Pandemic Influenza

(CIDRAP News) – The role of state officials in an influenza pandemic has been hazy, but the focus became clearer yesterday when the National Governors Association (NGA) released a guide that spells out key planning issues for top state officials.

(CIDRAP News) – Novartis, the Swiss-based drug manufacturer, today announced plans to build what it says will be the first US plant to make cell-culture-based influenza vaccines.

The facility will be built in Holly Springs, N.C., at a total cost of about $600 million, the company said in a news release. It will be able to produce about 50 million doses of seasonal trivalent (three-strain) flu vaccine annually.

(CIDRAP News) – The federal government on Jun 30 announced a subsidy to help states buy the antiviral drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu) to build stockpiles in preparation for a potential influenza pandemic, but so far, few states have said they intend to use the program.

Editor's note: This story was expanded Jul 13 to include additional information on how the HHS funds can be used and when they will be awarded.

(CIDRAP News) – The federal government today announced plans to distribute $225 million to states for pandemic influenza preparedness, the second round of grants for that purpose this year.

(CIDRAP News) – In an update on pandemic influenza preparedness efforts, the federal government said last week it had stockpiled enough vaccine against H5N1 avian influenza virus to inoculate about 4 million people and enough antiviral medication to treat about 6.3 million.

(CIDRAP News) – The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday published its first epidemiologic analysis of all laboratory-confirmed cases of H5N1 avian influenza reported to the agency between Dec 1, 2003, and Apr 30, 2006.

Though the quality, reliability, and format of the surveillance data varied by country, the WHO notes in its report that the conclusions are still useful for tracking disease patterns and planning future studies.

(CIDRAP News) – The First International Conference on Avian Influenza in Humans held in Paris this week brought reports on a possible new treatment for avian flu symptoms, the potential global economic impact of a pandemic, and plans for a task force to coordinate Europe's response to the disease.

(CIDRAP News) – An influenza pandemic would reduce the gross domestic products of the world's major economies by amounts ranging from 9% in China to 3% in Canada, according to a recent report by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE).

(CIDRAP News) – An emergency appropriations bill that cleared Congress yesterday provides another $2.3 billion for pandemic influenza preparedness, including $250 million for state and local efforts.

With this measure, Congress has now provided $6.1 billion of the $7.1 billion President Bush requested for pandemic preparations last November. Congress approved a $3.8 billion package in late December.

(CIDRAP News) – Australian officials who coordinated an exercise Jun 7 and 8 on pandemic influenza response among Asia-Pacific nations called the drill a success, according to an Agence France-Presse (AFP) story today.