Flu 'Oddities' Archives
Email a friend about the CLG Flu 'Oddities' page.
*****
Jakarta ends stand-off on bird flu vaccines --Indonesia's health minister accused the US of trying to use bird flu samples to create a biological weapon. 24 Feb 2008 Samples of bird flu virus are at the centre of an extraordinary political battle in Indonesia, as arguments rage over the profits from potentially life-saving vaccines. After receiving an assurance that Jakarta would have access to affordable vaccines, Indonesia finally sent 12 samples to a World Health Organisation (WHO) laboratory last Friday after hanging on to them since August. The situation worsened last week after it emerged that Siti Fadilah Supari, Indonesia's health minister, had accused the United States in a new book she has written of trying to use the material to create a biological weapon.
US involved in bird flu conspiracy: Indonesia 20 Feb 2008 (Transcript from AM, Australia's ABC.) Peter Cave: Indonesia's Health Minister has suggested that the United States may be involved in a conspiracy to use the bird flu virus to develop biological weapons. The extraordinary allegation is included in a new book, endorsed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, which describes Indonesia’s fight to assert its ownership of its virulent strains of avian influenza. Concerns over that issue prompted Indonesia last year to stop sharing virus samples with the World Health Organization as Jakarta correspondent Geoff Thompson reports. Dr Supari expresses alarm at WHO laboratories sharing bird flu virus data with the United States national laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico, where nuclear weapons are developed.
Indonesia accuses US of bird flu plot 20 Feb 2008 The Indonesian Health Minister has said the United States and the World Health Organisation are part of a global conspiracy to profit from the spread of bird flu and the US may use samples to produce biological weapons... In the book, Dr Supari writes that WHO laboratories forwarded influenza viruses to Western companies so they could profit by selling vaccines back to developing countries. Some Indonesian samples had been sent to a US Defence Department laboratory, Dr Supari says, adding that "some of our seed viruses had been in a laboratory known as a facility developing biological weapons in a superpower country".
Migratory birds not main source of bird flu: WWF 16 Feb 2008 Wild migratory birds may suffer from Avian Influenza ('bird flu'), but they are not the main source of the disease’s outbreak in Pakistan, according to a study statement issued by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Lahore chapter on Friday.
CDC says influenza B strain doesn't match vaccine 08 Feb 2008 The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today that most circulating influenza B viruses tested so far this season don't match this year's vaccine, signaling that two of the three vaccine components are off-target.
'Mysterious' bird flu baffles Indonesian scientists 06 Feb 2008 Indonesian scientists and officials said they were baffled by the "mysterious" behaviour of the [US Army] bird flu virus here, which has already claimed nine lives this year in the world's worst-hit nation. Indonesia has reported 126 cases of H5N1 bird flu, 103 of them fatal, since 2005.
Turkey detects bird flu virus in poultry 03 Feb 2008 Turkey detected bird flu virus in dead chickens found late last month in the northern part of the country after it had started culling poultry due to bird flu suspicions, the Agriculture Ministry said on Sunday.
Top-secret Livermore germ lab opens --Scientists developing 'countermeasures' for bubonic plague, anthrax, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Q fever, tularemia, brucellosis or undulant fever; researching flu, tuberculosis and SARS 02 Feb 2008 A high-security laboratory where deadly microbes are being grown by scientists seeking defenses against terrorist attacks began operating in Livermore last week without public announcement, and opponents said Friday that they will go to federal court in an effort to close the facility down. The facility is known as a Biosafety-level 3 laboratory where... more than 40 potentially lethal disease-causing bacteria, viruses and fungi are stored inside.
Bird flu spreads in Bangladesh, port city on alert 03 Feb 2008 Bird flu has spread to three more districts of Bangladesh, the livestock department said on Sunday, taking the number of affected districts to more than half of the country's 64 districts.
India isolates 26 people as bird flu spreads in Asia 01 Feb 2008 India has put 26 people in isolation with bird flu symptoms and hundreds more people are being monitored, officials said on Friday as Pakistan and Thailand reported outbreaks of bird flu in poultry.
USDA Bird Flu Plan Needs Test [LOL, I'm sure they do! Halliburton, KBR, Monsanto, and Gilead Sciences want a dry run, so that they can secure their billion-dollar contracts in the aftermath of a bird flu outbreak or a Bush bioterror attack - for detention centers, quarantines and mandatory vaccines. The same players who 'rebuilt' New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina are still sitting at the table, poised for Bush's pandemic party. --LRP] 01 Feb 2008 The Agriculture Department cannot ensure it will respond effectively to a bird flu outbreak because it has not tested many of the policies put in place as part of a national preparedness plan, an inspector general's report said Friday... The federal government's plan to prepare the country for avian influenza includes more than 300 tasks [!] for various federal departments.
WHO reports Tamiflu-resistant flu in U.S. and Canada 01 Feb 2008 The main flu virus circulating [created] in the United States and Canada has shown "elevated resistance" to the antiviral drug Tamiflu, in line with findings in parts of Europe, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday. A number of governments have been stockpiling Tamiflu, made by Switzerland's Roche Holding Ag and Gilead Sciences Inc of the United States, for use as a first line of 'defense' in case bird flu sparks a human influenza pandemic.
Bird flu: Officials asked to collect random human samples 22 Jan 2008 Worried that the vast swathe of the bird flu virus across West Bengal puts human health at grave risk, the Union health ministry on Monday asked its officials camping in the affected districts to intensify door-to-door surveillance and test anyone showing symptoms of flu.
India: Bird Flu Spread 'Alarming' 19 Jan 2008 India’s third outbreak of avian flu among poultry is the worst it has faced, the World Health Organization said. The chief minister of West Bengal State, which is trying to cull 400,000 birds, called the virus’s spread "alarming." New outbreaks were also reported this week in Iran and Ukraine.
Bird flu: Matter of grave concern, says Buddha 19 Jan 2008 Admitting that the bird flu situation in the state is a matter of grave concern, West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Friday asked all district and sub-divisional hospitals to set up special isolation wards to monitor patients coming with symptoms of avian flu.
Bird flu strain claims fifth swan 18 Jan 2008 A fifth swan at a sanctuary in Dorset has tested positive for the virulent H5N1 strain of bird flu, environment department Defra has said. The first case of avian influenza was found at the Abbotsbury Swannery, near Chesil Beach, on 10 January.
Fourth swan tests positive for H5N1 bird flu in UK 16 Jan 2008 A fourth swan in southern England has tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, Britain's farm ministry said on Wednesday. Last week, the ministry confirmed that three wild swans at a bird sanctuary in Dorset had died from the virus.
U.S. pandemic plans call for military quarantines, forced vaccinations: ACLU 14 Jan 2008 U.S. policy in preparing for a potential bird flu pandemic is veering dangerously toward a heavy-handed law-enforcement approach [police state], the American Civil Liberties Union said on Monday. The ACLU said it was worried that the plan called for military and police involvement in enforcing a quarantine. "Pandemic planning today tends to emphasize mandatory vaccination and forced treatment," the ACLU's Tania Simoncelli told a news conference. "It also means that sick people are being treated as criminals and enemies of the state rather than individuals in need of care." [See: DoD to 'augment civilian law' during pandemic or bioterror attack --Is Bush is getting ready to play the Bioterror Card? 11 May 2007.]
ACLU Report: Government Must Abandon Misguided Approach to Pandemic Preparedness (aclu.org) 14 Jan 2008 As fears of a flu pandemic have grown, the Bush administration has pursued a misguided approach to pandemic preparation that relies on a law enforcement/national security approach, rather than a public health approach to the problem, and which exposes Americans to unnecessary risk. That is the finding of an expert report being released today by the American Civil Liberties Union at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.
French bird flu TV crew may face Niger death penalty -lawyer 22 Dec 2007 Authorities in Niger have charged two French journalists with colluding with armed groups in the country's uranium-rich north, which could carry the death penalty if they are convicted, their lawyer said on Saturday. Thomas Dandois and Pierre Creisson are accused of violating the terms of their media accreditation to film a report about bird flu in the southern city of Maradi, instead travelling to film rebel fighters in the country's Saharan north. [Gee, I wonder what they stumbled upon?]
Poland reports fresh outbreak of H5N1 bird flu 22 Dec 2007 Laboratory tests have confirmed a fresh outbreak of deadly H5N1 avian flu in the same area of northern Poland where the virus was discovered earlier this month, PAP news agency said on Saturday.
Common buzzard found dead in HK tests positive for H5N1 21 Dec 2007 The common buzzard that was found dead earlier on Hong Kong's largest but thinly populated island tested positive for the H5N1 strain of bird flu virus, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said Friday.
Pakistan and Myanmar report first human H5N1 infections as bird flu resurfaces in Asia 16 Dec 2007 Pakistan and Myanmar reported their first human cases of H5N1 bird flu as the virus continues to flare in Asia, including recent deaths in Indonesia and China. Six people were infected with the virus in northern Pakistan last month and at least one has died, the government said Saturday.
Bird flu found on Polish farm birds 02 Dec 2007 Turkeys at two poultry farms in central Poland have tested positive for the H5N1 strain of bird flu, authorities said. It is the country's first reported case of the deadly virus in domestic livestock.
Bird flu spreads to 60 countries, pandemic risk still high: UN 29 Nov 2007 Bird flu in poultry and wild birds spread to 60 countries but is entrenched only in six because of improved and faster responses, experts said. Despite those strides, the risk of a worldwide human-to-human pandemic remains as great today as it was when the hard-to-treat H5N1 flu strain first gained intense attention in mid-2005, said a new report by Dr. David Nabarro, the UN official co-ordinating the global fight against avian influenza, and World Bank officials. "We think it will happen sometime but we don't know when or where," Nabarro said Thursday. [Oh, that's an easy one: The US, just before the 2008 'elections.']
Defra unable to identify bird flu source 30 Nov 2007 An initial report into the recent outbreak of deadly bird flu in Suffolk has been unable to identify the source of the disease, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said today. [Right, check your local US Army lab for the source. See: Killer flu recreated in the lab 07 Oct 2004 A US team added two genes from a sample of the 1918 virus to a modern strain known to have no effect on mice. Animals exposed to this composite were dying within days of symptoms similar to those found in human victims of the 1918 pandemic.]
Bird flu confirmed in Saudi Arabia 22 Nov 2007 Saudi Arabia's agriculture ministry said on Wednesday that more than three million birds have been culled or are in the process of being destroyed following an outbreak of bird flu. The ministry said new cases of bird flu had been detected in farms west and south of Riyadh.
Birds slaughtered after bird flu suspected on new British farm 21 Nov 2007 Poultry were being slaughtered at another British farm after a suspected outbreak of bird flu, the government said Wednesday. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said the site was within a surveillance zone set up after the disease was confirmed on a nearby farm earlier this month. Two outbreaks of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu have been confirmed in eastern England.
Bird flu scare lands plane in quarantine 13 Nov 2007 Health authorities briefly quarantined 223 people in a Korean Airlines plane at Auckland Airport today after a South Korean passenger displayed possible bird flu symptoms, officials said.
Suffolk farm bird flu is infectious H5N1 strain 13 Nov 2007 The turkeys killed by bird flu at a farm in Suffolk had the highly infectious H5N1 strain of the disease, it was announced today.
Bird flu outbreak is deadly strain 13 Nov 2007 An outbreak of bird flu on a Suffolk farm is the deadly H5N1 form of the virus, Defra confirmed today, while the government warned that the disease may have already spread.
Bird flu confirmed on farm in east England 12 Nov 2007 An outbreak of bird flu has been confirmed at a turkey farm in eastern England although the exact strain is not yet known, Britain's farm ministry said on Monday.
WHO Chief Warns Threat of Bird Flu Pandemic Still Real 02 Nov 2007 "The risk of an avian influenza pandemic is still with us," World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Margaret Chan warned Friday, saying a pandemic is still possible.
Flu Lab Set to Open for 1918 Pandemic Virus Reconstruction --Ebola research may resume, pending outcome of appeal 28 Oct 2007 UW-Madison 's $12.5 million Institute for Influenza Viral Research, nearing completion at University Research Park, will have a collection of safety and security features the university hasn't seen before. Virologist Yoshihiro Kawaoka plans to study several kinds of flu viruses in the institute -- including H5N1, the bird flu virus circulating in Asia, and a reconstructed version of the 1918 flu virus, which killed some 50 million people when it spread worldwide. ...Jan Klein, UW-Madison 's biological safety officer, said the university may appeal the NIH 's ruling halting the Ebola work.
650,000 would die from bird flu, says Govt. 28 Oct 2007 It is a grisly scenario: 650,000 deaths, with bodies piled up in shipping containers before being buried in mass graves all over the country. That is the nightmare envisaged by the Government in what it describes as the "very likely" event of a bird flu pandemic. The alarming prediction is contained in a confidential Home Office document drawn up to help councils and other organisations deal with a catastrophic outbreak of the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus... Other proposals contained in the paper include suspending exhumation powers and coroner's juries and cancelling inquests into deaths from natural causes in prisons.
Bird Flu May Be on 'Silent' March in Europe, UN Agency Warns 25 Oct 2007 Avian influenza, the virus that has led to the deaths of millions of birds and more than 200 people since 2003, may be more prevalent than previously thought in Europe as it goes undetected in waterfowl. [Yes, bird flu is on a 'silent march,' and will reach its destination just in time for Bush to implement martial law for the 2008 'elections.']
DoD to carry out 'military missions' during pandemic, WMD attack By Lori Price 23 Oct 2007 On Thursday, the Bush administration issued a directive which 'establishes a National Strategy for Public Health and Medical Preparedness (Strategy), which builds upon principles set forth in Biodefense for the 21st Century (April 2004) and will transform our national approach to protecting the health of the American people against [with] all disasters.' HOMELAND SECURITY PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE/HSPD-21 states that within one year of the directive's date, 'the Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Defense, in coordination with the Secretaries of Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security, shall establish an academic Joint Program for Disaster Medicine and Public Health housed at a National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences... Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Defense authorities will be used to carry out respective civilian and military missions within this joint program.'
Troops, key doctors to get first U.S. bird flu shots 23 Oct 2007 Deployed military troops, emergency workers, pregnant women and children will be among the first to get scarce vaccinations if a pandemic strain of flu breaks out, U.S. officials said. A long-awaited report to be issued on Tuesday lays out who would be first in line to get vaccinated against [with] H5N1 bird flu or any other strain of pandemic influenza.
Key Viral Change Could Help Bird Flu Spread 04 Oct 2007 U.S. scientists say they've spotted [created] a crucial step the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus must take in order to spread easily in humans. So far, the virus has not developed the ability to spread easily among humans. Now, researchers led by University of Wisconsin-Madison virologist Yoshihiro Kawaoka have 'pinpointed' a single change in a viral protein that helps H5N1 infect the cells of the upper respiratory system in mammals.
U.S. labs mishandling deadly germs --Confidential reports submitted to federal regulators describe 'accidents' involving anthrax, bird flu virus, monkeypox and plague-causing bacteria at 44 labs in 24 states. 02 Oct 2007 American laboratories handling the world's deadliest germs and toxins have experienced more than 100 accidents and missing shipments since 2003, and the number is increasing steadily as more labs across the country are approved to do the work. The documented cases reflect poorly on procedures and oversight at high-security labs, some of which work with organisms and poisons so dangerous that illnesses they cause have no cure.
Financial Institutions to Undergo Pandemic Flu Response Test 24 Sep 2007 Don't be alarmed if your local bank teller is looking a bit sickly over the next three weeks. It is only a cyber-illness. Hundreds of banks and other financial institutions are participating in the largest test of its kind ever conducted to ensure the nation's financial system can keep functioning in case of an outbreak of pandemic flu [Bush bioterrorism].
China confirms bird flu outbreak 18 Sep 2007 China has confirmed an outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu virus among ducks in an outlying district of the southern city of Guangzhou.
Bush Greases Skids For UN Pandemic Power Grab --Bestselling author [Jerome Corsi] "wouldn't put it past" Globalists to release virus to capitalize on control By Paul Joseph Watson 02 Sep 2007 The World Health Organization and the U.N. have been handed complete control over response procedures in the event of a pandemic outbreak in the U.S. after an agreement was signed by President [sic] Bush at the recent SPP meeting that bypasses congressional approval.
Bird flu shock 31 Aug 2007 Up to 650,000 people could die in the UK if there was a worldwide outbreak of human or avian flu. A Home Office report outlines emergency plans for mass burials and morgues in refrigerated trucks.
Flu pandemic 'could kill 650,000' 31 Aug 2007 Up to 650,000 people could die in England and Wales if there were a flu pandemic, according to a Home Office document that outlines plans for dealing with an outbreak, including measures for mass burials and refrigerated storage of bodies
Warning of new bird flu danger 31 Aug 2007 Bird flu has spread between several humans, according to a new study of deaths in Indonesia last year. [See: Making Killer Flu 12 Jun 2007 and Killer flu recreated in the lab 07 Oct 2004.]
Bush's SPP power grab sets stage for military to manage flu threats --U.S. under U.N. law in health emergency By Jerome R. Corsi 28 Aug 2007 The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America summit in Canada released a plan that establishes U.N. law along with regulations by the World Trade Organization and World Health Organization as supreme over U.S. law during a pandemic and sets the stage for militarizing the management of continental health emergencies. The "North American Plan for Avian & Pandemic Influenza" was finalized at the SPP summit last week in Montebello, Quebec. At the same time, the U.S. Northern Command, or NORTHCOM, has created a webpage dedicated to avian flu and has been running exercises in preparation for the possible use of U.S. military forces in a continental domestic emergency involving avian flu or pandemic influenza.
Combatting Avian Flu in North America: The North American Plan for Avian and Pandemic Influenza 17 Aug 2007 The North American Plan for Avian and Pandemic Influenza was announced by the Presidents of the United States and Mexico and the Prime Minister of Canada on August 21, 2007 in Montebello, Canada, at the North American Leaders Summit. The Plan was developed as part of the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP). The SPP is a trilateral effort launched in March 2005 to increase security and enhance prosperity in Canada, Mexico and the United States through greater cooperation and information sharing.
NORTHCOM Prepares for Possible Pandemic 01 Feb 2006 U.S. Northern Command recently hosted representatives from more than 40 international, federal and state agencies for an exercise designed to provoke discussion and determine what governmental actions, including military support [martial law, KBR detention cetnres] , would be necessary in the event of an influenza pandemic in the United States... "NORTHCOM will not be running the show in the event of a pandemic," said Dave Wilkins, the NORTHCOM exercise facilitator. "We will be taking guidance and requests from other agencies, such as the Department of Homeland Security, via the secretary of defense."
Person-to-person bird flu confirmed 31 Aug 2007 Bird flu has spread between humans on several occasions, a new study of deaths in Indonesia last year has found.
Study confirms 2006 human-human spread of bird flu 28 Aug 2007 A mathematical analysis has confirmed that H5N1 avian influenza spread from person to person in Indonesia in April, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday. They said they had developed a tool to run quick tests on disease outbreaks to see if dangerous epidemics or pandemics may be developing [in Bush's labs].
"No-Evacuation Required During a Bird Flu Outbreak" --Chlorine Dioxide Gas to Be Used to Create 'Virus-Free' Areas --Experimental data and practical applications of chlorine dioxide 'against' pandemic influenza to be presented at international bird flu summit in the US. (New-Fields) 27 Aug 2007 At the 5th International Bird Flu Summit organized by New-Fields Exhibition Inc., Dr. Norio Ogata of the Japanese Taiko Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. is to present the company’s experimental data and practical applications of chlorine dioxide 'against' pandemic influenza. The product to be launched uses chlorine dioxide gas to create virus-free living spaces.
Now, what's interesting about New-Fields? ('We find new-fields for you.') New-Fields, uniting and marketing corpora-terrorists who are trying to start (and profit from) an avian flu pandemic, are also actually hosting the Iraqi Oil & Gas Technology Conference in Istanbul, Turkey, 5-6 September 2007. (New-Fields) It has been estimated that with its natural resources Iraq has the potential to earn between $10 billion and $15 billion over the next few years. The Iraqi oil industry faces three distinct phases of development... The immediate task is restoring historical capacity which could require an investment of $5-10 billion and take 18 to 24 months. This work could be carried out under the auspices of an occupation regime... The second phase is developing prospects already found, raising capacity significantly. Cost is estimated at $40-80 billion, with a lead-time of seven to 10 years, depending upon the scope of the program. This work would need a legitimate government to assign new contracts... The third phase would be new exploration... and that also would require a legitimate government to negotiate fresh exploration rights. Iraq also has a substantial natural gas potential that could be used for industrial and power generation purposes. [People need to question the possible links between those running/managing (mismanaging) and profiting from the Iraq war and those who are poised to run/manage (mismanage) and profit from an avian flu pandemic. --LRP]
Germany to enforce buffer zone around bird flu farm 27 Aug 2007 The European Commission and Germany on Monday agreed to implement a 15-kilometre (10-mile) buffer zone around a Bavarian farm after the discovery of the highly pathogenic strain of H5N1 bird flu, an EU spokesman said.
Deadly bird flu found in German poultry farm 25 Aug 2007 An outbreak of deadly bird flu [highly pathogenic H5N1 strain] has been identified in a southern German poultry farm, a spokeswoman for Bavaria's environment ministry said on Saturday.
Tests show Kibbutz Grofit chicken coop not contaminated with bird flu 24 Aug 2007 The chicken coop in Kibbutz Grofit is not contaminated with bird flu, the Agricultural Ministry announced Friday. Tests showed that the virus which was discovered in the blood of one of the chickens was not the dangerous strain.
Authorities suspect Kibbutz Grofit chickens have bird flu 23 Aug 2007 Authorities suspect that chickens at Kibbutz Grofit in the Arava have been infected with bird flu. The entire kibbutz has been placed under veterinary quarantine pending test results.
Study finds key markers for bird flu change 21 Aug 2007 Researchers have found some of the changes that a flu virus needs to become a deadly pandemic strain, and said on Tuesday the H5N1 avian influenza virus has so far made only a few of them. [No worries --the Bush bioterror team is *working hard* to get the avian flu pandemic party started! See: Making Killer Flu 12 Jun 2007 CDC scientists swap genes between bird flu and human strains to 'plot the path of' [*create*] a possible pandemic and Killer flu recreated in the lab 07 Oct 2004.]
Roche Joins the 5th International Bird Flu Summit as a Sponsor --Joins three other elite companies as one of the Summit's Platinum Sponsors (New-Fields) 21 Aug 2007 (Washington, DC) New-Fields Exhibitions announces the inclusion of F. Hoffman-La Roche, a leading healthcare [pharma-terrorism] company, among the platinum sponsors of the 5th International Bird Flu Summit (IBFS) to be held on September 27 and 28 this year in Nevada USA. The 2-day event will cover an integrated approach to the bird flu threat and will have discussions on pandemic prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery [corpora-terrorism, profiteering and martial law]. About New-Fields Exhibitions: New Fields Exhibitions, Inc. is a leading emerging markets and business information provider. With offices in Washington, DC and overseas, the company provides marketing services in the areas of construction, energy, oil & gas, telecommunications and health care.
Bush poised to play the bioterror card; corpora-terrorists poised to make a *killing*: Government secures £155m bird flu vaccines 17 Aug 2007 Britain has moved to secure supplies of vaccines to counter a possible human influenza pandemic sparked by bird flu, by signing deals worth £155m in total with GlaxoSmithKline and Baxter International of the US. Under the four-year deals, GSK and Baxter International will together supply 120 million doses of their pandemic flu vaccines as soon as the strain is identified [?] and made available by the World Health Organisation.
£155m flu vaccine deal signed 16 Aug 2007 The Government has agreed a £155.4 million contract for a flu vaccine in the event of a pandemic. The Department of Health, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Baxter Healthcare signed the four-year deal, which would see the firms supply a vaccine as soon as a pandemic strain was notified by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Pandemic Influenza Medical Surge Plan Exercise Set for July 24 20 Jul 2007 (AL) State Health Officer Dr. Donald Williamson said, "Preparing our state for the possibility of a global influenza pandemic is a huge responsibility, and it is one which depends on cooperation of everyone involved to be successful." This one-day exercise will simulate a situation in which large numbers of citizens are becoming ill from influenza.
U.S. will detain those suspected of harboring bird flu virus 18 Jul 2007 More than a year after President [sic] Bush unveiled a plan for coping with a pandemic flu outbreak, the federal government still has limited capacity to detect a disease outbreak and track its progress across the country... The government will try to limit the number of arriving people who might be infected with the virus and detain those suspected of harboring the virus, Dr. Rajeev Venkayya, special assistant to the president for biodefense, said.
Implementation of the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza (whitehouse.gov) 17 Jul 2007 In May 2006, the Administration issued the 'National Strategy For Pandemic Influenza Implementation Plan,' which provides a roadmap to achieve the federal government's pandemic preparedness and response Goals. Eighty-six percent of all actions due within 12 months under the Implementation Plan have been completed. We are confronting [fomenting] the threat of an influenza pandemic at its source. [See: Making Killer Flu 12 Jun 2007 CDC scientists swap genes between bird flu and human strains to 'plot the path of' [*create*] a possible pandemic and Killer flu recreated in the lab 07 Oct 2004.]
Non-pathogenic strain of bird flu virus found, could turn pathogenic [by the Bush bioterror team] 17 Jul 2007 The existence of a non-pathogenic strain of the virus causing bird flu has been confirmed in the state according to knowledgeable sources, although state officials are tightlipped about the whole affair... The officials only said that no pathogenic strain of the virus has detected yet, but were mum about the presence of a non-pathogenic strain.
Germany, France Raise Bird Flu Risk Level After New H5N1 Cases 06 Jul 2007 Germany has raised its bird flu risk assessment level after it was reported that 38 new cases of the deadly H5N1 strain were discovered in the country's east. France also reported new cases and upped its own alert.
Germany raises bird flu alert to "high" 06 Jul 2007 The German authorities on Thursday raised the alert for bird flu from "moderate" to "high" after 38 more wild birds were tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain in eastern Germany. The birds were among the 100 found dead on an artificial lane between the states of Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt, German news agency dpa reported.
France says H5N1 bird flu virus confirmed in swans 05 Jul 2007 Tests have confirmed that three swans found dead in eastern France were killed by the H5N1 bird flu virus, the French agriculture ministry said on Thursday, France's first cases of the disease in over a year.
USDA Official to Discuss Pandemic Plans at Bird Flu Summit --Chief veterinary officer to detail the actions the USDA is now taking to combat bird flu outbreaks in the poultry industry—and those it will apply when [not 'if,' but 'when'] a [US Army-generated] pandemic breaks out. (New Fields) 03 Jul 2007 Dr. John Clifford, Deputy Administrator of the USDA-APHID Veterinary Services program will discuss how his department works with Homeland Security to prepare for, respond to, mitigate, and recover from, a pandemic. Dr. Clifford will speak at the 5th International Bird Flu Summit, to be held on September 27-28 at Las Vegas... Together with the DHS, it [the USDA] coordinates the execution of state and local pandemic response plans—only turning over the lead to the DHS when a pandemic breaks out.
Gee, looky here! The same 'people' who are conducting bird flu summits are also holding Iraqi oil & gas summits! Iraqi Oil & Gas Technology Conference --8th ReBuilding Iraq Conference & Expo --Istanbul, Turkey 5-6 September 2007 (New Fields) 03 Apr 2007 The Iraqi oil industry faces three distinct phases of development. Restoration --The immediate task is restoring historical capacity which could require an investment of $5-10 billion and take 18 to 24 months. This work could be carried out under the auspices of an occupation regime. Developing Prospects --The second phase is developing prospects already found, raising capacity significantly. Cost is estimated at $40-80 billion... This work would need a legitimate government to assign new contracts. New Exploration --The third phase would be new exploration, for which Iraq immediately has little need, and that also would require a legitimate government to negotiate fresh exploration rights... There is a large potential for substituting gas for oil in power generation. Finally, there is also a refinery and petrochemical investment potential.
Bird flu cases increase to six in Germany 26 Jun 2007 Germany confirmed the H5N1 bird flu virus in three more wild birds in the southern state of Bavaria on Monday, bringing the total infected cases to six since last weekend.
New tests on bird flu drug after teenagers' deaths --Trials will look at whether Tamiflu causes delusions 20 Jun 2007 The reputation of flu drug Tamiflu suffered a fresh blow yesterday when the Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche and its Japanese partner announced new clinical trials to establish whether there is a possible link between the antiviral and dozens of deaths and injuries among Japanese teenagers. [See: Rumsfeld's growing stake in Tamiflu 31 Oct 2005 Defense Secretary, ex-chairman of flu treatment rights holder, sees portfolio value growing.]
Bird Flu Fears Reignited 19 Jun 2007 While the threat of a bird flu pandemic continues to hang over the world, authorities in the United Kingdom now believe a second strain of avian flu -- previously considered of little human risk -- does indeed pose a real danger to people... When new hens began dying between May 1 and May 17, health authorities from both countries descended on the farm, testing the sick birds and determining that the birds had H7N2 disease.
Making Killer Flu 12 Jun 2007 CDC scientists swap genes between bird flu and human strains to 'plot the path of' [*create*] a possible pandemic.
Malaysia Quarantines Five Bird Flu Suspects 12 Jun 2007 At least five people have been quarantined in two Malaysian hospitals after displaying symptoms of the bird flu virus, the health minister said on Tuesday. Sixteen others who were also suspected of being infected with the virus were quarantined and had tested negative.
Authorities seeking those on flight 29 May 2007 A man with a rare and exceptionally dangerous form of tuberculosis has been placed in quarantine by the U.S. government [!] after possibly exposing passengers and crew on two trans-Atlantic flights earlier this month, health officials said Tuesday. The infected man flew from Atlanta to Paris on May 12 aboard Air France Flight 385. He returned to North America on May 24 aboard Czech Air Flight 104 from Prague to Montreal. The man then drove into the United States. He cooperated with authorities after learning he had an unusually dangerous form of TB. He voluntarily went to a hospital and is not facing prosecution, officials said. [See: DoD to 'augment civilian law' during pandemic or bioterror attack By Lori Price 11 May 2007 Is Bush is getting ready to play the Bioterror Card?]
U.S. Government Issues a Quarantine Order --CDC Order is First Since 1963 29 May 2007 A man with a rare and exceptionally dangerous form of tuberculosis has been placed in quarantine by the U.S. government after possibly exposing passengers and crew on two trans-Atlantic flights earlier this month, health officials said Tuesday. This marks the first time since 1963 that the government issued a quarantine order. The last such order was to quarantine a patient with smallpox, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
DoD to 'augment civilian law' during pandemic or bioterror attack By Lori Price 11 May 2007 Is Bush is getting ready to play the Bioterror Card? The GOP cannot steal an inevitable Democratic landslide in November 2008. Will the Bush regime continue its illegitimate rule and empire by implementing a full-blown police state, in the aftermath of an avian flu pandemic or (Bush-engendered) bioterror attack?
'In some ways the war game resembled the hit U.S. TV show '24.' U.S. health agency stages bird flu war game 27 Apr 2007 A leading U.S. health agency staged a war game this week to test its response to one of the worst health emergencies it could imagine -- an outbreak of avian flu on American soil. The exercise, which ended on Friday, was designed to simulate how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would marshal its resources, coordinate with other branches of government and, crucially, reassure the public [lie] while preparing it for a [US engendered] possible pandemic. In some ways the war game resembled the hit U.S. TV show [torture-fest] "24," with health officials battling in real time to save the United States from imminent disaster, though of course minus the violence [!]. Like the Counter Terrorism Unit at the heart of "24," the CDC used its Director's Emergency Operations Center... In calculating whether to close the border,... These are the facts on the ground: do our theoretical constructs hold," said Martin Cetron, CDC director of the division of global migration and quarantine. [Oh, during a (US Army created pandemic) the US is going to 'close the borders?' The US can't close the borders *now,* but they're going to close them in the middle of a bird flu pandemic? Closing the borders will keep *us in,* quarantined in KBR's detention centers. --Lori Price]
Bird Flu Pandemic Could Infect 1 Billion People 24 Apr 2007 The World Health Organization has come out and stated that if a bird flu pandemic takes place it would kill up to 7 million people and infect at least 1 billion people around the world. The fear is that the virus could mutate into a form that is very easily transferable from human to human making it easier to catch. [Count on it! See: Scientists Recreate 1918 Flu and See Parallels to Bird Flu 18 Jan 2007.]
Bird flu pandemic spells doomsday disaster 24 Apr 2007 A global bird flu pandemic could infect one billion people and kill between two and seven million of them, the World Health Organisation said on Tuesday.
Bird Flu School Planning Summit Stresses Hands-On Training --The May 21 summit tests resources against the toughest scenarios. Washington, DC (New-Fields) 15 Apr 2007 The second Bird Flu School Planning Summit, which will be launched on May 21 at the Hilton Garden Inn Raritan Center in New Jersey, is meant to engage school administrators, teachers, parents, and students in an intensive, hands-on training on how to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from a possible [DoD-engendered] bird flu pandemic. Organized by New-Fields Exhibitions, the summit aims to encourage all community members to engage in the fight against [sic] bird flu and to prepare for a looming flu pandemic. [Here's where Bush's quarantines, mandatory deadly vaccines and KBR-built detention centers are gonna' come in handy --just before the 2008 'elections.' --LRP]
Grants to Fund Bird Flu Battle 02 Apr 2007 The government's work to 'prevent' [foment] an influenza pandemic took on a more academic look Monday when it selected six universities and medical centers to help lead research efforts.
U of M Awarded $22.5 Million NIH Contract to Study Avian Influenza 02 Apr 2007 The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), today named the University of Minnesota as one of six sites across the country that will establish a Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance.
Huge U.S. economic losses forecast in flu pandemic 22 Mar 2007 An influenza pandemic on the scale of the 1918 "Spanish Flu" would inflict $700 billion in economic losses in the United States and a 5.5 percent GDP drop in a year, according to a report released on Thursday. Such a pandemic could trigger the second-deepest U.S. economic recession since World War Two, the report from the advocacy group Trust for America's Health found. [Halliburton, KBR and Blackwater USA, however, will make a *killing.* Count on it! The Bush regime is already taking steps to get the pandemic party started. --LRP]
Health alert over Tamiflu 21 Mar 2007 Japanese health officials issued an alert over giving flu drug Tamiflu to teenagers on Wednesday as Myanmar reported a further outbreak of bird flu in poultry. Tamiflu is regarded as one of the main drugs effective against a bird flu pandemic, but a series of cases, including teen suicides in Japan, have fuelled concern the drug could induce psychiatric symptoms. [Oops! There goes Rumsfeld's stock portfolio! See: Rumsfeld's growing stake in Tamiflu 31 Oct 2005 Defense Secretary, ex-chairman of flu treatment rights holder, sees portfolio value growing.]
H5N1 kills rare eagle near Japan bird flu sites 19 Mar 2007 The H5N1 bird flu virus killed a rare species of eagle, captured within 75 km (47 miles) of sites of three Japanese outbreaks of the virus among poultry earlier this year, the environment ministry said on Monday.
Vaccines are used to spread (not 'prevent') viruses: Bird flu detected in vaccinated Egypt flocks - source 13 Mar 2007 Egypt has detected bird flu in chickens and ducks from reportedly vaccinated flocks, an animal health official said on Tuesday. The official, who closely follows bird flu in Egypt, said chickens and ducks from vaccinated household flocks and on poultry farms had tested positive for the H5N1 bird flu virus this year in 12 locations, and eight of the infections were detected this month.
Hold on to your hats! From the 'people' who brought you the response to Hurricane Katrina's blown levees: Homeland Security Official Presents National Pandemic Plan This Week --Associate Chief Medical Officer for Medical Readiness with the Office of the Chief Medical Officer at the US Department of Homeland Security outlines current national pandemic planning efforts this week at the 4th International Bird Flu Summit in Washington, DC. (New-Fields) 12 Mar 2007 Dr. Tilman Jolly, an emergency medicine specialist with the US Department of Homeland Security, will present a talk on the current status of America's national pandemic plan at the 4th International Bird Flu Summit in Washington on March 14-15.
'I'm almost using the flu pandemic as an excuse to prepare for a disaster.' Bird flu drill held at senior center 11 Mar 2007 (MA) Last November, 635 elderly people filed into the Worcester Senior Center to get their annual flu shots. They were done in less than four hours. They didn't know they were part of a simulation of what would happen during a flu pandemic at one of Worcester’s nine emergency dispensing sites.
Bird flu confirmed in 6 more areas of Afghanistan 10 Mar 2007 The virulent H5N1 bird flu virus has been confirmed in six additional areas in eastern Afghanistan and Kabul, the United Nations said.
CSIRO bird flu lockdown 08 Mar 2007 Two Geelong lab technicians exposed to bird flu will sit out the incubation danger period in virtual solitude away from family and friends. Infectious disease specialists have told them to stay isolated in home quarantine while a Department of Human Services doctor monitors their health. Four investigations were launched into the incident yesterday after the Geelong Advertiser reported that workers were exposed to bird flu virus at CSIRO's Australian Animal Health Laboratory in Moolap.
Bird flu scientists isolated --Two scientists exposed to bird flu after sharing a faulty lab-suit are being monitored while another has been given the all-clear. 08 Mar 2007 (Geelong, AU) The trio had been involved in an experiment [!?!] on ducks infected with a South-East Asian strain of the avian flu when it was discovered on Monday that an air filter in one of the protective suits was missing.
Bird flu lab bungle 'no cause for alarm' 07 Mar 2007 Victoria's chief health officer has moved to quell concerns over any potential bird flu outbreak after three laboratory workers were exposed to the deadly disease.
Experts urge big effort to make pandemic vaccines 05 Mar 2007 Top virologists called on Monday for a greater effort in developing effective vaccines against [with] a potential flu pandemic and warned that all contingency plans would be in vain without them.
Scientists to exhume diplomat's corpse for bird flu clues 05 Mar 2007 Scientists plan to exhume within the next five months the body of a British diplomat who died in 1919 of the Spanish flu, in a move they hope will provide vital clues on how to fight [foment] any future pandemic. Experts see strong parallels between the H5N1 bird flu virus of today and the H1N1 virus of 1918/1919 which sparked the Spanish flu that killed more than 50 million people.
"We're after an intact body." Scientists want to exhume corpse from 1919 Spanish flu pandemic [to start a *new* pandemic] 28 Feb 2007 Scientists want to exhume the body of a British diplomat [Sir Mark Sykes] who died of Spanish flu during the 1919 pandemic in hopes of discovering clues to fight [start] a possible future global outbreak sparked by the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus.
Body in lead coffin may hold key to fighting pandemic --Go-ahead for exhumation of politician and diplomat who died in 1918-19 epidemic 28 Feb 2007 A celebrated politician and diplomat [Sir Mark Sykes] who played a key role in the carve-up of the Middle East after the first world war is to be called on to perform a final service which could reap incalculable benefits for 'global health' [the pharma-terrorists and KBR's detention centers].
Bird Flu Spreads in Asia as Laos Reports Human Case 27 Feb 2007 Bird flu spread in Asia as Laos reported its first-ever human case of the virus, following an outbreak in poultry.
Kuwait confirms 12 new bird flu cases 27 Feb 2007 Kuwait confirmed on Tuesday 12 cases of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in turkeys and chicken on Tuesday, but said the birds did not belong to poultry farms.
Kuwait on alert after bird flu detected 25 Feb 2007 Kuwait announced on Sunday that it had detected the deadly strain of avian influenza in poultry and birds and had shut the nation's only zoo, AFP reported. The twenty cases of the deadly H5N1 avian influenza was detected in birds, mainly falcons.
H5N1 bird flu confirmed in Afghanistan 24 Feb 2007 The presence of the deadly strain of bird flu in eastern Nangarhar province has been confirmed by Afghanistan's Health Ministry. [Now there are two plagues in Afghanistan: bird flu and US terrorists.]
What does a bird flu pandemic and Iraq's electricity have in common? They're both New-Fields exhibition topics in March. Posted by Lori R. Price 20 Feb 2007
Now in Moscow, bird flu continues extending its reach 20 Feb 2007 The outbreaks of avian flu that shut down farms and markets in the suburbs of Moscow over the weekend are a sign that the virus is moving westward along migratory bird routes, as it did last winter. The Russian authorities confirmed Sunday that the H5N1 avian influenza virus had been found on at least six farms within 50 kilometers, or 30 miles, of the capital.
Thousands Get Tested For Bird Flu In Moscow 20 Feb 2007 Thousands of Russians are now being tested after an outbreak of bird flu took place on the outskirts of Moscow.
Bird flu outbreak near Moscow might be act of bio-terrorism - veterinary official 18 Feb 2007 Bio-terrorism must not be discarded as a cause of an outbreak of bird flu at Moscow's poultry market, but this should be tackled by the Federal Security Service and other law enforcement services," chief veterinary official of the Moscow region, Valery Sitnikov, told Interfax on Sunday.
Bird flu outbreaks blamed on rats [Right, US Army lab rats.] 19 Feb 2007 Japanese scientists fear that rats were responsible for carrying avian flu into four poultry farms over the past month, in an alarming development that suggests the virus could spread more quickly than realised. [See also: Killer flu recreated in the lab 07 Oct 2004.]
Tests confirm H5N1 bird flu strain in 2 suburban Moscow districts 17 Feb 2007 Tests have confirmed the presence of the H5N1 bird flu strain in poultry found dead in two suburban Moscow districts, an agriculture official said Saturday, in the first such outbreak to be recorded so close to the Russian capital.
Bird flu company sales fall 40% 15 Feb 2007 The poultry company [Bernard Matthews] at the centre of a bird flu crisis in Suffolk and Hungary has seen its sales fall by up to 40%.
UK and Hungarian bird flu "essentially identical" 13 Feb 2007 Tests on H5N1 bird flu viruses found in Britain and Hungary showed they are "essentially identical" and the most likely transmission route was from poultry to poultry, Britain said on Tuesday.
No evidence Hungary the source of H5N1 13 Feb 2007 Hungary's animal health authorities have found no evidence that could show poultry or poultry products from Hungary could have transmitted the H5N1 bird flu virus to Britain, Chief Veterinarian Miklos Suth said. "According to our knowledge today there is no such evidence," Suth said on Tuesday. "It can almost be ruled out." [Right, it was likely from a US Army lab.]
Bernard Matthews firm could face prosecution over bird flu outbreak 12 Feb 2007 Lorry-loads of poultry products could have been transported out of the British farm which suffered a major outbreak of bird flu, the Government has admitted. An exclusion zone was put in place around the Bernard Matthews plant in Holton when the deadly strain of H5N1 was identified last week. But a diplomatic row was brewing last night between London and Budapest after Hungary said that tons of meat had been sent from Holton to the central European country since the restrictions were imposed.
Bird flu farm continued exports 12 Feb 2007 Cooked turkey products were exported from the Suffolk farm where bird flu was found after the virus broke out. Some of that food was exported to Hungary - where it is thought the UK outbreak could have originated.
US HHS Official to Speak at International Bird Flu Summit (email) 10 Feb 2007 New Fields is proud to welcome Dr Robin A. Robinson, Senior Project Officer Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness (OPHEP), Office of Research & Development Coordination (ORDC), U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) As a Speaker For the 4th International Bird Flu Summit.
Bird Flu Reported in Pakistan Capital 10 Feb 2007 The deadly H5N1 stain of bird flu has been confirmed at a home in the Pakistani capital, the third such case in about a week. [See: Killer flu recreated in the lab 07 Oct 2004 Scientists have shown that tiny changes to modern flu viruses could render them as deadly as the 1918 strain which killed millions. A US team added two genes from a sample of the 1918 virus to a modern strain known to have no effect on mice.]
Bird flu tests for ill vet who helped tackle outbreak at turkey farm 07 Feb 2007 A vet who helped to tackle Britain's most serious bird flu outbreak was admitted to hospital last night suffering from a respiratory illness. It was confirmed the State Veterinary Service employee would be tested for H5N1 avian flu. The vet fell ill after working at the Bernard Matthews farm where the outbreak occurred in Suffolk.
Ministers forced to defend handling of flu outbreak 06 Feb 2007 The Government has defended its handling of the H5N1 avian flu outbreak in Suffolk as scientists continue to investigate how the deadly virus penetrated the supposedly bio-secure facility on a Bernard Matthews turkey farm.
Mystery deepens over cause of Suffolk bird flu outbreak --Concern over delay in identifying H5N1 05 Feb 2007 The government was last night investigating possible links between the discovery of H5N1 avian bird flu at a Bernard Matthews turkey farm in Suffolk and recent outbreaks of the disease in Hungary.
Government defends bird flu response 05 Feb 2007 The environment secretary, David Miliband, today said he was satisfied that the response to the Suffolk bird flu outbreak had been "rapid, well co-ordinated and appropriate".
World braced for huge surge in bird flu cases 04 Feb 2007 The number of cases of the deadly bird flu virus is increasing around the world as scientists struggle to combat the disease that is now threatening to jump species and infect humans. The news comes as Britain confirmed its first ever case of H5N1 in a farm in Suffolk.
H5N1: The deadly strain of bird flu is here. But we're told: Don't panic --160,000 turkeys to be gassed; exclusion zone set up; virus likely to spread 04 Feb 2007 The first major outbreak of bird flu to hit Britain was confirmed yesterday, sparking fears that the virus will spread throughout the country and prompting a cull of 160,000 possibly infected birds.
Fatal bird flu virus confirmed in Britain 03 Feb 2007 Tests have confirmed that 2,600 turkeys at a Suffolk farm died from the H5N1 strain of bird flu that can be fatal to humans. A restricted access zone of 3km and a 10km surveillance zone will now be set up at the Bernard Matthews-owned farm near Lowestoft, with the farm's remaining 160,000 turkeys to be culled.
Bird flu outbreak on English farm is H5N1 03 Feb 2007 An outbreak of bird flu on a farm run by Europe's biggest turkey manufacturer Bernard Matthews is the highly pathogenic H5N1 version of the virus which can kill humans, the European Commission said on Saturday.
'We have to be prepared for a Category 5 pandemic.' U.S. Issues Guidelines in Case of Flu Pandemic 01 Feb 2007 The federal government today issued new pandemic flu guidelines to states and cities. "We have to be prepared [build] for a Category 5 pandemic," said Dr. Martin Cetron, director of global migration and quarantine for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in releasing the guidelines. The guidelines did not suggest using the military to enforce quarantines, as Dictator Bush said he might do when he first mentioned avian flu in 2005.
In outbreak drill, CDC readies for the 'Big One' 01 Feb 2007 (Atlanta) A flu pandemic drill involved close to 300 CDC employees and was designed to run over a 24-hour period, from Wednesday to Thursday. Most of the action was at CDC’s emergency operations center. The drill was designed and run by MPRI, an Atlanta consulting company led by retired military officers. The CDC is paying the company $7 million for its work on the drill, future exercises and some planning work. [Bush will likely 'go live' with the actual pandemic in 2008, before the 'elections.']
New bird-flu plan advises when to close schools 01 Feb 2007 Future disease pandemics will be scored in the United States much like hurricanes, with the most severe triggering school closings and changes in the workplace, under federal guidelines issued on Thursday. They are the first detailed advice for what states and communities should do before a vaccine is available to control [foment] a flu pandemic, which global health authorities fear could come at any time [Yeah, but most likely October 2008, when Bush will declare martial law, stuff protesters in KBR detention centres and postpone 'elections.' --LRP]
"Isolations, quarantines and other 'Draconian public health measures'" Feds' new flu plan to raise fear factor 31 Jan 2007 The federal government will announce two new initiatives tomorrow aimed at warning the public on a potential [US-engineered] flu pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has created multiple television ads encouraging Americans to learn exactly what a massive flu outbreak would entail. It also has established new guidelines for public health measures should millions of Americans contract influenza, which will include isolations, quarantines and other "Draconian public health measures," warned Dr. Irwin Redlener, director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. [See: Scientists Recreate 1918 Flu and See Parallels to Bird Flu 18 Jan 2007 In 2005, U.S. Army scientists reconstructed Spanish flu virus by extracting genetic fragments from the bodies of victims exhumed from the Alaskan permafrost.]
Indonesia May Declare Bird Flu a National Disaster 31 Jan 2007 Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono may declare bird flu a national disaster, enabling the government to set aside money from its budget to combat the virus that has killed at least 63 Indonesians.
Nigeria reports its first cases of bird flu in humans 31 Jan 2007 Bird flu has claimed its first human victim in Africa's most-populous nation, killing a young Nigerian woman due to graduate from university and be married this year, officials and the victim's fiance said Wednesday.
Now Joining 4th International Bird Flu Summit 30 Jan 2007 The 4th International Bird Flu Summit will take place in Washington, DC, 14 -15 March 2007. The purpose of the summit is to prepare the World to fight [foment] this potentially infectious disease. New Fields is proud to welcome VIASYS as an exhibitor for the 4th International Bird Flu Summit. Other presenters: Douglas Himberger, Vice President, Booz Allen Hamilton; Jeffrey Riggs, President and COO, Biowarn LLC; Michael Martens, Chief of Plans and Operations, US Army Garrison Alaska; Dr. Thomas Monath, Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
Russian scientists 'alarmed' as millions of birds begin falling from world's skies 26 Jan 2007 An alarming series of reports from the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Influenza Research Institute are reporting today that millions of avian species have succumbed, while in flight, to a rapidly evolving virus linked to the deadly H5N1 Bird Flu variant. Doctor Scientist Oleg Kiselyov, the head of the Influenza Research Institute, states in these reports that a nematode parasite belonging to the 'Superfamily Subuluroidea' has now become a carrier of a 'mutated' H5N1 Bird Flu Virus with 'sub strains' never seen before.
Russia finds H5N1 bird flu strain in southern yards 29 Jan 2007 Russia has recorded its first cases this year of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of bird flu in dead domestic birds, the country's animal and plant health agency said on Monday. Rosselkhoznadzor said in a statement the virus was detected in dead birds found in three domestic yards in the Krasnodar region of southern Russia.
Lockheed to Support CDC Terrorism-Response Effort 29 Jan 2007 Lockheed Martin of Bethesda won a five-year, $135 million contract from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to support the agency's office for coordinating terrorism preparation [They're preparing it, alright!] and emergency response. Lockheed Martin also will provide communications, training, planning, logistics, administrative, operations and IT support for the Emergency Operations Center, which is the agency's focus when responding to public health emergencies, disease outbreaks and investigations.
Scientists tighten security over germ terror threat --MI5 issues warning to universities and labs 25 Jan 2007 Britain’s laboratories have been ordered to strengthen security on stocks of more than 100 deadly viruses and bacteria after an MI5 warning that 'Islamic terrorists' [US bioterrorists] are training in germ warfare. The biological agents include polio, rabies, tuberculosis and avian flu. Scientists and laboratory staff in universities, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies who deal with agents will have to be vetted by police, and their laboratories will be checked by government safety inspectors... The crackdown comes after MI5 privately warned the Foreign and Commonwealth Office that 'al-Qaeda' was actively recruiting scientists. [But as we know, and as the CLG has been documenting for two years, it is the US Army that is reconstructing the deadly 1918 flu, to foment bioterror. The U.S. is going to engineer and unleash the pandemic and then blame 'al-Qaeda.' --LRP]
Bush preparing to play the bioterror card and declare martial law in time for the 2008 'elections:' U.S. not scared enough of bird flu, Senate told 24 Jan 2007 Bird flu poses as big a threat to the world as ever, and people need to worry about it more, U.S. senators and health leaders agreed on Wednesday. The H5N1 avian flu virus could cause a human pandemic at any time, killing perhaps millions, yet preparations are slow, they told a Senate hearing. [See: Scientists Recreate 1918 Flu and See Parallels to Bird Flu --In 2005, U.S. Army scientists reconstructed Spanish flu virus by extracting genetic fragments from the bodies of victims exhumed from the Alaskan permafrost. 18 Jan 2007]
Bird Flu Reappears in EU 25 Jan 2007 Bird flu has reappeared in the EU as the European Commission confirmed on Wednesday (24 January) that dead geese in Hungary were contaminated with the highly virulent H5 strain.
U.N.: Bird flu outbreak alert 23 Jan 2007 The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization is warning nations, particularly in East Asia and Africa, to be vigilant for outbreaks of bird flu. New cases of the avian flu virus have been 'found' in China, Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Nigeria, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.
Concern as revived 1918 flu virus kills monkeys --Questions raised over safety of revived microbe. 17 Jan 2007 The 1918 influenza virus, which killed some 50 million people worldwide, has proved fatal to macaques infected in a laboratory. The study follows Nature's controversial publication of the virus's sequence in 2005, alongside a paper in Science that described the recreation of the virus from a corpse and its potency in mice... "The pathogenesis is interesting," Michael Gale, a virologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, says. "But the key question is: how was it spread so efficiently?" [LOL, Bush is poised to play the bioterror card, declare martial law, and have the GOP steal the 2008 'elections.']
Scientists Recreate 1918 Flu and See Parallels to Bird Flu --In 2005, U.S. Army scientists reconstructed Spanish flu virus by extracting genetic fragments from the bodies of victims exhumed from the Alaskan permafrost. 18 Jan 2007 Scientists infected monkeys with a virus that caused the 1918-19 influenza pandemic and said in the Jan. 18 issue of the journal Nature that it caused an illness like that suffered by patients with the bird flu now spreading in Asia.
Scientists recreate 1918 flu virus [Why?] 17 Jan 2007 The virus that caused the 1918 influenza pandemic triggered an overwhelming immune response that swamped the lungs of macaque monkeys — the first primates deliberately infected with the Spanish flu virus, Canadian and American scientists reported Wednesday. The research, published in the journal Nature, involved an ambitious project to painstakingly recreate the 1918 virus — only the second time this feat has been achieved. In 2005 scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control made history by becoming the first team to recreate the virus. Yoshihiro Kawaoka, a leading influenza scientist working at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, built each of the virus's eight genes from scratch, using genetic blueprints housed in a public access database... The recreated virus was then used to infect seven macaques housed in a Level 4 laboratory in Winnipeg — the highest level of biosecurity available. [Bush is poised to play the bioterror card, impose martial law, stuff any dissenters into KBR detention centres and invade any oil-bearing countries for Cheney Halliburton, unmolested. --LRP]
Bird Flu Takes Flight 18 Jan 2007 Winter in the Northern Hemisphere means one chilling prospect for global health officials: it's bird-flu season. Nine countries have announced outbreaks in recent weeks, and a replay of 2006--when H5N1 killed 80 people and spread to the Middle East and Africa--could well be on the way.
Europe must remain on high bird flu alert -expert 18 Jan 2007 New outbreaks of bird flu in Asia mean Europe must remain alert to the threat posed by the disease, an animal health expert said on Thursday.
Bird flu in Egypt moderately Tamiflu-resistant--WHO 18 Jan 2007 Two people who died of bird flu in Egypt last month had a strain of the H5N1 virus which has shown "moderate" resistance to the frontline antiviral Tamiflu, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Thursday.
HK confirms dead bird carried H5N1 avian flu virus 17 Jan 2007 Hong Kong confirmed on Wednesday that a bird of prey found in the city carried the H5N1 virus, the second such case this month.
Bird flu detected in Japan identified as H5N1 16 Jan 2007 Tests have confirmed that bird flu detected in chickens in southern Japan was the virulent H5N1 strain that has been blamed for more than 160 human deaths worldwide, the Japanese Agricultural Ministry said Tuesday.
New Bird Flu Cluster May Signal Change in H5N1 Virus 15 Jan 2007 A new cluster of bird flu infections involving at least two members of a family in Indonesia may indicate a change in the virus's ability to sicken people, researchers studying the disease said.
Bird flu feared at western Japan poultry farm 11 Jan 2007 Approximately 750 chickens have died at a western Japan poultry farm [in the town of Kiyotake in western Miyazaki prefecture (state)] in what authorities fear may be a bird flu outbreak, national and local authorities said late Thursday.
China confirms human bird flu case 10 Jan 2007 A Chinese farmer has contracted the H5N1 strain of bird flu, the country's first human case in months, leading to questions about whether the virus is circulating undetected among poultry.
Cold weather in Europe "could bring bird flu to UK," says vet official 08 Jan 2007 A cold spell could increase the risk of bird flu coming to the UK this year, Britains deputy chief veterinary officer warned Monday.
Bird flu drug carries a lethal threat --Scientists warn that Tamiflu use could devastate wildlife and trigger a second, deadlier pandemic 07 Jan 2007 Britain faces an ecological catastrophe that could wreak havoc on wildlife populations when the first outbreak of Asian flu hits the country. Scientists say they fear that tons of the anti-viral agent Tamiflu - taken by Britons trying to combat the disease - would be flushed down sewers into rivers and lakes. [See: Rumsfeld's growing stake in Tamiflu 31 Oct 2005 Defense Secretary, ex-chairman of flu treatment rights holder, sees portfolio value growing.]
Bird flu raging in Vietnam's Mekong delta 02 Jan 2007 Nguyen Hien Trung, head of Hau Giang’s animal health department, said a new site had been identified in Vi Thuy district yesterday after a dead bird had tested positive for the deadly H5N1 virus strain. A total of three communes in two districts had bird flu, he said.
Vietnam Reporting First Cases of Suspected Bird Flu In Humans In 2006 31 Dec 2006 Vietnam has reported its first case of bird flu. Four members of the same family were admitted to a hospital in southern Vietnam suffering with symptoms consistent with avian flu, a doctor said on Saturday.
Human Bird Flu Deaths in 2006 28 Dec 2006 Bird flu killed three members of a family in Egypt, pushing the number of fatalities worldwide this year to 79, more than reported in the previous three years combined.
Bird Flu Spreads In Egypt As Tenth Person Dies 27 Dec 2006 Authorities have confirmed that a tenth person has died of H5N1 bird flu infection in Egypt.
Bird flu kills second Egyptian in two days 27 Dec 2006 A deadly strain of bird flu has killed an Egyptian girl, the second such death in two days and one that brought the number of deaths in the country this year to nine.
Bird flu bill passed unanimously 14 Dec 2006 (New Zealand) A bill that gives the Government sweeping powers to suspend almost all laws to control a bird flu outbreak has passed with unanimous support - but the rules on triggering it have been tightened. The Law Reform (Epidemic Preparedness) Bill grants sweeping powers - including the ability to ban public gatherings, requisition buildings, vehicles and medicines and allowing police to detain people for medical tests. The bill also allows the quarantine of people suspected of having bird flu or other pandemic diseases.
"We've never seen anything like this -- ever." Thousands of ducks mysteriously dying in Idaho 13 Dec 2006 Officials scrambled on Wednesday to determine what has caused the deaths of thousands of mallard ducks in south-central Idaho near the Utah border. Wildlife experts have sent samples to government labs to test for the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain, among other pathogens. Officials with the federal Bureau of Homeland Security [?!?] have been also called in to help with the probe.
Forced vaccines and quarantines are being signed into law as we 'debate' the solution to Bush's war in Iraq: Senate approves Burr's bioterrorism bill --Critics warn about the effects of 'secret vaccine production' 06 Dec 2006 The Senate passed a bill last night [S.3678] sponsored by Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., that would create a new federal agency to combat [foment] bioterrorism. The bill to establish the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, commonly referred to as BARDA, passed by unanimous consent.