Epidemics and pandemics

China reports bird flu cases in which humans are infected, but not birds
China’s Ministry of Health said it was puzzled by eight human cases of bird flu in January which appeared independent of any known case in birds; five Chinese died from H5N1 in January in far-flung regions without any reported presence of the virus in birds on the mainland
- Read more
Former top MI6 official says bird flu more of a threat than terrorism
Former assistant chief of U.K.’s MI6 says pandemics posed more of threat to the U.K. population than terrorism; he also says that privacy worries about the international counterterrorist databases are exaggerated
- Read more

First ever U.S. case of Marburg fever confirmed in Colorado
Marburg hemorrhagic fever is extremely rare — and deadly; the disease is caused by a virus indigenous to Africa, and was brought to the United States by a researcher who traveled to Uganda
- Read more
Items in FEMA food kits may contain salmonella-tainted peanut butter
Food kits FEMA distributed to thousands of storm evacuees in Kentucky may contain peanut butter contaminated with salmonella
- Read more

U.S. lawmakers want tighter food inspection system
The list of recalled peanut products in the .S. surpassed 1,000 in an ongoing national salmonella outbreak; the 2007 recall of melamine-tainted pet food eventually grew to 1,179 products; Congress says current system of food inspection is not working
- Read more
Cholera cases exceed 60,000 in Zimbabwe
Robert Mugabe’s war on his people continues: the number of cholera cases in Zimbabwe has exceeded WHO’s nightmare scenario of 60,000; the Mugabe regime’s systematic looting of the country and its destruction of the country’s public services and infrastructure — especially the health care system and water delivery and treatment facilities — may make the epidemic unstoppable
- Read more

Kansas wins $450 million biolab
Kansas State University outlasted four other competitors to win the $450 million DHS National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility
- Read more
More human deaths from avian flu
Avian flu is slowly making its way into the human population; Indonesia reported two more death, bringing Indonesia’s H5N1 total death to 115; China reports three more deaths, bringing that country’s total to 22
- Read more

Novartis awarded $486 million contract to create flu plant
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a $486 million contract to Novartis which will see the company build a plant in North Carolina to produce a flu vaccine
- Read more
WHO: Cholera sickens 30,000 in Zimbabwe
The World Health Organization reports that as many as 31,656 suspected cases were diagnosed to date with one third of them in the capital of Harare; this is up from 29,131 cases reported on Monday; 1,564 have already died
- Read more

Gene that made 1918 flu lethal isolated
The 1918 Spanish Flu was history’s most devastating outbreak of infectious disease, killing between 20 and 50 million people; researchers isolate gene that made the 1918 gene especially lethal
- Read more
Zimbabwe cholera death toll soars past 1,500
The cholera epidemic has claimed more than 1,500 lives in Zimbabwe since August, the World Health Organization said Monday
- Read more

Virulent strain of bird flu hits Vietnam poultry farms
Until recently Vietnam led the world in H5N1 infection, but drastic measures by the government helped contain the disease; a recent outbreak, coupled with a cold and wet winter, may set back that effort
- Read more
Political squabbles hobble H5N1 research
Indonesia has had the most cases of human H5N1 flu since 2005; it refuses to share the virus samples with Western pharmaceutical companies unless these companies agree to share with Indonesia the profits from the vaccine these companies develop — and also guarantee Indonesia access to a vaccine in case of a pandemic
- Read more
The continuing development of Fort Detrick offers business opportunities
In some places there is a debate about the balance between the business opportunities and risks that the presence of a BioLab facility offers; in Washington County, Maryland, they concentrate on the business opportunities the sprawling — and growing — Fort Detrick (it covers 1,127 acres and employs more than 8,000 people) offers
- Read more

More headlines