As public health officials around the world keep a nervous eye on the spread of avian influenza, the University of Saskatchewan’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) has uncovered a key step in how the influenza virus causes infection.
Using nanotechnology, a team of University of Georgia researchers has developed a diagnostic test that can detect viruses as diverse as influenza, HIV and RSV in 60 seconds or less. In addition to saving time, the technique — which is detailed in the November issue of the journal Nano Letters — could save lives by rapidly detecting a naturally occurring disease outbreak or bioterrorism attack.
Scientists from the University of Colorado at Boulder and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have developed an inexpensive “gene chip” test based on a single influenza virus gene that could allow scientists to quickly identify flu viruses, including avian influenza H5N1.
Dr Margaret Chan of China was nominated by the Executive Board of the World Health Organization for the post of Director-General. The Director-General is WHO’s chief technical and administrative officer. Dr Chan is a well-known public figure because of her record of leadership in fighting disease first in Hong Kong, and more recently at WHO.
Dr Margaret Chan of China was nominated today by the Executive Board of the World Health Organization for the post of Director-General. The Director-General is WHO’s chief technical and administrative officer.
An estimated 50 million people were affected by zoonotics diseases, including H5N1 (bird flu), SARS and Rabies, between 2000 and 2005 and up to 78,000 died. No effective vaccines exist for the most common diseases. And the Dengue virus, which caused about a third of the deaths is experiencing a global resurgence. Zoonotic diseases can become serious killers if they adapt to human to human transmission — HIV and Measles are two examples.
With the help of some high tech equipment, well-defined mouse models and analytical know how, researchers are trying to understand why a flu virus kills some people but not others. Studies to be presented at “Physiological Genomics and Proteomics of Lung Disease” found that a strain of mice more likely to die of influenza infection mounts a dramatically enhanced immune response in the lungs compared to a strain of mice that generally develops milder disease.
China has found no evidence of a new strain of H5N1 bird flu in its southern provinces and said on Thursday there was no need to share virus samples with the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The World Health Organization criticized the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture officials for not informing the global community of the emergence of a new variant of the worrisome H5N1 avian flu virus – Fujian-like virus, and hoarding virus samples and for not doing enough to contain the spread of H5N1 in poultry.
The Ministry of Health in Egypt has confirmed the country?s seventh death from H5N1 avian influenza. The 39-year-old woman, whose infection was confirmed on 11 October, died on 30 October.