Sunday, October 30, 2005

October 29 Flu Update...Mask sales skyrocket in US

A picture of our times. The run just isn't on Tamilfu...the nation's mask producers are seeing massive demand for their product.

Vietnam reports two new potential deaths this week (new coverage, but not new deaths from yesterday)

In Taiwan, they are calling for more honesty on the bird flu...in China.

In Aftrica, countries are banning European poultry.

The Scotsman writes on something others have written on as well---that a pandemic could shut down air travel.

Hong Kong is working harder getting the word out about bird flu.

Yunnan, a Chinese province, is said to be on alert for bird flu.

OK....the Saudi poultry industry is suffering from disinvestment due to bird flu.

The Australian Health Minister says that patent laws are not restricting supplies of Tamiflu.

A professor at Imperial College feels Britain is "as prepared as anyone" for the bird flu...he's not sure its going to happen anyway.

Sales are down at poultry markets in China.

An epidemiologist in Tennessee says a flu pandemic could cause 2,000-5,000 deaths there.

China says no human bird flu there.

The Philippines is looking for WHO permission to violate Tamiflu patent.

And WHO says that it will help Vietnam get permission to make its own Tamiflu.

Yemen says it found Newcastle disease not bird flu.

Orissa, India, has announced a bird flu alert, due to 300,000 migratory birds on the way.

Remember Greece--the sick Turkey there does not have avian flu.

In Singapore, they say they found some birds poisioned, not flu.

Australia talks about mass graves.....

Donald Rumsfeld is not participating in some administration flu decisions because he still owns stock in Gillead, the company that created Tamiflu.

Anthony Fauci says the adjuvant used in Chiron's proposed vaccine is "promising."

MF59, known as an adjuvant, is a mixture of water with a type of oil that can be found in the body. Chiron adds the mixture to the bird flu vaccine before injection. Tests showed that people who got it made more antibodies against the bird virus, and that those antibodies recognized and killed the virus, Rappuoli said.
Effect Measure notes that the flu in Iraq was LPAI.

Recombinomics says that the China situation--even with the pneumonia diagnosis--is worrying.

ProMed provides a timeline--going back to 1996--of the H5N1 spread.

ProMed on Iraq and Greece negative determinations.

ProMed on the two deaths in Vietnam.

A full report on the Japanese outbreak of H5N2 in August, via Promed.

Crosblogs has this on a novel approach to bird flu---build a better chicken.

Crofsblogs notes that this story about a famous parrot in quarantine in Croatia.

Crofsblogs also has this on a frank comment from within China about their "grave" bird flu situation.

Tip of the hat to Crofsblog, who found this in the Globe and Mail from the social trends reporter. The article talks about people's need to do something in the face of fear--even if its only getting rid of their bird feeder. Must read.

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