Recent News

By Region: Asia/Pacific

New bird flu strain poses serious threat

(Viet Nam News) Viet Nam is considered to be endemically infected with H5N1, with outbreaks detected in poultry in a number of provinces across the country in 2011. Therefore this is not a resurgence of the disease. H5N1 viruses will likely continue to persist and be …

February 14, 2012
| Filed under Asia/Pacific, Agriculture, and Public Health
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Death-rate row blurs mutant flu debate

(Nature.com) When the US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity called for redaction of two papers on mutant strains of H5N1 avian influenza virus, one reason it cited was the high fatality rate of the wild virus1. But some virologists claim that the mortality rate — 59% in officially confirmed cases — has been vastly Read More »

February 14, 2012
| Filed under Asia/Pacific, Europe, North America, International, Policy & Initiatives, Public Health, and Research
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Undetected H5N1 cases seem few, but questions persist

(CIDRAP News) The fatality rate for officially confirmed human cases of H5N1 avian influenza infection is a stunningly high 59% (345 deaths in 584 cases). But the current controversy over publishing data about transmissible H5N1 viruses has revived a debate about whether the virus is as lethal as those numbers say. Some proponents of publishing Read More »

February 10, 2012
| Filed under Asia/Pacific, Europe, North America, South Asia, Agents & Toxins, Public Health, and Research
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South Korea to Overhaul Anti-WMD Defense Efforts

(Global Security Newswire) The South Korean Defense Ministry intends to overhaul its operations for dealing with the threats posed by unconventional weapons and digital attacks, the Yonhap News Agency reported on Thursday. As part of the restructuring, the ministry’s nonproliferation branch is to be given a new title — the WMD Response Department — and Read More »

February 10, 2012
| Filed under Asia/Pacific, Biological Weapons, Countermeasures, and Policy & Initiatives
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Nepal, Vietnam, and India find more H5N1 in poultry

(CIDRAP News) Animal health officials in Nepal yesterday reported H5N1 avian influenza outbreaks at farms in the eastern part of the country, while Vietnam and India reported more detections in poultry. Following massive poultry deaths on …