February 20 Flu Update
Reuters says six are in quarantine in India, and officials are going door-to-door to find the bird flu.Door-to-door surveying has three babies in quarantine.
(Is it just me, or could this door-to-door searching be counter-productive?)
No flu in Shimoga, India.
Here's the fall out from flu on the Indian stock exchange.
Indian drug companies are gearing up to provide Tamiflu if there is a human outbreak.
Apparently, there was doubt about flu tests initially in India when bird flu was announced. The government has now put that to rest.
India's neighbors are closing out poultry from India.
Outside India, the flu continues to spread in Nigeria.
Here's another article from Nigeria which attempts to educate citizens there.
Most health experts researching and fighting the incidence of human bird flu do not have an optimistic outlook. They point out that the pathogen has not appeared to evolve such that human-to-human contact is contagious, yet it remains that people working with fowl, swimming in infected rivers, playing in an area where carcasses were buried, or breathing air near a poultry processing plant, can lead to infection.
In South Africa, efforts to educate poultry trades are proving difficult.
Bulgaria suspects its first human case. I'm not sure why--the article says he doesn't have the symptoms--but we can keep an eye on this one.
South Africa is planning for the arrival of the flu with the idea it has six months to prepare.
In the meantime, South Africa has Tamiflu listed as one of its precautions to the bird flu.
Its not just in the US--Australia is now talking about providing indemnity to vaccine makers in return for speeding up production.
Arizona has revised its original pandemic plan from 2000.
Here's an excellent article from the BBC. The Tamiflu Containment Plan requires the drug to be administered in 48 hours--yet current testing methodology takes longer than that.
CIDRAP on the spread of the bird disease...
and the high number of suspected cases in humans.
Effect Measure writes that the WHO officials in Indonesia continue to take the most optimistic viewpoint--even when they don't know. This despite increasing clusters and faster mortality. When will WHO worry, Revere wonders?
ProMed with official confirmation of Indonesia death reported yesterday.
ProMed with a variety of news from around the world. Note that flu may have reached the Gaza Strip.
OIE report from India and Indonesia.
OIE from elsewhere in Europe and Asia.
Dr. Gleeson has this actuarial study on health care needs during a pandemic.
Recombinomics notes that mother and brother of a potential flu death are also sick--can you say cluster?
Recombinomics also says bird flu has been confirmed in Bosnia.
Crofsblog has this---11 "states" in Egypt have bird flu, and dead birds are, to say the least, a common sight.
Crofsblog also has this from Malaysia, which had its first H5N1 case since November 2004.
posted by Orange @ 10:14 PM
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