News Reports For April 27

Indonesia backs out on giving WHO flu samples

`WE DON'T CARE': In a country where more than a third of the world's total outbreaks have occurred, the government is still reluctant to cooperate

AP, DENPASAR, INDONESIA
Friday, Apr 27, 2007, Page 5

Advertising  Indonesia has gone back on its pledge to resume sending bird flu samples to the World Health Organization (WHO), while upping the rhetoric in a standoff that has pitted poor countries against the rich.
Health officials from the nation hardest hit by bird flu say it's unfair for WHO to simply hand over their H5N1 viruses to drug companies, arguing any vaccine produced from their specimens would likely be out of reach for many cash-strapped countries.

Some international scientists have accused the government of holding the virus hostage, keeping experts from monitoring whether it is mutating into a dangerous form that could spread easily among people.

"We don't care," Triono Soendoro, head of the National Institute for Health Research and Development, said to the mounting criticism, maintaining that his country was fighting for a bigger cause.

(snip)

http://www.taipeitim...

****They have said that they don't care.  Please remind me of the reason why are we still shipping USA tamiflu to them?

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by: Kelly Phan @ Fri Apr 27, 2007 at 04:55:19 AM UTC

Good question, Kelly n/t

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by: Clawdia @ Fri Apr 27, 2007 at 06:12:39 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Ummm, umm, hmmm, uhhh, well, darn. let me think, think, think.

Kelly,

  Hi. As a lowly lay man it is beyound my reckoning why we continue to send them Tamiflu and the WHO sends them millions of dollars worth of stuff.

  Personaly it seems better to give out the samples, let the rich countries spend money on research and development. Indonesia could help with testing - something that is hard to do in the US. We all win.

  Then when the vaccine is made Indonesia could take the moral high ground and say "Please be fair and help us. We gave you the samples and let you test it on our people. You would not have the vaccine if was not for us. China did not help you we did."

  If a company would say "As being part of our study we will provide free vacine to your country." that would be fair. Loose 200 million customers, gain 2 billion or more and go down in history as the heros who saved the world with AI vaccine.

  But I am just a lay man who does not understand such complicated issues.

kobie

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by: Kobie @ Fri Apr 27, 2007 at 13:29:05 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

hm, and why haven't we slapped a ban on travel to/from Indo ? n/t

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by: crfullmoon @ Fri Apr 27, 2007 at 13:32:44 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

this is pure speculation

as to why this is all happening at this time.  Forget the tamiflu, there are bigger prizes.

Read this from the WHO site about the Pandemic Task Force, whose job includes advising the DG on whether to change Pandemic alert phases http://www.who.int/m...

The Task Force is a temporary body which will advise WHO until the International Health Regulations 2005 (IHR) come into force on 15 June 2007. At that time, an emergency committee will be convened if and when needed to advise WHO on disease events of international public health importance,...

I asked this question the other day, exactly how would this emergency committee be formed if and when TSHTF?  I looked up the IHR (2005), and here's what I found:

1. The Emergency Committee's job is to advise the WHO DG on:
   • whether an event constitutes a public health emergency of international concern;
     
   • the termination of a public health emergency of international concern; and
     
   • the proposed issuance, modification, extension or termination of temporary recommendations.

2. The Emergency Committee shall be composed of experts selected by the Director-General from the IHR Expert Roster and, when appropriate, other expert advisory panels of the Organization..... on the basis of the expertise and experience required for any particular session and with due regard to the principles of equitable geographical representation. At least one member of the Emergency Committee should be an expert nominated by a State Party within whose territory the event arises.

3. And how is this IHR Expert Roster formed?  The Director-General shall establish a roster composed of experts in all relevant fields of expertise....in accordance with the WHO Regulations for Expert Advisory Panels and Committees....In addition, the Director-General shall appoint one member at the request of each State Party and, where appropriate, experts proposed by relevant intergovernmental and regional economic integration organizations.

4. BUT, in addition, "The Director-General may, on his or her own initiative or at the request of the Emergency Committee, appoint one or more technical experts to advise the Committee."

5. And, according to the WHO Regulations for Expert Advisory Panels and Committees "To ensure balanced geographical representation, consultants and temporary advisers assigned to assist an expert committee are selected, as far as possible, from countries not represented on the committee's membership."

Did you get that?  No?  You don't understand who exactly are going to be the people to advise on pandemic alert phase change?

Join the club.

THIS, IMHO, is probably what they are fighting about.



All 'safety concerns' are hypothetical.  If not, they'd be called side effects...

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by: SusanC @ Fri Apr 27, 2007 at 15:11:25 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Susan, you lost me somewhere within the first two paragraphs.

I read it twice, and still have no clue as to what I was reading.  And my reading comprehension's not that bad.  :9

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by: Kelly Phan @ Fri Apr 27, 2007 at 15:25:49 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

basically, right now

we have a Pandemic Task Force made up of these people http://www.who.int/c... who will advise the WHO DG on whether to change the pandemic alert, among other things.

After June 15 2007, this Task Force will be disbanded and be replaced by an Emergency Committee formed by the process that I just described.  This committee will then be in charge of advising the WHO on the pandemic phase alert change.

Who gets on that committee is important, don't you think?



All 'safety concerns' are hypothetical.  If not, they'd be called side effects...

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by: SusanC @ Fri Apr 27, 2007 at 16:05:52 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Select talent above political posturing

SusnC,

  It is very important who is on the Pandemic Task Force. Yes there is heavy USA representation.

  Am I wrong for thinking that is also where a good part of the technical expertise is.

  I just do not understand why - but have to agree with the throwing Tamiflu blanket on things gives us time to prepare.

kobie

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by: Kobie @ Fri Apr 27, 2007 at 17:38:08 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I'm just guessing

what is being bargained over behind closed doors, in return for concessions over virus samples.  Tamiflu is not it because a) it's already been delivered b) no country can take the bad publicity of withdrawing tamiflu if Indonesia does not share samples, not immediately anyhow, cos they will then blame all deaths on the withdrawing of tamiflu!  c)tamiflu does not benefit the Indonesian tptb directly, personally.  No, whatever they are fighting over, has much higher stakes than how many kids die in the next few months cos they run out of tamiflu.  My guess is it has to do with who controls when to change alert phase!



All 'safety concerns' are hypothetical.  If not, they'd be called side effects...

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by: SusanC @ Fri Apr 27, 2007 at 23:11:52 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

...

here's a rant...  obviously imo..

folks in govt aren't taking it seriously.  it's not an issue to be solved with politics.  look at the casualty numbers per country given the current CFR.  now, what if it were not a 'b' agent, but an 'n' device - the clock is ticking.  if the uncooperative country had deployed 'n' devices in every country, and demanded monetary compensation...  the response would be military, not political. and not WHO.  if it were a weapon, it would be much safer - weapons are designed to be targeted and controlled.  this is much more concerning than any man-made wmd, but no one looks at it that way.

and yet people are discussing intellectual property..  and having meetings, and conferences.  TEOTWAWKI?  nope, sorry, my calendar is all booked - see if H5N1 will reschedule..  not likely.  fools.

this will escalate.  even if mankind chooses to ignore it.  viruses don't care, and they don't have planning calendars or meeting schedules.  world-wide -- people need to put aside their agendas, self-interests, political concerns - and work the issue.  and there are only two sides - those working to solve the problem, and those facilitating the impact of the virus.

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by: c3jmp @ Sat Apr 28, 2007 at 14:19:08 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Will take your word for it

SusanC,

  I do not see the importance of "who controls when to change alert phase"

  X number of dead bodies is X number of dead bodies regardelss of who is counting.

  However money and rescources are not released untill a new level is reached so I conceed to you and your experiance. Its more than just who gets to make the big announcement.

  For me, things are already set in motion. I will go back to something I know more about :) LoL

Kobie
"With the power of conviction there is no sacrifice" - P Benatar
"What we learned from this is what we feared might happen, but now we have the funding to prepare" - what I expect to hear post pandeminc.

 

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by: Kobie @ Sun Apr 29, 2007 at 20:33:26 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Re: "We don't care,"

Perhaps form of twisted, perverted population control? :-(

Actually, I think their "bigger cause" is politico-religious.

And if they don't care, then we should keep our Tami for ourselves, or other, more grateful entities...

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by: Bronco Bill @ Fri Apr 27, 2007 at 15:29:34 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Because if we don't help them throw a tamiflu blanket on their H5N1 wildfire

it will soon burn its way to our doorstep.
We're not acting out of love but self-interest...as always.

Always have a plan B.

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by: maryinhawaii @ Fri Apr 27, 2007 at 15:50:03 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

self-interest

I agree. We're using tamiflu to buy time to prepare. If we didn't throw down these tamiflu blankets, we might have a pandemic strain sooner rather than later.

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by: gardner @ Fri Apr 27, 2007 at 16:58:40 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Azerbaijan's State Statistical Committee's Chairman Arif Veliyev press conference on 1Q overall results.

Veliyev noted that GDP increased to AZN 5,145.5m, up 39.7% from the same period last year. The fixed investment was AZN1, 188.8m, which is 12.4% higher than a year earlier.

The committee chairman noted that increase has also been observed in production of produces, so that 69,200 tonnes of meat and 210.8m eggs (3.55 higher with the same period of last year) were produced during this period. Veliyev stated that as there is no problem on bird flu now, the production of eggs has raised.

(snip)

http://www.today.az/...

*****Whew!  No more bird flu problems.  I guess we can all shut down the web sites and call it a day.  No more problems, no more news, no more bird flu deaths.  We've escaped it folks.  What a relief.  Time to take off my tin foil hat now. 

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by: Kelly Phan @ Fri Apr 27, 2007 at 06:05:25 AM UTC

Global vaccine stockpile 'feasible'

After all the mixed signals the last few days, I found this article interesting.  I think it supposes a lot of the news coming out in the last few days will be overcome (i.e. Indo not sharing samples, but perhaps being convinced to do so; news that for financial reasons only limited stockpiling in the plans, etc.)

This is a politcally heavy-weight issue.  But then, this is all talk.  Talk does not equal future action.

http://www.birdflubr...

Countries and vaccine manufacturers agreed in a meeting at the World Health Organization (WHO) that creating a stockpile of H5N1 vaccine, and separately developing a mechanism to ensure broader access to pandemic influenza vaccine for developing countries in the advent of a pandemic, may be feasible.

(snip)

Participants agreed that the work on virus sharing, H5N1 vaccine stockpiles, access to pandemic vaccines and other means of strengthening pandemic preparedness must all be based on the International Health Regulations (2005), the overarching framework to ensure global health security.

Meteorologist in Florida!?!  Now we're talkin'!!!

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by: Tempest @ Fri Apr 27, 2007 at 10:44:58 AM UTC

Indo/Bangladesh border worries

This article just goes with the predictable flow.  Thought I'd post for the record.  No big surprise or earth-shattering news in this one.

Bird-flu scare in Kaliachak

Statesman News Service
MALDA, April 26: The Malda animal resources development officials today sent a surveillance team to Balutola village near Indo-Bangladesh border in Kaliachak III block after the death of six pigeons, even as bird-flu scare has gripped the residents of the border villages in the wake of pigeons' death.

Authorities said a few days back some pigeons died all of a sudden at Balutola village. "To ascertain the cause of the pigeons' death, we have sent a team to the village," Dr NK Shit, deputy director, Malda ARD, said.
It may be recalled that following outbreak of bird-flu in Bangladesh, the Malda district administration had recently convened a meeting to review the situation. A bird-flu alert was also sounded in the villages situated close to the Bangla border.

http://www.birdflubr...

(snip)


Meteorologist in Florida!?!  Now we're talkin'!!!

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by: Tempest @ Fri Apr 27, 2007 at 10:50:18 AM UTC

It's been days since this thread has had any new outbreak stories.

Is the flu season over? Is this a usual lull? Did we dodge the bullet?
or
Wasn't it around May of last year that the Karo cluster/outbreak happened?

Always have a plan B.

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by: maryinhawaii @ Fri Apr 27, 2007 at 15:55:00 PM UTC

Karo last year

Karo was mostly in May, though it began in late April.

The lulls always feel strange. I was looking at the Indo chart the other day and noticed that so far for 2007, January was terrible, with 8 declared positive (and 9 more reported positive in the media). Then February went pretty quiet, with 2 positive. March was horrible again, with 10 positive, and now April so far has been quiet. It's as if in Indo the virus goes on - off - on - off. Of course, 4 months is a very small sample to draw any decent conclusions from. And there are other factors involved (politics, media, etc,) which could have squashed some reporting.

Regardless, since I have so little else to go on, it does make me feel like bracing myself for May.

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by: gardner @ Fri Apr 27, 2007 at 16:46:55 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Lull feels weird.

  Yea a lull in the news going on for this long feels weird. It gets my mind to thinking the news has been shut off - but I know that is not right.

  Still "The time to fix a leadky roof is when the sun is shining." So as the weather warms up test some preps.

  Now is the time to use powdered milk and see if you like it or which brand of powederd eggs you like.

kobie
 

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by: Kobie @ Fri Apr 27, 2007 at 17:50:59 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

be careful

"The time to fix a leaky roof is when the sun is shining."

Might be true, but nothing brings on thunderstorms like ripping the old shingles off the roof, in my experience.

;-)

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by: gardner @ Fri Apr 27, 2007 at 17:57:45 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

The news, not the virus,

is what seems to go through periodic lulls.  I think it's more a case of what gets reported rather than what is actually happening.

Then again, I'm of a suspicious nature. 

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by: Clawdia @ Fri Apr 27, 2007 at 18:52:04 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

news and/or virus

I'm sure you're right that the news has a greater role than I was thinking. I saw that pattern in the Indo table and couldn't help but think of the comparison of viral activity with "bubbles rising from the pot" (or whatever that phrase was).

But the media is powerful, and then there is the possibility of false negatives. Just frustrating. The more I think about it, the more I realize just how murky our picture is of what's happening.

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by: gardner @ Fri Apr 27, 2007 at 19:39:28 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

No car crashes here today

No guarantee there won't be pile up tomorrow.
No guarantee that there will be.

The rapid and continuous turnover of billions of chickens in Asia offers a continuing source of new avian carriers of H5N1.

This constantly renewing batch of susceptible chickens keeps the fire burning (where in the past it might have died out) and keeps the 'genetic roulette table' rolling. 

The wide geographic spread also ensures H5N1 with continued exposure to new and different human genetic forms and with each such new exposure the internal human roulette wheel turns again - chancing the internal mutations that could produce a pandemic form.

These are just a couple of aspects that require a long-term perspective of watch and wait (and in the meantime prepare). 

Given the nature of this threat, it would take a long time (think years - not weeks) of quiet for anyone to sound the 'all clear' signal. 

ITW(Joel J)
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear.
- Mark Twain
 

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by: Into The Woods @ Fri Apr 27, 2007 at 16:50:51 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

The slow down in cases

See page 357 of this document:  http://iis-db.stanfo...  (It is one of the documents I cite in my "Rice - H5N1" diary.)  Notice the planting dates.  I believe the lull in cases may be related to the planting dates (December 2006 and April 2007) due to the ducks being pulled off the paddies during planting time.  Remember last December was slow, then cases exploded in January.  April is winding down with a reduction in cases.  Will the end of May or the first of June see a dramatic increase?  I don't know, I guess we will see.

If anyone has not read SusanC's excellent article concerning the duck/rice connection please check it out here: 
http://www.newfluwik...

On a related note, I think the Indonesian government has put the hush on any of the cases which have the hint of h2h transmission.  This also contributes to the lull in the news.

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by: Okieman @ Sat Apr 28, 2007 at 01:15:33 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

You spoke to soon

Antibodies to bird flu found in wild ducks in Altai region

Global, Bird Flu Breaking News

27.04.2007, 15.28

Full story: Tass , published 6 hrs ago

  BARNAUL, April 27 (Itar-Tass) - Wild ducks in three areas of Russia's Altai region were found to have antibodies to bird flu, sources from the regional veterinary department told Tass on Friday.

"This means that the birds have contacted with ill species or have been ill" with bird flu themselves, they stressed. Monitoring of water fowl began last week, and antibodies to bird flu have been found in the blood of wild ducks on the Korostylyovskoye water reservoir, on the Novoye and Presnoye lakes, they specified.

The sources said the situation in private households remains normal, but nevertheless owners of domestic poultry were asked to keep the birds inside.

Meanwhile, vaccination against the N5N1 strain of bird flu continues in the region. About one million domestic birds have been vaccinated. Domestic birds in thirty-seven districts of the region situated on migratory birds routes are vaccinated first.

 

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by: jlopez4152 @ Fri Apr 27, 2007 at 19:18:08 PM UTC

Interesting

I came across this on birdflubreakingnews

Bird flu scare in Bengal

Pranesh Sarkar
KOLKATA, April 26: At a time when the deadly H5N1 or avian flu virus has created panic in the bordering districts of Bangladesh, the state health department appears to be groping in the dark, after three people from a family died of a mysterious disease in Nadia district over a span of 15 days.
The health department officials said that all the victims showed classical symptoms like high fever, severe headache, respiratory distress and vomiting which are common to all viral diseases including avian flu. The district health department had been put on high alert to contain spread of the disease.
A senior health department official at Swasthya Bhavan said the victims were from a family residing in Lalbazar village of Tehatta-I sub division in Nadia. On 9 April, 35-year-old Tapas Majumdar was found suffering from the disease. He died on 11 April at Tehatta Sub Divisional hospital. Tapas' brother Timir Majumdar (25) fell ill, on 13 April, and died on 23 April. On 23 April, Sabitri, widow of Tapas was admitted to the same hospital with the same symptoms. She died on Tuesday.
 

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by: jlopez4152 @ Fri Apr 27, 2007 at 19:36:39 PM UTC

that is very scarey, as if it is bf, it is definitely h2h. Do we have a newshound assigned to India?n/t

Always have a plan B.

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by: maryinhawaii @ Fri Apr 27, 2007 at 23:23:43 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Not officially a group

monitoring India at present.  A few of us did it last year when things there were starting to simmer.  Plus we had the India/Nepal situation ...

I will go have a look about and see what I can find.

Any other volunteers to monitor this area?

Eat pudding first - who know's what might happen next! - Anon

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by: AnnieB @ Sat Apr 28, 2007 at 00:44:11 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

I wish I had time...I will help more as soon as school is out in June. n/t

Always have a plan B.

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by: maryinhawaii @ Sat Apr 28, 2007 at 06:34:58 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

I'll try to help

Do you have links to some sites I could monitor?  Is there anything else I can do?

I hear the train a comin'
It's rolling round the bend
~The Man in Black

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by: SouthernBlueNeck @ Sat Apr 28, 2007 at 10:09:13 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Simliar feeling as posts above

I agree with the above posts - the lull is stange - in a post a few days ago (which seems to have been deleted by moderators) I asked whether it was a seasonal thing like Kelly's post above. Now we are coming into Northern Hemisphere spring maybe the flu season naturally dies down?

Plse dont delete!

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by: The Pilot @ Fri Apr 27, 2007 at 22:44:09 PM UTC

posts aren't deleted here

it's a good question with no good answer.

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by: DemFromCT @ Fri Apr 27, 2007 at 23:43:48 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

CDC stages bird flu games

This is a simulation.

http://www.alertnet....

ATLANTA, April 27 (Reuters) - A leading U.S. health agency staged a war game this week to test its response to one of the worst health emergencies it could imagine -- an outbreak of avian flu on American soil.

The exercise, which ended on Friday, was designed to simulate how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would marshal its resources, coordinate with other branches of government and, crucially, reassure the public while preparing it for a possible pandemic.

"If we were at the beginning of a pandemic this is exactly what it would look like," said CDC Director Julie Gerberding at a news conference early in the 48-hour drill, which involved hundreds of officials.

If things turn out wrong it could lead to a "catastrophe beyond our planning," she said.

In the script, a student infected with a new strain of H5N1 virus returns from Indonesia where a bird flu outbreak is under way. He dies but not before infecting others including members of a swimming team.

There's no word on how it went.

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by: DemFromCT @ Fri Apr 27, 2007 at 23:46:24 PM UTC

Is this either/or?

Another consideration was whether to adopt a "containment" model, by trying to stop the virus' spread, or a "mitigation" model, by taking steps such as closing schools to lessen its impact once it can pass freely from person to person, he said.

If they know where it started, can't the CDC and the FAA stop flights from that country, and check passports of people coming in, at least at first?  If they choose the "mitigation" model, does that mean they won't make an effort to keep out people who've just been to the starter country?  After a week or two, it might not matter because it will be in many countries, but at first it seems like it could help.  Really, it seems to me to be stupid not to try. 

Could "containment" mean quarantining everyone who arrives in the US?  The airports couldn't hold everyone, so they'd have to reduce the number of flights by 50 or 75%, depending on how many days the quarantine has to last.  I know there are lots of economic consequences to this, but the same is true of pandemic.  Wouldn't slowing it down be worth it?  It might let people have time to get in some groceries, etc.

"The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it."  Flannery O'Connor

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by: Jane @ Sat Apr 28, 2007 at 01:26:47 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

NPR story available for listening

http://www.npr.org/t...

"The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it."  Flannery O'Connor

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by: Jane @ Sat Apr 28, 2007 at 01:39:25 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Isn't this old?

I remember reading about this weeks ago.

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by: Edna Mode @ Sat Apr 28, 2007 at 02:51:17 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

nope

there's a series of these, and this latest one was over today. there's another this summer (listen to the NPR 3:30 broadcast jane posted)

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by: DemFromCT @ Sat Apr 28, 2007 at 03:03:48 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Doctors plead with Fla. lawmakers...

to fund flu drug stockpiling

http://www.heraldtri...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Infectious disease doctors on Friday made a last-minute plea for Florida lawmakers to change their mind and put some money into a program for stockpiling antiviral drugs to be used in case of a flu pandemic.

The federal government is offering a discount on the antivirals for states that participate in a stockpiling program, and Florida may be the only state that doesn't.

"The catch phrase that it's not a question of whether there'll be a pandemic but when is really the truth," said Larry Bush, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Miami, adding that to not stockpile antivirals is "ridiculous."

*criminal* is more like it!

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by: bird-dog @ Fri Apr 27, 2007 at 23:53:44 PM UTC

lack of purchases is one reason

that there's a cutback in tamiflu production.

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by: DemFromCT @ Sat Apr 28, 2007 at 00:17:32 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Doctors and nurses are going to walk off the job in FLA

once the heat gets turned up, and people are going to wonder why they have all abandoned posts.  You can't stick your soldiers out there to take the heat without giving them effective safety equipment, and Tamiflu is part of the equipment they need. 

Let's hope they get some of the stockpiled vacines that we've been hearing about for awhile now.

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by: Kelly Phan @ Sat Apr 28, 2007 at 04:03:37 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

More on Florida

State could lose flu treatments

http://www.palmbeach...

Florida is on the verge of losing out on nearly 1.8 million treatment courses of influenza antiviral drugs offered at a bargain price by the federal government because state lawmakers have not put any money in the budget to pay for them.  ...

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by: AlohaOR @ Sun Apr 29, 2007 at 16:04:38 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Mobile/Migrant pop.'s vs. AI...

Maybe should be in the 'Tourism' diary?

http://www.iom.int/j...

Protecting Mobile Populations Against Avian Flu

Posted on Friday, 27-04-2007

Switzerland - An IOM capacity building workshop in Geneva this week marked the start of an IOM project aimed at preparing mobile populations against avian flu.

The project, funded by the Japanese government, will contribute to the United Nations (UN) and its partners' overall action plan for avian and human pandemic influenza preparedness with particular reference to migrant and mobile populations. This project will be piloted in Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria and Thailand.

IOM will work to help ensure migrants have access to health services, particularly against emerging infections such as avian flu; establish social mobilization campaigns encouraging behavioural change among migrants involved in livestock rearing while advocating for compensation strategies and contribute towards the maintenance of livelihoods, governance, economic systems and security in the event of a pandemic by working with governments to develop avian flu contingency plans that take into account migrant and vulnerable mobile populations.

more...

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by: bird-dog @ Sat Apr 28, 2007 at 00:06:12 AM UTC

UK (Jersey): Vaccines for all in flu pandemic

EVERY man, woman and child in Jersey will be provided with two vaccines and a dose of Tamiflu when - not if - the World Health Organisation announces the start of a global flu pandemic.

Yesterday ministers agreed to spend £2 million on preparations for the pandemic - which the WHO predict will happen within five to ten years - to set up the highest protection standard anywhere in the world.

Every Islander will get a dose of Tamiflu, the H5N1 vaccine which is being stockpiled now, and a dose of the vaccine for the flu that causes the pandemic which will be developed within a few months of the pandemic's outbreak.

Medical Officer of Health Dr Rosemary Geller said that the Island was' buying a peace-of-mind package'.

http://www.thisisjer...

Wonder if their population will boom now? 
From CIA fact book:
  https://www.cia.gov/...
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2005)

YET Potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, and especially flowers are important export crops, shipped mostly to the UK.  (Dairy cows are important, and some beef.)  [Odd conclusions in the land use percentages.]

"The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it."  Flannery O'Connor

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by: Jane @ Sat Apr 28, 2007 at 01:56:11 AM UTC

Tamiflu purchase/use required if coming from infected areas?

If people have no symptoms but are coming from an infected area, why not charge a "tax" for rentry that equals (and buys) sufficient Tamiflu to treat an early stage case? I do not know how many people would be involved, and there might not be enough medicine, but I imagine travel would shrink pretty quickly. It might balance between the mainly symbolic but costly freeze on travel with an "anything goes" stance. Is this idea medically sound?

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by: INFOMASS @ Sat Apr 28, 2007 at 02:16:39 AM UTC

Wisconsin: School staff to be part of public health emergency plan

Hat-tip to Monotreme on PFI

Should infectious diseases such as pandemic influenza or even bioterrorism threaten the public, the Appleton Area School District and City of Appleton Health Department stand prepared.

The two are partners in developing a public health emergency plan that would convert schools into mass clinics staffed by district personnel to provide vaccines and treatment.[snip]

[snip]Presentations have already been given at every school district site, and training for school volunteers was held Thursday at the Grand Meridian in Appleton.

Dunlap said organizers hope to come away with at least 250 trained volunteers.[snip]

http://www.postcresc...

"The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it."  Flannery O'Connor

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by: Jane @ Sat Apr 28, 2007 at 02:52:54 AM UTC

"trained", or brainwashed? n/t

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by: crfullmoon @ Sat May 05, 2007 at 19:54:48 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

maybe worth a mention, on the general trend...

we are now getting regular PSA's several times a day on the radio from Lt Gov Duke Iona stating that there is a serious risk of a flu pandemic and giving people a number to call for info on flu preparedness. So things are picking up momentum in the govt areas I think. Don't know if it means they have any "inside data" or it's just their own decision.

Always have a plan B.

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by: maryinhawaii @ Sat Apr 28, 2007 at 06:38:02 AM UTC

MA doesn't rate PSA's from past nor present Gov. on subject. :-( n/t

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by: crfullmoon @ Sat May 05, 2007 at 19:55:48 PM UTC

[ Parent ]