« May 2006 | Main | July 2006 »
June 26, 2006
Scientists issue caution against mass poultry vaccination
FoodProductionDaily.com reports with confirmed cases of human-to-human transmission of the avian influenza virus, scientists are now warning that mass vaccination of domestic poultry may hinder detection of the deadly H5N1 strain of the disease.
http://www.foodproductiondaily.com/news/ng.asp?n=68668-avian-h-n-vaccination
Posted by sball at 12:48 PM | Comments (0)
Human-to-human spread of bird flu detailed
The Seattle Times reports the World Health Organization (WHO) has detailed the first evidence that a person likely caught the bird-flu virus from a human and passed a slightly mutated version to another person. But experts said Friday the genetic change does not increase the threat of a pandemic.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003082492_birdflu24.html
Posted by sball at 12:43 PM | Comments (0)
June 21, 2006
Avian-flu brochure available
Avian flu has been in the news so much lately that it's difficult to sort fact from sensationalism. The American Meat Institute in Washington, D.C., has published a free informational brochure. You can get one by calling 202-587-4200, or you can download the information from www.poultrysafety.org.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/food/3982655.html
Posted by sball at 06:29 AM | Comments (0)
USDA Trains Foreign Scientists on Avian Influenza Testing
USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Administrator Ron DeHaven today announced the training of 24 scientists from 19 countries on diagnostic testing for highly pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome?contentidonly=true&contentid=2006/06/0209.xml
Posted by sball at 06:27 AM | Comments (0)
WHO confirms Indonesia's 39th avian flu death
CIDRAP News reports 13-year-old boy from south Jakarta who died Jun 14 represented Indonesia's 51st avian influenza case and was the 39th Indonesian to succumb, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) statement today. His death leaves Indonesia only three fatalities behind Vietnam, which has reported the most H5N1 deaths in the world but hasn't had a human case since late last year, according to WHO information.
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/avianflu/news/jun2006indo.html
Posted by sball at 06:22 AM | Comments (0)
June 16, 2006
Academies ask G8 to tackle health and energy
SciDev.net reports in an effort to strengthen their influence on the world's political stage, 12 national science academies have issued two joint statements to the G8 leaders ahead of the annual G8 summit meeting, to be held in Russia next month.
The statements, announced yesterday (14 June) by the national academies of the G8 countries and Brazil, China, India and South Africa, call for better global disease surveillance and more research to tackle the global energy crisis.
http://www.scidev.net/news/index.cfm?fuseaction=readnews&itemid=2914&language=1
Posted by sball at 06:43 AM | Comments (0)
CSU Needs Veterinarians For Bird Flu Samples
CBS4Denver.com reports Colorado State University is expanding their first line of defense against the avian flu and need a few veterinarians to help them.
Dr. Kristy Pabilonia, head of the avian disease surveillance program at CSU, put together kits to collect samples from birds.
"In the month of May, I would approximate that I probably collected around 300 samples," Dr. Pabilonia said. "I went to a couple bird swaps, a couple of bird fairs."
http://cbs4denver.com/topstories/local_story_166234902.html
Posted by sball at 06:41 AM | Comments (0)
MedImmune And National Institutes Of Health Begin Clinical Testing Of A Live, Attenuated Intranasal Vaccine Against An H5N1 Avian Influenza Virus
Medical News Today reports MedImmune, Inc. (Nasdaq: MEDI) announced today that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has begun enrolling participants in a Phase 1 study of an intranasal H5N1 influenza vaccine candidate based on the company's live, attenuated vaccine technology. Investigators at MedImmune and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Immunization Research, where the study will be conducted, are hopeful that a live, attenuated intranasal influenza vaccine would be as effective against potential pandemic A strains as it has been shown to be against seasonal A strains of influenza.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=45286
Posted by sball at 06:30 AM | Comments (0)
Medical professionals raise avian flu awareness
The Marine Corps is currently experiencing an increase in operational tempo. With this increase comes a potential for exposure to new diseases and a greater need for disease awareness.
The highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) caused by influenza A (H5N1) has spread in animal populations - particularly chickens - to more than 50 countries on three continents.
http://www.okinawa.usmc.mil/Public%20Affairs%20Info/Archive%20News%20Pages/2006/060616-flu.html
Posted by sball at 06:27 AM | Comments (0)
State begins testing migratory birds for avian flu
Boston Globe reports wildlife biologists have begun testing migratory birds in Maine for avian influenza as part of a national readiness program to detect the deadly virus.
Posted by sball at 06:25 AM | Comments (0)
Alaska is front line vs. avian virus
USA Today reports the Alaskan early-warning project is on the front line of a $29 million federal program to test thousands of birds in 50 states this year to guard against a possible pandemic.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-06-15-bird-flu-alaska-cover_x.htm
Posted by sball at 06:22 AM | Comments (0)
June 13, 2006
Avian Biosciences Center announced
The UD Daily reports the University of Delaware's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources has announced the formation of a new Avian Biosciences Center, which will bring together resources from an array of disciplines to conduct research and communicate information in areas vital to the poultry industry.
http://www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/2006/jun/ABC060906.html
Posted by sball at 06:13 AM | Comments (0)
Avian Influenza Response
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. USAID.gov reports the Departments of State, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Agriculture (USDA), along with other departments and agencies across the federal government, are coordinating international response measures on behalf of the White House. The United States also collaborates closely with international organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), and 88 foreign governments, on global preparedness.
http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/global_health/home/News/news_items/avian_influenza.html
Posted by sball at 06:07 AM | Comments (0)
Avian Influenza H5 Virus Confirmed In Geese In Hungary
Medical News Today reports the Hungarian authorities have informed the European Commission of a confirmed outbreak of avian influenza in a domestic flock of geese in Bács-Kiskun, in the south of the country.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=44972&nfid=rssfeeds
Posted by sball at 06:04 AM | Comments (0)
Industry prepares PR response to avian influenza
The Voice of Agriculture reports that the poultry products industry is getting prepared to maintain, as best as possible, consumer confidence at various stages of discovering the Asian strain of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in the United States.
http://www.fb.org/fbn/html/industry.html
Posted by sball at 06:01 AM | Comments (0)
June 05, 2006
UN Agency to Track Birds to Stem Avian Flu
VOA.com reports the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is considering a plan to track bird migrations and monitor the spread of bird flu. The decision followed an international scientific conference on avian influenza in Rome. The decision also follows the latest case of a bird flu death in Indonesia.
http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-06-02-voa55.cfm
Posted by sball at 06:58 AM | Comments (0)
UN agencies face severe funding shortfalls in fight against bird flu: UN flu czar
CBC News reports the UN agencies working to try to contain the spread of avian influenza and help countries prepare for a possible flu pandemic are facing a dire funding shortfall, with little in the way of flexible money that can be used to respond to unpredictable outbreaks, the UN's flu czar says.
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/health/060604/x060404.html
Posted by sball at 06:57 AM | Comments (0)