Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)

Feb 17, 2009

Vietnam reports new H5N1 caseA Vietnamese man has tested positive for H5N1 avian influenza, according to an Associated Press (AP) story today. The 35-year-old man from Ninh Binh province in the north developed a fever Feb. 5 after slaughtering and eating several ducks that his family had raised, said a provincial health official. If confirmed by the World Health Organization, his case would be the country's 109th overall and second this year.

(CIDRAP News) – A spokesman for Panasonic Corp. said today that the company had no proprietary information about any increased risk of an influenza pandemic in December 2008 when it instructed some of its overseas employees to send their families back to Japan by September.

Feb 12, 2009

Indonesia reports H5N1 outbreak on BaliAn animal health official on Indonesia's Bali island reported an H5N1 outbreak in chickens in Badung district, which led to the recent culling of 133 birds, the Jakarta Globe reported today. A man who experienced flu-like symptoms after he was exposed to sick birds was treated with oseltamivir and appears to be improving, the report said.

(CIDRAP News) – News reports that Panasonic Corp. has asked some of its overseas employees to send their families home to Japan because of the threat of pandemic influenza fueled puzzlement and speculation today about the global H5N1 risk and whether other companies might follow suit.

(CIDRAP News) – Egypt's health ministry reported that an 18-month-old Egyptian boy has been hospitalized with an H5N1 avian influenza infection, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported today, following news reports yesterday that a 23-year-old Vietnamese woman is also battling the virus.

Feb 9, 2009