Is flu spread after fever has subside?

People may be able to spread swine flu even after their symptoms have subsided, said new research reported in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. A study of Air Force cadets who came down with the flu this summer found that a significant proportion of them were still "shedding" virus more than 24 hours after their fever and other symptoms had disappeared.

Authorities have been asking people to stay home for at least a day after their fevers subside. While viable virus does not necessarily mean the illness can be transmitted, the findings raise questions about whether the current recommendations are sufficient, the researchers say. However, Anne Schuchat of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says she believes the current plan is sound.

DETAINEES ARE NOT IN LINE FOR VACCINE

The White House says that detainees at Guantanamo Bay are not receiving H1N1 vaccinations and that no vaccines are on the way. A spokesman for the U.S. jail facility a day earlier said guards and then inmates were scheduled for inoculations.

UKRAINE FACING SUSPECTED OUTBREAK

Russia and Slovakia tightened their borders with Ukraine on Tuesday as the World Health Organization began investigating a suspected swine flu outbreak.

The death toll from flu has climbed to 71 since the flu hit last week in Ternopil, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said. Blood tests have yet to determine how many of these deaths were from the H1N1 strain. But the WHO said that most flu cases in Ukraine can be assumed to be H1N1, "as the pandemic virus has rapidly become the dominant influenza strain worldwide." As a precaution, schools and universities will remain closed this week.

NORWAY: NO NEED FOR RX FOR TAMIFLU

Norway is allowing over-the-counter sales of flu medicines Tamiflu and Relenza in response to the rapid spread of swine flu.

The health minister said that abolishing the need for prescriptions will allow Norway to "more easily handle" the pandemic. An estimated 100,000 Norwegians have been infected and 15 have died.

The policy goes into effect Thursday and will last until the middle of 2010.

NEWS SERVICES

GUARANTEED SICK LEAVE? A lawmaker is asking Congress to guarantee paid sick leave to workers if their employer asks them to stay home with swine flu or a similar contagious illness. House Education and Labor Committee chairman George Miller, D-Calif., says his measure would protect about 50 million workers with no paid sick leave. He says workers shouldn't have to choose between their paychecks and the health of co-workers. The bill would cover employees in businesses with 15 or more workers. Businesses that already offer at least five days paid sick leave would be exempt. A hearing will take place this month.