Tuesday, June 13, 2006

June 12th Flu Update

Northern Ukraine has reported its first outbreaks (in birds).

After a recent outbreak, China has announced new emergency bird flu controls.

US scientists are looking for more research on the role of cats and dogs in flu spread...before the flu gets to the US.

Excellent Effect Measure post, noting how a traveller brought the measles to an office building in Boston and infected 11 people. Note this, which I believe is often missed in the flu debate:


While scientists are up in Alaska swabbing rectums in migratory birds for H5N1, most epidemiologists believe that if the virus becomes easily transmissible anywhere in the world, the most likely way for it to enter the US is on a human being, not a bird.


The Asia-Pacific news says that China's ability to handle the bird flu could affect the whole world.

The World Bank warns that bird flu could threaten the economy in Indonesia.

Unicef is going to do an educational program on bird flu.

In Ghana, the AgSec has told journalists they do not "have the power" to announce flu outbreaks.

In the UK, a committee of scientists called on DEFRA to increase bird flu research.

Pakistan allocates funds for bird flu protection.

Story on the Dutch company with a bird vaccine for Newcastle and bird flu. (This is a spray vaccine, which makes sense to me--as compared to injecting chickens)

A Perth conference says that hygiene is better than medicine (personal note: I'd like to try both, if that's OK).

On Zanzibar, which is a semiautonomous island from Tanzania, they are attempting to control the importation of chickens.


Winipeg has a new pandemic checklist for business. Imagine this: your get isolated--at work!

WHO and China are setting up a joint center (or, centre) to fight bird flu. Does this herald openness from China.


The establishment of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Surveillance, Research and Training on Emerging Infectious Diseases will be formally announced at a ceremony tomorrow in the provincial capital, Guangzhou, the United Nations health agency said in an e-mailed statement today.

A Houston company has a vaccine project as well. This is experimental, but is designed to increase immune response.


The Institut Pasteur in Paris will host a major flu therapy and prevention conference in Late June.

Finally, I am not sure how I missed this, but it showed up in the local paper today. Apparently people at wheresgeorge.com like to stamp money and track it around the world. Now, some epidemiologists are wondering if they can't use that information to simulate worldwide flu spread.

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