February 1 Flu Update
Back to the China transparency game....a bird smuggled from mainland China to Hong Kong died of bird flu. New York Times reports. They're not ruling out infection after reacing Hong Kong, but it seems unlikely.ProMed on a Hong Kong scare where three people say they have bird flu in what the mod says is an "unlikely" scenario. Other Hong Kong news, too.
Recombinomics with an OIE report from Hong Kong, and the supposition that flu is back in Guangdong.
Reference Branswell article yesterday. This report says 21 cases in Turkey sent to London lab...only 12 are bird flu. With four dead, that's 33% fatality rate.
Turkish Cypriots culling 1,2oo birds, a small number by contemporary culling standards.
The UN has sent bird flu experts to Iraq.
Poultry stocks are down in Hungary as producers breed fewer birds due to bird flu fear.
The Times of London on Davos, including the bird flu.
Experts’ advice: keep a supply of facemasks, even cheap ones. The facemask itself does little to protect you. But it does remind you not to touch your face without washing your hands during a pandemic, which is the best way to protect yourself.
The United Arab Emirates has calls for a bird flu drill to test out the Army's "intervention" plan.
Singapore will soon publish a guidebook on what to do during a pandemic.
WHO says cases in Turkey should decrease as public health measures take hold.
From the Department of Defense, the NORTHCOM recently held some inter-agency drills on bird flu.
U.S. Northern Command recently hosted representatives from more than 40 international, federal and state agencies for an exercise designed to provoke discussion and determine what governmental actions, including military support, would be necessary in the event of an influenza pandemic in the United States.
Roche reports that 60 countries have ordered Tamiflu, comprising 25-40% of the world's populaton--note, this doesn't mean there's enough Tamiflu for 25-40% of the world's population.
Sanofi says it is producing 50M doses of FluZone, partly due to an undifferentiated fear of bird flu
Secretary Leavitt writes in The Hill about heading off the pandemic.
As we endeavor to prepare, we may find weaknesses, but we cannot be afraid to have our weaknesses revealed. By finding and fixing them, we can make progress, and become prepared to meet the threat of a pandemic. Preparation is about cooperation, integration and always progress.Russia says it has a bird flu prevention plan.
CIDRAP release on the upcoming business pandemic summit they are sponsoring.
ProMed on the international falconry smuggling business and bird flu.
Recombinomics looks at Iraq, and says WHO is under-reporting H2H transmission.
Recombinomics says that monitoring is poor in the Middle East, Africa and Europe, but that Western Europe has no excuse. They have the resources and lack only the will.
Dr. Gleeson says his warning light is still a steady yellow. "Sleep well tonight."
Several bloggers have pointed to this in New Scientist. Article tries to explain why tests are so often wrong.
posted by Orange @ 10:28 PM
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