Flu vaccine overstock

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After this year’s rush to stock up on the vaccine against the H1N1 Flu, some European countries are now trying to unload millions of doses. Countries such as Spain, Germany, The Netherlands and France have found themselves with huge stockpiles because far fewer citizens than expected sought the vaccine out. Governments are hoping to cancel orders or sell the excess vaccines to developing nations even as they’re being criticized for overreacting and overspending against the disease. The World’s Gerry Hadden reports.

Swine flu endangers Amazonian tribe

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Swine flu has hit one of the largest isolated indigenous groups in the Amazon. The government in Venezuela has sealed off part of the country to stop swine flu devastating the Yanomami tribe of Indians. Seven members of the tribe have been killed and a thousand are believed to have caught the flu. Survival International is London-based indigenous rights group. We speak with Fiona Watson, research and field director for Survival International, about the situation. Download MP3

• BBC coverage
• Survival International – The movement for tribal peoples

Global political cartoons: October 24-30, 2009

Halloween has found its way into this week’s cartoons but the scary images are not witches or goblins but pumpkins wearing face masks and sneezing trick-or-treaters. It’s the ghostly spirit of the H1N1 flu. And, the new sexy: hand sanitizers.

>>> Click here to start the cartoon slideshow

H1N1 flu shot ambivalence in Europe

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US health authorities are encouraging Americans to get their H1N1 flu shot. Authorities in Europe are less enthusiastic. And Europeans are losing interest. Many people in Germany and Spain are reluctant to get a vaccination. Gerry Hadden reports. Download MP3

• BBC coverage
• Flu.gov

Swine flu hits high up in Canada

Anchor Marco Werman speaks with CBC reporter Patricia Bell about an outbreak of swine flu that’s hit the Inuit population in the Canadian territory Nunavut. Bell herself is a suspected flu case and is under quarantine in Nunavut’s territorial capital. Listen

Vodafone Wireless Winners, UK DNA Database, Swine Flu Questions Answered, and Airplanes!

On this week’s Technology Podcast, we hear about some wireless technologies that could improve lives across the globe. Check out the cell phone that’s been modded into a microscope! We also take an in-depth look at Britain’s DNA database, and the political ruckus that it’s causing. You sent your swine flu questions in, so we take 15 minutes and try to answer some of them. And we finish with another competition — Airbus wants to fly more efficiently, and is asking for help. The finalists include one team that wants to fly gaggles of planes in an inverted “V” formation…like geese. Listen

Two Stories from Mexico, Global Health Care Costs, and Precious Gems in Afghanistan

On this week’s Global Economy Podcast, we go digging for precious gems in Afghanistan. Could emeralds and rubies spell sustainability and success for Afghanistan’s economy? Also, we hear how one Mexican restaurateur dealt with the swine flu outbreak, and how many Mexicans are dealing with a credit card crunch. Finally, we compare US health care costs with those in other countries. Listen

Swine Flu and the Global Recession

In this week’s Global Economy Podcast, it’s all about swine flu. We look at how a swine flu pandemic might affect the global economy, and how the global recession might affect our flu preparedness. Listen