‘Flu fatigue' sets in among scientists after global spread of virus slows Jan 3, 2009
Given the knowledge gap, scientists are still pushing for pandemic preparedness. Whether or not H5N1 virus is going to cause a human pandemic nobody can predict that, says Tim Uyeki, deputy chief of influenza surveillance and prevention for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control ... A fog of exhaustion has settled over the influenza science community as well as the public health officials who have been slaving over pandemic plans. (Globe and Mail -- National)
Australian flu: how to tell your lozzies from your Lemmies Jan 3, 2009
The British authorities are understood to be deeply concerned that an Australian flu pandemic in this country could lead to social unrest and violent conflict if large numbers of people start playing the wobble board and singing Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport. Special precautions are being taken to maintain public order. (Telegraph.co.uk)
Preventive Antibiotic Use Reduced ICU Deaths Jan 3, 2009
02 Oct 2008An international team of scientists investigating African human tissue samples preserved for nearly 50 years have suggested that the HIV/AIDS pandemic started around 100 years ago, between 1884 and 1924, at the same time. 03 Jul 2008 12 Jul 2008 15 Oct 2008 19 Jul 2008 Latest Videos for Infectious Diseases. (Medical News Today)
A new year's resolution: Could we be a little more polite, please?... Jan 2, 2009
Something has changed in the way we believe we should treat each other, and it is almost in my mind pandemic. Contrary to what one person stated, being polite does not mean we have to be foolish or passive. (The Drudge Report)
Death of a Controversial AIDS Skeptic Jan 2, 2009
"The image, on the cover of a magazine aimed at mothers, of her heavily pregnant, naked belly, daubed with a slogan 'No AZT' in red paint was one of the single sickest images the AIDS pandemic has ever seen," said John P. Moore, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York City. At the time of the picture, Maggiore was pregnant with daughter Eliza Jane Scovill. (ABC News)
Scientists find key component of Spanish flu Jan 1, 2009
A protein that contributed to the high level of toxicity found in the Spanish flu virus, which caused the 1918 flu pandemic, has been identified by a team of researchers led by Prof ... About 50 million people died in the pandemic. (The Daily Yomiuri)
Genes That Made 1918 Flu Lethal Isolated Jan 1, 2009
Discovery of the complex and its role in orchestrating infection in the lungs is important because it could provide a way to quickly identify the potential virulence factors in new pandemic strains of influenza, Kawaoka says. The complex could also become a target for a new class of antiviral drugs, which is urgently needed as vaccines are unlikely to be produced fast enough at the outset of a pandemic to blunt its spread ... In the late 1990s, scientists were able to recover genes from the 1918... (Science Daily)
New Laws & Orders Jan 1, 2009
Assemblyman Paul Krekorian, D-Burbank, the bill's sponsor, said the state "again has demonstrated its global leadership in developing innovative policies to fight the HIV pandemic.". You don't expect to get infected in a hospital. (Modesto Bee, CA)
Year in Review Jan 1, 2009
Bethel hosts a major pandemic flu triage exercise that is considered "the first" in many respects, including the first test in the nation of a very serious flu outbreak situation. It was an opportunity to evaluate the kind of medical and nonmedical support that would be needed to address a medical surge-the necessity for a great volume of medical care. (Bethel Beacon, CT)
Drug-Resistant Flu Linked With Pneumonia, Norwegian Doctors Say Dec 31, 2008
The emergence of Tamiflu-resistance has raised concern that the medicine, stockpiled by governments worldwide, might become a less powerful weapon in the fight against the H5N1 avian strain and any global contagion it spawns because of the potential for bird flu and pandemic flu to exchange genes with drug-resistant seasonal flu ... These findings should be taken into consideration when shaping future strategies for treating and preventing seasonal and pandemic influenza. (Bloomberg)
Professor Helps Control Infectious Diseases With Models And Math Dec 31, 2008
26, 2007) NASA satellite technology is being used to track and prevent pandemic outbreaks around the world. The use of remote sensing technology aids specialists in predicting the outbreak of some of the most. (Science Daily)
Time for a Cuba Libre! Dec 31, 2008
Ah must do say, with Georgia in such a complete mess on every count, and a governor so dumb he spent 6 million of your money on Tamiflu which has nothing to do with pandemic flu and isn t even having significant efficacy against every day flu this year, we sure do have a lot of Georgians concerned about effective representation for Illinois in the Senate. Burriss is squeaky clean. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
Airport test to stop arrival of Sars and flu 'pointless' Dec 31, 2008
Screening for flu or Sars at UK airports to try to stop a pandemic taking hold in Britain will not work, warns an article in this week's British Medical Journal. Many people could be incubating the infection when tested but not show positive results because flight times are not long enough to allow flu or Sars to develop to the point of detection. (Yahoo News -- SARS)
State moots bird flu testing lab Dec 31, 2008
Such a situation would pose a threat of pandemic. One gram of excreta of infected bird can cause infection to one million birds. (Times of India)
Cracking the 1918 influenza pandemic Dec 30, 2008
WASHINGTON - Researchers have found out what made the 1918 flu pandemic so deadly a group of three genes that lets the virus invade the lungs and cause pneumonia ... The discovery, published in Tuesday's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could also point to mutations that might turn ordinary flu into a dangerous pandemic strain ... During pandemics, such as in 1918, a new and more dangerous flu strain emerges. (MSNBC -- Health)
Madison researchers link genes to flu virus Dec 30, 2008
The discovery by a team led by virologist Yoshihiro Kawaoka could help scientists better recognize new flu strains capable of causing a global epidemic, or pandemic, and develop drugs to ward off any kind of flu, the researchers said. These findings may help us identify virulence factors in other emerging pandemic viruses and could accelerate the development of new antiviral drugs, the scientists wrote in a report on their findings in Monday s online edition of the journal Proceedings of the... (La Crosse Tribune, WI)
The High and Low Tech of Health Care Innovation Dec 30, 2008
Never forget that the first great 21st-century pandemic, SARS, can be traced directly to faulty plumbing in a seventh-floor bathroom in Hong Kong. In the name of research, Ms. George waded through sewers and checked out latrines all over the globe. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Health)
Killer Peptide May Offer New Therapy Against Influenza A Virus Dec 28, 2008
The emergence of avian influenza A virus and its ability to transfer to humans has brought about new concerns of a pandemic outbreak ... (May 9, 2007) In planning for a future influenza pandemic, most experts agree that two things are known for certain -- there will be another pandemic someday, and nobody can predict when. (Science Daily)
BioCryst awards stock options to Erck Dec 27, 2008
6 million federal contract in 2007 to develop drugs to combat pandemic diseases. Reader Comments. (Birmingham Business Journal, AL)
County Emergency Services suffers in SCC budget crisis Dec 27, 2008
With his background in public health, Irvine is equipped to respond to an emergency such as a flu pandemic. Also, he has a four-person unit in health services, originally funded to prepare for a bio-terrorism incident along the border. (Nogales International, AZ)
Survivalist businesses surge in uncertain times Dec 26, 2008
"Pandemic, economic disaster, climate change, world war these are some big-picture threats that some folks want to be able to counter.". Industry businesses' sales pitches are often equal parts professional marketing presentations and public service announcements. (Christian Science Monitor -- USA)
D-S Community Notes (Dec. 25) Dec 26, 2008
The board has been involved in this program and has been working closely with the Department of Public Health, Center of Disease Control and Homeland Security regarding setting up an infrastructure system in case of flu pandemic or a bioterrorist event. The board is seeking volunteers to assist in emergency situations when and if it has to dispense vaccines/antibiotics to the general population in the case of a flu pandemic or a bioterrorist event ... The Sherborn Board of Health is seeking... (Dover Sherborn Tab, MA)
China preparing to share bird flu samples -report Dec 26, 2008
While bird flu is mainly a disease in animals, experts fear it could mutate into a form that can be passed easily among people, triggering a possible pandemic. The virus has killed 170 people worldwide since late 2003, and China, with the world's largest poultry population and millions of backyard birds, is seen as key in the fight against bird flu. (Reuters)
Misery makers Dec 25, 2008
Knowing how easily flu can spread will help officials planning for pandemics, said Professor Oxford who is applying for government funding for the research. "The second phase will be seeing if we can break the chain of transmission with things like hand-washing or wearing a hygiene mask.". (BBC News -- UK)
Little Ice Age hastened fall of Aztecs, Incas Dec 23, 2008
" "You expect that after a pandemic like that, you're going to see a recovery in land cover," said Jed Kaplan of Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, who was not involved in the study. "We see a similar sort of reforestation following a real crash in population after the Black Death, from 1350 to 1450. " CO2 levels didn't drop nearly as much after the Black Death, perhaps three parts per million, compared to five to eight ppm following the American pandemic. Click... (MSNBC -- Environment)
* COA criticized over response to H5N2 Dec 22, 2008
Earlier last week, former chairman of the interministry avian and pandemic influenza control committee Chen Chien-jen (), now at Academia Sinica, said that regardless of whether Taiwan had an epidemic or not, the council should have make the information available to minimize public fears. If the government had done [everything it could to prevent an epidemic], it should have let people know and informed them that the case was closed, Chen said. (Taipei Times, Taiwan)
Zambia: State to Transform Prisons Dec 22, 2008
He added that the launch of the policy was an ambitious quest to reverse the general understanding that the prisons community was the most hit with the HIV/AIDS pandemic. comments. (allAfrica.com)
Cheney, Bush try to woo history Dec 22, 2008
The fallout is that the secretive hedge funds not related to Madoff are now seeing a pandemic of withdrawal requests and are starting to balk. There is no joy in hedgefundville right now. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
People should know better, but... Dec 22, 2008
Airline reporting is considered critical in responding to an influenza pandemic. But airlines rarely report ill passengers so the CDC can assess them, said Cetron. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Health)
Cold and flu Dec 20, 2008
Essential health care workers would be immunized first if a flu pandemic broke out in the United States, the government said on Wednesday. advertisement. (MSNBC -- Health)
Medical Teams International sends cholera medicines to help save lives in Zimbabwe Dec 20, 2008
"More than 1,000 people have died from the disease and thousands more are contracting it each week. Without intervention, the potential for a pandemic disaster is imminent.". Medical Teams International has shipped more than $8,333,677 in medicines to Zimbabwe and more than $1. (AlertNet)
Could It Happen? Disaster Movies Revealed Dec 20, 2008
Some of these movie concepts may have been spawned by actual events, such as the flu pandemic of 1918, which killed upward of 40 million people. And for some science fiction fans, the reality of lethal microbes makes the scenarios in these films and books all the more believable. (ABC News)
Genworth Financial Announces Workforce Actions to Address Expense Reduction Goals Dec 19, 2008
-- Risks relating to our businesses, including adverse capital and credit market conditions, downturns and volatility in equity and credit markets, downgrades in the company's financial strength or credit ratings, the impact of government actions on the financial markets, the company's ability to access current and future government support programs, interest rate fluctuations, the valuation of fixed maturity, equity and trading securities, defaults, downgrades or impairments of portfolio... (PR Newswire)
Reforestation Helped Start Little Ice Age Dec 19, 2008
Swarms of little viral Davids have repeatedly laid low the great Goliaths of human civilization, most famously in the devastating pandemics that swept the New World during European conquest and settlement ... In recent years, there has been growing evidence for the hypothesis that the effect of the pandemics in the Americas wasn't confined to killing indigenous peoples ... 1, 2007) Scientists and public health officials, wary that the H5N1 avian influenza virus could trigger an influenza... (Science Daily)
Westport prepared with CodeRED Dec 19, 2008
The system alerts residents to all types of emergencies which can range from a pandemic flu which could affect an entire region to an evacuation at Compo Beach that would require notifying only a selected segment of the population. The key to effective emergency notification is an up-to-date telephone directory that provides crucial data for the transmission of information. (Westport Minuteman, CT)
* COA to release report on Kaohsiung bird flu case Dec 19, 2008
The former chairman of the inter-ministy avian and pandemic influenza control committee, Chen Chien-jen (), of the Academia Sinica, said that whether Taiwan has a bird flu epidemic or not, the COA should make comprehensive epidemic-prevention efforts upon the discovery of any strain of bird flu. He added that the COA should make the information available to minimize public concern. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
School closures: No classes Friday for most districts Dec 19, 2008
El Gabilon wrote on Dec 17, 2008 2:36 PM:" Rubbish we say! We have become a nation of whiners. Schools should not be closed unless there is over two feet of snow. We are spoiling our chldren by making things too easy for them, giving them too much especially at Christmas time. Life is not a bowl of cherries, it is a struggle, and the sooner one learns that lesson the better of one will be. What our children and parents take for granted was accomplished by hard work and the effort of men and... (Longview Daily News, WA)
Georgetown news in brief Dec 19, 2008
The effects of a pandemic can be lessened if preparations are made ahead of time. The primary focus of the volunteer group is to help staff an Emergency Dispensing Site in the event of a flu pandemic when mass vaccination or mass prophylaxis will be required ... Community strategies that delay or reduce the impact of a pandemic (also called non-pharmaceutical interventions) may help reduce the spread of disease until a vaccine is available through the U.S. Department of Health and Human... (Georgetown Record, MA)
EGYPT: First bird flu fatality in six months Dec 18, 2008
Medical experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) fear the H5N1 virus could mutate or combine with the highly contagious seasonal influenza virus, resulting in human-to-human transmission and a pandemic that could kill millions of people. Of all the Middle East countries Egypt has been the hardest hit by avian flu, suffering its first human death from the disease in March 2006. (AlertNet)
Fact Sheet: President Bush Has Kept America Safe Dec 18, 2008
Invested more than $38 billion in public health and medical systems, created a biothreat air monitoring system, and developed a national strategy and international partnership on avian and pandemic flu. History assuming it is written by free men and women not intimidated into silence by the fear of attracting the terrorists' notice will be exceedingly kind to this president. (White House News Releases)
HIV/AIDS prevalence continues to rise in Zambian prisons Dec 18, 2008
Prison Service HIV/AIDS Focal Point Person Senior Assistant Commissioner, Fredrick Chilukutu cited overcrowding and illegal sex among inmates as factors fueling the spread of the pandemic among inmates ... Nalupya further said the commission was conducting workshops for inmates and staff and sponsored officers to pursue medical studies aimed at reducing, halting, and reversing the pandemic. (Xinhuanet, China)
Inspired Gifts Helps Fight HIV Dec 17, 2008
Gifts to Fight the HIV Pandemic. There are seven gifts available that support the HIV work of UNICEF. Gifts range in price from 12. (Suite101.com)
Life Sciences Discovery Fund Awards $4.7 Million to Support New Vaccine Program Dec 17, 2008
These include HIV, hepatitis C, influenza, diarrheal diseases (especially of infants and children), pneumonia of the elderly, sexually transmitted infections (such as genital herpes, syphilis, and chlamydia), and the pandemic infections of tuberculosis and malaria. "The worldwide recognition of the potential for vaccines -- increased use of existing, improved and new -- creates the opportunity for the state of Washington to contribute to an unprecedented reduction of the human and financial... (PR Newswire)
Indian villagers resist bird flu poultry cull Dec 17, 2008
Experts fear the H5N1 virus might mutate or combine with the highly contagious seasonal influenza virus and spark a pandemic that could kill millions of people across the world. There have been no human cases of H5N1 since the virus was first reported in India in Maharashtra state in 2006. (AlertNet)
Dont suffer through the flu season this year Dec 17, 2008
The disease, Influenza, effects more than 200,000 people each year down from the worst pandemic in 1918 when 50 million people died from the virus and is a direct result of approximately 36,000 deaths nationwide each year. The illness is a byproduct of a viral infection that attacks the entire respiratory system. (Daily Journal)
Committee holds bird flu simulation Dec 17, 2008
Two health workers donning protection masks and suits carry a soldier on a stretcher during an avian influenza pandemic simulation at an army complex in Tanah Tinggi, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday. The simulation was held by the National Committee for Avian Influenza Control and Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (Komnas FBPI) to prepare for the worst case scenario of an avian influenza virus outbreak ... The simulation was held at an army complex because the army would be on the front line if ever a... (Jakarta Post, Indonesia -- City)
F.D.A. Commissioner and Other Top Health Officials Plan to Step Down Dec 17, 2008
The Obama administration s choice for each slot will signal how it plans to deal with issues like stem cell policy and the safety of imported drugs and foods; how it might take advantage of advances in genomic research; its approach to pandemic flu planning; and whether huge investments in bioterrorism prevention will continue. The incoming administration s vetting process at each agency has been unusually thorough, with transition officials speaking to current officials as well as a broad range... (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Health)
Third Indian state to cull poultry over bird flu Dec 16, 2008
But experts fear the H5N1 virus might mutate or combine with the highly contagious seasonal influenza virus and spark a pandemic that could kill millions of people. Since the virus resurfaced in Asia in 2003, it has killed more than 200 people in a dozen countries, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says. (AlertNet)
Needham Briefs (Dec. 18) Dec 16, 2008
African Baobab and Needham Rotary, along with Rotary International, have joined forces to accomplish some exciting, groundbreaking-events to improve the community of Sironko, Uganda, which has been deeply affected by the pandemic of AIDS, leaving many orphaned children. Needham Rotarian, Ron shepherd, has led the efforts over the last five years. (Needham Tab, MA)
Orissa bans poultry from West Bengal Dec 16, 2008
Bird flu outbreak in Bengal; Orissa bans poultry import-India-The Times of India. Bird flu outbreak in Bengal; Orissa bans poultry import16 Dec 2008, 1030 hrs IST, AGENCIES. (India Times, India)
Two dead as flooding brings havoc across much of Britain Dec 15, 2008
"More and more people are living with the worry that heavy rainfall might flood their home. With 2.3 million properties now at risk it is vital that the Government takes the steps necessary to ensure that people, homes and businesses are better equipped to deal with flooding emergencies." Sir Michael Pitt's review of last year's devastating floods made recommendations for dealing with flooding events, which he said should be treated as seriously as terrorism or pandemic flu threats. A spokesman... (Independent)
Knowledge for Development - Launch of the Publication "Sharing Vision of Africa's Development" Dec 15, 2008
"HIV/AIDS Pandemic in Africa: My Fears and my Hopes" by Kenneth Kaunda, former President of Zambia ... Mr. Kenneth David Kaunda, Zambia's former president, gave two addresses to the Board of Directors and Bank Group staff, respectively, on the theme: "HIV/AIDS Pandemic in Africa. My Fears and Hopes" ... He described the pandemic as a 'crisis of frightening proportions', which is reinforced by the incidence of poverty, hunger, ignorance and general underdevelopment prevalent among the majority of... (allAfrica.com)
Tanzania: HIV/Aids War Shows Good Signs Dec 15, 2008
During the World AIDS Day, Arusha's Regional Commissioner Isidore Shirima relayed the TACAIDS statistics to the people of Arusha who assembled at the Sheikh Amri Abeid Stadium but warning that people should not lay back and celebrate because the AIDS pandemic was still as dreadful as before ... Reading a statement during the climax of the World AIDS Day at the Sheikh Amri Abeid Stadium, the Menonite Positive Group chairperson, Michael Antony said the statistics by TACAIDS give an impression that... (allAfrica.com)
Out of Africa Dec 15, 2008
Johannesburg was also a logical place to station a bureau that would focus on Africa's AIDS pandemic, which at that point was one of the most important yet least-covered stories in the world: South Africa had the highest rate of HIV infection anywhere, with five million people living with the virus. Plus, the phones and electricity were reliable and the airline connections were good. (Globe and Mail -- International)
Bird flu outbreak hits Kandal province: MoH Dec 15, 2008
"Prevention and containment of pandemic influenza outbreaks is a common challenge in East Asia," said the statement, issued on Friday. "This disease is preventable," Kao Phal said. (Phnom Penh Post)
* New form of avian flu vaccine may be available shortly Dec 14, 2008
A new form of avian flu vaccine could soon be available to combat the H5N1 virus in the event of a global pandemic, doctors said in Taipei yesterday. The results of a phase III study of the immunogenicity of an H5N1 pre-pandemic influenza vaccine were presented yesterday at the Annual Meeting of Taiwan Society of Pulmonary and Critical Care ... Because we are not sure if the H5N1 strain would develop into a variant strain capable of sparking a pandemic by human-to-human transmission, it is... (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Integrate HIV persons into families- Siaw Dec 13, 2008
"Considering Dormaa as ranking second to Wenchi in Brong-Ahafo in HIV prevalence, it behoves all of us to treat the pandemic with scorn as it can easily wipe away the productive youth," he said ... Haruna Abdulai, Dormaa Municipal HIV/AIDS focal person explained that the apparent reduction in the national prevalence rate of the pandemic did not mean that a cure had been found for it ... He appealed to the youth to lead morally upright lives and urged community leaders to consider the pandemic as... (Ghana Web, Ghana)
Zimbabwe: Humanitarian Situation Linked to Sanctions Dec 13, 2008
Since Zimbabwe has made an appeal to the international community to assist with the cholera problem, we can only hope this appeal is handled entirely different from the manner in which the West has handled the call to assist with Zimbabwe's courageous fight to eradicate the HIV and Aids pandemic. It is quite interesting that the distinguished members of the "Elders" group have never opened their mouths about how humanitarian aid has been used as a political weapon against Zimbabwe. (allAfrica.com)
BV Health officials: 'We're ready' Dec 12, 2008
Preparedness efforts ramp up for possibility of flu pandemic, TB, salmonella, bird flu or other health disasters ... "There is a real potential for something like bird flu to mutate and become more dangerous to be passed to humans." Experts are also concerned about the potential for a new flu pandemic ... "We are overdue. This tends to be a cyclical thing, and it has been many years since we have seen a real pandemic, so experts are predicting this is a good possibility for the near future,"... (Storm Lake Pilot Tribune, IA)
300000 people in bird flu-hit Assam under surveillance Dec 12, 2008
Health authorities have sounded a general alert fearing strains of the deadly bird flu virus spreading to humans and sparking a pandemic in the state. "We are really worried about the bird flu virus spreading to humans as the strains transmit rapidly. We don't know for sure if our health department would be able to cope if such a thing happens," said Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. (Hindu)
HK finds bird flu on chicken farm Dec 12, 2008
But scientists fear the virus could mutate into a form which could be easily passed from human to human, triggering a pandemic and potentially putting millions of lives at risk. Chickens slaughtered. (BBC News)
Utah gets average score on preparedness Dec 12, 2008
Utah lost one point because it has not purchased at least half of its share of federally subsidized antiviral medications to be used to slow a flu pandemic. It also is not one of the 26 states whose public health labs have a round-the-clock intrastate courier system for specimen pick-up and delivery. (Deseret News)
Airport test to stop arrival of Sars and flu 'pointless' Dec 12, 2008
Screening for flu or Sars at UK airports to try to stop a pandemic taking hold in Britain will not work, warns an article in this week's British Medical Journal. Many people could be incubating the infection when tested but not show positive results because flight times are not long enough to allow flu or Sars to develop to the point of detection. (Yahoo News -- SARS)
Trend Spotting Dec 12, 2008
And what happens if a pandemic flu scare hits the nightly news. Flu Trends' ability to detect when the real pandemic hits will be obliterated when people, including those without symptoms, start to search the Internet. (Slate)
Elephant Ostriches Dec 11, 2008
But I was not to muse about the creeping pandemic. I am therefore pleading that on one tells her I have breached her fatwa. (Ghana Web, Ghana)
