. Because a cleft lip and/or palate can cause other health problems ranging from ear disease to dental problems, the team includes a pediatrician, a plastic surgeon, a dentist, an otolaryngologist, a speech-language pathologist and audiologist, and a geneticist.

The O.R. is busy but runs smoothly – seven operating tables side-by-side with a different child on each small gurney, surrounded by machines bigger than them. Saleh paces in the waiting room as the nurses clean up from the first round.

“Saleh, Adnan,” the lead nurse calls out. Before I know it, Adnan’s cubby legs are being tapped over and over again by anesthesiologists trying to find a vein. I can hear his mother yelling through the glass, “habibi, habibi,” which means “my love” in Arabic. A day later it has a different tenor.

Visit CNNhealth.com in the coming days to learn how Adnan's surgery turned out.

Editor’s Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

As the international outbreak of swine flu, or 2009 H1N1 virus, continues, CNN is answering more of your questions.

Q: The common flu kills tens of thousands every year, and there has been one swine flu death in the country.  Why is there such concern about the swine flu?

CNN: Experts are nervous that, as a new strain, the swine flu will be harder to stop because there aren't any vaccines to fight it and that over time, it might transform into something more deadly as it passes from human to human.

Dr. Margaret Chan, director general of the World Health Organization, said Wednesday that a new virus “is evolving rather quickly.”

“It’s important to take this very seriously and to maintain our vigilance and to track the virus,” she said.  Chan warned against panicking. “It is important not to overkill.  We need to maintain a level of calmness so that we will continue to manage this in a rational manner.”

For more: Regular flu has killed thousands since January

Q: Will face masks keep me safe?

CNN: We’ve received a lot of questions about face masks.  CNN.com’s article Masks keep you from spreading illness addressed this question.  A World Health Organization official said the masks are mainly useful to prevent spreading the virus, “not so much to stop people from catching the virus."

Q: Are hand sanitizers as effective as soap?

CNN: The purpose is to kill germs on your hands.  When soap and water are not available, alcohol-based disposable hand wipes or gel sanitizers may be used. If using gel, rub your hands until the gel is dry. The gel doesn't need water to work. The alcohol in it kills the germs on your hands, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Q: Will a flu shot help prevent swine flu?

CNN: The seasonal flu vaccine doesn't protect against the strain of swine flu. “At this point we don't see that there was a protective value from that vaccine for this new strain,” said Dr. Richard Besser, the acting CDC director at a news conference Tuesday.

Check back on the blog for answers to viewers' frequently asked questions.