FDA Clears for Marketing Real-Time Test for Respiratory Viruses

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared for marketing a test that simultaneously detects four common respiratory viruses, including the flu, in a patient’s respiratory secretions. The ProFlu+ test provides results in as few as three hours. Other diagnostic tests for respiratory viruses are fast but not as accurate or are accurate but not as rapid.

The real-time test employs a multiplex platform that allows several tests to be processed using the same sample to detect influenza A virus, influenza B virus, and respiratory syncytial virus A and B (RSV).

These viruses can cause influenza, an infection of the airways called bronchiolitis, and pneumonia. All are among the leading causes of lower respiratory tract infections.

“Antiviral drugs are most effective when initiated within the first two days of symptoms,” said Daniel Schultz, M.D., director of FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “This new test, which is part of the new era of molecular medicine, can help the medical community quickly determine whether a respiratory illness is caused by one of these four viruses and initiate the appropriate treatment.”

ProFlu+ uses a molecular biology process to isolate and amplify viral genetic material present in secretions taken from the back of the throat in patients.

While ProFlu+ is faster than conventional tests, it is specific to the four viruses, and is more accurate when used with other diagnostics, such as patient data, bacterial, or viral cultures, and X-rays, in diagnosing a patient. Positive results do not rule out other infection or co-infection and the virus detected may not be the specific cause of the disease or patient symptoms.

An estimated 5 percent to 20 percent of the U.S. population contracts influenza each year, resulting in more than 200,000 hospitalizations and up to 36,000 deaths. Influenza A, one of three types of human influenza, is the most severe and has been the cause of major epidemics. Influenza B is less severe than influenza A.

Bronchiolitis usually affects children under the age of 2, and is a common, sometimes severe illness. A common cause of the disease is RSV.

Pneumonia is a common illness that affects millions of people each year in the United States and is usually caused by an infection. People most at risk are older than 65 or younger than 2 years of age, or already have health problems.

Source:www.fda.gov

Bengal pays for not paying dues

West Bengal has compounded its earlier folly of not informing the Centre in time of the unusual mortality of birds by not paying compensation to poultry owners, whose birds are presently being culled.

The animal husbandry department was officially informed on Thursday by its officers touring the state that farmers were just being promised compensation but were not being paid.

Highly placed sources told TOI that the department wrote a letter to the state government on Thursday asking them to compensate farmers as soon as their birds are culled.

The rate finalized stands at Rs 40 per egg-laying adult chicken, Rs 30 for those used for meat and Rs 10 per chick. A compensation package of Rs 1 crore has already been sanctioned for Birbhum and Rs 25 lakh for South Dinajpur.

"The speed of culling has been seriously affected by this. Because compensation is not being given, farmers aren’t letting their poultry to be culled. In the last two days, we have culled around 35,000 birds whereas our target is to cull over 4 lakh birds in one week. We can’t achieve this target if the state does not compensate farmers fairly," sources said.

Ironically, top health and veterinary scientists, policy-makers and ministers from 105 nations and 20 international and intergovernmental organizations, who had recently attended the International Ministerial Conference on Avian and Pandemic Influenza in Delhi in December, had applauded India’s "swift, fair and efficient disbursement of compensation to poultry owners" hit by bird flu in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Manipur in 2006 and 2007. This, they said, had actually helped the country contain the outbreak without mass animal casualties or a single case of human infection.

Peter Harrold, World Bank’s director of avian and human pandemic influenza overall operational response team, had told TOI that compensation was most vital during a bird flu outbreak. "Farmers have to feel they are getting a fair price. Or else they will hide their poultry and bird flu can go undetected. They may even resort to clandestinely selling the infected animals," he added.

Health minister A Ramadoss had said, "Our national action plan for preparedness, control and containment of avian influenza recognizes that culling of affected birds will succeed only if poultry farmers are adequately compensated immediately after an outbreak is confirmed."

David Nabbaro, senior UN system influenza coordinator, said, "India’s philosophy to compensate quickly and fairly at the district level is commendable. That’s why farmers came out in the open and declared when their birds died in the past two outbreaks."

Meanwhile, the present outbreak of Avian Influenza in West Bengal seems to be more serious and threatening that the two previous outbreaks in Maharashtra and Manipur.

Admitting this, the Centre and WHO on Thursday said more serious risk factors are associated with this current outbreak than previously encountered, including that the affected areas are more widespread. Officials say ground zero’s proximity to extended border areas makes it even more threatening.

Officials have started to fear that West Bengal’s initial laid back attitude towards poultry deaths and late reporting to the Centre may have led to the virus spreading. Birds have started to drop dead in new districts like Nadia, Murshidabad, Burdwan and South 24 Parganas. Samples have been collected and are presently being tested for H5N1 infections.

An official admitted: "We feel Murshidabad deaths may also be due to H5N1." According to the Centre’s latest estimates, a total of 61,075 poultry birds have died in Birbhum, South Dinajpur and Murshidabad districts of West Bengal in the last 10 days.

Fresh cases of mortality have also been reported from the Khargram and Burwan blocks of Murshidabad district, adjoining the affected areas of Birbhum. Fresh mortality of 347 poultry birds was also located in the Gangarampur block in South Dinajpur district.

Officials said: "As per a message received from the state government, there are reports of unusual mortality in Terhatta block of Nadia district, Kalna block of Bardhman district and Baruipur village of South 24 Parganas. Except for a mortality of 40 poultry birds from Baruipur village, figures of mortality in the other two blocks are not yet available. Scientists have collected samples and sent it to the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory, Bhopal, to ascertain whether it is H5N1 infections or not. Active surveillance is being undertaken in these areas," officials added.

Source:timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Avoiding the holiday bug (next time)

his time of the year is back to reality. The magical season of blissful partying, giving and receiving is over. When the dust of holiday glitters has settled down, all of us now feel the fatigue, the toll of lack of sleep, the extra servings we have eaten and extra two-for-the-roads we have drunk and everything not exactly healthy from the happy festivities that all cluster into one season.

After the holidays, we just feel we need to take a break and really enjoy a peaceful, healthful holiday wherein you can rest and recover from the holiday burnout.

A good number of my patients who came back for follow-up last week also had respiratory tract and other infections during the holiday extending up to that time. Is it due to the change in weather? Probably, but personally, I don’t think so. I think it’s more part of the holiday strain on the health, specifically on the immune system, reducing one’s resistance to fight off bacteria and other hazards to wellness.

Dr. Howard Heller, an infectious disease specialist, puts it nicely: “With holiday-related parties and travel, we are exposed to more people than usual, and larger numbers of germs. This increases our odds of picking up a respiratory viral infection like influenza.”

Tips for staying healthy

Dr. Heller offers these tips for staying healthy in the next holiday rush of partying:

• Wash your hands frequently. You just can’t overdo this simple but most effective way to prevent catching an infection. The more parties we attend and more hands we shake, the more we have to do it. Our most frequent source of viruses and bacteria are the contaminated objects which we hold, and then touching our nose or mouth. We should avoid touching our face unless we have washed them first, especially when traveling.

• Be ambidextrous. This may sound odd but wise. In parties wherein we need to shake a lot of hands, we should handle food only with our left hand. “It will keep that right hand, which is full of other people’s germs, away from your nose and mouth,” Dr. Heller says.

• Get a flu shot once a year. This is best done before the flu season, so toward the end of the first quarter. Vaccination against influenza is one way to reduce our chances of getting a bad strain of flu during the holidays.

Go a long way

The good old advice of sleeping well, eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly despite the hectic holiday schedule will also go a long way to keep our immune system healthier.

The funny thing about the holiday season is that when it’s over—beyond the fond recollections and peaceful reflections—the disappointment creeps that despite all attention to details, we realize there were a few friends and relatives we’ve not given gifts or send greetings to or reunited with. We already have probably the longest Christmas season in the world, yet, somehow we wish it were longer to give us more time to fit family and social obligations into an already crazily hectic schedule.

The holiday phenomenon is that there’s always too much to do and not enough time to do all the shopping, card-sending, baking, partying and you fill in the blanks of all else that you wish you had more time to do.

But despite all the hassles of the holiday season, thank God we have such a season to celebrate.

Source:showbizandstyle.inquirer.net

Foot And Mouth, Bluetongue & Avian Influenza

Foot and Mouth Disease, Bluetongue and Avian Influenza have developed beyond expectations in 2007. The impact on markets has, however, been limited to mostly smaller, temporarily intra-EU disruptions. These disease outbreaks run counter to the Animal Health Strategy 2007-2013. This report consolidates reporting on these animal disease developments in the EU from all EU FAS offices.

2007 has been a bad year for the European animal heath status. While the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) situation has further improved and the fight against Classical Swine Fever (CSF) in the newer EU Member States (NMS) is celebrating success, Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), Bluetongue (BT) and Avian Influenza (AI) H5N1 have demonstrated the EU’s vulnerability for animal diseases.

Foot and Mouth Disease in the United Kingdom (UK)

In the second half of 2007, the United Kingdom suffered from an outbreak of FMD, which apparently resulted from a biosecurity breach at Pirbright laboratories as a result of weak maintenance of wastewater discharges. In total, six cases of FMD were identified in August and September 2007 in the broader vicinity of the facility. Because no further outbreaks occurred, all restrictions, including for export, were lifted as of December 31, 2007. Details on this latest situation are available from the DEFRA website. While the UK escaped a major disaster like the 2002 FMD outbreak and meat exports were only disrupted in a limited way, the economic loss for the UK agriculture and meat sector have been massive.

Bluetongue spreads throughout Europe

Until the summer of 2006, BT was a tropical disease that occasionally made inroads into the Mediterranean countries of the EU with only few local consequences. However, in 2006 a BT strain of serotype 8 seemed to have adapted to temperate host mosquitoes and a new BT epidemic started in the east of Belgium, which rapidly spread to neighboring Germany, The Netherlands and France. The winter of 2007 was extremely mild and soon in 2007 it became clear that the virus had survived winter. A spectacular expansion of the disease continued through the summer and autumn of 2007 as no vaccine was available to stop the disease. BT outbreaks of this serotype 8 strain were identified from the UK to Poland and the Czech Republic, and from Denmark to the center of France by the end of 2007. Other BT serotypes have also made considerable progress in invading the Mediterranean EU MS.

The impact of the BT epidemic on EU meat trade is very limited, because meat is not infected by BT. Also, EU exports of susceptible living animals had already considerably decreased as a result of animal welfare constraints. Intra-EU trade has been hampered because of the increase in administrative burden to transport animals within the infected areas. This serotype 8 BT is, however, having an important economic impact because of its relatively important mortality. Mortality in sheep is over 50 percent, while reports of mortality in cattle, especially for weaker animals like calving cows, indicate doubled mortality of vulnerable cattle from normal levels. Together with a decrease in milk productivity, this BT epidemic is held co-responsible for below quota milk production in the most heavily affected MS. Unless an effective vaccine becomes available in early 2008, it can be anticipated that this BT epidemic will further spread and become endemic in a large part of the EU. The economic impact is also expected to increase exponentially, particularly for sheep breeders if the disease were to invade the UK sheep flocks.

Is Avian Influenza here to stay?

After initial outbreaks of AI H5N1 led consumers in southern Europe to a confidence crisis in poultry meat in the winter of 2006, reports of AI outbreaks have become familiar to consumers. Strict discipline by poultry producers in the application of biosecurity measures has kept AI outbreaks in commercial poultry production to a strict minimum. The majority of outbreaks in various EU MS have been in small backyard flocks, which are exposed to contact with wild birds. While most cases of AI H5N1 infections occurred in Germany and the NMS, occasionally infections have been discovered in France and the UK.

The impact of AI H5N1 on European poultry markets in 2007 has been fairly low because most outbreaks occurred in economically insignificant flocks. However, throughout 2007 EU poultry producers have kept production tight in order to avoid overproduction and major problems in case of important AI outbreaks. The production limitation was further mandated by the increased feeding costs and the expectations of increased imports as a result of the newly implemented TRQs, which resulted from the WTO case on poultry tariffs[1]. As a result, EU poultry prices remained at a high level and poultry production remained profitable. The continued threat of AI H5N1, however, hangs like a sword over the sector, which is very aware that no mistakes on biosecurity are allowed.

Other diseases

BSE/TSE

While BSE in cattle herds seems to be under control and incidences of BSE are rapidly decreasing in all EU MS, the appearance of increasing numbers of atypical TSE cases in sheep and goats have drawn the attention of the EC, which has stepped up the control measures for these small ruminants.

Classical Swine Fever

The newly acceded MS in 2004 have made good progress in eradicating CSF, although infected wild boar populations in remote mountainous areas occasionally continue to cause CSF outbreaks in pig farms. The newest MS, Bulgaria and Romania, faced more serious outbreaks of CSF in 2007 and are therefore not eligible to export pigs and pork to the EU. Neighboring MS are also very concerned to bring CSF under control through vaccination programs in these newest MS, because of the threat for their pig farms.

Source:www.cattlenetwork.com

Influenza cases increasing rapidly in eastern Austria

The number of influenza cases is rising rapidly in eastern Austria. Doctors are reporting a big increase in Vienna, Lower and Upper Austria and Styria. Michael Kunze from the Institute for Social Medicine says that there have been 15,300 new cases in the first two weeks of January. He adds that the peak of the outbreak should occur within two-to-three weeks. Older people, the chronically ill and the young are especially in danger from the flu. Vaccination against the flu is the best means of preventing it, but relatively few Austrians bother to obtain it. A poll at the beginning of 2007 showed that only 18 per cent of Austrians had been vaccinated against the flu during the first part of the 2006/2007 flu season. Other means of prevention are frequent washings of one's hands and the avoidance of shaking hands with others. A face mask is also useful in crowded places like undergrounds. Kunze notes that it is not too late to benefit from vaccination against influenza.

Source:www.wienerzeitung.at

Equine influenza outbreak contained

THE equine influenza (EI) outbreak that devastated horse-related industries is contained, the nation's chief veterinary officer says.

Andy Carroll of the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry said government officials visiting the infected areas of Queensland and NSW had determined the virus was contained and unlikely to return.

"We have a large number of already immune horses because they've had the disease or they've been vaccinated," Dr Carroll said on ABC television.

"We also are quite conservative before moving an area or a property from infected to clean. We take a conservative stance and we don't see a large risk of areas reverting back."

An inquiry into the outbreak which began last August is being overseen by retired High Court judge Ian Callinan.

Mr Callinan is expected to hand down his findings before April 25.

The first case of EI in Australia was detected at Sydney's Eastern Creek quarantine facility on August 23 in a thoroughbred stallion which had travelled from the northern hemisphere and was awaiting release.

The outbreak, which brought horse racing to a halt in NSW and Queensland, is estimated to have cost the industry more than $500 million.

Source:www.news.com.au

65 -- INFLUENZA VACCINE (NASAL SPRAY)

Defense Logistics Agency, Acquisition Management, Defense Supply Center Philadelphia - Medical, 700 Robbins Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, 19111-5096, UNITED STATES

SUBJECT: 65 -- Influenza Vaccine (Nasal Spray)

CLASSIFICATION CODE: 65 - Medical, dental & veterinary equipment & supplies

SOLICITATION NUMBER: SPM2DP-08-R-0004

CONTACT: Neil McAvinue, Contracting Officer, Phone 215-737-3123, Fax 215-737-2816, Email Neil.McAvinue@dla.mil - Anna Podlas, Contracting Officer, Phone 215-737-5768, Fax 215-737-3127, Email Anna.Podlas@dla.mil

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE ADDRESS: N/A

NOTICE TEXT: Defense Logistics Agency Acquisition Management Defense Supply Center Philadelphia - Medical The Defense Supply Center Philadelphia is soliciting proposals for the supply of Influenza Virus Vaccine (Nasal Spray) for the 2008/2009 flu season. Approximately 167,897 PG (10 dose per package) are included in this requirement. (Quantities may increase or decrease substantially pending receipt of Service requirements.) Shall be a live, trivalent nasally administered vaccine intended for active immunization for the prevention of influenza. Each 0.2 ml dose shall be formulated to contain 10 median tissue culture infectious doses of live attenuated influenza virus reassortants of the strains recommended by the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) for the 2008-2009 season. Shall be indicated for active immunization for the prevention of disease caused by influenza A and B viruses in healthy children ages 2 -17 years of age and healthy adults ages 18-49 years of age. Shall be suitable for nasal administration only. Shall be supplied in a commercially available nasal syringe unit considered acceptable to the FDA. The formula for the 2008-2009 season shall be as required in the solicitation. Expiration date shall be not more than 9 months from the date of manufacture but shall not exceed 30 June 2009. Material shall be shipped frozen at or below -10" C (14" F). No EXCURSIONS are acceptable. Unit. Package (PF). One package containing 10 pre-filled commercially available nasal syringe units, as specified, constitutes one unit. Each pre-filled nasal syringe unit shall contain a single 0.2 ml dose. Other Spec. data included in the solicitation. National Stock Numbers will be established at time of award. An indefinite quantity contract is proposed. The quantities indicated are annual estimates only. The guaranteed minimum will be 75% of the annual estimate, and the contract maximum will be established at 150% of the annual estimate. Contractor shall deliver to various locations, provided at time of award. For information on this Solicitation please contact Todd Stackhouse (215-737-2849/todd.stackhouse@dla.mil)

Source:www.tradingmarkets.com

Most GPs "are against extending influenza injection"

More than 25% of GPs believe influenza immunisation is unnecessary, and almost three-quarters are against plans to extend the number of people eligible for it, a new survey shows.

GP magazine questioned 310 family doctors, and found widespread opposition to the Government's flu jab programme.

The annual policy offers the injection to anyone over 65, and to people with chest problems and low immunity, at a cost of around £115m in England every year.

But 72% of GPs are against proposals to extend the jab to people aged over 50, and children under two years old.

However, Dr George Kassianos, immunisation spokesman for the Royal College of GPs, said: "Evidence shows that the flu jab is beneficial, but we do not give it to enough people.

"If you do not vaccinate enough people, then it is not as effective.

"By extending the programme to include people aged 50 to 65 and children, we can reduce the chances of the virus circulating in the community."

And a Department of Health spokesman said: "Although vaccination may not protect all people from flu virus infection, experts advise that the majority of those immunised benefit by suffering a less severe illness.

Source:www.managementinpractice.com

Acambis starts clinical testing of universal influenza vaccine

Acambis plc (Acambis) (LSE: ACM), a leading vaccines company, announced today that it has initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial of its universal influenza vaccine candidate, ACAM-FLU-A.

ACAM-FLU-A is designed to target all 'A' strains of the influenza virus. As such, it has the potential to be both a universal pandemic influenza vaccine and a part of a universal seasonal vaccine. Historically, influenza pandemics have been caused by 'A' strains of the virus; seasonal vaccines target both 'A' and 'B' strains of the virus.

The Phase 1 trial is:

* A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-centre trial in the US;

* Investigating ACAM-FLU-A's safety, tolerability and ability to generate an immune response;

* Being conducted in up to 80 healthy subjects aged between 18 and 40 years; and

* Assessing two adjuvants or "immune stimulants" to determine whether they improve the effect of the vaccine on the immune system.

ACAM-FLU-A is the first vaccine candidate being developed under Acambis' influenza programme. It is a recombinant vaccine that uses a hepatitis B core protein to present M2e, the extracellular domain of the influenza ion channel protein M2, to the immune system. Being highly conserved, M2e is intended to elicit immune responses to all influenza 'A' strains.

Dr Michael Watson, Acambis' Executive Vice President, Research & Development, commented:

"As a universal vaccine, ACAM-FLU-A can potentially overcome many of the drawbacks of existing influenza vaccines. By removing the need to re-engineer the vaccine each time the virus mutates, a universal vaccine can be manufactured and used at any time of year. It could be stockpiled in advance of a pandemic or potentially used routinely to ensure population protection against future pandemics. This trial is designed to prove that the vaccine generates an immune response as well as giving us safety data. We look forward to seeing the results around the end of this year."

Two adjuvants are being tested in this Phase 1 trial for their effects on the safety and immunogenicity of ACAM-FLU-A: aluminium hydroxide, which is widely used in licensed vaccines; and QS-21 Stimulon(r) adjuvant, which is an investigational adjuvant provided under a licence and option agreement with Antigenics Inc.

ACAM-FLU-A was developed using technology licensed from VIB that was invented by Walter Fiers, Emeritus Professor of the VIB Department for Molecular Biomedical Research at the University of Ghent. Pre-clinical studies of the vaccine in mouse models have shown highly promising results.

Ian Garland, Chief Executive Officer of Acambis, said:

"With the market for influenza vaccines projected to rise to $4bn by 2010(1), this is a very attractive opportunity. Our universal vaccine approach is highly innovative and gives us a strong competitive position in the influenza vaccine market."

Acambis is using multiple approaches to develop innovative influenza vaccines. In addition to ACAM-FLU-A, its programme includes activities to identify a conserved region within the influenza virus 'B' strains, equivalent to M2e in influenza virus A strains. This would enable Acambis to generate a universal vaccine candidate that protects against all B strains, which currently cause the most significant morbidity and mortality in humans.

source;www.pharmalive.com

Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment Launches Statewide Emergency Preparedness Information Campaign

The Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response (OEPR) of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) announced today the launch of a new statewide campaign designed to empower Colorado residents to take the preparatory steps necessary to safeguard themselves and their families from emergencies.

The statewide, six-month campaign – titled “What If? Colorado” – asks Coloradans to consider how well they are prepared for a sudden emergency, such as a severe snowstorm or power outage, as well as more long-term emergencies such as an outbreak of pandemic influenza. In addition, the campaign prescribes specific actions residents can take to better prepare themselves for such inevitable conditions. Specific objectives of the campaign include:

* Partnering with the Colorado Influenza and Pneumococcal Alert Coalition (CIPAC) to increase the number of Colorado citizens who receive seasonal influenza vaccinations
* Increasing the number of Colorado citizens who develop emergency kits for their homes, offices and automobiles
* Empowering Colorado citizens on measures they can take to prepare for emergencies and prevent the spread of illness during an influenza pandemic
* Informing Colorado citizens about pandemic influenza and how it differs from seasonal influenza

“At the Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response it’s our job to ask ‘what if’ questions all the time,” said Chris Lindley, director for the Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response. “But the plans we make will find much greater success if we can empower Colorado citizens to take just a few simple steps to prepare themselves and their families for emergency situations. Our public information campaign isn’t just about asking ‘what if?’ – it’s about helping people respond to those questions with concrete answers.”

Questions the campaign was developed to address include:

* “What if a blizzard leaves me stranded?”
* “What if a communicable illness struck a large part of the population where I live?”
* “What if I had to survive for days at my home?”

As many Coloradans experienced this past winter, disasters – and the accompanying need to be prepared for any inevitability – can materialize as quickly as a December blizzard. Following the blizzard of December 20, 2006, residents of the Front Range and across large parts of Colorado learned a harsh lesson in emergency preparation: Within three days of the storm, grocery stores, gas stations and other retail establishments began reporting shortages or the unavailability of key merchandise. Many citizens were unable to leave their homes for days – and key roads and highways became impassable.

“What If? Colorado” will work to inform Colorado residents on steps they should take to prepare themselves for conditions such as last year’s blizzards – and will inform citizens on the less frequent but very real threat of other emergencies such as a pandemic influenza outbreak. Components of the campaign include:

* The “What If? Colorado” reality competition: Colorado residents over the age of 18 will be encouraged to submit video “auditions” for consideration to be included in the “What If? Colorado” House, where residents will live together for a three-day event and face a variety of challenges designed to engage and inform them on emergency preparedness and influenza issues. Auditions will be accepted online, at special events organized by local public health agencies statewide and through standard U.S. mail submissions. A specially designated URL (www.WhatIfColorado.com) will direct residents to the OEPR campaign Web site, where they can view posted audition videos and learn about emergency preparedness and influenza prevention. Through a generous donation from HealthONE, a total of 10 prizes will be awarded in the competition – an Apple 30 gigabyte iPod to each of the nine regional finalists and one grand prize of $2,500 cash to the overall What If? Colorado reality competition winner.
* Local events statewide: During the campaign, local public health agency partners will conduct or participate in special events in their communities to inform residents about pandemic influenza, emergency preparedness and to solicit and accept auditions for the “What If? Colorado” House.
* Eldorado Natural Spring Water partnership: As a partner in the “What If? Colorado” campaign, Colorado-based Eldorado Natural Spring Water and OEPR will team up to create special “What If? Colorado”-branded bottles of water that will be distributed free of charge at events throughout the state by OEPR local public health agency partners.
* King Soopers/City Market partnership: As an exclusive retail partner of “What If? Colorado,” King Soopers and City Market will conduct an ongoing promotion during the campaign, highlighting items throughout their 300+ Colorado stores where residents can purchase advertised items to complete their home, office and/or automobile emergency preparedness kits.
* November mass vaccination exercise: In order to test the state’s ability to mobilize and conduct mass immunizations in the event of a pandemic influenza outbreak, OEPR will conduct a statewide “mass vaccination” exercise in targeted Colorado communities, including participation by local celebrities and government officials.

“We believe the combination of engagement of the general public, the business community, and local and state-level public health workers and government officials will result in a significant increase in awareness of this issue among Colorado citizens,” Lindley said. “We’re looking forward to having a constructive, eight-month-long conversation with Colorado on how we can all become better prepared to face any emergency.”

Surveys both in Colorado and nationally demonstrate that the vast majority of citizens have not created an emergency kit for their homes, automobiles or offices – and many citizens avoid influenza immunizations for reasons that simply aren’t justifiable. In fact, a recent survey of 929 Colorado residents over the age of 18 demonstrated that:

* 73 percent of respondents said they do not possess an emergency preparedness kit
* Yet, 66 percent of respondents believe they are prepared for an emergency lasting three days – and 56 percent believe they are prepared for an extended two-week emergency
* Finally, 57 percent of Coloradans believe it is “somewhat” or “very” likely that they will face an emergency in the next three years

Defined as a widespread outbreak of disease, a pandemic could cost Colorado $11.7 billion and result in an estimated 30,000 deaths and 1.4 million illnesses throughout the state, according to a recent report by the Trust for America’s Health, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. In addition, state and local resources required to aid citizens during an emergency or disaster – such as severe weather, disease outbreak or terrorist attack – would be significantly depleted unless more citizens take measures to personally prepare for such occurrences.

The “What If? Colorado” campaign is funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The overall cost of the campaign is approximately $758,000.

source;home.businesswire.com

Acambis’ Universal Influenza Vaccine Enters Phase I Trial

Acambis announced that it has initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial of its universal influenza vaccine candidate, Acam-Flu-A.

According to Acambis, Acam-Flu-A is designed to be a universal vaccine candidate targeting all ‘A’ strains of the influenza virus. Therefore, it has the potential to be both a universal pandemic influenza vaccine and part of a universal seasonal vaccine. Historically, influenza pandemics have been caused by ‘A’ strains of the virus while seasonal vaccines target both ‘A’ and ‘B’ strains of the virus.

The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center U.S. trial will investigate the drug’s safety, tolerability and ability to generate an immune response, the company said.

It will be conducted in approximately 80 healthy subjects between 18 and 40 to assess two adjuvants’ ability to improve the effect of the vaccine on the immune system, the company added.

Acam-Flu-A is the first vaccine candidate being developed under Acambis’ influenza program.

source:danews.com

WHO chief urges governments to improve preparedness for pandemic influenza

The threat of a pandemic influenza has not diminished and the world must keep improving their preparedness for any possible outbreak, chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) Dr Margaret Chan said on Tuesday.

"No country is fully prepared for a pandemic. I'm saying this because I'm just being realistic," Chan told reporters at a news briefing in Geneva.

Chan said almost all member states of the WHO now have some sort of pandemic preparedness plan, but some of those plans are not robust and detailed enough.

She said a preparedness plan should not be just a health sector plan and it needs to involve other sectors such as transportation, communication, education, etc..

According to the world health chief, the H5N1 avian influenza is still very much an animal disease and it has been confined to the animal sector.

But there is still of risk of human health and the WHO still receives from time to time reports of human cases from different countries, she said.

Since 2003, the WHO has confirmed a total of 318 human cases of H5N1 influenza, with 192 deaths.

Chan also urged countries to continue sharing avian flu virus with the WHO so that any initial evolution of the virus could be detected.

"The sharing of virus will enable us to characterize the virus - - whether it has acquired changes that would give the virus the potential to cause human transmission in an efficient manner," Chan said.

source:english.people.com.cn

Fact Sheet: Implementation of the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza

Today, The White House Homeland Security Council Issued A One-Year Report On The Administration's Progress In Implementing The National Strategy For Pandemic Influenza. The United States is better positioned today to detect an outbreak of pandemic flu earlier, to support an international effort to contain the pandemic in its earliest stages, to limit the spread of a pandemic, and to save lives.

In May 2006, The Administration Issued The National Strategy For Pandemic Influenza Implementation Plan (www.whitehouse.gov/homeland/pandemic-influenza-implementation.html), Which Provides A Roadmap To Achieve The Federal Government's Pandemic Preparedness And Response Goals.

We Have Made Great Strides Over The Past Year To Complete The Actions Outlined In The Implementation Plan. Eighty-six percent of all actions due within 12 months under the Implementation Plan have been completed. The remaining 14 percent of actions are in progress and are expected to be completed by the 18-month mark.(1)

We Are Confronting The Threat Of An Influenza Pandemic At Its Source

The United States Has Made Pivotal Contributions To Control The International Spread Of H5N1. Through the International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza, we are working with affected countries and international partners to detect, contain, and prevent animal outbreaks; reduce human exposure to the virus; and enhance planning and preparedness for future outbreaks.

The United States Is Working On Avian Influenza Issues In More Than 100 Countries To Combat The Spread Of Avian Influenza And Prepare For A Possible Pandemic.

— Over the past year, the U.S. Government has supported the training of more than 129,000 animal health workers and 17,000 human health workers in H5N1 surveillance and outbreak response.

— We have deployed more than 300,000 personal protective equipment kits to more than 70 countries for use by surveillance workers and outbreak-response teams.

— U.S. experts have provided vital technical expertise to national investigations of actual outbreaks of H5N1 in countries on three continents and provided technical assistance, commodities, and logistical or financial support to 39 of the 60 countries and jurisdictions affected by H5N1.

— The United States is supporting efforts to improve laboratory diagnosis and early warning networks in 75 countries.

The United States Is Working To Expand On-The-Ground Surveillance Capacity And Improve Knowledge About The Movement And Changes In H5N1 On A Global Scale By:

— Creating the Wild Bird Global Avian Influenza Network for Surveillance project;

— Enhancing the Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System;

— Funding the World Health Organization Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network;

— Expanding the network of Global Disease Detection Centers; and

— Providing the genome sequences of more than 2,250 human and avian influenza isolates as a result of the Influenza Genome Sequencing Project to track genetic changes in viral strains.

The United States Is Now Better Prepared To Respond To An Outbreak Of Pandemic Influenza

The United States Has Developed Protocols And Trained Personnel To Support An International Effort To Contain The Pandemic In Its Earliest Stages. We have pre-positioned stockpiles of personal protective equipment, decontamination kits, and antiviral medications overseas to complement global efforts to contain pandemic outbreaks.

The Administration Has Made Significant Investments In Vaccines, Antiviral Medications, And Research That Will Help Safeguard Our Nation And Benefit The World. The Administration is investing in the expansion of vaccine manufacturing capacity, the advanced development of new cell-based vaccines, vaccine-stretching technologies known as adjuvants, and the establishment and maintenance of pre-pandemic vaccine stockpiles.

— We have invested more than $1 billion in the development of new vaccine technologies.

— In April 2007, the U.S. Government approved the first pre-pandemic vaccine for humans against the H5N1 virus. We currently have enough of this pre-pandemic H5N1 vaccine for approximately 6 million people.

— The U.S. Government has invested more than $100 million in adjuvants. Initial clinical studies suggest that adjuvants to H5N1 vaccines could stretch our vaccine supply 10- to 20-fold.

— As of June 2007, Federal and State stockpiles contain enough antiviral medications to treat nearly 50 million people.

— The U.S. Government is developing new antiviral medications to further broaden our capabilities.

In February 2007, The U.S. Government Released Federal Guidance For Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions For Mitigating The Impact Of A Pandemic. Recent scientific modeling and historical reviews of the 1918 pandemic suggest that non-pharmaceutical interventions could be very effective at slowing the spread of disease and mitigating an outbreak. With the use of antiviral medications, they could potentially prevent illness and death in millions of Americans, but only if they are implemented early and maintained consistently across communities affected by a pandemic. The Community Mitigation Guidance (www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/community/community_mitigation.pdf) provides a clear roadmap for communities to accomplish these objectives.

The U.S. Government Has Invested In Health System Preparedness, Has Produced Tools To Assist In Planning For Expansion In Hospital Capacity During A Pandemic, And Is Stockpiling Critical Medical Supplies.

— The Community Planning Guide for Providing Mass Medical Care with Scarce Resources (www.ahrq.gov/research/mce) offers specific recommendations for providing the highest possible standard of care where resources are limited.

— The U.S. Government has invested $600 million over the past year for State and local preparedness efforts, including the exercising of community mitigation measures, medical surge plans, and mass inoculation plans.

— The U.S. Government has developed new guidelines and protocols to enhance the delivery of EMS and 9-1-1 services during a pandemic.

We Have Provided Businesses With Practical, Action-Oriented Information To Identify Essential Functions, Protect The Health Of Employees, Maintain Continuity Of Business Operations, And Sustain Society.

— The U.S. Government has developed the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Guide for Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources (www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/pdf/cikrpandemicinfluenzaguide.pdf).

— The Federal Government has conducted more than 150 presentations, workshops, and forums attended by thousands of key stakeholders from critical infrastructure entities.

— Partners from Federal, State, local, territorial, and tribal emergency medical services, fire, emergency management, law enforcement, and public works departments have come together to develop best practices and model protocols, to coordinate pandemic preparedness activities, and to standardize all-hazards training and exercises.

We Have Made Significant Progress Over The Past Year, But Much Important Work Lies Ahead

Strengthening Disease Detection And Biosurveillance: We must redouble efforts to develop "real-time" clinical surveillance in the United States, so that we are able to target and refine our efforts more effectively during a pandemic.

Expanding Medical Capacity To Care For Large Numbers Of Ill Patients: Despite our investments and the development of guidance for communities, much more work is necessary to ensure that communities are prepared to care for the burden of illness that would be presented during a severe pandemic.

Addressing Global Needs: The U.S. Government is committed to working with the pharmaceutical industry, our international partners, and the World Health Organization to address global vaccine development and vaccine access.

Implementing Community Mitigation And Building Community Resilience: We must continue to work with non-Federal stakeholders to address practical implementation considerations, including legal and feasibility concerns.

source:digital50.com

Bird Flu in Ghana

The Acting Administrator of the United State Agency for International Development (USAID), Henrietta Holsman Fore, and Ghana's Deputy Minister of Food and Agricultural, Anna Nyamekye have visited two Usaid-supported project sites in Accra.

The visit took them to the Veterinary Services Department and the Labadi General Hospital.

The purpose of the visit was to highlight Usaid's contribution to avian influenza (AI) preparedness and outbreak response plan in the country. It was also to reaffirm Usaid's commitment to AI control efforts in the country and showcase Usaid's support for maternal and child health, family planning and malaria prevention.

The Deputy Minister of Food and Agricultural, Anna Nyamekye said the prevention of avian influenza has been very high on the governments' agenda since 2005.

The disease when introduced into any country, especially like Ghana, can have serious socio-economic effects where over 80% of the country's poultry populations of approximately 24million are in the rural areas where they are not kept intensively but scavenge around for their survival.

Farmers need to make sure that they do not accidentally bring the disease from one farm to another by sharing infected equipment-or even by carrying the disease on their feet when they visit another farm.

Ms. Anna Nyamekye said the government is cracking down on the illegal import of chicken and chicken products from other countries. "We arrest and destroy any birds and their products being illegally imported," She said. "Sometimes they enter from the North and come as far as to Accra".

Anna Nyamekye said the Government's attention is now focused on bio-security on poultry farms to prevent the spread of the disease and other poultry diseases from farm to farm.

She commended Usaid and other development partners for their assistance and called on them to continue supporting the country in fighting the disease.

The Acting Usaid Administrator Henrietta Fore with Ghanaian and American health officials at the Veterinary Hospital celebrated the success of workers in containing the spread of the desease in the country.

"Stamping out the disease in the country helps not only Ghanaians but West Africa and the world," said Fore, who is also the U.S. Undersecretary of State and is in the country to participate in the ongoing AGOA Forum.

Since 2005, Usaid has donated nearly U.S.$1 million to Ghana to prevent and combat bird flu, and they a further $300,000 in funding for emergency response will be released this week.

Usaid Ghana, Infection Disease Advisor, Paul Psychas said Bird flu has a devastating effect on poultry and can swiftly wipe out an entire farm. In some countries the virus has also spread to humans, sparking fears that avian influenza might cause a global health crisis.

There have been three bird flu outbreaks reported in Ghana this year, but so far, no humans have contracted the disease.

source:allafrica.com

Are you missing work because of flu?

July is the month most South African employees take sick leave due to influenza, a study released on Thursday showed.

The study of 7 000 employees by Corporate Absenteeism Management Solutions (CAMS) shows that flu absenteeism in his companies the hardest in the winter months of May, June and July.

"The overall absenteeism rate due to flu much higher over these three months than at any other time of the year," said CAMS chief executive Johnny Johnson.

The study found that about one third of all sick absenteeism in South African companies could be attributed to influenza and upper respiratory infections, including bronchitis, every year.

source;www.iol.co.za

General Physics Corp (PGX) Awarded Tennessee Hospital Influenza Exercise Program Contract

General Physics Corporation (GP), a subsidiary of GP Strategies Corporation (NYSE: GPX), announced today that the State of Tennessee, Department of Health, recently awarded a contract to GP for the design, coordination, and facilitation of seven hybrid tabletop/functional hospital-based pandemic influenza exercises for the Statewide Hospital Influenza Exercise (HPIE) Program.

The exercises are intended to meet the minimum exercise-related requirements published in the 2006 Hospital Accreditation Standards for Emergency Management Drills by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Pandemic Influenza Guidance Supplement to the 2006 Health Emergency Preparedness Cooperative Agreement, Phase II.

source;www.streetinsider.com

Bangladesh gets World Bank fund to fight bird flu

Bangladesh is set to receive $ 16 million from the World Bank to check the spread of the deadly bird flu virus that has spread to at least 11 of the 64 districts in the country.

The World Bank has approved a $16 million credit for Bangladesh from the International Development Association (IDA) to support the country's efforts to minimise the threat and risk of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).

The Avian Influenza Preparedness and Response Project is designed to control infections in domestic poultry and prepare for controlling and responding to possible human infections, specially an influenza epidemic and related emergencies, a Bank release said.

The project supports the government's National Avian Influenza and Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Plan, which provides a strategic national framework to control and contain any HPAI outbreak.

The project will also be co-financed initially by a $ 2 million grant from the Avian and Human Influenza (AHI) Facility, which is administered by the World Bank and supported by nine donors, including the European Commission, release said.

At least five million people in Bangladesh are directly employed by the poultry industry and millions of households rely on poultry production for income generation and nutrition.

The UN food agency in May had warned that the bird flu situation in Bangladesh was serious and sought a long-term strategic campaign to bring the deadly disease under control.

The first officially announced avian influenza outbreak in Bangladesh occurred in February 2007.

source:www.ibnlive.com

University of Colorado licenses two influenza virus detection discoveries to Quidel Corp.

The University of Colorado’s Technology Transfer Office has executed two licenses with Quidel Corporation of San Diego, CA, a leading provider of rapid point-of-care (POC) diagnostic tests. The agreements grant exclusive, worldwide rights to two influenza detection technologies developed by researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

The Anti-Viral Resistance (AVR) Chip was developed by a team of CU-Boulder researchers led by Drs. Kathy Rowlen and Robert Kuchta. Quidel’s intent is to develop and market diagnostic tests featuring the chip for use in identifying mutations that may complicate influenza treatment decisions.

The chip detects the two most common factors contributing to the resistance of influenza to drug treatment. The ability to identify antiviral susceptibility is important for global monitoring of influenza patterns, and for directing physicians toward better treatment decisions.

Preliminary studies demonstrate a 95% success rate in the detection of influenza mutations known to result in drug resistance.

The BChip was also developed at CU-Boulder, in close collaboration with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); its primary application is in influenza B monitoring, as a tool for the clinical laboratory and at the point-of-care in the physician office laboratory. The BChip can detect two influenza B virus strains (B/Victoria/2/87 and B/Yamagata/16/88), which are critical in determining seasonal influenza vaccines.

In a recent study of 62 influenza B virus samples from 19 countries, dating from 1945 to 2005, as well as five negative control samples, the BChip exhibited 97% sensitivity and 100% specificity, with no false positives.

The two new chips help strengthen Quidel’s technology foundation in molecular diagnostics; they represent further work done on the FluChip and MChip technologies licensed by Quidel from CU in December 2006.

“After many years of faculty research, we are excited to have executed three licenses with a leading company in the molecular diagnostic industry. This arrangement has the potential to help millions of people,” said David Allen, CU’s associate vice president for technology.

source:www.eurekalert.org

U.S. Combats Threat of Avian and Pandemic Influenza Abroad

The Department of State leads U.S. international engagement to combat the spread of avian influenza and to prepare for a possible human influenza pandemic. On July 17, the Homeland Security Council presented the first year progress report on the National Implementation Plan for the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza, which noted the significant accomplishments of the State Department on all issues for which it is lead or co-lead under this plan. None of these goals could have been reached without the cooperation and support of other U.S. federal government entities and the more than 100 nations and 20 international and regional organizations that have come together through the International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza.

The avian influenza virus has affected 60 nations, killing nearly 200 of the 300 humans infected and causing the deaths of millions of poultry. Our efforts to build international commitment to combat this threat have brought results. In 2006, international assistance pledges increased from $1.83 billion in January to $2.32 billion in December. The United States made the largest single country pledge, reaching $434 million by the end of 2006. We anticipate that further commitments will be forthcoming this year.

The Department of State has provided up-to-date influenza information to U.S. citizens abroad who are registered with our embassies and consulates. The Department also works directly with media abroad to increase understanding of the threat of avian influenza and potential for a pandemic through journalist workshops, documentaries for television broadcast, and presentations by American human and animal health experts. We will expand these efforts in the coming year.

source:www.state.gov

New Ferret Model May Measure Pandemic Potential Of H5N1 Influenza Viruses In Humans

Researchers from the U.S. and abroad used a contact ferret model to evaluate transmissibility of influenza viruses in humans and found that some strains currently circulating throughout the world may transmit better than others in mammals. The researchers report their findings in the July 2007 issue of the Journal of Virology.
Transmission of H5N1 influenza viruses is of great concern worldwide as their geographic and host ranges continue to expand. Currently transmission to humans has been inefficient. Although there is limited knowledge of potential routes and determinants required for transmission, researchers predict genetic reassortment and mutation during adaptation in the host to be the two most likely avenues.

In the study experimental groups consisting of one inoculated ferret and two contact ferrets were used to monitor the transmissibility of four human H5N1 viruses isolates collected in Hong Kong (A/Hong Kong/213/03), Vietnam (A/Vietnam/1203/04 and A/Vietnam/JP36-2/05) and Turkey (A/Turkey/65-596/06) between 2003 and 2006. The selected isolates differed in their pathogenicity and affinity for “avian-like” and “human-like” receptors.

Results showed that one contact ferret developed neutralizing antibodies to A/Hong Kong/213/03 but did not exhibit clinical signs or virus shedding. In two of the groups two contact ferrets had detectable virus following 6 to 8 days exposure with the A/Vietnam/JP36-2/05 virus-inoculated ferrets. Infected contact ferrets displayed severe clinical signs despite little or no virus detection in nasal washes. The absence of secondary transmission among ferrets housed together was attributed to minimal virus shedding. The effect of viral pathogenicity and receptor binding specificity on transmissibility showed that both Vietnam “avian-like” viruses caused neurological symptoms and death in ferrets while the Hong Kong and Turkey “human-like” viruses caused only mild non-lethal symptoms.

source;www.sciencedaily.com