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.

Three more bird flu suspects in Indonesia

According to a senior health official in Indonesia three children have been hospitalized on suspicion of having the bird flu virus.

2 Aug 2006

New way to assess pandemic potential of influenza viruses

Study provides first assessment of the risk of an H5N1 pandemic strain emerging from the combining of avian and human influenza viruses.

1 Aug 2006

Creating your own pandemic virus is not so easy

A team of scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have developed a new research method that may help identify the types of genetic changes that would be necessary for the avian influenza virus (H5N1) to be more easily transmitted among people.

1 Aug 2006

New bird flu vaccine has 80% protection rate

According to the manufacturer the latest bird flu vaccine is more than 80% effective in protecting people against the virus.

26 Jul 2006

GSK reports significant advance in H5N1 pandemic flu vaccine programme

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) today announced headline data showing that its H5N1 pandemic flu vaccine achieved a high immune response at a low dose of antigen.

26 Jul 2006

Neuraminidase inhibitors for preventing and treating influenza in healthy adults

A class of drugs commonly used to treat typical influenza symptoms such as fever, headache and cough do not prevent people from becoming infected with the flu virus.

19 Jul 2006

Indonesia struggles as death toll from bird flu reaches 42

The death of a 44-year-old man four days ago from bird flu has put Indonesia on a par with Vietnam when it comes to confirmed human deaths from the deadly virus.

17 Jul 2006

FDA approves Atripla three-drug combination tablet for treatment of HIV-1

FDA approves Atripla Tablets, a fixed-dose combination of three widely-used antiretroviral drugs.

12 Jul 2006

Cardinal Health to manufacture Tamiflu for Roche

Cardinal Health, the leading provider of products and services supporting the health-care industry, has announced that it has signed agreements to manufacture and package Tamiflu for Roche to help meet current and future demand for the influenza medicine.

10 Jul 2006

Bird flu still expanding in Africa - disease widely checked in Europe but could pose threat for years

While avian influenza has been successfully checked in Western Europe and much of Southeast Asia apart from Indonesia, it is still expanding in Africa and will remain a threat for years to come

10 Jul 2006

Brits to trial bird flu vaccine on humans

The British drug company PowderMed has applied for permission to conduct the first trial in Britain of a vaccine against the avian flu virus.

10 Jul 2006

Indonesia struggling to cope as death toll from bird flu reaches 40

The World Health Organisation has confirmed the death of an Indonesian boy last month was from bird flu.

3 Jul 2006

More birds with H5N1 found in China but details are guesswork!

According to Chinese officials another outbreak of the H5N1 avian flu virus in birds has been found in the northwestern region of the country.

3 Jul 2006

Aussies trial promising bird flu vaccine

An Australian vaccine against the deadly bird flu has shown such good results in preliminary trials that researchers are about to test it on volunteers.

29 Jun 2006

Australian team test new bird flu vaccine

Australian researchers have begun a trial to test the effectiveness of a new vaccine to protect against the potentially deadly bird flu.

28 Jun 2006

FDA gives tentative approval for generic pediatric AIDS drug

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced the tentative approval of the generic version of Abacavir Sulfate Oral Solution.

27 Jun 2006

Aussies chip in to help Indonesia fight bird flu

In an effort to help Indonesia fight bird flu the Australian Government has signed an agreement with Indonesia to the tune of $10 million dollars.

26 Jun 2006

Chickens, swans, feathers and bird flu

The World Health Organization has revealed the deadly bird flu virus which appeared as a cluster in an Indonesian family had mutated but the change does not increase the threat of a pandemic.

26 Jun 2006