Bird Flu in Australia - Crikey Mate

The dumb things scientists do and not from wild birds lies the biggest risk of getting Bird Flu.

Who could imagine tinkering with the world's most deadly disease and forgetting to check your suit - not once, not by one person but three scientists.

Yes you read this right - a suit without a air filter, shared by three scientists who did not notice. All while working with infected ducks infected with a SouthEast Asian strain of the avian flu.

'No worries mate' in true Australian crocodile hunter style; they sent all the scientists home to see what would happen.

The three are back at work now - that is the scientists not the ducks - I understand the ducks are Ok too.

Lucky there is plenty of water between here and Australia.

www.abc.net.au/news
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Bird flu information

To Tamiflu or Not to Tamiflu

With Avian bird flu about to awaken from it's annual sleep cycle what is the best approach for protection. Is it to inoculate now 'priming' the immune systems of potential victims such as taking place in Asia. Or to stockpile anti-viral drugs ready for a pandemic outbreak - the Swedish example.

And just what will happen if the world stockpile of two-day lasting Tamiflu (Oseltamivir phosphate) is suddenly ingested by the healthy population.

Given that most of the drug taken at commencement of a pandemic will be excreted and find it's way into the sewer systems and eventually the worlds waterways, what effect will that have on the bird population using those waterways.

Is it conceivable that the success of preventing the first pandemic using anti-viral drugs will ultimately lead to a more devastating pandemic in subsequent years due to drug resistant mutations occurring - like those expected today.

What other damage and mutations will this widespread environmental dispersal of Tamiflu cause.

Research on collateral damage reported by Medical Newstoday

Swedish Stockpile Tamiflu

Bird Flu Symptoms

US Blinks First in Bird Flu Standoff

U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (an agency of the US Department of Health and Human Services) says it 'regrets the recent delays in the transfer of avian influenza virus samples...' according to The Peoples Daily Online. Apparently China have offered birdflu virus samples to the CDC to help further research but their offer has been stonewalled by paperwork and bureaucracy.

Internet media sources had placed their wager on the cause of the standoff, now blamed on paperwork and procedures, on China, citing the SARS virus outbreak and other delays in receiving virus samples.

The CDC it is claimed though, goes on to say 'it appreciates the willingness of the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture to share the virus samples'. This reads like some serious wordsmithing.

Even with this almost apology, it took Chinese news stories claiming American labs was the cause of the delay to force a response and action from the CDC.

So why then the delay, did the CDC really stonewall the importation of virus samples from China, if so why?.

More on the blame game
More on h5n1 bird flu

Biota - How to Lose Money on Bird Flu

Australia based Biota pulled revenues of $5.2m in royalties from the bird flu drug Relenza.

Unfortunately their battle with Glaxo Smith Kline has cost $8m over the last two years leaving meagre pickings for shareholders with yet another an annual net loss in excess of $10m.

Just how is it that in times of a pandemic of news and fear spreading, with governments speeding millions on vaccines for avian flu protection, can an organisation involved in bird flu vaccines be so successful at throwing away shareholder funds?

More from The Age

India - Leads with Bird Flu and Call Centers

Following the move from obscurity to superiority worldwide in technology based call centers, India has moved to stake a claim in the lucrative world of vaccine.

Competing with the likes of multi-billion dollar Roche and in just 6-months, a low cost bird flu vaccine.

At a predicted 35 paise retail per dose (US$ 0.65) and with six months protection the $160 million investment appears to have paved the way for bird vaccination instead of eradication.

More on India's own bird flu vaccine at just 35 paise from DailyIndia.com

BirdFlu Like a Dell Notebook

Just as uncomfortable as a Dell notebook sitting in your lap waiting for the exploding battery to wake you up. .. lock up your battery birds the bird flu is about to hit the news fan again.

Migrating birds flying into Turkey in October last year marked the first signs of H5N1 spreading. Not Turkeys of course but migrating birds putting at risk the poultry battery hens we all want to protect.

Vaccinate them all now is the bleat from the flock of Nature Observers Association (NOA) members, no mention of an Ark though.

Has anyone really considered the logistics of vaccinating every friendly bird in the world and who decides the bad ones - well Dell are recalling all the laptops?

http://www.zaman.com/?bl=national&alt=&hn=35900

Breeding Bird Flu Test Fails

Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), have tried to combine a common human flu virus with H5N1 Avian bird flu and have failed to make it spread.

You can read about this study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, August 2.

Whilst some could argue the sense in tinkering with deadly viruses to try to make a human spreadable version, at least this experiment goes some of the way to reducing the fear propaganda used by large corporates to line their pockets with our hard-earned cash.

More on the story from Medical News Today
More on Bird Flu Symptoms

ICAR Have Bird Flu Vaccine

Latest news on Bird Flu vaccines for H5N1 advises that India is about to cash in on the potential pandemic.

"The Indian Council of Agriculture Research says it has developed a vaccine against bird flu. It said the Animal Disease Laboratory in Bhopal developed the vaccine in a record time of four months.The vaccine is aimed at fighting H5N1 virus and the spread of bird flu within the same species, but independent scientists have not yet verified it."

Adding to the being the call centre captial of the IT world your syringe could be just a FexEx away.

Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America

It was only a matter of time before the bird flu pandemic hit the silver screens.

Biohazard suits, African villagers dead you can imagine the plot with a touch of reality following wide spread publicity about the H5N1 virus.

In Pennsylvania the Health Secretary has even timed the launch of a new web site on the Avian pandemic with the expected release of the film.

Expect more confusion now as people consider whether the threat from birdflu is real or just hype.

Reuters, on the birdflu movie