News Reports for September 11, 2012

U.S. government takes threat of bird flu pandemic seriously; spends $25 billion for medical countermeasures

Evidently the U.S. government is taking the threat of a global bird flu pandemic very seriously, as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded five contracts collectively worth as much as $25.36 billion for medical countermeasures to the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

There is ample reason to take the threat of an H5N1 bird flu pandemic seriously, too. Over the last decade there have been 608 confirmed cases of H5N1 in humans, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva. Of those, 359 died; that's nearly a 70 percent mortality rate.

Of those confirmed cases of H5N1 and their resulting deaths, most have been in Indonesia, Vietnam, and Egypt. No cases have been reported in the U.S. -- yet.

To keep any potential H5N1 bird flu pandemic in check, HHS officials on 4 Sept. awarded contracts potentially worth $9 billion to Novartis Vaccines and Diagonostics Inc. in Boston; $8.2 billion to MedImmune LLC in Gaithersburg, Md.; $4.7 billion to Sanofi Pasteur Inc. in Swiftwater, Pa.; $2 billion to GlaxoSmithKline LLC in Philadelphia; and $1.5 billion to CSL Biotherapies Inc. in King of Prussia, Pa.

All contract awards are the maximum amount possible. The contract duration is three years with options for two additional years. Awarding the contracts was the HHS Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).

The companies will provide the U.S. government with vaccines, support, and medical storage not only for pre-pandemic medicine to help prevent the spread of the H5N1 virus, but also for medicines to treat the virus after it is contracted to alleviate symptoms and prevent deaths.

U.S. health officials are determined to blunt the effects of any potential H5N1 avian influenza pandemic, which could overload hospitals, threaten children and the elderly the most, and could threaten the working of the military and government agencies if large numbers of employees were to be incapacitated by the virus. Continued: http://www.militaryaerospace.c...

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Tue Sep 11, 2012 at 00:53:02 AM UTC

Is this the first such big research contracts for bird flu?

I'm sure there's been awards for vaccine development in the past, but anything near this scale? Me, being the suspicious type, wonders if this has anything to do with the scientific papers released earlier this year which provided terrorists - as well as scientists - information on how to weaponize the H5N1 virus, and if there might be some secret intelligence information coming in that makes our govt officials believe there might be such a bioterror weapon already in the process of development somewhere.

Always have a plan B.

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by: maryinhawaii @ Tue Sep 11, 2012 at 05:02:14 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Hi Mary

From what I have read and posted, these are not the first contracts but there has never been anything even close to this kind of commitment before. IMO, this really does mean the US government has seriously come to believe there is a good chance there will be a H5N1 pandemic in the future. If I had to guess as to why they are getting this serious now, then I would say it has to do with the experiments done recently. I think it opened their eyes when it was discovered how close H5N1 is to making the final leap to H2H. Five mutations away from it and two of those mutations occurred spontaneously during the experiment in the Netherlands. The experiment done in the US was different but only added proof that the virus can take a number of different routes to obtain the same goal.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Tue Sep 11, 2012 at 06:07:40 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

India: Swine Flu ALERT - Woman dies of H1N1, four more test positive (Madhya Pradesh)

Indore: A 48-year-old woman who was admitted at CHL Apollo Hospital for treatment of swine flu died on Monday. Besides, four more patients were tested positive and six new suspected cases were identified. (Snip) the woman was from Ratlam district and was referred to the city for treatment. Her condition was critical. Laboratory reports confirmed swine flu in 4 patients who are admitted at various city hospitals on Monday.

"Out of these , three are from Indore and one patient is from the Guna district," Dr Sodhi added. Of these three patients, condition of two is critical. These includes a 5-month-old child admitted at Choithram hospital (Snip)
Among other patients who have been tested positive are a 50-year-old woman from Guna district. She is admitted at the CHL Apollo hospital.

(Snip)

A 30-year-old woman, is admitted in the Shri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences. With these 4 patients, a total nine patients have been found positive in the district Continued: http://daily.bhaskar.com/artic...

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Tue Sep 11, 2012 at 05:48:03 AM UTC

Researchers find powerful swine flu strain in Korea

Scientists in South Korea, working closely with researchers in the United States, found that a particular flu strain, common among pigs and known as Sw/1204, caused death within 10 days of inoculation in ferrets. The virus is also transmittable by respiratory droplets, through coughing or sneezing, making it potentially highly contagious. Ferrets are considered the best animal model for studying the flu because they're susceptible to the same virus strains as are humans and show similar symptoms.

Should people start to worry? "This is not a run-for-the-hills situation," explained study co-author Richard Webby, director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Studies on the Ecology of Influenza in Animals and Birds at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, in Memphis. "The study adds value to our surveillance and helps us better prioritize our control measures."

Swine flu, endemic among pigs worldwide, can be transferred between pigs, birds and humans. Pigs are considered "genetic mixing vessels," which means they're great at brewing new and potentially dangerous viruses.

The study authors say the findings show the pandemic potential of the TRSw influenza viruses that the researchers isolated from Korean pig slaughterhouses. TRSw viruses are Korean "triple-reassortant swine" H1N2 and H3N2, genetically related to strains seen in North America. "Triple" viruses, first detected in 1998 in the United States, were found to have genetic segments from swine, human and bird viruses. Sw/1204 is one of these "triple" viruses. The researchers used a process called reverse genetics, which allows them to manipulate the virus' genome to better understand its pathogenicity and transmissibility.

The study pinpointed two specific mutations of the virus responsible for its virulence that have been suspected but not previously proven, said Nancy Cox, director of the influenza division at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "These viruses were already on our radar screen," she explained. Cox said that it's rare that these particular viruses affect humans, though they can. "Is this virus with these two mutations likely to infect pigs, and then infect people, causing a widespread pandemic? Because there's a lot of immunity in pigs to these viruses, it's unlikely to infect humans," she explained.

Dr. Bruce Hirsch, attending physician in infectious disease at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y., said one of the direct benefits of the study is that the virus' "genetic signature can now be used in surveillance studies" to help researchers identify potential risks. Continued: http://medicalxpress.com/news/...

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Tue Sep 11, 2012 at 06:12:52 AM UTC

Swine flu strains could mutate and infect humans, study says

Nobody knows where the next pandemic flu will come from. Now, scientists have evidence that influenza strains common in commercial pig herds can mutate in a way that would allow them to infect humans and spread easily among them. The study, published Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that a flu strain isolated from pigs was able to spread among ferrets and killed them with ease. Ferrets are commonly used in flu studies because they have human-like responses to flu.

(Snip)

South Korean scientists, working with Webby and colleagues at St. Jude, analyzed four strains of influenza A viruses collected from a pig slaughterhouses. They focused their experiments on so-called triple reassortant viruses that contain a mixture of genetic properties from human, bird and swine flus.

The strains, which have infected pig herds in South Korea for a decade, originated in North America and were probably introduced to Asia through livestock imports. Similar viruses still infect U.S. pig herds and sometimes cause sickness in the animals.

The scientists infected ferrets with the viruses by introducing specimens into the animals' noses and upper respiratory tracts. One of the four strains took hold deep in their respiratory tracts and caused severe sickness. Of the three inoculated animals, one died and two were euthanized because they were so sick.

To test whether the virus could spread easily, healthy ferrets were placed in cages next to the infected ferrets, close enough to be exposed to airborne droplets from sneezes but not close enough for the animals to touch. One died, another became sick and was euthanized, and the third remained healthy, although changes to its immune system showed it had been exposed.

The researchers found that the virus mutated twice when it spread from pigs to ferrets, permitting serious sickness and an easy spread between animals. One of the changes, in a key flu protein called hemagglutinin, appeared to help the virus replicate deeper in the lungs and thus cause more dangerous disease, Webby said.

The other mutation altered the structure of another protein called neuraminidase, which allows the virus to break out of cells and go on to infect new ones.

Although the researchers do not know for sure that the virus would infect people, the ferret findings suggest that it would. As an additional test, they grew the virus in lab dishes containing human lung and bronchial cell cultures as well as fresh human lung tissue. The scientists found that the mutated viruses grew more readily than the version that hadn't acquired the mutations.

(Snip)

The message is that swine flu surveillance needs to be improved globally, said virologist Nancy J. Cox, director of the influenza division at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The genetic databases for flu strains contain many thousands obtained from human beings, but "if you try to find sequences of influenza viruses isolated from pigs you'll find coverage is very spotty."

"What we're worried about is not so much this particular virus," Cox said. "It's all of those other viruses that may be in swine populations in other parts of the world." http://www.latimes.com/health/h1n1/la-sci-swine-flu-20120911,0,3783704.story

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Tue Sep 11, 2012 at 06:29:11 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Correct link:

http://www.latimes.com/health/...

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Tue Sep 11, 2012 at 06:38:31 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Threatwatch: Swine flu evolves under the radar

Two weeks ago, a woman died after catching flu from a pig at an agricultural fair in Ohio. Now a new study has found that pigs in Korea are harbouring a similar strain of flu that is more lethal and contagious - at least in animals - than the experimental bird flu that caused intense controversy last year.

Robert Webster and colleagues at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, put an H1N2 flu virus, from the lungs of a pig slaughtered in South Korea in 2009, into the noses and windpipes of three ferrets. All the animals died, which is worrying, as ferrets catch and develop flu in a similar way to humans. What's more, the virus was transmitted via airborne droplets to three ferrets in nearby cages, killing two of them.

In passing between the ferrets, the H1N2 acquired two mutations that made it more contagious and more virulent in the animals. The mutated version also grew faster than the original pig virus in cells cultured from the human nose and lung, and in fresh samples of human alveoli. In an intact lung, this alveolar growth could cause lethal pneumonia.

This increase in virulence and transmissibility remained when the team created a virus identical to the original H1N2 but with those two mutations added. That makes this virus apparently more dangerous than the controversial H5N1 bird flu created last year by a group in the Netherlands. Initially, that virus was only deadly to ferrets when placed in their windpipes, and it did not transmit between them. However, when it was artificially passed from one ferret to another, it mutated and became transmissible. Although it was still lethal in the ferrets' tracheas, it did not kill when they merely inhaled it.

The work provoked a bitter dispute over whether researchers should create such dangerous viruses or publish the procedures. Similar research on H5N1 remains blocked under a precautionary moratorium but no such restrictions apply to H1N2. "This is important research about something that is already going on in nature," says Tony Fauci, head of the US National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease in Bethesda, Maryland, which funded the work. Continued: http://www.newscientist.com/ar...

(Note: I recommend reading the entire article.)

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Tue Sep 11, 2012 at 15:43:09 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Wisconsin H3N2v Cases Increase to 19

Recombinomics Commentary

As of September 7, 2012, there are 19 cases in Wisconsin.

The above comments from the Wisconsin Department of Human Services increase the total number of H3N2v beyond the number of confirmed and suspect cases reported previously.  These initial cases were linked to four fairs, including the linkage of the first two cases to the Wisconsin State.  However, one of the cases was an employee who reported no swine contact.  The fair ended August 12 and the CDC has now released three sets of sequences (Snip).  The collection date of the third case is outside of the typical incubation period of 2-4 days.

(Snip) all three HA sequences from these cases are identical, signaling clonal expansion suggesting human to human transmission. (Snip) http://www.recombinomics.com/N...

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Tue Sep 11, 2012 at 06:40:07 AM UTC

India: May Ganesha keep you from flu's way (Maharashtra)

Given the spurt in the number of respiratory viral fever and swine flu cases this monsoon, stay on your toes during the 10-day celebrations of Ganeshotsav, which begins on September 19.

Doctors and civic authorities advise taking extra precautions since viral infections can easily spread during large gatherings at the celebrations.

City doctors say they have seen an increase in the number of patients with respiratory viral fever complaining of cough, cold, a runny nose as well as severe body pains and headaches.

Dr Khusrav Bajan, intensivist at PD Hinduja Hospital, says, "The city saw heavy rainfall last week. Generally a fortnight after such heavy rains, we expect to see patients complaining of flu and leptospirosis. We are already seeing a rise in cases of respiratory viral fever."

(Snip)

Many patients suffer from relapses due to frequent swings in temperature and virus mutations.

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation officials also advise residents to be cautious at crowded places. "Crowds during a festival can't be avoided. But people who have flu and common cold should avoid venturing out into crowded areas," says an official. Continued: http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai...

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Tue Sep 11, 2012 at 06:49:15 AM UTC

India: H1N1 - Pune on alert this Ganesh Festival (Maharashtra)

There is a chance for Swine Flu to make a comeback and during the holy festival of Ganeshotsav that is starting on the 19th of September. This is what Pune doctors have to say.

On the morning of Saturday, September 8th a 29 year old youth died while undergoing treatment for H1N1 in the city of Pune.  The Pune Municipal Corporation authorities have confirmed that the youth named Mayur Shah had symptoms of this deadly infection like cough with expectoration, intermittent fever and breathlessness. He had ignored these symptoms for three days. This resulted in a sudden decline of health conditions and the patient was placed in ventilation. (Snip)

The worrying fact is that swine flu is being accompanied by other seasonal flu and viral infections and with the Ganesh festival nearing the infections could spread rapidly. In a crowd full of people it is difficult to maintain a safe distance and a healthy person can be subjected to other's coughing and sneezing. Continued: http://www.onlymyhealth.com/h-...

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Tue Sep 11, 2012 at 16:24:49 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

US: Army Ready with Vaccine for Flu Season

WASHINGTON -- The Army has ordered nearly 2 million doses of vaccine to immunize all soldiers, their families, civilian employees and retirees for the upcoming flu season. The vaccinations will be available at most installations in October, but each medical facility will set its own schedule for distribution.

Seasonal influenza can start as early as October and run as late as May, but it generally peaks between January and March, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC cautions that new flu viruses can appear which could lengthen the season -- though that's not expected for 2012-2013.

The Army expects to have 90 percent of the force vaccinated by Dec. 17, according to Col. Richard Looney, director of the Army Military Vaccination Program. He said vaccinations would be available at installations as soon as it's received and until the supply runs out or expires.

"Regardless of previous vaccination history, routine annual influenza vaccination is recommended for all persons age 6 months and older," Looney said. "Several studies have demonstrated that post-vaccination immunity declines over the course of a year, thus, annual vaccination is recommended for optimal protection against influenza."

Looney said about two-thirds of the Army's order for 2012 consists of vaccine that's given through intramuscular injection and the remaining third of the order is the type administered via nasal spray.

The dominant influenza strain for the upcoming flu season remains the H1N1 strain from 2009, Looney said, adding that due to outstanding efforts and immunization campaigns of the past few years, people are more aware and likely to be adequately protected during the height of flu season. http://fortstewart.patch.com/a...

(Note: I disagree with their prediction of the H1N1 swine flu being the dominate strain this year. I think the dominant influenza strain for the upcoming flu season in the US will be the H3N2 strain and I think this will be a much more severe flu season than we have had in the past few years. JMO)

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Tue Sep 11, 2012 at 07:16:56 AM UTC

New bird flu strain develops unexpectedly in Vietnam

A new bird flu strain is developing unexpectedly in Vietnam and causing great concern to the government and public. (Snip) the new strain of bird flu virus, which is suspected to have higher risk of causing human death than previously known ones, appeared in July and widely spread in August in Vietnam's seven central and northern provinces.

(Snip) this virus, thought to belong to H5N1 - Clade 2.3.2.1, is different from the two strains of A and B that appeared in Vietnam in 2011, due to its higher pathogenic risk. According to the department, as of Sept.6, the new virus strain has attacked seven central and northern cities and provinces, including Hai Phong, Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, Ninh Binh, Nam Dinh, Bac Can and Quang Ngai, and over 180,000 infected poultry have been culled so far this year.

Apart from the newly-found strain of the virus, the bird flu has developed unexpectedly in the country so far this year. Normally, avian influenza appears shortly before or after the traditional lunar Tet holidays (which often falls in late January and early February). However, it has appeared since July this year and fast spread without warning. In the Central Highlands Dak Lak province, about 30 influenza epidemic spots were found in only one day. According to local experts, the epidemic would become more complicated once it reaches its peak in the coming months.

MARD has instructed the department to strictly supervise the import of poultry, especially breeding chicks, which are believed to make the suspected new strain virus to spread faster. MARD also ordered the veterinary sector to soon report the preventive possibility of the currently-used vaccine against the new strain virus, as well as encouraged relevant agencies to use domestically-produced vaccine so as to take the initiative in preventing the epidemic.

Meanwhile, according to the Central Epidemic Prevention Institute, since August last year the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned the change of the virus A/H5N1.

Clade 2.3.2 in many Asian countries, including Vietnam, and that change is usual during the natural evolution of the virus. This is a small change of the virus that creates a new strain, not yet a new virus. However, close supervision of the virus which is spreading among poultry should be taken so as to discover its change and set forth an appropriate strategy to fight the epidemic and protect human health, (Snip)

Through strict supervision on human flu infected cases, we found nothing unusual. The most concern is that the virus A/H5N1 is spreading among poultry, and it can continue to have small changes, re-arrange the gene, and reunite with virus circulated among animals and  human beings to become a new highly-toxic strain and transmittable to human beings, Hien said. Continued: http://www.globaltimes.cn/cont...

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Tue Sep 11, 2012 at 07:56:25 AM UTC

Reconstructed 1918 influenza virus has yielded key insights, scientists say

The genetic sequencing and reconstruction of the 1918 influenza virus that killed 50 million people worldwide have advanced scientists' understanding of influenza biology and yielded important information on how to prevent and control future pandemics (Snip)

(Snip) researchers were able to confirm that the viruses that caused influenza pandemics in 1957, 1968, and 2009 were all descended in part from the 1918 virus. (Snip) the 2009 pandemic virus had structural similarities with the 1918 virus and explained why younger people, who had never been exposed to the 1918 virus or its early descendants, were most vulnerable to infection by the 2009 influenza virus. As a result, public health officials were able to target limited vaccine supplies to predominantly younger people, who needed vaccine protection most, rather than the elderly, who were at lower risk of infection in 2009, but are traditionally the most important target group for vaccination. Further, determining the physical structure of parts of the 1918 virus, particularly the portions that are consistent across influenza viruses, has informed the ongoing development of candidate "universal" influenza vaccines that may be given infrequently yet protect broadly against multiple influenza viruses. In addition, by comparing the 1918 virus to related influenza viruses found in animals, scientists have learned some of the changes necessary for influenza viruses to adapt from an animal to a human host. This has led to more targeted surveillance of certain influenza viruses in animals that may be more likely to move to humans.

(Snip) reconstruction of the 1918 influenza virus has furthered scientific understanding of how novel influenza viruses emerge and evolve. Additionally, study of the 1918 influenza virus has helped clarify the critical effects of the human immune system's response to viral infection and the importance of bacterial co-infections that often follow the influenza infection. In sum,(Snip) learning more about the 1918 pandemic influenza virus has led to important insights that could help prevent or mitigate seasonal and pandemic influenza. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_...

For more information about NIAID's research involving the 1918 influenza virus, see NIAID's web page on the History of the 1918 Pandemic  http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topic...

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. --Unknown

     

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by: Carol@SC @ Tue Sep 11, 2012 at 15:52:59 PM UTC

Please post new news stories to...

News Reports for September 12, 2012

Thank you!

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by: AlohaOR @ Wed Sep 12, 2012 at 04:36:47 AM UTC