The Flu News Blog

News Summary - 12/11
Maryland Daily Record - based Novavax Inc., a drug delivery company developing vaccines to protect against bird flu, seasonal flu and other viral diseases, announced an agreement to examine ways to produce and sell vaccines rapidly in case of a widespread avian flu outbreak

Some 35,000 birds die of bird flu in southern Russia
RIA Novosti - ROSTOV-ON-DON, December 11 (RIA Novosti) - Some 35,000 birds have died from bird flu since late November at a poultry farm Although cases of human-to-human transmission of avian influenza have not been reported, scientists fear the virus could

Study says 3 H5N1 variants reached Germany
Centre For Infectious Disease Research and Policy - Halvorson, DVM, a veterinary pathologist and avian flu expert at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul, commented that the similarity between the German and Russian isolates doesn’t necessarily mean the viruses were brought to Germany by wild birds

UK: LTTE must change its ways, no intervention in Sri Lanka
TamilNet - violence and instability in fragile states; the spread of terrorism and the risk that terrorists could acquire destructive weapons; global flows of capital and global sourcing of goods and services; climate change; global pandemics such as Avian flu

Christmas food special
Times Online - Never mind avian flu – the nation is suffering from turducken syndrome (as in turkey, duck, chicken), the craze of eating not one bird at Christmas, but three or more, boned, stuffed and tucked inside each other like an edible Russian doll. There

U.S. pledges nearly $200 million to avian influenza
DVM Newsmagazine - The funds will support the efforts of international organizations, non-governmental groups and others to strengthen global preparedness and response to avian flu and a potential human pandemic. The donation was announced during the New Delhi