12/26 | H5N1 Mutating/Pandemic Is Inevitable

=




<B><center>Dec 26, 2005 11:24 am US/Central

<font size=+1 color=red>Watching For Bird Flu At Airports</font>
<A href="http://wfrv.com/health/local_story_360122456.html">CBS 5 Green Bay, WIS</a>
Lisa Malak</center>
(CBS News) MIAMI, FL Since 9-11.. Airport Staff Have Been Trained To Look For Anything Suspicious.

Soon That Could Include A New Threat.. The Bird Flu.

CBS' Doctor Sean Kenniff Reports.</b>

This Is One Of The Busiest Weeks For Airports And Security Screeners.

Today Terrorism Is The Biggest Threat But In The Future Agents May Be Looking For Something Else.... The Bird Flu.

Right Now The Virus Is Only Passing Sporadically From Birds To Humans.... Mostly In Asia.

But If The Strain Mutated, The Worry Is - It Could Spread Rapidly.

In That Case The Centers For Disease Control Believes It Would Only Take One Sick Person, On One Plane To Bring It To The U-S.

Dr. Sean Kenniff/CBS News
“Should A Bird Flu Pandemic Occur Airports Are Gonna Be The Front Line..... That's Why The C-D-C Has Quarantine Rooms Throughout The Country Like This One At Miami International Airport.”

There Are Facilities At 18 American Airports And Seaports.

So, Say An Infected Person Gets On A Plane In Asia And Becomes Sick During The Flight.

Airline Staff Are Now Being Trained To Spot The Symptoms And Call Ahead To The Airport.

Dr. Kiren Mitruka/Centers For Disease Control

"What The Airport Would Actually Be Used For Is To Process Passengers, To Evaluate Those That Are Actually Ill So We Can Appropriately Isolate Them."

Medical Quarantine Officer Doctor Kiren Mitruka Says The Suspected Passenger Would Be Put Into The Isolation Room - Equipped With A Bed, Toilet And Shower.

Anyone Else Possibly Infected Could Be Quarantined As Well.

Dr. Kiren Mitruka/Centers For Disease Control
"Of Course The Key Thing In That Situation Would Be To Monitor The Health And Safety Of The Well, And Give Them Appropriate And Timely Treatment."

Airport Health Officials Officers Hope This Is One Flu They Never Have To Cope With.But The Government Wants To Be Ready - Just In Case.

=



<B><font size=+1 color=brown><center>Sci-tech development key to battle against bird flu, says official </font>

<A href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-12/27/content_3973193.htm">www.chinaview.cn</a>
2005-12-27 00:10:12 </center>
BEIJING, Dec. 26 (Xinhuanet) -- Chinese State Councilor Hua Jianmin said here on Monday that China should insist on relying onthe development of science and technology to fight the highly pathogenic bird flu more effectively. </b>

Addressing a symposium on the prevention and control of the bird flu, Hua said China should fully understand the difficulty and complexity of the process of bird flu prevention and control, while technologies should play a key role in safeguarding the Chinese people's health as well as the healthy development of the country's poultry industry.

He urged the country's scientists to incessantly enhance their research so as to provide a stronger and more effective support for the battle against the bird flu.

"Governments at all levels should also step up their efforts tosupport scientific researches relating to the prevention and control of the bird flu," he added. Enditem

=




<B><center>December 26, 2005
<A href="http://www.mailtribune.com/archive/2005/1226/local/stories/08local.htm">www.mailtribune.com</a>

<font size=+1 color=green>County pandemic-plan awareness lacking</font>

By DAMIAN MANN
Mail Tribune</center>
During a recent drill to test Jackson County’s ability to handle an avian flu pandemic, health officials discovered they will have a lot of work getting their message out to the public.</b>

"An extensive public information campaign is critical to reduce the impact of a pandemic flu," said Beth Depew, regional preparedness coordinator, at a meeting before Jackson County commissioners recently.

This was one of the many lessons learned during a training exercise in early November to test and train health officials during a practice "outbreak."

Depew gave commissioners a rundown of how well emergency providers in both Jackson and Josephine counties handled the exercise over a 10-day period.

Medical experts fear that the avian flu that has killed millions of birds in Asia could someday mutate into a virus that could pass easily among humans, likening it to a pandemic that in 1918 killed an estimated 750,000 Americans and 50 million people worldwide.

Advertisement



The drill also showed health officials in both Jackson and Josephine counties could work together under a unified command, and that staff could be trained rapidly to dispense medications.

But Depew said other problems discovered include the need to include legal authorities in the process, particularly if it became necessary to quarantine houses and force residents to stay indoors if they become infected.

More practice exercises are needed, and Depew said a communitywide triage system would be beneficial.

Jackson Baures, the county’s bioterrorism coordinator, said it’s likely that not enough vaccines would be available during the first wave of the pandemic.

Because medical facilities could become overwhelmed, it might be necessary to train people in home care. "We need to make everybody understand what they can do," he said.

The public will be instructed to cover their faces when coughing or wear face masks to avoid spreading the disease.

Baures said it’s difficult to get people to wear masks in our culture, although it’s fairly common in nations such as Japan.

In a pandemic, health officials want people to be aware that anything could harbor the disease.

Hands, doorknobs and sink handles could be contaminated, particularly in medical facilities.

=



<B><font size=+1 color=blue><center>U.Va. flu expert sounds alarm on pandemic</font>

<A href="http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/virginia/dp-va--u.va.fluexpert1225dec25,0,9409.story?coll=dp-headlines-virginia">By the Associated Press </a>
December 25, 2005 </center>
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Dr. Frederick Hayden, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Virginia, has become one of the world's leading experts on the flu and has regularly consulted for the World Health Organization. </b>

And he said members of WHO believe the world may be on the brink of another pandemic.

"Pandemics of influenza are recurring events," Hayden said. "This will happen. It's inevitable, it's just a matter of when."

The 20th century saw three pandemics: the Spanish flu in 1918, the Asian flu in 1957 and the Hong Kong flu in 1968.

For another pandemic to occur, there would have to be a novel virus that could successfully infect humans and be passed easily from human to human, said Christine Pearson, spokeswoman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Avian flu fulfills two of those three," she told the Daily Progress. She added, however, that while there has been evidence of human-to-human transmission in Southeast Asia, it is extremely rare.

"At this point we don't want people to be overly alarmed because it's impossible to predict what will happen," she said.

Hayden said that some researchers contend that it's unlikely avian flu will ever develop the ability to spread rapidly from human to human. "Some experts argue that if it hasn't happened yet, it's unlikely to happen in the future," he said.

But Hayden said it's best to be prepared for any kind of flu.

The Virginia Department of Health has developed a 38-page attachment to its Emergency Operations Plan that addresses "how to respond to specific situations as they relate to pandemic influenza."

Hayden warned, however, "we are behind the curve right now."

He said agencies and governments need to immediately work to build up domestic vaccine supplies and develop new antiviral drugs. He also believes the antiviral drugs we already have need to be used in more effective ways.

"Once things start happening with a pandemic virus, there won't be time to turn on production," he said.

Hayden has played a key role in the development of new antiviral drugs, which do not stop infection, but prohibit a virus from growing. He has been the principal investigator in several studies on different neuraminidase inhibitors.

These inhibitors, the most popular of which is Tamiflu, cause a more rapid decline in symptoms when used for treatment. They also reduce the likelihood of secondary complications, such as pneumonia.

Hayden highly recommends getting a seasonal flu shot.

"The preparations that are being taken now would not only be a help to fighting avian flu but also the other epidemics and annual influenza outbreaks," he told the Progress.

The CDC estimate that 36,000 people die each year from influenza.

Hayden said he has seen first-hand how devastating even just one influenza-related death can be. "When you have those types of experiences, you gain a lot of respect for what this virus can do," He said.

=



<B><font size=+1 color=purple><center>Virginia Professor Says Flu Pandemic Is Inevitable</font>

Dec 26, 2005, 09:34 AM CST
<A href="http://www.wtkr.com/Global/story.asp?S=4286606">www.wtkr.com</a>
A professor of internal medicine at the University of Virginia who is one of the world's leading experts on the flu says another pandemic is "inevitable, it's just a matter of when." </b>

Doctor Frederick Hayden points to three pandemics in the 20th century: the Spanish flu in 1918, the Asian flu in 1957 and the Hong Kong flu in 1968.

Hayden says that some researchers think it's unlikely avian flu will ever develop the ability to spread rapidly from human to human. But he says it's best to be prepared for any kind of flu.

The Virginia Department of Health has developed a flu pandemic attachment to its Emergency Operations Plan.

But Hayden says agencies and governments need to immediately work to build up domestic vaccine supplies and develop new antiviral drugs. He also believes the antiviral drugs we already have need to be used in more effective ways.

Hayden also highly recommends getting a seasonal flu shot.

=



<b><font size=+1 color=red><center>Bird flu 'mutating'</font>

<A href="http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17645869%255E912,00.html">The Advertiser</a>
23dec05</center>
DOCTORS in Vietnam reported they had found more evidence the H5N1 bird flu virus could quickly mutate into a form that resisted the effect of the frontline drug, Tamiflu.</b>

They said the case of a girl, 13, who died despite getting the correct doses of the drug early on in her illness, showed the need to be careful in using Tamiflu. It underscored the need for new antivirals to treat flu.

Four of eight treated in Vietnam for bird flu died despite the use of Tamiflu, Dr Menno de Jong, of the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, said.

=



<B><font size=+1 color=brown><center>World Prepares for Spread of Bird Flu</font>
December 25 2005
<A href="http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nation/200512/kt2005122517455511950.htm">Korean Times</a></center>
Bird flu is spreading around the world as the virus has been found in birds in Asian and European nations. And there are fears migrating flocks could take it to the Middle East and Africa. </b>

A highly pathogenic form of the H5N1 virus is endemic in poultry across Asia. The H5N1 virus has killed more than 70 people in Asia since 2004 and there have been at least 139 human cases, including 95 this year, according to figures updated by the World Health Organization on Dec. 16. Health and veterinary officials from around the globe announced a strategy recently aimed at rooting out bird flu among poultry and stopping it from spawning a pandemic.

=



<B><font size=+1 color=blue><center>Life goes on after bird flu causes major losses</font>

December 26 2005
<A href="http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200512/26/eng20051226_230789.html">People'sDaily Online</a></center>
Zhao Guangyu keeps wiping sweat off his forehead in the newly established greenhouse, while outside is -20 C.

After rolling back straw felt, Zhao rechecks the thermometer hanging over the light green leek. </b>

"It is really demanding to transfer from chick raising to greenhouse vegetable planting," said Zhao.

Even though Zhao is a Chinese farmer in the Northeast, he knows little about planting vegetables. Since the early '90s, he and most of his fellow villagers in Heishan, Liaoning Province, have looked to poultry to provide a living instead of corn and rice.

As a result, the small rural county of Heishan was one of the major egg producers in China.

Statistics from the local government show that Heishan raised more than 20 million chicks and exported hundreds of tons of eggs to Hong Kong last year. Poultry industry contributes about half of local farmers' annual incomes.

Anticipating a good harvest, Zhao expanded his henhouse to around 2,000 egg layers at the beginning of this year.

But instead, the highly pathogenic bird flu hit the county in November, causing severe consequences for its farmers.

More than 15 million birds had to be culled in the following weeks.

At least 50,000 chicken farmers in 19 townships and villages of Heishan were involved and their direct losses totalled about 300 million yuan (US$ 37 million), according to the local government.

Many other related industries as feedstuff, animal drug and transportation are on the verge of bankruptcy.

Even though the quarantine was finally lifted on at the beginning of this month, there is still a six months observation period ahead, meaning local egg ranchers have to find new ways to earn a living.

After the bird flu, farmer Zhao received around 20,000 yuan (US$2,466) from the local government as compensation for his culled birds. After discussion with his wife, Zhao set up three greenhouses of leeks, hot peppers and cucumbers with local authority's aid.

"I never imagined that I will resume planting work since I gave it up 10 years ago," said Zhao.

Poultry processing plants in Liaoning Province also felt the pinch of the epidemic.

Since bird flu broke out, people reduced the consumption of chicken and duck.

Tian Shumei, vice-manager of the Rentai breeding plant in Taian County of Anshan, a neighbouring city of Heishan, told China Daily his orders fell drastically in the past month, even though no bird flu case was found there.

"What we can do is to fulfil the past order now," said Tian.

Local government worried what foul farmers could do to earn money after their livelihoods were knocked down by bird flu.

"We have tried every means to help farmers start new life which include labour force export, restart crops and vegetable planting and raise other animals, " said Xu Hui, senior official from Heishan county government.

Local government provided financial support and resources on planting vegetables for farmers who wanted to make the change.

Chance to improve industry

However, some experts said this catastrophe might be a turning point for further healthy poultry industry development, if the government could make full use of this chance.

"If we can use this chance to standardize the poultry raising and the marketing, we can put the vital virus under control," said Gong Guifen from the China Animal Agricultural Association.

Gong emphasized that the local government should help establish a relationship between the egg rancher and processing plant.

This has reportedly been effective in preventing spread of disease to some egg farms in Anshan.

"Raising chicks has been proven the right way for Heishan. Most of these farmers will resume the industry after six months," said Zhang Min, an official from the local government.

Zhao said he would raise chick after the quarantine observation period was over and pay more attention to bird disease prevention.

"Anyway, we cannot wait and just stand here. We have to raise the family and pay for our child's education," said Zhao.

Source: China Daily

=



<B><font size=+1 color=purple><center>What you need to know about a flu pandemic</font>

By Tina Hesman
<A href="http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/sciencemedicine/story/27118652BE56E00E862570E10037E5CB?OpenDocument">ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH</a>
12/24/2005</center>
Deadly diseases waiting to strike the United States and the rest of the world fill three pages of single-spaced lists on Eddie Hedrick's desk at the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.</b>

"And the granddaddy of them all is pandemic influenza," said Hedrick, the emerging infections coordinator for the state health department. "In terms of scope, this is the big one."

A World Health Organization survey of people in 20 countries listed avian influenza as the top health concern.

So what is it about pandemic flu that has officials, such as Hedrick, and regular folk so worried? Should you panic or just ignore the dire warnings? What is the deal with bird flu and pandemics?

Here's a primer to help answer those and other pressing questions.

What is pandemic flu? How is it different from regular flu?

A pandemic is a disease outbreak that affects the entire world. Any disease may become a pandemic, but health officials worry about influenza because it spreads easily and can kill many people.

Influenza pandemics happen when a new type of influenza virus infects humans and spreads. The pandemic is more deadly than annual outbreaks because people's immune systems don't have defenses against the new virus because they have never seen it before.

Is pandemic flu really any worse than regular flu?

Consider the numbers. Influenza A, the type of virus known as the flu, hospitalizes about 200,000 people and kills about 36,000 people in the United States each year. Most of those deaths are among the elderly, young children and people with weakened immune systems.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention use a computer model called Flu-Aid to predict the scope of a pandemic. In Missouri alone, The Flu-Aid program projects 1.5 million to 2 million people would get sick with the virus; 600,000 to 900,000 of those ill people would seek outpatient medical care; 15,000 to 25,000 people would require hospitalization, and 5,000 to 10,000 people would die.

So, yes, a pandemic flu could be considerably worse than a yearly flu outbreak.

Is bird flu going to become the next pandemic?

Avian influenza, also known as bird flu, is the current front-runner to become the next pandemic, experts say. But another virus could be the cause.

Despite the current attention on bird flu, the disease is nothing new, said Dr. Robert B. Belshe, director of the Center for Vaccine Development at St. Louis University. Over the last decade, scientists have recognized at least 10 different avian influenza strains that have sickened people. But only a few people got sick, and those people got the virus after direct contact with birds or after visiting live bird markets.

"The number of humans infected by other people is, if not zero, very close to zero," Belshe said.

But the new bird flu strain circulating in Asia and parts of Europe is more robust than previous avian viruses, Belshe said. The strain, called H5N1, has infected more than 100 different species of birds, he said. And some big cats in Asian zoos got sick after eating raw poultry infected with the virus.

"That's not something we thought was possible," Belshe said.

So far, there have been no reports of people contracting the illness after eating cooked poultry. Heat seems to destroy the virus, Belshe said.

When is this avian flu pandemic likely to hit?

The virus has not yet acquired the ability to transmit easily from human to human. It may never. And scientists don't know which path the virus is more likely to take to become infectious to people.

It could leap directly from birds into people - as the 1918 Spanish flu did - or mix with already-existing human viruses to make a new flu - the way the 1957 Asian flu and the 1968 Hong Kong flu did.

The team that analyzed the genetic makeup of the 1918 influenza virus estimated that the virus probably circulated in people since 1900 before finally making enough changes to allow it to spread efficiently. The H5N1 strain is first known to have infected humans in 1997.

"If that's true, we still have time to monitor the key genetic changes that would enable (the H5N1 virus) to spread in humans," Belshe said.

The virus is continuing to evolve in birds, he said. Currently, the avian virus has only one or two of the 10 genetic changes researchers think are necessary for efficient spread in humans.

But as the virus spreads to birds around the world, it has more chances to mutate and become a problem for people.

Say a pandemic does start. How long will it take to reach the United States?

That's a matter of speculation. A flu pandemic is likely to appear in many places around the globe simultaneously, Belshe said. One of those locations could be the U.S. The disease could sweep the world in as little as three months, and it could persist for years.

Can it be stopped?

A couple of modeling studies published in Science and Nature this past summer suggested that pandemic flu could be stopped if outbreaks are detected early enough, antiviral medications are rushed to the region and public health measures, such as quarantine, are started immediately. That all needs to happen in just a few weeks to nip a pandemic in the bud.

The World Health Organization says it doesn't know whether those measures are practical but must be tried given the consequences of allowing a pandemic to spread.

What if I get a flu shot? Will that protect me?

No. A pandemic flu, by its very definition, is a virus humans haven't encountered before. The seasonal flu vaccines protect only against the virus currently making people sick - strains we already know about.

The annual flu shot can certainly protect you and those around you from contracting current strains of influenza and is a good idea on those grounds alone.

What about antivirals? I heard that if I take Tamiflu, that will stop the bird flu.

Stockpiling Tamiflu or Relenza, another antiviral medication, at home is not a good idea. The medications don't store well. Also, they must be taken in the first few hours of infection to be effective. And doctors don't even know whether they will stop pandemic flu.

Some strains of H5N1 are already resistant to Tamiflu. If lots of people start taking the drug before it is needed, that could increase the chance that drug-resistant viruses could emerge.

So what should I do about this pandemic threat?

First, keep in mind that currently there is no pandemic. There is no need to panic.

You can be prepared to follow public health recommendations when a pandemic does appear. Be prepared to curtail travel and follow quarantine rules.

It is going to be important that people stay home from work and school when they feel sick. It will be important to follow proper "respiratory hygiene" - covering your coughs and sneezes, washing your hands often, etc.

Start getting into those habits now, and we can all be healthier right now as well as better prepared for pandemic flu, public health experts say.

Reporter Tina Hesman covers science for the Post-Dispatch.

thesman@post-dispatch.com 314-340-8325

=




<B><center>Tue. December 27, 2005

<font size=+1 color=green>China develops live bird flu vaccine</font>

<A href="http://www.thedailystar.net/2005/12/27/d51227012517.htm">China Daily</a></center>
Chinese scientists have produced the world's first live vaccine against bird flu and Newcastle disease -- two killer infections for poultry, the agriculture ministry announced Saturday. </b>

The recombinant bivalent vaccine, developed by the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, will be a great boost to prevention and control of the two epidemics in China as well as in the world, Chief Veterinary Officer Jia Youling told a press conference in Beijing.

In addition to injection, the vaccine can be administered orally, nasally or by spraying, said Jia, also chief of the ministry's Veterinary Bureau.

The mass-application techniques can not only significantly reduce labour costs, but also increase immunity among fowls, Jia said.

The shot will also be very inexpensive, as its production cost is only one-fifth of the inactivated vaccines available on the market, he said.

While most people are familiar with bird flu, Newcastle infections are endemic to many countries. The latter is also a highly-contagious viral disease affecting both domestic poultry and wild birds, experts said, adding that chickens are the most susceptible.

In September, Newcastle outbreaks killed at least 56,700 chicken on the Chinese mainland.

Chinese scientists at the Harbin institute in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province spent four years to develop the powerful antidote to both Newcastle and bird flu, according to Jia.

Employing a technique called reverse genetics, the vaccine uses an attenuated Newcastle vaccine strain LaSota as a vector, according to Bu Zhigao, a chief scientist of the project.

Bu said experiments showed the vaccine can also protect mammals, such as mice, from bird flu.

Research and production techniques will provide reference for developing new vaccines for human infections of bird flu, Jia said.

The ministry expedited the examination and approval process of the new vaccine after the efficacy and security of the vaccine were satisfactorily proved.

The vaccine will be used from the beginning of next year alongside other vaccines, he said.

China reported six human cases of bird flu this year, involving two fatalities, and 31 outbreaks among poultry.

There are some misconceptions about the Avian Flu that I would like to point out.

In the 1918 flu pandemic not everyone came down with the flu. And not everyone who got it died.

At this very minute thousands of people are getting the flu. I came down with a mild case on Friday night. One bout of nausea, headache and lethergy.

Now, how do you distinguish one flu from another flu? How do you know that the flu you are getting is avian or the A/California that is currently spreading in the West and going East.

And many people might get the avian flu and not get so sick they require medical or emergency care. Lots of people get the flu and take a couple aspirins and go to bed.

And, if the avian flu does come our way how do you separate the slightly ill from the fatally ill? How can it even be controlled if it acts normally. We already are seening a epidemic in the west and it is not being controlled.

The only difference is that some flus are more virilent than others. And if Avian Flu follows others it could mutate to a much milder form.

ladydkr said:

There are some misconceptions about the Avian Flu that I would like to point out.

In the 1918 flu pandemic not everyone came down with the flu. And not everyone who got it died.

At this very minute thousands of people are getting the flu. I came down with a mild case on Friday night. One bout of nausea, headache and lethergy.

Now, how do you distinguish one flu from another flu? How do you know that the flu you are getting is avian or the A/California that is currently spreading in the West and going East.

And many people might get the avian flu and not get so sick they require medical or emergency care. Lots of people get the flu and take a couple aspirins and go to bed.

And, if the avian flu does come our way how do you separate the slightly ill from the fatally ill? How can it even be controlled if it acts normally. We already are seening a epidemic in the west and it is not being controlled.

The only difference is that some flus are more virilent than others. And if Avian Flu follows others it could mutate to a much milder form.

Click to expand...

ladydkr:

You have started off with an interesting subject - Please be a bit more precise in both how one determines they or their loved ones have contracted California-A or H5N1..

And as to what indicators you have found; or has been indicated to you, which are pointing towards H5N1 becoming a milder 'pussycat' form of flu..

Please believe me - I search high and low for a 'ray of sunshine' concerning H5N1 (avian flu). So far though.......

Nada! Nothing!

I hope you have indeed fared fared better in your searching; and are not just making a "wish in a well," so to speak.

Did you by chance watch Meet the Press yesterday? Tom Brokow and Ted Koppel were on and talked briefly about the Avian Flu - Tom Brokow said he and his wife have prepped for about 3 or so weeks with food, water and other things - Ted Koppel said he has not yet prepped but said he is going to - you can view the program on the Meet the Press web site - they talk about the flu about 23 mins into the program....

The bird flu is mutating away and will gradually overwhelm Indonesia in March when their winter starts. then it will mutate away until our winter starts next November/December, about a year from now. A pandemic is not an instant event. It just cruises along until it reaches critical mass and then boom. My view now is the true pandemic, at least in the west will not happen for another year. What we are seeing now is a precusor to that. The virus is just probing and mutating.

I am just amazed at how much faith people put in this tamilful junk. And even more amazed it failed so dismally so rapidly. Yep, it took several years for the Black Death to wipe out Europe. These things take time. JUst realize the impact on the food supply in Asia from this flu so far. It has virtually wiped out poultry and egg production accross large sections of Asia. this has been its most profound effect so far.

still, I am keeping my eyes on Jakarta in March through september to see what happens. And who knows what will happen starting in 2006, mere days from now.

This bird flu is not going anywhere and may do more damage by being a chronic, low level mass infection of the food supply than anything it ever does to humans. I still think humans will die in mass from it. Just be patient. It is coming in its own time.

thanks Dutch for all the work you do keeping us posted. Much appreciated.

rh

Ditto to what Robin Hood said!!

This headline is misleading - it gives the impression that H5N1 has mutated to the extent necessary to be the cause of a pandemic. As far as can be documented, this is not true. The headline contains two separate statements, linked together in such a way as to make that hard to distinguish. One point is that H5N1 has shown evidence of further mutagenic activity, which is widely believed to be true. A completely separate point is that most experts in the field, notably Osterholm and Fauci, believe that a pandemic is indeed inevitable - but they also believe that it may be caused by an organism other than H5N1 and that it is inevitable *within the next several years* - not inevitable in the sense of the immediate future as a direct result of H5N1. This issue is quite serious enough, without making it sound worse than it already is.

Dutchman,(almost typed Shakey)

Thank-you for your continued efforts to search out and post info on the bird flu.
To tell if you have influenza A, a nasal culture is done. As far as I know the bird flu will not cause a positive result.

One of the things that scares me most about this bird flu is we won't do what is necessary to help stop or slow the spread.People come to work at the hospital I work at with temps of 101 or higher, sore throats, vomiting. Nurses can't be sick-you get in big trouble. How many other places of employment do the same? Schools won't close down in some areas when 50% of the teachers and students are out sick. Not without a state order.

The list goes on.That is what worries me.