February 3 Flu Update
OK, you've read the positive news on the two experimental vaccines from CDC and Pitt. Now, here's the other side. Experts today said that neither approach was even mentioned at a key US flu meeting, its not new, and there are a "zillion" vaccines that protect in mice."It's just not that new," Dr. John Treanor, a flu vaccine expert at the University of Rochester in New York, said in an interview. "There are a zillion vaccines that protect in mice. On the grand scale of things, it's nowhere near to being a vaccine you would see in humans."The US has approved a new test for human bird flu, which is said to be faster.
CIDRAP on this story....
Hong Kong says bird flu is endemic there. This has generally resulted in human cases eventually.
As a result, protective measures are being stepped up there.
A CDC official has an interseting perspective on the situation in Turkey. He says its a model for others to follow.
Quick identification of influenza in chickens, immediate culling and careful monitoring of people exposed to the virus have all helped contain an outbreak of bird flu in Turkey, according to a disease expert.Effect Measure thinks its more spin than anything else.Hospitals also used effective measures to control infection, including the anti-flu drug Tamiflu and triage to sort urgent cases from less serious ones, said Dr. Joseph Bresee, who heads the epidemiology section in the Influenza branch of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"This is good opportunity to show how well things can go," Bresee said in interview on Thursday after his return from Van in eastern Turkey.
A swan in Bulgaria has H5--first case in that country.
A bird flu emial in Britain has a different kind of virus--its an email which preys on unpatched computers.
Remember not so long ago when the EU was beginning to relax poultry protection rules? Now, they are up for extension.
There was a state summit in Connecticut on bird flu.
“The point was driven home,” she said. “We need to plan because a pandemic will happen. Most of us will live to see it happen.”
On February 8, the US House Homeland Security Committee will hold a hearing on pandemic preperation.
The Bahamas is talking bird flu, amid estimates of 334,000 deaths in the Carribean.
A study in British Columbia has found an additive which could allow the bird flu vaccine dosage to be reduced by 100 times.
The Financial Times reviews the newest books on the bird flu.
10, 000 cases of Tamiflu are being sent to Iraq.
The Czech Republic says it will have Tamiflu for 13% of its people.
Article says there is mounting evidence to stop using amantadine and rimantadine.
This is noted to be a boost for Relenza and Tamiflu.
CIDRAP says 161 cases in the world, looks at some news from around the globe.
The Daily Kos had a nice article on the bird flu today.
ProMed corrects yesterday's post.
Recombinomics notes reports of more cases in Northern Iraq and the widely varying reports from that area.
Dr. Gleeson notes that 162 cases would be a big thing.
Courtesy Crofsblogs, the Smithsonian has a profile of Dr. Robert Webster of St. Jude's, one of the world's leading flu fighters.
posted by Orange @ 10:21 PM
2 Comments:
I think that your title "The Bahamas is talking bird flu, amid estimates of 334,000 deaths in the Carribean." should say 'deaths projected'. As is, it sounds like they have 334,000 deaths to explain all the sudden.
Also, the Amantadine/Rimantidine headline, would be nice to toss in some reference to seasonal flu or H3N2. H5N1 in the mideast so far looks like it should be sensitive to these drugs so if that is where it goes postal then they may be useful in the armamentarium for awhile.
I saw somewhere and I don't remember where that the 162 people showed up for triage but only 30 or so were kept. I'm sorry I don't have a reference on that.
As always, thanks for the feedback and for reading.
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