[booger]

Would like to see the results of this study when it's finished.

http://www.mlive.com/news/sanews/index.ssf?/base/news-13/1103125901181470.xml

Deadline approaches for fluvaccine test
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
SCOTT DAVIS
THE SAGINAW NEWS

MOUNT PLEASANT -- Panicking about not getting that flu vaccine during this year's national shortage?

You have one last shot to participate in a three-year University of Michigan study to assess the effectiveness of traditional flu inoculations and a nasal mist vaccine.

Friday is the deadline to volunteer for the study at U-M's research site on the campus of Central Michigan University.

But there's a catch.

Study participants are not guaranteed either the traditional flu shot or FluMist, developed by a U-M researcher. One in six participants is given a placebo.

"They have an 83 percent chance of receiving the vaccine," said Jeanine Ahearn, CMU's facilitator for the study.

The federal Food and Drug Administration has approved both forms of the flu vaccine. FluMist is an alternative form of the vaccine inhaled through one's nasal passages.

The U-M investigation is the first long-term study to compare how FluMist stacks up against a traditional vaccine.

"It is not known whether both will protect equally or whether one will protect better than another," Ahearn said.

In October, researchers began signing participants for the study at its main campus in Ann Arbor, the Mount Pleasant campus and a doctor's office in Livonia.

So far, the Mount Pleasant site has signed up 552 people for the study, Ahearn said. U-M researchers want to get 1,980 participants at the three sites.

"It's been going very well," said Sarah Campbell, CMU's director of university health services and CMU project director. "We're shooting for 650."

Participants must fall between 18 and 46 in age and not have serious health problems such as diabetes and asthma. Non-students may participate.

To volunteer, call CMU Health Services at (989) 774-4446 or (800) 819-7850.

Information about the flu study also is available at www.umich.edu/

[booger]

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/December2004/15/c4706.html

Growing Problem of 'Presenteeism' Solved By Infection Control Kits

TORONTO, Dec. 15 /CNW/ - As flu and cold season advances, offices
throughout the country are seeing a rise in "presenteeism" - workers showing
up sick and infecting co-workers. The Go-Kit Company has seen a corresponding
rise in requests for its Go-Kit Flu Pak and Travel Pak. First introduced in
the spring of 2004, Go-Kit promises "Peace of Mind On The GO" with portable
disease protection paks containing hand and surface sanitizers, surgical masks
and thermometers.
According to Jeff Stevens, Vice President of The Stevens Company in
Brampton Ontario, "the pressure to meet deadlines and be a team player is
prompting employees to come to work when they should be home in bed."
"The solution" says Stevens, "is to practice the three 'C's - Check for
elevated temperature, Clean hands and Cover up with a surgical mask. We expect
this new voluntary program to cut down cross-contamination from sick to
healthy employees, and result in higher overall productivity."
Dr. Elliot Halparin, President of the Ontario Medical Association during
the recent SARS outbreak, notes "there is now an increased awareness of how
diseases are passed from one person to another and people are taking steps to
break the chain of transmission. It's the 'New Normal'... waterless hand
sanitizers are widely used and you'll see more and more people wearing
surgical masks in business and social settings, as they now do in Japan. If
you're sick, it's becoming the socially responsible thing to do" says
Halparin.
Go-Kit is available at selected Loblaws stores in Canada and has broken
through into the US market, where a lack of flu vaccine has fuelled fears of a
particularly bad flu season. Health-conscious companies and individuals can
purchase Go-Kits online at www.Go-Kit.com or call 1-866-534-6548
(1-866-53-Go-Kit).

/NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available
on the Canadian Press Photo Network/



For further information: Contact: Bob Weir, Go-Kit Company,
rweir@Go-Kit.com, (416) 925-4858; Background and downloadable photos:
www.go-kit.com/images.htm

[booger]

Ah, a local (for me) paper. Oklahoma, by the way. Doesn't mention what specific A it is.

http://www.poteaudailynews.com/articles/2004/12/15/local_news/news04.txt

Local News

Flu confirmed in state

he Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) today announced the first laboratory confirmation of influenza activity in the state for the 2004-2005 season.

The OSDH tracks influenza activity each year using a sentinel-reporting network of medical clinics and laboratories distributed regionally across the state.

This first indication of influenza is from the Tulsa metropolitan region.

No other regions of the state have reported positive influenza tests so far this season.

Preliminary laboratory results indicate the circulating strain to be type A influenza virus. This year's flu vaccine protects against two different strains of type A and one strain of type B influenza virus.

Other nearby states that have reported confirmed influenza activity include Texas, Colorado and Kansas.

"This is the normal time of the year that we begin to see influenza in Oklahoma. Flu season usually runs between October through March in our state," said State Health Commissioner Dr. Michael Crutcher. "Most previously healthy people recover from influenza, but persons at risk for hospitalization or serious complications from the flu, such as older adults and children aged 6 to 23 months, should seek immunization if they haven't already done so. However, it's always good health practices to wash hands frequently, cover your cough, and avoid touching the face to decrease the spread of respiratory illness," he advised.

Last week the Oklahoma State Department of Health expanded its influenza vaccination guidelines to include adults age 50 and older; household contacts of high priority persons, such as children or adults suffering from severe heart or lung disease or immunosuppressive conditions; and persons who work in critical service professions such as police, firefighters, teachers, and health care workers not yet vaccinated.

In addition to those persons included in the revised guidelines, state health officials say persons considered at high risk for complications from influenza should still seek immediate influenza vaccination if they have not yet been vaccinated, including all children ages 6 - 23 months; adults 65 and older; persons aged 2 to 64 years with underlying chronic medical conditions; all women who will be pregnant during the influenza season; residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities; children aged 6 months - 18 years who are on chronic aspirin therapy; health care workers involved in direct patient care; out of home caregivers; and household contacts of children aged less than 6 months.

Public health officials suggest the following recommendations to help prevent illness:

**I snipped it there. It just goes on with the normal "Don't suck people's snot" recommendations.

Editing to add that here: http://www.idahopress.com/articles/2004/12/15/news/news3.txt , they've noted Type A, also, but don't get specific.

[booger]

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=7100878

Taiwan Ministry Says Finds Two Strains of Bird Flu
Wed Dec 15, 2004 07:45 AM ET

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan has discovered two strains of avian flu in migratory birds in the northern part of the island, the first cases to be found since the start of 2004, the government said on Wednesday.

No cases of the deadly H5N1 virus, which has killed at least 12 people in Thailand this year and 20 in Vietnam, have been found so far in Taiwan.

However the agriculture ministry said on Wednesday that during routine testing it had found one migratory bird infected with the milder H5N2 strain of the virus and another bird with the H5N6 strain.

The island slaughtered over 400,000 fowl early in the year after discovering birds infected around the island with H5N2, which cannot be transmitted to humans.

The ministry gave no details on the H5N6 strain.

The ministry is conducting tests on surrounding areas, but has not announced any plans for more culling of birds.

The number of birds that have been slaughtered in Taiwan is still only a tiny fraction of the 377 million chickens the island bred in 2002, in addition to 31 million other edible fowl, such as ducks, geese and turkeys, according to the government.

Animal health officials said the source of the virus is a mystery, but suspect migratory birds or fowl smuggled from China.

© Reuters 2004. All Rights Reserved.

[booger]

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/analysis/view/122414/1/.html

Asia holds its breath over bird flu threat for 2005
By Melanie Yip, Radio Singapore International
First published: 15 December 2004


There are chilling warnings in Asia that an inevitable global influenza pandemic could kill millions.

This warning comes after the fight against SARS and bird flu left many countries weary.

Health experts says the avian influenza has entrenched itself in much of Asia, and is unlikely to disappear soon.

Peter Cordingley (PC) is the spokesperson for the World Health Organization, or WHO Western Pacific Office based in the Philippines, and he tells Melanie Yip why.

PC: If you look back to January this year, when the first report of this virus began to come out, the country in question was Vietnam. There were some people who thought that, perhaps you know, this was a simple problem that could be stopped through surveillance, the killing of infected chickens, and the establishment of sanitized zones around infected areas. Now, we are 11 months down the road, and this virus has spread to nine countries. At the moment, it is quiet, we do not hear many reports of outbreaks, although there are signs of the virus popping up occasionally, but they were quickly put under control. But we think that when the winter comes, which is when flu viruses are more active. We will find that despite what we're looking at the moment, a large part of Asia may well be on the fire with this virus in poultry.

Why is Asia more prone to the bird flu pandemic than other parts of the world like North America and Europe?

PC: We think the answer to that is something to do with the fact that there is growing prosperity in Asia. People at one time were happy to eat just vegetables and rice. They became more prosperous, there was more money in the family budget, they turned to meat and in the case of Asia, it has largely been chickens. So we've now seen the growth, enormous growth of chicken farming across South East Asia, particularly in Southern China. These chicken farms have shot up with absolutely no considerations for environmental controls or hygiene. People are living with their chickens, they're mixing with the chickens, they're doing something which they should never do, and that is to mix chickens and ducks because of the dangers of the transfer of virus. So we now have an animal husbandry out of control in this part of the world.

The World Health Organization had said that it is only a matter of time before the next influenza pandemic erupts, and Asian authorities may be powerless to stop the deaths of up to 50 million people. Is there a specific time period the WHO is referring to?

PC: We don't know when this is going to happen, we're fairly certain that it is going to happen. I can give you a couple of reasons why this is going to happen. One is that this virus is embedded in large parts of South East Asia, and Southern China. Second reason is that this virus, at one time, infected only chickens. Now it infects chickens, pigs, cats, tigers, we've now even seen it not only in ducks, but in ducks that show no signs of illness. So you can imagine the potential for the spread of virus. The third reason is that flu pandemics, historically from the 19th to 20th centuries, have come around every 30 or so years. Nature doesn't do things by whim, the last flu pandemic was in 1968, we're well overdue now to have another one.

Asian governments have been advised to boost strict surveillance and preventive measures as the frontline against avian influenza. Are there measures by the WHO or other health organizations to help the poorer Asian nations cope with bird flu?

PC: There was a meeting in Bangkok in November, where health ministers from ASEAN + 3 including China, South Korea and Japan met and they discuss on the matter of fund-raising or financing these efforts came up. The WHO's position was made quite clear, that this virus has already spread into nine countries, and there is no respect of borders. Some of these countries are way too poor to take on this task by themselves, which we have appealed at that conference to international organizations, finance houses who have a stake in public welfare, and public health of Asia, and indeed of the world to step forward now, when we have this little window of opportunity, to bring money to bear on the problem, and help for other countries, and things that need to be done like surveillance, getting people out in the field, killing the chickens, and making sure public health systems are in place. These countries that have very small budgets in public health, look at what they've got already, they're looking at malaria and tuberculosis, look at the problems they've got with them. So, basically, they think that they'll cross the bird flu when they get to it. The budget that they have now will look incredibly insignificant, compared with what they're going to come up with to fight the real disease when it happens. - RSI


Copyright © 2004 MCN International Pte Ltd

[CanadaSue]

H5N6 - gaving trouble finding info on it but have just begun to dig. Interestingly I found one site indicating it periodically shows up in migratory
waterfowl in Minnesota as early as 1985 & no more recently than... 1998.

http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=H5N6+influenza&meta= (first reference)

That tells me nothing about that strain though... I'll start digging into specialist flu stuff.

Working on something in regards to your last post on that thread anyway - just not finished but it dovetails nicely with other reading I've done so far today.