Posted on 06/10/2006 2:39:57 PM PDT by blam
Asia-Pacific passes bird flu pandemic test, Australia says
Fri Jun 9, 4:02 PM ET
SYDNEY (AFP) - Australian officials praised as creative the responses of Asian and Pacific countries to a hypothetical bird flu pandemic which included discouraging kissing and building a factory to make protective masks.
The scenario tested involved a new strain of bird flu, dubbed the 'Malacca Straits Flu', reaching pandemic proportions within the region after several infected fishermen were rescued by a passing cruise ship.
"The scenario successfully achieved the goal of testing communication responses during the exercise, which lasted 26 hours across eight time zones," the ministers said in a statement.
The exercise, which began in New Zealand on Wednesday and concluded on Thursday with calls to the United States, was designed to test communication links between APEC members.
"The exercise attracted credible responses," Downer and Ruddock said.
"Some of the more creative responses included one offering to immediately build a factory to supply the region with more protective masks and another (member) whose suggested advice to its citizens included to 'Stop kissing and to eat more vegetables.'"
Neil Head, of Emergency Management Australia which coordinated the exercise, said that despite some glitches, the exercise proceeded smoothly.
The main problems were human factors, such as a death in the family of a key official in one case, and the fact that at least one participant was concurrently dealing with a real outbreak of bird flu.
Head said the level of cooperation was encouraging.
"The pandemic threat is remarkable because it's almost entirely preventable," he told AFP.
"The things that make it preventable are early detection, close cooperation and information sharing, and the rapid sourcing and the development of appropriate antibodies and medicines.
"The fact that these (countries) seem willing to do all these things we would have to say is a very positive outcome."
The results of the exercise will be presented at an APEC ministers and leaders conference in Singapore in November.
More than 120 people have died from bird flu since late 2003, most of them in Asia, and world health officials fear that H5N1 virus could mutate into one spread via human-to-human contact.
APEC includes Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, Russia, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.
A new thread to post updates and facilitate communications on FR.
Fitchburg, MA
Volunteers needed for bird flu response (Excepted)
By Jonathan Graham
Saturday June 10, 2006
Hundreds of volunteers are needed throughout the region to help man vaccination stations in the event of a bird flu epidemic, officials said Thursday.
Charles Coggins, Leominster' emergency management director, said the state told him last week that the vaccine, once available, needs to be completely distributed in less than 48 hours.
"It requires a huge number of people," Coggins said.
Each town of about 10,000 people is supposed to have about 70 people to run a center, Nashoba Associated Boards of Health Executive Director James Garreffi said.
About half of those people should have some type of medical background, Garreffi said.
http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/local/ci_3922884
Excepted = Excerpted
Excepted = Accepted.
Sofia News Agency
"Enforced" Bird Flu Strain Found in Hungary
Politics: 10 June 2006, Saturday.
The EC has said that a H5 highly pathogenic strain of bird flu had been found in a domestic flock of geese in Hungary.
Samples will be sent to the European Union's reference laboratory for avian flu in Weybridge, near London, for further tests to determine whether it is the deadly H5N1 strain.
The Hungarian authorities found the infected flock in Bacs-Kiskun in southern Hungary. Cases of highly pathogenic bird flu were detected in wild birds earlier this year in this county.
The European Union's executive arm said officials have slaughtered all 2,300 geese in the flock and are also culling poultry and ducks within a one kilometre radius of the site in Bacs-Kiskun.
Rigorous control and monitoring of other holdings in the surrounding area is being carried out. A high risk area has been established around the outbreak with a 3 km protection zone and 10 km surveillance zone.
In the protection zone, poultry must be kept indoors and movement of poultry is banned except directly to the slaughter house.
If confirmed, it would be the fifth outbreak of high pathogenic H5N1 avian flu in domestic poultry in a EU member state, following outbreaks in domestic poultry in France, Sweden, Germany and Denmark.
Cases of avian influenza H5N1 have occurred in wild birds in thirteen EU member states.
More than 120 people have died from bird flu since late 2003, most of them in Asia.
Ping to a new thread for developments, news, etc.
eThekwini taking no chances with bird flu
The eThekwini Municipality is finalising a programme to counteract the outbreak of bird flu
June 10, 2006, 16:30
The health division of the eThekwini Municipality is finalising a programme to help it cope in the event of an outbreak of bird flu. At least 500 migratory birds fly to Durban from northern Asia every year and stay for the summer.
The city is working in co-operation with national government, which has secured reservations with a Swiss pharmaceutical company for supplies of Tamiflu, the anti-viral that is used in the treatment of avian influenza.
In February, UN health officials declared a regional bird flu crisis in Nigeria and Niger, bringing the deadly virus closer to home. A Preparedness Plan is awaiting approval by the eThekwini Municipality.
Plan looks at culling birds The plan looks at the culling of birds and isolation of the infected, if an outbreak occurs although pre-detection is the most important step. A study conducted on migratory birds in Durban late last year revealed no trace of bird flu.
The strain has killed 128 people worldwide since it began spreading in Asia in late 2003
Oops! You beat me to it.
No problem; I asked for mine to be pulled since your article is more comprehensive.
F.D.A. Imposes Long-Delayed Rule to Require Tracking of Prescription Drugs
NY Times ^ | June 10, 2006 | BARNABY J. FEDER
Long-delayed federal rules requiring most wholesalers to be able to track prescription drugs from factory floor to pharmacy door will finally take effect in December, the Food and Drug Administration said yesterday.
The regulations, stemming from a 1988 law intended to combat counterfeiting by verifying a drug's pedigree, were originally drafted in 1999.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1647594/posts
Several updates today:
http://www.pandemic-news.info/
L
The next time my Chief asks me "So how did it go?" I'm going to say that and see what happens.
I can't make heads or tails of it. Can you?
L
We run one about every 60-90 days or so.
We just can't get enough people to sign up for them.
L
Thanks, that is a really nice specialty feed site.
Don Joe, if you want to come back let's just agree not to post to each other or about each other. Some people miss your material.
Spread of bird flu to humans only "matter of time"
Monday, 12 June 2006, 9:51 am
Press Release: University of Auckland
An Australian expert on the flu virus has warned that it is only a matter of time that one of the present strains of bird flu will jump species and be spread from human to human.
However, Dr Jose Varghese, Chief Research Scientist of the Division of Molecular and Health Technologies at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Melbourne, says both New Zealand and Australia are well-prepared to handle any outbreak.
Dr Varghese, who was visiting the national Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, hosted by The University of Auckland, said all global flu pandemics had avian origins.
“We are worried of course that the virulent avian strain that has been killing people recently will eventually become ‘humanised’ and jump the species. I guess it’s just a matter of when, not if.
“The current theory is that farm animals, typically pigs, become infected with both an avian and a human flu strain at the same time. The two viruses exchange genes in the animal host and produce a human adapted virus.”
Dr Varghese determined the structure of a surface enzyme (neuraminidase) of the influenza virus with a CSIRO colleague, Dr Peter Coleman, in 1983, leading to the development of a new class of anti-viral drugs in the late 1990s which are potent inhibitors of the enzyme.
The first of these, the drug, Relenza ™ was developed by CSIRO and Biota Holdings Ltd using structure-based drug design methods, based on the three dimensional atomic structure of neuraminidase. The drug was then taken to clinical trials by Glaxo Pharmaceuticals.
The drug Tamiflu ™ was developed later in the United States based on the structural work of the CSIRO group and the lead compounds subsequently identified for new drug development.
Both drugs target a small “pocket” in the surface enzyme, neuraminidase, which is identical in every strain of influenza, making them effective against all strains and sub-types of influenza irrespective of their origin.
These drugs can also be used prophylactically to prevent the spread of infection if used early in an outbreak. As both drugs act as a molecular “plug” which prevents the virus replicating, they also shorten the duration of the illness, enabling more effective management and treatment.
Dr Varghese says because the flu virus can mutate rapidly, flu vaccines are only effective against known strains of influenza and cannot deal effectively with emerging strains, particularly those that arise during global pandemics.
“The fact that we now have these anti-viral drugs that work against whatever strain of flu is around is a big bonus. We also learnt a lot from the SARS epidemic – that if we get to the places where an infection is breaking out and contain it quickly, we are able to control these diseases.”
The possibility of emerging drug resistance to the neuraminidase inhibitors is being closely monitored by the CSIRO, says Dr Varghese.
“We‘re finding very little drug resistance at present, but we are watching what we consider may be a weak link in Tamiflu ™. Unlike Relenza ™, to work, Tamiflu ™ depends on the viral neuraminidase itself making an internal change. This provides an opportunity for the influenza virus to mutate to stop that happening.”
Dr Varghese says the methodology which led to the design of the anti-viral neuraminidase inhibitors has huge potential for new drug development and technologies to combat other infectious diseases, and major killers such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes.
“Structural biology – that is our understanding of how proteins work at a molecular level – has revolutionised biology. It is a discipline that has grown exponentially in the last 20 years and will make a huge contribution to medical science this century.
“By understanding protein structures and how processes work at a molecular level, we can manipulate and modulate biological systems and avoid the hit and miss approach we have used in the past to develop new drugs.”
Structure-based drug design, says Dr Varghese, overcomes the lack of specificity of drugs developed by traditional, high through-put, chemical screening.
“One of the problems with the traditional approach is that we know certain compounds inhibit certain functions, but we don’t know if other processes in the body are being affected. The benefit of structure-based drug design is that we can design a drug, like these anti-viral drugs, that is exquisitely selective.”
The Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery is one of seven national centres of research excellence established by the Government in 2002 to drive new drug development and technologies to combat major diseases in New Zealand. It is taking a leading role in post-genomic science by merging traditional scientific disciplines to improve human health.
-ends-
In case anyone missed this:
Not even killer flu to shut U.S. border
WorldNetDaily ^ | May 2, 2006
While nationwide demonstrations focus America's attention on the issue of illegal immigration and U.S. borders, the federal government will apparently not close the border even in the face of deadly bird flu or a super strain of influenza.
That according to a draft of the national response plan obtained by the Associated Press.
The report says a major outbreak of disease could prompt the government to limit international flights, quarantine exposed travelers and restrict movement in and around the country, with the exception of the border.
It notes "a complete shutdown of the border would not be likely, nor would it do more than slow the pandemic's spread by a few weeks," according to AP.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1625139/posts
Another:
Many Md. health staff would flee if flu hit
upi via email no link | 4/18/6
BALTIMORE, April 18 (UPI) -- Some 46.2 percent of Maryland public health workers say they likely would not report for work if there were a pandemic flu outbreak, a study concludes.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1617112/posts
One more:
[Can you imagine the amount of bacteria and viruses passed between people when clothing are washed in a public laundromat?]
Fear the phone, not the doorknob, US germ expert says
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent Tue May 2, 8:39 AM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Worried about colds, flu and other germs?
---
"Usually the dirtiest handles in public restrooms are urinal flush handles,"
---
"Most people don't realize that they actually should wash their hands ( before and ) after they make dinner and also after they do the laundry," Gerba said.
Americans have moved to short-cycle, cold-water washes to save energy and wear and tear on clothing, but this leaves viruses and bacteria largely intact.
"Water at 140 degrees F (60 degrees C) will sanitize laundry," Gerba said. But only 5 percent of Americans use hot water for laundry.
And viruses such as hepatitis A, rotavirus and bacteria such as Salmonella -- all of which cause stomach upsets and diarrhea -- can easily survive the average 28-minute drying cycle.
These are all carried fecally. "There is about a 10th of a gram of feces in the average pair of underwear," Gerba says. "You don't want to be doing your handkerchiefs with your underwear."
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2006-05-02T123900Z_01_N01451015_RTRIDST_0_HEALTH-GERMS-DC.XML
To me that could run the full gamut from immediate access to indefinite delay, depending on who you are dealing with.
I mean, if I decided to call his Holiness, The Pope, on a whim, whipped out my cell phone and, (assuming I knew the number), punched it in, a 'credible response' is that my call would be redirected to someone other than the Pope.
From there I would expect an arduous process before I actually got a chance to confer with him, if ever.
I would find similar results with heads of State, Members of Parliament, Congress, etc., quite "credible".
In this instance, with planning and possible foreknowledge, I guess they were basically checking the phone lines.
As to whether that equates with "successful", well, that is another story.
OTOH, it could be another way to look inside your medicine chest, or see what you had on your person, check it against a prescription database, and have probable cause to search you fro bootleg whatever, even if you were just taking your spouses' meds to them after they forgot them that morning. Every sword has two edges. Time to stock up on what you think you'll need in the near future, imo.
Some things just need to be washed in HOT water, imo.
I have mentioned before that those who grew up in our grandparents' generation had a better understanding of personal hygiene than many modern folk do, just because of the realization that germs brought infection, and before most antibiotics, infections killed people.
As a culture, we have become incredibly hygenically lax.
by Staff Writers New York NY (SPX) Jun 12, 2006
In an effort to improve the tracking of avian influenza, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded $5 million in support for a new initiative that will monitor wild bird populations for the disease around the globe, according to the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which will spearhead the project involving more than a dozen private and public partners.
Called the Global Avian Influenza Network for Surveillance (GAINS), the initiative has also received an additional $1 million from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to continue global monitoring and surveillance efforts underway by WCS and its network of partners.
Specifically, GAINS will help provide increased capacity to: detect avian influenza, including
- the highly pathogenic form of the virus, in wild migratory and resident bird populations;
- gain information on viral strains to track changes;
- use that information to guide domestic and global preparedness and vaccine development;
- and create an open database for real-time information sharing on highly pathogenic avian influenza and other pathogens.
WCS will work in tandem with USAID, the CDC, Wetlands International, Birdlife International, the Food and Agriculture Organization, and others on the initiative.
"We applaud USAID for taking this important step in the fight to prevent the spread of avian influenza," said Dr. Steven Sanderson, President and CEO of WCS. "With help from key partners across the globe, we will be able to eliminate critical gaps in our understanding of this deadly pathogen. With continued funding, this network can become a great bulwark against global threats to public health."
The funds for the new initiative were created when the President signed into law the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Pandemic Influenza (attached to the Defense Appropriations Act), which was passed by Congress in late December 2005. The package includes funds for international disease surveillance and tracking of the movement of avian flu in both wild and domestic bird populations.
"This new partnership marks another important step in U.S. efforts... excerpt more at Terra Daily
Akzo Nobel says it developed prototype for mass application of birdflu vaccine
AMSTERDAM (AFX) - Akzo Nobel NV said its veterinary medicine division Intervet has developed a prototype for the mass application of a vaccine against bird flu and possibly Newcastle Disease.
The prototype vaccine may be sprayed instead of injected, the company said.
"The new prototype vaccine consists of a safe live vaccine against Newcastle Disease (a condition affecting many bird species), which acts as a carrier for....excerpt> more at: link
Good thread--posting fresh articles here on it will be helpful for keeping up.
Thanks, everyone.
First bird flu cases in northern Ukraine June 12, 2006
KIEV (Reuters) - Teams of veterinarians have been sent to destroy domestic poultry in northern Ukraine after the first appearance of bird flu in the region, Interfax Ukraine news agency reported on Monday.
Avian flu had previously been detected late last year in the Crimea peninsula, a major stopover point on migratory routes jutting into the Black Sea in southern Ukraine.
Specialized teams of sanitary workers destroyed well over 200,000 birds after the outbreak in Crimea. No human cases were recorded.
Ukraine's authorities have said that outbreak was brought under control but have predicted further difficulties during the passage of migratory birds through the country this year.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060612/wl_nm/birdflu_ukraine_dc_2
Hope you don't mind a couple of older articles:
Hospitals may help spread flu pandemic
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent
"Many reports have shown that hospitals can be a source for spreading such diseases, because health care workers fail to follow even basic hygiene practices such as washing their hands after touching any patient or piece of equipment."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051208/ts_nm/birdflu_usa_dc
Dangerous contamination found in water on US planes
NewScientist.com news service by Kurt Kleiner
Dangerous levels of bacteria have been found in drinking water aboard 15% of planes at US airports, an investigation carried out by the US Environmental Protection Agency has found.
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn8187
ping... to miscellaneous updates on the thread.
Japan suspends Hungarian poultry imports over bird flu concern (AFP via Yahoo! News)
posted on June 13, 2006 05:27:31 am
Japan has announced a temporary suspension of imports of Hungarian poultry including foie gras over concerns about bird flu in the East European country.
http://www.pandemic-news.info/
Hong Kong reports suspected human bird flu case in south China
HONG KONG (AFP) - A 31-year-old man is suspected to have contracted bird flu in southern China.
The man is in critical condition in hospital after visiting a wet market in Shenzhen city where live chickens were on sale, the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said in a statement Tuesday.
It said health department officials from China's Guangdong province had notified Hong Kong of the case. Thousands of people cross the border daily from Guangdong into the southern Chinese territory of Hong Kong.
"He developed fever and pneumonia on June 3. He is now under treatment in a local hospital. His condition is critical," said the statement.
---
The new case was not reported by China's official media on Tuesday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060613/hl_afp/healthfluchinahongkong_060613130528
We use copious amounts of water to shower and wash clothes, but look around on the AM commute and see how many nosepickers there are driving down the freeway. That booger could be coming to a doorknob near you...
Even though I question the sanitary nature of the all purpose handkerchief of just a couple of generations ago, we always washed up before we ate, covered out coughs and sneezes, and if used properly, managed to contain most of the effluvia in that old snotrag--without wearing it on our hands.
I have seen folks lately who just don't get it though, wearing the little plastic gloves (in food serving establishments I no longer frequent), running their finger back and forth under their nose, or absent-mindedly picking at a zit as if the glove were to protect them from the food instead of the other way around...uncovered sneezes and coughs abound, and that ejecta is what could spread a virus most effectively.
At present, though this one (H5N1) preferrentially inhabits the deeper spaces in the lungs, and is less likely to be spread through ejaculative exhalation than more common virii which inhabit the upper respiratory tract.
Ag secretary says bird flu easily found (Timewise in humans)
By Lauran Neergaard, AP Medical Writer Tue Jun 6, 8:29 PM ET
WASHINGTON -
Four hours also is how long it takes to get preliminary results in people infected with the H5N1 virus,
Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said in the joint interview. But if bird flu ever begins spreading easily among people, that's too long, he warned.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060607/ap_on_sc/bird_flu_interview
Successful patient recruitment helps bring new vaccines to market via 112 locations nationwide
p BALTIMORE, June 13 /PRNewswire/ --
Passport Health, an immunization and travel health center with national headquarters in Baltimore, reports that its participation in vaccine trials will expand this year with several new clinical trials in the pipeline.
"We're helping pharmaceutical companies and the FDA bring vaccines to market because this cannot be done without successful clinical trials and proper recruitment of patients," says Fran Lessans, RN, MS, Founder & CEO of Passport Health, which is the largest private purchaser of vaccinations in the U.S.
With more than 65,000 travel health client visits annually through its 112 nationwide locations, Passport Health can recruit from a large patient population.
The new trials involve a Phase III flu vaccine, as well as vaccines for exotic diseases (shigella and cholera) that are prevalent in Southern Hemisphere and Third World countries.
Previously, Passport Health has worked on clinical trials for anthrax, hepatitis B, influenza and yellow fever. In addition to its many resources,...excerpt more at link
UK scientists call for more research into bird flu
Mon Jun 12, 2006 7:18pm ET
LONDON (Reuters) - British scientists called on Tuesday for more research into how avian flu is spread from wild birds to domestic poultry.
---
Easton said there was also a lack of scientific data about how the H5N1 avian flu virus can spread to cats and humans.
---
Britain confirmed a case of H5N1 in a dead wild swan in Scotland in April.
http://today.reuters.com/News/newsArticle.aspx?type=globalNews&storyID=2006-06-12T231829Z_01_L12368940_RTRUKOC_0_US-BIRDFLU-BRITAIN.xml
California June 9th
A rare outbreak of dog flu has swept through a kennel in southern California, raising concerns over the possible spread of an untreatable virus, animal control officials said on Thursday.
The disease, a type A influenza virus called H3N8 by scientists, is believed to have mutated from a horse flu common at racetracks where it leapt to greyhound dogs in the state of Florida in 2000.
The virus, however, does not appear to be transferable humans, experts said. No vaccine is currently available for the dog flu, and it cannot be treated by any specific drug, said Dunne.
The flu spread like wildfire at the facility run by Canine Companions for Independence, an organisation that pairs trained dogs with the disabled that is based in Oceanside, a small town south of Los Angeles. Two dogs have tested positive for the virus and the 62 other dogs in the kennel are displaying characteristic symptoms of coughing and sneezing. All dogs at the facility have been quarantined.
While humans are not thought to be at immediate risk from the virus, influenza changes continuously and further species mutation cannot be completely ruled out, Dunne warned.
http://visz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/woalert_read.php?id=6363&cat=dis&lang=eng
Thanks so much Lucy--You're tireless at bringing us the latest news, and I appreciate being able to read it here on one thread.
You're welcome; the toolbar at search engine http://www.Clusty.com makes for easy searches.
[Imo, it's doubtful workers and families are going to hang out in "clean facilities."]
Businesses Begin Bird Flu Prep
June 13, 2006 — Bird flu has yet to develop the ability to jump from human to human and become a pandemic, but many businesses are not waiting to find out if it will.
Some companies are going so far as to set entire buildings aside as "clean facilities" in which workers and families would remain during a bird flu outbreak.
At least two financial institutions are setting up such voluntary quarantines and two utilities are considering it...
---
For example, DuPont Co. is considering giving employees kits with masks and disinfectant and is looking into ways to continue manufacturing with reduced staffing.
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/BusinessOfLife/story?id=2059133&page=1
Bird flu reports underestimate disease - June 14, 2006
SINGAPORE (Bloomberg): Indonesia's bird flu reports underestimate the extent of the outbreaks in poultry and are hampering efforts to fight the disease in the country that has 1.3 billion chickens, an international veterinary agency said.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaillgen.asp?fileid=20060613123820&irec=3
Bird Flu fact sheet:
First identified in Italy in 1878, highly pathogenic avian influenza is characterized by sudden onset of severe disease, rapid contagion, and a mortality rate that can approach 100% within 48 hours.
In this form of the disease, the virus not only affects the respiratory tract, as in the mild form, but also invades multiple organs and tissues. The resulting massive internal haemorrhaging has earned it the lay name of “chicken Ebola”.
---
Apart from being highly contagious among poultry, avian influenza viruses are readily transmitted from farm to farm by the movement of live birds, people (especially when shoes and other clothing are contaminated), and contaminated vehicles, equipment, feed, and cages.
Highly pathogenic viruses can survive for long periods in the environment, especially when temperatures are low. For example, the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus can survive in bird faeces for at least 35 days at low temperature (4oC). At a much higher temperature (37oC), H5N1 viruses have been shown to survive, in faecal samples, for six days.
For highly pathogenic disease, the most important control measures are rapid culling of all infected or exposed birds, proper disposal of carcasses, the quarantining and rigorous disinfection of farms, and the implementation of strict sanitary, or “biosecurity”, measures. Restrictions on the movement of live poultry, both within and between countries, are another important control measure.
---
Poor quality animal vaccines may also pose a risk for human health, as they may allow infected birds to shed virus while still appearing to be disease-free.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/avian_influenza/en/
More:
The incubation period for H5N1 avian influenza may be longer than that for normal seasonal influenza, which is around two to three days.
Current data for H5N1 infection indicate an incubation period ranging from two to eight days and possibly as long as 17 days.
However, the possibility of multiple exposure to the virus makes it difficult to define the incubation period precisely. WHO currently recommends that an incubation period of seven days be used for field investigations and the monitoring of patient contacts.
Initial symptoms include a high fever, usually with a temperature higher than 38oC, and influenza-like symptoms. Diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pain, chest pain, and bleeding from the nose and gums have also been reported as early symptoms in some patients.
Watery diarrhoea without blood appears to be more common in H5N1 avian influenza than in normal seasonal influenza. The spectrum of clinical symptoms may, however, be broader, and not all confirmed patients have presented with respiratory symptoms.
In two patients from southern Viet Nam, the clinical diagnosis was acute encephalitis; neither patient had respiratory symptoms at presentation. In another case, from Thailand, the patient presented with fever and diarrhoea, but no respiratory symptoms. All three patients had a recent history of direct exposure to infected poultry.
One feature seen in many patients is the development of manifestations in the lower respiratory tract early in the illness. Many patients have symptoms in the lower respiratory tract when they first seek treatment.
On present evidence, difficulty in breathing develops around five days following the first symptoms. Respiratory distress, a hoarse voice, and a crackling sound when inhaling are commonly seen. Sputum production is variable and sometimes bloody.
Most recently, blood-tinted respiratory secretions have been observed in Turkey. Almost all patients develop pneumonia. During the Hong Kong outbreak, all severely ill patients had primary viral pneumonia, which did not respond to antibiotics.
Limited data on patients in the current outbreak indicate the presence of a primary viral pneumonia in H5N1, usually without microbiological evidence of bacterial supra-infection at presentation.
Turkish clinicians have also reported pneumonia as a consistent feature in severe cases; as elsewhere, these patients did not respond to treatment with antibiotics.
In patients infected with the H5N1 virus, clinical deterioration is rapid.
In Thailand, the time between onset of illness to the development of acute respiratory distress was around six days, with a range of four to 13 days.
In severe cases in Turkey, clinicians have observed respiratory failure three to five days after symptom onset. Another common feature is multiorgan dysfunction...
---
Limited evidence suggests that some antiviral drugs, notably oseltamivir (commercially known as Tamiflu), can reduce the duration of viral replication and improve prospects of survival,
provided they are administered within 48 hours following symptom onset.
---
In suspected cases, oseltamivir should be prescribed as soon as possible (ideally, within 48 hours following symptom onset) to maximize its therapeutic benefits.
However, given the significant mortality currently associated with H5N1 infection and evidence of prolonged viral replication in this disease,
administration of the drug should also be considered in patients presenting later in the course of illness.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/avian_influenza/en/
H5N1 avian flu viruses trigger worse disease in adult cells than in children
The study shows that at least with older versions of the H5N1 virus, this response - referred to as a cytokine storm - was significantly more acute in adults than children.
Interestingly, the flu viruses all replicated at about the same rate, in both the adult and infant cells.
"So these differences weren't due to differences in the extent of virus growth that they could discern, but rather something intrinsic to the viruses themselves which were causing the different (chemokine) expression levels that they reported," said Dr. Frederick Hayden, a scientist with the World Health Organization's global influenza program.
But while the viruses generated the same amount of infection, the immune response to the infection varied greatly, both between the human and avian viruses and between the adult and infant cells.
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/12062006/2/xhealth-h5n1-avian-flu-viruses-trigger-worse-disease-adult-cells.html
Preparing an Emergency Food Supply:
https://www.fcs.uga.edu/ext/pubs/html/FDNS-E-34-2.html
Food Storage Calculator. ... Use the following calculator to figure the minimum food storage amounts for your family:
http://lds.about.com/library/bl/faq/blcalculator.htm
That LDS food storage calculator is amazing.
I guess that's for a full year of backup food...eye-opening if you've never thought about it.
[They warned us; we're on our own.]
Probe says U.S. emergency care in trouble
AP on Yahoo ^ | 6/14/06 | Lauran Neergaard - ap
Emergency rooms are far from ready to handle the mass casualties that a bird flu epidemic or terrorist strike would bring, the institute warned Wednesday in a three-volume report.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1649240/posts
China investigates suspected bird flu case as Hong Kong goes on alert
by Verna Yu Wed Jun 14, 9:17 AM ET
BEIJING (AFP) - China is investigating a suspected human bird flu case in the south of the country that has triggered alarm bells across the border in the regional economic hub of Hong Kong.
"We are very concerned about this bird flu case in Shenzhen (as the patient) didn't make any contacts with poultry and birds," Hong Kong Health Secretary York Chow said.
"(This) makes us think there is a possibility that there might be poultry which might not have clear flu symptoms but can spread virus to humans. That's what we are most worried about."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060614/wl_afp/healthfluchinahongkong_060614110034
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