Each month, we at CLP take a look at what the top stories of the month have been, based on traffic at our Web site. For the last 3 months running, stories featuring H1N1 have accounted for approximately half of our monthly “Top 10” list. This is hardly surprising, given the dominance of the epidemic in the news at large. The corner appears to have turned, however, and that is not indicated only by our own internal survey. (And if you are not receiving our weekly newsletter, CLPrime, or the monthly Top 10, please take a moment and sign up for them at www.clpmag.com. It’s a great way to stay up to date on headlines in the clinical lab industry and find out what your colleagues are reading.)

According to the most recent influenza bulletin from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “The number of states reporting widespread influenza activity dropped from 49 at the end of October to zero at the beginning of January 2010,” indicating that the season may have peaked. The CDC is careful to emphasize, however, that the first global pandemic remains a serious issue. “Flu season” can continue into May, and H1N1 continues to be the dominant strain in circulation. And, according to the World Health Organization, the virus is responsible for nearly 15,000 deaths and has been reported in more than 200 countries. Watch for continued coverage of H1N1 from CLP.

An epidemic that has yet to reach its peak is one that has been on our radar for approximately 30 years now: HIV/AIDS. According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, the number of HIV-infected individuals around the globe has continued to grow, and is currently estimated at 33.4 million. New products continue to come onto the market to test for HIV, in addition to other STDs, which you can learn about in this month’s survey. While molecular continues to be a gold standard for HIV—and it was fascinating to watch molecular come to the fore during the H1N1 epidemic—point-of-care tests are also finding a place in this market.

I’m particularly excited to bring you this month’s cover story on integrated chemistry-immunoassay analyzers. This is a feature we’ve been planning since AACC in Chicago last summer, where I had the opportunity to see these instruments in action and learn about the sophisticated technology behind them. I hope you find the information useful, and, as always, I welcome your feedback. Feel free to contact me any time at or (858) 793-9533.

Best regards,

Suzanne Clancy, PhD
editor, CLP

(858) 793-9533