Jan 10, 2012
Indonesian man dies from H5N1
A 24-year-old Jakarta man has died from H5N1 avian flu, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported today. Indonesia's health ministry head of communicable diseases, Tjandra Yoga Aditama, said tests confirmed that the man, who died Jan 7, had H5N1 flu. The man likely contracted the disease from birds living around his house, according to the story. Neighbors said the man's family kept pigeons in their home, and Aditama said officials were awaiting lab results on the birds. Yesterday the Jakarta Post reported that the man died en route to a hospital in Tangerang, on the outskirts of Jakarta. He had been turned away from Sulianto Suroso Infectious Diseases Hospital in Jakarta, which has a unit for handling avian flu cases, because of a full intensive care unit, the story said. It also reported that the man's mother said he had had contact with a sick pigeon before he became ill, and that he had a high fever since Dec 31. If confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO), the case will raise Indonesia's H5N1 numbers to 183 cases and 151 deaths, a case-fatality rate of 83%. The case would raise the nation's 2011 count to 12 cases, including 10 deaths.
Jan 9 Jakarta Post story
Jan 5 WHO H5N1 global case count
Report foresees rising seasonal flu vaccine market
Renub Research, a market research firm based in the United States and India, announced today that it expects the global flu vaccine market to surpass $4 billion by 2015, according to a press release from ReportLinker, a search engine that provides access to a host of private and public reports. The group detailed its findings in a market report available on its Web site for $1,100. It says the global flu vaccine market grew 65% between 2008 and 2010, driven mainly by orders for the 2009 H1N1 pandemic vaccine. Though the market for the pandemic vaccine declined in 2011, the market for the seasonal vaccine is expected to grow each year. The United States was the biggest customer for flu vaccines in 2010, with brands like GlaxoSmithKline's Fluarix and Flulaval being among the top sellers. The group said that flu vaccines are important in both developed and developing countries and projected that seasonal flu vaccine sales will rise significantly over the next 5 to 6 years.
Jan 10 ReportLinker press release
