H5N1 News and Research

Latest H5N1 News and Research

Reports of bird flu in the Bahamas are exaggerated

Preliminary field reports on the investigation of unexplained death of birds on the island of Inagua in the Southern Bahamas were exaggerated.

6 Mar 2006

Poland latest on bird flu hit list

The first Polish case of H5 bird flu has been found in two swans found dead on the banks of the River Vistula in the northern city of Torun.

6 Mar 2006

Bird flu comes round again as another dies in China

Chinese health officials have reported that a man in southern China has died from bird flu.

6 Mar 2006

Germans panic and dump their cats as Serbia joins the bird flu list

According to an animal welfare society in Germany, hundreds of cats are being left at animal shelters following the disclosure earlier in the week that a cat on the island of Ruegen had died from the deadly bird flu.

5 Mar 2006

Brits issued with travel advice following cats death from bird flu

Veterinary experts in northern Germany have confirmed that a cat found dead on the island of Ruegen died from the highly pathogenic Asian strain of the H5N1 bird flu virus.

5 Mar 2006

Bird flu will soon be worldwide

Reports that bird flu has now been found in a cat in Germany has served to further fuel the panic spreading across Europe regarding the deadly virus.

1 Mar 2006

Russia sets up HQ to fight bird flu

The Russian government say it will set up a headquarters to combat the bird flu epidemic.

28 Feb 2006

As far as bird flu goes we are in danger - but only of overreacting!

According to an official from the World Animal Health Organisation (WHO), banning imports of poultry from bird flu-affected areas is overreacting to the bird flu situation.

28 Feb 2006

French vaccinate millions of free range birds as farm becomes first victim of bird flu

A farm in eastern France has become the first domestic victim of the H5N1 strain of bird flu in the European Union.

27 Feb 2006

Baxter and Chiron awarded UK gov contract for H5N1 vaccine

UK Health Minister, Rosie Winterton has announced the award of contracts to Baxter and Chiron for supplies of around 3.5 million doses of H5N1 vaccine.

24 Feb 2006

India and Malaysia breathe sigh of relief as suspects cleared of bird flu

The news that people being treated for suspected bird flu in India and Malaysia, do not in fact have the virus will come as a relief to many and calm fear that the disease has spread to humans.

22 Feb 2006

Two drug giants team up to develop new bird flu therapy

Two major drug companies have teamed up in order to develop a treatment for pandemic flu strains.

22 Feb 2006

High alert as bird flu sweeps relentlessly across the globe

The spread of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu continues relentlessly across the world with the confirmation that dead swans found in Hungary and Croatia this week also succumbed to the virus.

22 Feb 2006

Concern grows over possible bird flu spread in West Africa

The FAO has expressed growing concern that the bird flu virus H5N1 may spread to other countries in West Africa following the discovery of the virus in Nigeria last week. The effects on a region already facing severe malnutrition would be devastating, the UN agency warned.

21 Feb 2006

Mutations in H5N1 avian influenza viruses

Several recent media reports have included speculations about the significance of mutations in H5N1 avian influenza viruses. Some reports have suggested that the likelihood of another pandemic may have increased as a result of changes in the virus.

21 Feb 2006

Animals diseases jumping to humans faster than ever before

According to scientists in the U.S. and Scotland, 75% of the 38 species of harmful organisms and viruses identified in the past 25 years are believed to have "jumped" from animals to humans.

21 Feb 2006

Britain too laid back about bird flu

Despite the fact that France's first-known case of the deadly H5N1 strain of avian flu was found in a duck which is a winter migrant to Ireland and western Britain from Russia and Eastern Europe, authorities in the UK appear to have no immediate plans to order Britain's 25 million free-range chickens to be kept indoors.

20 Feb 2006