Bird

First Human Bird-Flu Death Confirmed In China

China has officially confirmed its first human death from bird flu - a 24-year-old farmer from the eastern province of Anhui. The woman became sick after an outbreak of bird flu among poultry in her village in Zongyang county and died Nov 10, // the health ministry said, according to a report Thursday by the state-run Xinhua news agency. It is likely, however, that the woman'...

Human Bird Flu Cases Total 130: WHO

With laboratory confirmations of new bird flu cases in China and Indonesia, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that on November 17, 130 humans had been stricken with the H5N1 // avian influenza virus that has resulted in the death or destruction of more than 150 million birds. More than half the people infected – 67 – have died from the disease. WHO affirms the announc...

Killing two birds (cholesterol and Alzheimers disease) with the same stone

Treating cholesterol can also help in slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s’ disease. The study was published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry // . The research team assessed the degree of brain function loss caused by Alzheimer’s disease in 342 patients attending a memory clinic. They then monitored the progress of the disease for almost three years. The average...

Vaccination to fowl in Vietnam reduced the spread of bird flu

In Vietnam some regions are under the possible threat of bird flu infection and some cities are free from bird flu infection. //Bird flu samples collected from the delta regions of Dong Thap and An Giang have been tested negative to the bird flu virus strain. These regions and other regions are free from infection which were the main source of infecting grounds in the last years epidemic...

Farm boy's death raises human bird flu fears in Turkey

A 14-year-old Turkish boy who worked on a poultry farm and was one of six people tested for bird flu died on Sunday, and his sister was in a critical // and worsening condition, doctors said. Doctors are still waiting for test results and could not immediately confirm whether the fatality was caused by bird flu. If confirmed, it would be the first human fatality in Turkey from the viru...

Indonesia Claims To Have Arrested The Bird Flu.

Bird flu that made news recently due to its wide spreading nature across the world. But now Indonesia claims to have put an end to its // spread across the country. The health minister pointed out that previously there were21 provinces a...

WHO warns that Asia is at high risk of Bird flu

World Health Organization feels that Asia is facing an increased threat of bird flu as new cases of bird flu infections pour in. Dr. Shigeru Omi, Regional Director, WHO Western Pacific has said though// Asian countries are planning and working to combat bird flu spread but feels that still a lot should have been done and should be done to prevent bird flu spread. It is estimated that 77 d...

BioCryst’s Bird Flu Drug Enjoys Fast-Track Review By FD

A new drug, peramivir, claimed to be a highly potent formulation for combating the virulent forms of the H5N1 bird flu virus has been credited with a fast-track review by the Food and Drug Administration. // This novel drug, produced by the pharmaceutical company BioCryst can be injected intravenously. Promising results have been obtained from drug trials conducted against different...

So (y) Good: Soy Meal Takes-Off After Bird-Flu Crisis

Mumbai: Soy meal is finding itself in myriad plates and palates. People are moving on and Soy meal is fast becoming a chosen, safe substitute for protein, after the bird-flu crisis and the resultant fear of tucking into chicken. // Soy exports have never been so good. In March alone, India’s soy meal exports crossed 750,000 tones, breaking past records compared to 225,000 tones duri...

Prevention better than fire-fighting. Hong Kong Beefs Up Precaution Against Bird-Flu

HONG KONG: Hong Kong is taking all precautionary measures against bird-flu, having fully understood the ramifications of the bird-flu crisis on the economic health. After bouncing back with an envious economic health, // a bird-flu crisis is the last thing needed so authorities are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the flu never enters, even by fluke! A new central poultry sla...

Britain Prepares For Mass Burials To Encounter Future Bird Flu Deaths

According to a leaked government document, it is stated that Britain needs to prepare itself to mass bury the dead bodies, if encountered with the pandemic flu sometime in// the future. It has been estimated that nearly one third of a million people will die if bird flu strikes in Britain. The document titled Managing Excess Deaths in an Influenza Pandemic, according to Life Style Extra,...

Bird Flu Deters Hunters in Russia

In Russia due to the fear of avian flu epidemic the spring bird hunt was cancelled. The local officials on Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula have banned the seasonal hunt.// Usually the spring bird hunt is scheduled to start between April 26 and May 7 and end on May 5 to 14, depending on the area. But now the RIA Novosti news agency reported that this event w...

Bird Flu Not The Cause For Mysterious Bird Deaths

The mysterious deaths of hundreds of birds in Peshawar and adjacent areas have been cleared of bird flu. // Sending hundreds of blood samples to the National Veterinary Research Laboratory, Islamabad for testing the Livestock Disease Investigation chief said that no case of bird flu was detected in the mysteriously dead birds. The deaths of the birds had scared the people of the area foll...

Birds breed viruses

It has been known for some time that a wide range of influenza viruses circulate in wild birds.However, only two types have ever been known to infect humans. These are two subtypes of the influenza A virus known as (H5N1) and (H9N2). The first human case of the disease was reported in Hong Kong in mid-May . The outbreak - of the H5N1 sub-type - went on to kill six people and infect 12...

WHO Issues Caution Against Bird Flu Epidemic

WHO had urged the people to be prepared for any outbreak of Avian Influenza, commonly called bird flu. Although the //disease mainly spreads from birds to other animal species, even to humans, WHO is skeptical that the strain of virus that causes bird flu may soon mutate itself to a form that may spread the disease human to human, and cause an influenza outbreak that human immunity will b...

Bird flu infection spreads from Asia to Europe

Recent reports of Bird flu outbreak in Russia was spread by infected migratory birds. H5N1 avian influenza virus attack in the Chinese province for the past three months, and earlier outbreaks, which occurred in Southeast Asia, is moving towards European countries. Earlier reports of the virus// attacking Poultry in Russia and in Kazakhstan killing more than 6,000 birds and caused a su...

SARS (Bird Flu) spreading in the Asian continent

The turn of the century started with a big bang, bringing hope and aspirations for people// around the world. However, fate and nature had ideas of their own. 2001 opened with it Pandora ’s Box of both natural disasters and man made ones. The first internationally reported disaster was in 2000 on February 1st in California when a jet bound for S.F plugged into the sea. Soon after a...

Bird Flu Strains Detected In Wild Birds Of Mongolia

Scientists from US department of Agriculture had found the strains of bird flu disease in the wild migratory birds in Mongolia. This is for the first time the disease of avian influenza had been detected in any strain of wild birds // that have no contact with the domestic poultry, or waterfowl. The team of researchers from Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) had collected samples from...

Bird Flu Risk In Europe, Middle East And Africa

The UN food agency has issued notice urging countries to intensify surveillance and prepare for emergencies due to risk of spread of Bird Flu Virus from Asian countries to Europe, Middle East and Africa.// Though the initial risk would be for the poultry animals they are wide chances of the virus may mutate and may cause infections to humans. Mutation of the virus is very dangerous an...

Virus May Check Spread Of Bird Flu

According to researchers at Purdue University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, virus may be used to check the spread of bird flu in human beings. Purdue molecular virologists are investigating // a new way to provide immunity against avian influenza viruses, or bird flu, the most lethal of which, H5N1, has a 50 percent fatality rate in humans. The researchers are focus...

Health and Human Services stockpiles 20 million bird flu Vaccines

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) plans to stock vaccines and anti-viral drugs for 20 million people has come under strong criticism for the past some days by Infectious Diseases // Society of America and other critics who say that the stocks are not enough and HHS should stock at least 100 million vaccine stocks in order to effectively prevent flu pandemic. HHS earlier ann...

Global Outbreak Of Bird Flu Warning By Chinese Scientist

A large scale global outbreak of bird flu can occur any time given the current conditions, a Chinese scientist has warned. "It's bird flu that renders the current situation so // serious," said Zhong Nanshan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. He said a mutated flu virus might present a more dangerous threat, Prensa Latina news agency reported. Bird Flu or avian i...

Increased demand for Bird flu anti-viral drug world wide

Due to fears of large scale global outbreak of bird flu that can occur any time given the current conditions world wide people have started stock piling and storing stocks of bird flu vaccines and anti-viral drugs//. Even the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) plans to stock vaccines and anti-viral drugs for 20 million people. Bird Flu or avian influenza has infected more t...

Speed up bird flu vaccine, Bush tells experts

The prospects of a bird flu pandemic has created a stir worldwide with US President George Bush getting in on the act and urging vaccine developers to speed up the process of developing a vaccine to combat the same. // Representatives of more than 80 countries and international organizations met in Washington on Thursday to discuss ways to prevent bird flu pandemic. Health officials i...

People seek reassurance in facemasks following threats of bird flu epidemic

Although there has been an incredible and alarming rise in human cases of bird flu, causing increasing fear of a global pandemic, there seems to be a strong resolve in the scientific community to combat this impending and much // dreaded pandemic. Concern about bird flu has risen since October 5 when scientists from the U.S. Army and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention repo...

First Bird flu case reported in Turkey

The Turkish Farm Minister reported the CNN that first case of bird flu has been reported in Turkey. The first case of bird flu in Europe has been reported from farm in Balikesir province near the Aegean Sea in Western Turkey//. Following the news of bird flu all farm animals and birds are being slaughtered in order to prevent the spread of the disease and possible transmission to humans....

Bird Flu Meet called by France for EU Countries

Paris, Oct 11 Recent reports of bird flu from Turkey and Romania have alerted the , French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy to have an urgent meet of European Union ministers to coordinate decisions on fighting the illness.// Douste-Blazy, a physician by profession told France 2 television: “This is an animal epidemic. The bird flu virus is in the process of spreading and has...

India May not Face Bird Flu Outbreak

October 16, 2005: India may have escaped from the Bird Flu epidemic that is causing chaos in Turkey and Romania currently. It is known that migratory birds are carrying the viral strain H5N1//. The migratory bird ‘Bar-headed geese’ usually migrate to India in winter and were affected by the deadly virus strain H5N1 that can kill human beings. So far the strain has killed 60 peopl...

Indian Government warns Gujarat regarding possibility of bird flu

The Gujarat government has been warned against suspected carriers of the dreaded bird flu virus. The Indian Government has issued a warning to raise awareness in the State. //More than 60 people have died due to the H5N1 strain of bird flu in the Southeast Asia since 2003."The central government has alerted the state animal husbandry department to watch out for birds specially from Southe...

India preparing to counteract bird flu threat

Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss are to convene a high level meeting on how India can face the problem of bird flu epidemic. //Awareness of bird flu and rush for anti-viral drugs are very less in India compared to the Western countries. The World Health Organization has sent necessary directions to India to start getting prepared to face...

Results Of Human Trials Of Hungarian Bird-Flu Vaccine Expected Today

BUDAPEST - In what is the first promising news regarding the deadly bird flu virus, the Hungarian veterinary services department (ANTSZ) has said that a prototype //of a vaccine developed against the disease was proving effective against birds. 'The effectiveness of the prototype vaccine against the Asian H5N1 strain of bird flu is proved among poultry and so it can be used to vaccina...

Bird Flu Survivor Recounts her ‘hell

A woman from Thailand who was infected by H5N1 bird flu virus and managed to survive recounts her story of being 'in hell'.// 27 years old Pranom Thongchan, of Srisomboon, central Thailand, tells her horrific story on how she watched first her chickens dying... Then it was her niece who coughed blood as she passed away in her mother's arms. And just after a few days the virus attacked he...

Drug companies in India keen on developing bird flu drug

The government is likely to invoke the compulsory licensing (CL) provision in the Patents Act that would enable domestic drug //firms to produce and stockpile Swiss drug maker Roche’s patented drug Tamiflu, useful in combating the global threat against the most dreaded avian flu virus. Section 92 empowers the government to issue CL without receipt of an application from the industry....

Birds Flu Scare Reaches Germany

The discovery by a young boy of 22 dead geese at a pond in western Germany has raised fears that avian flu// may have already found its way into the country, though officials are urging the public to remain calm. Firemen from the town of Neuwied wore biological protection suits to scoop up the carcasses at a flooded gravel pit Monday evening and take them in metal boxes to the laborator...

Indian Health Minister interested to import bird flu vaccine

Following high level meeting between Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss// on measures to be taken for facing a bird flu epidemic in India, Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss Tuesday said India would import the Tamiflu vaccine to prevent bird flu in the country. Following earlier directions from WHO to India to step up necessary precautionar...

Bhitarkanika Sanctuary In Orissa Takes Precaution To Monitor Bird Flu

The risk of Bird flu incidence into Bhitarkanika Sanctuary in Orissa is very high as migratory birds are expected// to arrive in this sanctuary in an other 2-3 weeks. Bhitarkanika Sanctuary is about 174 km from Bhubaneswar, Orissa which has nearly 300,000 migratory birds arrive from all parts of the world during winter, the sanctuary also as a collection of very large mangrove forests and...

Chiron Corporation Gets US Contract To Produce Bird Flu Vaccines

There is an increased Gold rush for Bird flu vaccines and drugs world wide with increased demand in United States.// Due to shortage of vaccines for bird flu vaccines the US has given contract to the Pharmaceutical Company Chiron Corporation to produce Bird flu vaccine. The contract is worth $62.5 million to produce the vaccines to encounter the demand. US Health Secretary Mike Leavitt s...

Kerala Government is in High Alert for Bird Flu

There is a wide spread of alert following the possible anticipation that migratory birds may reach Kerala, as lot of migratory birds visit Kerala during winter. // Though early officials where happy about the change in direction by some of the migratory birds from not coming to India this winter like, the migratory bird ‘Bar-headed geese’ usually migrate to India in winter and were affect...

Mizoram Prepares To Combat Bird Flu

Aizawl: Mizoram the border state of the country has strictly prohibited the import of chicken and other birds from its neighboring country Myanmar to combat the ongoing was against Bird flu in India. // Mizoram has a long (404-kms) international border with Myanmar and there is frequently trade between the locals across the border. Mr. C Sangnghina, The Director of State Animal Husband...

No Threat of Bird Flu Assures Govt

NEW DELHI: The government of India has today assured that there was no real threat of Bird Flu (Avian Influenza) in the country // The government has set up a nationwide surveillance system to keep a close eye on the on the domestic poultry population and migratory birds and to constantly monitor the situation in the country and take appropriate action as and when required....