South Korea’s farm ministry said on Thursday it had discovered a suspected case of bird flu at a poultry farm in the southwest of the country, which could be the country’s first outbreak in about three years.
Novartis announced today that it has been awarded a contract valued at USD 40.95 million to supply to the US government a pre-pandemic influenza vaccine* against the H5N1 avian influenza strain. Global health authorities have identified H5N1 as an influenza strain with pandemic potential.
An international, interdisciplinary team of researchers led by professor Xiangming Xiao of the University of New Hampshire is taking a novel scientific approach in an attempt to understand the ecology of the avian influenza, develop better methods of predicting its spread, and provide an accurate early warning system.
A powerful analysis from this month’s Vaccine highlights the huge gap between current vaccination coverage across Europe and the recommendations endorsed by the European U nion. Currently, only one-third of all high-risk populations are receiving seasonal influenza vaccine in Europe, resulting in avoidable morbidity, hospitalizations and mortality.
For the first time, researchers from the U.S. and abroad have identified the H3N1 swine influenza virus in domestic pigs in Korea. They report their findings in the November 2006 issue of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology.
GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK) joins in supporting the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention?s (CDC) first National Influenza Vaccination Week November 27 ? December 3. Throughout the week, HHS and CDC will be reminding Americans of the importance of receiving an annual flu shot, while highlighting the increased availability of supply from previous years.
Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate) was demonstrated in clinical trials to be a safe and effective medication for influenza prevention and treatment. Tamiflu was approved in 1999 and has been used by more than 42 million people in over 80 countries.
The following articles are featured in the upcoming issue of the Journals of the American Society for Microbiology: Novel H3N1 swine influenza virus identified in pigs in Korea; New treatment using human antibodies to target harmful toxins may protect against C. cifficile; and Guinea pig aerosol challenge presents new model for Q fever research in humans.
The United States and M?xico today announced the signing of an agreement to boost cooperation on pandemic influenza preparedness among the six Mexican states and four U.S. states that share the international boundary.
The maker of the antiviral medication Tamiflu issued a new warning for the flu drug Monday, saying patients must be closely monitored for potential psychiatric problems, including delirium and suicide.