Bird flu outbreak in Romania, EU's first in a year

2010-03-16T10:17:46Z

<div><p>The first outbreak of the deadly H5N1 bird flu in Europe for a year has been identified in a backyard poultry farm in Romania, the European Commission said Tuesday.</p><p>The outbreak, in Tulcea county, close to the Ukrainian border, was discovered on Monday and prompted immediate security measures, the

What is Influenza?

2010-03-16T14:16:34Z

Most people have symptoms for about one to two weeks and again no problem. But with most other viral respiratory infections such as colds, influenza (flu), the infection can be compared to a serious illness, death rate (death rate) from 0.1% of the virus that causes an infection.<br><br>Influenza is transmitted when an infected person sneezes or coughs in the public places, like market, shoping mall, bus, trains etc.The particles pass through the air, where they infect, with whom ...

Bangladesh slaughters 117,000 birds over avian flu

2010-03-14T04:30:07Z

<div><p>At least 117,000 chickens were destroyed in northern Bangladesh Sunday after avian flu outbreak on one of the country's largest poultry farms, a local official said.</p><p>The deadly H5N1 strain of flu was detected on Saturday when 400 chickens died suddenly at the Kazi Farms complex in Thakurgaon town, district livestock chief Mosaddekur Rahman to...

Mongolian protestors demand health minister resign

2010-03-11T06:45:40Z

<div><p>ULAN BATOR (Reuters) - Hundreds of protesters gathered in Ulan Bator's central Sukhbatar Square Thursday to demand the resignation of Mongolia's health minister for failing to curtail the spread of the H1N1 strain of influenza.</p><p>The first demonstration in the heart of the capital since post-elect...

Canadian vaccination study proves 'herd immunity'

2010-03-09T13:46:58Z

<div><p>CHICAGO (Reuters) - Inoculating children against flu protects more people of all ages in the larger community, probably because young people tend to spread viruses through physical play, Canadian researchers said on Tuesday.</p><p>Researchers at McMaster University in Reuters) - Europe is unlikely to see another wave of pandemic H1N1 flu soon but local epidemics are likely as winter returns to the Northern hemisphere, health officials said on Monday.</p><p>The European Center for Diseas...

Mexico's spring break king rebounds

2010-03-07T21:30:05Z

<div id="subtitle">Cancun, Mexico's spring break king, recovers from swine flu, drug violence's blow to tourism</div><div><p>Mexico's spring break king — Cancun — is rebounding quickly from last year's triple blow to its tourism industry caused by the country's swine flu epidemic, drug violence and a global economic crisis.</p><p>Those worries couldn't compete this year aga...

Dutch government wants to sell flu vaccines back

2010-03-06T11:15:11Z

<div><p>AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Dutch government wants to sell 21 million unused H1N1 flu vaccine doses back to their manufacturers after they proved unnecessary and no other country wanted to buy them, the Health Ministry said on Saturday.</p><p>A spokeswoman for the ministry said it had approached manufacturers Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova told Mexican journalists that the case was the first confirmed mutation of the swine flu virus, though there were 423 other suspected cases.</p><p>He said the girl was treated two months ago at a hospital in

Malaysia confirms 1st swine flu death this year

2010-03-01T22:15:08Z

<div><p>Malaysia's government has confirmed the country's first death linked to swine flu in nearly half-a-year.</p><p>Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai says the 22-year-old woman died of respiratory problems at a hospital Sunday after testing positive for the H1N1 virus.</p><p>The minister's statement Tuesday did not give details of how she had been infect...

S.Africa winter raises World Cup swine flu risk

2010-02-26T10:17:12Z

<div><p>The World Cup kicks off at the height of South Africa's winter, bringing in hundreds of thousands of visitors during peak flu season and raising concerns aboout a resurgence of swine flu.</p><p>The H1N1 strain has killed nearly 16,000 people, proving less lethal than regular flu despite the global alarm.</p><p>But health minister

New inhaled drug protects from flu in single dose

2010-02-25T17:15:12Z

<div><p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A single dose of an experimental influenza drug saves more mice from H5N1 avian influenza than the preferred drug Tamiflu, researchers reported on Thursday, and can also protect against infection.</p><p>The tests of Daiichi Sankyo Co Ltd's CS 8958 or lani...

Everyone in U.S. should get flu vaccine: experts

2010-02-25T12:15:50Z

<div><p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Everyone in the United States over the age of six months should get seasonal influenza vaccines every year, federal vaccine advisers said on Wednesday.</p><p>The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice...

Panel recommends annual flu vaccinations for all

2010-02-25T05:00:40Z

<div id="subtitle">Influential federal panel recommends annual flu shots for virtually all Americans</div><div><p>A government panel is now recommending that virtually all Americans get a flu shot each year, starting this fall.</p><p>The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices had gradually been expanding its recommendation for flu shots...

WHO says too early to declare swine flu peak over

2010-02-24T04:16:22Z

<div><p>It is too early to say that the swine flu pandemic has peaked in all parts of the world, the World Health Organisation's emergency committee said.</p><p>"The Committee advised that it was premature to conclude that all parts of the world have experienced peak transmission of the H1N1 pandemic influenza," a spokesman said Tuesday, adding more "time and information was needed."</p&g...

H1N1 pandemic at less severe end of spectrum: WHO

2010-02-24T02:30:26Z

<div><p>GENEVA (Reuters) - The current H1N1 swine flu pandemic is relatively less severe than some other influenza outbreaks, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.</p><p>"This pandemic appears to be on the less severe side of the spectrum of pandemics that we have seen in the 20th century," the Reuters) - The pandemic of H1N1 swine flu has not yet peaked, a committee of experts advised the World Health Organization on Tuesday.</p><p>"The committee advised that it was premature to conclude that all parts of the world have experienced peak transmission of the H1N1 pandemic influenza and that additio...

WHO: Swine flu still hasn't peaked

2010-02-23T15:00:34Z

<div id="subtitle">WHO Experts: Swine flu still hasn't peaked, southern hemisphere bracing for another wave</div><div><p>The World Health Organization says the swine flu pandemic still has not peaked.</p><p>The agency's emergency committee met Tuesday and suggested it was "premature" to recommend downgrading the global flu outbreak. Swine flu cases have dropped dramatically in re...

Virus experiment reminds that flu surprises await

2010-02-23T11:30:29Z

<div><p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Researchers who mixed together bird flu and ordinary flu viruses created three extremely virulent new strains, a reminder that influenza viruses can swap genes to create dangerous offspring.</p><p>Their experiment, reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, demonstrate...

WHO scientists decide if flu pandemic has passed peak

2010-02-23T11:16:30Z

<div><p>The World Health Organisation's emergency committee of scientists has met Tuesday to decide whether the swine flu pandemic has passed its peak, a spokesman from the health agency confirmed.</p><p>The step would mark the first formal recognition that the worst is over since the UN health agency declared a global pandemic in J...

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