Epidemics and pandemics

Worry: South Korean cat infected with bird flu
A cat found dead in a South Korean city was infected with a virulent strain of bird flu, the first mammal in the country known to have had the H5N1 virus; cats and dogs are usually not susceptible to the virus
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Problems with Red Cross blood services
Despite persisting criticism of the way the Red Cross collects and process blood for the U.S. blood supply, serious problems persist, threatening the health of Americans
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Booster vaccination to help against avian influenza pandemic
Evidence suggests that a booster vaccination against H5N1 avian influenza given years after initial vaccination with a different strain may prove useful in controlling a potential future pandemic
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FDA declares it is OK to eat tomatoes again
The U.S. government has declared it is OK to eat tomatoes again, lifting its salmonella warning amid signs that the outbreak — while not over — may finally be slowing
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Who should be treated first in case of pandemic outbreak?
Representatives from 35 states participate in an Indiana University-hosted discussion about how should limited, potentially life-saving resources like vaccines or ventilators be allocated during a pandemic
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New, quick method for identifying food-borne diseases
European researchers have developed a system which prepares samples and performs DNA tests on the salmonella and campylobacter bacteria in a portable and cost-effective chip
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Calgary researcher wins NIH grant for bacterial vaccine
CDC considers glanders and melioidosis as potential bioterrorism agents; Canadian researcher receives NIH grant to develop a vaccine
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Ebola-like virus returns to Europe after forty years
A Dutch woman visited bat caves in Uganda in mid-June, and developed Marburg, a deadly hemorrhagic fever closely related to Ebola, on her return; first case of the disease in Europe after a 40-year absence
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Bioterrorism rule ineffective in salmonella outbreak
Rules and regulations passed in the wake of 9/11 were supposed to tighten monitoring and tracking food items, so an outbreak of food-borne illness could be quickly traced to its source; food supply-chain practices make these rules and regulations difficult to implement
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Corgenix expanding hemorrhagic fever virus product program
Recent outbreaks of the Lassa Hemorrhagic Fever in Africa show urgent need for new products that can be processed in any clinical or field lab
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Is the U.S. prepared for a bioterror attack?
Some experts believe a bioterrorist attack or pandemic outbreak could be inevitable. How would the United States fight back against an infectious disease outbreak?
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Bioterrorism target for ventilation research
Designing new HVAC systems for buildings would help tackle major threats to public safety including the release of noxious chemicals and bio-agents into public buildings
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Worry: Pandemic mutations in bird flu revealed
Despite the ability of H5N1 avian influenza virus to spread, it cannot be transmitted efficiently from human to human, indicating it is not fully adapted to its new host species, the human; new research, however, reveals mutations in the virus that may result in a pandemic
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Internet crawling helps in tracking infectious disease outbreaks
New Web crawling tool helps identify and locate outbreaks of disease around the world
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Salmonella outbreak investigation intensifies
Hunt continues for the source of the Salmonella outbreak in the U.S.; FDA and CDC still see tomatoes as the cause; this weekend three states in Mexico became the focal point of the search
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