Monday, February 06, 2006

February 6 Flu Update

President Bush's budget plan is out...and it shows more money for bird flu.

Who would have seen this coming a few years ago? The US and the French are teaming up to fight the bird flu.

"The looming threat of a global influenza pandemic demands global, regional and national attention, and preparation and response to a pandemic is a shared responsibility," Deputy Secretary Azar said. "This partnership will substantially strengthen the capacity to prepare for and respond to a pandemic in countries where avian influenza is now endemic in poultry and where human infections and deaths have occurred. We are very pleased to partner with the IP, an internationally respected research institute with such an impressive global network of institutes."
CIDRAP on the Indonesia cases reported earlier.

A fifth bird is dead in Hong Kong.

There could be a new human case in Lithuania.

Absolutely no surprise here, the uncle in Iraq is confirmed H5N1.

Effect Measure--in a dark mood--notes that to the flu virus, we are six billion pieces of meat. And, if you don't think it could take humans down...well, check out what he writes.

Initial tests on dead birds in Nigeria are negative.

Bulgaria has shut off wetlands were H5 birds were found.

The International Herald Tribune has this story--reported before, reported again, I am sure--about the US is far from ready for a pandemic.

"It's a depressing situation," said Jeffrey Levi, a flu expert at the Trust for America's Health, a nonpartisan health policy group. "We are way, way behind."
First people, then birds. Iraq informs OIE of bird outbreak.

Iraqi farmers are looking for compensation for lost birds.

Sanofi has filled a larger vaccine order for the US.

The Russians say they are ready for human testing of a bird flu vaccine.

Recombinomics cites growing evidence of a cluster in Iraq.

Recombinomics also has on the ground reports of new clinical cases in Northern Iraq.

Migratory birds in India could be seeing an outbreak. Recombinomics reports--this one would not be a surprise.

Via Crofsblogs, WaPo had this on a WHO official trying to figure out how a nurse in Indonesia died.

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