Pandemic News/Awareness.

indigo girl · May 13, 2007

Ghana, still trying to control the spread of avian flu, and educate its

citizens.

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showpost.php?p=79928&postcount=10

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/05100702/H5N1_Ghana_Spread.html

indigo girl · May 13, 2007

Indonesia

The flu forums have been following translations of reports of a 26 yr old

woman, who was 4 months pregnant. She died today. The reports are now appearing in the English speaking press. The cause of her infection is not really clear. We have read that she cooked a chicken that had died, but this seems unlikely as avian flu has been endemic in that area, and surely most would know enough not to eat sick birds. But, then again her family was poor. She had a Christian funeral. This is so sad.

Pregnant women were the highest risk group in 1918.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailgeneral.asp?fileid=20070513210725&irec=0

http://crofsblogs.typepad.com/h5n1/2007/05/indonesia_bird_.html

http://www.curevents.com/vb/showpost.php?p=727261&postcount=87

indigo girl · May 14, 2007

More from Indonesia:

http://afludiary.blogspot.com/2007/05/indonesia-confirms-76th-fatality.html

The official said 20 other people were undergoing treatment for the virus in hospitals around Indonesia, the nation worst hit by the virus.

While we've heard very little officially from Indonesia in the past few months, the local media has reported a steady trickle of cases going into hospitals, and then rarely any follow up on the cases.
The surprise here isn't that they have 20 suspected cases. The surprise is they are publicly admitting it.
This sudden candor may be due, in part, to the negotiations this week in Geneva over virus samples and vaccines for developing countries.

indigo girl · May 14, 2007

Here are two abstracts on H5N1 documenting the results of infection in swans and cats. It appears that more than just the respiratory system is involved although we usually think about influenza as a respiratory disease. Clearly this virus is much more than that. Human cases have experienced multi organ failure.

We can also see the necessity of keeping pets indoors if an announcement is made that HPAI, H5N1 (in the highly pathogenic form) is found in North America.

I have listed flutrackers first because it may be easier to read than the original abstract, but you can look at either.

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23924

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showpost.php?p=80440&postcount=2

http://www.vetpathology.org/cgi/content/abstract/44/3/261

http://www.vetpathology.org/cgi/content/abstract/44/2/137

indigo girl · May 16, 2007

Rapid Response Training: The Role of Public Health in a Multi-Agency Response to Avian Influenza in the United States

http://www.cste.org/influenza/avian.asp

"We are pleased to release a new avian influenza training program that our state and local public-health partners can use to train rapid response teams," says Joshua Mott, an epidemiologist in CDC's Influenza Division who led the training development project. The training focuses on human health issues during an avian influenza investigation. Through lectures, reference materials and case studies, the course provides mechanisms to facilitate discussion and planning among people who may be called on to respond to avian influenza A (H5N1) in the United States.

(hat tip flutrackers/Theresa42)

indigo girl · May 16, 2007

Breakthrough with Indonesia? We have heard this before. Will they

release the virus samples or won't they?

http://afludiary.blogspot.com/2007/05/breakthrough-with-indonesia.html

indigo girl · May 16, 2007

WHO update on Indonesia

http://www.who.int/csr/don/2007_05_16/en/index.html

Seven of these cases had exposure to sick or dead poultry; the source of infection is unknown for eight cases.

[hat tip flutrackers/niman)

Some observations about the Indondesian situation:

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showpost.php?p=80755&postcount=7

indigo girl · May 17, 2007

CIDRAP update on the recent confirmed Indonesian cases, and the continuing

problem of witholding viral samples by Indonesia:

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/avianflu/news/may1607indonesia.html

(hat tip flutrackers/AnneZ)

indigo girl · May 17, 2007

Dr. Chan of WHO:

http://afludiary.blogspot.com/2007/05/chan-pandemic-greatest-global-health.html

Quotable Quotes, don't read them if you don't want to be alarmed, but they

really did say this:

http://afludiary.blogspot.com/2007/05/quotable-quotes.html

natrgrrl · May 17, 2007

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2007/200705/20070510/article_315333.htm

Have you heard about the disease in China that is causing fevers and internal bleeding in pigs? Evidently 1300 pigs have been infected with this disease. The Chinese are calling it Blue Ear but I haven't heard a name for the disease from any source outside China.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/08/ap/asia/main2772874.shtml

indigo girl · May 18, 2007

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2007/200705/20070510/article_315333.htm
Have you heard about the disease in China that is causing fevers and internal bleeding in pigs? Evidently 1300 pigs have been infected with this disease. The Chinese are calling it Blue Ear but I haven't heard a name for the disease from any source outside China.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/08/ap/asia/main2772874.shtml

Interesting but I don't know much about it. Apparently a similiar problem is occurring in Georgia (USSR?).

indigo girl · May 18, 2007

Slow news:

http://afludiary.blogspot.com/2007/05/slow-news-isn-necessarily-no-news.html

Tamiflu without Rx:

http://afludiary.blogspot.com/

Danger pay for HCW:

http://afludiary.blogspot.com/2007/05/danger-pay-for-health-care-workers.html