Archive for Week of June 29, 2009

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June 29 | June 30 | July 1 | July 2

July 2, 2009

2009 H1N1 Influenza
Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - Update 56 (WHO) Laboratory-confirmed cases of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 as officially reported to WHO by States Parties to the International Health Regulations (2005) 1 July 2009 09:00 GMT.

White House Plans Flu Summit Next Week (CNN) CNN has learned that the Obama administration is planning to convene a "flu summit" next week to make preparations for the fall, as officials in Argentina declare a health emergency because 35 people have died in the Latin American nation from swine flu.

    
Swine Flu Vaccine Made in Europe (BBC) The first doses of an H1N1 swine flu vaccine have been produced in Europe - but it will be around two months before any is distributed. The doses were produced by Novartis at a plant in Marburg, Germany.

 
Mexico Hosts Key Swine Flu Forum (BBC) Leaders and experts from 50 countries are meeting in Cancun, Mexico, to discuss the global swine flu outbreak.

    
“Prepandemic” Immunization for Novel Influenza Viruses, “Swine Flu” Vaccine, Guillain‐Barré Syndrome, and the Detection of Rare Severe Adverse Events (Journal of Infectious Diseases) The availability of immunogenic, licensed H5N1 vaccines and the anticipated development of vaccines against “swine” influenza A(H1N1) have stimulated debate about the possible use of these vaccines for protection of those exposed to potential pandemic influenza viruses and for immunization or “priming” of populations in the so‐called “prepandemic” (interpandemic) era. However, the safety of such vaccines is a critical issue in policy development for wide‐scale application of vaccines in the interpandemic period.

    
Flu Emergency in Argentina (AP/StraitsTimes) Authorities in Argentina's capital and Buenos Aires province declared health emergencies and extended school vacations on Tuesday as the nation's swine flu death toll surged to 35.

    
ECDC’s Director Participates in EU Presidency Conference on Influenza Preparedness and Response (ECDC) On the 2-3 July, ECDC’s Director, Zsuzsanna Jakab, will participate in an EU Presidency conference on Influenza Preparedness and Response – lessons learned and next steps.

Government Affairs
Committee Formed to Review FBI Anthrax Investigation (FrederickNewsPost.com) The public has 20 days to comment on the makeup of an independent committee being assembled to study the science the FBI used in its investigation into the 2001 anthrax mailings.

Avian and Pandemic Flu
Safety and Immunogenicity of Multiple and Higher Doses of an Inactivated Influenza A/H5N1 Vaccine (Journal of Infectious Diseases)
H5N1 avian influenza represents an episodic zoonotic disease with the potential to cause a pandemic, and antiviral resistance is of considerable concern. We sought to generate high‐titer H5N1 antibodies in healthy volunteers for the purpose of developing hyperimmune intravenous immunoglobulin.

Countermeasures
A Malaria Vaccine for Control: More Progress (Journal of Infectious Diseases) Malaria remains the world’s major parasitic infection, causing hundreds of millions of febrile episodes and 1–2 million deaths annually—that is, 150–300 deaths occurring hourly day after day.

Global Health and Biosecurity
Study: Infants with HIV at Risk from Tuberculosis Vaccine (EarthTimes) Babies with HIV face potentially fatal risks from a standard tuberculosis vaccine, a new study published Wednesday in a World Health Organization magazine showed.

Other 21st Century Threats
Hopes for Nuclear Breakthrough on Obama Moscow Trip (Reuters/Yahoo! News) Hopes are rising on both sides that President Barack Obama's visit to Moscow next week will produce a breakthrough in talks on cutting U.S. and Russian nuclear weapons and on helping Washington in Afghanistan.

  
Canada Seen Worst of G8 Not Curbing Climate Change (Reuters) With only five months to go until a new global pact on climate change, none of the Group of Eight nations is doing enough to curb global warming, with Canada and the United States ranking bottom, a study said on Wednesday.

Senate Struggle Expected over Climate Change Legislation (CQpolitics.com) Senate Democratic leaders are preparing for what is expected to be a tough fight over climate change legislation, even tougher than it was in the House.

July 1, 2009
 

2009 H1N1 Influenza
Roche, CDC Say Tamiflu Still Works on Swine Flu (Wall Street Journal) Roche Holding AG and the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said they still consider Tamiflu effective against the A/H1N1 "swine flu" virus, even though a patient in Denmark developed resistance to the drug.

Inovio Gets Help in Testing Its H1N1 DNA Vaccine Candidates (GEN News Highlights) Inovio Biomedical will collaborate with the National Microbiology Laboratory of the Public Health Agency of Canada and the University of Pennsylvania to further evaluate its DNA vaccine candidates against the swine influenza A (H1N1) virus.

  

Will Two Flus Mix in Indonesia? Experts Worry (Reuters) Indonesia's first cases of the new H1N1 flu have raised concerns that if the virus spreads it could combine with the entrenched and deadly H5N1 avian influenza to create a more lethal strain of flu.

Swine Flu Parties 'a Bad Idea' (BBC) Throwing "swine flu parties" in an attempt to get immunity against the virus while it is a fairly mild form is not a good idea, doctors say.

Roche to Start Tamiflu Developing Economy Program (MarketWatch) Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding said Wednesday that it has initiated a program to provide its influenza treatment Tamiflu to developing economies.

Biological Agents and Epidemic Diseases

Beating Back a Mosquito-Borne Epidemic (Washington Post) Workers in Colombo, Sri Lanka, fumigate city streets as part of a campaign to curb the breeding of mosquitoes that spread dengue fever.

National Security
Biological Weapons Pose Realistic Threat, Say Former Senators (Talk Radio News Service) Weapons of mass destruction may not be a phrase the public hears as frequently anymore, but they are still a major issue according to former Senators Bob Graham (D-Fla.) and Jim Talent (R-Mo.). The politicians participated in a discussion Monday at the Heritage Foundation where they reported that the U.S. is uneasily vulnerable to a biological terrorist attack.

DARPA Wants to Stop Biothreats Before They Spread (Homeland Security Newswire) Viruses are spreading faster than ever -- it took the Swine Flu less than a month to infect more 1,800 people in 72 countries. According to the World Health organization (WHO), the number of infected people has now reached 60,000.

Pandemic and Avian Flu
Flu Dynasty: Influenza Virus in 1918 and Today (ScienceDaily) The influenza virus that wreaked worldwide havoc in 1918-1919 founded a viral dynasty that persists to this day, according to scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

Other 21st Century Threats
U.S. Announces New Sanctions on N. Korea, Iran (ABC News) The United States announced a flurry of new sanctions Tuesday on North Korean and Iranian entities said to be aiding Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs.

June 30, 2009

2009 H1N1 Influenza
Influenza A (H1N1) - Update 55 (WHO) Laboratory-confirmed cases of new influenza A (H1N1) as officially reported to WHO by States Parties to the International Health Regulations (2005).

Roche Finds 1st Case of H1N1 Resistance to Tamiflu (Reuters) A patient with H1N1 influenza in Denmark showed resistance to Roche Holding AG's Tamiflu, the main antiviral flu drug, a company executive said on Monday.

Swine Flu Multiple-Shot Vaccine May Overwhelm States (Bloomberg) The vaccine being developed to combat a pandemic of swine flu will require multiple shots to provide immunity from the new virus, and the added immunizations may overwhelm U.S. state agencies, health officials said.

Novel H1N1 Flu Can Cause Severe Respiratory Illness (CIDRAP News) Novel H1N1 influenza can cause severe respiratory illness, profound lung damage, and death even in patients with no underlying conditions to make them vulnerable, a team of physicians from Mexico report in a rush article published online today by the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

Indonesia to Ask Tourists to Wear Masks (WAToday) Indonesia is planning to ask all people arriving from Australia and other swine flu-affected countries to wear face masks for at least three days, the health minister says.

Strategy to Enhance Influenza Surveillance Worldwide (EID) The emergence of a novel strain of influenza virus A (H1N1) in April 2009 focused attention on influenza surveillance capabilities worldwide.

Biological Agents and Epidemic Diseases
Henderson Led WHO's Effort to Rid the World of Smallpox (USA Today) One day in 1947, two cases of smallpox turned up in New York City. An investigation identified more cases. The outbreak's source turned out to be a visitor from Mexico who stayed in a hotel with 3,000 guests from 28 states.

Trends in the Epidemiology of Dengue Fever and Their Relevance for Importation to Europe (Eurosurveillance) Dengue fever continues to spread globally, causing major epidemics and putting major strain on health systems in affected countries. For imported dengue in Europe, south east Asia is the most important region of origin, followed by Latin America, the Indian subcontinent, the Caribbean, and Africa. Information regarding mosquito protective measures is highly recommended for all travellers to affected areas.

Other 21st Century Threats
NKorea Slams Missile Defense for Hawaii (AP/Military.com) North Korea criticized the U.S. on Monday for positioning missile defense systems around Hawaii, calling the deployment part of a plot to attack the regime and saying it would bolster its nuclear arsenal in retaliation.

June 29, 2009
 

2009 H1N1 Influenza
Influenza A(H1N1) - Update 54 (WHO) Laboratory-confirmed cases of new influenza A(H1N1) as officially reported to WHO by States Parties to the International Health Regulations (2005). 26 June 2009 07:00 GMT.

Swine Flu Shot Campaign Could Involve 600M Doses (AP/Yahoo! News) A potential fall swine flu immunization campaign may involve an unprecedented 600 million doses of vaccine, though officials said Friday they haven't figured out how to administer so many doses or accurately track side effects if a seasonal vaccine is given simultaneously.

HHS Extends Liability Shield to Antivirals Used for H1N1 (CIDRAP News) The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently provided a shield against damage claims related to the use of the antiviral drugs oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza) in the current H1N1 influenza pandemic.

CDC: Flu Activity Picks up Pace, Hits Summer Camps (CIDRAP News) An official from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today that the nation just saw its largest weekly increase in cases since the beginning of the novel flu outbreak and that the virus has so far been detected at 34 summer camps in 16 states.

Biological Agents and Epidemic Diseases

Nestle Said No to FDA Inspectors in Past (Wall Street Journal) As the investigation into the E. coli outbreak involving Nestlé Toll House cookie dough continues, the WSJ has obtained documents showing that the company refused to give the FDA access to certain records, such as those involving pest-control and consumer complaints, during earlier inspections in recent years.

Shift in Dengue Transmission Pattern (Daily News) [Sri Lanka] The current dengue epidemic was associated with a shift in the transmission pattern of dengue serotypes in favour of DEN-1, states Asiri Centre for Genomic Medicine, Asiri Surgical Hospital in a press release.

U.S. Beef Recall Expanded, 18 Illnesses Suspected (Reuters/Yahoo! News) A Colorado meat company is expanding a recall of beef due to possible contamination by E.coli O157:H7 bacteria after an investigation found 18 illnesses may be linked to the meat, the company and the U.S. Agriculture Department said on Sunday.

Risk of Mad Cow Disease from Farmed Fish? (Reuters/Yahoo! News) Three U.S. scientists are concern about the potential of people contracting Creutzfeldt Jakob disease -- the human form of "mad cow disease" -- from eating farmed fish who are fed byproducts rendered from cows.

Government Affairs
Homeland Security Bill Omits Funding for Kansas Biosecurity Lab (AP/KansasCity.com) Construction of a massive lab in Kansas for research on foot-and-mouth and other diseases could slow down following a House decision to withhold money to build the facility.

Other 21st Century Threats
Historic Climate Bill Passes House in a Close Vote (McClatchy/Yahoo! News) By a narrow margin, the House of Representatives on Friday took the first legislative step in U.S. history to reduce the heat-trapping gases building up in the atmosphere and gradually shift America to cleaner sources of energy.

North Korea May Add Fireworks to Recess Week (The Hill) As Congress heads into the holiday recess, North Korea may fire up the foreign-policy stakes -- and highlight Kim Jong-Il's flair for the dramatic -- with a symbolic test launch of a missile pointed toward Hawaii on or near July 4.