Ron Kernahan's Test Wordpress site

Experts fighting bird flu around the world met on Wednesday in Mali to plan the next stage of their campaign to control the disease.

The outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza began in Asia in 2003 and spread rapidly in early 2006.

But the experts meeting in Mali also say the deadly H5N1 virus is just one of a plethora of diseases threatening animals and people around the world as global warming, Read the rest of this entry →

Tamiflu worries prompt federal advisory
Globe and Mail, Canada – Nov 30, 2006
A drug stockpiled by Canadian hospitals in case of a flu pandemic is the subject of growing concerns overseas, leading federal health officials here to issue a …

Flu drug causing hallucinations
Edmonton Sun, Canada – Nov 30, 2006 Read the rest of this entry →

Once a pandemic is under way it is “considered unstoppable”. That is why the best way to prevent a bird flu pandemic is to eliminate H5N1 in birds – but that is seen as “increasingly doubtful”.

At the beginning of flu season, these types of observations from the World Health Organization (WHO) are not exactly comforting. The reality is that we will have a flu pandemic this year! That is because we have one every year. Flu spreads around the globe at a remarkably fast pace. And, people die from it each and every year.

The concerns raised by WHO are perfectly legitimate. And alarming. That is why we need to keep up-to-date and prepared. Check our Current Alerts link above to see some of the latest survey results of how American’s are likely to react to a Bird Flu Pandemic. Think through what your response would be likely to be. Plan ahead, flu season is just beginning.

Here are some interesting headline news stories already coming in October. Are you prepared for the flu season?

Norfolk is ready for a flu pandemic
Norwich Evening News – Norwich,England,UK
… flu have been heightened by the avian flu alerts some … H7 strain, but not the deadly H5N1 type responsible … types of flu: Seasonal flu, human flu and bird flu. …

Philippines Warns Bird Smuggling Could Spread Bird Flu Virus
All Headline News – USA
… said the Indonesian government is still trying to fight the deadly H5N1 virus … is the illegal trade that we fear that might spread the (avian flu) virus, not …

Public’s help needed on Bird Flu
UTV – Belfast,Ireland
… are very tolerant to various strains of Avian flu. … had arrived would be when resident bird life started … 14 member states which have reported H5N1 – the latest …

H5N1 antiviral drugs ‘could cause superflu’
Unison.ie – Bray,Ireland
… His comments came as bird experts were once again placed on alert for cases of avian flu returning with … triggered the spread of the deadly H5N1 virus into …

Bird flu fears: Why prepare now for bird flu?
MayoClinic.com – USA
No one knows if bird flu (avian influenza) will be the next crisis. … Since 1997, the H5N1 bird flu strain has killed millions of birds. …

Alertness matters
Jakarta Post – Jakarta,Indonesia
… The H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus is much … Look at the Vietnamese scientists; they are producing groundbreaking research in avian flu again and again. …

Preparing for a pandemic
The Capital Journal – Pierre,SD,USA
… voiced under the reasoning that avian influenza will … public health officials are concerned with H5N1, commonly. … is that whether it’s the bird flu or something …

When it comes to the flu, antivirals far more effective than …
News-Medical.net – Sydney,Australia
… drug company Roche and many countries are stocking up on Tamiflu because of the risk of H5N1 avian flu. Tamiflu is now routinely given to bird flu victims and …

Did Bird Flu Forecasters Say Bird Flu Hit USA?

Here are some headlines for your attention:

H5N1 Bird Flu in Michigan
Collective Bellaciao – Paris,France
His comments indicated it was low pathogenic avian influenza and is likely to have strong relationship to the H5N1 detected in Manitoba last August. …

Michigan bird flu doesn’t threaten humans
SooToday.com – USA
… Test results from wild mute swans from the Pointe Mouillee State Game Area indicated the possible presence of low pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza but ruled out …

Flu Roundup: Swan-dive in Michigan
Monsters and Critics.com – Glasgow,UK
… results has confirmed the presence of H5N1, the death … the cousin of the latest confirmed avian flu case in … what has been confirmed to be bird flu — is still …

US birds infected with bird flu strain
Independent Online – Cape Town,South Africa
… meant to head off the spread of bird flu in the … these birds were not infected with an H5N1 strain, but instead with two separate avian influenza viruses …

US suspects bird flu in Mich. geese, but not high risk
Reuters – USA
… may have been infected with a strain of the bird flu virus, but … that routine surveillance has indicated the possible presence of an H5N1 avian influenza virus …

Education 1st step in dealing with pandemic
Mohave Valley News – Laughlin,NV,USA
… The most likely culprit for a pandemic level illness in the near future would be the Avian Influenza, or bird flu (H5N1), that has reared its head in Asia and …

Question: Is Bird Flu in the USA? If so, is it there to stay (flu season will soon come to America)?

Your thoughts!!!

Leave a comment.

Bird Flu Events Changing Our World

—————> Thailand Bird Flu Death Toll on the Rise

Thailand has tried to step up its defences against bird flu following the return of the virus after an eight-month lull and the death of a 17-year-old youth in the northern province of Phichit.

Adopting an extra cautious stance, health officials have placed more than 800 people involved in culling in Nakhon Panom or in hospitals in the area on a bird flu watch-list.

The Agriculture Ministry also banned imports of poultry and equipment from neighbouring countries, with violators facing a maximum penalty of 2 years in jail and/or a 40,000 baht ($1,000) fine.

—————> Indonesia / Thailand H5N1 Cover-up?

Indonesia has been accused of failing to send bird flu samples to official laboratories! In Thailand, as a new outbreak of avian flu began to appear last month, officials in Bangkok and the provinces reverted to cover-up and finger-pointing in place of accountability and speedy treatment.

“I think the situation in Indonesia is worrying for the rest of the world, and it is rapidly catching up, in terms of the number of outbreaks in poultry species, with Vietnam,” said Lance Jennings, a Christchurch virologist.

“One of the major issues with a number of countries is that they are putting caveats on those samples; for example, that the information is not allowed to be widely disseminated,” he said.

Experts say some countries have been reluctant to disclose the extent of bird flu infection for fear of sowing panic and damaging tourism.

—————> UN Global Response System Finalized

A special response system to track the emergence of zoonoses (animal diseases transmissible to humans) was finally announced in July. This web-based electronic platform combines data accumulated from three major organizations and is dubbed GLEWS, or Global Early Warning and Response System.

Not to be confused with the Global Outbreak Alert & Response Network (GOARN) started in April 2000 (with impressive results by the way), GLEWS has the potential to be enhanced to track the spread of Bird Flu. It is also to have local, national and international levels to ensure quick and accurate communication to help combat a possible pandemic before it hits.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) made a joint announcement late in July 2006.

See the related “Global Early Warning and Response System” article and video (link) here.

———- check these sponsored links for help on bird flu ———-

———-

Some significant news has been taking place over the last month. Notable is:

—————> Bird Flu Victims are Mainly Young, WHO Reports.

The average age of bird flu victims is 20, making the current outbreak similar in that respect to the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, the World Health Organization said Friday.

The current death rate among people with bird flu ages 10 to 19 is 73 percent — highest of any age group, according to the WHO report cited by the Bloomberg news service. By contrast, most victims of seasonal flu are older than age 65.

Overall, the lethal HN51 strain of bird flu has killed more than half of its victims, according to the WHO report published in the Weekly Epidemiological Record. Since 2003, 228 cases of human bird flu have been reported, including 130 deaths, Bloomberg said.

—————> Increased Countries and Cases

The number of new countries reporting human cases increased from 4 to 9 after October 2005
Specifically, in 2003 there were 3 cases and 3 deaths. In 2004 there were 46 cases and 32 deaths. In 2005 there were 95 cases and 41 deaths. Already in 2006 there have been 84 cases and 54 deaths.

(WHO reports only laboratory-confirmed cases.)

—————> When does the flu occur?

Cases have occurred all year round. However, the incidence of human cases peaked, in each of the three years in which cases have occurred, during the period roughly corresponding to winter and spring in the northern hemisphere. If this pattern continues, an upsurge in cases could be anticipated starting in late 2006 or early 2007.

—————> U.S. Dispatches Antiviral Drugs to Asia

The United States in May sent an undisclosed amount of the antiviral flu drug Tamiflu to a secure location in Asia, where it could be used in the event of an outbreak of bird flu, according to a report from Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt.

—————-