Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)

NEWS SCAN: H5N1 deaths in Cambodia, FAO avian flu warning, finding flu vaccine, severe respiratory infection in kids, polio team attack

Jan 29, 2013

Cambodia reports 2 more H5N1 cases, both fatal

(CIDRAP News) – Two Cambodian children died of H5N1 avian influenza infections today, raising the nation's 2013 H5N1 death toll to four and its case total to five, according to an Associated Press (AP) report.

Cambodia has had more H5N1 cases and deaths this month than in all of 2012, when, according to World Health Organization figures, there were three cases, all fatal.

Robert Roos

Cambodia reports three H5N1 illnesses, two fatal

(CIDRAP News) – Cambodia's health ministry today announced three new H5N1 avian influenza cases, two of them fatal and all located in the southwestern part of the country with exposure to poultry, according to a joint statement from the ministry and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The cases are the world's first to surface in 2013 and push the number of H5N1 infections in Cambodia since 2005 to 24, which includes 21 deaths.

Lisa Schnirring

NIH panel supports stronger safeguards for H5N1 research

(CIDRAP News) – A federal advisory committee yesterday recommended increased biosafety precautions for research involving H5N1 avian influenza viruses that can spread among mammals, a step that stems from the ongoing controversy over studies involving lab-modified H5N1 strains that show increased transmissibility in ferrets.

Robert Roos

Research moratorium on modified H5N1 viruses ends

(CIDRAP News) – A year-long voluntary moratorium on research involving transmissible H5N1 avian flu viruses ended today with a letter from a group of scientists that supports resuming the work in countries that have addressed the biosafety issues involved.

Lisa Schnirring