bird flu

Potential new drug candidates to combat bird flu

harminka — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 07:40:14 -0500

As the specter of a worldwide outbreak of avian or “bird flu” lingers, health officials recognize that new drugs are desperately needed since some strains of the virus already have developed resistance to the current roster of anti-flu remedies.

Hong Kong Slaughters All Retail Poultry

admin_huliq — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 19:54:42 -0500

Hong Kong has ordered the culling of all poultry in the city's markets and shops, after an outbreak of bird flu was detected in markets last week.

Battling bird flu by numbers

harminka — Tue, 27 May 2008 14:00:53 -0500

A pair of Los Alamos National Laboratory theorists have developed a mathematical tool that could help health experts and crisis managers determine in real time whether an emerging infectious disease such as avian influenza H5N1 is poised to spread globally.

North Korea sets up emergency body against bird flu

admin_huliq — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:58:53 -0500

North Korea said on Wednesday that it has set up an emergency unit to tackle possible bird flu outbreaks after the disease spread widely in South Korea.

New strategies against bird flu

harminka — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 12:29:14 -0500

The Spanish flu outbreak of 1918 killed between 30 and 50 million people. In the infected patients, the ultimate cause of death was acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This fatal condition is a massive reaction of the body during which the lung becomes severely damaged. ARDS can be induced by various bacterial and viral infections, but also by chemical agents.

New vaccine to give long-term defense against bird flu

harminka — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 07:00:37 -0500

A new vaccine under development may provide protection against highly pathogenic bird flu and its evolving forms, according to researchers at Purdue University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who discovered the new preventative drug and have tested it in mice.

Scientists create first successful libraries of avian flu virus antibodies

harminka — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:44:40 -0500

An international group of American and Turkish research scientists, led by Sea Lane Biotechnologies, has created the first comprehensive monoclonal antibody libraries against avian influenza (H5N1) using samples from survivors of the 2005/2006 "bird flu" outbreak in Turkey.

Indonesia critisized for unwillingness to share bird flu virus samples

seher — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 13:34:20 -0500

U.S. carps at Indonesia for unwillingness to cooperate when it comes to production of lifesaving vaccines.

One in seven cases of bird flu could be prevented by closing schools

seher — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:43:36 -0500

Closing schools in the event of a flu pandemic could slow the spread of the virus and prevent up to one in seven cases, according to a new study published today in the journal Nature.

Woman Dies of Bird Flu in Egypt

seher — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 13:06:21 -0500

A woman in Egypt has died of bird flu, bringing the number of bird flu fatalities in that country to 22.

Faster test reported for detecting fake Tamiflu in fight against counterfeit drugs

harminka — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:35:41 -0500

Chemists in Georgia are reporting development of a fast new method to detect fake Tamiflu, the mainstay medication for preventing and treating bird flu. Tamiflu has become a target for counterfeiters as recent outbreaks of bird flu have increased public demand for supplies of just-in-case antiviral drugs to use in case of an epidemic of the deadly disease.

Chinese Drug Maker Begins Production of Bird Flu Vaccine

seher — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 10:03:48 -0500

Officials in China have given permission for a Chinese drug maker to begin commercial production of a human vaccine against bird flu after clinical trials showed it was effective. Scientists worldwide are trying to find a way to prevent transmission of the virus.