News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – The number of reported H5N1 avian influenza outbreaks in poultry and wild birds has decreased since mid 2011 and was down sharply in the second quarter of this year, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a quarterly update on the ongoing situation.

(CIDRAP News) – A large, eight-nation study today reported worrisome levels of tuberculosis (TB) resistant to first- and second-line drugs, along with higher-than-expected levels of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) TB.

(CIDRAP News) – US influenza activity declined overall and in most regions last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported today, while Northern Hemisphere flu activity in general continued to fall.

(CIDRAP News) – Flu activity in many Northern Hemisphere countries continued its late-season rise last week, with areas such as the United States, Canada, and Europe reporting steady increases.

Though flu activity overall is low, notable increases are occurring in North America, western Europe, and northern China, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today.