Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)

(CIDRAP News) – The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed that a 30-year-old man who died in late April was Indonesia's 25th avian influenza fatality.

(CIDRAP News) – The latest human infected with H5N1 avian influenza died of the infection yesterday in Egypt, while a leading influenza expert called H5N1 the worst flu virus he has seen.

(CIDRAP News) – The Ivory Coast government this week confirmed the presence of H5N1 avian influenza in birds, making it at least the sixth African country confronting the virus, according to news services.

(CIDRAP News) – A new study suggests that the antiviral drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu) can prevent deaths in ferrets infected with H5N1 avian influenza, according to reports today from an avian flu conference in Singapore.

News of the study's findings came as the World Health Organization (WHO) reported Egypt's 13th human case of H5N1 illness.

(CIDRAP News) – In an effort to modernize vaccine production while preparing for an influenza pandemic, the US government today awarded five contracts totaling more than $1 billion to develop cell-based technologies for making flu vaccines.

(CIDRAP News) – The White House today released a lengthy new plan describing how the government intends to cope with an influenza pandemic, but officials continued to stress their standard message that states and communities will have to rely mainly on themselves in that situation, with the federal government in an advisory role.

(CIDRAP News) – An Indonesian man whose death was attributed to H5N1 avian influenza will bring Indonesia's death toll from the virus to 25, if his case is confirmed outside the country.

The man reportedly had come into contact with his neighbor's infected chickens in Tangerang, 25 miles west of Jakarta, according to a CNN.com story on Apr 28.

(CIDRAP News) – A mild form of avian influenza virus found on three poultry farms in Britain has infected one farm worker and prompted culls on the farms.

(CIDRAP News) – China reported its 18th human case of H5N1 avian influenza today as Ivory Coast awaited the results of tests that will tell whether it is Africa's latest country faced with outbreaks in poultry.

(CIDRAP News) – European countries' plans for coping with an influenza pandemic are generally good but have a number of gaps, including a lack of detail on distribution of drugs and supplies, according to an analysis published last week by The Lancet.