Father Emil Joseph Kapaun celebrating Mass with this jeep hood as an alter, Oct 7, 1950. Kapaun was captured by Chinese troops during the Korean war less than a month later on November 2, 1950. Kapaun died in a prison camp May 23, 1951 at age 35. Photo by Col. R. A. Skeehan

The Wichita Eagle reports that Emil Kapaun, serving as a Roman Catholic chaplain, will be awarded the Medal of Honor on April 11, 2013, for his valor during the Korean War. Kapaun, awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his battlefield actions, will receive the Medal for his actions as a prisoner of the Chinese. From Nov. 2, 1950 to May 23, 1951, Father Kapaun was held prisoner, first during a forced march north and then in a prisoner of war camp. The priest had remained behind with a group of American wounded as U.N. forces were forced to retreat in the face of the Chinese assault.
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CDC chart displaying the percentage of pneumonia and influenza deaths for week 3 of 2013 as reported by 122 cities.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

During week 3, 9.8% of all deaths reported through the 122 Cities Mortality Reporting System were due to P&I. This percentage was above the epidemic threshold of 7.3% for week 3.

The media often portrays the statistic shown above as the actual death rate from influenza. It is a sampling from up to 122 cities throughout the United States and reports deaths listed officially as due to pneumonia or influenza. The percentage is indicative of the ferocity of the influenza season. It does not, however, portray the actual death rate from influenza alone throughout the nation.
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Laboratory tests reveal influenza types and percentage of specimens that are not influenza.

The only way to be certain that any patient has influenza is to submit a specimen for laboratory testing. There are rapid tests for the flu but they are less accurate than those done in a lab. While procedures vary widely across the nation, specimens are submitted to labs when influenza is the suspected diagnosis.
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Flu vaccine supplies Jan. 10, 2013

Q. In yesterdays’ press conference, Dr. Bresee mentioned several times that a 50% flu vaccination rate was what the experts are hoping for. The CDC page on the vaccine supply states that 135 million doses are expected to be produced. That number is well short of 50% of the US population. Is the CDC anticipating a flu vaccine shortage for the 2012-2013 year?

A. from Thomas Skinner at the CDC – “Manufacturers set supply largely on previous year’s demand. Some vaccine out there. People who want to be vaccinated my have to look around for it”

Map of ILI activity in the United States for week 1 of 2013

The weekly influenza report from the Centers for Disease Control was released this morning and contained data through Jan. 5, 2013. The CDC held a telephone press conference this morning to cover the report and a new study on flu vaccine effectiveness. Drs. Joseph Bresee and Tom Frieden were the briefing experts.
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