08/06/07

Bird flu update: 11 June 2007

Malaysia has had a recent bird flu outbreak Copyright: FAO

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Below is a round-up 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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Sunday 10 June 2007
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Two in quarantine in Malaysia
Two people are in quarantine in Malaysia with symptoms of bird flu following a recent outbreak of H5N1 in poultry, the Malaysian health minister has announced (source: Reuters).


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Saturday 9 June 2007
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Egyptian girl dies from bird flu
A ten-year-old girl from the Egyptian town of Qena has died from bird flu, bringing the country’s total deaths to 15. It is the first death in the country for two months (source: Reuters).


WHO confirms Indonesian girl’s death
The WHO confirmed that the death of a 16-year-old Indonesian girl last week was due to H5N1 bird flu (29 May) (source: Reuters).


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Friday 8 June 2007
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Human waste poses new transmission threat
Doctors in Hanoi, Vietnam have discovered that the H5N1 virus is present in the stool as well as the throat and gastric juices of infected patients, raising the possibility that the virus could be spread through human waste (source: VietNamNet).


Asian nations promise to share samples
Health ministers from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation have promised to share H5N1 virus samples after a two-day meeting in Sydney, Australia (source: Reuters).


Pandemic could impact Asian economies
Fear of disease outbreaks such as bird flu could have a devastating impact on Asian economies, health ministers from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation said at a two-day meeting in Sydney, Australia (source: Reuters).


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Thursday 7 June 2007
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Australia appeals to Asia for virus sharing
Australia called on Asia-Pacific nations not to let national pride or commercial self-interest stand in the way of developing bird flu vaccines (source: Reuters).


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Wednesday 6 June 2007
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Malaysia finds bird flu in chickens
Malaysian authorities reported finding H5N1-infected chickens in a village near the capital, Kuala Lumpur. It is the first occurrence in the country since March 2006 (source: Reuters).


Ghana needs US$14 million for bird flu response
The Ghanaian minister for food and agriculture says the country needs US$14 million to stop the H5N1 virus from spreading (source: Accra Daily News).


Indonesia has vaccine for chickens
Indonesia has secured 70 million doses of bird flu vaccine, which can be used to vaccinate up to 290 million chickens, said a spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture (source: Xinhua).


Indonesia fears H5N1 mutation, WHO unworried
The H5N1 virus may have undergone a mutation that makes it more able to infect humans, according to the head of the Indonesian bird flu control commission. But the WHO says it has found no evidence that the virus is infecting people more easily (source: Reuters).

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Tuesday 5 June 2007
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UNICEF to distribute bird flu kits
UNICEF will distribute 100,000 bird flu prevention kits to Indonesia containing masks, gloves and soap, as well as street banners, booklets and short films explaining how to prevent and control the disease (source: UNICEF).


Vietnam to test H5N1 vaccine in humans
The Vietnamese government has agreed in principle to test a locally made H5N1 vaccine in humans, according to the Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology in Hanoi (source: Saigon GP Daily).


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Monday 4 June 2007
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Chinese soldier dies from bird flu
The WHO confirmed that the death of a 19-year-old Chinese soldier was from bird flu, bringing the country’s human death toll to 16 (source: Reuters).