Efforts To Track Bird Flu Hampered By Deficiencies In Data Collection

The highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been detected in at least 55 countries in Asia, Europe, and Africa. This often fatal disease is of pressing concern because it can be transmitted from birds to humans, although such transmissions have been rare so far. Unfortunately, according to a Roundtable article in the November 2006 BioScience, the journal of the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), critical information about incidence of the disease in wild birds--even the species of the infected bird--is often recorded inaccurately or not recorded at all. The deficiencies in data collection, the authors write, "can lead to unwarranted assumptions and conclusions that in turn affect public perceptions, practical control and management measures, and the disposition of resources."



Bird flu is typically studied by veterinarians and virologists. The article's authors, Mai Yasue, Chris J. Feare, Leon Bennun, and Wolfgang Fiedler, made use of the Aiwatch (avian influenza watch) e-mail forum to gather information for their article from sources worldwide. They describe several instances in which the species of an infected wild bird was incorrectly or inadequately recorded--sometimes just as "wild duck," for example--and others in which the bird's sex and age were misidentified. Likewise, reported details of the location and time of discovery of an infected bird often lack specificity, yet they are crucial for a good understanding of the virus's spread. Information about capture and sampling methods and other species in the vicinity of an infected bird has also often been inadequately described. The authors end their article with a plea for greater involvement by ornithologists and ecologists in H5N1 research and monitoring.






BioScience publishes commentary and peer-reviewed articles covering a wide range of biological fields, with a focus on "Organisms from Molecules to the Environment." The journal has been published since 1964. AIBS is an umbrella organization for professional scientific societies and organizations that are involved with biology. It represents some 200 member societies and organizations with a combined membership of about 250,000.
The complete list of research articles in the November issue of BioScience is as follows:



From Lilliput to Brobdingnag: Extending Models of Mycorrhizal Function across Scales. Nancy Collins Johnson and colleagues



Threats to Endangered Species in Canada. Oscar Venter, Nathalie N. Brodeur, Leah Nemiroff, Brenna Belland, Ivan J. Dolinsek, and James W. A.Grant



How Many Animals Do We Want to Save? The Many Ways of Setting Population Target Levels for Conservation. Eric W. Sanderson



The Epidemiology of H5N1 Avian Influenza in Wild Birds: Why We Need Better Ecological Data. Mai Yasue, Chris J. Feare, Leon Bennun, and Wolfgang Fiedler



Science and Economics in the Management of an Invasive Species. Porter Hoagland and Di Jin



Contact: Donna Royston


American Institute of Biological Sciences

Bird Flu Has Infected 186 People Of Which 105 Have Died

Since 2003 186 people have become infected with bird flu (avian flu), specifically, the H5N1 virus strain. 105 of them have died. Here is a list of the countries:


Azerbajan

Cases - 7

Deaths - 5


Cambodia

Cases - 5

Deaths - 5


China

Cases - 16

Deaths - 11


Indonesia

Cases - 29

Deaths - 22


Iraq

Cases - 2

Deaths - 2


Thailand

Cases - 22

Deaths - 14


Turkey

Cases - 12

Deaths - 4


Vietnam

Cases - 93

Deaths - 42


Total

Cases - 186

Deaths - 105


A recent study may explain why so few humans have become infected, when compared to birds. The H5N1 virus needs to get deep down into the lungs in order to make the human ill. For a human to become infected he/she needs to be in constant contact with sick birds so that a cluster of viruses can build up. Even when a human does get ill, the infection is so deep within the lungs that hardly any viruses are expelled when the patient coughs - making it much harder to infect other humans.


Hundreds of millions of birds have died of H5N1 infection since 2003.


Written by:

Avian Influenza In Poultry On Premises In East Of England

The Health Protection Agency continues to work closely with local and national veterinary colleagues following the announcement yesterday by the Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) that avian influenza had been found in poultry on two premises in the East of England.


Defra has today confirmed that the avian influenza virus present there is H6N1. The H6 virus type has been isolated in domestic poultry and wild birds in Europe over the last few years.


The finding has not affected the HPA's precautionary advice in this incident. We have advised that staff should use high levels of personal protective equipment to protect them from infection.
The Agency is monitoring the health of those exposed to the poultry and there continues to be no reports of any flu-like illness in this group, who have also been offered seasonal influenza vaccine, as a further precaution. GPs in Norfolk and Suffolk are also being made aware of the investigation, for information.


Avian influenza, or 'bird flu', is a contagious disease of birds caused by viruses that normally only infects wild birds and, rarely, other species including domestic poultry. There is no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission.


Dr Joe Kearney, Regional Director of the HPA in the East of England said: "The current level of risk to humans from avian flu is extremely low, and today's news from Defra does not change that. To date there has been no evidence that current avian influenza viruses have adapted to spread easily in humans."



Notes


There have been no cases linked to the consumption of properly cooked meat and eggs; for further guidance go to: food.uk


Further information on avian influenza can be found at the HPA website.


Further information on avian flu in poultry is available on the DEFRA website: defra.uk.

Health Protection Agency

GlaxoSmithKline's New Generation Flu Vaccine Shows A Significant Increase In Seroprotection Rate In The Over 65 Population

New data released today demonstrate significantly better immune responses in the age range 65 and above when vaccinated with GSK's new generation (adjuvanted) seasonal flu vaccine compared to a traditional seasonal flu vaccine. These new data are highly important, since the disease burden and death toll is highest among the elderly in each flu season. The data, presented at the Influenza Vaccines for the World (IVW) 2006 Congress, showed the seroprotection rate (90.5%) achieved by the new adjuvanted vaccine in the elderly to be more than 25% higher than that reported in the age matched comparator group. Moreover, it greatly exceeds the European licensing requirement for seroprotection, which requires at least 60% seroconversion independent of age (CHMP criterion). Encouraged by these excellent results, GSK has started a Phase III registration trial for the vaccine with 3500 patients across three countries in Europe* and in the US.


The candidate vaccine uses a proprietary novel adjuvant system to enhance the immune response in the older population resulting in similar levels of immune responses typically observed in young adults.


Lead investigator Dr Isabel Leroux-Roels from the Center for Vaccinology, Ghent University and Hospital said: "The immune response of the elderly can be significantly lower than in younger adults leaving them particularly vulnerable to the more serious complications of flu. There is a real need to strengthen the immune response of the population of 65 years and above. This can be achieved by combining antigen components of annual flu vaccine with GSK's novel adjuvant system."


Dr Philippe Monteyne, Head of Global Vaccine Development, GSK Biologicals said:


"These data highlight how GSK's new adjuvant system can be effectively used to enhance vaccine-induced immune responses. Our new vaccine increased the immune response in the elderly to levels comparable to that observed for traditional seasonal flu vaccine in younger adults. This promising new vaccine will build on our strong existing flu franchise."


High immune response with adjuvanted vaccines


Two hundred and seventy five people were involved in the trial which ran from Q3 2005 to Q2 2006 in Belgium. In the 65+ age range the adjuvanted vaccine elicited higher levels of antibodies (humoral response) compared to non adjuvanted traditional seasonal flu vaccine in the same population. It was also found to induce a higher cellular immune response to influenza in the elderly compared to the traditional vaccine. The vaccine was well tolerated throughout the study period and showed a safety profile which is comparable to the standard seasonal flu vaccine.


Phase III studies


In the wake of the encouraging results from this trial, a new multinational Phase III programme involving 3500 participants has recently commenced that sets out to confirm the findings from today's data. This pivotal Phase III immunogenicity trial will take place in three countries in Europe* as well as in the US. The results, expected in 2007 will form a significant part of the data package for file submission.


GSK, a leader in flu treatment and preparedness


GSK has an active research and development programme targeted at both seasonal and pandemic influenza and has recently committed over $2 billion to expand capacity for manufacturing flu vaccine and its anti-viral influenza treatment Relenza® (zanamivir for inhalation). In North America, GSK acquired a major influenza vaccine manufacturer, ID Biomedical Corporation in 2005.


GSK is one of the world's leading research-based pharmaceutical and health care companies. GSK is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. For company information visit: gsk.


The Phase III trial will be carried out in Belgium, Germany, Norway and the US.


GlaxoSmithKline

gsk

Bird flu in Greece, Agriculture Ministry Confirms - Dead birds found in Croatia

According to the Greek Agriculture Ministry, a turkey in a Greek island was infected with a strain of the bird flu virus in the Island of Oinouses. Samples have been sent to a lab in the UK to identify the strain of virus. Officials say they know it is of the H5 strain, but don't know yet whether it is the H5N1. The most lethal one is the H5N1 strain that was found in Turkey and Romania last week.


Some dead birds have been found in Croatia. The EU has ordered that urgent tests be carried out.


In Romania, authorities have been culling thousands of birds. The area immediately surrounding where the infected birds were found has been placed in quarantine.


As birds migrate from Russia to North Africa they pass through eastern Europe and Turkey.


No imports of poultry from Romania and Turkey are now allowed into the European Union. The EU says it will take 'drastic measures' if it has to.


Written by:

Editor:

Cleveland Clinic Recognizes New Strategies For Creating Vaccines For Avian Flu As A Top Ten Medical Innovation For 2009

Novavax, Inc.
(Nasdaq: NVAX) announced that its strategy for treating avian flu
through genetically-engineered virus-like particles (VLPs) was ranked as a
Top Ten Innovation at Cleveland Clinic 6th Annual Medical Innovation
Summit.



Novavax, Inc. believes its vaccine initiatives have the potential to
impact millions of people affected by infectious diseases each year by
creating novel vaccines that can be produced in a cost effective and timely
manner within the same scalable manufacturing platform worldwide.



VLPs are recombinant structures that mimic the size and shape of a
virus but lack genetic material and are therefore incapable of replication.
Because they resemble actual infectious particles presenting proteins in
the same conformation as on the wild-type virus, they are able to induce
potent immune responses. Novavax's VLP vaccine may be differentiated from
other influenza vaccines in several ways. First, it includes three viral
proteins (incorporated in the vaccine as three separate VLPs) important for
inducing a broad immune response including two surface proteins,
hemmaglutinin ("HA") and neuraminidase ("NA"), and a core matrix protein,
M1. The HA protein induces antibody that neutralizes or blocks the growth
of the virus; NA induces antibodies that prevent cell-to-cell transmission
of virus down the respiratory tract, potentially reducing the severity of
influenza disease; and cell mediated immune responses to M1 may lead to
destruction of cells already infected. Further, the vaccine is made in cell
culture rather than eggs, which permits an exact genetic match to the flu
strains causing illness since there is no requirement for adapting the
vaccine to grow in eggs.



"We are proud to have our technology recognized by the Cleveland Clinic
as one of the top ten medical innovations of 2009," said Dr. Rahul Singhvi,
President and CEO of Novavax. "VLPs represent a very promising approach to
preventing the spread of influenza as we recently demonstrated with the
announcement of favorable results in a Phase IIa human clinical trial of
our VLP based pandemic influenza vaccine.



Novavax's Novel Manufacturing Approach



Novavax's manufacturing process makes it possible to potentially
produce and distribute a vaccine matched to a pandemic strain in time to
interrupt and/or halt a pandemic. Novavax's influenza VLPs are produced in
insect cell culture, utilizing a manufacturing process that consists
entirely of disposable, ready-to-use equipment. Current yields are 7 to 10
times higher than that of traditional egg-based or mammalian cell culture
manufacturing. Because the Novavax process involves recombinant technology
and does not require a live influenza virus, vaccine can be manufactured
within 10 to 12 weeks of identification of a pandemic strain, approximately
half the time required to manufacture egg-based vaccines. This new
manufacturing approach permits rapid commissioning at a fraction of the
cost of traditional, egg-based manufacturing facilities. VLP-based vaccines
may represent an effective and affordable component of a pandemic solution
for countries that do not currently have in-border pandemic vaccine
production.
















About Novavax



Novavax, Inc. is a clinical stage biotechnology company, creating novel
vaccines to address a broad range of infectious diseases worldwide using
advanced proprietary virus-like particle (VLP) technology. The Company
produces these VLP based, potent, recombinant vaccines utilizing new, and
efficient manufacturing approaches. Additional information about Novavax is
available at novavax and in the Company's various filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission.



Forward Looking Statement



Statements herein relating to future development results and
performance, conditions or strategies and other matters, including
expectations regarding product and clinical developments, are
forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act. Novavax cautions that these forward-looking
statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties,
which change over time. Factors that may cause actual results to differ
materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements or
historical experience include risks relating to the early stage of
Novavax's product candidates under development; current results may not be
predictive of future pandemic results, results of our seasonal influenza
vaccine or any other vaccine that we may develop; further testing is
required before regulatory approval can be applied for and the FDA may not
approve a vaccine even if further trial results are similar to those
disclosed previously by the company; uncertainties relating to clinical
trials, including possible delays in initiating or completing the trials
and safety and efficacy results; dependence on the efforts of third
parties; competition for clinical resources and patient enrollment from
drug candidates in development by other companies with greater resources
and visibility; and risks that we may lack the financial resources and
access to capital to fund our operations including further clinical trials.
Further information on the factors and risks that could affect Novavax's
business, financial conditions and results of operations, is contained in
Novavax's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which
are available at sec. These forward-looking statements speak
only as of the date of this press release, and Novavax assumes no duty to
update forward-looking statements.


Novavax, Inc.

novavax

Influenza Virus In Norway Resistant Against Oseltamivir (Tamiflu(R))

Influenza activity in Norway is still low, but is expected to increase in the coming weeks. Thirty-eight of 58 studied influenza viruses (66 %) are resistant against the anti-flu drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu®). The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) is asking physicians who are treating patients for influenza to be aware of this when deciding on medicinal treatment.


The dominant influenza virus this winter, A(H1N1) gives milder symptoms than A(H3N2) which dominated last winter. Influenza vaccination is recommended for people in the high risk-groups as they can become seriously ill with the virus. Anti-influenza medicines are intended mainly for patients who have become seriously ill with influenza and for those with underlying illnesses.


NIPH collects influenza viruses from the whole country for closer inspection. Some of these viruses are forwarded to the WHO collaboration centre in London for further study and resistance tests. The dominant virus this season - in Norway and the rest of Europe - is influenza A (H1N1) Solomon Islands. Thirty-eight out of 58 A(H1N1) viruses from different patients and from different parts of the country in the period November- January have shown a mutation that indicates high-grade resistance against oseltamivir. The virus is sensitive to other anti-influenza medicines. This year's virus is expected to produce milder symptoms than normal.


Characterisation of some of the A (H1N1) virus stems in Norway show resemblance to those in the vaccine. This good match means that the vaccine will be effective against this year's dominant virus. Now it is important that those who want to be vaccinated do so before the main influenza outbreak strikes.


Norway takes part in international collaboration to monitor and advise on infectious diseases through the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, (ECDC), the influenza monitoring network EISS and the World Health Organization (WHO).


Centre for Disease Prevention and Control


View drug information on Tamiflu capsule.

Eleventh Human Bird Flu Case In China Confirmed

Authorities in China have confirmed that a 26 year old female farmer has bird flu, the H5N1 virus strain (the more virulent one). This brings to eleven the number of human cases confirmed in China.


The woman is from the south-eastern province of Fujian. She became ill on January 10th and was hospitalized with pneumonia. She is still in hospital and is said to be an a 'stable condition'.


There have been no recent poultry outbreaks in the region where the woman lives.


So far, of the eleven human cases in China, seven patients have died. They (all human infection cases) came from the provinces of:


-- Anhui

-- Fujian

-- Guangxi

-- Jiangxi

-- Hunan

-- Liaoning

-- Sichuan


As sporadic cases continue to surface, this indicates that the virus is still circulating among birds in some parts of the country.


There have been 32 poultry outbreaks since May 2005, say agricultural authorities. Most of these took place during October-November 2005.


Since the beginning of this year there have been three reported poultry outbreaks in China:


-- Sichuan Province (3 January)

-- Guizhou Province (10 January)

-- Shanxi Province (8 February)


Human cases started in November, 2005.


Written by:

Cell Barrier Shows Why Bird Flu Not So Easily Spread Among Humans

Although more than 100 people have been infected with the H5N1 avian influenza virus, mostly from close contact with infected poultry, the fact that the virus does not spread easily from its pioneering human hosts to other humans has been a biomedical puzzle.



Now, a study of cells in the human respiratory tract reveals a simple anatomical difference in the cells of the system that makes it difficult for the virus to jump from human to human.



The finding, reported (March, 2006) in the journal Nature, is important because it demonstrates a requisite characteristic for the virus to equip itself to easily infect humans, the key development required for the virus to assume pandemic proportions.



The new report, by a research group led by University of Wisconsin-Madison virologist Yoshihiro Kawaoka, describes experiments using tissue from humans that showed that only cells deep within the respiratory system have the surface molecule or receptor that is the key that permits the avian flu virus to enter a cell.



Flu viruses, like many other types of viruses, require access to the cells of their hosts to effectively reproduce. If they cannot enter a cell, they are unable to make infectious particles that infect other cells -- or other hosts.



"Our findings provide a rational explanation for why H5N1 viruses rarely infect and spread from human to human, although they can replicate efficiently in the lungs," the authors of the study write in the Nature report.



By looking at human tissues, Kawaoka's group noted that the cells in the upper portions of the respiratory system lacked the surface receptors that enable avian H5N1 virus to dock with the cell. Receptors are molecules on the surface of cells that act like a lock. A virus with a complementary binding molecule -- the key -- can use the surface receptor to gain access to the cell. Once inside, it can multiply and infect other cells.



"Deep in the respiratory system, (cell) receptors for avian viruses, including avian H5N1 viruses, are present," explains Kawaoka, who also holds an appointment at the University of Tokyo. "But these receptors are rare in the upper portion of the respiratory system. For the viruses to be transmitted efficiently, they have to multiply in the upper portion of the respiratory system so that they can be transmitted by coughing and sneezing."



The upshot of the new finding, says Kawaoka, a professor of pathobiological sciences at the UW-Madison School of Veterinary



Medicine, is that existing strains of bird flu must undergo key genetic changes to become the type of flu pathogen most feared by biomedical scientists.



"No one knows whether the virus will evolve into a pandemic strain, but flu viruses constantly change," Kawaoka says. "Certainly, multiple mutations need to be accumulated for the H5N1 virus to become a pandemic strain."



The finding suggests that scientists and public health agencies worldwide may have more time to prepare for an eventual pandemic of avian influenza. Periodically, animal forms of influenza such as bird flu evolve to become highly contagious human pathogens.



Most scientists agree a pandemic of avian influenza will occur at some time. The worst-case scenario would be a form of influenza similar to the strain of 1918 that killed between 30 million and 50 million people globally. The new work may also help scientists keep track of evolving strains of influenza and provide earlier warning of potential pandemics. For the H5N1 strain of flu virus to evolve to a pathogen easily transmissible from one human to another, changes need to occur in the virus' hemagglutinin surface protein -- a molecule embedded in the virus membrane -- to recognize human receptors, Kawaoka says.



"Mutations in the hemagglutinin for avian H5N1 viruses to recognize human receptors are needed for the virus to become a pandemic strain," Kawaoka explains.



Viruses isolated from humans infected with avian flu can thus be monitored in a way to provide more advance warning of a potential pandemic.



"Identification of H5N1 viruses with the ability to recognize human receptors would bring us one step closer to a pandemic strain," says Kawaoka. "Recognition of human receptors can serve as molecular markers for the pandemic potential of the isolates."







The new study was conducted in collaboration with Kyoko Shinya and Shinya Yamada of the University of Tokyo; Masahito Ebina of the Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer; Masao Ono of Tohoku University; and Noriyuki Kasai of the Institute for Animal Experimentation in Japan.



Terry Devitt, (608) 262-8282, trdevittwisc



Contact: Yoshihiro Kawaoka

kawaokaysvm.vetmed.wisc

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Bird flu hits Japan

Bird flu, which is highly contagious and has been rapidly spreading in parts of Asia, has arrived in Japan, say officials.


6,000 chickens died in the western prefecture of Yamaguchi (in a farm). Officials have confirmed that these chickens died of avian influenza (bird flu).


Japanese officials say that it is the first case since 1997. Bird flu can be deadly to humans (the last human death in Japan was 1925).


According to officials, this bird flu is of the H5 virus strain. They also said that all chickens in the area (of Yamaguchi) will be slaughtered (and incinerated) and eggs from the region will be stopped (from sale).


The countries most badly affected by this current bird flu are Vietnam, Taiwan, South Korea (recently) and now Japan.

Bird flu outbreak spreads in Thailand, under control in Vietnam and China

Officials say the latest bird flu (avian flu) outbreak is spreading in Thailand and is under control in China and Vietnam.


In Thailand the situation is worrying authorities as 15 of the country's 76 provinces have cases of infection.


There are suspected cases of the more dangerous strain of bird flu, H5N1 awaiting lab results in China. This more dangerous strain killed several Thai and Vietnamese humans during another outbreak earlier on this year.


The Thai stock market has taken a 1% fall as a direct result of the current outbreak. Thailand is one of the largest chicken exporters in the world. The present and recent outbreaks of bird flu are 'devastating' the industry.


Fortunately, this outbreak has seen no cases of humans getting ill.


Authorities in China and Vietnam say there have been no new cases of bird flu over the last few days - this could mean that it is now under control in those countries.

H7 Bird Flu Increasing Potential To Infect And Spread Among Humans Reports CDC

A type of avian flu that is common in birds and rarely caught by humans, the North American Avian H7 influenza virus, is acquiring transmission properties similar to human influenza, according to a new study by US researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), based in
Atlanta.


The study is the work of lead author and CDC researcher Dr Jessica Belser, and colleagues, and is published in the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences (PNAS).


Most cases of avian flu in humans come from contact with infected birds or objects they have contaminated. But viruses are constantly changing,
which is why scientists are always tracking them. Belser said she and her co-investigators found that some strains of North American avian influenza
A H7 virus have developed characteristics that could increase their potential to infect humans, and also spread amongst them.


Avian H7 viruses from both Eurasia and North America have caused outbreaks in poultry since 2002, wrote the researchers, and have been known to
infect humans in outbreaks in the The Netherlands, British Columbia, and the United Kingdom.


Most H7 infections in humans end up as self-limiting conjunctivitis, and spread among humans is very rare.


Influenza viruses infect humans by attaching themselves to sugar molecules that dock onto receptors on the surfaces of cells in the human body's
respiratory tract. The ability of a virus to do this varies from virus to virus. The ones that do it well are the ones that are most likely to spread from
human to human, for example through cough or sneeze droplets.


Belser and her co-researchers used glycan microarray technology to investigate the receptor-binding preference of Eurasian and North American
lineage H7 influenza viruses and their ability to spread in birds and also in ferrets, which, like mice, have similar inflluenza transmission properties to
humans.


The results showed that:

Highly pathogenic H7N7 viruses from The Netherlands in 2003 kept the classic avian receptor-binding preference and were not readily
transmissible in ferrets, as has been observed for highly pathogenic H5N1.

But H7N3 viruses isolated from Canada in 2004, and H7N2 isolated in 2002-2003 from the northeastern United States, showed a binding
preference for the receptor linkages found prominently on human tracheal epithelial cells.

A low pathogenic H7N2 virus isolated from a man in New York in 2003, A/NY/107/03, replicated efficiently in the upper respiratory tract of ferrets
and was capable of direct contact transmission in this species.

The authors concluded that:


"H7 influenza viruses from the North American lineage have acquired sialic acid-binding properties that more closely resemble those of human
influenza viruses and have the potential to spread to naГЇve animals."


In other words, in terms of its ability to gain a foothold in the upper respiratory tract and therefore spread to uninfected humans, the H7 bird flu virus
has changed to a form that more closely resembles the human flu virus itself.


Belser said that:


"The results of this study underscore the importance of continued influenza virus surveillance."


Although the H7 viruses are rarely dangerous to humans, studies like this are important because what happens in one strain can shed light on what happens in another strain. Experts believe it is only a matter of time before the much deadlier bird fllu virus, the H5N1, mutates into a human to human form.


"Contemporary North American influenza H7 viruses possess human receptor specificity: Implications for virus transmissibility."

Jessica A. Belser, Ola Blixt, Li-Mei Chen, Claudia Pappas, Taronna R. Maines, Neal Van Hoeven, Ruben Donis, Julia Busch, Ryan McBride, James
C. Paulson, Jacqueline M. Katz, and Terrence M. Tumpey.

PNAS, 2008 105: 7558-7563.

Published online on May 27, 2008.

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0801259105


Click here for Abstract.


Source: CDC, PNAS.


Written by: Catharine Paddock, PhD

Defra's Message On Avian Influenza

The UK's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has issued a bulletin online in which it reiterates how infectious avian influenza (bird flu) is for birds and how badly it can affect commercial, wild and pet birds.


Defra added that the detection of the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu virus strain near Lyon, France, raises the probability that it will surface in the UK.


Defra is asking all keepers of any types of birds to maintain a high level of biosecurity to reduce the risk of introducing the disease. Everyone who keeps poultry or other domestic birds should remain vigilant for signs of the disease.


Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer Fred Landeg said:


"Early detection and slaughter of infected birds and dangerous contacts, and the imposition of movement controls around infected premises provide the most effective method of achieving this. We have eradicated previous outbreaks of avian influenza successfully in domestic birds using this method.


New information for organic poultry producers, on what happens if poultry are confined indoors to comply with official veterinary requirements, has been issued by Defra. Click Here (PDF).


More Avian Influenza Pages on Defra Web Site


Written by:

Indonesia Confirms 31st Human Case Of Bird Flu Infection

Indonesian authorities have confirmed the country's 31st human case of H5N1 bird flu infection. The patient worked in a poultry farm in West Java, which had had a bird flu outbreak before he started work there.


The man has made a full recovery. The Ministry of Health says he first developed bird flu like symptoms on the 20th March.


Of the 31 confirmed human cases of bird flu in Indonesia, 23 have died.


Bird Flu = Avian Flu

H5N1 is a bird flu virus strain. The most dangerous one for humans (the one everyone is worried about)


Written by:

Kaiser Permanente Research Reaffirms Safety Of Flu Vaccine For Young Children

Parents wondering if they should get
their young children immunized against influenza now have new information
to make an informed decision and protect their kids from the flu.
Researchers at Kaiser Permanente Colorado's Clinical Research Unit and a
pediatrician at Denver Health studying the safety of the flu vaccine in
young children have found the flu shot to be safe for children aged six to
23 months. The study is published in the October 25, 2006, issue of JAMA,
the Journal of the American Medical Association.



The study looked at more than 69,000 immunizations for more than 45,000
children, the largest number of children ever studied for flu vaccine
safety. The records are part of a large database that links records at
eight major health plans in the United States, including Kaiser Permanente
Colorado. This Vaccine Safety Datalink is a powerful tool that allowed
researchers to review any reason why a child saw a doctor up to six weeks
after getting their shot and look for possible side effects. The study
found very few instances that required medical attention, none of which
were serious and significantly associated with the vaccine.



"We are very excited about these findings. Knowing that the influenza
vaccine is safe for children between the ages of six months and 23 months
is reassuring for both parents and pediatricians," said Simon Hambidge,
M.D., Ph.D., principal investigator for the study, and a pediatrician at
Denver Health. "As a researcher, it's reassuring to have such a large body
of evidence to reaffirm the safety of the vaccine and eliminate the shot
itself as a cause for why kids are getting sick. We also encourage parents
to make sure that their children receive all their regularly scheduled
immunizations along with the influenza vaccine so that they will be
protected from many serious illnesses."



Influenza is a leading vaccine-preventable cause of illness and death
in the United States. Children aged six - 23 months get hospitalized when
they are sick with the flu at rates as high as adults over the age of 65.
Two years ago the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
recommended flu shots for this age group. This year, the CDC expanded its
recommendation for children up to five years old. The best way to protect
children from getting sick is to have them receive the flu vaccine.



For more on the study, listen to Dr. Hambidge via podcast at
ckp.kp/newsroom/co.



This study is one of more than 100 research projects conducted every
year by the Kaiser Permanente Colorado Clinical Research Unit. The Clinical
Research Unit develops, conducts and translates high-quality research into
practice and works to promote evidence-based practices and
service-oriented, cost-effective medical care. The health plans that
participate in the CDC's Vaccine Safety Datalink include: Kaiser Permanente
Colorado, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Kaiser Permanente Southern
California, Kaiser Permanente Northwest, Group Health Cooperative, Health
Partners and Marshfield. Harvard Pilgrim is the eighth site, but did not
participate in this project.



Kaiser Permanente is a nonprofit health plan and the largest private
health care provider in Colorado. Kaiser Permanente cares for more than
475,000 members in the Denver/Boulder and Colorado Springs areas. Kaiser
Permanente physicians and care teams focus on prevention as well as curing
disease, all in an effort to help patients live well and thrive. ckp.kp/newsroom/co



For more information on Kaiser Permanente Research, go to:
blog.kaiser-permanente/research/


Kaiser Permanente

kaiserpermanente/

Poorer Countries Could Struggle To Implement New International Health Regulations

Poorer countries could struggle to implement the new International Health Regulations (IHR) about to be brought into force, says an Editorial in this week's edition of The Lancet.



The aim of IHR, which goes live on June 15, is to prevent national public health emergencies from spreading internationally.



Countries are obliged to nominate a national focal point to communicate detailed public-health information to the World Health Organisation, including case definitions, number of cases and deaths and conditions affecting the spread of the disease. WHO would then decide if the threat was of international concern, and declare an emergency if necessary, as well as recommending containment measures and co-ordinating an international response.



The Editorial expresses concern that many developing countries do not have the core capacity to meet the demands of IHR, whilst others face political challenges - citing Taiwan as an example.



It says: "China fears that granting Taiwan WHO membership will be a step towards recognition of Taiwan as an independent state. But the greater fear should be the possibility that a public health emergency in Taiwan could rapidly spread throughout Asia and the around the world. For the IHR to work, no territory, whether Taiwan or the Occupied Palestinian Territory - can be excluded from the global surveillance system, especially in light of the threat posed by avian influenza."



The Editorial adds that to ensure global health security, countries not only have to protect the wellbeing of their own populations but also those of fellow nations. The international community has agreed a deadline of 2016 by which all WHO member states should be able to full implement the regulations.



It concludes: "Whether the technical, financial, and political barriers to this goal can be overcome by then remains to be seen. And whether global health threats, such as an avian influenza pandemic, will be neutralised is yet another disturbing uncertainty."






Contact: Lancet Press Office


Lancet

Japan bans Canadian poultry

A second, more virulent strain of avian flu (bird flu) has been found in British Columbia, Canada. As a result, the Japanese Agriculture Ministry has said that it is banning all poultry imports from Canada.


Only a few days ago the Japanese had just lifted a ban on Canadian poultry imports. This ban had been imposed in February.


Japan had banned all bird imports from many Asian countries. In Asia millions of birds have died of Avian Flu and 22 people have died.


Last Friday Japan had allowed imports to resume from Canada, with the exception of poultry from British Columbia.


After being told by the Canadian Government that a more virulent strain emerged in British Columbia the Japanese government decided to reintroduce the ban.


This new ban will last at least 90 days.


Less than 1% of Japan's chicken imports come from Canada.


Japan has its own bird flu problems. More than 200,000 birds have died or been culled in Japan since January, when the bird flu outbreak started in Japan.

New Data For GlaxoSmithKline's Pre-pandemic H5N1 Influenza Vaccine, Prepandrix™, Show Administration Flexibility For Pandemic Planning

Results from two new clinical studies announced at the Third European Influenza Conference (ESWI) demonstrate that Prepandrix™, GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) H5N1 adjuvanted pre-pandemic influenza vaccine, confers broad cross-clade immunity that is maintained when the second dose is given many months after the first dose, and even if the second dose is formulated from a different H5N1 strain. Greater administration flexibility, adaptable to local pre-pandemic vaccination policies, could potentially reduce the impact on vital healthcare resources during the first intensive months of a pandemic.


"When indeed H5N1 would be at the basis of the next influenza pandemic, it is critical that a pre-pandemic H5N1 influenza vaccine provides broad and persistent immunity, also against drifted H5N1 strains." said Professor Albert Osterhaus, Head Department of Virology, Institute of Virology Erasmus Medical Centre Rotterdam. "GSK's pre-pandemic influenza vaccine has repeatedly demonstrated and now confirmed that this level of immunity can be maintained when the second dose is given many months after the first, even with a different H5N1 strain."


The World Health Organization (WHO) considers that the world is now closer to another influenza pandemic than at any time since the last one in 1968,1 with the virus currently threatening to trigger a pandemic (H5N1) having a potential reported case fatality rate above 60%.2 The WHO has highlighted that vaccines are the most important intervention for preventing influenza and reducing its health consequences during a pandemic1.


A pre-pandemic influenza vaccine is the only vaccine which can be produced in advance and stockpiled today, allowing immediate availability in the event of a WHO declared pandemic. In contrast, a pandemic influenza vaccine can only go into production once the exact pandemic influenza strain is determined and declared, with the first doses being available a minimum of four months after the onset of a pandemic.2


The pre-pandemic influenza vaccine concept is based on using a currently circulating avian influenza virus likely to cause a pandemic, such as H5N1, to make a vaccine with the ability to raise immune protection against potential drift H5N1 strains. With experts citing immunisation with stockpiled pre-pandemic influenza vaccine as the most effective strategy for protecting entire populations,3,4 GSK's pre-pandemic vaccine will play a critical role in pandemic preparedness planning.


"These new data show that GSK's pre-pandemic influenza vaccine, is highly adaptable to local pandemic policies. Stockpiling of H5N1 vaccine and use of this vaccine is anticipated to provide the ability to offer protection to vaccinated individuals as well as to slow down the spread of the disease. New developments such as this make it vital for governments to continually evaluate their pandemic preparedness plans," said Jean StГ©phenne, President and General Manager GSK Biologicals. "We are actively working with governments and other organisations across the world to ensure the most effective pre-pandemic influenza vaccine is available to help protect against an influenza pandemic."















Study Results from ESWI


AS03 adjuvanted pre-pandemic H5N1 vaccine allows highly flexible prime-boost vaccination strategy
The phase II, open, randomised study (in adults aged 18-60 years) evaluated the impact on the reactogenicity and immunogenicity when the second dose is administered between 21 days and up to six months after the first dose using GSK's adjuvanted pre-pandemic influenza vaccine. A single booster dose of Prepandrix was administered six months after primary vaccination with either one or two dose(s) of the same adjuvanted vaccine. The results show that two vaccination doses, whether given 21 days or six months apart, elicit a comparable immune response against the vaccine strain. This confirms that the timing of administration with the second dose can be flexible and undertaken up to six months after first immunisation while maintaining the quality of the immune response. This highlights the robustness of the immunity achieved with the adjuvanted vaccine.


AS03 adjuvanted pre-pandemic H5N1 vaccine: single dose primary vaccination with clade 1 vaccine strain leads to strong immune responsiveness to clade 2 strain booster vaccination
The phase II, open, randomised study (in adults aged 18-60 years) evaluated the cross-clade* immunity with a two dose vaccination schedule using GSK's adjuvanted pre-pandemic H5N1 influenza vaccine. A single booster dose of the pre-pandemic influenza vaccine containing a clade 2.1 strain (drifted* H5N1 strain) was administered six months after primary vaccination with either one or two dose(s) of the pre-pandemic vaccine containing a clade 1 strain (Prepandrix). The clinical trial results show that a single dose primary vaccination with a clade 1 vaccine strain leads to strong immune responsiveness to the clade 2 strain booster vaccination. In addition, re-vaccination provides rapid and notable cross-clade immune responses against both strains.


A clade is the name given to groups of viral variants that are closely related from an evolutionary standpoint


Drift strains are the result of small, gradual changes in the genetic material that occur through point mutations (which are random and unpredictable) resulting in alterations to the main surface proteins, haemagglutinin, and neuraminidase


About GSK's Adjuvanted Pre-Pandemic Influenza Vaccine


GSK's H5N1 adjuvanted pre-pandemic influenza vaccine is the first and only pre-pandemic influenza vaccine to be granted marketing authorisation by the European Commission (in 30 European states).The vaccine is an H5N1 adjuvanted pre-pandemic influenza vaccine, designed to be given before or at the onset of a declared influenza pandemic to prevent influenza caused by the H5N1 virus type (avian influenza or 'bird flu'). GSK's vaccine is formulated with a novel proprietary adjuvant system, which is designed to achieve a high immune response at a low dose of antigen, and to be long-lasting and active against a broad range of H5N1 strains.


GSK is the world leader in pandemic influenza product development as it is the only company to operate a flexible portfolio of licensed pandemic products, including the pre-pandemic influenza vaccine (Prepandrix), a pandemic influenza vaccine (Pandemrix) and an influenza antiviral (Relenza®).


GlaxoSmithKline Supporting Pandemic Preparedness Plans


GSK has previously announced its intention to donate 50 million doses of its H5N1 adjuvanted pre-pandemic influenza vaccine to the WHO in support of its stockpile initiative. The intended donation would help establish a much needed stockpile of pre-pandemic vaccines that can be distributed to the world's poorest countries at short notice by the WHO. Delivered over a three-year period, it would provide enough doses of vaccine for 25 million people at two injections per person. GSK supports this proactive strategy of worldwide stockpiling of H5N1 pre-pandemic vaccine which may be able to save millions of lives by protecting some of the most vulnerable populations in the world at the outbreak of a pandemic.


GSK has already signed contracts with the US and several European countries, such as Switzerland and Finland, for the supply of its pre-pandemic vaccine and bulk antigen.


Prepandrix™, Pandemrix™ andRelenza® are trade marks of the GlaxoSmithKline group of companies.


GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) one of the world's leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. For company information, visit GlaxoSmithKline at gsk.


GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals (GSK Bio) one of the world's leading vaccine manufacturers, is headquartered in Rixensart, Belgium, where the majority of GSK's activities in the field of vaccine research, development and production are conducted. GSK Bio employs more than 1,500 scientists, who are devoted to discovering new vaccines and developing more cost-effective and convenient combination products to prevent infections that cause serious medical problems worldwide. In 2007, GSK Bio distributed more than 1.1 billion doses of vaccines to 169 countries in both the developed and the developing world an average of 3 million doses a day. Of those vaccine doses, more than one in every ten doses delivered were combination vaccines intended to prevent up to six diseases in one vaccine.


Prepandrix™, Pandemrix™ andRelenza® are trade marks of the GlaxoSmithKline group of companies



References


1. WHO. Influenza Pandemic Preparedness and Response. Report by the Secretariat. EB115/44. 20 January 2005. (Accessed Aug 08)


2. Osterhaus Albert. Pre- or post-pandemic influenza vaccine? Editorial. Vaccine 2007; 25: 4983-4984.


3. Gambotto A, Barratt-Boyes SM, de Jong MD, Neumann G, Kawaoka Y. Human infection with highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza virus. Lancet 2008; 371; 1464 - 75



Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking statements


Under the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, GSK cautions investors that any forward-looking statements or projections made by GSK, including those made in this announcement, are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Factors that may affect GSK' s operations are described under 'Risk Factors' in the 'Business Review' in the company' s Annual Report on Form 20-F for 2007.


GlaxoSmithKline

gsk



View drug information on Relenza.

New method to speed bird flu vaccine production, University of Wisconsin-Madison

In the event of an influenza pandemic, the world's vaccine manufacturers will be in a race against time to forestall calamity. But now, thanks to a new technique to more efficiently produce the disarmed viruses that are the seed stock for making flu vaccine in large quantities, life-saving inoculations may be available more readily than before. The work is especially important as governments worldwide prepare for a predicted pandemic of avian influenza.


Writing this week (Oct. 31, 2005) in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science (PNAS), a team of researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Tokyo report a new way to generate genetically altered influenza virus. The lab-made virus - whose genes are manipulated to disarm its virulent nature - can be seeded into chicken eggs to generate the vaccine used in inoculations, which prepare the human immune system to recognize and defeat the wild viruses that spread among humans in an epidemic or pandemic.


In their report, a team led by UW-Madison virologists Yoshihiro Kawaoka and Gabriele Neumann, describes an improved "reverse genetics" technique that makes it easier to make a seed virus in monkey kidney cells, which, like tiny factories, churn out millions of copies of the disarmed virus to be used to make vaccines.


In nature, viruses commandeer a cell's reproductive machinery to make new virus particles, which go on to infect other cells and make yet more virus particles. Vaccine makers use a monkey kidney cell line to make non-virulent viruses that serve as the raw material for vaccines. The technique reported by the Wisconsin team improves upon a previous reverse genetics method (developed by Kawaoka's group in 1999) by significantly reducing the number of plasmid vectors required to ferry viral genes into the monkey kidney cells used to produce the virus particles to make vaccines. "Compared to other types of cells, which are not approved for vaccine production, it is not always easy to introduce plasmids into the monkey kidney cells, which are approved for such use," says Kawaoka, an influenza expert and a professor of pathobiological sciences in UW-Madison's School of Veterinary Medicine. Monkey kidney cells are used routinely for generation of seed strains for vaccine production because they are not known to carry any unknown infectious agents and do not cause tumors.


According to Kawaoka, "application of the new system may be especially advantageous in situations of outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses."


When a new strain of highly virulent influenza emerges to infect humans, vaccine makers must tailor their vaccines to match it because, genetically, the virus is always different. The process is a race against time and can take months depending on how quickly new strains are identified, genetically disarmed and subsequently generated in the lab for use to make vaccines in large quantities. The new technique promises to ensure ready generation of seed strains for the production of vaccines required to blunt the spread of influenza. In the event of an outbreak of especially virulent strains of influenza, such as the H5N1 or "bird flu" viruses now being monitored by scientists, any efficiency in the manufacture of vaccines will be important.


The method devised by Kawaoka and his colleagues reduces the number of plasmids required to introduce viral genes into the monkey kidney cell lines used to mass produce the deactivated virus for use in vaccine manufacture. "By reducing the number of plasmids, we increase the efficiency of virus production," Kawaoka explains.


In addition to Kawaoka, the new PNAS report was authored by Neumann of the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, Ken Fujii of the University of Tokyo's Institute of Medical Sciences, and Yoichiro Kino of Japan's Chemo-Sero Therapeutic Research Institute. The work was funded by grants from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the Ministries of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan, and by the Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology.


Yoshihiro Kawaoka

kawaokayvetmed.wisc

University of Wisconsin-Madison

wisc

People Falling Ill Near To Chickens With Bird Flu, Nigeria

Two people have fallen ill with flu-like symptoms near the Sambawa Farms, Kaduna, where chickens are infected with the lethal H5N1 Bird Flu virus strain. Nigerian authorities say they are trying to establish whether these two people have been infected with the bird flu virus.


A few days bird flu infection among chickens was confirmed in northen Nigeria, in the state of Kaduna. A couple of days later it spilled into bordering states.


Information given out by Nigerian authorities as to exactly how many people may have bird flu like symptoms is patchy. Some say there are two people, while others say there are 'a few' suspected cases.



An rumour that a human case of bird flu was found in the south of Nigeria. There is no confirmation on whether this is true.


At the moment the procedure for confirming bird flu infection is as follows:


1. A sample is taken.

2. It is sent to a lab in Nigeria.

3. If it tests negative, that is the end of it.

4. It it tests positive, it is then sent abroad for confirmation.


Bird flu has made its way from Viet Nam, in south east Asia, across the world to Nigeria, in west Africa. Africa is a vast continent. If the virus spills over into Sub-Saharan Africa, one of the poorest regions in the world with a population of 600 million people, it will be extremely difficult to monitor. Local health experts say it would be virtually impossible to ask people in Sub Saharan Africa, many of whom are facing starvation, to surrender their chickens for culling.


People in Europe are concerned about the coming of Spring, when birds migrate from Africa to Europe (and parts of Asia).


Written by:

National and regional leadership needed to coordinate response to avian flu pandemic, The Lancet

Strong national and regional leadership in all countries is urgently needed to coordinate a response to the looming avian influenza pandemic, states an editorial in this week's issue of The Lancet.


A draft of the US preparedness report was leaked to The New York Times last week. One of its major shortcomings is that it does not say who is in charge of coordinating a response to an avian influenza pandemic.


The Lancet comments: "The pandemic of 1918-19 affected 20% of the world's population and killed 20-50 million worldwide… Last month, the UN appointed David Nabarro, a senior public-health expert at WHO, to lead the coordination of the UN response to avian influenza. What is also urgently needed is strong national and regional leadership; unrestricted transparency in surveillance and preparedness plans from all countries, including China; and renewed research efforts to find the best methods of prevention and treatment. Without these measures, what is already looking like an inevitable influenza pandemic may be as deadly as that which struck in 1918."


Joe Santangelo

j.santangeloelsevier

1-212-633-3810

Lancet

thelancet

Bird Flu Claims Critically Endangered Mammal

A far wider range of wildlife species could be at risk from bird flu, warns a biologist from the University of East Anglia.


Dr Diana Bell, of UEA's School of Biological Sciences, says the discovery that avian flu was responsible for the death of three rare civet cats in Cuc Phuong National Park in Vietnam, raises important questions about the range of wildlife species which could now be at risk from this virus.


"Vietnam and the other Asian countries chronically infected with avian flu are biodiversity hotspots rich in species, many only occuring in this region," says Dr Bell, whose team has been working with the Vietnamese government, the World Health Organisation and the University of Hong Kong to confirm the cause of death in the endangered Owston's palm civets.


"The focus so far has been on poultry and human health, and there has been no screening of mammals in that region. The discovery of avian flu in a new family of mammals highlights the possibility that the virus may be capable of infecting other mammal species."


The flu virus is already known to be capable of infecting a number of bird species but this raises important questions about the susceptibility of mammals.



Scott Roberton is technical advisor to the Owston Civet Programme in Cuc Phuong National Park and a member of the UEA research team working in collaboration with UHK, WHO and the Vietnamese government. He says the source of the infection has not been identified.


A total of 57 deaths and 112 confirmed cases in humans have been reported to the WHO, leading to fears of an influenza pandemic. Some 80 per cent of these cases have been reported in Vietnam.


UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA,

Norwich,

Norfolk ,

NR4 7TJ,

UK

uea.ac.uk


SOURCE: alphagalileo

2,000 Influenza Virus Genomes Now Completed And Publicly Accessible

The Influenza Genome Sequencing Project, funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has announced that it has achieved a major milestone. The entire genetic blueprints of more than 2,000 human and avian influenza viruses taken from samples around the world have been completed and the sequence data made available in a public database.



"This information will help scientists understand how influenza viruses evolve and spread," says NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., "and it will aid in the development of new flu vaccines, therapies and diagnostics."



"Scientists around the world can use the sequence data to compare different strains of the virus, identify the genetic factors that determine their virulence, and look for new therapeutic, vaccine and diagnostic targets," says NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D.



The Influenza Genome Sequencing Project, initiated in 2004, has been carried out at the NIAID-funded Microbial Sequencing Center managed by The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) of Rockville, Maryland. The project is currently directed by David Spiro, Ph.D., and Claire Fraser, Ph.D., at TIGR and Elodie Ghedin, Ph.D., at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Recently, growing sequencing capacity has enabled the production rate to increase to more than 200 viral genomes per month. Eclipsing today's milestone of 2,000 genomes, the microbial sequencing center will continue to rapidly sequence more influenza strains and isolates and will make all the sequence data freely available to the scientific community and the public through GenBank, an Internet-accessible database of genetic sequences maintained by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) at NIH's National Library of Medicine, another major contributor to the project.



Seasonal influenza is a major public health concern in the United States, accounting for approximately 36,000 deaths and 200,000 hospitalizations each year. Globally, influenza results in an estimated 250,000 to half a million deaths annually. Seasonal flu shots are updated every year to target the latest strains in circulation. Developing such vaccines is challenging, however, because the influenza virus is prone to high mutation rates when it replicates, and these mutations can alter the virus enough that vaccines against one strain may not protect against another strain.



An even greater concern is the potential for an influenza pandemic caused by the emergence of a new, highly lethal virus strain that is easily transmitted from person to person. Influenza pandemics have occurred three times in the last century, the most lethal of which was the pandemic of 1918, which caused an estimated 40 to 50 million deaths worldwide.
















"A few years ago, only limited genetic information on influenza viruses existed in the public domain, and much of the sequence data was incomplete," says Maria Y. Giovanni, Ph.D., who oversees the NIAID Microbial Sequencing Centers. "The Influenza Genome Sequencing Project has filled that gap by vastly increasing the amount of influenza sequence data and rapidly making it available to the entire scientific community. Subsequently, there has been a marked increase in the number of scientists worldwide depositing influenza genome sequence data into the public domain including scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."






Along with NIAID, TIGR and NCBI, other collaborators on the project include the Wadsworth Center of the New York State Department of Health in Albany, NY; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta; St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, TN; the World Organization for Animal Health / Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (OIE/FAO) Reference Laboratory for Newcastle Disease and Avian Influenza in Padova, Italy; The Ohio State University in Columbus, OH; Children's Hospital Boston; Baylor College of Medicine in Houston; and Canterbury Health Laboratories in Christchurch, New Zealand.



More information about the Influenza Genome Sequencing Project and access to the influenza virus sequence data is available at



* NIAID's Influenza Genome Sequencing Project


* TIGR's Influenza Virus Genome Project


* GenBank



To help analyze and interpret the large quantity of sequence data generated by the Project, NIAID has funded the BioHealthBase Bioinformatics Resource Center, which is being developed by researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and developers at Northrop Grumman Information Technology's Life Sciences division in Rockville, Maryland. This Center provides the scientific community with bioinformatics and software tools and a robust point-of-entry for accessing influenza genomic and related data in a user-friendly format. BioHealthBase has recently established a collaboration with the Influenza Sequence Database at Los Alamos National Laboratory to provide influenza researchers with computational data management and analysis resources to assist in interpreting the genetic data. Data from the Influenza Genome Sequencing Project, as well as all other publicly available influenza sequence data, are also available through NCBI's Influenza Virus Resource, which includes a host of analysis tools, such as sequence alignment and building "trees" that show evolutionary relationships.



More information on these databases and other influenza data analysis tools can be accessed at



* BioHealthBase Bioinformatics Resource Center


* NCBI's Influenza Virus Resource


* Los Alamos National Laboratory Influenza Sequence Database



Visit PandemicFlu for one-stop access to U.S. Government information on avian and pandemic flu.



NIAID is a component of the National Institutes of Health. NIAID supports basic and applied research to prevent, diagnose and treat infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections, influenza, tuberculosis, malaria and illness from potential agents of bioterrorism. NIAID also supports research on basic immunology, transplantation and immune-related disorders, including autoimmune diseases, asthma and allergies.



The National Institutes of Health (NIH) - The Nation's Medical Research Agency - includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit nih/.



Contact: Jason Socrates Bardi


NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

News From The Journals Of The American Society For Microbiology

New Vaccines Protect Against Asian H5N1 Influenza A Viruses in Domestic Ducks



Scientists are looking at a novel strategy to prevent the spread of pandemic avian influenza. They have developed a vaccine that protects ducks, a known natural reservoir for the virus. They report their findings in the November 2008 issue of the Journal of Virology



Waterfowl are considered to be the natural reservoir of influenza A viruses due to the isolation of all subtypes from these hosts. Current research indicates that influenza A viruses are continuously evolving within their natural environment and can be transmitted to a variety of animals, including humans. H5N1 avian influenza A viruses are now endemic in domestic poultry in many Asian countries and ducks are believed to be the primary source of infection. Reducing the spread of H5N1 in ducks could play a key role in minimizing the risk of a pandemic outbreak.



In the study researchers first identified dominant pathogenic strains of H5N1 influenza A viruses circulating in Asian poultry and found that four caused symptomatic illness in domestic ducks, but not all were lethal. In addition the researchers reversed the genetics of the viruses in domestic ducks to develop three different inactivated oil emulsion whole-virus H5 influenza vaccines. Following one round of inoculation with the vaccines ducks were completely protected when challenged with a lethal dose of the H5N1 virus.



"The vaccines provided complete protection against the lethal challenge of the homologous and heterologous H5N1 avian influenza A virus with no evidence of morbidity, mortality, or shedding of the challenge virus," say the researchers. "The complete protection offered by these vaccines will be useful for reducing the shedding of H5N1 avian influenza A viruses among vaccinated agricultural avian populations."



(J.K. Kim, P. Seiler, H.L. Forrest, A.M. Khalenkov, J. Franks, M. Kumar, W.B. Karesh, M. Gilbert, R. Sodnomdarjaa, B. Douangngeun, E.A. Govorkova, R.G. Webster. 2008. Pathogenicity and vaccine efficacy of different clades of Asian H5N1 avian influenza A viruses in domestic ducks. Journal of Virology, 82. 22: 11374-11382.)



Beetles May Be Source of Food-Borne Pathogens in Broiler Flocks



A new study suggests that darkling beetles and their larvae can transmit harmful food-borne pathogens to chicks in broiler houses in successive rearing cycles. The researchers from Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands and Research Centre, Lelystad, The Netherlands report their findings in the November 2008 issue of the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.



Salmonella and Campylobacter are two main sources of human food-borne disease and many of the reported cases can be directly linked to the handling or consumption of contaminated chicken meat. Although exact contamination routes of broiler flocks are not fully understood, certain insects that are persistent in these environments are common reservoirs of zoonotic bacteria such as Salmonella and Campylobacter.
















The darkling beetle (Alphitobius diaperinus) and its larvae are known to inhabit broiler houses and are believed to survive between rearing cycles by eating their way into insulation materials and hiding under floors. In the study researchers artificially contaminated several groups of beetles and their larvae with a mixture of Salmonella enterica Serovar Paratyphi B Variant Java and three Campylobacter jejuni strains and fed them to housed chicks either the day of inoculation or one week following to mimic an empty week between rearing cycles. All the broiler chicks that were fed insects contaminated on the same day showed Campylobacter and Salmonella colonization levels of 50 to 100%. Insects that were fed a week after infection resulted in transfer of both pathogens as well, but at lower levels. Naturally infected insects collected at a commercial broiler farm and fed to chicks also resulted in colonization but at lower levels.



"In conclusion, the fact that Salmonella and Campylobacter can be transmitted via beetles and their larvae to flocks in successive rearing cycles indicates that there should be intensive control programs for exclusion of these insects from broiler homes," say the researchers.



(W.C. Hazeleger, N.M. Bolder, R.R. Beumer, W.F. Jacobs-Reitsma. 2008. Darkling beetles (Alphitobius diapernus) and their larvae as potential vectors for the transfer of Campylobacter jejuni and Salmonella enterica Serovar Paratyphi B Variant Java between successive broiler flocks. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 74. 22: 6887-6891.)



Resistance to TB Vaccine May Be Uncommon, Protects Against Nine Strains in Mice



A new study shows that the current tuberculosis vaccine induces protective immunity against nine strains of the bacteria in mice indicating that strain-specific resistance may be uncommon. The researchers report their findings in the November 2008 issue of the journal Infection and Immunity.



Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the world's most challenging infectious diseases to date and is responsible for approximately 2 million deaths per year. An attenuated vaccine incorporating Mycobacterium bovis BCG has been used for over 50 years, however, high mortality rates have persisted and researchers attribute multiple factors to its varying effectiveness including that the anti-TB protective immunity induced by the vaccine may be strain-specific.



W-Beijing lineage strains are among the most prominent associated with worldwide outbreaks of TB. In the study researchers investigated the strain specificity of Mycobacterium bovis BCG vaccine-induced antituberculosis protective immunity responses by inoculating mice with the vaccine and challenging them 2 months later with one of nine Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains, four from the W-Beijing lineage, four non-Beijing isolates, and one control. Organ bacterial burdens and lung pathology were examined in vaccinated and naГЇve mice the day of infection as well as at 4, 12, and 20 weeks postchallenge. Four weeks following an aerosol challenge with each of the strains, results showed the bacterial growth in the lungs and spleens were much lower and lung pathology significantly improved in all vaccinated animals when compared to controls. Animals infected with six of the nine strains exhibited reduced organ bacterial burdens after 12 weeks and lung inflammation in all immunized animals was measurably lower at 20 weeks postchallenge.



"These data demonstrate that BCG vaccination protects against infection with diverse M. tuberculosis strains in the mouse model of pulmonary tuberculosis and suggest that strain-specific resistance to BCG-induced protective immunity may be uncommon," say the researchers.



(B.Y. Joen, S.C. Derrick, J. Lim, K. Kolibab, V. Dheenadhayalan, A.L. Yang, B. Kreiswirth, S.L. Morris. 2008. Mycobacterium bovis BCG immunization induces protective immunity against nine different Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains in mice. Infection and Immunity, 76. 11: 5173-5180.)







Source: Carrie Slijepcevic


American Society for Microbiology

Bird Flu - Product Held At Holton, UK, Does Not Contain Meat From Restricted Zone In Hungary

The Food Standards Agency (UK) investigation has gathered sufficient information to conclude that product held temporarily in the Bernard Matthews cold stores at Holton and Chesterfield, does not contain meat from a restricted zone in Hungary, which would have made it illegal to enter the food chain.


As a result, the Agency has tonight informed Bernard Matthews that the meat products held voluntarily in its cold stores for the past 48 hours can now be released into the food chain.


This information forms part of the joint report by the Department of Food and Rural Affairs, Food Standards Agency and Health Protection Agency, which is in the process of being finalised and will be published at the end of the week.


Full details of the investigation and its conclusions will also be made available at a media briefing later this week.


The slaughterhouse at the Bernard Matthews plant in Holton reopened for business after cleaning and disinfection to the satisfaction of the Meat Hygiene Service.


The decision to allow the slaughterhouse to reopen was taken by the State Veterinary Service (SVS), an executive agency of Defra.


The SVS took the decision once it was satisfied that the additional conditions imposed by the Avian Influenza regulations had been met.


The Avian Influenza regulations control the movement of live birds into and out of restricted zones.


The FSA has reiterated that this is not a food safety issue and there are therefore no consumer safety grounds, on the evidence currently available to us, to justify a product recall. FSA Chair Deirdre Hutton said: 'The investigation so far has not found anything that raises the risk to public health.


'It is still a possibility that infected poultry has entered the food chain but the risk to public health remains low.'


One possible cause of the outbreak in Suffolk is poultry meat imported from Hungary. Officials from the Food Standards Agency and the Meat Hygiene Service are working at the Bernard Matthews factory at Upper Holton Farm, Suffolk, investigating meat imported there. Documentation is being studied for information about the dates and amounts of poultry imported, the route it followed, and whether it complied with EU health requirements.


Officials from the Department of Food, Environment and Rural Affairs are also looking at the possible ways that the virus could have transferred from poultry meat from Hungary into live birds at the Bernard Matthews plant. Although the possibility of a product withdrawal for strictly animal health reasons has been discussed, Defra veterinary advice is that such action would be disproportionate and no product recall will therefore be required on those grounds.



The Government investigation


The investigation was triggered when preliminary scientific tests showed the viruses in Suffolk and recent outbreaks in Hungary may well be identical. Along with a number of other hypotheses, Defra, the Food Standards Agency and the Health Protection Agency are investigating the possibility of a link between the Hungarian outbreaks, poultry meat from Hungary and the introduction of disease in the farm in Suffolk. Tests have shown that the avian flu that killed 2600 turkeys at the Suffolk farm is the H5N1 virus.















The investigation will include arrangements at the farm's adjacent plant for food processing and whether infected meat has got into the food chain. Scientific advice remains that the risk to human health is negligible, and Food Standards Agency advice stays the same: that properly cooked poultry is safe to eat.


Deputy Chief Vet Fred Landeg said: 'Our investigations have shown that one possible route of infection is poultry product imported from Hungary. It is important that this is investigated thoroughly, along with all the other possible routes. We are working in partnership with the Food Standards Agency and the Health Protection Agency to carry out a thorough investigation. We are also working in close contact with the Hungarian authorities and the European Commission.


'The company involved has voluntarily agreed to temporarily suspend the movement of poultry products between their outlets in the UK and Hungary until the investigation is complete.'


Professor Pat Troop, Chief Executive of the Health Protection Agency said: 'We are continuing to work closely with Defra and the FSA. Should any public health issues arise as part of these investigations we will of course follow these up and carry out a full risk assessment to ensure the public are advised and protected.'


Dr Judith Hilton, Head of Microbiological Safety at the FSA, added: 'Food Standards Agency advice has been and remains that avian flu does not pose a food safety risk for UK consumers.'



Agency advice


The Food Standards Agency considers that avian flu does not pose a food safety risk for UK consumers.


The World Health Organization (WHO) advises that in areas free from the disease, poultry and poultry products can be prepared and eaten as usual (following good hygiene practice and proper cooking), with no fear of acquiring infection.


Like the WHO, the FSA advises proper handling during food preparation. When handling raw poultry, the person involved in the food preparation should wash their hands thoroughly and clean surfaces and utensils in contact with the poultry products. Soap and hot water are sufficient for this purpose.


In countries where avian flu is present in poultry, the virus may be present in meat and eggs from affected birds. Controls in place are intended to stop the spread of the disease. Even if virus is present in meat or eggs, several factors will contribute to preventing or limiting its effects on people. First, the virus is easily killed by cooking. Second, even if it is still present after cooking, the virus is destroyed by saliva and by gastric acid, as well as the fact that there are very few receptors the virus needs to enter the body in the gut.


On 26 October 2005 the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) issued advice on the importance of thoroughly cooking poultry and eggs.


This reiterates long-standing advice about cooking poultry and eggs thoroughly to kill bugs. EFSA, like the Agency, is not aware of any reports of people getting avian flu from eating poultry or eggs and recognises that the current risk is from people having contact with live birds that have the disease.


For people, the risk of catching the disease comes from being in close contact with live poultry that have the disease, and not through eating poultry or eggs. Poultry can include chicken, duck, goose, turkey and guinea fowl and so on.



Advisory Committee on Microbiological Safety of Food


The FSA asked the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food (ACMSF), which provides independent expert advice to Government on questions relating to microbiology and food, to consider recent developments since it last discussed avian, or bird, flu in 2003.


The ACMSF met in December 2005 to consider current information on avian flu and the conclusions from a recent meeting of influenza virologists and epidemiologists, which was chaired by Dr David Brown of the ACMSF. The review group examined current information on avian flu and its implications for foodborne transmission in the UK.


The committee concluded that the recent information on avian flu had not changed its current risk assessment and, following the meeting, the ACMSF's advice therefore remains as follows:
'The risk of acquiring avian influenza through the food chain is low, and there is no direct evidence to support this route of infection. Evidence from human infection indicates that direct contact with infected birds is the main risk factor, and that consumption of infected chickens has not been identified as a risk factor.


'Several factors will contribute to preventing or limiting infection following ingestion of viruses, including lack of appropriate receptors, and non-specific defences such as saliva or gastric acid. Proper cooking will destroy any virus present in meat or eggs.'


The Committee also proposed that a working group be established to keep a watching brief on developments.



Questions and answers


Is it safe to eat poultry meat and eggs?


On the basis of current scientific evidence, our advice is that avian flu does not pose a food safety risk for UK consumers. For people, the risk of catching the disease comes from being in close contact with live poultry that have the disease, and not through eating cooked poultry or eggs.


What evidence is this based on?


Our current advice is based upon the opinions of scientific experts around the world including advisers to the WHO, EFSA and the ACMSF. The FSA has monitored developments since avian flu was first reported in the Far East eight years ago. During that time, most human cases have had close contact with infected birds. We continue to monitor the most up-to-date information and evidence, as it becomes available. The FSA will keep an open mind as to any information that may lead to our advice being updated. However, current scientific opinion agrees that avian flu is not a food safety risk.


Are there measures in place to prevent infected poultry and eggs entering the food chain?


When an outbreak of avian flu occurs in wild birds or a poultry flock, the authorities are required to put in place controls that aim to prevent the spread of the disease. These controls will also mean it is unlikely that infected poultry or eggs will enter the food chain. The Agency has taken account of the low risk of infected products entering the food chain as it developed its advice for consumers and, even if avian flu were present in the UK, current FSA advice that avian flu does not pose a food safety risk to the UK consumer would still apply.


Are controls in place to stop poultry and eggs being imported from affected countries?


Controls are in place to prevent imports of live birds, poultry meat and eggs from several non-EU countries that are affected by avian flu. When an outbreak of avian flu occurs in wild birds or a poultry flock in an EU Member State, trade within the European Community may continue, but trade of poultry and poultry products from the affected parts of any Member State will be restricted to protect animal health. These controls will also mean it is very unlikely that infected poultry or eggs will enter the food chain in any affected non-EU country or EU Member State. The Agency has taken account of the low risk of infected products entering the food chain as it developed its advice for consumers, and current FSA advice that avian flu does not pose a food safety risk to the UK consumer would still apply.


How about touching uncooked poultry meat?


Our long standing advice is that you should always wash your hands after handling raw poultry meat and eggs to avoid contamination from any bugs. In countries where avian flu is present in poultry, this will also help prevent contamination with the virus.


Would cooking poultry and eggs properly kill the virus?


Cooking food thoroughly will kill bacteria and viruses. Our advice is that poultry and eggs should always be cooked properly to avoid food poisoning. Even if avian flu were present in the UK, current FSA advice on preparing, cooking and eating poultry meat and eggs would still apply.


People should follow the handling and cooking instructions for cooking poultry. If you're cooking a whole chicken or other bird, pierce the thickest part of the leg (between drumstick and thigh) with a clean knife or skewer until the juices run clear. The juices shouldn't have any pink or red in them and there should be no pink meat.


People should not eat raw eggs or use raw eggs in dishes that will not be cooked. Eggs should be cooked until the whites are solid.


Why does this advice differ from that of WHO?


The World Health Organisation advises the cooking of eggs until both yolks and whites are solid. The FSA have discussed this with WHO and they confirm that this advice is precautionary. Their advice on cooking eggs is relevant for all bacteria and viruses that may be present - for all parts of the world.


In the UK, independent expert advice has confirmed that it is not necessary to cook eggs until the yolks are hard to protect against exposure to the avian flu virus.


Is it safe to eat meat and eggs from vaccinated birds?


The vaccines used to vaccinate birds against avian flu do not pose any health concerns. This is provided a licensed vaccine with marketing authorisation is used, and the correct interval between vaccination and slaughter or date eggs are laid is observed.


There is no requirement for meat or eggs from vaccinated animals or birds to be labelled to indicate that they have been vaccinated.


The science behind the story

Check out FSA Chief Scientist Dr Andrew Wadge's blog posting on bird flu at:
food.uk/scienceblog


Food Standards Agency (UK)

McMaster virologist develops Avian flu test

A diagnostic test that detects all the major human respiratory viruses, including H5N1 (Avian Flu) and SARS Corona, has been developed by a virologist at McMaster University, and is about to undergo clinical evaluation. It is expected that the test will be available for evaluation by hospital-based laboratories by early December.


Jim Mahony and his lab at McMaster University collaborated with Tm Bioscience Corporation, a Toronto-based company that conducts genetic testing, says the test reduces the laborious and long process involved in acquiring definitive results.


"This test could play a major role during an outbreak or epidemic by clearly identifying infected individuals early in the outbreak and limiting the spread of virus in the community," said Mahony, director of the McMaster University Regional Virology and Chlamydiology Laboratory at St. Joseph's healthcare, and president of the Pan American Society for Clinical Virology. "It will assist public health authorities in determining which specific virus, if any, is present in a patient who is presenting flu symptoms."


Mahony's lab provided the genetic sequences for the probes and primers to build the test and assisted in establishing key test parameters for the detection of the individual viruses. His lab continues to work with Tm Bioscience to assess performance characteristics of the test using clinical specimens.


Tm Bioscience plans to launch successive versions of its Upper Respiratory Infectious Disease Panel over time. The first version of the panel, which detects and differentiates among various strains of Respiratory Syncitial Virus (RSV), SARS Corona Virus, Parainfluenza and Influenza Virus A/B including H5N1 (Avian Flu), is currently being tested. It will be available for evaluation by hospital- based laboratories and reference laboratories by early December.


Subsequent versions of the test will be expanded to include additional viruses and may identify specific mutant variants of the H5N1 virus that are capable of human-to-human transmission or that develop Tamiflu® resistance.


Veronica McGuire

vmcguirmcmaster.ca

McMaster University

mcmaster.ca

Bird Flu Human Death Toll Rises To 23 In Indonesia

Health Authorities in Indonesia have confirmed that a one-year-old girl died as a result of H5N1 infection, bringing the total number of human deaths in the country to 23.


Hong Kong authorities have lifted a three-week ban on live poultry from the southern Chinese province of Guangdong. The ban was imposed after a man died as a result of bird flu infection in Guangdong's provincial capital, Guangzhou, on March 2. Chicken from Guangdong is a major source of food in Hong Kong. 20,000 live chickens have been brought in from the province by truck. The last time a human was infected with bird flu in Hong Kong was in 2003.


Authorities in Hong Kong have confirmed that a falcon has died of H5N1 infection.


As bird flu accelerates its spread around the world, now spanning from south east Asia to Western Europe and West Africa, scientists say the risk of a mutation is greater. For the H5N1 virus to mutate, it would ideally need to infect a human who has the normal flu virus. The two viruses could then exchange genetic information (mutation). If the mutated H5N1 virus could pick up, from the normal human flu virus, the ability to spread from human-to-human, we could then be facing a serious flu pandemic.


However, a recent study has shown that the H5N1 virus has to reach deep down in the human lung to infect a person. When a person is infected and sneezes, hardly any viruses are expelled into the air (because they are so deep down). This is why it is virtually impossible for a human to infect another human and very hard for humans to catch bird flu from birds. Since 2003 hundreds of millions of birds have died as a result of bird flu infection, but only 105 humans.


Written by:

10,000 More Birds To Be Culled In Guangzhou, China

Chinese authorities plan to cull another 10,000 domestic birds in the city of Guangzhou, capital of southern Guangdong Province, in a further attempt to
contain the latest bird flu outbreak.


According to China's central media agency, Xinhua, at least 36,130 ducks have been culled since a strain of H5N1 bird flu killed 9,830 ducks in the Sixian
Village of Panyu District in Guangzhou City. The outbreak was first suspected when the deaths, on five farms, started on 5th September.


Tests on tissue samples at the National Avian Influenza Reference Laboratory have since revealed the birds died of the highly pathogenic form of H5N1 bird flu,
confirmed officials from China's Ministry of Agriculture.


The planned cull of 10,000 birds was announced on Monday, by the Panyu district government. This is in addition to the 36,130 ducks that have already been
culled in the area.


Compulsory vaccination and disinfection will also be carried out, up to a radius of 5 square kilometres, and all poultry markets inside a 13 kilometre
surveillance zone will also be closed.


Six teams of officials have been sent to different parts of Guangzhou to enforce vaccination of all domestic fowl.


Farmers in local villages are also having blood tests and undergoing medical examination.


Local government will be compensating farmers for their losses, said the report in Xinhua.


Ranking first in farm output, where over 300 million farm workers work on mostly small plots of land, China is the world's largest producer of poultry
and other livestock.


The last H5N1 bird flu outbreak in China was in Hunan province, in the central part of the country, in May this year. That outbreak killed more than 11,000 domestic birds and
nearly 53,000 had to be culled.


York Chow, Hong Kong's Health Secretary, said that Hong Kong will be suspending imports of chilled and frozen duck from southern Guangdong province, according to a report by the Press Association. The suspension is planned to last one week.


Up to 10th September, the World Health Organization has received 328 laboratory confirmed reports of human cases of H5N1 worldwide since 2003, including 200 deaths.


Of these China has reported 25 human cases, of which 16 have resulted in death.


The highly pathogenic strain of H5N1 can only pass to humans from infected sick or dead birds. Experts believe it is only a matter of time
before a human to human strain emerges and when that does it will lead to a world pandemic with millions of deaths.


There is currently no vaccine for H5N1, although many scientists are working towards developing one. There have been some promising breakthroughs but even
if one was discovered today it would be some years before it passed clinical trials and got into mass production.


Click here for China View, Xinhua news website.


Click here for WHO Avian Flu website.


Written by: Catharine Paddock

Spanish Authorities Say Bird Flu Case Is Isolated One

Agricultural authorities in Avala, Spain, say the H5N1 infected Great Crested Grebe is an isolated case and that people should not panic. They stressed it is just a 'veterinary problem' and not one people should be unduly concerned about.


The Spanish Ministry of Agriculture has implemented a 3 kilometre no poultry or bird hunting zone around the area where the dead bird was found. Heightened monitoring is also taking place within a ten mile radius of the area.


The bird was found nine days ago and no other infected cases have been identified - this is after extensive monitoring and testing of many samples, say authorities.


About the Great Crested Grebe


Called Podiceps Cristatus in Latin, the Great Crested Grebe is a water bird, a member of the grebe family. It is commonly found in marshes and freshwater lake areas throughout Europe and many parts of Asia. Where winters are more severe it will migrate, otherwise it is a resident bird.


Like all grebes, it has a formidable mating display. The bird nests on the banks of lakes or rivers. This is because it is not a good walker and needs to be near water. It is not uncommon to see the striped young being carried on the mother's or father's back. Two eggs are usually laid each season.


It has a wing span of about 60cm-70cm and is about 50cm long. It hunts for fish and other aquatic creatures and will often pursue its prey underwater.


The Great Crested Grebe is white in the winter and has beautiful head and neck decorations in the summer. It has a pink bill.


In the UK it was hunted for its head plumes in the 19th century and nearly became extinct as a result. The near-extinction of the Great Crested Grebe in the UK brought about the creation of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).


It is of great concern to the RSPB and other bird protection organisations throughout the world that measures taken to protect humans from bird flu are thoughtfully balanced so that the well-being of wild and domestic birds are taken into account.


Written by:

HHS Convenes America's Leaders To Help Americans Prepare For Pandemic Flu

The U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS) has launched the Pandemic Flu Leadership
Blog, a five-week-long blog about pandemic preparedness. Participant
bloggers include some of the nation's most influential business, health
care, faith- based and community leaders. This online event is part of a
new campaign to help Americans prepare for a potential influenza pandemic
and engage U.S. leaders in the challenge to help others prepare.


"The conversation about individual preparedness for pandemic flu must
extend nationwide through all possible channels, including social media and
the Internet," HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said. "The blog summit is an
innovative and efficient forum for bringing together leaders for a lively
discussion on the pandemic preparedness movement."



HHS is one of the first government agencies to utilize the
participatory nature of the Internet to create a dialogue around a specific
issue or campaign. This effort to engage individuals in an online
conversation is the one of many steps HHS will be taking to carry out its
campaign to encourage Americans to prepare. By preparing now, individuals
will be better able to withstand the impact of a pandemic, slow the spread
of disease, and lessen the overall impact to themselves, their families and
to society.



Ideas and dialogue generated during the leadership blog will contribute
to HHS' upcoming pandemic influenza leadership forum in June, an event
which will bring together approximately 80 U.S. leaders representing the
business, faith, civic and health care communities. The dynamic leadership
forum will call on participants to help Americans become more prepared for
an influenza pandemic by leveraging their influence and expertise in their
communities to actively promote individual pandemic preparedness.



"It may not be possible to predict with certainty when the next flu
pandemic will occur or how severe it will be, but it is essential to
prepare ahead of time and that time is now," Secretary Leavitt said. "We
are the first generation ever to have an opportunity to prepare in advance
of a pandemic. Government alone can't prepare the nation for a pandemic.
This is a shared responsibility and the challenge requires leadership from
those most trusted and respected in their communities."



The pandemic-focused leadership blog gives national leaders the
opportunity to participate in an ongoing and critical conversation about
the potential impact of a pandemic on individuals, families, communities
and workplaces. Participating bloggers will be asked specific questions
related to the threat of a pandemic in the U.S. and will collaborate on
ideas for what can be done to help their employees, constituents,
customers, congregations and clients prepare now.
















Approximately 16 influential leaders, including leading authorities on
pandemic flu, will blog throughout the next five weeks. A few of the
participant bloggers include Pierre Omidyar, Founder and Chairman of Ebay
and Co-founder of Omidyar Network; David Eisner, CEO of the Corporation for
National and Community Service; and Greg Dworkin, Founding Editor of Flu
Wiki and Chief of Pediatric Pulmonology and Medical Director of the
Pediatric Inpatient Unit at Danbury Hospital in Danbury, Conn.



The Pandemic Flu Leadership Blog will continue through June 27 and is
open to the public and media. Comments are welcome and encouraged by all
who visit the blog at blog.pandemicflu.



In conjunction with the blog, HHS will hold a Pandemic Influenza
Leadership Forum on June 13 in Washington, DC with representatives of the
business, faith, civic and health care communities. Using materials
prepared by HHS, local leaders will be asked to reach out to the people
they represent with the essential steps necessary for pandemic flu
preparedness. By preparing now, individuals will be better able to
withstand the impact of a pandemic, slow the spread of disease, and lessen
the overall impact to themselves, their families and society.



An influenza pandemic occurs when a new influenza ("flu") virus appears
in humans; the new virus causes serious illness and death, and spreads
easily from person to person worldwide. Past influenza pandemics, like the
one that occurred in 1918, have led to: high levels of illness; death;
disruption in normal, everyday activities like going to school, work, or
other public gatherings, and economic loss. For more information visit:
blog.pandemicflu.


U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

blog.pandemicflu