Virus Watch Online

Cumulative Number of Confirmed Human Cases of Avian Influenza A/(H5N1) Reported to WHO

Thu, 23 Mar 2006 11:08:19 -0800

21 March 2006

Country	2003		2004		2005		2006		Total
Country	cases	deaths	cases	deaths	cases	deaths	cases	deaths	cases	deaths
Azerbaijan	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	5	7	5
Cambodia	0	0	0	0	4	4	0	0	4	4
China	0	0	0	0	8	5	7	5	15	10
Indonesia	0	0	0	0	17	11	12	11	29	22
Iraq	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	2	2	2
Thailand	0	0	17	12	5	2	0	0	22	14
Turkey	0	0	0	0	0	0	12	4	12	4
Viet Nam	3	3	29	20	61	19	0	0	93	42
Total	3	3	46	32	95	41	40	27	184	103

Total number of cases includes number of deaths.
WHO reports only laboratory-confirmed cases.

CME Releases Pandemic Survival Guide

Tue, 21 Mar 2006 11:52:58 -0800

In an effort to reduce the costs of an avian flu pandemic, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters unveiled a planning guide of Canadian business that will help mitigate the estimated $60-billion economic impact from a pandemic outbreak. Their freely available planning guide includes such topics as: Estimated Economic Impact of a Pandemic, Maintaining Essential Business Operations, Business Planning for Absences, Supply Chain Disruption and Border Closures, Staff Travel and Expatriates Evacuation Plan, Restrict Workplace Entry of People with Influenza Symptoms, Workplace Cleaning, Increase Social Distancing, Personal, Policies for Exposed Employees.

Avian Influenza - Situation in Nigeria - UPDATE

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 10:00:06 -0800

The outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza in poultry, confirmed at a commercial farm in Kaduna State on 8 February, has now spread to commercial farms in several other contiguous states. No human cases have been detected to date.

Spread of Avian Influenza to New Countries

Tue, 21 Feb 2006 10:01:37 -0800

The occurrence of the disease in India, reported on 18 February, is part of a recent pattern of rapid geographical spread of the virus in wild and domestic birds. India is one of 13 countries that have reported their first cases of H5N1 infection in birds since the beginning of February. (The 13 countries, listed in order of reporting, are Iraq, Nigeria, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Slovenia, Iran, Austria, Germany, Egypt, India and France.)

World Health Organization Confirms Bird Flu Has Reached Africa

Wed, 08 Feb 2006 10:10:08 -0800

From the World Health Organization: "The confirmation of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in domestic birds in northern Nigeria marks the further geographical spread of this virus. Although all evidence to date indicates that the virus does not spread easily from birds to humans, careful monitoring of the situation is warranted."

Although the H5N1 strain of avian influenza is difficult to spread from birds to humans, its arrival in Africa is very troubling. So far, human contagion in other parts of the world has been kept low, thanks in part to aggressive monitoring and rapid and widespread culling of domestic bird populations. Africa's combination of close human/poultry contact and a weak medical and communications infrastructure makes it a likely location for the flu to spread and mutate into a much greater danger to human populations. The continuing AIDS epidemic on the African continent is a perfect example of how its lack of infrastructure and money leave it unable to deal with large scale health threats. In reaching Africa, H5N1 avian fluenza may now have the incubator it needs to launch a pandemic.

New Bird Flu Scare in Iraq

Tue, 07 Feb 2006 14:26:00 -0800

A dozen people feared to have the H5N1 strain of bird flu have been hospitalized in Kurdistan. Meanwhile, Iraqi authorities have begun culling poultry in the region. A team of experts from the World Health Organization is expected to arrive on Wednesday. Two weeks ago, a teenage girl died of the flu in the nearby city of Sulaimaniya after being ill for 15 days.

Corporate IT Centers Preparing for the Threat of a Flu Pandemic

Fri, 03 Feb 2006 11:55:22 -0800

IT managers are taking the threat of a flu pandemic very seriously. Such a pandemic is expected to knock out 20% of a company's workforce so defenses such as telecommuting and at-work quarantine lock-downs are being considered.

Avian Influenza And The Pandemic Threat In Africa: Risk Assessment For Africa

Wed, 11 Jan 2006 10:13:45 -0800

Africa's poverty and lack of public health infrastructure make it a prime target for avian influenza. The continent has a poultry production similar very similar to Asia's but it lacks the protection of a sufficiently-funded public health system. So although the human/bird density is lower than Asia's, the potential danger from avian influenza reaching Africa is much higher. Local governments are already struggling to cope with well known and studied threats such as AIDS and malaria. Close monitoring of domestic birds will prove to be impractical due to the large areas that would need to be covered, and poverty-stricken farmers will resist the culling of their small flocks.

Bird Flu Virus Claims a Second Victim in Turkey

Thu, 05 Jan 2006 09:51:41 -0800

ANKARA, Turkey - On Thursday, a second person, Fatma Kocyigit, has died of avian flu virus in Turkey. Her brother, Mehmet Ali Kocyigit, 14, died of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza Sunday. The siblings are the first known human deaths from the bird flu virus outside of China and Southeast Asia. The siblings' family raised chickens, some of which began dying a few months ago. Shortly after that, some of the children in the family fell ill with flu-like symptoms. Eighteen other people, many of whom are members of the siblings' family, have been hospitalized with flu-like symptoms. Twelve are in critical condition.

Canada: Contract Signed for the Development and Testing of a Prototype Pandemic Vaccine

Thu, 29 Dec 2005 08:57:09 -0800

Ottawa - Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh announced November 28, 2005, that Canadian pharmaceutical manufacturer ID Biomedical has been contracted by the Government of Canada to produce and test a prototype vaccine to further enhance Canada's preparedness to respond to an influenza pandemic.

"The development of a prototype pandemic vaccine is an important component of our preparedness strategy," said Minister Dosanjh. "Vaccines are the most effective line of defence for reducing illness and death in the event of an influenza pandemic. The investment in the development and testing of a prototype pandemic vaccine represents a significant step towards improving our preparedness. We need to invest now in building our scientific knowledge and production capacity so that we can produce a vaccine as quickly as possible when it's needed."

Health Canada Warns Against Buying Tamiflu Over the Internet

Thu, 29 Dec 2005 08:53:48 -0800

"OTTAWA - Health Canada is advising consumers to be cautious if buying the prescription drug Tamiflu over the Internet and to avoid any products claiming to be "generic" Tamiflu, as there are no authorized generic versions of the antiviral on the market.

According to recent reports from the U.K., numerous websites, including two Canadian sites, have been selling illegal Tamiflu to U.K. customers. Other reports indicate the U.S. Customs Border Patrol has intercepted more than 50 shipments of counterfeit Tamiflu at their border. Health Canada and the RCMP are currently looking into these reports.

As with any medication purchased online, consumers should only buy Tamiflu with a prescription from a doctor they know, using a pharmacy where they have an established relationship."

Source: Health Canada

CDC Fact Sheet on Avian Influenza

Tue, 27 Dec 2005 00:00:00 -0800

The CDC (Center for Disease Control) has produced a fact sheet on avian influenza. It provides general information about avian influenza (bird flu) and information about one type of bird flu, called avian influenza A (H5N1), that has caused infections in birds in Asia and Europe and in humans in Asia. For your convenience, we have a copy of it here.

United States Unprepared for a Major Flu Pandemic

Thu, 22 Dec 2005 20:45:39 -0800

As of November, 2005, the United States is woefully under-equipped to deal with a possible flu pandemic. Mike Leavitt, US Health and Human Services Secretary, stated that the US doesn't have the manufacturing capacity to produce the required 300 million courses to serve the American population. "What we all learned from (Hurricane) Katrina is that sometimes we have to think very clearly about the unthinkable," Leavitt said. "We're not as prepared as we need to be. ...We will not have enough for everyone." In fact, they have enough doses for 4.3 million people.

The Spanish Flu Pandemic, 1918-1919

Thu, 15 Dec 2005 22:30:01 -0800

Responsible for the deaths of an estimated 25 million to 50 million people, Spanish Flu is considered to be among the worst pandemic in recorded history. It was caused by the H1N1 type of influenza virus. H1N1 is similar to the bird flu types known to us today (H5N1 and H5N2).

Pandemic Influenza

Thu, 15 Dec 2005 21:43:37 -0800

To be considered a pandemic influenza, the outbreak must

occur on a global scale,
cause serious illness,
spread easily from person to person.