Pandemic News and Research

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A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. During a pandemic, transmission can be anticipated in the workplace, not only from patient to workers in health care settings, but also among co-workers in general work settings. A pandemic would cause high levels of illness, death, social disruption, and economic loss. Everyday life would be disrupted because so many people in so many places become seriously ill at the same time. Impacts could range from school and business closings to the interruption of basic services such as public transportation and food delivery.

FDA approves FluLaval

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved FluLaval, an influenza vaccine to immunize people 18 years of age and older against the disease caused by strains of influenza virus judged likely to cause seasonal flu in the Northern Hemisphere in 2006-2007.

5 Oct 2006

New bird flu vaccine promises to offer cross-protection

Early clinical trials of a new bird flu vaccine have produced promising results and a phase 3 trial of the cell-based H5N1 flu vaccine is expected to take place early next year.

4 Oct 2006

Another bird flu outbreak in China

China's Ministry of Agriculture says scientists have confirmed an outbreak of bird flu has killed 1,000 domestic poultry in a village in China's northwest.

4 Oct 2006

FDA issues guidance for development of cell-based viral vaccines

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued new guidance to aid manufacturers in developing safe and effective cell-based viral vaccines.

28 Sep 2006

WHO influenza pandemic task force meets for first time

The World Health Organization (WHO) Influenza Pandemic Task Force (IPTF) met for the first time on 25 September at WHO Headquarters in Geneva.

28 Sep 2006

New clues about virulence of 1918 influenza virus

The first comprehensive analysis of an animal's immune response to the 1918 influenza virus provides new insights into the killer flu, report federally supported scientists in an article appearing online in the journal Nature.

28 Sep 2006

Bill to allow U.S. residents to bring prescription drugs across the Canadian border

Mary Agnes Carey, associate editor of CQ HealthBeat, discusses an appropriations bill that would allow U.S. residents to bring prescription drugs across the Canadian border, legislation to reauthorize NIH and the pending approval of Andrew von Eschenbach to head FDA in this week's "Health on the Hill from kaisernetwork.org and CQ."

26 Sep 2006

Indonesia's death toll from bird flu now at 51

Indonesia's death toll from bird flu has now reached 51 with the death last week of a young child from South Jakarta.

25 Sep 2006

USAID Administrator Randall Tobias on bird flu spread

In the past year, the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus moved rapidly outside of Southeast Asia and spread into Europe, Eurasia, and Africa.

21 Sep 2006

Montana wild bird samples undergo additional avian influenza tests

The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Interior today announced a detection of the H5 and N1 avian influenza subtypes in samples from wild Northern pintail ducks in Montana.

21 Sep 2006

WHO backs health sector response to HIV pandemic

The World Health Organization Western Pacific Region, in collaboration with international partner agencies, is seeking to scale up HIV/AIDS prevention and control activities in line with the goal of universal access for HIV/AIDS treatment throughout Asia and the Pacific by 2010.

21 Sep 2006

Countries urged to prepare for a worst-case scenario such as an influenza pandemic

The increasing threat from emerging infectious diseases makes it imperative that countries prepare for rapid response and containment activities and for a worst-case scenario such as an influenza pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) has advised.

21 Sep 2006

Live H5N1 avian flu vaccines show promise

When tested in mice and ferrets, experimental vaccines based on live, weakened versions of different strains of the H5N1 avian influenza virus were well-tolerated and protected the animals from a deadly infection with naturally occurring H5N1 flu viruses.

13 Sep 2006

Restricting air travel could slow down the spread of bird flu pandemic

According to researchers, a noticeable drop in the number of people travelling by air following the September 11 attacks, had an effect on the start and spread of the 2001-2002 U.S. flu season.

13 Sep 2006

Live H5N1 avian flu virus vaccines show protection in animal studies

12 Sep 2006

Post-9/11 travel restrictions delayed 'bird flu'

The onset of the flu season in the USA has been shown to be influenced by air travel. After flights were restricted following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001, the flu season started about two weeks later than usual.

12 Sep 2006

Was the "ABC" approach responsible for Uganda's decline in HIV?

The much-publicized "ABC" approach to HIV prevention continues to be mired in controversy, partly because of its focus on abstinence-only sex education programs over condom promotion, a focus that pits political and religious conservatives against their liberal counterparts.

12 Sep 2006

Allocating HIV drugs to cities prevents the greatest number of infections

The most effective way to control the AIDS pandemic in hard-hit South Africa would be to concentrate the allocation of scarce antiretroviral drugs in urban areas.

12 Sep 2006

Unprecedented number of CDC staff resigned or retired in last two years

In the last two years, an "unprecedented" number of CDC staff has resigned or retired from the agency, prompting some officials to express concern, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (Young, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 9/10).

11 Sep 2006

Western nations have not adequately addressed Africa's HIV/AIDS epidemic because of 'subterranean racism'

Western nations have not taken sufficient action to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa because of "some kind of subterranean racism," U.N. Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa Stephen Lewis said in Ottawa on Wednesday, the Ottawa Citizen reports.

11 Sep 2006