14/07/06

Bird flu update: 17 July 2006

Checking poultry samples for bird flu at the National Institute for Animal Health, Thailand Copyright: FAO

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Below is a roundup of the key developments on the spread of the bird flu virus (H5N1) and the threat it poses to human health. Each title is a link to the full article.

Click here to see the latest World Health Organization (WHO) figures of confirmed human cases.


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Monday 17 July 2006
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G8 backs Russian plan for bird flu control centre
Leaders of the G8 nations have backed a plan to build a WHO centre in Russia to help fight the spread of bird flu in Eurasia and Central Asia (Source: Xinhua).


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Sunday 16 July 2006
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Local tests show Indonesian man died of bird flu
A 44-year-old Indonesian who died four days ago has tested positive for bird flu, according to a local health ministry official (Source: Reuters).

Russia to have 60 million bird flu vaccine doses by September
Russia expects to have 60 million doses of a vaccine against bird flu in humans by September, the health minister told the G8 summit (Source: Bloomberg).


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Saturday 15 July 2006
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Seven Thai provinces on bird flu watch list
Thailand has stepped up bird flu surveillance in seven provinces during the hot, monsoon season when the virus could re-emerge, a senior government official said (Source: Reuters).

WHO says work on pandemic flu vaccines must start now
Work on vaccines against a pandemic strain of flu must start immediately, even though the effectiveness of the vaccines might not be known until after a global outbreak is over, say the WHO (Source: Bloomberg).


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Friday 14 July 2006
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Tests confirm Indonesian child died of bird flu
The WHO has confirmed that a 3-year-old girl from Jakarta died of H5N1 avian flu after handling dead chickens (Source: WHO).

EU says cash now flowing to meet bird flu aid pledge
Cash has started to flow from the European Commission to help the developing world prepare for a bird flu pandemic, some six months after it was pledged, officials said (Source: Reuters).

Indonesia fires bird flu official
Indonesia has fired its top animal health official; the country has failed to control its outbreaks of bird flu (Source: Associated Press).

Launch of international animal disease crisis centre
The UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the World Organization for Animal Health are to open a crisis management centre in Rome, Italy, to help improve control of bird flu (Source: FAO).


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Thursday 13 July 2006
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Fresh calls for data sharing after bird flu mutations
News that the bird flu virus that killed seven Indonesians in May mutated as it spread between them has led to calls for greater sharing of viral genetic data (Source: SciDev.Net).

Indonesian doctor urges fast bird flu test in humans
A rapid test for bird flu infections in humans is key for existing treatments to be more effective, says a doctor from a hospital in Jakarta treating patients with the disease (Source: Reuters).


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Wednesday 12 July 2006
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Brunei prince calls for coordination against bird flu
The crown prince and senior minister at Brunei’s Prime Minister’s office stressed the importance of coordination between government agencies in the country’s national plan to face bird flu (Source: BruneiDirect.com).


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Tuesday 11 July 2006
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Bangladesh centre plans lab to detect bird flu
An international research centre for infectious diseases is planning to open a laboratory in Bangladesh to detect outbreaks of bird flu and develop a low-cost vaccine to protect poultry (Source: Reuters).

Early detection and immediate culling best to control bird flu
Immediate culling of infected birds and detecting the virus early are the best ways to control an outbreak of avian flu on farms, say researchers (Source: Reuters).


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Monday 10 July 2006
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India says local bird flu vaccine is nearly ready
India is close to developing a vaccine against avian flu in poultry with final phase trials showing 90 per cent success, the head of the country’s top animal disease research laboratory said (Source: Reuters).

Vietnam to lift ban on duck farming
Vietnam will soon lift a ban on raising ducks because no outbreaks of bird flu in poultry have been reported since December, an agriculture ministry official said (Source: The China Post).

Vietnam to develop local H5N1 vaccine for poultry
Vietnam’s prime minister has approved a US$975,000 project that aims to develop a H5N1 vaccine to protect poultry (Source: VietNamNet).