News for Africa Doc

WHO and CDC have stated that the predictive accuracy of their annual formulations for human influenza vaccines is "suboptimal" -- often correct less than 50% of the time, especially for seniors. Perhaps in part because we are not yet accurate in our predictions of upcoming influenza strains, approximately 36,000 people die each year of flu in the United States alone.

WHO and CDC have stated that the predictive accuracy of their annual formulations for human influenza vaccines is "suboptimal" -- often correct less than 50% of the time, especially for seniors. Perhaps in part because we are not yet accurate in our predictions of upcoming influenza strains, approximately 36,000 people die each year of flu in the United States alone.

The United States will provide an additional $44.4 million in support of FAO's avian influenza control and prevention campaign, FAO announced today. With the new funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), US support to the FAO avian influenza program has reached a total of $112.8 million. The United States remains the largest donor to FAO's bird flu control activities implemented in more than 96 countries.

A team of international researchers has written to the journal, The Lancet Infectious Diseases, calling for people to be vaccinated now against bird flu in order to mitigate the effects of global pandemic. Professor Karl Nicholson, Professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of Leicester and Consultant Physician at the Leicester Royal Infirmary is among those who has written the article.

A protein found in the virulent avian influenza virus strain called H5N1 forms tiny tubules in which it "hides" the pieces of double-stranded RNA formed during viral infection, which otherwise would prompt an antiviral immune response from infected cells, said Baylor College of Medicine researchers in an online report in the journal Nature.

People should be vaccinated now against bird flu rather than waiting for a global pandemic to erupt, an international panel of experts - including a leading British influenza specialist - say in a new report. 1 The influenza researchers say the World Health Organisation (WHO) and national governments should give "urgent consideration" to the idea of priming people in advance of bird flu with a preparatory vaccination.

Australia-listed, Singapore-based healthcare group, Rockeby biomed Ltd (ASX:RBY), today announced that it has been awarded two grants by the Singaporean Standards, Productivity and Innovation Board (SPRING Singapore) under the Technology Enterprise Commercialisation Scheme (TECS).

Wild migratory birds may be more important carriers of avian influenza viruses from continent to continent than previously thought, according to new scientific research that has important implications for highly pathogenic avian influenza virus surveillance in North America. As part of a multi-pronged research effort to understand the role of migratory birds in the transfer of avian influenza viruses between Asia and North America, scientists with the U.S.

As the first globally co-ordinated plan for the planet's gravest health threats is hatched by government ministers from around the world this weekend, a new report sets out a 10-point plan for this new, globalised approach to infectious diseases such as avian flu.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the province of Newfoundland and Labrador invite owners of small or backyard poultry flocks to attend a free information session on how to help prevent and detect poultry diseases, such as avian influenza. Area bird owners and the general public are welcome to attend the session from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 29, 2008, at the Provincial Agriculture Building located at 308 Brookfield Road, in St.

The Global Viral Forecasting Initiative (GVFI), a nonprofit research initiative dedicated to preventing pandemics, has received $11 million dollars from Google.org and The Skoll Foundation. The support, which includes $5.5 million dollars from each organization, represents the largest grant to date from Google.org.

Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google (NASDAQ:GOOG), has announced grants of more than $14 million to support partners working in Southeast Asia and Africa to prevent the next pandemic. Google.

A single vaccine could be used to protect chickens, cats and humans against deadly flu pandemics, according to an article published in the November issue of the Journal of General Virology. The vaccine protects birds and mammals against different flu strains and can even be given to birds while they are still in their eggs, allowing the mass vaccination of wild birds.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NAID), one of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded a contract to the University of Washington (UW) to use systems biology approaches to comprehensively analyze and model the virus-host interactions and cellular response networks that are induced or altered during the course of acute respiratory virus infection. This new research program will be led by Dr.

The 1918 flu pandemic killed more than 40 million people worldwide and affected persons of all age groups. While it is difficult to predict when the next influenza pandemic will occur or how severe it will be, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed models to help organizations like the American Red Cross and Georgia Department of Education prepare emergency response plans.

Is your family prepared for school closures, empty food shelves and no available medical care? Could your business still function with 40% of workers staying home? Will police, fire and critical utility services be available if workers are ill or caring for ill family members? These are things which could easily occur during an influenza pandemic, and the driving force behind a new website that was launched by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare,

An international study led by University of Leicester researchers has determined that vaccination will be the best way to protect people in the event of the next influenza pandemic - but that each person would need two doses. In an article in the New England Journal of Medicine published on October 9, researchers from the University of Leicester and University Hospitals of Leicester report on a study carried out at the Leicester Royal Infirmary.

Owners of small or backyard poultry flocks are invited to attend a free information session on how to help prevent and detect poultry diseases such as avian influenza. The session is being hosted by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands (BCMAL). Area bird owners and the general public are welcome to join from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. (doors open at 5 p.m.

Queen's University Belfast scientists are involved in two international projects aimed to protect Northern Ireland's agri-food industry from Bird Flu and African Swine Fever, a disease which kills pigs. Working with colleagues from other EU-member states and the Far East in the FLUTEST project they are providing improved diagnosis and early warning systems for bird flu.

A new study shows that individuals immunized six years earlier with an MF59 adjuvanted H5N3 (clade 0) vaccine mounted a protective immune response seven days after a single immunization with an H5N1 (clade 1) vaccine containing the Novartis proprietary adjuvant MF59. The immune response was broadly cross reactive and covered all H5N1 clades known to date. These data were presented at the Third European Influenza Conference in Vilamoura, Portugal.