The Coming Influenza Pandemic?

Thursday, May 24, 2007

May 24 Flu Update--hiatus coming

The blog will take a hiatus for the Memorial Day holiday.
We will update again May 28.

ProMed with the official report from Indonesia of a recent death (seen here earlier). Note reported exposure to dead chickens.

The patient in Vietnam is said to be recovering.

Meanwhile, there have been reports of two more avian outbreaks in Vietnam.

Farmers in Nigeria are apparently risking more serious health problems by using a banned avian vaccine.

CIDRAP has news on a couple things. First, there is an H7N2 outbreak in Wales. And, OIE does support poultry vaccination, despite controversy. And they cover some outbreaks we have already.

Revere looks at the study of healthcare workers we blogged a couple of days ago. He is encouraging concrete steps to protect workers over "risk education."

The US Treasury has announced a test of the financial system to be able to withstand a pandemic.

MPs in Ghana are asking for a bird flu update

Excellent article on the state of play in the vaccine game. Note GSK's proprietary antigen-sparing formula.

Australian expert says the country is safe for now, but the future is still unclear for H5N1. It is kind of amazing, as close as they are, that there hasn't even been an avian outbreak.

Edinburgh University (UK) is establishing a centre of excellence to lead the fight against bird flu.

Finally, two things. First, in response to yesterday's comments, I am going to put a link to my picture. My space on the HHS blog should be coming next....

And second, I got my notice to be in the Iowa Futures Market for Avian Flu.....We'll track everything here on the CIP?

posted by Orange @ 5:13 PM

The Coming Influenza Pandemic?

Is a global influenza pandemic on the way that could kill millions of people? Are we going to relive the horror of 1918? If it happens, are we even remotely prepared to save ourselves? Scientists from around the world are concerned about bird flu...since 2004 our site has tracked news of H5N1 influenza from around the world.

Read the Most Influential Pandemic Book Ever Written

Bird Flu Death Toll

243

Previous Posts

• May 23 Flu Update
• May 22 Flu Update
• May 21 Flu Update
• May 20 Flu Update
• May 19 Flu Update
• May 18 Flu Update
• May 17 Flu Update
• May 16 Flu Update
• May 15 Flu Update
• May 14th Flu Update

Links

• FluWiki online.
• Wikipedia on Influenza
• CDC Flu Page
• WHO Flu Page
• CDC Avian Influenza
• New Yorker's Malcolm Gladwell on the search for the flu in permafrost
• New Yorker's Malcolm Gladwell on Flu as our most deadly contagion
• The Planning and Politics behind the flu from Greenhammer
• Preparing for the Next Pandemic
• Michael T. Osterholm, Ph.D., M.P.H.
• New England Journal of Medicine, May 5, 2005
  
  
• Is there anything we can do to avoid this course? The answer is a qualified yes that depends on how everyone, from world leaders to local elected officials, decides to respond. We need bold and timely leadership at the highest levels of the governments in the developed world; these governments must recognize the economic, security, and health threats posed by the next influenza pandemic and invest accordingly. The resources needed must be considered in the light of the eventual costs of failing to invest in such an effort. The loss of human life even in a mild pandemic will be devastating, and the cost of a world economy in shambles for several years can only be imagined.
  
  
• ABC Primetime, September 2005
• "Right now in human beings, it kills 55 percent of the people it infects," says Laurie Garrett, a senior fellow on global health policy at the Council on Foreign Relations. "That makes it the most lethal flu we know of that has ever been on planet Earth affecting human beings."
  
  
• Dr. Robert Webster
• Society just can't accept the idea that 50 percent of the population could die. And I think we have to face that possibility," Webster said. "I'm sorry if I'm making people a little frightened, but I feel it's my role.
  
  
• Dr. Robert Fedson
• "There is nothing in Darwinian evolution that says that our DNA has to survive compared to say the DNA of an earthworm. I mean Darwinian evolution is completely indifferent to which DNA happens to persist. We are not necessarily unique as a species as far as evolution is concerned and we can disappear like other species have already disappeared."