|
AFP/File - Sat Sep 1, 1:00 AM ET A veterinary technician administers the Newcastle disease vaccine to a hen in the village of Petrovec, Macedonia, pictured here in 2005. Bulgaria's veterinary service confirmed Friday an outbreak of Newcastle disease in poultry in the northwest of the country, the farming ministry said in a statement.(AFP/File/Robert Atanasovski) (BULGARIA) |
Reuters - Sat Sep 1, 4:21 AM ET A rooster is seen at a village in Ha Tay province, 20 km (12.4 miles) outside Hanoi August 15, 2007. The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed five human bird flu cases in Vietnam, four of them fatal, the U.N. agency said in a statement. (Kham/Reuters) (VIETNAM) |
|
Sat Sep 1, 9:22 AM ET Denpasar. Two infants, who have been suspected of being infected with bird flu or Avian Influenza (AI) virus, were rushed to Sanglah Hospital, Denpasar on Friday night, bringing the number of suspected bird flu patients, who have been treated at the hospital in Bali to 13 so far. (INDONESIA) |
Sat Sep 1, 2007 9:48 AM ET A mooncake is seen at a bakery in Hong Kong in this September 15, 2004 file photo. China told its people on Thursday not to take mooncakes containing egg yolk or meat to Australia because of the threat of bird flu and other diseases. China has sent a notice to the World Health Organisation defending its food safety standards and sentenced another food and drug watchdog official for bribery, its latest moves to assure the world its exports are up to par. REUTERS/Bobby Yip (CHINA) (WHO) |
|
Sat Sep 1, 2007 10:47 AM ET The U.S.Health and Human Services Secretary, Mike Leavitt, announced this week that the department is making available another $75 million to states, territories and four metropolitan areas to help strengthen their capacity to respond to a pandemic influenza outbreak. West Virginia will receive an additional $620,408. (US) (WV)
W.Va. gets $620,408 for pandemic flu preparations
The supplemental funding will be used to: Establish or enhance stockpiles of medical supplies; continue development of plans for maintenance, distribution and sharing of those supplies; develop pandemic alternate care sites; and conduct medical surge exercises The grants supplement $430 million already announced to strengthen the ability of health care facilities to respond to bioterror attacks, infectious diseases and natural disasters that could cause mass casualties. (WEST VIRGINIA) |
Sat Sep 1, 2007 11:24:38 AM ET More funding will help the state stockpile medical supplies, develop plans to distribute them, plan alternate medical care sites and conduct exercises on how to help a surge of flu patients. (US) (MN)
More funds to prevent pandemic coming - Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said it will give Minnesota an additional $1.3 million to help prepare for a potential flu pandemic. The state is developing procedures for hospitals to use in event of a flu pandemic, and some hospitals will begin exercises next year to practice for an emergency. Minnesota also has received about $6 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and expects another $3 million soon. (MINNESOTA) |
|
Sun Sep 1, 2007 3:02:38 AM ET Thailand's northern province of Mae Hong Song is still on high alert though initial tests showed that ducks and chickens that died mysteriously there last week had not contracted the H5N1 virus, authorities said on Sunday. (THAILAND)
Northern Thailand closely monitors bird flu
Over 100 fowl in Khun Yuam district of the northern province of Mae Hong Son reportedly died last week, sparking fears that the bird flu virus may have re-emerged. Despite reassurance from health authorities, the director of the Livestock Department, Pirom Srichant, was quoted by the Bangkok Post's webnews as saying that the situation will still be monitored closely for at least eight more days with more bird flu tests conducted. "Let me stress that we are taking this seriously and that we are still awaiting official results," said Pirom. "If there are traces of bird flu, we should be told." According to a veterinarian based at the Livestock Department in Mae Hong Son province, 15 livestock officials have been dispatched to keep a close eye on the situation for the next 15 days. Thailand is among the countries hardest hit by the deadly H5N1 virus, having recorded 24 human cases (including 16 fatalities) since the outbreak in 2004. Source: Xinhua |
Sun Sep 1, 2007 3:19:15 AM ET An official of the Hong Kong civil aviation on Thursday called for regional cooperation to curb the spread of avian flu on air travel. (HONG KONG)
HK calls for regional cooperation against avian flu on air travel
At the opening of a two-day meeting of the International Civil Aviation, Norman Lo, Director-General of Civil Aviation of the government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region said that the International Civil Aviation Organization has initiated the arrangement to coordinate the cooperative arrangements among the participating jurisdictions and airports to reduce the risk of spreading avian influenza and similar illnesses via air travel. Lo made the remarks at the opening of the Cooperative Arrangement for Preventing the Spread of Communicable Diseases through Air Travel First Steering Committee Meeting. About 60 delegates from 25 organizations including the International Civil Aviation Organization, World Health Organization, International Air Transport Association and Airports Council International are attending the meeting. Aviation and medical experts will discuss the implementation of the International Civil Aviation Organization's guidelines for preventing the spread of communicable disease through air travel and identify effective preventive measures. Delegates will also tour Hong Kong International Airport and see the measures and equipment adopted for preventing the spread of communicable diseases. Source: Xinhua |
|
Fieldwork is on-going, and in addition to the above announcement, the GAINS team in Mongolia will also be fitting coloured leg flags to shorebirds on southward migration during the next few weeks. Capture and marking of several species is anticipated including Ruff Philomachus pugnax, Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata, Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis, with other species marked depending on availability of supplies. (GAINS) |
Sun Sep 1, 2007 4:40:15 AM ET The duck farm in Bavaria was quarantined behind two secure anti-contamination zones. EU veterinary experts will assess the level of threat and containment at the Bavarian duck farm which was at the center of the latest outbreak of bird flu in Germany in August. (GERMANY) |
|
Sun Sep 1, 2007 4:40:15 AM ET EU experts will check the quarantine measures. (GERMANY) |
Sun Sep 1, 2007 4:40:15 AM ET Test carried out at the farm leave some questions unanswered. (GERMANY) |
|
Sun Sep 1, 2007 4:48:56 PM ET Indonesian doctors examine blood samples from poultry workers working in Bali. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) helped set up participatory disease surveillance (PDS) and participatory disease response (PDR) after the death of two bird flu-related people recently in Bali, an official said. "The two teams have 72 members. They have been placed in eight districts and one city," Bali husbandry office spokesman Ketut Suarda said here Sunday. (INDONESIA) |
Sun Sep 2, 2007 10:26 PM ET The Nene (pronounced Nay-nay) or Hawaiian Goose. Photo: Jack Jeffrey. Hawaii scientists examine feral cats as danger to wild birds, including ground-nesting seabirds, forest birds and protected Hawaiian geese, or Nene. (HAWAII) HILO, Hawaii - Scientists are looking at the impact of a population of feral cats roaming Mauna Kea on the Big Island. There's no count of the cats that have been found as high as the 10,000-foot elevation on the mountain's west slope, but researchers say they prey on birds and could pose a danger to humans because of the diseases they carry. Many of the wild cats are believed to carry multiple diseases, including toxoplasmosis, which could raise concern if they start blending into feral cat populations nearer to residential areas. Toxoplasmosis, a protozoan parasite, can cause severe illness in fetuses and adults with immune system weaknesses. |
|
Sun Sep 2, 2007 10:48 PM ET The World Health Organisation has complimented Sri Lanka's health services at the annual South East Asian Summit held in Bhutan, stating that it has set an example for all the other countries in the region with its excellence in the departments of hospital administration, medical services and patient care. (SRI LANKA) (WHO) |
Sun Sep 2, 2007 11:12 PM ET Indonesian health officials cull poultry in West Java province, January 10, 2007. A mathematical analysis has confirmed that H5N1 avian influenza spread from person to person in Indonesia in April, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday. (Stringer/Reuters) (INDONESIA) |
|
Sun Sep 2, 2007 11:47 PM ET Cars and trucks travel on a freeway in Los Angeles, California August 31, 2006 with the skyline of Los Angeles visible in background. Greenhouse gas emissions -- not El Nino or other natural phenomena -- pushed U.S. temperatures for 2006 close to a record high, government climate scientists reported. By Deborah Zabarenko, Environment Correspondent (Fred Prouser/Reuters) (US) |
AP - Mon Sep 3, 6:39 AM ET Seagulls fly above a bird sanctuary in Samut Prakarn province, Thailand on Dec. 26, 2006. Samples from 350,0000 healthy wild birds in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas have tested negative for bird flu, offering further proof that spread of the virus is mainly a result of trade in infected live birds, the United Nations said Monday, Sept. 3, 2007. (AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong) (FAO) |
|
AP - Mon Sep 3, 6:40 AM ET Seagulls fly at a bird sanctuary under the backdrop of a setting sun in Samut Prakarn province, Thailand on Dec. 26, 2006. Samples from 350,0000 healthy wild birds in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas have tested negative for bird flu, offering further proof that spread of the virus is mainly a result of trade in infected live birds, the United Nations said Monday, Sept. 3, 2007. (AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong) (FAO) |
Mon Sep 3, 9:22 AM ET A poultry vendor sits near her chicken in a market in Berastagi, Karo regency, North Sumatera, Indonesia, May 27, 2006. Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari denied here Monday that bird flu (Avian Influenza/AI) in Indonesia has begun to spread by human-to-human transmission. (INDONESIA) |
|
Tue Sep 4, 5:16 AM ET File photo of chickens in Peredovoi, 100 km from the Russia's southern city of Stavropol. Russia on Tuesday reported its third outbreak this year of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu after 410 birds died on a poultry farm in the country's south. REUTERS/Eduard Korniyenko/Files (RUSSIA) |
Tue Sep 4, 12:09 PM ET A Russian veterinarian inspects ostriches after an outbreak of bird flu in 2006. A strain of the H5N1 bird flu virus that is dangerous for humans has surfaced at chicken farm in southern Russia, the veterinary service said. (AFP/File/Samantha Sin) (RUSSIA) |
|
Reuters - Tue Sep 4, 2:22 PM ET Local husbandry officers slaughter chickens in Deli Serdang, North Sumatra province May 18, 2007. Indonesia rejected on Monday a study by U.S. researchers that concluded that the H5N1 bird flu virus had spread from person to person during an outbreak last year, saying it was misleading.REUTERS/Y.T Haryono (INDONESIA) |
Wed, 05 Sep 2007 1:45 PM PDT A veterinary vaccinates a rooster at a private farm in the village of Sharapovo, some 40 km (24.8 miles) south of Moscow February 21, 2007. Russian officials announced today that hundreds of chickens at a farm in southern Russia died of H5N1 avian influenza, as international experts met in Bangkok to discuss how to better monitor the spread of the disease in Asia. (RUSSIA) |
|
Wed, 05 Sep 2007 3:24 PM PDT Dr Heymann says bird flu will continue to pose a risk to humans. (File photo) (AFP: Mamat) WHO had evidence of two or three incidences in Vietnam and Indonesia where the H5N1 virus had spread from an infected person to someone who was in close contact with them. (AUSTRALIA) |
New Health Minister Appointed China's top legislature on Friday approved the cabinet nomination of Chen Zhu, who has no party affiliation, as the country's new health minister. Chen, 54, is the second person who is not a member of the Communist Party of China (CPC) to be given such a key appointment since the late 1970s, following the appointment of Wan Gang as Minister of Science and Technology in April this year. A France-trained scientist, Chen replaced 63-year-old Gao Qiang, who was assigned to the Health Ministry after former Health Minister Zhang Wenkang was sacked over the SARS crisis in 2003. (Xinhua News Agency June 29, 2007) |
|
Wed, 05 Sep 2007 11:23 PM PDT Announcing the project, Hong Kong University vice chancellor Tsui Lap-chee said the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, in 2003 had highlighted the importance of surveillance, rapid identification, diagnosis and containment with such deadly viruses. (HONG KONG) |
Thu Sep 6, 2:09 AM ET A 33-year-old Indonesian man, who was contracted by avian influenza, is in critical condition in a hospital at Riau province in Sumatra Island, the Health Ministry said Thursday. (INDONESIA) |
|
AP - Fri Sep 7, 2:08 AM ET An Indonesian health official throws a slaughtered chicken into a hole to be burned during a culling to prevent the spread of avian influenza virus in Surabaya, East java, Indonesia, Friday, Sept. 7, 2007. An Indonesian man died of bird flu after slaughtering an infected chicken, a local health official said Thursday, lifting the number of people killed by the virus worldwide to 200. (AP Photo/Trisnadi) (INDONESIA) |
Fri Sep 7, 3:20 AM ET 19th APEC Ministerial Meeting Sydney, Australia, September 2-9, 2007 Natural disasters, terrorist activities and pandemic diseases, such as bird flu. Human security should be enhanced to ensure sustained economic growth, higher living standards and reduction of poverty in the Asia-Pacific region, APEC ministers said Thursday. (APEC) |
|
Fri Sep 7, 5:02 AM ET A total of 729 cattle landfill sites are currently operating without having a sanitary protection zone in place, and access to them is not restricted. (SIBERIA) Over 80% of livestock disposal sites dangerous in Altai Territory - SiberiaAround 84% of all livestock graves in the region failed to operate according to veterinary and sanitary norms, with landfill sites full of contaminated remains. Considering recent cases of bird flu and anthrax in the region these sites pose a real threat of spreading dangerous diseases to other regions and countries, prosecutors said. |
Wed, 05 Sep 2007 11:48 PM PDT The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced today that more than 1,700 national, regional, state, and local organizations will support the department by participating in National Preparedness Month 2007 This campaign occurs annually in September, and encourages Americans to prepare for all types of emergencies in their homes, businesses, schools, and communities. DHS promotes individual emergency preparedness through the Ready Campaign and the department's Citizen Corps Program throughout the year. "Too many individuals remain in a state of denial when it comes to personal preparedness," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. "Able-bodied Americans need to be prepared to take care of themselves and their families after an emergency, so that first responders can focus on those who need assistance most. With the help of our coalition members, we encourage Americans to get an emergency supply kit, make a family communications plan, and be informed about the different types of emergencies that may affect them." |
|
Thu, 06 Sep 2007 1:50 AM PDT 2 avian flu labs for Mindanao - These laboratories will complement the ongoing work being done at the Regional Avian Influenza Diagnostic Laboratory (RAIDL) in Pampanga, the country's first diagnostic facility dedicated to promptly detect the AI virus. The Philippines as one of only three countries in Southeast Asia totally free of avian influenza or the bird flu virus. (PHILIPPINES) |
Thu, 06 Sep 2007 5:39 AM PDT Iomai Corporation today announced that it has begun dosing in a Phase 1/2 study that will assess the safety and dose-sparing capability of the company's immunostimulant patch when used in combination with an injected H5N1 influenza vaccine. (VACCINES) |
|
Wed, 05 Sep 2007 11:42 AM PDT Strohl Systems, the leading provider of business continuity software and services, announced today a new Webinar titled "Pandemic Planning for Financial Institutions." This complimentary Webinar will be held on Sept. 12 and will address how financial institutions can best prepare for a pandemic outbreak. Additionally, Strohl announced the release of a new pandemic planning module, which will be available by the end of September, for its PLANet software tool. (PANDEMIC) |
Fri Sep 7, 8:41 AM ET Warning: Animals arriving without proper documents will be refused entry and returned to point of origin as there are no quarantine facilities in Bermuda. (BERMUDA) BERMUDA CUSTOMS RULES : PETSBirds: parrots, parakeets and other psittacine birds must have a health certificate with special mention that the bird has had a psittacosis examination within 3 months, if recent purchase from a pet shop, or 6 months, if coming from a private home. Dogs and cats must have a microchip implant and be accompanied by: General health certificate issued within 10 days prior to arrival by a licensed veterinarian identifying the animal by reference to breed, sex, age and colour corresponding to microchip identification. |
|
Fri Sep 7, 10:15 AM ET A man holds chickens that are about to be cooked in April 2006 at a market in Abidjan. Zimbabwe has with immediate effect banned the importation of poultry products from outside the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to contain bird flu, a minister said.(AFP/File/Issouf Sanogo). HE Ministry of Health and Child Welfare and the Department of Veterinary Services are planning to put in place a taskforce to deal with avian influenza. (AFRICA) |
Fri Sep 7, 1:56 PM ET German authorities said Friday that more than 200,000 ducks would be slaughtered at two farms in Bavaria after tests indicated the presence of the H5N1 strain of bird flu. The two farms are located near Schwandorf, east of Nuremberg, and have a total of 205,000 ducks. It was not immediately clear how the virus might have gotten there. (GERMANY) |
|
Reuters - Sat Sep 8, 8:06 AM ET Workers in bio-hazard suits stand at the entry of a sealed off poultry farm in Trumling, southern Germany September 8, 2007. The H5N1 bird flu virus has been found in several ducks at a poultry farm in the southern German state of Bavaria, local authorities said on Saturday. About 205,000 birds in farms in the area would be culled, a ministry spokesman said. REUTERS/Michael Dalder (GERMANY) |
Sat Sep 8, 12:48 PM EDT Acadian Ambulance medic Raradine Wheeler, right, brings in nursing student Lauren LeJeune, who is pretending to have the flu during a pandemic exercise at Lafayette General Hospital Friday. (LA) (PANDEMIC) Hospitals test flu readiness - Lafayette LAThe concert of coughs, wheezing and fear in Lafayette General's emergency room Friday morning was all play - but not for fun. The hospital along with nine others in Acadiana tested how their procedures for handling a flu pandemic on Friday. |
|
Reuters - Sat Sep 8, 10:48 PM ET U.S. President George W. Bush waves from the steps of Air Force One as he leaves the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Sydney, September 8, 2007. (Jason Reed/Reuters) (APEC) |
Sun Sep 9, 11:30:47 PM ET Tourists leave a bird stall at a market in Denpasar, on Bali island, in May 2007. Denpasar, Bali Island - An international meeting on "Key Partners on Avian Influenza and Pandemic Preparedness" will be held in Jimbaran, Badung District, Bali Province on Tuesday. (INDONESIA) |
|
Sun Sep 9, 11:45:42 PM ET A worker is helped into a bio-hazard suit at the entrance to a sealed off poultry farm in Hofing, southern Germany September 9, 2007. German authorities started culling tens of thousands of birds at two farms in the Bavarian towns of Trumling and Hofing as a protective measure over fears of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu. REUTERS/Michael Dalder Around 28,000 animals have also been slaughtered in the neighbouring village of Nittenau, where antibodies were discovered relating to the H5N1 strain of the disease. (GERMANY) |
AFP/File - Mon Sep 10, 3:53 AM ET The World Health Organisation director general Margaret Chan, seen here, warned Monday against complacency in the fight against bird flu, saying another human influenza pandemic is inevitable sooner or later(AFP/File/Fabrice Coffrini) (WHO) (PANDEMIC) |
|
Mon, 10 Sep 2007 12:28:06 PM EDT Workers in bio-hazard suits enter a sealed off poultry farm with culling boxes Ducks infected with the H5N1 bird-flu virus might have been eaten by unsuspecting Germans, but would not have infected anyone once the meat was roasted, a state health official said Monday. He spoke after more than a third of a million ducks had been slaughtered at poultry farms and incinerated to curb an outbreak of the disease 140 kilometres north of Munich, in Germany's Bavaria state. (GERMANY) |
Mon, 10 Sep 2007 12:42:06 PM EDT A Malaysian health official sprays insecticides at a village in Paya Jaras outside Kuala Lumpur June 7, 2007. Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, in announcing this, said surveillance and laboratory tests conducted in the last three months had fulfilled the conditions set by the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) or World Organisation for Animal Health, and showed that the country was now free of the H5N1 virus. (MALAYSIA) |
|
5th INTERNATIONAL BIRD FLU SUMMIT: 27-28 Sept - NevadaMon, 10 Sep 2007 2:42:39 PM EDT Top leaders and key decision-makers of major companies representing a broad range of industries will meet with distinguished scientists, public health officials, law enforcers, first responders and other experts to discuss pandemic prevention, preparedness, response and recovery at the 5th International Bird Flu Summit. (PANDEMIC) |
Mon, 10 Sep 2007 3:12:58 PM EDT Terrorism is the biggest threat to next year's Beijing Olympics, a state newspaper cited top Chinese security officials as saying.
Olympics-Terrorism seen as biggest threat to Beijing Games |
|
Mon, 10 Sep 2007 3:22:11 PM EDT In this photo released by the Public Affairs Office of the National Jewish Medical and Research Center, shows tuberculosis patient Andrew Speaker in his isolation room at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver shortly before testifying by telephone to a Congressional committee Wednesday, June 6, 2007. An investigation into U.S. officials' inability to stop an American man from traveling while infected with tuberculosis revealed severe security gaps, heightening concern that a more deadly case involving pandemic flu or small pox could slip through the cracks.(AP Photo/Public Affairs Office of National Jewish Medical and Research Center, William Alsetter) (PANDEMIC) |
Mon, 10 Sep 2007 5:01:43 PM EDT The strain of the virus is as yet unknown. Plans to vaccinate all Isle of Man residents against pandemic flu are being considered by the government. (VACCINES) |
|
Mon, 10 Sep 2007 7:07:32 PM EDT Laboratory tests have confirmed that a dead swan found in the Krasnodar Territory was infected with H5 bird flu virus, but not with the N1 strain, a source in the local administration said Monday. (RUSSIA) |
Mon Sep 10, 3:23 PM ET Sue Patterson, Franklin County public health educator (left) and Phyllis Light, Essex County Public Health Department-s emergency planning coordinator, describe the food and other supplies that would last a family of four about two weeks in an emergency situation. Franklin and Essex County public health personnel are working together to raise awareness about emergency preparedness in the event of a flu outbreak. Staff Photo/Kim Smith Dedam (PANDEMIC) (NY) |
|
Mon Sep 10, 10:42 PM ET A man keeps an eye on chickens and ducks at Ha Vi Market in Ha Tay Province, Vietnam. Authorities in northern Vietnam confiscated some 2,500 chickens smuggled in from neighboring China, highlighting the challenges of stopping bird flu. (AP Photo/Chitose Suzuki) (VIETNAM) |
AP - Mon Sep 10, 11:37 PM ET Chickens are on display for sale as a customer walks past at a fresh market in downtown Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Malaysia declared itself free of bird flu Monday, more than three months after an outbreak among poultry led authorities to slaughter over 4,000 chickens and ducks. (AP Photo/Lai Seng Sin) (MALAYSIA) |
|
Wed Sep 12, 1:40 AM ET Indonesia, which accounts for over 40% of the worldwide human death toll from avian influenza, hopes for Russia's assistance in the fight against the disease, an Indonesian minister said Tuesday. "We know of interesting work done by Russian doctors in the sphere of vaccines development, and Indonesia would be grateful if Russia shared its experience," the minister said. (INDONESIA) (RUSSIA) |
Wed Sep 12, 2:55 AM ET A woman chooses slaughtered chicken at a slaughter house in Jakarta . Indonesia will relocate poultry breeding centres, slaughter houses and animal markets in a bid to combat bird flu amid a political change, said ministry officials on Tuesday. REUTERS/Beawiharta (INDONESIA) |
|
Wed Sep 12, 3:25 AM ET Mr Tony Pye, CSIRO scientist, preparing samples for genetic analysis of the equine influenza virus at the Australian Animal Health Laboratory Image CSIRO (AAHL) A test developed for bird flu by the CSIRO and the Australian Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre (AB-CRC) is being used to test horses for equine influenza (EI). EI is caused by a strain of influenza that is related to the strain which triggers bird flu. (RESEARCH) (AUSTRALIA)
Bird flu test being used on horses |
Wed Sep 12, 4:43 AM ET A healthy chicken in northern Italy (Photo by Rachel Bradley) (VACCINES)
Bird Flu Vaccine Shows Promise in First Human Trials
BRUSSELS, Belgium, September 12, 2007 (ENS) - Results of the first clinical trial of a novel bird flu vaccine developed to protect humans show that it is safe and well tolerated in healthy volunteers, according to an international team of scientists who have been working on the project since 2001. The new vaccine is the first ever human candidate vaccine against the potentially deadly avian influenza H7N1 subtype. |
|
Wed Sep 12, 6:39 AM ET Evelyn Brinton, 16 months, takes a look in the poultry barn Monday on her first trip to the York Fair. Fair officials say the bird census is down this year. (Photo by Bil Bowden) (PA) |
Wed Sep 12, 5:22 AM ET Mrs Slater says Squeak is part of the family. A Salford woman faces eviction after complaints about her noisy pet chicken. (UK) Woman faces eviction over chickenJanet Slater, 54, has been told she is breaking her housing association tenancy agreement by keeping livestock in her Eccles bungalow. Neighbours have complained so much that Irwell Valley Housing Association has said she will have to go unless she gets rid of Squeak the chicken. But Mrs Slater said Squeak is "part of the family" and called the dispute "a storm in a teacup". Mrs Slater, who uses a wheelchair, said: "I can't get out a lot, so Squeak keeps me company. I talk to her and I love her dearly. "Squeak is not livestock because she isn't kept for food or profit. |
|
Thu Sep 13, 07:06:40 AM ET Laotian officials said here on Thursday that the only laboratory for bird flu in the capital of Vientiane was insufficient to cope with the worsening situation and that more laboratories were needed. In a conference between Thai and Laos medical officials to discuss the bird flu situation in the region, both parties discussed on cooperation to establish a bird flu surveillance network. (LAOS) (THAILAND) |
Thu Sep 13, 01:22:00 PM ET The San Diego Wild Animal Park has closed its aviary because 10 lorikeet parrots have died within the past week. Park officials said Tuesday tests by county health officials ruled out West Nile virus. The cause of death is still under investigation. (CA) |
|
Thu Sep 13, 11:45:10 AM ET Comparing junk food to a possible avian flu pandemic, provincial Health Minister Philippe Couillard said yesterday that the province is preparing a crackdown to get sugar-laden soft drinks and junk food out of schools. (CANADA)
Province to rid schools of junk food: QuebecYouth obesity a pandemic: Couillard. Positive message needed, health minister says
Comparing junk food to a possible avian flu pandemic, provincial Health Minister Philippe Couillard said yesterday that the province is preparing a crackdown to get sugar-laden soft drinks and junk food out of schools. "We have been preparing for a possible pandemic of avian flu, which we hope will never happen," he told reporters, referring to the H5N1 flu virus that has devastated flocks of domesticated birds, including chickens, ducks, and turkeys. "We have a kind of pandemic among our citizens - the problem of obesity among our youth, of the lack of physical activity with severe consequences," said Couillard, a medical doctor. |
Thu Sep 13, 12:47:11 AM ET Perdue increases health precautions at its chicken farms. (MD) (PANDEMIC)
Perdue Sets New Health Precautions At Chicken Houses
SALISBURY, Md. -- Perdue has increased health precautions at company chicken farms. About 650 chicken farms on Eastern Shore now have stop signs along their driveways. The signs prohibit people from entering the property without permission, officials said. All the signs have mailboxes that contain visitor logs.
Perdue spokeswoman Julie DeYoung said the logs help keep track of every person who enters a farm at a point where visitors must wear protective clothing.
The signs also include numbers, which show the current threat level for diseases such as bird flu, officials said. |
|
Thu Sep 13, 1:42:07 PM ET A veterinary technician administers the Newcastle disease vaccine to a hen in the village of Petrovec, Macedonia in 2005. Bulgarian veterinary authorities confirmed new outbreaks of Newcastle disease in poultry in the northwest of the country, where cases of the disease were reported in late-August, the state BTA news agency said.(AFP/File/Robert Ataansovski ) (BULGARIA)
Bulgaria reports new outbreaks of Newcastle disease
SOFIA (AFP) - Bulgarian veterinary authorities confirmed Thursday new outbreaks of Newcastle disease in poultry in the northwest of the country, where cases of the disease were reported in late-August, the state BTA news agency said |
Thu Sep 13, 5:16:48 PM ET Hoffman-La Roche Inc.'s CEO advises businesses to prepare now. (PANDEMIC)
Flu pandemic preparation urged : CA
George Abercrombie, CEO of pharmaceutical company Hoffman-La Roche Inc., urged executives, lawyers and other businesspeople gathered at a Forum for Corporate Directors dinner in Irvine last week to prepare their businesses for a potential flu pandemic. Abercrombie shared tips on how to prepare and advised the audience to stockpile on Tamiflu, a drug manufactured by Hoffman-La Roche Inc. that can treat and prevent bird flu if taken early. It takes six to nine months to create a batch of the drug, he said. Pandemic is defined an outbreak over a wide geographic area that affects an exceptionally high portion of the population. Why worry about a pandemic now? Pandemics occur every 30 years and it's been longer than that since we've had one in the U.S. The last one was the swine flu in 1967 and the most likely culprit now is the bird flu circulating in Southeast Asia. |
|
AFP/File - Mon Aug 20, 3:20 AM ET A chicken vendor at a market in Jakarta, 16 August. Indonesia has offered to cooperate with Japan in developing a human bird flu vaccine, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Monday during a visit by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.(AFP/File/Ahmad Zamroni) (INDONESIA) |
AP - Fri Sep 14, 5:32 AM ET A man carries a duck and chickens in the basket of his motorbike in Ha Vi Market in Ha Tay Province, Vietnam, Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2007. Vietnam is expected to import an additional 100 million doses of bird flu vaccines for fowls, local newspaper Saigon Liberation said on Friday, Sept. 14, 2007, quoting a local animal health agency. (AP Photo/Chitose Suzuki) (VIETNAM) |
|
Fri Sep 14, 7:26 AM ET The Southern Nevada Health District is using sock puppets made by elementary school students to highlight the dangers of influenza. Flu season is weeks away. (US) NV) |
AP - Fri Sep 14, 5:32 AM ET A man carries a duck and chickens in the basket of his motorbike in Ha Vi Market in Ha Tay Province, Vietnam, Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2007. Vietnam is expected to import an additional 100 million doses of bird flu vaccines for fowls, local newspaper Saigon Liberation said on Friday, Sept. 14, 2007, quoting a local animal health agency. (AP Photo/Chitose Suzuki) (VIETNAM) |
|
Fri Sep 14, 7:54 PM ET A worker in a bio-hazard suit poses to the media at the entry of a poultry farm in Wachenroth, southern Germany August 26, 2007. Simbach, Germany - Another 26,000 ducks are to be destroyed in Germany's battle to stop the spread of H5N1 avian influenza through poultry farms in Bavaria state, officials said Friday. (GERMANY) |
AFP/File - Sat Sep 15, 2:43 PM ET Poultry in a backyard wait to be taken away by authorities in February 2006. China's agriculture ministry said Saturday it had discovered a suspected outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu virus among ducks at a village outside the southern city of Guangzhou.(AFP/File/Samantha Sin) (CHINA) |
|
Sun Sep 16, 4:15 AM ET File photo shows customers picking up perscription drugs at a pharmacy in a Wal-Mart store in Florida, US. Thousands of physicians and scientists meet Monday in Chicago to tackle the growing resistance of germs to antibiotics and the effects of global warming on them, at the world's biggest conference on disease-causing microbes. (AFP/File) (RESEARCH) (MEDICAL NEWS) Scientists set for major disease conference in Chicago |
Sun Sep 16, 5:19 AM ET Pigeons in large numbers stop over in the northeastern parts of the Kingdom on their way back from Asia to Africa. (AN photo by Khaled Al-Awadh) (NCWCD) (SAUDI ARABIA) ASYAH, 16 September 2007 - A large number of small migratory birds, especially pigeons, are being killed illegally by amateur hunters, according to the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development (NCWCD). "Hunting these birds and pigeons is totally banned," a NCWD source told Arab News. "Even during the hunting season, the ban remains in place. Hunting these birds is banned throughout the year," he added. The source added that the hunters might catch bird flu by eating migratory birds. "Bird flu viruses can pose dangerous health problems to people," he said. |
|
Reuters - Sun Sep 16, 6:53 AM ET A labourer collects eggs at a hennery in Changzhi, north China's Shanxi province, September 16, 2007. China has discovered a suspected outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu virus among ducks in an outlying district of the southern metropolis of Guangzhou, the Agriculture Ministry said on Saturday. With the world's biggest poultry population and millions of backyard birds roaming free, China is at the centre of the fight against bird flu. |
Sun Sep 16, 6:28 PM ET The University of Maryland, College Park will open a $69 million bioscience research building, the home of the school's new Maryland Pathogen Research Institute, on Tuesday. The 134,000-square-foot facility includes state-of-the-art equipment and 35 laboratories to support interdisciplinary programs including the institute and its studies of infectious diseases. The institute's pathogen studies will explore naturally occurring infectious diseases, including avian flu, as well as bioterrorist threats such as anthrax. (RESEARCH) |
|
Sun Sep 16, 7:45 PM ET NOT ENOUGH: Infrared imaging has been used to detect sick people at overseas airports, but can't help much if fellow passengers can't be traced. (Health Ministry) |
AFP/File - Sun Sep 16, 11:27 PM ET Ducks at a market in Hunan. More than 9,000 ducks that died in a suspected outbreak of bird flu in southern China had been vaccinated against the disease, a report said Monday(AFP/File/Liu Jin) (CHINA) |
|
Tue, 18 Sep 2007 0:19 AM PDT Kim Lamb • LVN photo Fallon's Dr. Gary Ridenour has written a book, "Pandemic," which explores the effects of a potential worldwide avian flu pandemic. He compares and contrasts the avian flu to the medieval bubonic plague and the 1918 pandemic, and offers suggestions for long-term survival if the disease strikes close to home. Lahontan Valley News (Pandemic) |
Tue, 18 Sep 2007 5:43 AM PDT Mylene Medina load trays of chicken eggs onto racks during a demonstration of the inoculation stage of the production of influenza vaccine during a tour at a Sanofi Pasteur vaccine production facility in Swiftwater, Pennsylvania July 19, 2007. Photographer: Stephen Hilger/Bloomberg News. (VACCINE) |
|
Tue, 18 Sep 2007 6:28 AM PDT To date, the deadly form of avian flu has not been found in migratory waterfowl in the United States. Chronic wasting disease, West Nile virus, avian flu, Lyme disease and now deer dropping dead in western Pennsylvania from epizootic hemorrhagic disease. (PA) |
Reuters - Tue Sep 18, 7:07 AM ET A worker injects a duckling with the bird flu vaccine at a duck farm following an outbreak of bird flu, in Panyu district of Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong province, September 18, 2007. China on Tuesday sought to reassure consumers already spooked by a slew of food scandals that poultry was safe to eat after officials confirmed the first H5N1 bird flu outbreak since May. REUTERS/Joe Tan (CHINA) |
|
Tue Sep 18, 12:29 PM ET In this photo distributed by China's official Xinhua news agency, a worker disinfects a passing tricycle in Sixian village of Xinzao township in Panyu district of Guangzhou, south China, on Monday September 17, 2007. About 36,000 ducks had been slaughtered to contain the suspected outbreak of H5N1 bird flu in the village, according to the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Chen Shugen) (CHINA) |
AP - Tue Sep 18, 3:56 AM ET Two vendors eat near chickens at a market in Hong Kong Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2007. China's Agriculture Ministry has confirmed a suspected outbreak of H5N1 bird flu among ducks in southern China, Hong Kong's health secretary said Monday. Hong Kong announced it will suspend chilled and frozen duck and geese from southern Guangdong province, for one week, where deaths were reported on five farms in the Panyu district, near Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu) (CHINA) |
|
Thu Sep 20, 11:05 PM ET Eliza Wiley IR Photo Editor - Marlee Watson feeds the ducks and geese at the Lewis and Clark Fairgrounds pond. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks will be testing the waterfowl at the pond for avian flu from now until the end of the year. The tests are part of a statewide study for a national avian flu database. (Agencies) |
Thu Sep 20, 11:51:06 PM EDT
The draft bill obliges citizens to report any animal-related illnesses in their area and pet owners to ensure their animals have regular health checks. It would also require the government to set a list of actions to be taken in the case of a pandemic. (Agencies)
Vets group proposes animal diseases law |
|
Thu Sep 20, 1:28 PM ET "Given the situation with bird flu in Italy, Rosselkhoznadzor has decided to cancel restrictions imposed by Russia earlier on the import of live poultry, eggs, meat products and all other products which have not been subject to heat treatment," the watchdog said. (RUSSIA)
Russia lifts restrictions on Italian poultry |
Fri Sep 21, 6:13:06 AM EDT Nhan Dan - Bird flu outbreaks have been controlled throughout the country after the last affected locality of Phuoc Hung commune, Tra Cu district, Tra Vinh province saw no new outbreaks after 21 days, said the Veterinary Department. (VIETNAM)
Bird flu contained in Vietnam |
|
Fri Sep 21, 9:09 PM ET A man takes a duck from a cage at Ha Vi Market in Ha Tay Province, Vietnam, Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2007. Vietnamese authorities say they have regained control over the bird flu virus, a source in the agriculture ministry said Friday. (AP Photo/Chitose Suzuki (VIETNAM) Vietnam declares control over bird flu |
Sat Sep 22, 2:29:04 AM ET The fear of terrorist attacks and the lingering effect of bird flu are deterring travellers from visiting Turkey. A spokesman for the Association of British Travel Agents (www.abta.com) said an earlier outbreak of bird flu in Turkey at the beginning of 2006 had caused holidaymakers to switch to alternative destinations. (TURKEY)
Bombs and bird flu keep travellers away from Turkey
High numbers of holidaymakers have stayed away from Turkey this summer, reports Jeremy Skidmore.
The fear of terrorist attacks and the lingering effect of bird flu are deterring travellers from visiting Turkey. |
|
Sat Sep 22, 3:58:06 AM ET After the government raised fuel prices by 30 per cent for standard petrol in July 2006, inflation rose steadily to 12.8 per cent by March 2007. An outbreak of bird flu also helped push up the prices. (EGYPT)
Egypt Central Bank holds rates, says inflation a worry
An outbreak of bird flu also helped push up the prices.
(MENAFN - The Peninsula) The Central Bank of Egypt has kept its key overnight interest rates unchanged at 8.75 per cent for deposits and 10.75 per cent for lending but said yesterday inflationary pressures "continue to be a concern." |
AFP/File - Sat Sep 22, 2:18 PM ET A chicken vendor sits in front of his almost empty stand in Abidjan, 2006. African nations are concerned that a slump in funding from the international community could hamper their efforts to combat bird flu on the continent.(AFP/File/Kambou Sia) (AFRICA) |
|
Sat Sep 22, 10:30 PM ET China is ready to share information and experience with the international community on animal disease surveillance and control regarding either bird flu or the blue ear pig disease, an official of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said. (CHINA) FAO animal health expert Vincent Martin said in an interview with Xinhua on Friday that he did not agree with some Western media reports, which suggested the Chinese government was reluctant to report PRRS outbreaks and unwilling to share information on the disease, found so far in China and Vietnam, with the international community. Martin is here to attend a two-day FAO emergency workshop opening Monday on the Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), more commonly known as the blue ear pig disease. Martin, now based in Beijing as an FAO technological coordinator, said the FAO is "very satisfied" with all the collaboration that the Chinese government has provided on disease control. He said that from the very beginning in the summer of 2006 when China first detected in some provinces an outbreak of PRRS, the World Organization for Animal Health and the FAO have been kept informed by the Chinese government on the progress of the disease. |
Sun Sep 23, 11:37 AM ET Ducks are displayed in a local market in Jakarta April 7, 2007. An Indonesian woman suspected of being infected with bird flu has died in the West Java city of Bandung, hospital sources there said Sunday. (INDONESIA) |
|
AFP/File - Sun Sep 23, 1:12 PM ET In this undated photo released from Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, a chip that can detect the deadly bird flu virus is shown. Scientists in Singapore said Monday, Sept. 24, 2007 they have developed a portable device that can detect the H5N1 bird flu virus in less than half an hour. The palm-sized 'lab-on-a-chip' device is able to quickly detect the presence of the H5N1 virus from a throat swab or stool samples from humans and poultry, Dr. Masafumi Inoue, one of the researchers from the Singapore-based Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, told The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, HO) (RESEARCH) |
Reuters - Mon Sep 24, 1:23 PM ET A worker injects a duckling with the bird flu vaccine. New Bird Flu Test Works Quickly. Scientists have revealed a portable bird flu detector that can spot the deadly H5N1 virus in less than 30 minutes. The palm-sized device uses throat swabs or stool samples from humans and poultry. (RESEARCH) |
|
Sep 24, 2007 at 7:22 PM HDT Despite spreading to other parts of the world, the deadly Bird Flu and West Nile Virus have not made it to our Islands. The State wants to keep it that way, with a bird watching program, testing dead birds reported by the public to monitor for potential health dangers. (HAWAII) |
Wed Sep 26, 7:23 AM ET A farmer strokes her geese in a village near Russia's ancient provincial town of Suzdal February 24, 2007. Russia could develop a bird flu vaccine targeted at wild birds within two years, creating a revolution in the flight against the disease, the chief vet at Russia's food safety watchdog said Tuesday. (RUSSIA) |
|
Wed Sep 26, 7:36 AM ET Researchers at Texas A&M University are participating in developing a medicine that is worth sneezing about: a treatment for influenza that forms a jelly when sprayed into the nose. (RESEARCH) (TX)
Nosespray Vaccine Using Aloe Vera Has Exciting Potential, Researcher Says
Even though trial treatments are being used to treat bird flu in humans, technically termed the H5N1 virus, the vaccine has the potential for numerous other uses, such as for the common flu shot, says Dr. Ian Tizard, professor of pathobiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. The project is funded in part by a $6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health awarded to DelSite Biotechnologies in conjunction with the Texas A&M teams. DelSite, an Irving-based company, has a facility in College Station. |
Wed Sep 26, 7:45 AM ET Former Agriculture secretary Mike Johanns, left, spoke this month in Grand Island, Neb., with Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman. Johanns is expected to make a run for the Senate seat vacated by Republican Chuck Hagel. The Department of Agriculture is rarely in the headlines these days, but when Secretary Mike Johanns stepped down last week, he listed a range of projects that span the agency's broad reach, from preparing for an outbreak of a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza to developing an online facility for providing U.S. citizens with nutrition advice. (USDA) |
|
Wed Sep 26, 8:22 AM ET Taipei, Sept. 26 (CNA) The Department of Health (DOH) urged the public Wednesday not to go too close to birds when watching them during the autumn and winter bird-watching season. (TAIWAN)
DOH urges public to keep distance from fowl when watching them: Taiwan |
Wed Sep 26, 9:48 AM ET Russian workers collecting dead chikens from Makhachkala after an outbreak of the bird flu virus in February 2006. A total of 170,600 birds have been slaughtered at the Lebyazh-Chepiginskoye farm and the remaining 77,500 are due to be culled in the near future, Alexander Skorikov, the head of the animal health department at Russia's agriculture watchdog said. (RUSSIA) |
|
Wed Sep 26, 11:15 AM ET The annual symposium of the International Network of Graduates in Animal Production and Health has begun here with bird flu as the main topic. The symposium, which began on Tuesday here in Senegal, one of the countries that are yet to report any bird flu cases, has brought together about 50 veterinary and animal health experts from Africa and the rest of the world. (AFRICA)
Symposium on bird flu: Africa |
Wed Sep 26, 12:48 PM ET NCBA President John Queen. As directed by the 2002 Farm Bill, mandatory country-of-origin labeling will be implemented on September 30, 2008 (NCBA) COUNTRY-OF-ORIGIN LABELINGAs directed by the 2002 Farm Bill, mandatory country-of-origin labeling will be implemented on September 30, 2008 As directed by the 2002 Farm Bill, mandatory country-of-origin labeling will be implemented on September 30, 2008. NCBA is supportive of the concept of country-of-origin labeling, but NCBA has urged that a poorly written law will be harmful to U.S. producers. NCBA policy adopted in February 2007 directs NCBA to work with Congress and USDA to ensure that a country-of-origin labeling program ensures maximum benefit and minimal market disruption to the U.S. beef industry. During development of the 2007 Farm Bill, the House Agriculture Committee worked with NCBA and other food groups to make mandatory COOL a little more workable for producers. This language was included in the Farm Bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on July 27, 2007, and NCBA is expecting this language to remain intact as the Senate takes up deliberations on the Farm Bill this fall. While not perfect, these changes represent an improvement to the COOL law currently on the books. |
|
Thu, 27 Sep 2007 3:39 PM PDT Bird flu virus can pass mother to child - study. "The work helps us to understand H5N1's high fatality rate, as well as serving as model for global collaboration in the field of emerging infectious diseases," said Dr. Ian Lipkin of Columbia University in New York, who directed the study.
Bird flu virus can pass mother to child - study |
Thu, 27 Sep 2007 9:51:02 PM The Elk Creek discovery brings the total number of West Nile-infected dead birds in Glenn County to 36 this year, according to the state's West Nile virus Web site. (WESTNILE)
Kingfisher bird found dead in Elk Creek had West Nile virus
Glenn County health nurse Nip Boyes said a kingfisher bird found dead last week at Elk Creek Elementary School tested positive for the virus. |
|
Thu, 27 Sep 2007 10:21:00 PM Jacquelyn Polder, the officer in charge of the CDC's quarantine station, speaks to Viterbo nursing students about her experiences at the Salvation Army. Erik Daily (FLU PANDEMIC) CDC official, Viterbo grad, says flu pandemic is inevitable |
Fri Sep 28, 4:16:02 AM ET The flu vaccine is headed to doctors and clinics as we speak and for the first time in years, health officials expect no shortages."It's a very virulent strain, in other words, very difficult, very potent strain that could cause a lot of sickness and a lot of death," says Dr. Howard. There's no vaccine for a pandemic strain. Courtesy: USGS Photographer Don Becker (FLU PANDEMIC) |
|
AFP/DDP/File - Fri Sep 28, 4:30:38 AM ET A laying hen is seen under a lamp at a poultry farm. A poultry farm in Saskatchewan, in western Canada, was quarantined Thursday after avian flu was discovered on site, said the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.(AFP/DDP/File/Volker Hartmann) (CANADA) |
Fri Sep 28, 8:36:29 AM ET Chickens are seen in a poultry farm. Photograph by : REUTERS All 50,000 chickens at the unnamed operation are to be killed with carbon dioxide gas today, and the facilities will be sterilized. (CANADA)
Canadian Poultry farm under avian flu quarantine |
|
Fri Sep 28, 1:00:29 PM ET David Nabarro is new U.N. system influenza coordinator. Nabarro stressed at the press conference that he saw as inevitable a worldwide pandemic influenza coming soon that would kill millions. (PANDEMIC) Dozens in Mexican city ill with suspected avian flu.Dozens of people in a Mexican city are gravely ill with what is being treated as a possible outbreak of avian flu, according to a new report from a Spanish-language website. Raises concerns over international implications of epidemic According to El Universal, authorities in a neighborhood in Guanajuato say 45 patients have been given medical attention at the area's hospital after they reported symptoms including extreme headaches, stomachaches, vomiting and diarrhea. |
Fri Sep 28, 6:41:00 PM ET A pharmacist displays Swiss drug maker Roche's Tamiflu bird flu anti-viral tablets. A report issued today by two of the world's foremost risk experts, warns that the catastrophic impacts of a long-lasting pandemic are not only likely to happen, but overdue.The study, funded by the large pharmacetical company Roche, also says the impact of a pandemic is likely to exceed what most corporate and governmental leaders imagine, or are prepared for. This comes on the heels of U.S. government reports issued earlier this month that come to similar conclusions. (PANDEMIC) |
|
Fri Sep 28, 11:32:48 PM ET Provincial Veteran Dr. Robert Kerr announces on Thursday, Sept. 27, 2007 in Regina that a commercial poultry farm about 50 kilometers (30 miles) northwest of Regina has a case of H7N3 avian influenza. About 50,000 birds will be euthanized. (AP Photo/Troy Fleece, The Canadian Press) (CANADA) |
