December 6 Flu Update--Flu Infects a young girl in China
There's a new human case in China--a 10F. She is reported to have been exposed to infected poultry, and her family members are not sick.Crofsblog says this case is "disturbing" because of the distance to other cases--its in the South.
There's still a potential human case in Israel hanging out there. He has survived and been discharged, but apparently labwork is inconclusive.
The Ukranian Parliament has declared a state of emergency in the Crimea.
ProMed on the new cases in China and Indonesia.
State Health officials are still in Washington meeting with Secretary Leavitt. They are question some preparations, especially in the vaccine area.
"We are not credible year after year when we cannot get our priority populations vaccinated," said Leigh Devlin, president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.Quit Med School--The Times (UK) has "everything you need to know on the bird flu.
From Geneva, WHO experts discussed the need to better educate the public on bird flu, including the limitations of drug therapies....
But Klaus Stohr, head of the WHO's influenza programme, told the talks that the public should be reminded of the potential limitations of the drugs. "We have no data whatsoever on antivirals reducing mortality. Governments are stockpiling antivirals. People expect that if they take Tamiflu, they are off the hook, they won't die -- which is not going to happen," said Stohr.
Singapore reports that bird flu has placed a new emphasis on hygiene.
Nevada is drafting a bird flu plan, although they feel it is unlikely that bird flu will get to that state (though if it happens, we know from TV it will stay there).
The US AgSec is seeking funds to help protect bird farms from flu.
Crofsblog reports that H5N1 has been found in Kuwait--a flamingo (via BBC). Its the first case in the Middle East.
WHO is working the key issues. They don't want this pandemic to have a negative name like Spanish flu or Asian flu. Helen Branswell writes that WHO wants to get ahead of the curve, rather than letting the media name the pandemic. (My money is on bird flu.).
From time to time, we hear that businesses should have a pandemic plan. To help out, Microbix biosystems has promised to make its plan freely available on the web. This link is to their press release.
Here is the Microbix website.
They are on the alert in Jamaica for the bird flu.
Crofsblog notes ethnic hostility for NZ bird flu plans, including delayed burials.
Kenya is stockpiling 2,000 cases of Tamiflu, even though their dead birds were not H5N1.
Koreans say they have successfully replicated Tamiflu.
Bird flu fears are causing problems for regular old Influenza B. According to this, health officials have to prove an outbreak before they are given Tamiflu.
Vietnam is looking to produce shikimic acid from anise.
Recombinomics says that the virus is increasing its efficiency in human to human transmission, and then states his arguments.
posted by Orange @ 4:21 PM
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