Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Vietnamese teenager dies of avian flu


Aug 8, 2007 (CIDRAP News) – Vietnamese officials said yesterday that the death of a 15-year-old boy last week was caused by H5N1 avian influenza, according to news services.

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Jakarta warned of silent bird flu outbreak in poultry
(People's Daily Online )
+ - 14:29, August 08, 2007

Avian influenza has killed no less than 500,000 chickens in Greater Jakarta in the last six months but not all outbreaks have been reported to the health authority, local press reported Wednesday.

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WHO: Indonesia's withholding of viruses endangers world

Robert Roos News Editor


Aug 7, 2007 (CIDRAP News) – A World Health Organization official said yesterday that Indonesia is endangering the world's health by continuing to withhold H5N1 influenza virus samples collected from human patients.

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Monday, August 6, 2007

Flu mop-up after first-phase success
(The Telegraph ,Calcutta, India)
OUR CORRESPONDENT

Officials of the Manipur veterinary department carry out a poultry culling operation in Imphal
Imphal, Aug. 3: Manipur today began the second phase of its operation to eliminate the last traces, if any, of the deadly H5N1 avian virus that struck a farm on the outskirts of the capital town last week.

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Burma Confirm New Bird Flu Outbreak

( RFA )
2007.08.01

BANGKOK—Authorities in the central Burmese region of Bago have confirmed a new outbreak of avian influenza, officials told RFA’s Burmese service.

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World Tourism Organization
Tourism sector strengthens defences against Avian Flu
(Travel Daily News International
Wednesday, August 01, 2007


70 participants from more than 15 countries and several UN Agencies were gathered at the second UNWTO regional Avian and Human Influenza Simulation (AHI), which was actively supported by the government of Indonesia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to highlight the issues regarding Avian Flu.

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Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Manipur bird flu suspected to have come from Burma

Subhaschandra M
Mizzima News (www.mizzima.com)

July 31, 2007 - July 31- Fingers are being pointed at Burma for the outbreak of bird flu to have crossed the border to the Indian state of Manipur.

Indian officials and traders suspect that the bird flu virus has come from Burma last week.



Pregnant woman is Vietnam's latest victim

Jul 31, 2007 (CIDRAP News) – A hospital official in Vietnam today said a 22-year-old woman who was 7 months pregnant died of H5N1 avian influenza 3 days ago, pushing the country's death toll from the disease this year to three.



Autopsy rules out flu death
- On assignment, but not culling

The Telegraph Calcutta,India
OUR CORRESPONDENT

Imphal, July 29: Manipur veterinary workers culling poultry in the state were a relieved lot today, after it was confirmed that one of their colleagues’ sudden death yesterday was not caused by bird flu. An autopsy report confirmed that the victim died after consuming formalin, a preservative that can lead to lead poisoning among humans

Monday, July 30, 2007

Commentary: The Coming Catastrophe - Avian Flu
(Caribbean Net News)
Published on Monday, July 30, 2007
By Dr Gilbert Morris

Health and illness -- or sickness beyond being generally unwell -- will be the main issue of our new millennium. And in a manner of speaking, we are off to a good start. The Avian (Bird) Flu (H5N1) threatens to repeat the 1918 global pandemic that killed 40 million people.

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UN Helps Indonesia With Bird Flu Rapid Response
(Scoop)
Friday, 27 July 2007, 8:18 am
Press Release: United Nations


UN helps Indonesia set up rapid response teams to control spread of bird flu
Without involving rural communities in the fight against bird flu, Indonesia will not be able to control the highly contagious disease, which has ravaged millions of poultry and already killed more humans in the archipelago than anywhere else in the world, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned today.

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India finds H5N1 in poultry after 1-year hiatus

Jul 25, 2007 (CIDRAP News) – Animal health officials in India announced today that samples from chickens at a poultry farm in the remote northeastern Manipur state were positive for the H5N1 avian flu virus, signaling the country's first outbreak in more than a year.

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Wednesday, July 18, 2007

USDA lab confirms low-path H5N1 Strain in Virginia turkeys


Jul 17, 2007 (CIDRAP News) – The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) today confirmed that turkeys at a Virginia farm were exposed to the low-pathogenic North American strain of the H5N1 avian flu virus.

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Jakarta still ‘probing the source of avian flu death' Published: Friday, 13 July, 2007, 01:54 Doha Time (Gulf Times)

JAKARTA: Medical officials in Indonesia are still trying to pinpoint the source of infection after a 6-year-old boy died of bird flu at the weekend, a health official said yesterday.

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In a Bird Flu Hot Spot, Community Radio Reporters Learn How to Cover the Virus

(Internews)
(July 12, 2007) Indonesian radio journalists learned how to stay safe while reporting on avian flu, how to conduct interviews with empathy, and how to communicate the risks of the virus accurately—all at a recent workshop in Bandung, West Java. Organized by Internews Network, the workshop was the first training tailored for Indonesia’s community radio stations in how to cover avian flu.

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Friday, June 8, 2007


Bird flu: Five warded for observation


(The Star Online)

PETALING JAYA: Five people have been admitted for observation at the Sungai Buloh Hospital after coming down with fever in wake of the bird flu outbreak at Kampung Paya Jaras Hilir in Sungai Buloh.

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Indonesia suspects ominous H5N1 mutations

Lisa Schnirring Staff Writer


Jun 6, 2007 (CIDRAP News) – Officials from Indonesia's avian flu commission said today that the H5N1 avian influenza virus may have mutated in a way that makes it more transmissible from birds to humans, but a World Health Organization (WHO) official said the WHO had seen no evidence of such a change, according to news services.

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Avian Flu – A Continued Threat

(The Real Truth)

Despite having faded from importance in the eyes of most news media and the general public, avian influenza (or “bird flu”) continues to ravage certain parts of the world. According to a recent Boston Globe article, 44 people have contracted the disease this year, mainly in Indonesia and Egypt; 60% of these have died.

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Thursday, June 7, 2007

UNICEF to distribute 100,000 bird flu prevention kits in Indonesia

UNICEF Indonesia/2007

By Arie Rukmantara

GARUT, Indonesia, 5 June 2007 – For people in Garut, West Java, a six-hour drive from Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, Monday is usually just the start of another work week.

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Malaysia culls chickens, says bird flu contained

By Yoong Chee Weng

KAMPUNG PAYA JARAS HILIR, Malaysia, June 7 (Reuters) - Malaysia has confined bird flu to three villages near its capital as teams of government workers and volunteers cull flocks of chickens and ducks to stamp out the H5N1 virus, health officials said on Thursday

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Fighting bird flu at the source

Written by Jim Birchard


The battle to protect Canadians from diseases that jump from animals to humans must be waged in the country of origin rather than here in Canada

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Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Vietnam reports H5N1 case ;Chinesepatient dies

Jun 4, 2007 (CIDRAP News) – Vietnam's health ministry announced over the weekend that a poultry slaughterhouse worker was being treated for H5N1 avian influenza, and the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed today that China's most recent H5N1 patient has died.

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Girl dies of bird flu, bringing national toll to 79

(The Jakarta Post)

JAKARTA (AP): An Indonesian girl died of bird flu after coming into contact with an infected chicken, bringing the national death toll from the H5N1 virus to 79, a Health Ministry spokeswoman said Sunday.

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Understanding avian flu
(Khaleej Times)
2 June 2007



IF PREDICTIONS of an avian flu epidemic in humans seem to sound more ominous with each repetition, an important reason is the paucity of scientific understanding of the process of mutation. There was thus a palpable sense of relief when an international team of scientists announced the other day that they had succeeded in isolating antibodies that could protect humans.

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Friday, June 1, 2007

Indonesia open to sharing bird flu samples under U.N. agreement

(The Jakarta Post)

JAKARTA(AP): Indonesia's health minister saidSaturday the country will share bird flu samples after the U.N. health agency approved an agreement it hopes will strengthen efforts to combat the ...

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China shares bird flu sample, first time in year

(Khaleej Times)
1 June 2007



GENEVA (Reuters) China has shared human bird flu samples for the first time in more than a year, giving a boost to international efforts to track the deadly H5N1 virus and develop vaccines, the World Health Organisation said on ...

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Plotting avian flu scenarios to improve preparedness
(Eldis)
Bloom, E.; de Wit, V.; Carangal-San jose, M.J. / Asian Development Bank (ADB) , 2005
This briefing looks at the possible economic consequences for Asia of a mutation of avian flu leading to human-to-human transmission, using different assumptions about the duration and virulence of the flu pandemic. The analysis looks at a relatively mild outbreak, and focuses on the short-run impact of a pandemic on aggregate economic activity. It finds that a pandemic will likely slow or halt economic growth in Asia and lead to a significant reduction in trade, particularly of services. In the long run, potential economic growth will be lower and poverty will ...

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Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Indonesia: H5N1 samples going to WHO again

May 15, 2007 (CIDRAP News) – Indonesia's health minister announced today at the World Health Organization's (WHO's) annual meeting that the country has resumed sending H5N1 avian influenza virus samples to the WHO, appearing to end a 5-month
standoff over developing countries' access to vaccines

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Ghana: H5N1 not a new introduction
Related to other isolates from Sub-Saharan African countries
WATTpoultry.com
Dateline: Ghana
Release Date: Tuesday, May 22, 2007

The analysis of the H5N1 avian influenza strain isolated from the outbreak occurring in Ghana clearly indicates that it is closely related to other isolates from Sub-Saharan African countries like Ivory Coast, Sudan, Burkina Faso and Nigeria and that it is less similar to the Asian strains currently isolated.

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Avian influenza: assessing the pandemic threat

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WHO guidelines on avian influenza: preparing for the pandemic

WHO / World Health Organization (WHO) , 2005

This report from the World Health Organization evaluates the present pandemic threat from avian influenza (also known as avian flu or “bird flu”). The paper consists of four chapters. Chapter 1 charts the outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza in humans and poultry during 2004.

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Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Indonesia resumes sending bird flu samples to WHO

BEIJING, May 16 (Xinhuanet) -- After refusing to share H5N1 avian flu viruses with it since the start of the year, Indonesia has resumed sending samples of the deadly virus to the World Health Organization (WHO), according to media reports Wednesday

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Singapore, US to help Indonesia fight bird flu outbreak
By Channel NewsAsia's Indonesia Bureau Chief Sujadi Siswo | Posted: 09 May 2007 1830 hrs

JAKARTA : Indonesia is fighting an uphill battle in its fight against bird flu.

The nation worst hit by the bird flu virus is now jointly working with neighbouring Singapore to control the spread of the H5N1 virus.


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What You Should Know about Using Facemasks and Respirators during a Flu PandemicCDC.gov

Photo courtesy of MoldexThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released interim guidance for the use of facemasks and respirators by the general public in certain public settings during an influenza pandemic. See the full guidance

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Sunday, May 13, 2007

Bird flu death reported in Medan

MEDAN (JP): A 26-year-old woman who tested positive for bird flu died at a hospital in Medan, North Sumatra, on Saturday night, pushing the country's human avian influenza death toll to 76.

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Can vaccination free us from avian influenza?
By Jackie Linden

Scientists, politicians and other stakeholders met in Verona to discuss the role of poultry vaccination in the control of avian influenza. After two days of discussion and debate, the majority decided on a cautious “yes” but not as the sole method of control

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Global Program on Avian and Pandemic Influenza

Avian influenza (AI) or “bird flu” could be the next great global health threat. About 300 people have been infected and 169 have died since 2003 by contracting the virus through close contact with infected birds. But public health experts fear it is only a matter of time before the virus mutates into a form that passes easily among people, triggering a pandemic. Millions could die and economies would be crippled for months

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