LONDON (Reuters) - A first-generation experimental bird flu vaccine for use in humans from GlaxoSmithKline Plc has won outline support from European regulators.
The European Medicines Agency said on Friday it had recommended granting a license to Daronrix, a "mock-up" vaccine that could be used as the base for producing a shot to protect people in the event of a pandemic triggered by bird flu.
Daronrix is the first vaccine to have been given such endorsement...
Glaxo, like several of its rivals, is also working on a second-generation vaccine against the H5N1 virus strain that causes bird flu and it said it planned to submit this product for regulatory approval within the next few weeks.
This second vaccine could potentially be used as part of a pre-pandemic vaccination campaign, helping to prepare the human immune system in advance of a pandemic.
The newer vaccine -- which Glaxo has already sold to some governments -- also has the added benefit of needing very little antigen to produce a strong immune response, allowing for production of large quantities for mass vaccination.
Source: http://maconareaonline.com/news.asp?id=15893
Monday, December 18, 2006
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Disease Trackers Miss Flu Cases By Testing Birds at `Wrong End'
By John Lauerman
Dec. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Disease trackers in countries including the U.S. are missing bird flu cases when they test only fecal samples without checking the mouth for the virus, a top researcher said today.
Birds that show no avian influenza in standard fecal and rectal exams may be able to spread the virus on their breath, said Robert Webster, a bird flu expert at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Experiments by Erasmus University virologist Albert Osterhaus and Webster show that H5N1-infected birds may have as much as 10 times more virus in their upper airways than in their excrement.
``In many cases, we're testing the wrong end of the duck,'' Webster said in an interview in Singapore...
Research by Webster and Osterhaus has shown that sampling excrement and the end of the birds' digestive tract, called the cloaca, is no longer sufficient because of H5N1 is focused in the birds' airway. Osterhaus, who is developing a comprehensive European bird monitoring program called Newflubird said that protocols are challenging some countries ethical standards for animal treatment.
For Full Article: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=aWDFZ8fEXgv8
Dec. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Disease trackers in countries including the U.S. are missing bird flu cases when they test only fecal samples without checking the mouth for the virus, a top researcher said today.
Birds that show no avian influenza in standard fecal and rectal exams may be able to spread the virus on their breath, said Robert Webster, a bird flu expert at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Experiments by Erasmus University virologist Albert Osterhaus and Webster show that H5N1-infected birds may have as much as 10 times more virus in their upper airways than in their excrement.
``In many cases, we're testing the wrong end of the duck,'' Webster said in an interview in Singapore...
Research by Webster and Osterhaus has shown that sampling excrement and the end of the birds' digestive tract, called the cloaca, is no longer sufficient because of H5N1 is focused in the birds' airway. Osterhaus, who is developing a comprehensive European bird monitoring program called Newflubird said that protocols are challenging some countries ethical standards for animal treatment.
For Full Article: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=aWDFZ8fEXgv8
Monday, December 11, 2006
Bird Flu Outbreak In Quail Farm In South Korea
An outbreak of H5N1 bird flu was confirmed at a quail farm in Kimje, South Korea, say officials from the Ministry of Agriculture.
The farm has 270,000 quail. Authorities are currently removing the quail from the farm and have set up a quarantine zone around the area to stem the spread of the disease. All poultry within 500 meters of the farm will be destroyed, say officials.
This is be the country's third outbreak in one month. On November 18th and November 26th there were two outbreaks in two separate chicken farms - both farms are within a 22 km radius of the infected quail farm.
So far, no humans have become ill, say ministry officials.
Approximately 3,000 quail died of bird flu during the weekend.
Since 2003 over 5 million poultry have been destroyed in South Korea, in measures to prevent the spread of bird flu.
Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/healthnews.php?newsid=58667
The farm has 270,000 quail. Authorities are currently removing the quail from the farm and have set up a quarantine zone around the area to stem the spread of the disease. All poultry within 500 meters of the farm will be destroyed, say officials.
This is be the country's third outbreak in one month. On November 18th and November 26th there were two outbreaks in two separate chicken farms - both farms are within a 22 km radius of the infected quail farm.
So far, no humans have become ill, say ministry officials.
Approximately 3,000 quail died of bird flu during the weekend.
Since 2003 over 5 million poultry have been destroyed in South Korea, in measures to prevent the spread of bird flu.
Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/healthnews.php?newsid=58667
Friday, December 8, 2006
New Research Predicts US Entry Of H5N1 Avian Influenza
December 8 2006.
Scientists at the Consortium for Conservation Medicine (CCM), the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and the Smithsonian Institution's National Zoo report that H5N1 avian influenza is most likely to be introduced to countries in the Western Hemisphere through infected poultry trade.
Following the initial outbreaks of H5N1 avian influenza in Hong Kong, scientists and government officials worldwide have debated exactly how the virus was being spread and what could be done to stop it.
Dr. Marm Kilpatrick, senior research scientist with the Consortium for Conservation Medicine, led the team in their efforts to predict the most likely method of introduction to the U.S. Dr. Kilpatrick and colleagues predict that bird flu will most likely be introduced to countries in the Western Hemisphere through infected poultry trade rather than from migrating birds from eastern Siberia, as previously thought. The subsequent movement of infected migrating birds from countries south of the U.S. would be a likely pathway for H5N1 avian influenza to reach the USA.
The research will be published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in December.
For full article: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=58202
Scientists at the Consortium for Conservation Medicine (CCM), the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and the Smithsonian Institution's National Zoo report that H5N1 avian influenza is most likely to be introduced to countries in the Western Hemisphere through infected poultry trade.
Following the initial outbreaks of H5N1 avian influenza in Hong Kong, scientists and government officials worldwide have debated exactly how the virus was being spread and what could be done to stop it.
Dr. Marm Kilpatrick, senior research scientist with the Consortium for Conservation Medicine, led the team in their efforts to predict the most likely method of introduction to the U.S. Dr. Kilpatrick and colleagues predict that bird flu will most likely be introduced to countries in the Western Hemisphere through infected poultry trade rather than from migrating birds from eastern Siberia, as previously thought. The subsequent movement of infected migrating birds from countries south of the U.S. would be a likely pathway for H5N1 avian influenza to reach the USA.
The research will be published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in December.
For full article: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=58202
Tuesday, December 5, 2006
South Korea targets dogs, pigs in H5N1 scare
AP, SEOUL
Wednesday, Nov 29, 2006, Page 5
An epidemic prevention vehicle sprays disinfectant at a chicken farm in Ulsan, 414km southeast of Seoul, South Korea, yesterday.
South Korean officials were planning yesterday to kill hundreds of dogs and pigs in an attempt to prevent the spread of bird flu after an outbreak among chickens, but experts questioned the merits of killing other animals to stem the disease.
A poultry slaughter began on Sunday, a day after the outbreak of the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain was discovered at a farm in Iksan, about 250km south of Seoul.
The killing of 677 dogs and 300 pigs was scheduled for yesterday, but a lack of available workers could mean a delay, a city official said on condition of anonymity, saying he was not authorized to speak to media.
Approximately 236,000 chickens were also planned for slaughter and 6 million eggs will be destroyed, the Agriculture Ministry said.
International experts have questioned the necessity of killing non-poultry species to stem bird flu's spread, but South Korean officials said such a step was not unusual -- and has been taken in other countries without public knowledge.
Since ravaging Asia's poultry industry in late 2003, the H5N1 virus has killed at least 153 people worldwide.
Infections among people have been traced to contact with infected birds, but experts fear it could mutate into a form that infects humans and could create a human pandemic.
South Korea has also been hit by a low-grade strain of bird flu that is not believed to be harmful to humans.
Wednesday, Nov 29, 2006, Page 5
An epidemic prevention vehicle sprays disinfectant at a chicken farm in Ulsan, 414km southeast of Seoul, South Korea, yesterday.
South Korean officials were planning yesterday to kill hundreds of dogs and pigs in an attempt to prevent the spread of bird flu after an outbreak among chickens, but experts questioned the merits of killing other animals to stem the disease.
A poultry slaughter began on Sunday, a day after the outbreak of the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain was discovered at a farm in Iksan, about 250km south of Seoul.
The killing of 677 dogs and 300 pigs was scheduled for yesterday, but a lack of available workers could mean a delay, a city official said on condition of anonymity, saying he was not authorized to speak to media.
Approximately 236,000 chickens were also planned for slaughter and 6 million eggs will be destroyed, the Agriculture Ministry said.
International experts have questioned the necessity of killing non-poultry species to stem bird flu's spread, but South Korean officials said such a step was not unusual -- and has been taken in other countries without public knowledge.
Since ravaging Asia's poultry industry in late 2003, the H5N1 virus has killed at least 153 people worldwide.
Infections among people have been traced to contact with infected birds, but experts fear it could mutate into a form that infects humans and could create a human pandemic.
South Korea has also been hit by a low-grade strain of bird flu that is not believed to be harmful to humans.
Monday, December 4, 2006
Study: U.S. government has looked in wrong place for bird flu
The Associated Press Published: December 3, 2006
WASHINGTON: Birds migrating from Latin America — not from northeastern Asia or Alaska — are the most likely way deadly bird flu would reach the United States, researchers said Monday.
The finding, included in the journal Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences, indicates the government might miss the arrival of the deadly H5N1 virus because biologists have been looking in the wrong direction.
U.S. bird flu surveillance has focused heavily on migratory birds flying from Asia to Alaska, where researchers this year collected tens of thousands of samples from wild birds nesting on frozen tundra before making their way south.
Those birds present a much lower risk than migratory birds that make their way from South America through Central America and Mexico, where controls on imported poultry are not as tough as in the United States and Canada...
The study found that:
- Bird flu was spread through Asia by the poultry trade.
- Most of the spread throughout Europe was from migratory birds.
- Bird flu spread into Africa from migratory birds as well as poultry trade.
U.S. officials cautioned that the study is not the final authority on the spread and prevention of bird flu.
For full article: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/12/04/america/NA_GEN_US_Bird_Flu.php
WASHINGTON: Birds migrating from Latin America — not from northeastern Asia or Alaska — are the most likely way deadly bird flu would reach the United States, researchers said Monday.
The finding, included in the journal Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences, indicates the government might miss the arrival of the deadly H5N1 virus because biologists have been looking in the wrong direction.
U.S. bird flu surveillance has focused heavily on migratory birds flying from Asia to Alaska, where researchers this year collected tens of thousands of samples from wild birds nesting on frozen tundra before making their way south.
Those birds present a much lower risk than migratory birds that make their way from South America through Central America and Mexico, where controls on imported poultry are not as tough as in the United States and Canada...
The study found that:
- Bird flu was spread through Asia by the poultry trade.
- Most of the spread throughout Europe was from migratory birds.
- Bird flu spread into Africa from migratory birds as well as poultry trade.
U.S. officials cautioned that the study is not the final authority on the spread and prevention of bird flu.
For full article: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/12/04/america/NA_GEN_US_Bird_Flu.php
Saturday, December 2, 2006
Interesting Contrary Perspective
A different article from the norm...
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Sunday, November 26, 2006
Bird Flu Update
This is a cartoon from Cox & Forkum from a year ago:
Funny how the bird flu scare utterly disappeared. Maybe scare was the only real part:
I am totally unconcerned about bird flu. I am not denying its existence or that it has in fact killed some people. I am just not buying into the pandemic hysteria.
I lump bird flu (or avian flu) right in with Alar, global warming, DDT, and other baseless, unscientific scare stories. Claton attempts to invoke fear by alluding to the plague, the 1918 flu, scarce groceries, and battles over food. But he offers no evidence that a pandemic may occur.
That was my 3/29/06 take on a Charlotte Observer scare story. Look how the bird flu InTrade futures have collapsed since then:
[Source: Intrade Contract: Bird flu (H5N1) to be confirmed in the USA ON/BEFORE 31st December 2006]
I remember several, including Dr. Dean of WBT, chastising Bush for not following the European lead by buying up massive amounts of Tamiflu. It generally pays to *not* follow the European lead.
Link posted by Andy @ 7:53 PM
Comments | Trackback
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Well it is kind of true that bird flu does seem to have died down in terms of media attention, but the number of bird flu cases have risen exponentially this year. Check out the timeline of events - they haven't died down one bit, if anything, they've increased: http://birdfluthreat.org/bulletin/asia.php
And the mortality rate of H5N1 is increasing as well - 154 out of 258 cases have been fatal >> over 50% now!!More than 1 in two people who catch it might die.
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Sunday, November 26, 2006
Bird Flu Update
This is a cartoon from Cox & Forkum from a year ago:
Funny how the bird flu scare utterly disappeared. Maybe scare was the only real part:
I am totally unconcerned about bird flu. I am not denying its existence or that it has in fact killed some people. I am just not buying into the pandemic hysteria.
I lump bird flu (or avian flu) right in with Alar, global warming, DDT, and other baseless, unscientific scare stories. Claton attempts to invoke fear by alluding to the plague, the 1918 flu, scarce groceries, and battles over food. But he offers no evidence that a pandemic may occur.
That was my 3/29/06 take on a Charlotte Observer scare story. Look how the bird flu InTrade futures have collapsed since then:
[Source: Intrade Contract: Bird flu (H5N1) to be confirmed in the USA ON/BEFORE 31st December 2006]
I remember several, including Dr. Dean of WBT, chastising Bush for not following the European lead by buying up massive amounts of Tamiflu. It generally pays to *not* follow the European lead.
Link posted by Andy @ 7:53 PM
Comments | Trackback
---------------------------------------------------
Well it is kind of true that bird flu does seem to have died down in terms of media attention, but the number of bird flu cases have risen exponentially this year. Check out the timeline of events - they haven't died down one bit, if anything, they've increased: http://birdfluthreat.org/bulletin/asia.php
And the mortality rate of H5N1 is increasing as well - 154 out of 258 cases have been fatal >> over 50% now!!More than 1 in two people who catch it might die.
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