July 26, 2008

Disclaimer: No one knows if the pandemic will be unleashed. Let us pray that it will not. However, we note with alarm that there are an increasing number of indicators suggesting that this Pandemic is being prepared to be used against us all using a variety of weaponized viruses. If our ringing of the alarm bells is successful, we will be spared – and we will have been wrong. Let us all devoutly hope that the Natural Solutions Foundation’s urgent and effective information dissemination is that successful.

Please help to make the Pandemic secret so ineffective that the authors of this nightmare are backed off by our shared awareness. Disseminate this information to everyone you know and ask them to do the same.

Our best weapon against the coming Pandemic is truth.
Yours in health and freedom,
Rima E. Laibow, MD
Medical Director
Natural Solutions Foundation
www.HealthFreedomUSA.org
www.GlobalHealthFreedom.org
www.NaturalSolutionsFoundation.org
www.NaturalSolutionsMedia.tv
www.Organics4U.org
www.NaturalSolutionsMarketPlace.org

When there is enough air rushing by at a high enough speed under the wing of an airplane, the lift generated creates the highly improbably reality called “flight”. When there is enough propaganda and windy verbiage rushing by the population of a distracted and overwhelmed population’s mind, the psychological lift generated creates a mass perception called “fright”.

Once people are frightened enough, like bison at the edge of a cliff, they can be stampeded in any direction the hunter wants to send them – including over it to their doom.

If you have been following the Natural Solutions Foundation’s Health Freedom eAlerts lately, you know that we are deeply concerned, as you should be, about the weaponization of the Avian Flu vaccine by the weaving of its genome with the otherwise non pathogenic (non disease causing) H5N1 Virus, now almost universally discussed accompanied by the undeserved adjective “deadly”. This virus is deadly only when weaponized, in our opinion, and then it is very, very deadly, indeed.

So one of the words of advice we have been giving to folks is to watch what is being bruited about in the media to figure out when the mis-called “inevitable” pandemic is due to be upon us. To that end, I have included a compendium of news items, most recent first, about the Avian flu from a site called “Flu Oddities” (http://www.legitgov.org/flu_oddities.html). The author has played it amost straight, but here and there you will see an editorial comment (such as crossing out “preventing” and substituting it with the word “fomenting”. Although it is not quite perfect journalistic neutrality, I find that I agree with his emendations, however.

So here is the Flu Oddities compendium of news reports, especially compelling since, taken together and read carefully, the lack or logic of the whole “inevitable” pandemic and its flimsy science become readily apparent. Even more apparent is the real agenda underlying vaccination-compulsory vaccination, mind you, once the “inevitable” pandemic is declared.

Secretary of Health And Human Services Mike Leavitt said on July 23, 2008 that it is the intent of the US Government to vaccinate every man, woman and child in the US against Avian flu, “starting with those who want it.” What about those who don’t? How about involuntary quarantine (incarceration)? Could it be that is what all those detention centers (over 600 in the US) might be for? You know, the ones you can see on the internet which are staffed, but empty. The ones with barbed wire fences pointing IN, not OUT, in order to keep people in, not prevent them from getting in.

Not familiar with them? Take a look at this site, one of the few which has not disappeared from the internet on the topic: http://www.mindfully.org/Reform/2004/FEMA-Concentration-Camps3sep04.htm. The site has some weaknesses, but it also has some rather interesting information.

This kind of information can only be brought to you by the Natural Solutions Foundation because we have the funding to continue our broadly focused health freedom campaigns in the US and abroad. We rely solely on the donations, large or small, of our supporters, and on your efforts to disseminate our information. Please make as generous a recurring, tax deductible donation as you can by clicking here (http://drrimatruthreports.com/index.php?page_id=189) AND sign up for (and disseminate) the free Health Freedom eAlerts by clicking here (http://drrimatruthreports.com/index.php?page_id=187).

Yours in health and freedom,
Dr. Rima

Rima E. Laibow, MD
Medical Director
Natural Solutions Foundation

www.HealthFreedomUSA.org
www.GlobalHealthFreedom.org
www.NaturalSolutionsFoundation.org
www.Organics4U.org
www.NaturalSolutionsMarketPlace.org

Dead Cat to Be Examined for Bird Flu 24 Jul 2008 Quarantine authorities are examining a cat to discover whether it was infected with the highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza that swept South Korea in April. The National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service said Thursday that a cat was found dead in April in Gimje, North Jeolla Province, right next to a farm where bird flu killed tens of thousands of chickens.

Rockeby gets orders for bird flu tests 24 Jul 2008 Rockeby Biomed Ltd has received orders for its H5N1 bird flu tests on humans from several South East Asian, European, and North African countries, worth $242,000, the company says.

Training drill targets bio-terrorism –Marines to serve as mock victims; military helicopters will land at hospital and dispatch two dozen law enforcement officers dressed in full decontamination gear 22 Jul 2008 (CA) Local, state and federal agencies are participating in a four-day training drill that focuses on how the groups respond to a mock bio-terrorism attack. The goal drill – dubbed Operation Golden Phoenix – began Monday. Today, Marine Corps will be at Brown Field Airport simulating a humanitarian relief response. On Wednesday, San Diego police will practice traffic and crowd control around UCSD Medical Center and Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla as hospital personnel do emergency medical response drills.

Teams use airport to stage bird flu drill 23 Jul 2008 Local, state and federal workers and military and civilian health care personnel worked as a team in a bird flu drill yesterday at Honolulu Airport. The drill, Lightning Rescue ’08, simulated what would happen if an airliner from Asia arrived at Honolulu Airport bearing more than 300 passengers with some experiencing symptoms of avian influenza or “bird flu.” The coordinated response plan included personnel from the Hawaii Disaster Medical Assistance Team, federal Centers for Disease Control, airport paramedics, airport firefighters, medical personnel from neighbor island and Oahu hospitals, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents, Joint Task Force-Homeland Defense and others. On Friday, Lightning Rescue ’08 will continue with a second simulation staged at the Naval Pacific Missile Range facility on Kauai.

HHS and DHS Announce Guidance on Pandemic Vaccination Allocation 23 Jul 2008 The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Homeland Security (DHS) released guidance on allocating and targeting pandemic influenza vaccine. The guidance’s vaccination structure defines four broad target groups: people who 1) maintain homeland and national security, 2) provide health care and community support services, 3) maintain critical infrastructure and 4) are in the general population.

‘Bird Flu Strain Can Be Transmitted to Mammals’ 22 Jul 2008 Quarantine authorities said Tuesday that the virus strain of avian influenza that swept South Korea in April could be transmitted to mammals, but not necessarily to humans. The Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries sent samples from infected birds to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention for detailed analysis. The U.S. agency concluded the virus from the sample could be transmitted to mammals but that there was no proof it could infect humans, an official from the ministry said.

Britain faces 75,000 deaths in bird flu pandemic, Lords report predicts 21 Jul 2008 Up to 75,000 Britons will in die in an “inevitable” flu pandemic that could kill as many as 50 million people worldwide, a parliamentary committee warns today. The committee report warns that surveillance of emerging disease threats around the world needs to be overhauled to provide early warning of potential pandemics.

World warned over killer flu pandemic 21 Jul 2008 The world is failing to guard against the inevitable spread of a [US generated] devastating flu pandemic which could kill 50 million people and wreak massive disruption around the globe, the Government has warned. Ministers said that more was needed to be done to improve detection and surveillance for potential pandemics and called for urgent improvement in rapid-response strategies. Norman Lamb, the Liberal Democrats’ health spokesman, likened the threat from a pandemic to the threat of international terrorism.

CDC: Offline generators caused germ lab outage 19 Jul 2008 A critical germ lab at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lost power last week because the agency had taken two backup generators out of service for upgrades, CDC officials said Friday… The backup power failure — the second in 13 months — is the type predicted years ago by some CDC engineers. And it has heightened concerns in Congress about lab safety at the Atlanta agency, which experiments on smallpox, Ebola, anthrax and other deadly germs. Last week’s incident began when a bird shorted out a Georgia Power transformer about 5:40 p.m., cutting off power to… Building 17. Building 17 houses infectious disease labs, where scientists work with the H5N1 avian flu virus and other dangerous germs. Without power, the labs can’t run negative airflow systems that help contain germs in Biosafety Level 3 labs, such as those in Building 17.

Experts identify genes for bird flu replication 09 Jul 2008 Scientists have identified around 100 genes that the H5N1 bird flu virus needs in a host in order to replicate, and this finding may help in the hunt for ways to block foment its proliferation. In their study, the experts from Japan, Indonesia and the United States infected fruit fly cells with genetically altered H5N1 virus. The H5N1 virus needed slight modifications because fruit flies are normally not susceptible to influenza.

Bird flu outbreak could kill 3,000 people a week 12 Jul 2008 A [US engineered] bird flu pandemic in Wales could result in an extra 3,000 people dying a week, it was claimed yesterday. The resilience co-ordinator for the Welsh Assembly Government told a conference in Cardiff that if avian flu becomes transferable between people, the number of weekly deaths in the country could jump from 600 to 3,600.

Pandemic Mutations In Bird Flu Revealed 09 Jul 2008 Scientists have discovered how bird flu adapts in patients, offering a new way to monitor the disease and prevent trigger a pandemic, according to research published in the August issue of the Journal of General Virology. Highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus has spread through at least 45 countries in 3 continents. Despite its ability to spread, it cannot be transmitted efficiently from human to human. This indicates it is not fully adapted to its new host species, the human. However, this new research reveals mutations in the virus that may result in a pandemic.

Hong Kong expert warns flu vaccine for chickens losing efficacy 08 Jul 2008 A vaccine used to stop outbreaks of the deadly bird flu virus in chickens in Hong Kong for the last seven years is losing its effectiveness, a leading microbiologist warned Tuesday. Professor Yuen Kwok-yung said the vaccine, which protects chicken from the H5 strain of the virus, is becoming less effective and the city risks further outbreaks because total failure is inevitable. The head of microbiology at the University of Hong Kong told the South China Morning Post the virus was mutating and shifting away from the Fujian strain of H5N2 for which it was developed.

Penn. Lab Gets $1.6M to Develop Bird Flu Vaccine 07 Jul 2008 Workers at a small lab in Lackawanna County will soon start work on a vaccine to help in case of a [US Army-engineered] bird flu pandemic, with a $1.6 million grant. The federal funding was presented to Vital Probes of Mayfield Monday to develop a protective vaccine in case of an avian flu pandemic, one that officials said could threaten the homeland security of the United States.

Indonesia seeks to shut Navy lab researching avian flu –Health Minister: Viruses Shared With U.S. Could Be Turned Into Biological Weapons. Politicians say the U.S. facility doesn’t benefit Indonesia and could be a cover for spying. 05 Jul 2008 Indonesia suspended negotiations with the United States over the fate of a U.S. Navy medical research lab here [Naval Medical Research Unit No. 2] last month after senior politicians said it didn’t benefit Indonesia and could be a cover for spying. The biomedical research lab opened in Jakarta in 1970 and is used to ‘study’ tropical diseases, including malaria, dengue fever and avian flu, according to an embassy fact sheet… After announcing a ban on virus-sharing in January 2007, Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari published a book in which she warned that any viruses shared with other countries could be turned into biological weapons. She also recounted a meeting in Geneva with John E. Lange, the U.S. special representative for pandemic flu, in which she told him, “It is not impossible that there will be a group of people in developed countries insane enough to reengineer the viruses to create an outbreak in the Third World.”

Homeless people die after bid flu vaccine trial in Poland 02 Jul 2008 Three Polish doctors and six nurses are facing criminal prosecution after a number of homeless people died following medical trials for a vaccine to the H5N1 bird-flu virus. The medical staff, from the northern town of Grudziadz, are being investigated over medical trials on as many as 350 homeless and poor people last year, which prosecutors say involved an untried vaccine to the highly-contagious virus. Authorities claim that the alleged victims received £1-2 to be tested with what they thought was a conventional flu vaccine but, according to investigators, was actually an anti bird-flu drug.

Penn Study Pinpoints New DNA Weapon Against Bird Flu 02 Jul 2008 A new way to vaccinate against avian influenza that tricks the immune system into mounting a broad response against multiple strains of the disease, including strains to which the immune system was never exposed, has been devised by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. If proven in humans, the Penn research could lead the way to prepare against an outbreak of pandemic avian flu. Dr. Weiner sits on the scientific advisory board of VGX, and collaborates with Wyeth, Merck, BMS, Althea, and Virxsys, as well as other companies on DNA vaccine technologies.

Mexico bans Arkansas poultry on bird flu exposure 25 Jun 2008 Mexico will ban all imports of poultry and poultry products from Arkansas after a small flock in that U.S. state had been exposed to a mild form of bird flu, the agriculture ministry said on Wednesday.

Bird flu strain ‘highly pathogenic’ 04 Jun 2008 The strain of H7 bird flu found in chickens at a farm in Oxfordshire is the highly pathogenic type, officials said. The avian flu virus was found on Tuesday in laying hens at the farm in Banbury, and all birds on the site were slaughtered. Further tests are in progress to identify the exact type of the virus, while an investigation is under way to find where the disease came from. H7 strain has been found in Britain on several occasions before now, this is the first time it has been identified in the highly pathogenic, or deadly, form.

Defra confirms H7 bird flu case in Oxfordshire 04 Jun 2008 Chickens in Oxfordshire have tested positive for the highly pathogenic H7 strain of bird flu, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs confirmed today. It is the first time a deadly form of the H7 virus has been identified in the UK, but Defra said the risk to humans was low. An investigation into the origin of the outbreak is under way. A temporary control zone was established around the premises when suspected bird flu was first identified yesterday.

Tyson finds chickens with mild bird flu strain 03 Jun 2008 Tyson Foods Inc, the second largest U.S. chicken producer, said on Tuesday it will destroy about 15,000 chickens in Arkansas exposed to a mild strain of bird flu, and while there was no risk to human health the news sent its shares lower. The affected chickens… had antibodies of a mild or low pathogenic strain of bird flu called H7N3. It is the deadly high pathogenic H5N1 strain, which has never been found in the United States, that worries scientists because it has spread to and killed people around the world.

15,000 Ark. hens test positive for bird-flu exposure 03 Jun 2008 Tyson Foods Inc. has begun killing and burying the carcasses of 15,000 hens from a flock that tested positive for exposure to a strain of the bird flu in northwest Arkansas, state officials said Tuesday. Tyson said preliminary tests on the flock indicated the presence of antibodies for H7N3, a less virulent strain of the virus.

Scientists make bird flu breakthrough 04 Jun 2008 A Hong Kong research team has successfully tested a new drug combination that could help tackle the deadly bird flu virus in humans, scientists said in a soon-to-be-published paper. The use of three drugs together dramatically increased the survival rate of mice who had been infected with the deadly H5N1 virus, the University of Hong Kong team said.

Aethlon Medical Submits Biodefense Contract Proposal to U.S. Government 04 Jun 2008 Aethlon Medical, Inc. announced today that it has submitted a contract proposal to a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) solicitation entitled; “Application of Platform Technologies for the Development of Therapeutic Agents for Biodefense.” The solicitation represents a partnership between the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the recently established Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to award contracts that fund the development of innovative approaches to treat bioterror and emerging creating pandemic threats… Aethlon’s contract response includes supporting subcontractor commitments from… the United States Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), Battelle Biomedical Research Center (BMRC), The Renal Research Institute (RRI), Cato Research Institute, and The University of California Davis, School of veterinary medicine.

‘It’s like Lego.’ CDC mates H5N1 avian flu and H3N2 human flu viruses to see how pandemic is triggered –Study shows hybrids of bird flu and human flu viruses fit well, could occur 01 Jun 2008 An experiment mating H5N1 avian flu viruses and a strain of human flu in a laboratory produced a surprising number of hybrid viruses that were biologically fit, a new study reveals. And while none of the offspring viruses was as virulent as the original H5N1, about one in five were lethal to mice at low doses, showing they retained at least a portion of the power of their dangerous parent. The work suggests that under the right circumstances – and no one is clear what all of those are – the two types of flu viruses could swap genes in a way that might allow the H5N1 virus to acquire the capacity to trigger a pandemic. This work, done at the CDC, was conducted to study the reassortment potential of H5N1 and H3N2 viruses. H3N2 is one of two human influenza A viruses that cause disease during flu season.

Bird Flu: More lethal than 10 hydrogen bombs: Thusoo –68 Vets and Para vets trained in control, containment ops 31 May 2008 Experts fear the nature of the disease [avian influenza] could be more lethal than ten hydrogen bombs after causing a pandemic. Earlier on Tuesday, Dr Bhupinder Singh Director, Animal Husbandry, Kashmir formally launched the training programme in which 68 vets and Para vets participated… They were also trained in mass vaccination operations in surveillance zones in the eventualities like outbreak of the disease.

Scientists warn of bird flu epidemic 27 May 2008 A strain of bird flu has moved a step closer to developing the traits required to create an epidemic of the disease in humans, scientists warned on Monday. Researchers who analysed samples of recent avian flu viruses found that a strain of the virus called H7N2 had adapted slightly better to living in mammals.

Scientists identify second H7 strain of bird flu that could cause pandemic 27 May 2008 The H5N1 strain of bird flu that has killed 241 people is not the only one that could trigger a pandemic, according to research in America. A few H7 strains of the flu virus have started to evolve some of the traits they would need to infect people easily, scientists have discovered.

North American bird flu viruses becoming more adapted to humans: study 26 May 2008 North American avian flu viruses of the H7 subtype – like the H7N3 viruses responsible for British Columbia’s massive poultry outbreak in 2004 – seem to have adapted to more easily invade the human respiratory tract, a new American study suggests.

Bangladesh toddler ‘has bird flu’ 22 May 2008 The Bangladeshi health ministry says that a 16-month-old boy has been confirmed as the country’s first human case of the H5N1 strain of bird flu. It said that the boy, who lives in the capital Dhaka, had recovered after treatment.

Glaxo Wins Approval to Sell Pre-Pandemic Flu Vaccine 19 May 2008 GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Europe’s largest drugmaker, won European Union permission to sell its pre-pandemic [!?!] flu vaccine, the first approval in the region of a shot to prevent foment an outbreak sparked by the deadly bird flu virus. The vaccine, called Prepandrix, was cleared for sale in 29 countries to protect people against the virus before or at the beginning of a pandemic, London-based Glaxo said today in an e- mailed statement. The European regulator’s advisory panel recommended adopting the product in February.

Bird Flu Not Forgotten By GlaxoSmithKline [Oh, I am sure it’s not.] 19 May 2008 The media pandemic may have died down, but GlaxoSmithKline is betting that the threat of an actual bird flu pandemic is still real enough for governments across Europe. The pharmaceutical company said on Monday it had secured European approval for the first pre-pandemic vaccine against the dreaded H5N1 virus, more commonly known as bird flu, which began to gain notoriety five years ago. A spokesperson for GlaxoSmithKline said that the company believed an eventual pandemic would involve a strain in the H5N1 family, and that a pre-pandemic treatment would save the four-to-six-month delay of having to react to an official pandemic announcement. “The U.K. government could buy it tomorrow and vaccinate us tomorrow,” she said. [Hopefully, ‘insurgents’ will find the production sites before Bush’s pharma-terrorists kill us all for fun and profit.]

Government’s bird flu drugs strategy is ‘flawed’ 15 May 2008 The Government’s strategy to defend the nation against a bird flu pandemic has been called into question. The Department of Health has built up millions of doses of Tamiflu, an antiviral drug, in preparation for a [US Army-engendered] pandemic of the kind that killed 50 million people in 1918. However, a team at the Medical Research Council’s National Institute for Medical Research in London warned that a mutation in the H5N1 strain of the virus could make it resistant to the vaccine. The researchers found that when mutation occurred in the H5N1 virus it became resistant to Tamiflu.

Arizona State University Decision Theater Tests Pandemic Flu Plans 14 May 2008 This year, the pandemic flu committee created what is known to be the only tabletop exercise of its kind in the nation, says Allan Markus, ASU’s director of campus health services and co-chair of the pandemic flu committee. The exercise, which took place April 10 in ASU’s Decision Theater, involved the university’s pandemic flu planning committee and several senior administrators. Mary Tyszkiewicz, a senior analyst at the Homeland Security Institute, a think tank that supports the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, seconded Markus’ observation.

Bird Flu Medicine Toxic for Teens 13 May 2008 Concerns are rising over side effect of bird flu drug Tamiflu on teenagers. Tamiflu is Swiss-based Hoffman-La Roche’s antiviral for general influenza A and B but is also used to combat bird flu. However, worries have surfaced about the possibility of the medicine causing mental disorders among teenagers.

Swan tests positive for bird flu 10 May 2008 Japanese officials are worried that the H5N1 bird flu virus may be spreading among wild birds in the north after the body of a swan tested positive for the disease, the third case in recent weeks. No poultry have been affected so far, said Shigeki Oda, a farm official in the northern island of Hokkaido.

U.S. Naval medical lab ‘not transparent’ in its operations: Indonesia health minister –‘We don’t know what happened to the [bird flu] viruses that we sent.’ 07 May 2008 Indonesia is trying to defend the interests of poorer nations by refusing to share bird flu samples with the West and is locked in a cultural misunderstanding over the issue, Jakarta’s health minister said on Wednesday. Siti Fadillah Supari also said in an interview that a U.S. naval medical lab based in Indonesia for research into tropical diseases was barely benefiting its host country and was not being transparent in its operations… The minister said the U.S. U.S. naval lab in Jakarta had been receiving virus samples from across Indonesia, but that had been stopped. “We don’t know what happened to the viruses that we sent,” she said, adding the U.S. lab had also received samples from Indonesian soldiers deployed in Papua.

Military, DHS document details who should live and die in pandemic –Nazi-style hospital blueprint lists those who will be left to die – elderly, sick, weakest 05 May 2008 An influential group of physicians has drafted a grimly specific list of recommendations for which patients who would be allowed to die during a [US-engendered] flu pandemic or other disaster. The suggested list was compiled by the military, Department of Homeland Security, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Health and Human Services, government agencies, prestigious universities, and medical groups. To prepare, hospitals should designate a triage team with the Godlike task of deciding who will and who won’t get lifesaving care, the task force wrote.

Jakarta, US at odds over ‘spy’ lab 03 May 2008 Negotiations over whether a controversial US military laboratory should remain in Indonesia have reached a knife-edge, as officials argue about biological [bird flu] sample-sharing and the diplomatic status of staff in the facility. Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari may in fact be close to sacrificing her job, after a senior government source told The Weekend Australian that her bellicose [?!?] rhetoric, including comments on the bird flu epidemic in a rambling treatise entitled “Time for the world to change: the hand of God in bird flu” – had made life “awkward” for fellow ministers.

US Navy infectious disease lab under microscope in Indonesia –US insists all American staff at disease lab be given diplomatic immunity 02 May 2008 The future of a major US Navy research laboratory in Indonesia is in doubt amid allegations, dismissed as “crazy” by US diplomats, of espionage and secret experiments. Negotiations between Washington and Jakarta over the renewal of the operating contract of US Naval Medical Research Unit-2, or Namru-2, have stalled over a range of issues including diplomatic immunity for its US staff. Established in Indonesia in 1970 and charged with researching infectious diseases of military importance [aka *bioterrorism*], the facility employs 19 Americans… and is based in Indonesian health ministry grounds. Parliamentary foreign affairs commissioner Mutamimul Ula called Thursday for an “investigation into allegations that Namru-2 staffers were involved in intelligence operations.” The controversy and the delays in the renewal of the contract appear to be causing a degree of angst among US officials in the departments of health and state, reflecting the importance Washington attaches to the facility.

S. Korea confirms 25th outbreak of H5N1 strain of bird flu 19 Apr 2008 The South Korean government confirmed Saturday a new outbreak of H5N1 strain of bird flu, which becomes the 25th confirmed cases of the deadly epidemic in the country since late March.

SKorea upgrades bird flu alert, troops on standby 16 Apr 2008 South Korea on Wednesday issued a nationwide bird flu alert, deployed troops and put firefighters on standby to try to contain the spread of the disease, officials said. The agriculture ministry said in a statement the “orange” vigilance level was extended to the whole country after previously covering only the badly hit southwest.

S. Korea extends bird flu risk level to second highest nationwide 16 Apr 2008 South Korea has extended its avian influenza risk level to the second highest nationwide amid rising concerns bird flu could spread across the country following a series of outbreaks this month, quarantine officials said Wednesday. The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries held a livestock quarantine meeting earlier in the day and decided to extend the risk level to “orange” nationwide.

Japan may test bird flu vaccine on govt staff 16 Apr 2008 Japan may vaccinate thousands of government workers against bird flu in a large-scale test of the effectiveness of the vaccine. Under a plan being promoted by Japan’s Health Ministry, 6,000 medical workers and quarantine officers would be given the vaccine before March next year.

Small company gets US go-ahead on bird flu patch 15 Apr 2008 A small biotechnology company trying to develop needle-free vaccines won a boost to its efforts on Tuesday with U.S. government approval to test a bird flu skin patch on more people.

Bird Flu Crosses Species Barrier to Spread Among Dogs 02 Apr 2008 A bird flu virus that killed dogs in South Korea can spread from one dog to another, showing that the disease is capable of crossing species and causing widespread sickness in mammals, a study found. A cocker spaniel and a miniature schnauzer were among dozens of dogs in South Korea sickened by an H3N2 strain from birds, researchers said in a study published in the May issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases journal. Viruses taken from the sick canines were used in an experiment later to see if pathogens were capable of spreading from dog to dog.

South Korea says probing suspected bird flu case 02 Apr 2008 South Korea is investigating a suspected bird flu outbreak at a poultry farm in the southwest of the country, the food and agriculture ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

Two teenagers die of bird flu in Indonesia, toll hits 107 31 Mar 2008 A 15-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl have died of bird flu in recent days in Indonesia, bringing the total death toll from the H5N1 strain to 107, the Health Ministry said in a statement here Monday.

Russian expert warns of bird flu pandemic 28 Mar 2008 A Russian scientist has said during an international bird flu conference that the virus would cause a global pandemic resulting in thousands of deaths, but did not say when it would happen. [Ask Bush’s bioterror team at Fort Detrick – I’m sure they’ll know.]

Switzerland detects first bird flu case 27 Mar 2008 Switzerland on Thursday reported its first case of bird flu in two years, after diagnosing a wild duck with the H5N1 virus, said the Swiss federal veterinary department.

Arizona man charged with TB exposure 25 Mar 2008 An Arizona man said his indictment for having tuberculosis is retaliation for a lawsuit he filed over his involuntary quarantine. Robert Daniels told the Arizona Republic that Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio charged him with unlawfully exposing the public to a disease because Daniels had sued the county over his year-long quarantine in a Phoenix hospital.

To facilitate Bush’s quarantines and to fill KBR’s detention centers: STMicroelectronics introduces flu detection laboratory on a chip 25 Mar 2008 The top European maker of semiconductors, STMicroelectronics, on Monday introduced a portable chip to detect influenza viruses, including avian flu, in humans. The device, which functions as a mini-laboratory on a chip, can screen and identify – in a single diagnostic and in two hours – multiple classes of pathogens and genes.

Heads up! Market’s First Lab-on-Chip for Rapid Molecular Flu Detection at Point of Need 24 Mar 2008 Following the success of the evaluation trials conducted at the prestigious National University Hospital of Singapore, Veredus Laboratories and STMicroelectronics today announced the commercial availability of VereFlu(TM), a portable lab-on-chip application for rapid detection of all major influenza types at the point of need. Unlike existing diagnostic methods, VereFlu is a breakthrough molecular diagnostic test that can detect infection with high accuracy and sensitivity, within two hours providing genetic information of the infection that traditionally would take days to weeks to learn. With its high level of automation, users outside the traditional lab environment can easily perform the tests at the point of need.

TB Patient Faces Felony Charges in Ariz. 25 Mar 2008 A man with a virulent form of tuberculosis who once was confined to a hospital jail ward for failing to wear a mask in public has been indicted on felony charges. Prosecutors said Monday there was no evidence that Robert Daniels had exposed anyone to his multiple drug-resistant TB before he was quarantined in 2006, but they still charged him with two counts of unlawful introduction of disease or parasite. County officials have been putting together a case to prove Daniels knowingly introduced a disease into the state, endangering others. “We took our time looking at the evidence to make sure the evidence fit the crime,” said Sally Wells of the Maricopa County attorney’s office. [LOL, just wait until Bush, Cheney, KBR and Blackwater host the bird flu pandemic party.]

TB patient indicted on charges of exposing public to disease 24 Mar 2008 A tuberculosis patient who was involuntarily quarantined for a year in a Phoenix hospital jail ward has been indicted on charges that he unlawfully exposed the public to a disease. Robert Daniels, a Russian-born man with dual U.S. citizenship, fled to Moscow last year to escape possible prosecution and incarceration by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Indonesia limits sharing of bird flu samples 24 Mar 2008 Indonesia will not fully share bird flu virus samples with the World Health Organization until a new global mechanism is in place, a senior official said on Monday.

Turkey quarantines village after bird flu confirmed 22 Mar 2008 Turkish authorities quarantined a village in northwestern Turkey and began culling poultry after test results showed that chicken deaths there had been caused by bird flu, state run Anatolian said on Saturday. The report did not specify the strain of the bird flu virus.

Greek farms near Turkey on bird flu alert – report 21 Mar 2008 Authorities in northeastern Greece have been placed on alert after bird flu was detected among chickens in a Turkish border village, the Athens News Agency reported.

Indonesia accuses U.S. of abusing bird flu virus 20 Mar 2008 Indonesian Health Minister Siti Fadhilah Supari has accused the United States of abusing Indonesian bird flu virus for commercial purposes, Antara news agency reported on Thursday. “We sent the virus (to them) for the sake of humanity but they have turned it into vaccines sold everywhere on the pretext of keeping watch for pandemic,” Antara news agency Thursday quoted the minister as saying in Surabaya. On the pretext of keeping watch for pandemic, she said the U.S. and WHO had produced vaccines and sold them to third world countries for millions of dollars. “They made third world nations laboratories. They want us to be ill while at the same time selling the vaccines. Don’t let this continue,” she said.

Brown unveils civil defence plan 19 Mar 2008 Members of the public will be able to join a new form of civil defence network to protect Britain ‘against’ natural disasters and terrorism. The organisations – likened to a new breed of “air raid precautions” or “ARP” wardens from the Second World War – will team up to build the country’s resilience in a catastrophe. As part of a new National Security Strategy, Prime Minister Gordon Brown also revealed that the Government will publish for the first time a list of the risks faced by Britain… For example, it said the highest threat currently faced is an influenza-type pandemic which the Government believes could kill up to 750,000 people in the UK.

Flu pandemic is biggest threat to security, strategy says 19 Mar 2008 The biggest threat to Britain at the present time is a flu pandemic. An outbreak could cause the deaths of up to 750,000 people, according to the strategy. Officials had carried a modelling exercise last Autumn, called Operation Winter Willow, to gauge the effects of such a pandemic. Officials were applying the lessons from the Government’s approach to terrorism, the strategy says.

Toronto bird flu lockdown misreported 19 Mar 2008 A Toronto hospital denied media reports Wednesday an elderly couple had been quarantined amid fears they had returned from Asia with avian flu. CITY-TV reported an elderly couple who had just returned from Bangladesh were admitted to Toronto East General Hospital Tuesday night, and workers were taking “extra steps to be safe including wearing masks and gloves.” Soon after, the hospital issued a statement saying it “has no reason to speculate that any patients in the hospital have avian flu.”

Couple Isolated At Toronto Hospital Over Bird Flu Fears 19 Mar 2008 When an elderly couple who had just returned from Bangladesh showed up at Toronto East General Hospital suffering from bad flu-like symptoms, officials there took no chances. The patients were immediately isolated, staff members wore gowns, gloves and masks and no visitors were allowed in to the secure area. But on Wednesday, the hospital took great pains to assure there was no reason to fear the disease had made its way to Canada.

UN warns bird flu fight failing in Indonesia 19 Mar 2008 Efforts to contain bird flu are failing, increasing the possibility that the virus may mutate into a deadlier form, the leading UN veterinary health body has warned.

U.S. denies producing biological weapons from bird flu samples –Media: U.S. denies Indonesia’s allegation on bird flu virus 17 Mar 2008 The United States has flatly denied allegations it was producing biological weapons from bird flu samples sent by Indonesia to the World Health Organization, the English daily The Jakarta Post reported Monday. Michael H. Anderson, counselor for Public Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Indonesia, [has issued the denial]. However, Indonesian senior biodefense researcher Isro Samihardjo said the U.S. could use bird flu virus samples from Indonesia to develop weapons at the Los Alamos Laboratory. Isro was speaking at a meeting about Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari’s newly released book here Saturday. In her book “It’s Time for the World to Change, Divine Hands behind Bird Flu,” Siti writes of her suspicions about a conspiracy between the U.S. and the WHO.

Bird flu covers 11 provinces 17 Mar 2008 At present, there are 11 provinces and localities with bird flu: Ninh Binh, Vinh Long, Phu Tho, Ha Nam, Tuyen Quang, Hanoi, Quang Tri, Soc Trang, Lao Cai, Quang Binh and Ha Nam.

State media reports outbreak of bird flu in China 16 Mar 2008 Bird flu has broken out in the south of China, killing more than 100 poultry, state media reported on Sunday, citing the agriculture ministry. The outbreak occurred in a market in Guangzhou, in Guangdong province on Thursday, and was a ”highly pathogenic” subtype of the H5N1 influenza virus, which can be deadly to humans, the report said.

Jakarta ends stand-off on bird flu vaccines –Indonesia’s health minister accused the US of trying to use bird flu samples to create a biological weapon. 24 Feb 2008 Samples of bird flu virus are at the centre of an extraordinary political battle in Indonesia, as arguments rage over the profits from potentially life-saving vaccines. After receiving an assurance that Jakarta would have access to affordable vaccines, Indonesia finally sent 12 samples to a World Health Organisation (WHO) laboratory last Friday after hanging on to them since August. The situation worsened last week after it emerged that Siti Fadilah Supari, Indonesia’s health minister, had accused the United States in a new book she has written of trying to use the material to create a biological weapon.

US involved in bird flu conspiracy: Indonesia 20 Feb 2008 (Transcript from AM, Australia’s ABC.) Peter Cave: Indonesia’s Health Minister has suggested that the United States may be involved in a conspiracy to use the bird flu virus to develop biological weapons. The extraordinary allegation is included in a new book, endorsed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, which describes Indonesia’s fight to assert its ownership of its virulent strains of avian influenza. Concerns over that issue prompted Indonesia last year to stop sharing virus samples with the World Health Organization as Jakarta correspondent Geoff Thompson reports. Dr Supari expresses alarm at WHO laboratories sharing bird flu virus data with the United States national laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico, where nuclear weapons are developed.

Indonesia accuses US of bird flu plot 20 Feb 2008 The Indonesian Health Minister has said the United States and the World Health Organisation are part of a global conspiracy to profit from the spread of bird flu and the US may use samples to produce biological weapons… In the book, Dr Supari writes that WHO laboratories forwarded influenza viruses to Western companies so they could profit by selling vaccines back to developing countries. Some Indonesian samples had been sent to a US Defence Department laboratory, Dr Supari says, adding that “some of our seed viruses had been in a laboratory known as a facility developing biological weapons in a superpower country”.

Migratory birds not main source of bird flu: WWF 16 Feb 2008 Wild migratory birds may suffer from Avian Influenza (‘bird flu’), but they are not the main source of the disease’s outbreak in Pakistan, according to a study statement issued by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Lahore chapter on Friday.

CDC says influenza B strain doesn’t match vaccine 08 Feb 2008 The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today that most circulating influenza B viruses tested so far this season don’t match this year’s vaccine, signaling that two of the three vaccine components are off-target.

‘Mysterious’ bird flu baffles Indonesian scientists 06 Feb 2008 Indonesian scientists and officials said they were baffled by the “mysterious” behaviour of the [US Army] bird flu virus here, which has already claimed nine lives this year in the world’s worst-hit nation. Indonesia has reported 126 cases of H5N1 bird flu, 103 of them fatal, since 2005.

Turkey detects bird flu virus in poultry 03 Feb 2008 Turkey detected bird flu virus in dead chickens found late last month in the northern part of the country after it had started culling poultry due to bird flu suspicions, the Agriculture Ministry said on Sunday.

Top-secret Livermore germ lab opens –Scientists developing ‘countermeasures’ for bubonic plague, anthrax, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Q fever, tularemia, brucellosis or undulant fever; researching flu, tuberculosis and SARS 02 Feb 2008 A high-security laboratory where deadly microbes are being grown by scientists seeking defenses against terrorist attacks began operating in Livermore last week without public announcement, and opponents said Friday that they will go to federal court in an effort to close the facility down. The facility is known as a Biosafety-level 3 laboratory where… more than 40 potentially lethal disease-causing bacteria, viruses and fungi are stored inside.

Bird flu spreads in Bangladesh, port city on alert 03 Feb 2008 Bird flu has spread to three more districts of Bangladesh, the livestock department said on Sunday, taking the number of affected districts to more than half of the country’s 64 districts.

India isolates 26 people as bird flu spreads in Asia 01 Feb 2008 India has put 26 people in isolation with bird flu symptoms and hundreds more people are being monitored, officials said on Friday as Pakistan and Thailand reported outbreaks of bird flu in poultry.

USDA Bird Flu Plan Needs Test [LOL, I’m sure they do! Halliburton, KBR, Monsanto, and Gilead Sciences want a dry run, so that they can secure their billion-dollar contracts in the aftermath of a bird flu outbreak or a Bush bioterror attack – for detention centers, quarantines and mandatory vaccines. The same players who ‘rebuilt’ New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina are still sitting at the table, poised for Bush’s pandemic party. –LRP] 01 Feb 2008 The Agriculture Department cannot ensure it will respond effectively to a bird flu outbreak because it has not tested many of the policies put in place as part of a national preparedness plan, an inspector general’s report said Friday… The federal government’s plan to prepare the country for avian influenza includes more than 300 tasks [!] for various federal departments.

WHO reports Tamiflu-resistant flu in U.S. and Canada 01 Feb 2008 The main flu virus circulating [created] in the United States and Canada has shown “elevated resistance” to the antiviral drug Tamiflu, in line with findings in parts of Europe, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday. A number of governments have been stockpiling Tamiflu, made by Switzerland’s Roche Holding Ag and Gilead Sciences Inc of the United States, for use as a first line of ‘defense’ in case bird flu sparks a human influenza pandemic.

Bird flu: Officials asked to collect random human samples 22 Jan 2008 Worried that the vast swathe of the bird flu virus across West Bengal puts human health at grave risk, the Union health ministry on Monday asked its officials camping in the affected districts to intensify door-to-door surveillance and test anyone showing symptoms of flu.

India: Bird Flu Spread ‘Alarming’ 19 Jan 2008 India’s third outbreak of avian flu among poultry is the worst it has faced, the World Health Organization said. The chief minister of West Bengal State, which is trying to cull 400,000 birds, called the virus’s spread “alarming.” New outbreaks were also reported this week in Iran and Ukraine.

Bird flu: Matter of grave concern, says Buddha 19 Jan 2008 Admitting that the bird flu situation in the state is a matter of grave concern, West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Friday asked all district and sub-divisional hospitals to set up special isolation wards to monitor patients coming with symptoms of avian flu.

Bird flu strain claims fifth swan 18 Jan 2008 A fifth swan at a sanctuary in Dorset has tested positive for the virulent H5N1 strain of bird flu, environment department Defra has said. The first case of avian influenza was found at the Abbotsbury Swannery, near Chesil Beach, on 10 January.

Fourth swan tests positive for H5N1 bird flu in UK 16 Jan 2008 A fourth swan in southern England has tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, Britain’s farm ministry said on Wednesday. Last week, the ministry confirmed that three wild swans at a bird sanctuary in Dorset had died from the virus.

U.S. pandemic plans call for military quarantines, forced vaccinations: ACLU 14 Jan 2008 U.S. policy in preparing for a potential bird flu pandemic is veering dangerously toward a heavy-handed law-enforcement approach [police state], the American Civil Liberties Union said on Monday. The ACLU said it was worried that the plan called for military and police involvement in enforcing a quarantine. “Pandemic planning today tends to emphasize mandatory vaccination and forced treatment,” the ACLU’s Tania Simoncelli told a news conference. “It also means that sick people are being treated as criminals and enemies of the state rather than individuals in need of care.” [See: DoD to ‘augment civilian law’ during pandemic or bioterror attack –Is Bush is getting ready to play the Bioterror Card? 11 May 2007.]

ACLU Report: Government Must Abandon Misguided Approach to Pandemic Preparedness (aclu.org) 14 Jan 2008 As fears of a flu pandemic have grown, the Bush administration has pursued a misguided approach to pandemic preparation that relies on a law enforcement/national security approach, rather than a public health approach to the problem, and which exposes Americans to unnecessary risk. That is the finding of an expert report being released today by the American Civil Liberties Union at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.

French bird flu TV crew may face Niger death penalty -lawyer 22 Dec 2007 Authorities in Niger have charged two French journalists with colluding with armed groups in the country’s uranium-rich north, which could carry the death penalty if they are convicted, their lawyer said on Saturday. Thomas Dandois and Pierre Creisson are accused of violating the terms of their media accreditation to film a report about bird flu in the southern city of Maradi, instead travelling to film rebel fighters in the country’s Saharan north. [Gee, I wonder what they stumbled upon?]

Poland reports fresh outbreak of H5N1 bird flu 22 Dec 2007 Laboratory tests have confirmed a fresh outbreak of deadly H5N1 avian flu in the same area of northern Poland where the virus was discovered earlier this month, PAP news agency said on Saturday.

Common buzzard found dead in HK tests positive for H5N1 21 Dec 2007 The common buzzard that was found dead earlier on Hong Kong’s largest but thinly populated island tested positive for the H5N1 strain of bird flu virus, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said Friday.

Pakistan and Myanmar report first human H5N1 infections as bird flu resurfaces in Asia 16 Dec 2007 Pakistan and Myanmar reported their first human cases of H5N1 bird flu as the virus continues to flare in Asia, including recent deaths in Indonesia and China. Six people were infected with the virus in northern Pakistan last month and at least one has died, the government said Saturday.

Bird flu found on Polish farm birds 02 Dec 2007 Turkeys at two poultry farms in central Poland have tested positive for the H5N1 strain of bird flu, authorities said. It is the country’s first reported case of the deadly virus in domestic livestock.

Bird flu spreads to 60 countries, pandemic risk still high: UN 29 Nov 2007 Bird flu in poultry and wild birds spread to 60 countries but is entrenched only in six because of improved and faster responses, experts said. Despite those strides, the risk of a worldwide human-to-human pandemic remains as great today as it was when the hard-to-treat H5N1 flu strain first gained intense attention in mid-2005, said a new report by Dr. David Nabarro, the UN official co-ordinating the global fight against avian influenza, and World Bank officials. “We think it will happen sometime but we don’t know when or where,” Nabarro said Thursday. [Oh, that’s an easy one: The US, just before the 2008 ‘elections.’]

Defra unable to identify bird flu source 30 Nov 2007 An initial report into the recent outbreak of deadly bird flu in Suffolk has been unable to identify the source of the disease, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said today. [Right, check your local US Army lab for the source. See: Killer flu recreated in the lab 07 Oct 2004 A US team added two genes from a sample of the 1918 virus to a modern strain known to have no effect on mice. Animals exposed to this composite were dying within days of symptoms similar to those found in human victims of the 1918 pandemic.]

Bird flu confirmed in Saudi Arabia 22 Nov 2007 Saudi Arabia’s agriculture ministry said on Wednesday that more than three million birds have been culled or are in the process of being destroyed following an outbreak of bird flu. The ministry said new cases of bird flu had been detected in farms west and south of Riyadh.

Birds slaughtered after bird flu suspected on new British farm 21 Nov 2007 Poultry were being slaughtered at another British farm after a suspected outbreak of bird flu, the government said Wednesday. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said the site was within a surveillance zone set up after the disease was confirmed on a nearby farm earlier this month. Two outbreaks of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu have been confirmed in eastern England.

Bird flu scare lands plane in quarantine 13 Nov 2007 Health authorities briefly quarantined 223 people in a Korean Airlines plane at Auckland Airport today after a South Korean passenger displayed possible bird flu symptoms, officials said.

Suffolk farm bird flu is infectious H5N1 strain 13 Nov 2007 The turkeys killed by bird flu at a farm in Suffolk had the highly infectious H5N1 strain of the disease, it was announced today.

Bird flu outbreak is deadly strain 13 Nov 2007 An outbreak of bird flu on a Suffolk farm is the deadly H5N1 form of the virus, Defra confirmed today, while the government warned that the disease may have already spread.

Bird flu confirmed on farm in east England 12 Nov 2007 An outbreak of bird flu has been confirmed at a turkey farm in eastern England although the exact strain is not yet known, Britain’s farm ministry said on Monday.

WHO Chief Warns Threat of Bird Flu Pandemic Still Real 02 Nov 2007 “The risk of an avian influenza pandemic is still with us,” World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Margaret Chan warned Friday, saying a pandemic is still possible.

Flu Lab Set to Open for 1918 Pandemic Virus Reconstruction –Ebola research may resume, pending outcome of appeal 28 Oct 2007 UW-Madison ‘s $12.5 million Institute for Influenza Viral Research, nearing completion at University Research Park, will have a collection of safety and security features the university hasn’t seen before. Virologist Yoshihiro Kawaoka plans to study several kinds of flu viruses in the institute — including H5N1, the bird flu virus circulating in Asia, and a reconstructed version of the 1918 flu virus, which killed some 50 million people when it spread worldwide. …Jan Klein, UW-Madison ‘s biological safety officer, said the university may appeal the NIH ‘s ruling halting the Ebola work.

650,000 would die from bird flu, says Govt. 28 Oct 2007 It is a grisly scenario: 650,000 deaths, with bodies piled up in shipping containers before being buried in mass graves all over the country. That is the nightmare envisaged by the Government in what it describes as the “very likely” event of a bird flu pandemic. The alarming prediction is contained in a confidential Home Office document drawn up to help councils and other organisations deal with a catastrophic outbreak of the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus… Other proposals contained in the paper include suspending exhumation powers and coroner’s juries and cancelling inquests into deaths from natural causes in prisons.

Bird Flu May Be on ‘Silent’ March in Europe, UN Agency Warns 25 Oct 2007 Avian influenza, the virus that has led to the deaths of millions of birds and more than 200 people since 2003, may be more prevalent than previously thought in Europe as it goes undetected in waterfowl. [Yes, bird flu is on a ‘silent march,’ and will reach its destination just in time for Bush to implement martial law for the 2008 ‘elections.’]

DoD to carry out ‘military missions’ during pandemic, WMD attack By Lori Price 23 Oct 2007 On Thursday, the Bush administration issued a directive which ‘establishes a National Strategy for Public Health and Medical Preparedness (Strategy), which builds upon principles set forth in Biodefense for the 21st Century (April 2004) and will transform our national approach to protecting the health of the American people against [with] all disasters.’ HOMELAND SECURITY PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE/HSPD-21 states that within one year of the directive’s date, ‘the Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Defense, in coordination with the Secretaries of Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security, shall establish an academic Joint Program for Disaster Medicine and Public Health housed at a National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences… Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Defense authorities will be used to carry out respective civilian and military missions within this joint program.’

Troops, key doctors to get first U.S. bird flu shots 23 Oct 2007 Deployed military troops, emergency workers, pregnant women and children will be among the first to get scarce vaccinations if a pandemic strain of flu breaks out, U.S. officials said. A long-awaited report to be issued on Tuesday lays out who would be first in line to get vaccinated against [with] H5N1 bird flu or any other strain of pandemic influenza.

Key Viral Change Could Help Bird Flu Spread 04 Oct 2007 U.S. scientists say they’ve spotted [created] a crucial step the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus must take in order to spread easily in humans. So far, the virus has not developed the ability to spread easily among humans. Now, researchers led by University of Wisconsin-Madison virologist Yoshihiro Kawaoka have ‘pinpointed’ a single change in a viral protein that helps H5N1 infect the cells of the upper respiratory system in mammals.

U.S. labs mishandling deadly germs –Confidential reports submitted to federal regulators describe ‘accidents’ involving anthrax, bird flu virus, monkeypox and plague-causing bacteria at 44 labs in 24 states. 02 Oct 2007 American laboratories handling the world’s deadliest germs and toxins have experienced more than 100 accidents and missing shipments since 2003, and the number is increasing steadily as more labs across the country are approved to do the work. The documented cases reflect poorly on procedures and oversight at high-security labs, some of which work with organisms and poisons so dangerous that illnesses they cause have no cure.

Financial Institutions to Undergo Pandemic Flu Response Test 24 Sep 2007 Don’t be alarmed if your local bank teller is looking a bit sickly over the next three weeks. It is only a cyber-illness. Hundreds of banks and other financial institutions are participating in the largest test of its kind ever conducted to ensure the nation’s financial system can keep functioning in case of an outbreak of pandemic flu [Bush bioterrorism].

China confirms bird flu outbreak 18 Sep 2007 China has confirmed an outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu virus among ducks in an outlying district of the southern city of Guangzhou.

Bush Greases Skids For UN Pandemic Power Grab –Bestselling author [Jerome Corsi] “wouldn’t put it past” Globalists to release virus to capitalize on control By Paul Joseph Watson 02 Sep 2007 The World Health Organization and the U.N. have been handed complete control over response procedures in the event of a pandemic outbreak in the U.S. after an agreement was signed by President [sic] Bush at the recent SPP meeting that bypasses congressional approval.

Bird flu shock 31 Aug 2007 Up to 650,000 people could die in the UK if there was a worldwide outbreak of human or avian flu. A Home Office report outlines emergency plans for mass burials and morgues in refrigerated trucks.

Flu pandemic ‘could kill 650,000’ 31 Aug 2007 Up to 650,000 people could die in England and Wales if there were a flu pandemic, according to a Home Office document that outlines plans for dealing with an outbreak, including measures for mass burials and refrigerated storage of bodies

Warning of new bird flu danger 31 Aug 2007 Bird flu has spread between several humans, according to a new study of deaths in Indonesia last year. [See: Making Killer Flu 12 Jun 2007 and Killer flu recreated in the lab 07 Oct 2004.]

Bush’s SPP power grab sets stage for military to manage flu threats –U.S. under U.N. law in health emergency By Jerome R. Corsi 28 Aug 2007 The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America summit in Canada released a plan that establishes U.N. law along with regulations by the World Trade Organization and World Health Organization as supreme over U.S. law during a pandemic and sets the stage for militarizing the management of continental health emergencies. The “North American Plan for Avian & Pandemic Influenza” was finalized at the SPP summit last week in Montebello, Quebec. At the same time, the U.S. Northern Command, or NORTHCOM, has created a webpage dedicated to avian flu and has been running exercises in preparation for the possible use of U.S. military forces in a continental domestic emergency involving avian flu or pandemic influenza.

Combatting Avian Flu in North America: The North American Plan for Avian and Pandemic Influenza 17 Aug 2007 The North American Plan for Avian and Pandemic Influenza was announced by the Presidents of the United States and Mexico and the Prime Minister of Canada on August 21, 2007 in Montebello, Canada, at the North American Leaders Summit. The Plan was developed as part of the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP). The SPP is a trilateral effort launched in March 2005 to increase security and enhance prosperity in Canada, Mexico and the United States through greater cooperation and information sharing.

NORTHCOM Prepares for Possible Pandemic 01 Feb 2006 U.S. Northern Command recently hosted representatives from more than 40 international, federal and state agencies for an exercise designed to provoke discussion and determine what governmental actions, including military support [martial law, KBR detention cetnres] , would be necessary in the event of an influenza pandemic in the United States… “NORTHCOM will not be running the show in the event of a pandemic,” said Dave Wilkins, the NORTHCOM exercise facilitator. “We will be taking guidance and requests from other agencies, such as the Department of Homeland Security, via the secretary of defense.”

Person-to-person bird flu confirmed 31 Aug 2007 Bird flu has spread between humans on several occasions, a new study of deaths in Indonesia last year has found.

Study confirms 2006 human-human spread of bird flu 28 Aug 2007 A mathematical analysis has confirmed that H5N1 avian influenza spread from person to person in Indonesia in April, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday. They said they had developed a tool to run quick tests on disease outbreaks to see if dangerous epidemics or pandemics may be developing [in Bush’s labs].

“No-Evacuation Required During a Bird Flu Outbreak” –Chlorine Dioxide Gas to Be Used to Create ‘Virus-Free’ Areas –Experimental data and practical applications of chlorine dioxide ‘against’ pandemic influenza to be presented at international bird flu summit in the US. (New-Fields) 27 Aug 2007 At the 5th International Bird Flu Summit organized by New-Fields Exhibition Inc., Dr. Norio Ogata of the Japanese Taiko Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. is to present the company’s experimental data and practical applications of chlorine dioxide ‘against’ pandemic influenza. The product to be launched uses chlorine dioxide gas to create virus-free living spaces.

Now, what’s interesting about New-Fields? (‘We find new-fields for you.’) New-Fields, uniting and marketing corpora-terrorists who are trying to start (and profit from) an avian flu pandemic, are also actually hosting the Iraqi Oil & Gas Technology Conference in Istanbul, Turkey, 5-6 September 2007. (New-Fields) It has been estimated that with its natural resources Iraq has the potential to earn between $10 billion and $15 billion over the next few years. The Iraqi oil industry faces three distinct phases of development… The immediate task is restoring historical capacity which could require an investment of $5-10 billion and take 18 to 24 months. This work could be carried out under the auspices of an occupation regime… The second phase is developing prospects already found, raising capacity significantly. Cost is estimated at $40-80 billion, with a lead-time of seven to 10 years, depending upon the scope of the program. This work would need a legitimate government to assign new contracts… The third phase would be new exploration… and that also would require a legitimate government to negotiate fresh exploration rights. Iraq also has a substantial natural gas potential that could be used for industrial and power generation purposes. [People need to question the possible links between those running/managing (mismanaging) and profiting from the Iraq war and those who are poised to run/manage (mismanage) and profit from an avian flu pandemic. –LRP]

Germany to enforce buffer zone around bird flu farm 27 Aug 2007 The European Commission and Germany on Monday agreed to implement a 15-kilometre (10-mile) buffer zone around a Bavarian farm after the discovery of the highly pathogenic strain of H5N1 bird flu, an EU spokesman said.

Deadly bird flu found in German poultry farm 25 Aug 2007 An outbreak of deadly bird flu [highly pathogenic H5N1 strain] has been identified in a southern German poultry farm, a spokeswoman for Bavaria’s environment ministry said on Saturday.

Tests show Kibbutz Grofit chicken coop not contaminated with bird flu 24 Aug 2007 The chicken coop in Kibbutz Grofit is not contaminated with bird flu, the Agricultural Ministry announced Friday. Tests showed that the virus which was discovered in the blood of one of the chickens was not the dangerous strain.

Authorities suspect Kibbutz Grofit chickens have bird flu 23 Aug 2007 Authorities suspect that chickens at Kibbutz Grofit in the Arava have been infected with bird flu. The entire kibbutz has been placed under veterinary quarantine pending test results.

Study finds key markers for bird flu change 21 Aug 2007 Researchers have found some of the changes that a flu virus needs to become a deadly pandemic strain, and said on Tuesday the H5N1 avian influenza virus has so far made only a few of them. [No worries –the Bush bioterror team is *working hard* to get the avian flu pandemic party started! See: Making Killer Flu 12 Jun 2007 CDC scientists swap genes between bird flu and human strains to ‘plot the path of’ [*create*] a possible pandemic and Killer flu recreated in the lab 07 Oct 2004.]

Roche Joins the 5th International Bird Flu Summit as a Sponsor –Joins three other elite companies as one of the Summit’s Platinum Sponsors (New-Fields) 21 Aug 2007 (Washington, DC) New-Fields Exhibitions announces the inclusion of F. Hoffman-La Roche, a leading healthcare [pharma-terrorism] company, among the platinum sponsors of the 5th International Bird Flu Summit (IBFS) to be held on September 27 and 28 this year in Nevada USA. The 2-day event will cover an integrated approach to the bird flu threat and will have discussions on pandemic prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery [corpora-terrorism, profiteering and martial law]. About New-Fields Exhibitions: New Fields Exhibitions, Inc. is a leading emerging markets and business information provider. With offices in Washington, DC and overseas, the company provides marketing services in the areas of construction, energy, oil & gas, telecommunications and health care.

Bush poised to play the bioterror card; corpora-terrorists poised to make a *killing*: Government secures £155m bird flu vaccines 17 Aug 2007 Britain has moved to secure supplies of vaccines to counter a possible human influenza pandemic sparked by bird flu, by signing deals worth £155m in total with GlaxoSmithKline and Baxter International of the US. Under the four-year deals, GSK and Baxter International will together supply 120 million doses of their pandemic flu vaccines as soon as the strain is identified [?] and made available by the World Health Organisation.

£155m flu vaccine deal signed 16 Aug 2007 The Government has agreed a £155.4 million contract for a flu vaccine in the event of a pandemic. The Department of Health, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Baxter Healthcare signed the four-year deal, which would see the firms supply a vaccine as soon as a pandemic strain was notified by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Pandemic Influenza Medical Surge Plan Exercise Set for July 24 20 Jul 2007 (AL) State Health Officer Dr. Donald Williamson said, “Preparing our state for the possibility of a global influenza pandemic is a huge responsibility, and it is one which depends on cooperation of everyone involved to be successful.” This one-day exercise will simulate a situation in which large numbers of citizens are becoming ill from influenza.

U.S. will detain those suspected of harboring bird flu virus 18 Jul 2007 More than a year after President [sic] Bush unveiled a plan for coping with a pandemic flu outbreak, the federal government still has limited capacity to detect a disease outbreak and track its progress across the country… The government will try to limit the number of arriving people who might be infected with the virus and detain those suspected of harboring the virus, Dr. Rajeev Venkayya, special assistant to the president for biodefense, said.

Implementation of the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza (whitehouse.gov) 17 Jul 2007 In May 2006, the Administration issued the ‘National Strategy For Pandemic Influenza Implementation Plan,’ which provides a roadmap to achieve the federal government’s pandemic preparedness and response Goals. Eighty-six percent of all actions due within 12 months under the Implementation Plan have been completed. We are confronting [fomenting] the threat of an influenza pandemic at its source. [See: Making Killer Flu 12 Jun 2007 CDC scientists swap genes between bird flu and human strains to ‘plot the path of’ [*create*] a possible pandemic and Killer flu recreated in the lab 07 Oct 2004.]

Non-pathogenic strain of bird flu virus found, could turn pathogenic [by the Bush bioterror team] 17 Jul 2007 The existence of a non-pathogenic strain of the virus causing bird flu has been confirmed in the state according to knowledgeable sources, although state officials are tightlipped about the whole affair… The officials only said that no pathogenic strain of the virus has detected yet, but were mum about the presence of a non-pathogenic strain.

Germany, France Raise Bird Flu Risk Level After New H5N1 Cases 06 Jul 2007 Germany has raised its bird flu risk assessment level after it was reported that 38 new cases of the deadly H5N1 strain were discovered in the country’s east. France also reported new cases and upped its own alert.

Germany raises bird flu alert to “high” 06 Jul 2007 The German authorities on Thursday raised the alert for bird flu from “moderate” to “high” after 38 more wild birds were tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain in eastern Germany. The birds were among the 100 found dead on an artificial lane between the states of Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt, German news agency dpa reported.

France says H5N1 bird flu virus confirmed in swans 05 Jul 2007 Tests have confirmed that three swans found dead in eastern France were killed by the H5N1 bird flu virus, the French agriculture ministry said on Thursday, France’s first cases of the disease in over a year.

USDA Official to Discuss Pandemic Plans at Bird Flu Summit –Chief veterinary officer to detail the actions the USDA is now taking to combat bird flu outbreaks in the poultry industry—and those it will apply when [not ‘if,’ but ‘when’] a [US Army-generated] pandemic breaks out. (New Fields) 03 Jul 2007 Dr. John Clifford, Deputy Administrator of the USDA-APHID Veterinary Services program will discuss how his department works with Homeland Security to prepare for, respond to, mitigate, and recover from, a pandemic. Dr. Clifford will speak at the 5th International Bird Flu Summit, to be held on September 27-28 at Las Vegas… Together with the DHS, it [the USDA] coordinates the execution of state and local pandemic response plans—only turning over the lead to the DHS when a pandemic breaks out.

Gee, looky here! The same ‘people’ who are conducting bird flu summits are also holding Iraqi oil & gas summits! Iraqi Oil & Gas Technology Conference –8th ReBuilding Iraq Conference & Expo –Istanbul, Turkey 5-6 September 2007 (New Fields) 03 Apr 2007 The Iraqi oil industry faces three distinct phases of development. Restoration –The immediate task is restoring historical capacity which could require an investment of $5-10 billion and take 18 to 24 months. This work could be carried out under the auspices of an occupation regime. Developing Prospects –The second phase is developing prospects already found, raising capacity significantly. Cost is estimated at $40-80 billion… This work would need a legitimate government to assign new contracts. New Exploration –The third phase would be new exploration, for which Iraq immediately has little need, and that also would require a legitimate government to negotiate fresh exploration rights… There is a large potential for substituting gas for oil in power generation. Finally, there is also a refinery and petrochemical investment potential.

Bird flu cases increase to six in Germany 26 Jun 2007 Germany confirmed the H5N1 bird flu virus in three more wild birds in the southern state of Bavaria on Monday, bringing the total infected cases to six since last weekend.

New tests on bird flu drug after teenagers’ deaths –Trials will look at whether Tamiflu causes delusions 20 Jun 2007 The reputation of flu drug Tamiflu suffered a fresh blow yesterday when the Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche and its Japanese partner announced new clinical trials to establish whether there is a possible link between the antiviral and dozens of deaths and injuries among Japanese teenagers. [See: Rumsfeld’s growing stake in Tamiflu 31 Oct 2005 Defense Secretary, ex-chairman of flu treatment rights holder, sees portfolio value growing.]

Bird Flu Fears Reignited 19 Jun 2007 While the threat of a bird flu pandemic continues to hang over the world, authorities in the United Kingdom now believe a second strain of avian flu — previously considered of little human risk — does indeed pose a real danger to people… When new hens began dying between May 1 and May 17, health authorities from both countries descended on the farm, testing the sick birds and determining that the birds had H7N2 disease.

Making Killer Flu 12 Jun 2007 CDC scientists swap genes between bird flu and human strains to ‘plot the path of’ [*create*] a possible pandemic.

Malaysia Quarantines Five Bird Flu Suspects 12 Jun 2007 At least five people have been quarantined in two Malaysian hospitals after displaying symptoms of the bird flu virus, the health minister said on Tuesday. Sixteen others who were also suspected of being infected with the virus were quarantined and had tested negative.

Authorities seeking those on flight 29 May 2007 A man with a rare and exceptionally dangerous form of tuberculosis has been placed in quarantine by the U.S. government [!] after possibly exposing passengers and crew on two trans-Atlantic flights earlier this month, health officials said Tuesday. The infected man flew from Atlanta to Paris on May 12 aboard Air France Flight 385. He returned to North America on May 24 aboard Czech Air Flight 104 from Prague to Montreal. The man then drove into the United States. He cooperated with authorities after learning he had an unusually dangerous form of TB. He voluntarily went to a hospital and is not facing prosecution, officials said. [See: DoD to ‘augment civilian law’ during pandemic or bioterror attack By Lori Price 11 May 2007 Is Bush is getting ready to play the Bioterror Card?]

U.S. Government Issues a Quarantine Order –CDC Order is First Since 1963 29 May 2007 A man with a rare and exceptionally dangerous form of tuberculosis has been placed in quarantine by the U.S. government after possibly exposing passengers and crew on two trans-Atlantic flights earlier this month, health officials said Tuesday. This marks the first time since 1963 that the government issued a quarantine order. The last such order was to quarantine a patient with smallpox, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

DoD to ‘augment civilian law’ during pandemic or bioterror attack By Lori Price 11 May 2007 Is Bush is getting ready to play the Bioterror Card? The GOP cannot steal an inevitable Democratic landslide in November 2008. Will the Bush regime continue its illegitimate rule and empire by implementing a full-blown police state, in the aftermath of an avian flu pandemic or (Bush-engendered) bioterror attack?

‘In some ways the war game resembled the hit U.S. TV show ’24.’ U.S. health agency stages bird flu war game 27 Apr 2007 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 [lie] while preparing it for a [US engendered] possible pandemic. In some ways the war game resembled the hit U.S. TV show [torture-fest] “24,” with health officials battling in real time to save the United States from imminent disaster, though of course minus the violence [!]. Like the Counter Terrorism Unit at the heart of “24,” the CDC used its Director’s Emergency Operations Center… In calculating whether to close the border,… These are the facts on the ground: do our theoretical constructs hold,” said Martin Cetron, CDC director of the division of global migration and quarantine. [Oh, during a (US Army created pandemic) the US is going to ‘close the borders?’ The US can’t close the borders *now,* but they’re going to close them in the middle of a bird flu pandemic? Closing the borders will keep *us in,* quarantined in KBR’s detention centers. –Lori Price]

Bird Flu Pandemic Could Infect 1 Billion People 24 Apr 2007 The World Health Organization has come out and stated that if a bird flu pandemic takes place it would kill up to 7 million people and infect at least 1 billion people around the world. The fear is that the virus could mutate into a form that is very easily transferable from human to human making it easier to catch. [Count on it! See: Scientists Recreate 1918 Flu and See Parallels to Bird Flu 18 Jan 2007]

Bird flu pandemic spells doomsday disaster 24 Apr 2007 A global bird flu pandemic could infect one billion people and kill between two and seven million of them, the World Health Organisation said on Tuesday.

Bird Flu School Planning Summit Stresses Hands-On Training –The May 21 summit tests resources against the toughest scenarios. Washington, DC (New-Fields) 15 Apr 2007 The second Bird Flu School Planning Summit, which will be launched on May 21 at the Hilton Garden Inn Raritan Center in New Jersey, is meant to engage school administrators, teachers, parents, and students in an intensive, hands-on training on how to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from a possible [DoD-engendered] bird flu pandemic. Organized by New-Fields Exhibitions, the summit aims to encourage all community members to engage in the fight against [sic] bird flu and to prepare for a looming flu pandemic. [Here’s where Bush’s quarantines, mandatory deadly vaccines and KBR-built detention centers are gonna’ come in handy –just before the 2008 ‘elections.’ –LRP]

Grants to Fund Bird Flu Battle 02 Apr 2007 The government’s work to ‘prevent’ [foment] an influenza pandemic took on a more academic look Monday when it selected six universities and medical centers to help lead research efforts.

U of M Awarded $22.5 Million NIH Contract to Study Avian Influenza 02 Apr 2007 The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), today named the University of Minnesota as one of six sites across the country that will establish a Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance.

Huge U.S. economic losses forecast in flu pandemic 22 Mar 2007 An influenza pandemic on the scale of the 1918 “Spanish Flu” would inflict $700 billion in economic losses in the United States and a 5.5 percent GDP drop in a year, according to a report released on Thursday. Such a pandemic could trigger the second-deepest U.S. economic recession since World War Two, the report from the advocacy group Trust for America’s Health found. [Halliburton, KBR and Blackwater USA, however, will make a *killing.* Count on it! The Bush regime is already taking steps to get the pandemic party started. –LRP]

Health alert over Tamiflu 21 Mar 2007 Japanese health officials issued an alert over giving flu drug Tamiflu to teenagers on Wednesday as Myanmar reported a further outbreak of bird flu in poultry. Tamiflu is regarded as one of the main drugs effective against a bird flu pandemic, but a series of cases, including teen suicides in Japan, have fuelled concern the drug could induce psychiatric symptoms. [Oops! There goes Rumsfeld’s stock portfolio! See: Rumsfeld’s growing stake in Tamiflu 31 Oct 2005 Defense Secretary, ex-chairman of flu treatment rights holder, sees portfolio value growing.]

H5N1 kills rare eagle near Japan bird flu sites 19 Mar 2007 The H5N1 bird flu virus killed a rare species of eagle, captured within 75 km (47 miles) of sites of three Japanese outbreaks of the virus among poultry earlier this year, the environment ministry said on Monday.

Vaccines are used to spread (not ‘prevent’) viruses: Bird flu detected in vaccinated Egypt flocks – source 13 Mar 2007 Egypt has detected bird flu in chickens and ducks from reportedly vaccinated flocks, an animal health official said on Tuesday. The official, who closely follows bird flu in Egypt, said chickens and ducks from vaccinated household flocks and on poultry farms had tested positive for the H5N1 bird flu virus this year in 12 locations, and eight of the infections were detected this month.

Hold on to your hats! From the ‘people’ who brought you the response to Hurricane Katrina’s blown levees: Homeland Security Official Presents National Pandemic Plan This Week –Associate Chief Medical Officer for Medical Readiness with the Office of the Chief Medical Officer at the US Department of Homeland Security outlines current national pandemic planning efforts this week at the 4th International Bird Flu Summit in Washington, DC. (New-Fields) 12 Mar 2007 Dr. Tilman Jolly, an emergency medicine specialist with the US Department of Homeland Security, will present a talk on the current status of America’s national pandemic plan at the 4th International Bird Flu Summit in Washington on March 14-15.

‘I’m almost using the flu pandemic as an excuse to prepare for a disaster.’ Bird flu drill held at senior center 11 Mar 2007 (MA) Last November, 635 elderly people filed into the Worcester Senior Center to get their annual flu shots. They were done in less than four hours. They didn’t know they were part of a simulation of what would happen during a flu pandemic at one of Worcester’s nine emergency dispensing sites.

Bird flu confirmed in 6 more areas of Afghanistan 10 Mar 2007 The virulent H5N1 bird flu virus has been confirmed in six additional areas in eastern Afghanistan and Kabul, the United Nations said.

CSIRO bird flu lockdown 08 Mar 2007 Two Geelong lab technicians exposed to bird flu will sit out the incubation danger period in virtual solitude away from family and friends. Infectious disease specialists have told them to stay isolated in home quarantine while a Department of Human Services doctor monitors their health. Four investigations were launched into the incident yesterday after the Geelong Advertiser reported that workers were exposed to bird flu virus at CSIRO’s Australian Animal Health Laboratory in Moolap.

Bird flu scientists isolated –Two scientists exposed to bird flu after sharing a faulty lab-suit are being monitored while another has been given the all-clear. 08 Mar 2007 (Geelong, AU) The trio had been involved in an experiment [!?!] on ducks infected with a South-East Asian strain of the avian flu when it was discovered on Monday that an air filter in one of the protective suits was missing.

Bird flu lab bungle ‘no cause for alarm’ 07 Mar 2007 Victoria’s chief health officer has moved to quell concerns over any potential bird flu outbreak after three laboratory workers were exposed to the deadly disease.

Experts urge big effort to make pandemic vaccines 05 Mar 2007 Top virologists called on Monday for a greater effort in developing effective vaccines against [with] a potential flu pandemic and warned that all contingency plans would be in vain without them.

Scientists to exhume diplomat’s corpse for bird flu clues 05 Mar 2007 Scientists plan to exhume within the next five months the body of a British diplomat who died in 1919 of the Spanish flu, in a move they hope will provide vital clues on how to fight [foment] any future pandemic. Experts see strong parallels between the H5N1 bird flu virus of today and the H1N1 virus of 1918/1919 which sparked the Spanish flu that killed more than 50 million people.

“We’re after an intact body.” Scientists want to exhume corpse from 1919 Spanish flu pandemic [to start a *new* pandemic] 28 Feb 2007 Scientists want to exhume the body of a British diplomat [Sir Mark Sykes] who died of Spanish flu during the 1919 pandemic in hopes of discovering clues to fight [start] a possible future global outbreak sparked by the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus.

Body in lead coffin may hold key to fighting pandemic –Go-ahead for exhumation of politician and diplomat who died in 1918-19 epidemic 28 Feb 2007 A celebrated politician and diplomat [Sir Mark Sykes] who played a key role in the carve-up of the Middle East after the first world war is to be called on to perform a final service which could reap incalculable benefits for ‘global health’ [the pharma-terrorists and KBR’s detention centers].

Bird Flu Spreads in Asia as Laos Reports Human Case 27 Feb 2007 Bird flu spread in Asia as Laos reported its first-ever human case of the virus, following an outbreak in poultry.

Kuwait confirms 12 new bird flu cases 27 Feb 2007 Kuwait confirmed on Tuesday 12 cases of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in turkeys and chicken on Tuesday, but said the birds did not belong to poultry farms.

Kuwait on alert after bird flu detected 25 Feb 2007 Kuwait announced on Sunday that it had detected the deadly strain of avian influenza in poultry and birds and had shut the nation’s only zoo, AFP reported. The twenty cases of the deadly H5N1 avian influenza was detected in birds, mainly falcons.

H5N1 bird flu confirmed in Afghanistan 24 Feb 2007 The presence of the deadly strain of bird flu in eastern Nangarhar province has been confirmed by Afghanistan’s Health Ministry. [Now there are two plagues in Afghanistan: bird flu and US terrorists.]

What does a bird flu pandemic and Iraq’s electricity have in common? They’re both New-Fields exhibition topics in March. Posted by Lori R. Price 20 Feb 2007

Now in Moscow, bird flu continues extending its reach 20 Feb 2007 The outbreaks of avian flu that shut down farms and markets in the suburbs of Moscow over the weekend are a sign that the virus is moving westward along migratory bird routes, as it did last winter. The Russian authorities confirmed Sunday that the H5N1 avian influenza virus had been found on at least six farms within 50 kilometers, or 30 miles, of the capital.

Thousands Get Tested For Bird Flu In Moscow 20 Feb 2007 Thousands of Russians are now being tested after an outbreak of bird flu took place on the outskirts of Moscow.

Bird flu outbreak near Moscow might be act of bio-terrorism – veterinary official 18 Feb 2007 Bio-terrorism must not be discarded as a cause of an outbreak of bird flu at Moscow’s poultry market, but this should be tackled by the Federal Security Service and other law enforcement services,” chief veterinary official of the Moscow region, Valery Sitnikov, told Interfax on Sunday.

Bird flu outbreaks blamed on rats [Right, US Army lab rats.] 19 Feb 2007 Japanese scientists fear that rats were responsible for carrying avian flu into four poultry farms over the past month, in an alarming development that suggests the virus could spread more quickly than realised. [See also: Killer flu recreated in the lab 07 Oct 2004.]

Tests confirm H5N1 bird flu strain in 2 suburban Moscow districts 17 Feb 2007 Tests have confirmed the presence of the H5N1 bird flu strain in poultry found dead in two suburban Moscow districts, an agriculture official said Saturday, in the first such outbreak to be recorded so close to the Russian capital.

Bird flu company sales fall 40% 15 Feb 2007 The poultry company [Bernard Matthews] at the centre of a bird flu crisis in Suffolk and Hungary has seen its sales fall by up to 40%.

UK and Hungarian bird flu “essentially identical” 13 Feb 2007 Tests on H5N1 bird flu viruses found in Britain and Hungary showed they are “essentially identical” and the most likely transmission route was from poultry to poultry, Britain said on Tuesday.

No evidence Hungary the source of H5N1 13 Feb 2007 Hungary’s animal health authorities have found no evidence that could show poultry or poultry products from Hungary could have transmitted the H5N1 bird flu virus to Britain, Chief Veterinarian Miklos Suth said. “According to our knowledge today there is no such evidence,” Suth said on Tuesday. “It can almost be ruled out.” [Right, it was likely from a US Army lab.]

Bernard Matthews firm could face prosecution over bird flu outbreak 12 Feb 2007 Lorry-loads of poultry products could have been transported out of the British farm which suffered a major outbreak of bird flu, the Government has admitted. An exclusion zone was put in place around the Bernard Matthews plant in Holton when the deadly strain of H5N1 was identified last week. But a diplomatic row was brewing last night between London and Budapest after Hungary said that tons of meat had been sent from Holton to the central European country since the restrictions were imposed.

Bird flu farm continued exports 12 Feb 2007 Cooked turkey products were exported from the Suffolk farm where bird flu was found after the virus broke out. Some of that food was exported to Hungary – where it is thought the UK outbreak could have originated.

US HHS Official to Speak at International Bird Flu Summit (email) 10 Feb 2007 New Fields is proud to welcome Dr Robin A. Robinson, Senior Project Officer Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness (OPHEP), Office of Research & Development Coordination (ORDC), U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) As a Speaker For the 4th International Bird Flu Summit.

Bird Flu Reported in Pakistan Capital 10 Feb 2007 The deadly H5N1 stain of bird flu has been confirmed at a home in the Pakistani capital, the third such case in about a week. [See: Killer flu recreated in the lab 07 Oct 2004 Scientists have shown that tiny changes to modern flu viruses could render them as deadly as the 1918 strain which killed millions. A US team added two genes from a sample of the 1918 virus to a modern strain known to have no effect on mice.]

Bird flu tests for ill vet who helped tackle outbreak at turkey farm 07 Feb 2007 A vet who helped to tackle Britain’s most serious bird flu outbreak was admitted to hospital last night suffering from a respiratory illness. It was confirmed the State Veterinary Service employee would be tested for H5N1 avian flu. The vet fell ill after working at the Bernard Matthews farm where the outbreak occurred in Suffolk.

Ministers forced to defend handling of flu outbreak 06 Feb 2007 The Government has defended its handling of the H5N1 avian flu outbreak in Suffolk as scientists continue to investigate how the deadly virus penetrated the supposedly bio-secure facility on a Bernard Matthews turkey farm.

Mystery deepens over cause of Suffolk bird flu outbreak –Concern over delay in identifying H5N1 05 Feb 2007 The government was last night investigating possible links between the discovery of H5N1 avian bird flu at a Bernard Matthews turkey farm in Suffolk and recent outbreaks of the disease in Hungary.

Government defends bird flu response 05 Feb 2007 The environment secretary, David Miliband, today said he was satisfied that the response to the Suffolk bird flu outbreak had been “rapid, well co-ordinated and appropriate”.

World braced for huge surge in bird flu cases 04 Feb 2007 The number of cases of the deadly bird flu virus is increasing around the world as scientists struggle to combat the disease that is now threatening to jump species and infect humans. The news comes as Britain confirmed its first ever case of H5N1 in a farm in Suffolk.

H5N1: The deadly strain of bird flu is here. But we’re told: Don’t panic –160,000 turkeys to be gassed; exclusion zone set up; virus likely to spread 04 Feb 2007 The first major outbreak of bird flu to hit Britain was confirmed yesterday, sparking fears that the virus will spread throughout the country and prompting a cull of 160,000 possibly infected birds.

Fatal bird flu virus confirmed in Britain 03 Feb 2007 Tests have confirmed that 2,600 turkeys at a Suffolk farm died from the H5N1 strain of bird flu that can be fatal to humans. A restricted access zone of 3km and a 10km surveillance zone will now be set up at the Bernard Matthews-owned farm near Lowestoft, with the farm’s remaining 160,000 turkeys to be culled.

Bird flu outbreak on English farm is H5N1 03 Feb 2007 An outbreak of bird flu on a farm run by Europe’s biggest turkey manufacturer Bernard Matthews is the highly pathogenic H5N1 version of the virus which can kill humans, the European Commission said on Saturday.

‘We have to be prepared for a Category 5 pandemic.’ U.S. Issues Guidelines in Case of Flu Pandemic 01 Feb 2007 The federal government today issued new pandemic flu guidelines to states and cities. “We have to be prepared [build] for a Category 5 pandemic,” said Dr. Martin Cetron, director of global migration and quarantine for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in releasing the guidelines. The guidelines did not suggest using the military to enforce quarantines, as Dictator Bush said he might do when he first mentioned avian flu in 2005.

In outbreak drill, CDC readies for the ‘Big One’ 01 Feb 2007 (Atlanta) A flu pandemic drill involved close to 300 CDC employees and was designed to run over a 24-hour period, from Wednesday to Thursday. Most of the action was at CDC’s emergency operations center. The drill was designed and run by MPRI, an Atlanta consulting company led by retired military officers. The CDC is paying the company $7 million for its work on the drill, future exercises and some planning work. [Bush will likely ‘go live’ with the actual pandemic in 2008, before the ‘elections.’]

New bird-flu plan advises when to close schools 01 Feb 2007 Future disease pandemics will be scored in the United States much like hurricanes, with the most severe triggering school closings and changes in the workplace, under federal guidelines issued on Thursday. They are the first detailed advice for what states and communities should do before a vaccine is available to control [foment] a flu pandemic, which global health authorities fear could come at any time [Yeah, but most likely October 2008, when Bush will declare martial law, stuff protesters in KBR detention centres and postpone ‘elections.’ –LRP]

“Isolations, quarantines and other ‘Draconian public health measures'” Feds’ new flu plan to raise fear factor 31 Jan 2007 The federal government will announce two new initiatives tomorrow aimed at warning the public on a potential [US-engineered] flu pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has created multiple television ads encouraging Americans to learn exactly what a massive flu outbreak would entail. It also has established new guidelines for public health measures should millions of Americans contract influenza, which will include isolations, quarantines and other “Draconian public health measures,” warned Dr. Irwin Redlener, director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. [See: Scientists Recreate 1918 Flu and See Parallels to Bird Flu 18 Jan 2007 In 2005, U.S. Army scientists reconstructed Spanish flu virus by extracting genetic fragments from the bodies of victims exhumed from the Alaskan permafrost.]

Indonesia May Declare Bird Flu a National Disaster 31 Jan 2007 Indonesia’s President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono may declare bird flu a national disaster, enabling the government to set aside money from its budget to combat the virus that has killed at least 63 Indonesians.

Nigeria reports its first cases of bird flu in humans 31 Jan 2007 Bird flu has claimed its first human victim in Africa’s most-populous nation, killing a young Nigerian woman due to graduate from university and be married this year, officials and the victim’s fiance said Wednesday.

Now Joining 4th International Bird Flu Summit 30 Jan 2007 The 4th International Bird Flu Summit will take place in Washington, DC, 14 -15 March 2007. The purpose of the summit is to prepare the World to fight [foment] this potentially infectious disease. New Fields is proud to welcome VIASYS as an exhibitor for the 4th International Bird Flu Summit. Other presenters: Douglas Himberger, Vice President, Booz Allen Hamilton; Jeffrey Riggs, President and COO, Biowarn LLC; Michael Martens, Chief of Plans and Operations, US Army Garrison Alaska; Dr. Thomas Monath, Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

Russian scientists ‘alarmed’ as millions of birds begin falling from world’s skies 26 Jan 2007 An alarming series of reports from the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Influenza Research Institute are reporting today that millions of avian species have succumbed, while in flight, to a rapidly evolving virus linked to the deadly H5N1 Bird Flu variant. Doctor Scientist Oleg Kiselyov, the head of the Influenza Research Institute, states in these reports that a nematode parasite belonging to the ‘Superfamily Subuluroidea’ has now become a carrier of a ‘mutated’ H5N1 Bird Flu Virus with ‘sub strains’ never seen before.

Russia finds H5N1 bird flu strain in southern yards 29 Jan 2007 Russia has recorded its first cases this year of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of bird flu in dead domestic birds, the country’s animal and plant health agency said on Monday. Rosselkhoznadzor said in a statement the virus was detected in dead birds found in three domestic yards in the Krasnodar region of southern Russia.

Lockheed to Support CDC Terrorism-Response Effort 29 Jan 2007 Lockheed Martin of Bethesda won a five-year, $135 million contract from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to support the agency’s office for coordinating terrorism preparation [They’re preparing it, alright!] and emergency response. Lockheed Martin also will provide communications, training, planning, logistics, administrative, operations and IT support for the Emergency Operations Center, which is the agency’s focus when responding to public health emergencies, disease outbreaks and investigations.

Scientists tighten security over germ terror threat –MI5 issues warning to universities and labs 25 Jan 2007 Britain’s laboratories have been ordered to strengthen security on stocks of more than 100 deadly viruses and bacteria after an MI5 warning that ‘Islamic terrorists’ [US bioterrorists] are training in germ warfare. The biological agents include polio, rabies, tuberculosis and avian flu. Scientists and laboratory staff in universities, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies who deal with agents will have to be vetted by police, and their laboratories will be checked by government safety inspectors… The crackdown comes after MI5 privately warned the Foreign and Commonwealth Office that ‘al-Qaeda’ was actively recruiting scientists. [But as we know, and as the CLG has been documenting for two years, it is the US Army that is reconstructing the deadly 1918 flu, to foment bioterror. The U.S. is going to engineer and unleash the pandemic and then blame ‘al-Qaeda.’ –LRP]

Bush preparing to play the bioterror card and declare martial law in time for the 2008 ‘elections:’ U.S. not scared enough of bird flu, Senate told 24 Jan 2007 Bird flu poses as big a threat to the world as ever, and people need to worry about it more, U.S. senators and health leaders agreed on Wednesday. The H5N1 avian flu virus could cause a human pandemic at any time, killing perhaps millions, yet preparations are slow, they told a Senate hearing. [See: Scientists Recreate 1918 Flu and See Parallels to Bird Flu –In 2005, U.S. Army scientists reconstructed Spanish flu virus by extracting genetic fragments from the bodies of victims exhumed from the Alaskan permafrost. 18 Jan 2007]

Bird Flu Reappears in EU 25 Jan 2007 Bird flu has reappeared in the EU as the European Commission confirmed on Wednesday (24 January) that dead geese in Hungary were contaminated with the highly virulent H5 strain.

U.N.: Bird flu outbreak alert 23 Jan 2007 The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization is warning nations, particularly in East Asia and Africa, to be vigilant for outbreaks of bird flu. New cases of the avian flu virus have been ‘found’ in China, Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Nigeria, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.

Concern as revived 1918 flu virus kills monkeys –Questions raised over safety of revived microbe. 17 Jan 2007 The 1918 influenza virus, which killed some 50 million people worldwide, has proved fatal to macaques infected in a laboratory. The study follows Nature’s controversial publication of the virus’s sequence in 2005, alongside a paper in Science that described the recreation of the virus from a corpse and its potency in mice… “The pathogenesis is interesting,” Michael Gale, a virologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, says. “But the key question is: how was it spread so efficiently?” [LOL, Bush is poised to play the bioterror card, declare martial law, and have the GOP steal the 2008 ‘elections.’]

Scientists Recreate 1918 Flu and See Parallels to Bird Flu –In 2005, U.S. Army scientists reconstructed Spanish flu virus by extracting genetic fragments from the bodies of victims exhumed from the Alaskan permafrost. 18 Jan 2007 Scientists infected monkeys with a virus that caused the 1918-19 influenza pandemic and said in the Jan. 18 issue of the journal Nature that it caused an illness like that suffered by patients with the bird flu now spreading in Asia.

Scientists recreate 1918 flu virus [Why?] 17 Jan 2007 The virus that caused the 1918 influenza pandemic triggered an overwhelming immune response that swamped the lungs of macaque monkeys — the first primates deliberately infected with the Spanish flu virus, Canadian and American scientists reported Wednesday. The research, published in the journal Nature, involved an ambitious project to painstakingly recreate the 1918 virus — only the second time this feat has been achieved. In 2005 scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control made history by becoming the first team to recreate the virus. Yoshihiro Kawaoka, a leading influenza scientist working at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, built each of the virus’s eight genes from scratch, using genetic blueprints housed in a public access database… The recreated virus was then used to infect seven macaques housed in a Level 4 laboratory in Winnipeg — the highest level of biosecurity available. [Bush is poised to play the bioterror card, impose martial law, stuff any dissenters into KBR detention centres and invade any oil-bearing countries for Cheney Halliburton, unmolested. –LRP]

Bird Flu Takes Flight 18 Jan 2007 Winter in the Northern Hemisphere means one chilling prospect for global health officials: it’s bird-flu season. Nine countries have announced outbreaks in recent weeks, and a replay of 2006–when H5N1 killed 80 people and spread to the Middle East and Africa–could well be on the way.

Europe must remain on high bird flu alert -expert 18 Jan 2007 New outbreaks of bird flu in Asia mean Europe must remain alert to the threat posed by the disease, an animal health expert said on Thursday.

Bird flu in Egypt moderately Tamiflu-resistant–WHO 18 Jan 2007 Two people who died of bird flu in Egypt last month had a strain of the H5N1 virus which has shown “moderate” resistance to the frontline antiviral Tamiflu, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Thursday.

HK confirms dead bird carried H5N1 avian flu virus 17 Jan 2007 Hong Kong confirmed on Wednesday that a bird of prey found in the city carried the H5N1 virus, the second such case this month.

Bird flu detected in Japan identified as H5N1 16 Jan 2007 Tests have confirmed that bird flu detected in chickens in southern Japan was the virulent H5N1 strain that has been blamed for more than 160 human deaths worldwide, the Japanese Agricultural Ministry said Tuesday.

New Bird Flu Cluster May Signal Change in H5N1 Virus 15 Jan 2007 A new cluster of bird flu infections involving at least two members of a family in Indonesia may indicate a change in the virus’s ability to sicken people, researchers studying the disease said.

Bird flu feared at western Japan poultry farm 11 Jan 2007 Approximately 750 chickens have died at a western Japan poultry farm [in the town of Kiyotake in western Miyazaki prefecture (state)] in what authorities fear may be a bird flu outbreak, national and local authorities said late Thursday.

China confirms human bird flu case 10 Jan 2007 A Chinese farmer has contracted the H5N1 strain of bird flu, the country’s first human case in months, leading to questions about whether the virus is circulating undetected among poultry.

Cold weather in Europe “could bring bird flu to UK,” says vet official 08 Jan 2007 A cold spell could increase the risk of bird flu coming to the UK this year, Britains deputy chief veterinary officer warned Monday.

Bird flu drug carries a lethal threat –Scientists warn that Tamiflu use could devastate wildlife and trigger a second, deadlier pandemic 07 Jan 2007 Britain faces an ecological catastrophe that could wreak havoc on wildlife populations when the first outbreak of Asian flu hits the country. Scientists say they fear that tons of the anti-viral agent Tamiflu – taken by Britons trying to combat the disease – would be flushed down sewers into rivers and lakes. [See: Rumsfeld’s growing stake in Tamiflu 31 Oct 2005 Defense Secretary, ex-chairman of flu treatment rights holder, sees portfolio value growing.]

Bird flu raging in Vietnam’s Mekong delta 02 Jan 2007 Nguyen Hien Trung, head of Hau Giang’s animal health department, said a new site had been identified in Vi Thuy district yesterday after a dead bird had tested positive for the deadly H5N1 virus strain. A total of three communes in two districts had bird flu, he said.

Vietnam Reporting First Cases of Suspected Bird Flu In Humans In 2006 31 Dec 2006 Vietnam has reported its first case of bird flu. Four members of the same family were admitted to a hospital in southern Vietnam suffering with symptoms consistent with avian flu, a doctor said on Saturday.

Human Bird Flu Deaths in 2006 28 Dec 2006 Bird flu killed three members of a family in Egypt, pushing the number of fatalities worldwide this year to 79, more than reported in the previous three years combined.

Bird Flu Spreads In Egypt As Tenth Person Dies 27 Dec 2006 Authorities have confirmed that a tenth person has died of H5N1 bird flu infection in Egypt.

Bird flu kills second Egyptian in two days 27 Dec 2006 A deadly strain of bird flu has killed an Egyptian girl, the second such death in two days and one that brought the number of deaths in the country this year to nine.

Bird flu bill passed unanimously 14 Dec 2006 (New Zealand) A bill that gives the Government sweeping powers to suspend almost all laws to control a bird flu outbreak has passed with unanimous support – but the rules on triggering it have been tightened. The Law Reform (Epidemic Preparedness) Bill grants sweeping powers – including the ability to ban public gatherings, requisition buildings, vehicles and medicines and allowing police to detain people for medical tests. The bill also allows the quarantine of people suspected of having bird flu or other pandemic diseases.

“We’ve never seen anything like this — ever.” Thousands of ducks mysteriously dying in Idaho 13 Dec 2006 Officials scrambled on Wednesday to determine what has caused the deaths of thousands of mallard ducks in south-central Idaho near the Utah border. Wildlife experts have sent samples to government labs to test for the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain, among other pathogens. Officials with the federal Bureau of Homeland Security [?!?] have been also called in to help with the probe.

Forced vaccines and quarantines are being signed into law as we ‘debate’ the solution to Bush’s war in Iraq: Senate approves Burr’s bioterrorism bill –Critics warn about the effects of ‘secret vaccine production’ 06 Dec 2006 The Senate passed a bill last night [S.3678] sponsored by Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., that would create a new federal agency to combat [foment] bioterrorism. The bill to establish the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, commonly referred to as BARDA, passed by unanimous consent. Barbara Loe Fisher, the president of the National Vaccine Information Center, has been an outspoken critic of the bill. She was unaware that the bill had been passed by the Senate last night but said she’s worried about the effects “secret vaccine production” could have on the American public. “This is an extremely dangerous precedent that is being set,” she said. [Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (Engrossed as Agreed to or Passed by Senate)[S.3678.ES] –The Library of Congress, THOMAS]

The House vote to approve BARDA could take place before Friday, 08 Dec. (National Vaccine Information Center) 06 Dec 2006 In the future, when the Secretary of Health and Human Services declares a public health “emergency” under Bioshield and other federal and state legislation passed since Sept. 11, 2001, Americans could be quarantined and forced to use experimental drugs and vaccines and have no recourse to the civil justice system if they are injured by them. Congress has already given complete liability protection to drug companies and those who order citizens to take drugs and vaccines during a declared public health “emergency.” [Call the Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121 to express your views on BARDA; visit www.house.gov to locate your Congresscritters.]

US CDC awards $11.4 million for new bird flu tests 04 Dec 2006 The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Monday it had awarded $11.4 million for developing new, quick tests for influenza to four U.S. companies.

From the ‘people’ who brought you the Hurricane Katrina response: NRC Releases Plan For Continued “Mission-Essential” Operations During an Avian Flu Pandemic 01 Dec 2006 The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has released its 90-page plan outlining how the agency would maintain mission-essential and supporting functions during a possible flu pandemic that may cause staff absenteeism of 40 percent or more. The plan says the NRC would systematically “shed” lower priority work [!?!] and take certain action ahead of time to better support staff during a pandemic… The federal government planning assumptions for the pandemic include absenteeism as high as 40 percent for periods of weeks in the course of a 12- to 18-month period.

IT Caught Off Guard by Flu Pandemic Warning –Call to make quarantine preparations a priority is ‘eye-opener’ for execs 04 Dec 2006 Gartner Inc. is recommending that businesses complete planning by the second quarter of next year for a possible avian influenza pandemic and in particular stock up on supplies that would be needed by data center workers who might be quarantined together.

Stockpiling suggested for possible bird flu 06 Nov 2006 US citizens in Hong Kong have been advised to build a three-month stockpile of food, medicine and water in their homes in case of a bird flu pandemic, a news report said Tuesday. An advisory has been sent out to all 60,000 registered US citizens in the former British colony… which suggests stockpiling 4.5 litres of water per person per day and to prepare water purification equipment in case of “complete infrastructure breakdown,” the South China Morning Post reported. [You can be sure Halliburton, Blackwater USA, Bechtel and the entire Bush regime is *banking* on it.]

Scientists collar bird flu’s ‘killer’ gene 06 Nov 2006 Scientists in China report that they have identified the gene which determines the virulence of the H5N1, or bird flu, virus in poultry. The breakthrough could pave the way for new [deadly] vaccines, the scientists claim. Some strains of H5N1 kill more than half those they infect, while others leave virtually all their victims standing [?!?]. [Wow, let’s hope Bush or this other Nazi doesn’t get hold of this virus: Israeli official wants homogenous nation 05 Nov 2006 Israel’s new deputy prime minister on Sunday called for a near-total separation between Arabs and Jews in the Holy Land, sparking a wave of condemnation less than a week after the far-right politician joined the Cabinet.]

WHO issues bird flu warning, warns on Tamiflu research 03 Nov 2006 The World Health Organisation has warned that there is no guarantee that a pandemic strain of the H5N1 virus will be less deadly to people. The report, published this week, also cautioned against regarding the anti-viral drug Tamiflu as a magic bullet, highlighting that some H5N1 viruses seem to already be naturally resistant to the effects of the drug. The report comes less than two weeks after the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) in the UK issued a warning about the possible environmental effects of large scale use of Tamiflu. [See: Rumsfeld’s growing stake in Tamiflu 31 Oct 2005 Defense Secretary, ex-chairman of flu treatment rights holder, sees portfolio value growing.]

Vaccine-Resistant Bird Flu Spreading in Asia 30 Oct 2006 A new strain of vaccine-resistant H5N1 bird flu virus has emerged in China and is spreading through southeast Asia, Hong Kong researchers report.

Seventh Egyptian dies of bird flu – agency 30 Oct 2006 An Egyptian woman died of bird flu on Monday, bringing the total number of human deaths in Egypt to seven, the state news agency MENA said.

Australia Tests Bird Flu Defenses 19 Oct 2006 One-thousand people in Australia have conducted a four-day bird flu exercise that simulated the arrival of a planeload of flu-stricken passengers at Brisbane’s international airport. The drill included customs officers, the police, and health workers. A series of drills tested the readiness of customs officers, who separated the “sick” passengers at the airport… [And sent them where, a KBR detention centre?]

Egypt detects new human H5N1 bird flu case 10 Oct 2006 Egypt has detected its first human case of the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu virus since May in an Egyptian woman who raised ducks from her home, a World Health Organisation official said on Tuesday.

Vehicles From Sudan to Be Sprayed Against Bird Flu 10 Oct 2006 Vehicles from Sudan entering Uganda through Koboko and Arua districts are to be ‘disinfected,’ reports Frank Mugabi. All vehicles will be subjected to drive through a disinfection [sic – infection] wheel well to be sunk at Oraba border post in Koboko district while passengers will be required to disinfect their shoes. The workshop also agreed that a check-point be set up at Oraba to check for smuggled fowl.

Bird flu found in pigs in Indonesia’s Bali 09 Oct 2006 The H5N1 bird flu virus has infected pigs on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, a senior agriculture ministry official said on Monday.

Official says U.S. bird flu plans near “state of the art” 05 Oct 2006 U.S. preparations against a possible outbreak of the deadly form of the H5N1 avian flu virus are solid, but other countries may not be as ready, a U.S. health safety official warned on Thursday. “We’re … close to the state-of-the-art in the United States with preparations and strong biosecurity measures,” said Ambassador John Lange, the State Department’s special representative on avian and pandemic influenza. [See: KBR Awarded U.S. Department of Homeland Security Contingency Support for Emergency Support Services 24 Jan 2006 (halliburton.com) “The contract, which is effective immediately, provides for establishing temporary detention and processing capabilities to augment existing ICE Detention and Removal Operations (DRO) Program facilities… to support the rapid development of new programs.”]

Scientists infect mice with reconstructed version of deadly 1918 flu virus 28 Sep 2006 The 1918 Spanish flu that killed up to 50 million people worldwide caused a severe immune response which may help to explain why it was so deadly, American scientists said on Wednesday. By infecting mice with a reconstructed version of the 1918 virus and monitoring their response, a team of scientists believe they have found some clues to solve the puzzle as well as a possible new way to fight [foment] pandemic flu.

Suspected bird flu case in Sydney 27 Sep 2006 An international traveller is being tested for bird flu after landing at Sydney Airport from Vietnam today.

WHO ranks bird flu as top health threat 22 Sep 2006 Bird flu remains the number one danger facing global public health, the World Health Organisation warned as a five-day conference on issues facing the western Pacific region wrapped up today.

City of London to have bird flu drill 14 Sep 2006 The City of London financial services sector will next month test out how it would cope with a bird flu pandemic in an exercise run by finance industry regulators. The Bank of England, the Financial Services Authority and the Treasury will organise the bird flu simulation event, which will run from October 13 to November 24.

City exercise will test its ability to cope with ‘flu pandemic’ 15 Sep 2006 The City of London’s ability to cope with a flu pandemic will be tested next month when UK financial authorities conduct a six-week exercise to gauge the financial service sector’s preparedness for such a threat. Ominously, the simulation will start on Friday the 13th.

Exodus, morale shake CDC 10 Sep 2006 An exodus of key leaders and scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has raised “great concern” among five of the six former directors who led the agency over the past 40 years. Their concerns, expressed in a rare joint letter to current CDC Director Julie Gerberding, come amid growing staff complaints about whether her strategic shifts in the agency’s focus are putting public health at risk, according to interviews with current and former CDC officials and documents obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Senate Finance Committee, prompted by a CDC whistleblower, is probing CDC’s oversight of a $3.8 billion bioterrorism grant program.

Bird flu virus found in blood of human victims 11 Sep 2006 The H5N1 bird flu virus replicates far more aggressively in people than common human flu viruses A study of patients in Vietnam also found the virus in the blood stream of many of the human victims, which means it may have spread to other parts of the body, it was reported in Nature Medicine.

Avian flu kills in similar manner to 1918 flu: study [Of course, as designed. See: Killer flu recreated in the lab 07 Oct 2004. Scientists have shown that tiny changes to modern flu viruses could render them as deadly as the 1918 strain which killed millions. A US team added two genes from a sample of the 1918 virus to a modern strain known to have no effect on mice. Animals exposed to this composite were dying within days of symptoms similar to those found in human victims of the 1918 pandemic.] 10 Sep 2006 Avian flu kills in much the same way the 1918 flu did, by drowning victims in fluid produced in their own lungs, a new study has found.

Low-risk H5N1 bird flu found in Pennsylvania ducks 02 Sep 2006 Mallard ducks in Pennsylvania have tested positive for a low-pathogenic strain of the H5N1 bird flu virus, the U.S. Agriculture [Agribusiness] and Interior departments said on Saturday, adding to cases detected recently in Maryland and Michigan.

Bird flu ‘endemic, on the move’ 18 Aug 2006 Bird flu is “endemic” in parts of Asia and is spreading from country to country, the United Nation warned today.

Bird flu virus found in 2 wild Michigan swans –Type isn’t deadly, early tests show 15 Aug 2006 Two wild, mute swans that lived in the Pointe Mouillee State Game Area on the shores of Lake Erie in Monroe County had a non-threatening strain of the H5N1 bird flu virus, the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Interior said Monday.

Bush poised to play the bioterror card: White House: Type of Bird Flu Possibly in U.S. 14 Aug 2006 Scientists have discovered the possible presence of bird flu in wild mute swans in Michigan – but it does not appear to be the worrisome, highly pathogenic strain, the White House announced Monday.

Bird Flu confirmed in the Netherlands 13 Aug 2006 The Dutch government has confirmed its first H5N1 bird flu case in the country. The case was found in 2 dead young owls in a zoo in Rotterdam.

Bird Flu Monitoring Expands Nationally 09 Aug 2006 The government on Wednesday expanded its monitoring of wild migratory birds for a deadly bird flu virus to cover the entire nation and U.S. territories in the Pacific.

Cats infected with bird flu in Iraq -report 07 Aug 2006 Cats that died during an outbreak of bird flu in Iraq [!?!] last February were infected with the H5N1 virus, U.S. naval medical researchers reported. [Cui bono? See: Rumsfeld’s growing stake in Tamiflu 31 Oct 2005 Defense Secretary, ex-chairman of flu treatment rights holder, sees portfolio value growing.]

US begins building treaty-breaching germ war defence centre 31 Jul 2006 Construction work has begun near Washington on a vast germ warfare laboratory intended to help protect the US against an attack with biological weapon, but critics say the laboratory’s work will violate international law and its extreme secrecy will exacerbate a biological arms race. The centre will have to produce and stockpile the world’s most lethal bacteria and viruses, which is forbidden by the 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention.

U.S. biodefense lab raises concerns 30 Jul 2006 The Bush regime is building a massive biodefense laboratory in Maryland that will simulate [stimulate?] calamitous bioterrorism attacks, it was reported Sunday. But much of what the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center in Fort Detrick, Md., does may never be publicly known because the White House intends to operate the facility largely in secret, the Washington Post reported. In an unusual arrangement, the building itself will be classified as “highly restricted space,” the newspaper said. Not even nuclear labs operate with such secrecy.

The Secretive Fight Against [For] Bioterror –The government is building a highly classified facility to research biological weapons, but its closed-door approach has raised concerns. 30 Jul 2006 On the grounds of a military base an hour’s drive from the capital, the Bush regime is building a massive biodefense laboratory unlike any seen since biological weapons were banned 34 years ago.

Rumsfeld poised to make (another) *killing:* US firms are stocking up on bird flu drug 14 Jul 2006 More than 100 companies of all sizes have contacted Roche AG, the manufacturer of the influenza drug Tamiflu, about getting supplies for their employees in case of a [DoD-engendered] bird-flu pandemic, the company says. [See: Rumsfeld’s growing stake in Tamiflu 31 Oct 2005 Defense Secretary, ex-chairman of flu treatment rights holder, sees portfolio value growing… Rumsfeld served as Gilead’s chairman from 1997 until he joined the Bush administration in 2001, and he still holds a Gilead stake valued at between $5 million and $25 million, according to federal financial disclosures filed by Rumsfeld.]

U.K. Seeks 10 Million Vaccine Doses to Mitigate [Spread] Bird Flu Risk 12 Jul 2006 The U.K. is seeking 10 million extra doses of vaccine that may be used to immunize poultry against [with] bird flu after the lethal H5N1 strain of the virus was reported for the first time in Spain last week.

“The operative phrase is ‘not if but when.'” Red Cross: Prepare for bird flu [Yes, prepare to *resist* rather than be hauled off to a KBR detention center for forced, deadly vaccinations. See: KBR awarded $385M Homeland Security contract for U.S. detention centers 24 Jan 2006.] Organization advises to stock up on water, food; central Illinois could see virus as early as September [Right, just in time for ‘elections.’] 09 Jul 2006 Avian flu pandemic could hit central Illinois as early as September with migratory birds flying down the Illinois River waterway, and health officials are recommending households have two to three weeks of supplies in the event of widespread quarantines. [Count on it. Even Diebold can’t save the GOP in the 2006-2008 ‘elections.’ Bush is poised to play the bioterror card. –LRP]

Pick a Crisis – Any Crisis By Nancy Levant 07 Jul 2006 “The ‘pandemic’ is looming, so we are told day and night with TV, movies, wildlife and medical experts, etc., and we now have legislation passed to deal specifically with this pandemic. Strange how they know for a fact that it’s coming, and also have some sense of how many people are going to die, though they don’t know how (or if) ‘the virus’ will mutate. It’s strange how this pandemic coincides with the globalists’ desire for massive global depopulation by 2050.”

Spain Confirms Its First Case of Bird Flu 07 Jul 2006 Spain has recorded its first case of H5N1 bird flu, the Agriculture Ministry said Friday. The deadly strain was found in a water fowl in a marsh area outside the northern city of Vitoria.

Deadly bird flu strain found in Nigeria 02 Jul 2006 The most lethal strain of bird flu has been detected in the eastern Nigerian state of Taraba, bringing to 15 the number of states, out of a total of 36, to be affected by the virus, a state official said Saturday.

Bird flu most deadly in teens and young adults, eerie echo of 1918 pandemic 30 Jun 2006 The H5N1 avian flu virus has exacted an alarmingly high death toll among adolescents and young adults, – an eerie echo of the infamous Spanish flu, a new analysis of cumulative cases by the World Health Organization confirms. “The differences in the age-related case-fatality distribution among H5N1 cases are reminiscent of those observed during previous pandemics, particularly in 1918, where case-fatality rates were higher among young adults,” the review said. [That’s because Bush’s bioterrorists have been busy little bees, resurrecting the 1918 virus. See: Killer flu recreated in the lab 07 Oct 2004 UK Scientists have shown that tiny changes to modern flu viruses could render them as deadly as the 1918 strain which killed millions. A US team added two genes from a sample of the 1918 virus to a modern strain known to have no effect on mice. Animals exposed to this composite were dying within days of symptoms similar to those found in human victims of the 1918 pandemic. See: Reigniting Spanish flu 05 Oct 2005 The influenza strain that killed up to 50 million people in the 1918 pandemic has been recreated by scientists.]

WHO: Bird flu virus mutated 26 Jun 2006 WHO officials said the transmission of the bird flu virus between human beings has been confirmed in Indonesia.

Canada Probes Bird Flu-Infected Gosling for Lethal H5N1 Virus 17 Jun 2006 Canadian officials are investigating a gosling infected with bird flu on a farm on Prince Edward Island to determine whether it might represent the country’s first outbreak of the lethal H5N1 strain.

US officials test for bird flu in arctic Alaska 08 Jun 2006 In a coastal marsh near the frozen Arctic Ocean, a swab of eider dropping is one of 50,000 such field samples from wild birds that federal and local agencies aim to collect in America this year and test for the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu. Officials also want another 75,000 to 100,000 samples directly from live or dead birds.

Agribusiness fomenting bird flu pandemic: Bird-Flu Trail Leads Medical Detectives Back to Poultry Farms 30 May 2006 Officials looking to contain the avian influenza virus that may spark a human pandemic are downplaying the importance of migrating wild birds as the source of infections among domestic poultry. Farms and poultry traders are the more likely cause of the spread of the flu, which has killed 48 people so far this year, more than all of 2005… “The disease is spreading more through commercial husbandry and the humans that are moving poultry around,” said Juan Lubroth, head of infectious diseases at the animal-health service of the Rome-based United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

Indonesia announces epidemic law 29 May 2006 The Indonesian government Friday reactivated the 1984 epidemic law in its latest effort to fight against bird flu, which so far has killed 36 people. Under the law, those convicted of blocking government’s way to eradicating [sic] the disease are punishable by one-year jail term.

Community of Nations Discusses Military Homeland Defense Role (DoD) 26 May 2006 Twenty-nine nations of the trans-Atlantic community took a first step toward hammering out an understanding of when and how to use military forces to secure the homeland during a conference held here May 22-24… The event was organized by the Marshall Center in cooperation with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and the Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College. “We’ve looked at things like, what’s the role of the military in managing bird flu?” said conference moderator, Jack Clarke.

New England states may hold joint bird flu drills 26 May 2006 Health and emergency officials in New Hampshire and five other Northeast U.S. states may hold a region-wide bird flu pandemic emergency drill, New Hampshire officials said on Friday.

Bird flu team ‘too late’ for answers [Gee, what a surprise.] 26 May 2006 Delays in the investigation of the world’s largest outbreak of bird flu may prevent health officials from ever knowing if human-to-human transmission of the disease killed six members of the same family in Indonesia. A team of the world’s leading avian flu experts has arrived in the remote village of Kubu Sembelang in North Sumatra to investigate the deaths, which occurred during the past three weeks. However, the director of the World Health Organisation’s Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza in Melbourne, Ian Gust, said most of the evidence would already have been destroyed.

Bird flu kills seven family members 26 May 2006 Seven Indonesian family members who died of bird flu may have infected each other, the World Health Organisation said. Health experts were tracing anyone who had contact with them, but to date there was no sign of the virus spreading among villagers, the WHO said.

Plame investigation heating up, ergo: Hunt is on in Alaska for deadly bird flu virus 25 May 2006 From the recently thawed tidal flats that edge Anchorage to the tundra of western Alaska, the hunt for deadly avian influenza virus is on. Biologists and rural hunters have begun testing wild birds to search for signs of the H5N1 virus that has infected birds in Asia, Africa and Europe and caused more than 120 deaths on those continents. [And you can be sure, on the day the next *big political crisis* emerges for the Bush regime, bird flu ‘will have arrived’ on US shores. Only bioterror panic and/or bioterror can ‘save’ Bush now.]

Bird Flu Could Arrive In U.S. On Wings of a Swan, Expert Says [On the wings of a Plame-related indictment] 24 May 2006 A federal wildlife expert says swans winging along the Pacific flyway are the wild birds most likely to bring a deadly flu strain to the U.S.

Never use police, army, US pandemic expert says 23 May 2006 Dr. D.A. Henderson, who helped wipe out smallpox around the world, has advice for governments fighting bird flu — don’t use the military or police to enforce public health. Henderson is critical of parts of the U.S. national pandemic plan that call for the use of quarantine and other imposed types of enforcement [such as KBR’s detention centres] should influenza or any other infectious disease bring on a pandemic.

Bird Flu Case May Be First Double Jump 24 May 2006 Reacting to the death on Monday of an Indonesian man, the World Health Organization said yesterday that the case appeared to be the first example of the avian flu jumping from human to human to human.

Homeland Security Medical Officer: States Unprepared for Bird Flu 19 May 2006 Bird flu will hit the United States _ it’s only a matter of time _ and not all states are ready to respond to the deadly virus, the Homeland Security Department’s top doctor warns. Dr. Jeffrey Runge, homeland security’s chief medical officer, said “it’s not a matter of if, but when” bird flu enters the country. [How does he know?]

EU countries urged to appoint bird flu “czars” 16 May 2006 EU governments should each appoint a “bird flu czar” to make sure they could cope with a flu pandemic and put preparations on a par with countries like the United States, a top EU official said on Tuesday.

From the same people who brought you the Hurricane Katrina aftermath: How the Bush-Mengele bunch plans to solve the problem of having raided the Social Security Trust Fund to continue to give the top 1% tax cuts: Flu Vaccine Priorities Test Pandemic Planning 12 May 2006 In the event of a global flu pandemic, federal officials have said they intend to give vaccine first to health-care workers, followed by the oldest, sickest patients, a policy aimed at saving the most lives. But one of the government’s top medical ethicists [Nazi] is challenging that approach, arguing it is more appropriate to give young adults priority because they are at higher risk of dying in a flu pandemic and still have many productive years left [?!?]. …Some panel members believe that… “If you save a 65-year-old, you may have only saved 15 years of quality life.”

Two-week U.S. Northern Command exercises for pandemic flu outbreak (DoD) 10 May 2006 More than 5,000 U.S. and Canadian servicemembers are working with authorities in five U.S. states and two Canadian provinces to test their response capabilities to crises ranging from a major hurricane to a terrorist attack to a pandemic flu outbreak. Ardent Sentry 2006, a two-week U.S. Northern Command exercise, kicked off May 8 to test military support to federal, provincial, state and local authorities while continuing to support the Defense Department’s homeland defense mission, according to Air Force Lt. Col. Eric Butterbaugh, a NORTHCOM and North American Aerospace Defense Command spokesman. [Why is *NORTHCOM* involved with bird flu, a ‘medical’ issue? See: Research teams have reconstructed deadly 1918 flu virus 06 May 2006 Trekking into the permafrost region of Alaska to unearth the remains of an Inuit Indian woman who died of the so-called Spanish flu, researchers in 1997 gathered tissue to retrieve fragments of the killer virus. The sample was compared with those preserved by the U.S. military from World War I soldiers who died of the infection. Such protein snippets provided enough biological information for scientists to genetically engineer the pathogen in the lab, resurrecting a killer that mysteriously rose in September 1918.]

Research teams have reconstructed deadly 1918 flu virus [Why?!?] 06 May 2006 Trekking into the permafrost region of Alaska to unearth the remains of an Inuit Indian woman who died of the so-called Spanish flu, researchers in 1997 gathered tissue to retrieve fragments of the killer virus. The sample was compared with those preserved by the U.S. military from World War I soldiers who died of the infection. Such protein snippets provided enough biological information for scientists to genetically engineer the pathogen in the lab, resurrecting a killer that mysteriously rose in September 1918… Dr. Christopher Basler, assistant professor of microbiology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in Manhattan, and colleagues, used the samples’ blueprint to begin re-creating the pathogen that infected one in four in the United States and killed about 550,000 nationwide. Dr. Jeffrey Taubenberger, chief of molecular pathology at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in suburban Washington, began the quest for the 1918 killer. [See: Rumsfeld’s growing stake in Tamiflu 31 Oct 2005 Defense Secretary, ex-chairman of flu treatment rights holder, sees portfolio value growing. Rumsfeld served as Gilead’s chairman from 1997 until he joined the Bush administration in 2001, and he still holds a Gilead stake valued at between $5 million and $25 million, according to federal financial disclosures filed by Rumsfeld. See: Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield law –E-mails reveal private meetings 08 May 2006 Vaccine industry officials helped shape legislation behind the scenes that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist secretly amended into a bill to shield them from lawsuits, according to e-mails obtained by a public advocacy group.]

Vaccine makers helped write Frist-backed shield law –E-mails reveal private meetings 08 May 2006 Vaccine industry officials helped shape legislation behind the scenes that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist secretly amended into a bill to shield them from lawsuits, according to e-mails obtained by a public advocacy group. E-mails and documents written by a trade group for the vaccine-makers show the organization met privately with Frist’s staff and the White House about measures that would give the industry protection from lawsuits filed by people hurt [or killed] by the vaccines. Public Citizen’s study follows a February story in The Tennessean that Frist, along with House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., ordered the vaccine liability language inserted in a defense spending bill in December without debate and in violation of usual Senate practice.

U.S. European, Northern, and Pacific Commands sponsored pandemic response exercises: DoD 03 May 2006 If a flu pandemic hit the United States, the Defense Department’s top priority would be to protect the military’s operational readiness so it can play a supporting role to the Homeland Security and State departments, as outlined in a national response plan released today by the White House… Military forces might be asked to provide security as pharmaceuticals are transported and distributed. National Guard troops would likely help keep the peace. U.S. European Command, U.S. Northern Command and U.S. Pacific Command have already sponsored pandemic influence response exercises, Air Force Col. Richard Chavez said.

U.S. outlines $7.1 billion flu pandemic plan –‘Road map’ outlines which government agency is responsible for more than 300 tasks [?!?] in pandemic flu 03 May 2006 The United States government plans to stockpile vaccines, limit international and domestic flights, quarantine those who become ill and bring in the military to maintain order if a flu pandemic strikes the country. The $7.1 billion plan, released Wednesday, lists more than 300 recommendations including: “Infected people should voluntarily quarantine themselves, and quarantine would be mandatory in the most extreme cases”

National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza: Implementation Plan (whitehouse.gov) Statement by George W. Bush 03 May 2006

Implementation Plan for the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza –Report by the Homeland Security Council May 2006 (.pdf)

MSNBC poll: Government’s Bird Flu Response: Does it make you feel safe? 5699 responses Yes 9.9%; No 90% [Poll snapshot: 14:34 DST 03 May 2006]

In U.S. Pandemic Draft, Federal Troops, National Guard to Maintain Order –Military activated to enforce travel restrictions and deliver [!?!] vaccines and medicines 02 May 2006 According to a 228-page draft of the government’s pandemic flu plan obtained by The Associated Press, an outbreak could lead to a variety of restrictions on movement in and around the country, including limiting the number of international flights and quarantining exposed travelers… The report envisions possible breakdowns in public order and says governors might deploy National Guard troops or request federal troops to maintain order. The military also could be activated to enforce travel restrictions and deliver vaccines and medicines, the report says. [See: The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878.]

Rapid Containment Key to Preventing Bird Flu Pandemic 02 May 2006 The WHO regional director for the Western Pacific, Shigeru Omi, says once there are signs the H5N1 bird-flu virus is spreading among people, there will only be two or three weeks to prevent or at least slow down [foment] a global pandemic. Omi says those measure include giving large numbers of people anti-viral drugs, restricting travel, quarantining infected areas and closing schools.

Flight curbs ‘won’t halt bird flu’ 02 May 2006 British experts say closing international airports will do little to halt a bird flu outbreak. Their prediction follows another computer simulation that shows the folly of travel restrictions in the face of a pandemic.

Egypt finds 13th case of human bird flu 02 May 2006 A 27-year-old Egyptian woman is being treated in hospital for bird flu, the country’s 13th human infection with the feared virus, a spokesman from the health ministry said on Tuesday.

Mild form of avian flu found in New Jersey 01 May 2006 Authorities have discovered a mild form of avian influenza at a live bird market in New Jersey, but it is not the deadly H5N1 strain governments around the world are trying to contain, the state’s agriculture department said.

Internet shut-down in two to four days during flu pandemic: Booz Allen Telephone and Internet services could be overwhelmed and shut down in the early stages of a bird flu pandemic, according to a report released on Thursday. Businesses need to think of other ways to keep going as governments close schools and direct people to stay home, management consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton reported… “Telecommunications (phone and Internet) will likely be overwhelmed early in a pandemic, with experts predicting shut-downs in two to four days, meaning that telecommuting will not be viable and alternative communications need to be explored,” the report read. “Governments will likely direct the general population to stay in their homes, and minimize social contact,” it added. [‘Overwhelmed?’ No. The Bush dictatorship is going to *shut it down.*]

Bird flu one of many pandemic threats 27 Apr 2006 Birds are not the only source of viruses that could become the next flu pandemic, say two Australian virus experts, who argue the 1918 Spanish flu virus came from mammals, not birds, as recently suggested… In October 2005, a team led by Dr Jeffrey Taubenberger of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in the US, reported in Nature that the Spanish flu virus, which killed millions around the world in 1918-1919, was a bird virus that leapt the species barrier into humans.

35,000 birds to be culled in new avian flu outbreak 27 Apr 2006 Government officials last night ordered the immediate slaughter of 35,000 chickens on a poultry farm in Norfolk – the centre of Britain’s poultry industry – after dead birds were found to be infected with an avian flu virus.

“What they’re proposing is nonsensical.” CDC proposal to detain, quarantine passengers opposed 24 Apr 2006 Health experts, airlines and civil libertarians are demanding that the government reconsider proposed quarantine rules that would battle an avian flu pandemic by detaining sick airline and ship passengers. The rules would require airlines and cruise ship operators to collect personal information from all passengers and report sick ones to the government. Critics say the plan is difficult, costly and in violation of passengers’ rights. Barry Steinhardt of the American Civil Liberties Union says the CDC should drop the proposal. He says it would give the government a “free pass” to detain people. “We couldn’t do this to a criminal,” he says.

Why is Booz Allen Hamilton sending a speaker to a Bird Flu Summit? New-Fields 2nd Bird Flu Summit Washington, DC, June 28-29, 2006. By Lori Price “The purpose of the summit is to prepare the US and the world to fight [profit from] this potentially infectious disease.” Confirmed speakers: Douglas E. Himberger, vice president and member of the board of directors at Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., USA; Michael S. Cochran, Engelhard Company, USA. [Source: e-mail obtained by Citizens For Legitimate Government, 24 Apr 2006. See also: New Fields to Assist Companies in Networking for Iraq Opportunities Washington, DC, June 08, 2005. See: Wargaming and Strategic Simulation “Recognized worldwide as a leader in wargaming and strategic competitive simulations, Booz Allen Hamilton has created and facilitated wargames for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, military services, and numerous other government organizations.”]

Groups question US plan to detain, quarantine sick travelers 21 Apr 2006 Infectious disease experts and the American Civil Liberties Union raised concerns on Friday about an agreement that would allow U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and customs agents to detain anyone who looked sick with bird flu. “CDC is authorized to isolate and/or quarantine arriving persons reasonably believed to be infected with or exposed to specified quarantinable diseases and to detain carriers and cargo infected with a communicable disease,” it reads. It also provides for Customs or Border Patrol agents to forcibly detain, if necessary, anyone coming in who appears to be sick while the CDC is contacted. [See: KBR awarded $385M Homeland Security contract for U.S. detention centers 24 Jan 2006 [See: KBR Awarded U.S. Department of Homeland Security Contingency Support for Emergency Support Services 24 Jan 2006 (halliburton.com) “The contract, which is effective immediately, provides for establishing temporary detention and processing capabilities to augment existing ICE Detention and Removal Operations (DRO) Program facilities… to support the rapid development of new programs.”]

WHO confirms 12 human cases of bird flu in Egypt 21 Apr 2006 The World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed on Friday that there have been 12 human cases of bird flu in Egypt, four of them fatal.

Bush expected to approve dramatic pandemic flu response plan 17 Apr 2006 U.S. President [sic] George W. Bush is expected to approve within days a national pandemic influenza response plan under which the government would expand the Internet and possibly permit foreign countries to print U.S. currency during a flu pandemic. [Not to mention, National Guard troops could be dispatched to cities facing possible “insurrection.” See: U.S. Plan For Flu Pandemic Revealed 16 Apr 2006]

I knew the Bush regime would drop a bombshell on Easter Sunday, when everyone is busy hunting for Easter eggs! Buried in this PentaPost article is this nugget from Homeland Suckyourity’s chief medical officer: National Guard troops could be dispatched to cities facing possible “insurrection.” U.S. Plan For Flu Pandemic Revealed –Multi-Agency Proposal Awaits Bush’s Approval 16 Apr 2006 Dictator Bush is expected to approve soon a national pandemic influenza response plan that identifies more than 300 specific tasks for federal agencies… the Bush administration would tap into its secure stash of medications [?!?], cancel large gatherings… National Guard troops could be dispatched to cities facing possible “insurrection,” said Jeffrey W. Runge, chief medical officer at the Department of Homeland Security. [See: The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878.]

Swan with bird flu came from outside UK 12 Apr 2006 A dead swan which tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu came from outside the UK, government scientists have confirmed.

Schools will shut in 100,000 flu death fear 09 Apr 2006 Ministers are drawing up plans for widespread closure of schools to halve a potential 100,000 deaths among children in the event of an avian-flu pandemic. Sir Liam Donaldson, the chief medical officer, has advised the government that 50,000 deaths could be prevented by such a shutdown.

Myanmar fighting over 100 bird flu outbreaks – UN 10 Apr 2006 Bird flu is spreading fast in secretive, military-ruled Myanmar, which is now battling more than 100 outbreaks in poultry since the virus was first reported a month ago, U.N. agriculture officials said on Monday.

Revealed: the secret No 10 plan to tackle bird flu food shortages –Confidential papers seen by the Sunday Telegraph 09 Apr 2006 Emergency plans to tackle widespread food shortages in the event of a bird flu pandemic are being drawn up by ministers, according to secret Cabinet documents… The Government papers, which have been discussed by the “Cabinet Committee on Influenza Pandemic Planning”, include a blueprint for “managing the response” to a pandemic. Whitehall would go into what officials call a full-scale “battle rhythm” with Tony Blair lined up to take personal charge at an as yet unspecified stage… A Government paper revealed last week suggested that families might have to wait up to four weeks to bury their dead.

Bird flu testing keeps labs open 08 Apr 2006 All eight of Scotland’s laboratories testing for bird flu are to open over the weekend to help meet the rise in referrals of dead birds.

Simulation tests readiness for bird flu 06 Apr 2006 Officials are putting their bird flu plans to the test this week during a real-time simulation [Exercise Hawthorn] of an outbreak of the disease in Britain. Run by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the exercise involves foreign governments as well as the MoD, police, farmers, veterinarians and sports organisations.

Scottish swan killed by H5 strain of avian flu 06 Apr 2006 A three kilometre exclusion zone was thrown round an area of central Scotland last night after tests confirmed a dead swan discovered in Fife was carrying a highly pathogenic strain of bird flu.

Dead swan sparks UK bird flu alert –Emergency committee meets today after Scottish farms quarantined 06 Apr 2006 Scientists and vets were conducting urgent tests last night on a dead swan infected with bird flu that was discovered in Scotland. The Scottish Executive confirmed that the bird, found in a village in Fife yesterday afternoon, was carrying the “highly pathogenic H5 avian flu” virus.

Egypt Reports 9th Human Case of Bird Flu 05 Apr 2006 An Egyptian toddler has been infected with the virulent strain of bird flu, bringing the number of human cases in the country to nine, the Health Ministry said Wednesday.

Israel suspects journalists of spreading bird flu 31 Mar 2006 Israel suspects journalists, particularly press photographers, of being behind the spread of deadly bird flu in the Jewish state, an agriculture ministry official told Agence France-Presse.

Bird flu: the secret Cabinet document –Army could be “too stretched to help” due to international commitments –More than 700,000 could die in worst-case bird flu scenario –The figures were disclosed in a Cabinet Office briefing paper 03 Apr 2006 The death toll from a bird flu pandemic in Britain could be more than 700,000, according to a confidential government report seen by The Scotsman. The figure – far higher than previously stated – is contained in a Cabinet Office briefing paper prepared for emergency planning officials, which warns that the virus could strike the country in multiple “waves”. It also says the armed forces may not be available to help in an emergency because of Britain’s extensive international military deployments.

Secret UK report: Human bird flu victims face end in ‘plague pits’ 02 Apr 2006 Families may have to wait for four months to bury their dead in the event of an avian flu pandemic, stirring up folk memories of the burial pits of the great plague of 1665, writes David Cracknell. A confidential Home Office report says as many as 320,000 people could die from the H5N1 strain of the virus if it mutates into a form that can readily be passed between humans. [See: U.S. to create a bird flu virus mutation 24 Mar 2005 The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has begun a series of experiments to see how likely the bird flu virus could result in a human pandemic.]

Gene From 1918 Virus Proves Key to Virulent Influenza (University of Wisconsin Press Release) 06 Oct 2004 “Using a gene resurrected from the virus that caused the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic, recorded history’s most lethal outbreak of infectious disease, scientists have found that a single gene may have been responsible for the devastating virulence of the virus. Writing Oct. 7 in the journal Nature, virologist Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Tokyo, describes experiments in which engineered viruses were made more potent by the addition of a single gene.

Bush Authorizes Use of Quarantine Powers in Cases of Bird Flu 02 Apr 2005 President [sic] Bush signed an executive order on Friday authorizing the government to impose a quarantine to deal with any outbreak of avian influenza now found in Southeast Asia.

Jordan reports first human case of bird flu in Egyptian laborer 31 Mar 2006 Jordan reported its first human case of bird flu on Friday in an Egyptian laborer who was believed to have become infected while on a holiday in his hometown in Egypt, health officials said.

Cairo confirms two more human bird flu cases 03 Apr 2006 Two cases of bird flu have been confirmed in northern Egypt, raising the total number of Egyptian human cases to eight, Health Minister Hatem al-Gabali announced on Sunday.

Bird flu expected on U.S. West Coast by summer 01 Apr 2006 California officials expect bird flu to arrive on the U.S. West Coast this summer in what could be the first sign in the United States of the deadly virus, which has already swept from Asia across Europe and down to Africa. “The H5N1 virus in birds is expected in the next couple of months in the United States,” California Health and Human Services Secretary Kim Belshe told reporters on Thursday at a state bird flu pandemic preparedness meeting. [See: U.S. to create a bird flu virus mutation 24 Mar 2005 The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has begun a series of experiments to see how likely the bird flu virus could result in a human pandemic. See: KBR awarded $385M Homeland Security contract for U.S. detention centers 24 Jan 2006 KBR, the engineering and construction subsidiary of Halliburton Co., said Tuesday it has been awarded a contingency contract from the Department of Homeland Security to support its Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities in the event of an emergency [Gee, what ’emergency’ could that be?] See: Rumsfeld’s growing stake in Tamiflu 31 Oct 2005]

Bird-Flu Pandemic Would Likely Start in California [How do they *know?*] 30 Mar 2006 If a bird-flu pandemic does hit the United States, it may well start in California and spread across the country in just two to four weeks. That’s the scenario drawn from results of a computer model created by researchers at the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s Fogarty International Center.

Flu ‘Oddities’ Breaking News Archives

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FLU ‘ODDITIES’ HOT ARTICLES

Warning over ‘unique’ spread of avian flu 22 Oct 2005 The avian flu – recently arrived in the UK – which is causing chaos around the world is “unique” because of the simultaneous way in which it is spreading, a veterinary expert has warned. [LOL, ‘unique.’ Looks like the Bush bioterror team is a busy little bee, poised to start the mandatory vaccines with no legal liablity for the pharma-terrorists.]

Russian MP Calls Bird Flu “American Provocation” 21 Oct 2005 A deputy of the ultranationalist Liberal Democratic faction of the Russian State Duma, Aleksei Mitrofanov, has said in a parliamentary speech that bird flu was invented by Americans who wanted to dominate the world’s poultry markets.

Congress Set to Pass Law Eliminating Liability For Vaccine Injuries 19 Oct 2005 The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) is calling the “Biodefense and Pandemic Vaccine and Drug Development Act of 2005” (S. 1873), which passed out of the U.S. Senate HELP Committee one day after it was introduced “a drug company stockholder’s dream and a consumer’s worst nightmare.” …The bill establishes the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Agency (BARDA), as the single point of authority within the government for the advanced research and development of drugs and vaccines in response to bioterrorism and natural disease outbreaks such as the flu. BARDA will operate in secret, exempt from the Freedom of Information Act and the Federal Advisory Committee Act, insuring that no evidence of injuries or deaths caused by drugs and vaccines labeled as “countermeasures” will become public.

Rare Germ Found in D.C. on Sept. 24, 25 (DC Protest Days) Tularemia Is Highly Infectious; Can Cause Pneumonia and Systemic Infection 30 Sep 2005 A relatively rare biological agent has been detected in air filters serving Washington D.C. in recent weeks, ABC News has learned — but current evidence does not show any indication whatsoever of terrorism [?!?]. The federal government found six air filters around the nation’s capital checked on Sept. 24 and 25 contained “trace amounts” of tularemia, a type of bacteria. No additional traces have been detected since Sept. 24 and 25. [Gee, how blatant can they get? We need to start fighting back. Tolerating their terrorism is becoming the greater crime. –Lori Price.]

UK flu pandemic contingency plan (pdf) March 2005

Bush Authorizes Use of Quarantine Powers in Cases of Bird Flu 02 Apr 2005 President [sic] Bush signed an executive order on Friday authorizing the government to impose a quarantine to deal with any outbreak of avian influenza now found in Southeast Asia.

Bush Order Allows Isolation of Those with Bird Flu 01 Apr 2005 Dictator Bush issued a directive on Friday allowing authorities to detain or isolate any passenger suspected of having avian flu when arriving in the United States aboard an international flight. The Bush order added pandemic influenza to the list of diseases for which quarantine is authorized. Under the directive, the Health and Human Services Department is given legal authority to detain or isolate any passenger suspected of having the avian flu.

U.S. to create a bird flu virus mutation 24 Mar 2005 The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has begun a series of experiments to see how likely the bird flu virus could result in a human pandemic. The six-month series of experiments seeks to simulate the mixing and matching of genes from the H5N1 avian flu virus that has plagued Asia and a common human flu virus that public-health experts fear could turn avian flu into a pandemic, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. CDC scientists inside an ultra-secure laboratory [?!?] have started swapping the genes of the H5N1 avian virus with the genes of an H3N2 virus, the strain behind most recent human flu outbreaks.

Gene From 1918 Virus Proves Key to Virulent Influenza (University of Wisconsin Press Release) 06 Oct 2004 “Using a gene resurrected from the virus that caused the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic, recorded history’s most lethal outbreak of infectious disease, scientists have found that a single gene may have been responsible for the devastating virulence of the virus. Writing Oct. 7 in the journal Nature, virologist Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Tokyo, describes experiments in which engineered viruses were made more potent by the addition of a single gene. The work is evidence that a slight genetic tweak is all that is required to transform mild strains of the flu virus into forms far more pathogenic and, possibly, more transmissible… Using a comparatively mild form of influenza A virus as a template, Kawaoka’s team added the two 1918 genes that code for hemagglutinin and neuraminidase and infected mice with the engineered viruses.”

Kofi Annan expresses hope of “containing the spread of new infectious diseases, whether natural or man-made” –Transcript of Press Conference by Secretary-General Kofi Annan At United Nations Headquarters, 21 Mar 2005 “…[I]f governments take the decisions that I am suggesting in this report, I believe we will have a much better chance of turning the tide against HIV/AIDS and malaria in the next 10 years; a much better chance of containing the spread of new infectious diseases, whether natural or man-made; … — through a strengthened Security Council and a new and authoritative human rights council, both working closely with regional organizations — to put a stop to major crimes against innocent people, such as those we are witnessing in Darfur.”

Birdflu pandemic may mean some stay home to die 11 Mar 2005 New Zealand medical authorities may tell some people likely to die from a birdflu pandemic to stay home and not clog up hospitals. Research published today in the latest New Zealand Medical Journal predicts up to 3700 deaths in New Zealand from a first wave of pandemic influenza and up to a million people infected. “It is likely that some difficult decisions will be required in limiting hospital care to those where it would most likely affect final health outcomes,” the researchers said.

Military intelligence warns that avian flu could be used as weapon: report 08 Mar 2005 The military’s intelligence arm has warned the federal government that avian influenza could be used as a weapon of bioterrorism, a heavily censored report suggests. It also reveals that military planners believe a naturally occurring flu pandemic may be imminent. The report, entitled Recent Human Outbreaks of Avian Influenza and Potential Biological Warfare Implications, was obtained under the Access to Information Act by The Canadian Press. It was prepared by the J2 Directorate of Strategic Intelligence, a secretive branch of National Defence charged with producing intelligence for the government.

Coroner Wants to Shrink-Wrap Bodies –Coroner Wants to Shrink-Wrap Bodies in the Case of a Natural Disaster or Terrorist Attack 19 Feb 2005 In the case of a natural disaster or terrorist attack, some emergency officials in Western Washington plan to be prepared with a large, shrink wrap machine. The Thurston County Coroner’s Office recently won approval to purchase a machine able to shrink-wrap human remains. The process would make it easier to transport a large number of bodies. The coroner’s office has already started a bidding process to find a company to build the machine. A Homeland Security grant will pay for the machine, which will cost an estimated $50,000.

Killer flu recreated in the lab 07 Oct 2004 UK Scientists have shown that tiny changes to modern flu viruses could render them as deadly as the 1918 strain which killed millions. A US team added two genes from a sample of the 1918 virus to a modern strain known to have no effect on mice. Animals exposed to this composite were dying within days of symptoms similar to those found in human victims of the 1918 pandemic.

1918 killer flu secrets revealed 05 Feb 2004 Scientists have worked out how the virus which caused the world’s worst flu epidemic infected man. They believe the virus, which claimed the lives of up to 50m people around the world, jumped from birds to humans. The breakthrough, published in Science, should help doctors identify which future bird viruses pose a threat to man at an earlier stage.

Flu victim exhumed after 85 years 30 Jan 2004 Scientists are preparing to exhume the body of a woman who died of flu 85 years ago to find out how the virus killed millions across Europe. Phyllis Burn died aged 20 in 1918, a victim of the 20th Century’s worst flu epidemic, which killed more than 50 million people. She was buried in a lead coffin, thought to be virtually airtight, in Twickenham, south-west London. Scientists wearing protective clothing will remove lung samples from the body.

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Bird Flu Defies Control Efforts 27 Mar 2006 The spread of avian influenza to at least 29 new countries in the last seven weeks — one of the biggest outbreaks of the virus since it emerged nine years ago — is prompting a sobering reassessment of the strategy that has guided efforts to contain the disease.

Bear Stearns warns against airline stocks due to ‘imminent’ bird flu 21 Mar 2006 Investment bank Bear Stearns has advised investors to start dumping airline and retail stocks in favour of blue-chip utilities as a hedge against bird flu, warning that a full human pandemic of the H5N1 virus could set off the worst global stock market crash since the 1930s.

Bird flu virus ‘now in two forms’ 21 Mar 2006 The H5N1 virus responsible for the current virulent strain of bird flu has evolved into two genetically distinct strains, US scientists have confirmed. [See: Killer flu recreated in the lab 07 Oct 2004 UK Scientists have shown that tiny changes to modern flu viruses could render them as deadly as the 1918 strain which killed millions. A US team added two genes from a sample of the 1918 virus to a modern strain known to have no effect on mice. Animals exposed to this composite were dying within days of symptoms similar to those found in human victims of the 1918 pandemic.]

Bird flu mutation ‘adds to threat of human pandemic’ 21 Mar 2006 The virus that causes bird flu has split into two distinct genetic subgroups, widening the gene pool from which a form that could trigger a human pandemic might evolve. [Military intelligence warns that avian flu could be used as weapon: report 08 Mar 2005 The military’s intelligence arm has warned the federal government that avian influenza could be used as a weapon of bioterrorism, a heavily censored report suggests. It also reveals that military planners believe a naturally occurring flu pandemic may be imminent. The report, entitled Recent Human Outbreaks of Avian Influenza and Potential Biological Warfare Implications, was obtained under the Access to Information Act by The Canadian Press. It was prepared by the J2 Directorate of Strategic Intelligence, a secretive branch of National Defence charged with producing intelligence for the government. Note: this article has been pulled.]

OIE says some China bird flu vaccines ineffective 21 Mar 2006 China may be using some substandard poultry vaccines to fight bird flu that could allow birds to keep spreading the virus despite not showing symptoms, a top animal health expert said on Tuesday. [The deadly vaccines (The Bush regime has removed all liability for the pharma-terrorists) are Bush’s ticket to get the dissenters into FEMA camps and KBR detention centres.]

Allowing the Drug Companies to Poison Our Children By Lewis Seiler & Dan Hamburg “Top Republican so-called leaders—Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) and House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL)—recently sold the future of our children to Big Pharma for a paltry $4 bucks a pop. That’s the additional cost to produce a safe vaccine, a vaccine minus the mercury-based preservative thimerosal… At the end of last year, President [sic] Bush signed the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREPA), granting blanket immunity to pharmaceutical companies for vaccine-induced injuries. The measure is a carte blanche for industry, allowing it even to reintroduce mercury in vaccines that are currently clean, and under the behest of the World Health Organization, to continue shipping tainted vaccine to the ‘developing world.'”

Here come the quarantines: Schools urged to prepare for bird flu –How will students be taught if classes are shut down during pandemic? 22 Mar 2006 Who coordinates decisions on closing schools or quarantining kids? [Halliburton!] If classes shut down for weeks, how will a district keep kids from falling behind? Who will keep the payroll running, or ease the fear of parents [They need to fear Bush’s Waffen-SS, who will come to haul Leftists away], or provide food to children who count on school meals? [Halliburton to the rescue! You can be sure, Cheney Halliburton is coordinating the quarantines, FEMA camps and KBR detention centres, even as we speak.]

Bird flu virus confirmed in central Stockholm 21 Mar 2006 Two wild swans found in central Stockholm last week died of the highly pathogenic strain of H5 bird flu.

Bird flu kills five in Azerbaijan 22 Mar 2006 The bird flu deaths of five people in Azerbaijan have pushed the world total human deaths from H5N1 past 100, the World Health Organization said yesterday.

Genetic differences of H5N1 strains viewed 20 Mar 2006 Analyses of H5N1 Southeast Asian bird flu samples shows the two strains causing human disease are related and belong to two distinct genetic subgroups. “As the virus continues its geographic expansion, it is also undergoing genetic diversity expansion,” said Rebecca Garten, a researcher on the study. “Back in 2003 we only had one genetically distinct population of H5N1 with the potential to cause a human pandemic. Now we have two.” [See: U.S. to create a bird flu virus mutation 24 Mar 2005 The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has begun a series of experiments to see how likely the bird flu virus could result in a human pandemic. The six-month series of experiments seeks to simulate the mixing and matching of genes from the H5N1 avian flu virus that has plagued Asia and a common human flu virus that public-health experts fear could turn avian flu into a pandemic, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. CDC scientists inside an ultra-secure laboratory [?!?] have started swapping the genes of the H5N1 avian virus with the genes of an H3N2 virus, the strain behind most recent human flu outbreaks.]

Bird flu likely in US this year: gov’t 20 Mar 2006 Bush regime officials said on Monday it was “increasingly likely” that bird flu would be detected in the United States as early as this year but added it would not mean the start of a human pandemic. [See: Rumsfeld’s growing stake in Tamiflu 31 Oct 2005]

Bird flu spreads to two more Israel communities 20 Mar 2006 On Monday morning veterinarians from the Agriculture Ministry reported that bird flu had in all likelihood spread to two more Israeli communities in the western Negev.

Second Human Bird Flu Case Found in Egypt 19 Mar 2006 Egypt reported its second human case of avian flu Sunday, and Israel continued its slaughter of hundreds of thousands of birds while waiting to learn if the disease had spread to poultry.

Bird flu plan ‘may spread virus’ –British measures to deal with an outbreak have been attacked as likely to promote wider infection 18 Mar 2006 Farmers will be free to move birds out of areas hit by avian flu, with permission from a vet, under British plans to deal with an outbreak of the disease.

Russia says bird flu may hit US in autumn, mutate 16 Mar 2006 The deadly bird flu virus, which has hit Asia, Europe and Africa, may spread to the United States late this year and risks mutating dangerously there, Russia’s top animal and plant health inspector said on Thursday. [Just in time for pre-‘election’ quarantines, FEMA camps and KBR detention centres!]

Five more nations confirm bird flu outbreak 18 Mar 2006 Four Asian nations and Denmark have confirmed the presence of the deadly H5N1 strain of avian flu.

Israel confirms first bird flu cases in poultry 16 Mar 2006 Israel said that initial tests showed bird flu had killed hundreds of poultry at a southern farm in the country’s first outbreak.

Russian leader sees U.S. behind bird flu outbreak 14 Mar 2006 Russian Communist party leader Gennady Zyuganov has blamed the United States for the spread of avian influenza, or bird flu, in a number of European countries, including Russia. “The forms of warfare are changing. It’s strange that not a single duck has yet died in America – they are all dying in Russia and European countries. This makes one seriously wonder why,” Zyuganov said at a press conference at the Interfax main office on Tuesday. [See: U.S. to create a bird flu virus mutation 24 Mar 2005 The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has begun a series of experiments to see how likely the bird flu virus could result in a human pandemic. The six-month series of experiments seeks to simulate the mixing and matching of genes from the H5N1 avian flu virus that has plagued Asia and a common human flu virus that public-health experts fear could turn avian flu into a pandemic, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. CDC scientists inside an ultra-secure laboratory [?!?] have started swapping the genes of the H5N1 avian virus with the genes of an H3N2 virus, the strain behind most recent human flu outbreaks.]

Bird Flu Hits Sweden; Afghans Suspect It 15 Mar 2006 Sweden recorded its first case of the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain on Wednesday, saying European laboratory tests confirm two wild birds found dead in the southeast were infected with the virus. Afghan authorities, meanwhile, said preliminary test results from a U.N. lab left them “99 percent certain” that the country’s first bird flu outbreak was the deadly H5N1 strain.

Denmark detects first case of H5 bird flu 15 Mar 2006 Denmark has detected its first case of highly pathogenic H5 bird flu in a wild bird, the Danish family and consumer affairs ministry announced today.

Switzerland confirms bird flu in wild ducks 15 Mar 2006 Swiss authorities said on Tuesday that they had discovered two new cases of the broad H5 bird flu virus family in wild ducks.

U.S. bird flu pandemic (“final”) solution – in addition to FEMA camps and KBR’S detention centres: Store canned tuna and powdered milk under your bed. 13 Mar 2006 In a remarkable speech over the weekend, Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt recommended that Americans start storing canned tuna and powdered milk under their beds as the prospect of a deadly bird flu outbreak approaches the United States.

Bird flu outbreak in U.S. could usher in 12-hour workdays 13 Mar 2006 Employers are planning for a few possible back-up scenarios… Well employees might also be required to work longer shifts. Instead of a typical eight-hour shift, demands due to shortages in manpower would mean an extension to 10- or 12-hour shifts.

Bird flu spreads to Myanmar, likely in Afghanistan 13 Mar 2006 Myanmar has reported what is believed to be the secretive country’s first case of bird flu, while Afghanistan was checking on Monday to see if it is the latest country to be infected by the deadly disease.

Bird flu spreads to Cameroon, possibly Myanmar 12 Mar 2006 Cameroon became the fourth African country to report an outbreak of H5N1 bird flu on Sunday, and authorities in Myanmar tested scores of dead birds for the virus.

Donald Rumsfeld makes $5m killing on bird flu drug 12 Mar 2006 Donald Rumsfeld has made a killing out of bird flu. The US Defence Secretary has made more than $5m (£2.9m) in capital gains from selling shares in the biotechnology firm that discovered and developed Tamiflu, the drug being bought in massive amounts by Governments to treat [sic] a possible human pandemic of the disease.

Tamiflu found ineffective in bird flu treatment 21 Dec 2005 The drug most of the world is counting on to prevent an avian flu pandemic may not be a failsafe defence, according to a New England Journal of Medicine report. The authors say they have found evidence the H5N1 virus can mutate into a form unaffected by Tamiflu — rendering the world’s ever-growing stockpiles of the drug ineffective if the mutated strain were to spread.

Doctor says bird flu drug is ‘useless’ 04 Dec 2005 A Vietnamese doctor who has treated dozens of victims of avian flu claims the drug being stockpiled around the world to combat a pandemic is “useless” against the virus. “Tamiflu is really only meant for treating ordinary type A flu. It was not designed to combat H5N1 . . . (Tamiflu) is useless,” Dr Nguyen Tuong Van, who runs the intensive care unit at the Centre for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi, said.

Chertoff: Bird flu possible in U.S. within months 11 Mar 2006 Migratory birds could carry the avian flu virus to U.S. shores in the next few months, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff warned Thursday. See: U.S. to create a bird flu virus mutation 24 Mar 2005 The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has begun a series of experiments to see how likely the bird flu virus could result in a human pandemic. The six-month series of experiments seeks to simulate the mixing and matching of genes from the H5N1 avian flu virus that has plagued Asia and a common human flu virus that public-health experts fear could turn avian flu into a pandemic, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. CDC scientists inside an ultra-secure laboratory [?!?] have started swapping the genes of the H5N1 avian virus with the genes of an H3N2 virus, the strain behind most recent human flu outbreaks.]

Experts Say Medical Ventilators Are in Short Supply in Event of Bird Flu Pandemic 12 Mar 2006 If an avian flu pandemic were to cause widespread illness in the United States, public health experts and officials agree on one thing: the nation’s hospitals would not have enough ventilators, the machines that pump oxygen into sick patients’ lungs. [Oh, but KBR’s detention centres won’t be in short supply!]

Bird Flu Found in Weasel-Like Animal 09 Mar 2006 A German lab has found the H5N1 bird flu virus in a weasel-like [Bush-like] animal called a stone marten, officials said Thursday, marking the disease’s spread to another mammal species beyond cats.

Bird flu ‘heading for America’ 09 Mar 2006 Bird flu could reach the Americas in six to 12 months or even sooner following its rapid expansion through Asia, Europe and Africa, the UN bird flu chief said yesterday. [KBR is ready for it!]

Bird flu could hit Americas within a year: UN 08 Mar 2006 Bird flu, already spreading across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, is expected to jump across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas within a year, a senior U.N. official said on Wednesday. [Or even sooner – if Bush plays the bioterror card prior to his impeachment/treason trial. FEMA’s camps and KBR’s detention centres will be filled with those who defy the quarantines and refuse the pharma-terrorists deadly vaccines; Rudy Giuliani will make a *killing* (literally) off of the clampdown (as he did during Bush bin Laden’s 9/11 attacks) and the Bush regime will seize further dictatorial powers. –LRP]

Bird-flu cats reject virus 07 Mar 2006 Three cats were at one point carriers of the H5N1 bird flu virus in the southern Austrian province of Styria, but two of them have since rejected the virus, says a health official.

Bird Flu Spreads in Nigeria, Reaches Oil-Producing Delta Region 08 Mar 2006 Bird flu spread to three more Nigerian states, reaching the oil-producing Delta region where attacks by gunmen on pipelines and export terminals and kidnappings of workers in the past two months disrupted supply. [LOL, looks like the terrorists running Exxon Mobil are poised to blame *bird flu* for their next round of windfall profiteering!]

H5N1 bird flu reaches Poland, experts fear pandemic 06 Mar 2006 Mar 06 The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu swept into Poland, a laboratory confirmed, as world health experts prepared for a feared mutation of the virus that could kill millions.

For First Time, Flu Spreads From Birds 06 Mar 2006 Three cats have tested positive for the deadly strain of bird flu in Austria’s first reported case of the disease spreading to an animal other than a bird, state authorities said Monday.

H5N1 bird flu infects cats in Austria, feeding pandemic fears 06 Mon 2006 The deadly H5N1 bird flu virus has been found in several cats in Austria, as world health experts prepared for a feared mutation of the disease capable of jumping from human to human.

Industry caused the flu; why blame wild birds? By Ashok B Sharma 06 Mar 2006 “Not just in India, industrial poultry is the cause of the spread of the bird flu outbreak worldwide. Several studies show that transnational poultry industry is the root cause of the problem. The spread of industrial poultry production and trade networks have created ideal conditions for the emergence and transmission of lethal viruses like the H5N1 strains of bird flu.”

DoD Officials Prepare for Possible Pandemic 01 Mar 2006 Defense Department officials are working to create a pandemic influenza plan [Yeah, KBR’s detention centres] in time for the Department of Homeland Defense’s end-of-March deadline, a DoD medical official said Feb. 27. [Just cut the word ‘plan.’ They are working to create an influenza pandemic, period. See: U.S. to create a bird flu virus mutation 24 Mar 2005 The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has begun a series of experiments to see how likely the bird flu virus could result in a human pandemic. The six-month series of experiments seeks to simulate the mixing and matching of genes from the H5N1 avian flu virus that has plagued Asia and a common human flu virus that public-health experts fear could turn avian flu into a pandemic, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. CDC scientists inside an ultra-secure laboratory [?!?] have started swapping the genes of the H5N1 avian virus with the genes of an H3N2 virus, the strain behind most recent human flu outbreaks.]

Calls for bird flu military labs 02 Mar 2006 A military-style approach is needed to counter the worldwide threat of H5N1 bird flu, it has been claimed. US experts want to see a network of rapid-response laboratories set up based on an existing military model established after the Second World War.

Reigniting Spanish flu 05 Oct 2005 The influenza strain that killed up to 50 million people in the 1918 pandemic has been recreated by scientists. …Other research shows close similarities between the 1918 Spanish Flu virus and the H5N1 bird flu strain that is threatening the world with a new pandemic. Researchers in the United States described how they used a “reverse engineering” technique to re-construct Spanish Flu.

Gene From 1918 Virus Proves Key to Virulent Influenza (University of Wisconsin Press Release) 06 Oct 2004 “Using a gene resurrected from the virus that caused the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic, recorded history’s most lethal outbreak of infectious disease, scientists have found that a single gene may have been responsible for the devastating virulence of the virus. Writing Oct. 7 in the journal Nature, virologist Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Tokyo, describes experiments in which engineered viruses were made more potent by the addition of a single gene. The work is evidence that a slight genetic tweak is all that is required to transform mild strains of the flu virus into forms far more pathogenic and, possibly, more transmissible… Using a comparatively mild form of influenza A virus as a template, Kawaoka’s team added the two 1918 genes that code for hemagglutinin and neuraminidase and infected mice with the engineered viruses.”

Kofi Annan expresses hope of “containing the spread of new infectious diseases, whether natural or man-made” Transcript of Press Conference by Secretary-General Kofi Annan At United Nations Headquarters, 21 Mar 2005 “…[I]f governments take the decisions that I am suggesting in this report, I believe we will have a much better chance of turning the tide against HIV/AIDS and malaria in the next 10 years; a much better chance of containing the spread of new infectious diseases, whether natural or man-made; … — through a strengthened Security Council and a new and authoritative human rights council, both working closely with regional organizations — to put a stop to major crimes against innocent people, such as those we are witnessing in Darfur.”

Democrats seek to repeal US vaccine liability law [passed in secret by the GOP] 15 Feb 2006 Congressional Democrats on Wednesday introduced legislation that would repeal a law that gives vaccine, drug and medical device makers broad protection against lawsuits in a public health or bioterror emergency. Massachusetts Democrat Sen. Edward Kennedy and 20 other House and Senate Democrats wrote a letter to Republican leaders saying, “The provision included in the bill is not limited to vaccines for pandemic flu or other major threats to the nation’s health, but could instead be used to allow manufacturers of virtually any drug or vaccine to escape responsibility for gross negligence or even criminal acts.”

When the avian flu pandemic arrives, the corpora-terrorists will pressure the Bush regime to make a vaccine mandatory, and there will be no recourse. Do you really trust the people who brought you the response to Hurricane Katrina (thousands dead) to handle a response to avian flu? Bush said in October 2005 that he would consider using the military to “effect a quarantine” in the event of an outbreak of pandemic influenza in the United States. In January 2006, KBR was awarded a Homeland Security contract worth up to $385M with four 1-year options to expand existing ICE Detention and Removal Operations Program facilities in the event of an emergency.

KBR awarded $385M Homeland Security contract for U.S. detention centers 24 Jan 2006 KBR, the engineering and construction subsidiary of Halliburton Co., said Tuesday it has been awarded a contingency contract from the Department of Homeland Security to support its Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities in the event of an emergency. The maximum total value of the contract is $385 million and consists of a 1-year base period with four 1-year options. The contract, which is effective immediately, provides for establishing temporary detention and processing capabilities to expand existing ICE Detention and Removal Operations Program facilities… The contract may also provide migrant detention support to other government organizations in the event of an immigration emergency [?!?], as well as the development of a plan to react to a [Bush-created] national emergency, the company said.

Canada tightens borders to halt bird flu –Travellers from Europe queried –Airport dogs join security efforts 01 Mar 2006 Canadian customs officials have beefed up inspections at entry points for travellers arriving from Europe, especially France, to keep the highly lethal H5N1 bird flu strain from entering the country.

FIFA chief warns of bird flu threat to World Cup finals 02 Mar 2006 World Cup might be cancelled because of bird flu, football’s top official warned yesterday.

Factory farms blamed for spread of bird flu 26 Feb 2006 Factory farming and the international poultry trade are largely responsible for the spread of bird flu, and wild birds are being unfairly blamed for the disease, a new report says.

No country safe from bird flu, vets say 28 Feb 2006 No country should consider itself safe from lethal avian flu, veterinary chiefs meeting in Paris said Tuesday, adding that it is “highly likely” that the disease will continue its spread in poultry stocks in Europe and beyond.

Germany put on alert as cat dies of bird flu 01 Mar 2006 German officials warned cat owners yesterday not to sleep accompanied by their pets, and to keep them indoors, following confirmation that a cat has died of the H5N1 avian flu virus.

Flamingo Deaths Spark Bird Flu Probe in Bahamas 01 Mar 2006 Health experts were dispatched on Tuesday to the southern Bahamas island of Inagua to find out if an unexplained spate of bird deaths was linked to a deadly bird flu virus… Over the past two days, 15 of the island’s famed flamingos, five roseate spoonbills and one cormorant have been found dead with no external injuries on the island just north of Haiti, officials said.

Bird Flu, Spreading in Africa, May Touch Off Pandemic 28 Feb 2006 Feathers littered on sandy soil and poultry coops filled with empty wire are the few remaining signs of the 28,000 chickens Abdullahi Saidu lost in a week to bird flu on his Nigerian farm last month.

Niger confirms bird flu cases 27 Feb 2006 Niger has become the third African country to confirm cases of the virulent H5N1 strain of bird flu, a lab official said today.

Bird Flu Raises Concerns in France and Nigeria 26 Feb 2006 The announcement on Saturday that the deadly strain of bird flu was discovered in domesticated turkeys in France has disrupted the country’s $7 billion poultry market and raised fears among the French that they could be vulnerable to the disease.

Bird flu: ‘don’t panic’, UK told –Experts seek to reassure the public after restaurant takes wild fowl off its menu and McDonald’s admits ‘contingency plan’ 26 Feb 2006 Britain’s health industry has launched a concerted effort to reassure the public about the safety of poultry and eggs after the first restaurant in the country announced it was taking wild fowl off the menu because of fears about bird flu… The McDonald’s chain also admitted it had emergency contingency plans in place to replace all chicken products on its menus with alternative items if avian flu reached Britain.

EU approves bird flu vaccinations 23 February 2006 A European Union veterinary expert panel has approved limited preventative [?!?] bird flu vaccination plans presented by France and the Netherlands.

Bird flu scare: Navapur to be sealed off 23 Feb 2006 (India) Officials will begin sealing off the entire town of Navapur, ground zero for the outbreak of bird flu. No one will be allowed in or out of Navapur, which has a population of nearly 30,000.

Bird flu moving freely from Asia to Europe and Africa 23 Feb 2006 Indonesia said a 27-year-old woman died of bird flu as it prepared to scour the capital for infected poultry, while Malaysia and India expanded the slaughter of chickens to try to contain the H5N1 virus.

‘Europe has no hope of eradicating bird flu’ 23 Feb 2006 Europe has “no hope of eradicating” the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus in the foreseeable future, now that there are infected wild birds across the European Union, a senior bird flu expert said yesterday.

Second duck in France found to have H5N1 bird flu 23 Feb 2006 France, the European Union’s biggest poultry producer, has confirmed that a second wild duck on its territory has been found to have the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu.

Deadly Bird Flu Hits Seventh EU Nation 21 Feb 2006 Tests confirmed H5N1 in three birds found dead in Hungary, making the country the seventh EU nation with an outbreak of the deadly strain of bird flu, officials said Tuesday.

Germany fears bird flu is getting out of control 21 Feb 2006 Germany today reported 22 new cases of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, as politicians gave warning that the virus was getting out of control.

EU weighs immediate flu jab programme 21 Feb 2006 European veterinary experts have met in Brussels to decide whether to grant controversial requests from France and the Netherlands to begin an immediate programme of “preventive vaccination” against avian flu.

Tower Ravens Caged Over Bird Flu Threat 21 Feb 2006 The ravens at the Tower of London have been moved indoors to protect them from the threat of bird flu, the man in charge of the birds said Monday. According to legend, if the ravens leave the 11th century fortress on the River Thames, its White Tower will crumble and the Kingdom of England will fall.

Deadly viruses mutating to infect humans at rate never seen before 21 Feb 2006 At least one new disease is jumping the species barrier from animals to human beings every year, exposing people to emerging germs at a rate that may be unprecedented. [The Bush bioterror team is working *overtime.*]

India quarantines six as bird flu spreads faster 20 Feb 2006 India quarantined six people in hospital on Monday and began a door-to-door search for anyone with fever as authorities scrambled to contain the country’s first outbreak of bird flu.

Study: Containment can’t stop flu pandemic 20 Feb 2006 Scientists say they’ve concluded containment might buy time, but is not enough to stop a flu pandemic. Through mathematical modeling, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and Seattle’s University of Washington show flu outbreaks are likely to emerge in multiple locations and containment of all outbreaks is improbable.

Washington, D.C. Hosting Bird Flu Summit for Businesses 19 Feb 2006 Email from New Fields, detailing their plans to host Washington, D.C.’s first ‘Bird Flu Summit’ to be held February 27-28, 2006 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City near Reagan National Airport, obtained by Citizens For Legitimate Government. See: New Fields CEO Joins Bechtel, Halliburton on Highly Anticipated SBA Expo ’04 Panel (New Fields) 06 May 2004 “New Fields Exhibitions is the organizer of the successful Rebuilding Iraq series, which has brought together business leaders from over thirty countries for networking opportunities with key Iraqi entrepreneurs and government officials.”

Bird flu ‘likely to reach Britain’ 18 Feb 2006 The Government has confirmed that bird flu is “likely” to reach UK shores following confirmation that a duck in France died of the disease.

Dead duck found in France had H5N1 virus-ministry 18 Feb 2006 A dead duck found in France had the H5N1 strain of bird flu, the agriculture ministry said on Saturday, confirming the first case of the virus in France.

Killer H5N1 virus spreads 19 Feb 2006 The deadly H5N1 bird flu virus was identified today in India and Iran, continued to spread in Europe and claimed another victim in Indonesia, though Nigeria claimed to be bringing it under control.

Bird Flu Spreads to India; Iraq Reports Second Death 18 Feb 2006 Bird flu spread to India, affecting dozens of poultry farms in the western part of the country, while Iraq reported a second human fatality from avian influenza, pushing the monthly global death tally to a two-year high.

Bird flu could hit Florida first 17 Feb 2006 Gov. Jeb Bush expects Florida to be among the first bird flu cases if a pandemic spreads to the United States. In a visit to Florida, Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt warned Thursday that bird flu could reach the nation within 30 days – once it starts passing widely from person to person. Bush predicts Florida would get the first wave… Quarantines [!?!] are the start of the logistical challenges during a pandemic outbreak. [Jeb Bush will be the first to get the police state party started, and fill the FEMA camps and KBR’s detention centers. I saw this one marching down Broadway a mile away. Out of the ashes of Jeb’s police state and genocide of the sick and poor (à la New Orleans) will arise a Reichwing clamor for him to run for president in 2008, unless his brother has will have already declared himself ‘president’ for life. –LRP]

Reigniting Spanish flu 05 Oct 2005 The influenza strain that killed up to 50 million people in the 1918 pandemic has been recreated by scientists. …Other research shows close similarities between the 1918 Spanish Flu virus and the H5N1 bird flu strain that is threatening the world with a new pandemic. Researchers in the United States described how they used a “reverse engineering” technique to re-construct Spanish Flu. [Keep that sentence in mind when you start to see KBR’s detention centers filling up with avian flu victims who refuse Bush’s mandatory vaccines.]

Bird flu epidemic could kill 142 mln, cost 4.4 trln usd – Australian academics 16 Feb 2006 A global bird flu pandemic could kill as many as 142 mln people and wipe some 4.4 trln usd from economic output, according to a worst-case scenario published by Australian academics.

Dead swans litter German island as bird flu spreads 17 Feb 2006 The German Baltic island of Ruegen is littered with the corpses of at least 100 swans just 24 hours after the authorities discovered three dead birds with H5N1 virus on its shores.

Two more countries report bird flu 16 Feb 2006 A deadly strain of bird flu spreading across Europe was reported to have infected birds in two more countries – Romania and Slovenia -Thursday.

Risk to Britain increasing from EU spread of bird flu 17 Feb 2006 Britain is increasingly likely to be hit by bird flu, the government warned yesterday.

Russia Has New Bird-Flu Outbreak; Turkey Finds Suspected Cases 17 Feb 2006 Russian authorities killed more than 270,000 chickens in the country’s southwestern-most corner to contain a new wave of lethal bird flu, a day after Turkey reported suspected outbreaks in almost a third of its provinces.

Indonesia considers response to pandemic as fears of bird flu rise 17 Feb 2006 A possible pandemic is looming and the world is on high alert after new cases of avian influenza in poultry were found in Europe and Africa this week.

Iraq: Health alert in south warns of bird flu 16 Feb 2006 The Iraqi government has raised a health alert in a southern governorate after local laboratory tests confirmed the presence of the H5N1 bird flu virus in dozens of birds in the area.

Niger: Dead birds raise fears of bird flu 16 Feb 2006 The death of at least 400 chickens, turkeys and geese in Niger – which shares a 1,500-kilometre border with bird-flu-infected Nigeria – has government officials scurrying to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.

Bird flu pandemic would ‘kill millions, shut down economy’ 16 Feb 2006 Modelling of the consequences of a global outbreak of bird flu has predicted a worldwide recession and a massive death toll. Two papers have been released showing the likely impact of a pandemic.

Bird flu could kill 214,000 Aussies 16 Feb 2006 A serious worldwide outbreak of avian flu could kill up to 214,000 Australians, according to new projections by experts. The research shows the world death toll from a disastrous bird flu pandemic could be as high as 142 million, or 2.2 per cent of the earth’s population, Fairfax newspapers report.

Hastert, Frist said to rig bill for drug firms 09 Feb 2006 Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and House Speaker Dennis Hastert engineered a backroom legislative maneuver to protect pharmaceutical companies from lawsuits, say witnesses to the pre-Christmas power play. The language was tucked into a Defense Department appropriations bill at the last minute without the approval of members of a House-Senate conference committee, say several witnesses, including a top Republican staff member. Beyond the issue of vaccine liability protection, some say going around the longstanding practice of bipartisan House-Senate conference committees’ working out compromises on legislation is a dangerous power grab by Republican congressional leaders that subverts democracy.

Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (Defense Department FY2006 Appropriations bill) The new law providing vaccine makers with protection against lawsuits –Among its key provisions are: It allows the secretary of Health and Human Services to issue a declaration that a “disease or other health condition or other threat to health constitutes a public health emergency.” The secretary may also issue a declaration if there is a “credible risk” that there may be such a problem in the future. Excludes any state or federal court from reviewing the secretary’s decisions under the law.

Democrats seek to repeal US vaccine liability law [passed in secret by the GOP] 15 Feb 2006 Congressional Democrats on Wednesday introduced legislation that would repeal a law that gives vaccine, drug and medical device makers broad protection against lawsuits in a public health or bioterror emergency. Massachusetts Democrat Sen. Edward Kennedy and 20 other House and Senate Democrats wrote a letter to Republican leaders saying, “The provision included in the bill is not limited to vaccines for pandemic flu or other major threats to the nation’s health, but could instead be used to allow manufacturers of virtually any drug or vaccine to escape responsibility for gross negligence or even criminal acts.” [When the avian flu pandemic arrives, the corpora-terrorists will pressue the Bush regime to make a vaccine mandatory, and there will be no recourse. Do you really trust the people who brought you the reponse to Hurricane Katrina (thousands dead) to handle a response to avian flu? Bush said in October 2005 that he would consider using the military to “effect a quarantine” in the event of an outbreak of pandemic influenza in the United States. In January 2006, KBR was awarded a Homeland Security contract worth up to $385M with four 1-year options to expand existing ICE Detention and Removal Operations Program facilities in the event of an emergency.]

Mass. says Wal-Mart must stock morning-after pill 14 Feb 2006 A Massachusetts regulatory board voted on Tuesday to require Wal-Mart stores to stock morning-after contraceptives, two weeks after three women in the state sued Wal-Mart for refusing to fill orders for the pills.

Bird flu spreading across Europe 15 Feb 2006 Two swans found dead in northern Germany have the virulent H5N1 bird flu virus, officials say, marking the first such cases in the country.

Germany says first cases of H5N1 bird flu found in swans 14 Feb 2006 The German government said that preliminary tests on two dead swans showed they were apparently infected by the H5N1 strain of bird flu.

U.S. agency pushes electronic biosurveillance project 13 Feb 2006 The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology is launching four new “breakthrough projects” designed to help spur the adoption of electronic health records (EHR)… The biosurveillance project will include the launch of a nationwide public health monitoring network to be used during a pandemic or [Bush-engendered] bioterrorist attack to send lab results electronically from emergency departments to public health agencies within 24 hours. [Bush wants to be able to round up dissenters, the poor, and the sick ASAP for FEMA’s camps and KBR’s detention centers.]

Bird flu spreads to Western Europe 13 Feb 2006 The dreaded H5N1 bird flu virus has been detected in wild birds in Western Europe, the first time its presence has been detected in the European Union, and further cases have been reported in Indonesia and Nigeria.

Bird flu spread by fleeing swans –Italy, Greece, Slovenia and Bulgaria have taken emergency measures after deadly strain was found 13 Feb 2006 The deadly strain of H5N1 bird flu has been detected in four European countries, carried by swans driven south by freezing weather in northern Europe.

Get ready for military-enforced quarantines, KBR’s detention centers, and Bush’s full-blown police state: 08 Feb 2006 Dallas Co. Approved to Test For Bird Flu Dallas County health officials say they have received approval to conduct testing for the Bird Flu. As far as medical officials know, the virus has not reached the United States, but local health officials outlined how a possible Bird Flu pandemic could quickly spread.

Bird Flu Detected in Swans in Italy, Greece and Bulgaria 12 Feb 2006 The dreaded A(H5N1) bird flu virus has been detected in wild birds in Italy, Greece and Bulgaria, European officials announced yesterday, the first time its presence has been detected in the European Union.

Bird flu hits Italy 11 Feb 2006 The highly pathogenic strain of H5N1 bird flu has been detected in wild swans in Italy. According to Italian health minister Francesco Storace, H5N1 was found in two dead swans in Sicily on Saturday.

Several wild birds killed by H5N1 flu in Italy 11 Feb 2006 Several wild swans died of H5N1 in southern Italy, Health Minister Francesco Storace said on Saturday, confirming the arrival in the European Union of the strain of the bird flu virus that can be deadly for humans.

Spread of Bird Flu Boosts Pandemic Chances 11 Feb 2006 The spread of bird flu from Asia to eastern Europe and now west Africa has increased the chance the virus will mutate and set off a pandemic, the U.N. bird flu chief said.

‘Now Joining the Bird Flu Summit…’ 09 Feb 2006 Lt Col Kimberly Robinson, Department of Defense; Taha A. Kass-Hout, MD, MS, Northrop Grumman CDC Programs [?!?]; and Lauren C. Thompson, The MTIRE Corporation. Bird Flu Summit, 27-28 February – Washington, D.C. –New Fields’ Bird Flu Summit, 1050 Seventeenth Street, NW, 6th Floor, Washington, DC 20036 (202) 536-5000 [Note: The Bird Flu Summit agenda has not yet listed the above participants on their website. Citizens For Legitimate Government has obtained this information. *Why* is the Department of Defense, Northrop Gumman (‘Battle Management’ specialists), and The MITRE Corporation (‘Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence (C3I)s’ for the Department of Defense) attending a *Bird Flu Summit?* The Bird Flu Summit is presented by New Fields. See: New Fields CEO Joins Bechtel, Halliburton on Highly Anticipated SBA Expo ’04 Panel (New Fields) 06 May 2004 “New Fields Exhibitions is the organizer of the successful Rebuilding Iraq series, which has brought together business leaders from over thirty countries for networking opportunities with key Iraqi entrepreneurs and government officials.” See also: Homeland Security Expo, Washington, Jun. ’05 (New Fields) 20 Feb 2005 “Bringing together experts representing all regions of the globe and a variety of industries to share new ideas is the goal of New Fields’ Homeland and World Security Expo.”]

‘Highly pathogenic’ bird flu found in Nigeria 08 Feb 2006 A “highly pathogenic” strain of the H5N1 bird flu virus has been ‘found’ [put?] in poultry stocks in Nigeria? the first reported case of the disease in Africa, the Paris-based World Organization for Animal Health said Wednesday.

Iraq Finds 7 Possible Bird Flu Cases as Virus Spreads 08 Feb 2006 Iraq is treating seven people for suspected bird flu in the country, where a possible third fatality indicates the lethal virus may have spread to the south.

Researchers Uncover 4 Different Genetic Bird-Flu Strains 06 Feb 2006 Researchers have identified several different genetic strains of the avian flu virus, H5N1, in different bird populations in Southeast Asia — any one of which could trigger a pandemic.

Iraq confirms second bird flu death 07 Feb 2006 A second Iraqi Kurd has been confirmed to have died from the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain as international teams scrambled to combat the spread of the virus in the country’s north.

WHO sends Tamiflu to Iraq after bird flu confirmed 03 Feb 2006 The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday that it was sending several thousand courses of influenza drug Tamiflu to Iraq to help ‘treat’ any further cases of deadly bird flu in humans.

Tamiflu found ineffective in bird flu treatment 21 Dec 2005 The drug most of the world is counting on to prevent an avian flu pandemic may not be a failsafe defence, according to a New England Journal of Medicine report. The authors say they have found evidence the H5N1 virus can mutate into a form unaffected by Tamiflu — rendering the world’s ever-growing stockpiles of the drug ineffective if the mutated strain were to spread.

Rumsfeld’s growing stake in Tamiflu –Defense Secretary, ex-chairman of flu treatment rights holder, sees portfolio value growing. 31 Oct 2005 The prospect of a bird flu outbreak may be panicking people around the globe, but it’s proving to be very good news for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other politically connected investors in Gilead Sciences, the California biotech company that owns the rights to Tamiflu, the influenza remedy that’s now the most-sought after drug in the world. Rumsfeld served as Gilead (Research)’s chairman from 1997 until he joined the Bush administration in 2001, and he still holds a Gilead stake valued at between $5 million and $25 million, according to federal financial disclosures filed by Rumsfeld.

NORTHCOM Prepares for Possible Pandemic 01 Feb 2006 U.S. Northern Command recently hosted representatives from more than 40 international, federal and state agencies for an exercise designed to provoke discussion and determine what governmental actions, including military support, would be necessary in the event of an influenza pandemic in the United States. “NORTHCOM will not be running the show in the event of a pandemic,” said Dave Wilkins, the NORTHCOM exercise facilitator. “We will be taking guidance and requests from other agencies, such as the Department of Homeland Security, via the secretary of defense.”

“We have to have more detention space.” –George W. Bush, Nashville, TN 01 Feb 2006 [And, Halliburton/KBR is happy to oblige! See: KBR awarded $385M Homeland Security contract for U.S. detention centers 24 Jan 2006 BTW, during the speech, Bush had trouble with the word ‘implement.’ He tried to say it three times, then resorted to the word ‘put.’ LOL!]

Iraq says treating 12 possible human bird flu cases 31 Jan 2006 Officials in northern Iraq said on Tuesday they were treating 12 patients suspected of having bird flu as a World Health Organization (WHO) team prepared to travel to the area to give urgent ‘assistance.’

Call for drills to test bird flu readiness 01 Feb 2006 A plan prepared by the UAE Armed Forces for intervention in case of an outbreak of bird flu pandemic in the country was presented at the fourth meeting of the Secretariat of the National Committee for Emergency Response to Bird Flu.

Britain ready to deploy CO2 to combat bird flu 31 Jan 2006 Britain will allow poultry [and what/who else?] to be poisoned with carbon dioxide as a measure to combat any bird flu outbreak, the farm ministry said on Tuesday.

I saw *this one* marching down Broadway a mile away. Mandatory vaccines and quarantines will soon commence, against the backdrop of Bush’s full-blown police state in Iraq, with absolutly NO media to report U.S. acts of corpora-terrorism: Deadly bird flu in Iraq 30 Jan 2006 A United Nations official confirmed today that an Iraqi girl who died earlier this month in Kurdistan was a bird flu victim. The official, who refused to be named… said the girl was a victim of the deadly H5N1 strain.

Officials Confirm Bird Flu Death of Iraqi 30 Jan 2006 Iraqi and U.N. health officials said Monday a 15-year-old girl who died this month was a victim of the deadly H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus, the first confirmed case of the disease in the Middle East.

UN may use ‘flu-casters’ if pandemic hits 28 Jan 2006 The United Nations is considering using “flu-casters,” modeled on television weather forecasters, to publicize vital information if a global flu pandemic strikes.

WHO denies exaggerating bird flu threat 24 Jan 2006 The World Health Organisation (WHO) has denied it is exaggerating the risk of a human influenza pandemic, while China reports a 10th person has been diagnosed with the potentially fatal bird flu virus.

Flu drugs ‘will not work’ if pandemic strikes –No evidence Tamiflu will be effective, say experts –Relying on medicines alone ‘would be suicidal’ 19 Jan 2006 There is no evidence that Tamiflu, the drug being stockpiled by Britain, the United States and Europe, will work if a flu pandemic takes off in humans, according to a review published today by the Lancet medical journal.

France investigates possible human bird flu case 22 Jan 2006 France is investigating a possible case of bird flu in a woman who recently visited Turkey, the French health ministry has said.

STMicro to market chip to detect bird flu in humans 18 Jan 2006 STMicroelectronics said on Wednesday it planned to market a disposable laboratory microchip that can confirm within about an hour a human case of bird flu at a limited cost. [This chip can enable the Bush regime to implement a full-blown police state, as the government will forcibly quarantine those who have avian flu.]

Time of essence in bird flu fight, experts warn 17 Jan 2006 Bird flu experts meeting in Beijing warned on Tuesday that time was of the essence in battling a disease that has killed almost 80 people since 2003 and has now arrived at the gates of Europe and the Middle East.

Europe urged to increase checks of airline passengers to prevent spread of bird flu 17 Jan 2006 With outbreaks of bird flu continuing in Turkey, European countries should adopt policies such as increased checks of airline passengers and their belongings to prevent the disease from spreading across the Continent, a UN agriculture official recommended here Monday.

British firms form bird flu plans 15 Jan 2006 A survey of dozens of British companies found more than 80 percent had made emergency plans in the event bird flu mutates and spreads from human to human.

WHO warns army may be needed to fight bird flu 13 Jan 2006 The World Health Organisation yesterday predicted authorities might need to use the army and police to quarantine about 120,000 people to contain aninitial pandemic flu outbreak of just 19 cases. [If you think the illegal NSA spying was a breach of civil liberties, wait until the bird flu pandemic arrives at the Bush dictatorship’s doorstep.]

Bird flu ‘spiralling out of control’ 12 Jan 2006 The deadly bird flu virus may be getting more effective at infecting humans, the World Health Organisation believes, as experts warned that the disease was spiralling out of control among poultry in Turkey and posed “a serious threat” to neighbouring countries.

Outbreaks of bird flu gather speed 10 Jan 2006 Bird flu is relentlessly heading for Britain, experts warned yesterday, as five more children in Turkey were found to have the disease.

‘High chance’ of bird flu reaching Britain 10 Jan 2006 Bird flu took another step towards Britain last night as three more people tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain in Turkey. The virus has already claimed the lives of three people in the city of Ankara and scientists say it is inevitable that it will eventually spread to Britain.

New Turkish bird flu infection confirmed 10 Jan 2006 Another person in Turkey today tested positive for the virulent H5N1 strain of bird flu, a health ministry official said. It brings the number of people to have contracted the disease in the country to 15.

Lock them up to die – prison bird flu plan 08 Jan 2006 Government planning documents reveal that the ‘most dangerous’ prisoners would be locked away and left to take their chances and the dead buried in mass graves, if an Asian bird flu epidemic hits New Zealand’s prison population. Entire prisons would be sealed – nobody would be allowed in or out for up to six weeks – and mass graves would be dug in prison compounds to dispose of bodies. The proposals, details of which were obtained by the Sunday Star-Times, are part of Corrections Department contingency plans to deal with an Asian bird flu pandemic hitting New Zealand and its 7500 prison population. [What is Bush’s prison bird flu plan?]

Bird flu plan for prisons draws civil liberty concerns 08 Jan 2006 A reported proposal that the ‘most dangerous’ prisoners [?!?] should remain locked away and left to take their chances if an Asian bird flu pandemic hit New Zealand has been attacked by civil libertarians.

HHS Advises Stocking Up On Supplies for Avian Flu Pandemic 07 Jan 2006 There is no vaccine and drugs are in short supply, but Americans may be able to ride out any pandemic of bird flu if they stock up on supplies and keep their children clean [?!?], the government said yesterday. [Americans should worry about keeping their guns clean. Arming the Left: Is the time now? –by Charles Southwell]

Human bird flu cases reach Turkish capital 08 Jan 2006 Three Turks tested positive for a deadly strain of bird flu in the capital Ankara on Sunday, a new stage in the westward sweep of the disease from its east Asian origins toward major economic centres in Turkey and Europe.

Deadly bird flu outbreak spreads 08 Jan 2006 Bird flu in humans appears to be spreading in Turkey, with preliminary tests for the deadly H5N1 strain returned positive in three people in Ankara, the first suspected cases outside the eastern city of Van, where at least two siblings have died in the past week.

WHO confirms Turkish teens died of bird flu, first cases outside East Asia 05 Jan 2006 The World Health Organization confirmed Thursday that two Turkish teenagers who died after exposure to infected poultry were victims of the H5N1 virus, making them the first known human cases outside of the nexus of the avian flu outbreak in East Asia.

Turkey’s Bird-Flu Deaths Bring Virus Nearer to Europe 05 Jan 2006 Turkey said a second teenager infected with avian flu died, indicating the virus that’s killed at least 74 people since 2003 has moved outside East Asia to the threshold of Europe.

UK told not to panic over bird flu 05 Jan 2006 A leading microbiologist urged the British public not to panic as bird flu crept closer towards central Europe with two people dying in Turkey from the virus.

Bad vaccines may trigger bird flu: expert 29 Dec 2005 China is most likely using substandard poultry vaccine or not enough good vaccine, which would explain recent outbreaks of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus in poultry, a prominent virologist said on Thursday. Dr Robert Webster, of St Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, said the problem of substandard vaccines was not exclusive to China. [And, that is Bush’s main reason behind making the deadly vaccines mandatory and removing all manufacturer liability. When the bird flu pandemic arrives, Bush will invoke police-state measures and quarantines, while he pursues further dictatorial power.]

From the people who brought you FEMA: US uses live bird flu viruses in vaccine experiment 18 Dec 2005 In an isolation ward of a Baltimore hospital, up to 30 ‘volunteers’ will participate this April in a bold experiment: A vaccine made with a live version of the most notorious bird flu will be sprayed into their noses. [The Bush bioterror team is in a hurry to get the pandemic party started, in order to implement a full-blown police state. Dictator Bush needs to justify his warrantless eavesdropping and to insure re-authorization of the Patriot Act.]

U.S. [Bioterror] Team Will Test Live-Virus 18 Dec 2005 Bird Flu Vaccine Researchers at the U.S. National Institutes of Health will soon recruit 30 human volunteers to test the effectiveness of a vaccine containing a live but weakened form of the H5N1 bird flu virus.

U.S. House approves $3.8 billion for avian flu [for pharma-terrorists] 19 Dec 2005 The U.S. House of Representatives early on Monday approved $3.78 billion to begin preparations for a possible [Bush-engendered] avian flu epidemic. The bill would also shield manufacturers of vaccines and drugs from lawsuits during an epidemic. The legislation, wrapped into an unrelated defense bill, still faces an uncertain fate in the Senate later this week.

House OKs Liability Protections for Drug Makers 19 Dec 2005 Drug manufacturers are a step closer toward winning the liability protections they say they need before investing in medicines to combat a bird flu pandemic. Opponents described the protections, approved early Monday by the House, as a “massive Christmas bonus to the drug companies.” Consumers seeking damages on claims they were harmed by a vaccine would have to prove willful misconduct on the part of the drug manufacturers.

Bird-Flu Bill Slammed as Loophole for Drugmakers 19 Dec 2005 Bird flu preparedness legislation headed for a final vote in the Senate this week would create loopholes allowing vaccine makers to avoid legal liability even if a patient is harmed by negligence, critics said today.

Ruffled feathers –UF professor says bird flu is not a threat in the U.S. 18 Dec 2005 Researchers and health agencies continue to sound the alarm about avian flu, and Dr. Gary Butcher, an expert on poultry medicine and disease at the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine thinks he knows why. “The agenda here is pretty obvious,” he said. “People want grant money. This is a bonanza.”

White House holds bird flu drill with military leaders 10 Dec 2005 Warning an outbreak may be inevitable, the White House on Saturday conducted a test of its readiness for a feared bird flu pandemic and said federal agencies fared “quite well” [Yes, they did so well with Hurricane Katrina, I can hardly wait for their response to a bird flu pandemic.] without offering any details. Cabinet secretaries, military leaders and other top officials took part in the four-hour tabletop drill, which officials said was designed to assess the level of federal preparedness for a possible outbreak of bird flu or another deadly virus. “This is about being ready for what inevitably will come,” Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt said. [How does Leavitt know that a pandemic is ‘inevitable?’ Apparently, the Bush bioterror team is ready to attack, and a full-blown police state is surely on the way.]

Britain could grind to a halt in a bird flu pandemic, experts fear [We know the civil liberties sure will!] 11 Dec 2005 Britain is not as prepared for bird flu as it should be, an influential Lords committee will say this week, because thousands of companies have not investigated how they would keep going during a pandemic that could last four months and affect a quarter of their employees.

Reports detail bird flu effects on U.S. 09 Dec 2005 A pandemic of bird flu could cause a serious recession of the U.S. economy, with immediate costs of between $500 billion and $675 billion, according to two estimates released on Thursday.

U.S. Urges States to Prepare for Bird Flu 06 Dec 2005 Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt urged each state on Monday to prepare for the possibility of a [Bush-engendered] deadly bird flu pandemic by holding its own planning summit within the next four months.

Secretive agency proposed to develop vaccines, drugs [to facilitate Bush bioterror attacks] 03 Dec 2005 The proposed Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Agency, or BARDA, would be exempt from long-standing open records and meetings laws that apply to most government departments, according to legislation approved Oct. 18 by the Senate health committee. The agency would be exempt from the Freedom of Information and Federal Advisory Committee acts, both considered crucial for monitoring government accountability.

Doctor says bird flu drug is ‘useless’ 04 Dec 2005 A Vietnamese doctor who has treated dozens of victims of avian flu claims the drug being stockpiled around the world to combat a pandemic is “useless” against the virus. “Tamiflu is really only meant for treating ordinary type A flu. It was not designed to combat H5N1 . . . (Tamiflu) is useless,” Dr Nguyen Tuong Van, who runs the intensive care unit at the Centre for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi, said. [LOL!! See: Rumsfeld’s growing stake in Tamiflu 31 Oct 2005 Defense Secretary, ex-chairman of flu treatment rights holder, sees portfolio value growing. The prospect of a bird flu outbreak… is proving to be very good news for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other politically connected investors in Gilead Sciences, the California biotech company that owns the rights to Tamiflu, the influenza remedy that’s now the most-sought after (*useless!*) drug in the world.]

U.S. Builds Stockpile of Vaccine for Flu Pandemic 30 Nov 2005 The government expects to stockpile nearly 8 million doses of an experimental vaccine ‘against’ [to start] pandemic influenza by February, and studies are underway that could stretch that supply to cover more than a third of the population, federal health experts said yesterday.

Australia to Test Response to Bird Flu in Simulated Exercise 28 Nov 2005 Australia will this week test its ability to respond to an outbreak of avian influenza in a simulated outbreak of the disease.

Virus spreads ‘all over’ Jakarta 26 Nov 2005 Bird flu has been detected throughout the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, with the country’s Agriculture Minister Anton Apriyantono admitting: “It’s very serious. Based on our research, the virus has spread all over the city.”

35 wild birds with H5 avian flu virus found in eastern Canada 25 Nov 2005 Canada has discovered the H5 avian influenza virus in 35 wild ducks and one case of the H7 virus in its eastern provinces, officials announced.

CDC Updates Rules, Outlines Gov’t Procedures to Quarantine People 22 Nov 2005 Travelers entering the U.S. with fever and other flu-like symptoms would be reported by the airline or ship that brought them, under new rules proposed today, a U.S. public-health official said. When “compatible symptoms are noticed in a passenger on a flight or ship, there will be a requirement for the captain to report it to the quarantine station that has jurisdiction over that port of entry” for medical personnel to assess them, Martin Cetron, director of the CDC’s Division of Global Migration and Quarantine [?!?], said today. The proposal also outlines procedures for government orders to quarantine people, and for how a person may appeal an order.

CDC Seeks Authority During Quarantines, Easy Access to Passenger Lists 22 Nov 2005 Federal health officials are seeking to update quarantine and contact-tracing regulations… The proposed changes, announced Tuesday by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, include easier CDC access to airline and ship passenger lists, a clearer appeals process for people [think Jose Padilla] subjected to quarantines, and explicit authority to offer [force?] vaccinations and medical treatment to quarantined people.

U.S. Bans Imports of Some Canadian Poultry 22 Nov 2005 Federal agriculture officials banned poultry imports from mainland British Columbia on Monday after Canadian officials reported finding a duck at a poultry farm that was infected with the flu.

U.N. to set up bird flu early warning system 18 Nov 2005 The United Nations is to set up a bird flu early warning system to alert countries of incoming migratory birds which could be carrying the deadly virus, a U.N. official said on Friday.

Vaccine Funding Tied to Liability –Trial Lawyers Say Move Would Hurt Consumers 17 Nov 2005 Legislation that would pour billions of dollars into the production of vaccines against avian flu and other pandemic diseases is threatened by the trial lawyers’ lobby, which objects to proposed limits on lawsuits against drug manufacturers… “The Republican leadership in Congress is trying to do another special favor for drug companies by slipping a provision into a massive spending bill to absolve the pharmaceutical industry of any responsibility to patients injured by dangerous drugs or vaccines,” Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) said.

FDA probes deaths of Tamiflu patients 17 Nov 2005 U.S. regulators have asked Roche AG for more information about the deaths of 12 children who took the flu-fighting drug Tamiflu, saying in a report released on Thursday that the cause of the deaths was “extremely difficult to interpret.” [Oops! There goes Rumsfeld’s stock portfolio! See: Rumsfeld’s growing stake in Tamiflu 31 Oct 2005 Defense Secretary, ex-chairman of flu treatment rights holder, sees portfolio value growing.]

Deaths Among Roche Tamiflu Users Get U.S. FDA Review 17 Nov 2005 U.S. regulators will review the deaths of 12 Japanese children who took Roche Holding AG’s Tamiflu influenza medicine, being stockpiled worldwide as the best likely treatment for bird flu. Four were due to “sudden death, an unusual phenomenon in otherwise healthy” people 16 and under, the Food and Drug Administration said in a report posted today on its Web site.

China Reports Three Human Bird-Flu Cases 16 Nov 2005 China confirmed its first two human cases of bird flu on the mainland Wednesday, including at least one fatality, as the government raced to vaccinate billions of chickens, ducks and other poultry in a massive effort to stop the spread of the virus.

Suicides linked to Tamiflu – so is only weapon against bird flu safe? 15 Nov 2005 European medicines regulators have ordered a safety check on Tamiflu after reports that two teenage boys died in Japan in apparent suicides after taking the anti-flu drug. The deaths have raised safety fears about the only treatment against a threatened pandemic of avian flu. [See: Rumsfeld’s growing stake in Tamiflu –Defense Secretary, ex-chairman of flu treatment rights holder, sees portfolio value growing. 31 Oct 2005]

50 birds died at quarantine centre 15 Nov 2005 The Government was criticised today for “confusion” surrounding its handling of the bird flu outbreak at a quarantine centre in Essex. More than 50 birds died at the facility where H5N1 was found, a report published by Defra says.

Bird flu spreads to 10 provinces of Vietnam 14 Nov 2005 Bird flu outbreaks among poultry have spread to 10 of Vietnam’s 64 provinces and cities, officials said, after the country’s prime minister described the fight against avian influenza as urgent.

Tamiflu linked to deaths of 2 teens 12 Nov 2005 (Japan) Two teenage boys who took the antiviral drug Tamiflu exhibited abnormal behavior that led to their deaths, with one jumping in front of an oncoming truck last year and the other falling from the ninth floor of a building earlier this year, health ministry and other sources said Saturday. The drug in Japan carries a note listing impaired consciousness, abnormal behaviors, hallucination and other psychological and neurological symptoms as possible serious side effects. The ministry is considering making a fresh warning about them, following its decision to increase the stockpile of the drug amid growing fears about a possible pandemic of a new type of influenza as bird flu deaths rise across Asia.

Rumsfeld’s growing stake in Tamiflu –Defense Secretary, ex-chairman of flu treatment rights holder, sees portfolio value growing. 31 Oct 2005 The prospect of a bird flu outbreak is proving to be very good news for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other politically connected investors in Gilead Sciences, the California biotech company that owns the rights to Tamiflu, the influenza remedy that’s now the most-sought after drug in the world. Rumsfeld served as Gilead’s chairman from 1997 until he joined the Bush regime in 2001, and he still holds a Gilead stake valued at between $5 million and $25 million, according to federal financial disclosures filed by Rumsfeld.

Did U.S. government lie about deadly virus? (World Science) 09 Nov 2005 “U.S. officials seem to have quietly reversed an assurance they gave publicly last month—that a deadly virus, which scientists recently recreated, would not leave a secure government facility. Now, authorities acknowledge they may mail copies of the germ, which killed an estimated 50 million people in 1918, to qualified laboratories that apply for it.”

US health officials can detain or isolate any airline passengers 11 Nov 2005 U.S. airlines could be on the front lines in a bird flu outbreak and federal health officials are streamlining procedures for the possible quarantine of sick passengers. Federal health officials have authority to detain or isolate any airline passenger suspected of harboring the avian flu virus, which scientists fear could mutate to leap from person to person and quickly spread globally.

Bird Flu hits the Middle East 11 Nov 2005 A flamingo found on a beach in Kuwait had the strain of bird flu that has killed more than 60 people and devastated poultry stocks in Asia — the first known case of the deadly avian flu in the Arab world. [Possibly, the only thing more *un*welcome than the US invaders, although I can see it being a ‘tie.’ At least the avian flu virus has a sunset gene programmed into it – Halliburton and Bush do not. –Lori Price]

Deadly flu strain in Kuwait flamingo 11 Nov 2005 A migrating flamingo, one of two birds found infected with bird flu in Kuwait, is confirmed to have been carrying the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus.

WHO tips bird flu will spawn new deadly virus that will spread to Japan 12 Nov 2005 The bird flu epidemic across Southeast Asia is bound to lead to the development of a deadly virus that is expected to spread to Japan, a World Health Organization (WHO) executive said.

CDC may ship killer virus to U.S. labs –Millions around the world died from Spanish flu in 1918 09 Nov 2005 Federal scientists say they will consider requests to ship the recently recreated 1918 killer flu virus to select U.S. research labs. Last month, U.S. scientists announced they had created — from scratch — the 1918 virus. It was the first time an infectious agent behind a historic global epidemic had ever been reconstructed.

CDC Will Allow 1918 Killer Flu Off Campus 09 Nov 2005 Federal scientists say they will consider requests to ship the recently recreated 1918 killer flu virus to select U.S. research labs. There are 300 non-government research labs registered to work with deadly germs like the Spanish flu, which killed millions of people worldwide.

World Bank seeks $1 billion war chest for bird flu 09 Nov 2005 Health and veterinary officials from across the world hope to clinch a global plan for tackling bird flu, funded by a $1 billion World Bank war chest, at a conference on Wednesday.

WHO warns pandemic could cost $800B, kill millions 08 Nov 2005 Countries around the world need to start rehearsing plans for tackling a human flu pandemic to identify hidden obstacles and ensure the best response once the virus arrives, the World Health Organization said yesterday.

Bird flu capable of causing ‘incalculable’ misery –100-nation meeting focuses on plans to contain outbreak 08 Nov 2005 Delegates from 100 nations meeting at the World Health Organization headquarters here were urged Monday to prepare against the avian flu or risk a human pandemic that scientists fear could kill millions and cause up to $800 billion in economic damage worldwide.

Flu pandemic now just a matter of time, conference told 07 Nov 2005 A three-day council of war on avian influenza opened here to warnings that a flu pandemic was inevitable, could kill millions and inflict up to 800 billion dollars in economic damage if the world failed to defend itself.

DoD’s Pandemic Flu Web Site Goes Live 07 Nov 2005 In partnership with other federal agencies, the Defense Department’s Deployment Health Support Directorate went ‘live’ today with a Web site to help meet the objectives outlined in Dictator Bush’s national ‘strategy’ for pandemic influenza.

Rummy’s bird flu bonanza/Blair backer’s smallpox bonanza (gmwatch.org) 06 Nov 2005 “…It appears that the defense secretary is quite an accomplished hand at getting the government to buy vaccines from companies in which he has a direct financial interest. …Rumsfeld at that time [just after 9/11] ordered members of the armed forces to be inoculated against smallpox, an inoculation with horrendous side effects. The package also included injection with a drug named Vistide, to treat side-effects of smallpox infection should it occur. Vistide was also a product of Gilead Sciences… [Rumsfeld holds a Gilead stake valued at between $5 million and $25 million, according to his federal financial disclosures.]”

Watch That Pea: What the administration is doing while you’re watching Scooter & Sammy By John M. Kelley 04 Nov 2005 “Given this administrations willingness to ignore public opinion and forge on in spite of its mistakes, exposed lies and corruption it is not a far stretch to imagine what kind of power it might try and seize in case of a national emergency like a flu pandemic. If you think the last two elections have been a farce, what about no election because of a pandemic, what about the suspension of congress and the prohibition of any public gathering enforced by the military. Maybe I’m just paranoid, but then again maybe anybody who believes this administration is on the run hasn’t been reading past the headlines.”

Long-Predicted Flu Finally Tops National Agenda 07 Nov 2005 The Pandemic influenza threat has taken a tortuous route to a place occupied by few health issues. Last month, scientists completed a 10-year project in which they reconstructed the 1918 virus from the frozen and chemically preserved tissue of three victims. [WHY isn’t anyone asking WHY this deadly virus was reconstructed? See: Rumsfeld’s growing stake in Tamiflu 31 Oct 2005 Defense Secretary, ex-chairman of flu treatment rights holder, sees portfolio value growing.]

Flu Plan Counts on Public Cooperation –Strategies Include Inoculations for High-Risk Groups, Isolating [Quarantining] People at Home 03 Nov 2005 The federal government unveiled a massive pandemic influenza plan yesterday that would fight an outbreak with tools including surveillance of air travelers, rationing antiviral drugs, imposing community-wide “snow days” to keep people at home and aggressively controlling rumors to prevent panic. [Translation: censoring journalists that dare to tell the truth. Earth to Bush: We are not going to accept any ‘bird flu clampdown.’]

Governors Balk at Bigger Role for Military 06 Nov 2005 Several governors have been critical of a Bush administration suggestion that the active-duty military take a greater role in disaster response, calling it an attempt to usurp state authority over National Guard units. Governors in Washington, Mississippi, Michigan, Arkansas, West Virginia, Delaware and Alabama are among those who have panned the idea, questioning whether it would even be constitutional. [Look for Bush’s bioterror team to first strike Washington, Mississippi, Michigan, Arkansas, West Virginia, Delaware and Alabama.]

Frist urges germ spies –Bill would cloak war on bioterror 05 Nov 2005 A bill moving rapidly through the Senate would create a secretive national research center to respond to bioterrorism threats and natural [manmade] disease outbreaks. The bill, co-sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Bioterrorist-Tenn.), would shift the main responsibility for developing bioterrorism countermeasures out of the Department of Homeland Security and into a new Biological Advanced Research and Development Agency in the Department of Health and Human Services. The agency, commonly referred to as BARDA, would be given a first-year budget of $1 billion and some unusually strong powers. It would have authority to shield drug manufacturers from liability lawsuits in the event a drug used to counteract a bioterrorism event or disease outbreak caused death or injury. It also would be granted a blanket exemption from the federal Freedom of Information Act.

CLG Action!! List of Senators pushing for Senate Bill 1873 –Write and Call now! Please take action and forward this action to other listserves. http://www.legitgov.org/action_biodefense_pandemic_vaccine_act_201005.html

Sentries in U.S. Seek Early Signs of the Avian Flu 06 Nov 2005 With the country waiting nervously for avian flu to arrive, catching wild birds is no hobby. Hundreds of ornithologists, veterinarians, amateur bird-watchers, park rangers and others being recruited by the National Wildlife Health Center to join a surveillance effort along the major American migratory flyways…

FluWrap: Three new Asian outbreaks 04 Nov 2005 Avian influenza affected three Asian countries Friday, with confirmed outbreaks in China and Vietnam and indications of an outbreak in Japan.

Britain to head European flu pandemic exercise 04 Nov 2005 Britain will stage a surprise exercise involving 28 European countries to test their ability to cope with a human influenza pandemic, the project’s director said on Friday. The two-day drill will take place before the end of the year but health services will not know the precise dates in advance in order to make it as realistic as possible. [Will the ‘exercise’ happen to coincide with an actual bioterror event? ‘Anti-‘terror exercises took place prior to the 9/11 and 7/7 attacks.]

Singapore’s bird park turns chickens into flu police 05 Nov 2005 As Asian governments keep a lookout for new cases of bird flu, Singapore is deploying some unlikely “flu police” at the world’s largest bird park: chickens. Singapore’s Jurong Bird Park has put 19 chickens, known as “sentinel chickens”, in all its aviaries to help detect the presence of any infectious disease. “These chickens are bred without any immunity. So they will be the first ones to fall ill if there is an outbreak of bird flu or other infectious diseases at the park,” Wong Hon Mun, executive director of Jurong Bird Park, told Reuters. [Can we get FEMA’s Mike Brown to be bred for that task here in the U.S.?]

Recession alert over bird flu 04 Nov 2005 New bird flu outbreaks have been reported as the Asian Development Bank warns that a global flu pandemic could kill up to 3 million people in Asia and plunge the world into recession.

Vietnam confirms bird flu outbreaks in three northern villages 04 Nov 2005 Vietnam on Friday confirmed bird flu outbreaks among poultry in three northern villages, despite increased efforts to fight the disease, an official said.

China reports fourth bird flu outbreak in a month 04 Nov 2005 China reported an outbreak of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in its northeast province of Liaoning on Friday, the fourth to hit the country in a month.

Pandemic Is Inevitable, Govt. Officials Say –Doctors Believe our Health Care System ‘Will Collapse’ When It [Bush’s excuse to end all domestic programs] Comes 02 Nov 2005 It’s inevitable, say government officials: a pandemic will strike the United States and the impact will be profound… A Jerry Bruckheimer film? Not according to information released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Pandemics happen,” said HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt in a teleconference today. “They happened before, and they’ll happen again. If it isn’t the H5N1 [bird flu] virus, it’ll be another virus.” [How does he know? Well, I am sure the 78 dead microbiologists were working on *something.*]

Pandemic response plan includes travel restrictions, rationing 02 Nov 2005 Issuing its long-awaited pandemic response plan Wednesday, the Bush regime made clear that a flu pandemic could make it necessary to impose travel restrictions, shut down schools and businesses, quarantine cities and ban public gatherings.

Experts dismiss scare over bird flu 02 Nov 2005 Gary Butcher, Ph.D., said that although there is a potential that the virus could mutate, as it exists, it could not become an important disease in humans. “For it to become dangerous to humans, it has to go through a pretty significant genetic change. If you put this in perspective, it’s not going to happen. For a person to be infected now, it appears that the exposure level has to be astronomical,” Butcher said.

Bush’s avian flu ‘protection’ plans are for the birds: MSNBC Question of the Day “Do you trust the [US] government to protect you from the bird flu?” 12018 responses Yes 13% No 87% [Poll snapshot: 23:16 EST 01 Nov 2005]

Bush asks Congress for $70m for flu vaccine 01 Nov 2005 US Dictator George Bush today outlined a 5.9bn strategy today to prepare for the danger of a pandemic influenza outbreak, saying he wanted to stockpile enough vaccine to protect [sic] 20 million Americans against an illness caused by the current strain of bird flu.

Bush: $7.1B to Thwart Bird Flu –Dictator Bush unveils a plan to prepare for a flu pandemic by strengthening the U.S. vaccine industry. 01 Nove 2005 Dictator George W. Bush on Tuesday proposed a $7.1-billion campaign to thwart [foment] a possible pandemic of avian flu by producing 20 million doses of vaccine, stockpiling treatments, and shielding manufacturers from liability.

Rumsfeld’s growing stake in Tamiflu –Defense Secretary, ex-chairman of flu treatment rights holder, sees portfolio value growing. 31 Oct 2005 The prospect of a bird flu outbreak is proving to be very good news for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other politically connected investors in Gilead Sciences, the California biotech company that owns the rights to Tamiflu, the influenza remedy that’s now the most-sought after drug in the world. Rumsfeld served as Gilead’s chairman from 1997 until he joined the Bush regime in 2001, and he still holds a Gilead stake valued at between $5 million and $25 million, according to federal financial disclosures filed by Rumsfeld. The forms don’t reveal the exact number of shares Rumsfeld owns, but in the past six months fears of a pandemic and the ensuing scramble for Tamiflu have sent Gilead’s stock from $35 to $47.

Mild Version of Avian Flu Has Already Hit Conn. 30 Oct 2005 Mild versions of the avian virus have appeared off and on in the United States for years, including a strain that infected thousands of laying hens at the largest egg farm in Connecticut two years ago.

Government to Unveil Super-Flu Strategy 29 Oct 2005 The Bush regime’s long-awaited plan on how to fight [foment] the next super-flu will likely include beefed-up attempts to spot human infections early, both here and abroad. Expect recommendations on how to ‘isolate the sick’ [i.e., invoke martial law, suspend Posse Comitatus, enforce quarantines and fill FEMA’s concentration camps with those who don’t want the mandatory, deadly vaccines.] “If it isn’t the current H5N1 virus that leads to an influenza pandemic, at some point in our nation’s future another virus will,” Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said last week.

Bird flu ‘could stop air travel’ 30 Oct 2005 International air travel would virtually stop if bird flu triggered a lethal human pandemic in the Asia-Pacific region, Australia’s health minister has said.

Mega Barf Alert of 2005: Scientists aim to beat flu with genetically modified chickens 29 Oct 2005 The long-term threat of an avian flu pandemic could be greatly reduced by a project to produce genetically modified chickens that can resist lethal strains of the virus. British scientists are genetically engineering chickens to protect them against the H5N1 virus, with a view to replacing stocks with birds that are not susceptible to influenza.

Army alert on bird flu 30 Oct 2005 Australian army engineers and emergency services teams could be drafted in to dispose of bodies in mass graves if the death toll from a bird flu epidemic soars. Australian health authorities are also considering introducing communal burials and mandatory cremations.

Bird flu to hit Africa within weeks: UN expert (AM Transcript) 29 Oct 2005 “ELIZABETH JACKSON: The United Nations top expert on bird flu says the fatal virus will hit Africa within weeks, and it could be the most dangerous development yet in the spread of the fatal disease. Dr Joseph Domenech from the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation is warning that Africa might not be able to contain the outbreak quickly, which could create a greater chance for the virus to jump from birds to humans.”

Vietnam has two new suspected bird flu deaths – doctor 29 Oct 2005 Vietnam, where the bird flu virus has killed more than 40 people, has two new suspected human deaths from the disease, a hospital official said on Saturday.

Senate OKs $8 bln for Rumsfeld’s vaccine company to ‘fight’ avian flu 27 Oct 2005 The U.S. Senate, increasingly concerned with the possibility of a deadly influenza pandemic, on Thursday approved nearly $8 billion to help the government stockpile vaccines and other drugs to fight [foment] the disease.

Tamiflu Gilead Chair Was … Rummy (FreeMarketNews.com) 21 Oct 2005 “…Donald Rumsfeld, until he resigned and joined the Bush Administration, was the chairman of something called Gilead which just happened to make something called Tamiflu. Now anyone who hasn’t been on Mars for the last month or two, knows that there were only two things that were going to stop the human version of bird flu. One was a bird flu vaccine (which probably would work better if you were a bird) and the other was something called Tamiflu.”

Borders would close to stop bird flu: Abbott 28 Oct 2005 Health Minister Tony Abbott says Australia would be prepared to close its borders if bird flu caused a global pandemic.

UK says two parrots had lethal flu 26 Oct 2005 The UK Government is to bring forward new regulations to combat the threat of a bird flu pandemic after it was revealed that a second parrot in quarantine probably died from the lethal strain of the disease.

Traveller may have H5N1 bird flu 26 Oct 2005 Preliminary tests conducted on a 43-year-old man who returned to the French island of Reunion after a trip to Thailand have indicated he may have the H5N1 bird flu virus, authorities have said.

Bird Flu Scam to Cost Us Plenty By John Hanchette 25 Oct 2005 “…[P]roposed legislation will strip Americans of the right to a trial by jury if they are harmed by either an experimental or licensed drug or vaccine they are forced by the government to take whenever federal health officials declare a public health emergency… “This proposed legislation,” said NVIC’s Fisher [Barbara Loe Fisher, president of the National Vaccine Information Center], “like the power and money grab by federal health officials and industry in the Homeland Security Act of 2002 and the Project Bioshield Act of 2004, is an unconstitutional attempt by some in Congress to give a taxpayer-funded handout to pharmaceutical companies for drugs and vaccines.” Further, Fisher points out, the government, under this bill, “could force all citizens to use these drugs and vaccines while absolving everyone connected from any responsibility for injuries and deaths which occur” in their wake.

Urgent CLG Action!! By Pamela “Here is the list of politicians pushing for us to face forced vaccines and forced drugging with untested/experimental drugs and vaccines giving freedom from liability to drug companies. Contact them ALL. Keep this list of these traitors for your voting records. They ALL need to go! This bill is called ‘The Biodefense and Pandemic Vaccine and Drug Development Act of 2005.’ You will find the wording under Senate Bill 1873 [S. 1873].”

Bird flu could hit U.S. next year 25 Oct 2005 Could bird flu reach North America through migrating birds? Biologists in Alaska and Canada are keeping an eye out and say it’s possible by next year.

Ministers consider bird imports ban after avian flu hits Germany 26 Oct 2005 A ban on the import of all captive birds from around the world plus a ban on all bird fairs, exhibitions and shows to protect Britain and Europe from the deadly avian flu virus is to be in place within 24 hours.

Bird flu may have been brought into UK earlier than thought 25 Oct 2005 The possibility that bird flu could already be present in Britain is being studied by Government vets who are investigating whether the potentially lethal strain contaminated a quarantine “facility” in Essex much earlier than thought.

Taiwanese slam British vets 24 Oct 2005 A top Taiwanese health official on Monday called British veterinary experts irresponsible for saying a South American parrot infected with the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu picked up the virus from Taiwanese birds in British quarantine.

Dead parrot did have killer strain of bird flu 24 Oct 2005 The first case of the H5N1 strain of bird flu, which has already killed 61 people in the Far East, has been identified in Britain.

Dead parrot bird flu is H5N1 strain 23 Oct 2005 The parrot which died in quarantine in the UK has tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has said.

Warning over ‘unique’ spread of avian flu 22 Oct 2005 The avian flu – recently arrived in the UK – which is causing chaos around the world is “unique” because of the simultaneous way in which it is spreading, a veterinary expert has warned. [LOL, ‘unique.’ Looks like the Bush bioterror team is a busy little bee, poised to start the mandatory vaccines with no legal liablity for the pharma-terrorists.]

Bird flu reaches Britain 22 Oct 2005 The first case of bird flu has been found in Britain, the Government said last night. The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs said that a parrot has died from bird flu in quarantine.

Britain reports its first case of bird flu 22 Oct 2005 Britain reported its first case of bird flu on Friday night in an imported parrot being held in quarantine.

The clock ticks on economic collapse –A pandemic is a case of ‘when, not if’, says the WHO, and global recession could follow. 22 Oct 2005 In Washington, the US government is hurriedly upgrading its estimate of the likely damage, concluding that a full avian flu outbreak could kill 1.9m Americans and cost the US economy $450billion.

Russian MP Calls Bird Flu “American Provocation” 21 Oct 2005 A deputy of the ultranationalist Liberal Democratic faction of the Russian State Duma, Aleksei Mitrofanov, has said in a parliamentary speech that bird flu was invented by Americans who wanted to dominate the world’s poultry markets.

Congress Set to Pass Law Eliminating Liability For Vaccine Injuries 19 Oct 2005 The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) is calling the “Biodefense and Pandemic Vaccine and Drug Development Act of 2005” (S. 1873), which passed out of the U.S. Senate HELP Committee one day after it was introduced “a drug company stockholder’s dream and a consumer’s worst nightmare.” …The bill establishes the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Agency (BARDA), as the single point of authority within the government for the advanced research and development of drugs and vaccines in response to bioterrorism and natural disease outbreaks such as the flu. BARDA will operate in secret, exempt from the Freedom of Information Act and the Federal Advisory Committee Act, insuring that no evidence of injuries or deaths caused by drugs and vaccines labeled as “countermeasures” will become public.

Urgent CLG Action!! By Pamela “Here is the list of politicians pushing for us to face forced vaccines and forced drugging with untested/experimental drugs and vaccines giving freedom from liability to drug companies. Contact them ALL. Keep this list of these traitors for your voting records. They ALL need to go! This bill is called ‘The Biodefense and Pandemic Vaccine and Drug Development Act of 2005.’ You will find the wording under Senate Bill 1873 [S. 1873].”

Bird flu: HK ‘may seal border’ 21 Oct 2005 One of Asia’s busiest borders might be sealed if the deadly H5N1 bird flu starts spreading from human to human, according to a media report.

Pigeons test positive to bird flu exposure 21 Oct 2005 One hundred and two pigeons exposed to the bird flu virus have been seized by Australian quarantine inspectors.

UK population to be vaccinated against pandemic flu 19 Oct 2005 Plans to vaccinate everyone in the UK against [?!?] pandemic flu once a potentially-fatal strain emerges were announced by the British government today. [How is the government *so certain* that a ‘potentially-fatal strain’ will emerge?]

Russia finds deadly strain of bird flu 19 Oct 2005 Preliminary tests on fowl from a region south of Moscow where hundreds of birds died suddenly detected a deadly strain of bird flu, Russia said Wednesday, bolstering signs that the dreaded virus might be spreading across Siberia to the Mediterranean.

EU says bird flu is ‘global threat’ 18 Oct 2005 The European Union has declared the spread of bird flu from Asia into the EU a “global threat” requiring international co-operation, saying western Europe was ill prepared to deal with an influenza emergency.

Experts say threat from virus is unprecedented 18 Oct 2005 The bird flu virus that has arrived in Europe poses an unprecedented threat, with experts warning that the number of human infections reported in Asia could be just a small proportion of the actual figure.

Bird flu reaches EU as Greece finds virus 17 Oct 2005 Greece said on Monday it had detected one turkey with bird flu on the eastern Aegean island of Chios, becoming the first EU country where the virus has spread to.

Administration mobilizes to prepare U.S. for possible pandemic 16 Oct 2005 The Bush regime is scrambling to prepare the nation for a possible global rampage by a new [synthesized] flu germ that it fears could kill nearly 2 million Americans, sicken tens of millions more and shatter the economy.

The Fear Contagion –A Flu Quarantine? No, Sir By Wendy Orent 16 Oct 2005 “A few scientists have suggested ‘priming’ people with a dose of the new vaccine against H5N1 before we even know whether a pandemic is coming… Earlier this month, he [Bush] suggested using the military to enforce a quarantine…This is an example of a cure that is as frightening as the disease. It is hard to imagine how the military would oversee a quarantined area. If a health worker, drug addict or teenager attempted to break the quarantine, what would soldiers do? Shoot on sight? …Suppose that a government official today decided to round up exposed people and move them to a space like the Superdome in New Orleans. …[D]epending on how densely packed people were, you could expect the flu strain trapped among them to increase in virulence. You’d be breeding a deadlier flu.”

Bird flu pandemic ‘will hit UK’ 16 Oct 2005 A bird flu pandemic will hit Britain – but not necessarily this winter, the chief medical officer has said. Sir Liam Donaldson said a deadly outbreak would come when a strain of bird flu mutated with human flu.

Virulent strain of bird flu ‘could kill 750,000’ 17 Oct 2005 At least 50,000 British citizens will die in the event of an avian flu pandemic, according to Sir Liam Donaldson, the Government’s chief medical officer. He also made clear yesterday that the total deaths could reach 750,000 if the strain of the flu were virulent.

Pharmas Seek Flu Vaccine Suit Shield 15 Oct 2005 In Europe, Asia, South and North America governments clamor for bird flu vaccines – and they may have them so long as the pharmaceutical companies are indemnified against lawsuits. The U.S. Senate has already approved an amendment adding $3.9 billion to a military appropriation for preparations for the expected [generated] outbreak. That money is earmarked for stockpiling medications to combat the virus, if it does occur, and also, reportedly for “immunity from lawsuits if a vaccination causes harm,” according to an article in the Washington insider publication, The Hill.

Why an exotic fruit is the world’s only weapon against bird flu 15 Oct 2005 Star anise, the unusual fruit of a small oriental tree, is sold in supermarkets in the UK to consumers seeking its pungent, liquorice-like flavour. But the herb has a vital function as the source of shikimic acid from which the drug Tamiflu is made, the only defence the world currently has against the threatened flu pandemic.

Schools to close and sport banned if bird flu hits 16 Oct 2005 The Government believes that a pandemic could kill some 700,000 people in Britain, and that it would be impossible to stop it once it reached the country. The new plans are designed merely to mitigate its worst effects and to try to stop a total breakdown of services and public order. [Can you *envision* enduring a (US-generated) bird flu pandemic, trapped in the Bush-Rumsfeld police state? The New Orleans Superdome was FEMA’s little experiment. Wait until the armed terrorists from Blackwater USA start patrolling neighborhoods in tandem with federal troops to enforce the quarantines and deportations to FEMA’s concentration camps… Lock & Load. –LRP.]

A Flu Hope, Or Horror? By Charles Krauthammer 14 Oct 2005 “…[R]elatively unnoticed was perhaps the most momentous event of our lifetime — what is left of it, as I shall explain. It was announced last week that U.S. scientists have just created a living, killing copy of the 1918 ‘Spanish’ flu. [Ok, everybody at once now… WHY???] …Why try to steal loose nukes in Russia? A nuke can only destroy a city. The flu virus, properly evolved, is potentially a destroyer of civilizations. We might have just given it to our enemies.”

Dire forecast for bird flu –Top U.S. health official: Nearly impossible to stop global [engineered] outbreak 15 Oct 2005 After wandering amid cages of birds and rabbits at an open-air market in Hanoi… and after visiting a Haiphong family sickened by bird flu, the United States’ top health official came to a grim conclusion: Preventing the start of a global flu outbreak is just about impossible.

WHO expert warns of bird flu pandemic 16 Oct 2005 The outbreak of bird flu that has now reached Europe could mutate into a human pandemic claiming millions of lives worldwide, a top influenza expert at the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.

Tests Confirm Deadly Bird Flu in Romania 15 Oct 2005 Tests have confirmed a link between the bird flu found in Romania and the deadly virus that has devastated flocks in Asia and turned up in Turkey, the European Commission said Saturday.

Romanian Bird Flu Virus Is H5N1 Type, Minister Says 15 Oct 2005 The bird flu virus found in dead poultry in eastern Romania is the H5N1 strain responsible for human deaths in Asia, Romanian Agriculture Minister Gheorghe Flutur said today.

Bird Flu Virus Resistant to Tamiflu 14 Oct 2005 Bird flu virus found in a Vietnamese girl was resistant to the main drug that’s being stockpiled in case of a pandemic, a sign that it’s important to keep a second drug on hand as well, a researcher said Friday.

Reconstructed 1918 killer flu similar to H5N1 strain 14 Oct 2005 The deadly H5N1 avian influenza virus is hitting bird populations at Europe’s easternmost borders just as new research suggests that the virus could jump to humans more easily than was first thought. A reconstruction of the strain that caused the influenza pandemic of 1918, which killed around 50 million people, shows that it shares several characteristics with H5N1. [Right, that’s because the Bush bioiterror teams reconstructed it. *Duh.*]

H5N1: Killer Bird Flu Here –Killer strain of bird flu virus has reached Europe and is in danger of infecting Britain 14 Oct 2005 The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has hit Europe and could soon reach Britain, raising fears of a killer epidemic.

Deadly strain of Asian bird flu arrives on Europe’s doorstep 14 Oct 2005 A lethal strain of bird flu that has killed 60 people in south-east Asia has appeared on the doorstep of Europe. British scientists confirmed yesterday that an outbreak of bird flu on a poultry farm in Turkey was caused by the deadly H5N1 strain of influenza.

Turkey tests 9 for bird flu as experts meet 14 Oct 2005 Turkish medical staff on Friday tested nine people for possible bird flu a day after European health officials confirmed what many had long feared — the arrival of the deadly H5N1 strain on Europe’s doorstep.

Flu Strain Isolated in Vietnamese Girl Is Resistant to Drug, Scientists Report 15 Oct 2005 Strains of avian influenza virus that are resistant to the antiflu drug Tamiflu have been isolated from a patient in Vietnam, scientists reported yesterday.

No effective vaccine for humans until first cases found 14 Oct 2005 As the experts were quick to point out yesterday, now that avian flu has arrived in Europe it is only a matter of time before bird flocks in Britain contract the virus.

And yet: Call to vaccinate a million UK children against bird flu 14 Oct 2005 Health chiefs say more than a million children in Britain must be vaccinated against [with] flu as fears grow that a deadly avian form of the disease will arrive here within weeks.

UK on alert for deadly virus 13 Oct 2005 Contingency plans have been put in place in the UK if the deadly avian flu virus spreads to the UK, the country’s chief veterinary officer said.

Bird flu warning: give jabs to those at risk 14 Oct 2005 European Union governments were urged yesterday to stockpile anti-viral drugs and offer the winter [useless] “flu shot” to as many vulnerable people as possible, after the discovery of the H5N1 strain of bird flu in Turkey was confirmed.

Bird flu reaches fringes of Europe 13 Oct 2005 The Federal Veterinary Office on Thursday reiterated that the necessary precautions were in place to prevent the spread of bird flu in Switzerland.

Bird flu in Turkey is deadly strain 13 Oct 2005 The bird flu virus discovered in Turkish poultry is the highly-pathogenic H5N1 strain that scientists worry could mutate into a human virus and spark a global flu pandemic likely to kill millions, EU authorities confirmed today.

16th H5N1 Fatality Transferred 20 Minutes Before Death (Recombinomics Commentary) 12 Oct 2005 “…In the above case, holding the patient three days at the primary facility led to his death 20 minutes after transfer. The testing procedures in Indonesia are poorly conceived for identification of H5N1 patients. The procedures are very effective at generating false negatives.”

US mulls federal troops for bird flu quarantine 12 Oct 2005 The Pentagon is looking at the possibility of using federal troops to enforce a quarantine in the event of an outbreak of pandemic bird flu in the United States, a senior official said on Wednesday. Dictator George W. Bush said last week he would consider using the military to “effect a quarantine” in response to any outbreak of avian influenza, but provided few details. [Others mull *insurrection.* We’re not going to FEMA’s concentration camps, folks.]

Experts call for creating US bird flu czar 12 Oct 2005 The United States needs a top official, backed by authority and cash, to prepare for a possible bird flu pandemic, experts said on Wednesday.

Scientists warn of possibility of drug-resistant avian flu 11 Oct 2005 US scientists warn that a drug-resistant Avian flu strain could arise with unrestrained and improper use of available drugs. The warning came as governments around the world are stockpiling [useless] antiviral drugs and the H5N1 avian flu strain threatens to break out into a flu pandemic.

U.S. airlines on guard for bird flu 12 Oct 2005 The airline industry is monitoring the burgeoning threat of bird flu but plans to wait before instituting any special precautions to guard against the spread of the disease.

Bird flu could be used as a weapon 12 Oct 2005 Counter-terrorism authorities have drawn up plans to defend Australia against terrorists spreading avian influenza. The National Counter Terrorism Committee has included the use of bird flu strain H5N1 as a weapon in possible terrorism attack scenarios, Attorney-General Philip Ruddock’s office confirmed. Australia joins the US and Canada in treating bird flu as a possible “agri-terrorism” weapon against the West. [The *US* was/is experimenting with the bird flu virus, digging up corpses from the 1918 flu virus and manipulating the virus.]

Goodbye, Posse Comitatus:

Military May Propose an Active-Duty Force for Relief Efforts 11 Oct 2005 The military’s Northern Command is developing a proposal to organize a specially trained and equipped active-duty force that could respond quickly to assist ‘relief’ efforts in the event of overwhelming natural [or, more than likely, Bush-created] disasters. The force under consideration would keep hundreds of soldiers standing by on short notice to assist National Guard soldiers.

Homeland Security to take over during flu pandemic 11 Oct 2005 If an avian flu pandemic emerges, it will fall to the Department of the Homeland Security, not the medical establishment, to manage [foment] the crisis, according to federal documents and interviews with government officials… Extreme measures jumped into the spotlight last week when Dictator Bush suggested that federal military troops — not just the National Guard — may have to be called in to enforce a quarantine. DHS officials privately acknowledge that any such forced quarantine could swiftly turn violent, with people rioting to get away from a perceived diseased area. [You can be sure of that. *NO ONE* is accepting incarceration in FEMA’s concentration camps. We all witnessed Dictator Bush’s Superdome experiment, which took place when the levees mysteriously gave way AFTER the brunt of Hurricane Katrina had passed. –LRP.]

Bird flu vaccines no guarantee in pandemic: WHO 11 Oct 2005 News Vaccine stockpiles may prove useless against an outbreak of the human form of bird flu, a UN official warned Tuesday. Current vaccines may not work against whichever mutant strain triggers the pandemic that UN officials view as inevitable, said David Nabarro, the United Nations co-ordinator for avian and human influenza. [Right, but Bush’s pharma-terrorists will make a *killing,* regardless, by spreading the disease via the deadly vaccines, loaded with mercury.]

Colombia detects 1st suspected bird flu case 12 Oct 2005 Colombian authorities said Monday they had detected the first suspected cases of bird flu in the South American country, but insisted the strain was not harmful to humans.

MSNBC Poll: Do you have confidence in the government’s response if there were to be a bird flu outbreak? *10415 responses – Yes 13% – No 87% [Poll snapshot: 02:10 EST 12 Oct 2005]

U.S Health Secretary Warns of Flu Pandemic 10 Oct 2005 The likelihood of a human flu pandemic is very high, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt warned Monday as he sought Southeast Asian cooperation to combat the spread of bird flu. [As a key operative of the Bush bioterror team, he would know. Bird flu ‘will have arrived’ on US shores the day Rove is indicted in the Plame investigation.]

“Bird Flu” Similar to Deadly 1918 Flu, Gene Study Finds 05 Oct 2005 Scientists have reconstructed the genetic code of the deadly 1918 “Spanish flu,” which swept the globe and killed an estimated 20 to 40 million people. Among their findings: The 1918 virus strain developed in birds and was similar to the “bird flu” that today has spurred fears of another worldwide epidemic. By studying the once deadly 1918 virus’s genetic information, scientists may become better able to [start] predict future pandemics, or widespread epidemics.

Resurrecting the 1918 Flu Virus –The recreation of the deadly strain of Spanish influenza is an astonishing scientific feat. 10 Oct 2005 It took a lot of digging to bring back to life the Spanish influenza virus of 1918. Some was done with invisible molecular primers in a PCR machine in Rockville. Some was done with pick and shovel in the frozen ground of Alaska… Experiments with the reborn virus [?!?] began in August at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta and have already answered some questions, which may lead to better vaccines and drugs. [No, the *experiments* will lead to Bush killing off a large percentage of the US population, invoking a full-blown police state, and grabbing (further) totalitarian powers.]

Europe on high alert over avian flu 10 Oct 2005 Europe was on high alert yesterday over a possible bird flu epidemic after fears of an outbreak of the disease in Romania and Turkey. Authorities in Germany said that they were preparing emergency measures to stop the disease from spreading, following its apparent arrival from Asia at the borders of the EU.

Indonesia says bird flu found in boy 09 Oct 2005 A 4-year-old boy has tested positive for bird flu in Indonesia, a case which if confirmed would be the sixth in the world’s fourth-most populous country, the health ministry said on Sunday.

Bush Wants Legal Documents Drafted to Justify Quarantining Thousands 08 Oct 2005 A 381-page plan developed by the Bush regime to deal with any possible outbreak of pandemic flu calls for quarantine and travel restrictions… The plan’s 10 supplements suggest specific ways that local and state governments, and hospitals and healthcare workers should prepare now for an eventual pandemic by, for instance, drafting legal documents now that would justify quarantining thousands. The plan details the responsibilities of top health officials in each phase of a spreading pandemic, starting with planning and surveillance efforts and ending with coordination with the Department of Defense. [Note: Bush’s media whores at the New York Times have already changed the article. CLG summarized the earlier version.]

Bush seizes on flu threat to press for martial law power By Bill Van Auken 07 Oct 2005 “[George W.] Bush suggested that large numbers of troops could be needed to ‘effect a quarantine,’ essentially sealing off whole cities or regions of the country in the event of an [avian flu] outbreak… Referring to the danger of a flu pandemic, Irwin Redlener, director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University, warned that the US government ‘is phenomenally not prepared for this.’ Describing Bush’s proposal as ‘extraordinarily draconian,’ Dr. Redlener added, ‘The translation of this is martial law in the United States.'”

First deadly bird flu cases suspected in Europe –H591 virus may have caused deaths of ducks in Romania, officials say 07 Oct 2005 Three domestic ducks have died of bird flu in eastern Romania, but authorities said Friday they had not confirmed whether the birds were infected by the H5N1 strain that experts are tracking for fear it could mutate and spawn a human flu pandemic.

Bird flu drugs are taking on second lives [Not to mention, a taxpayer-funded corporate-welfare boondoggle that will go unquestioned.] 07 Oct 2005 Growing fears of a global bird flu pandemic are revitalizing drugs like peramivir, a flu treatment that BioCryst Pharmaceuticals gave up on three years ago… A Japanese company, Sankyo, has developed an advanced version of Relenza that did not go beyond early clinical trials but that now, with money from Washington, was being studied as a possible avian flu treatment.

FedEx Plane Carrying Flu Virus Crashes In Winnipeg –Cessna 208 was carrying frozen influenza and herpes viruses 07 Oct 2005 A cargo plane crashed on railway tracks not far from Winnipeg’s city centre Thursday, killing the pilot but missing buildings and vehicles in the area, police said… In its cargo were six half-millilitre vials of virus samples – frozen influenza and herpes viruses – being sent to Thunder Bay for research, FedEx spokeswoman Karen Cooper said from Toronto. Although the samples were labelled dangerous goods, they were not considered hazardous at the crash site since all the cargo was destroyed in the blaze, she said [we hope]. [Federal Express. When your herpes virus absolutely, positively, has to get there overnight. –LRP]

Security fears as flu virus that killed 50 million is recreated 06 Oct 2005 Scientists have recreated the 1918 Spanish flu virus, one of the deadliest ever to emerge, to the alarm of many researchers who fear it presents a serious security risk. Undisclosed quantities of the virus are being held in a high-security government laboratory in Atlanta, Georgia, after a nine-year effort to rebuild the agent that swept the globe in record time and claimed the lives of an estimated 50 million people. [Will Bush announce that bird flu has ‘arrived on US soil’ (actually, it’s already sitting in a US bio-weapons lab) on the day the Plame investigation concludes? I predicted this on 5 July. –LRP]

Scientists resurrected 1918 flu, brought virus back to life 05 Oct 2005 Scientists who resurrected the 1918 “Spanish flu” virus that killed as many as 50 million people said on Wednesday they are beginning to understand why it caused such a deadly pandemic and say it could happen again… “We felt we had to recreate the virus and run these experiments to understand the biological properties that made the 1918 virus so exceptionally deadly,” said Terrence Tumpey of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta… The experiment, in which the virus was recreated employing a process called reverse genetics using preserved samples of the 1918 virus, allowed the researchers to test it in the laboratory and in several animals. It will help answer important questions, said Dr. Jeffery Taubenberger of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Rockville, Maryland. Taubenberger’s team used pieces of virus taken from preserved samples from 1918 victims, as well as from the corpse of a victim dug up from a frozen grave in Alaska in 1998. They used these pieces to make a replica of the 1918 virus, and brought it back to “life” — viruses are not truly alive like other microbes — by combining it with modern influenza virus pieces and growing it in bacteria. [OMFG, how blatant can they get?]

From frozen Alaska to the lab: a virus 39,000 times more virulent than flu –Tight security to prevent ‘select agent’ escaping –Publication of its genetic code raises fears of misuse [*Duh.*] 06 Oct 2005 Only a handful of scientists have security clearance to access the laboratory at 1600 Clifton Road in Atlanta, Georgia, home to the US government’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Before entering, they must pull on a protective hood, don breathing apparatus and pass through electronic fingerprint and retina scanners to prove their identity. Inside the lab lies a batch of a virus, designated a “select agent”, that more than justifies the extreme level of security. Resurrected nearly 90 years after it spread around the globe, leaving an estimated 50 million people dead, it is a replica of the 1918 Spanish flu virus.

1918 pandemic caused by bird flu, experts say –Reconstruction of the lethal virus shows it jumped directly to humans 06 Oct 2005 The 1918 influenza virus, the cause of one of history’s most deadly epidemics, has been reconstructed and found to be a bird flu that jumped directly to humans, two teams of federal and university scientists announced yesterday.

Bird flu virus ‘similar to great killer of 1918’ 06 Oct 2005 The bird flu virus sweeping South-east Asia has chilling similarities to the one that caused one of the world’s most deadly disease outbreaks, scientists revealed yesterday.

Bush Wants Army to Combat Bird Flu 06 Oct 2005 The US military might have to quarantine areas of the United States if there was a serious outbreak of the deadly avian flu, George Bush has said. The pResident said he would ask Congress to consider giving him powers to use the army if bird flu struck.

Bush wants right to use military if bird flu hits 04 Oct 2005 Dictator George W. Bush asked Congress on Tuesday to consider giving him powers to use the military to enforce quarantines in case of an avian influenza epidemic. [This is why CLG has been busy as a bee, working on this page: http://www.legitgov.org/flu_oddities.html. Pay particular attention to the article which reveals that researchers went to the UK in 2004 to exhume a body from the 1918 flu pandemic. And, no one asked ‘Why.’]

Bush proposes using military to enforce quarantines where avian flu breaks out 04 Oct 2005 Dictator George W. Bush said Tuesday that any part of the country where the avian flu breaks out could likely be quarantined, and he’s considering using the military to enforce it. [Right. New Orleans and the FEMA camps were the ‘dry run.’ They are going full-court press soon, the day the Plame investigation concludes.]

N.H. officials training for possible flu pandemic 04 Oct 2005 In New Hampshire, public health officials begin training sessions Wednesday on the roles and responsibilities of police, the courts, prisons and public health in handling an outbreak, and any quarantine that might be imposed. Public Health spokesman Greg Moore said so many jurisdictions would be involved because public health would have to issue a quarantine order, which could be appealed to the courts. Those who don’t comply could be jailed. [Oh, the courts. Yeah, the ‘courts’ are sure going to help. LOL! Bush just installed Damien Thorn as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and a silent sicko is warming up in the bullpen. Do you really think Bush’s *personal lawyer* – with twenty years of loyal service to (and obsession with) Bush – is going to rule against *any* of his edicts? Gag me with a chainsaw! Everybody needs to start worshipping Amendment #2. And I mean *everybody* and I mean *now* – while we still can. –Lori Price]

Tularemia agent found in DC air 03 Oct 2005 In a Sep 30 message to health agencies, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said environmental air monitors in the Capitol Mall [Sep 24, 25] “signaled the low level presence of Francisella tularensis,” the bacterium that causes tularemia. The microbe is one of the six agents considered most likely to be used by [Bush’s] terrorists as a biological weapon.

Did Bush administration attack peace movement with military grade biological bacteria? By Bob Fitrakis 04 Oct 2005 “What do we make of the Saturday, October 1 Washington Post headline ‘Poison Found in Air During Anti-War Protest’? …Coincidence theorists. You gotta love ‘em and their great faith in believing in the statistically improbable occurrence of events, rather than an alternative hypothesis: that friends of Bush (FOBs) planted the tularemia bacteria, just as most likely sent anthrax to Democratic senators and the media.”

CDC locks up flu data 03 Oct 2005 Amid growing concerns that avian influenza will develop into a deadly pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is under fire by some in the scientific community for hoarding data crucial for vaccine development. The allegations come as CDC has issued new and controversial rules on what data, documents and other information it will — and will not — share with the public. Open government advocates are critical of the CDC’s “Information Security” manual, the 34-page document that gives officials 19 categories to shield data from public scrutiny without obtaining a “secret” classification.

Concern grows over secrecy at CDC 03 Oct 2005 Scientists are accusing the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of hoarding crucial data that could help vaccinations at a time when there is growing concern about a possible influenza pandemic. The nation’s disease control center is also under fire from open-government advocates for recently issuing a guide on how to keep data, documents and information from public inspection.

Bird flu jumps transmission barrier in humans 01 Oct 2005 Bird flu has broken the transmission barrier and jumped from human to human, according to the World Health Organisation. Most cases have been bird to human but transmission between people increases fears of a global pandemic.

Colo. prairie dogs hit with bubonic plague 29 Sep 2005 Health officials have issued a warning concerning bubonic plague-infected prairie dogs in the Boulder, Colo., area.

Rare Germ Found in D.C. on Sept. 24, 25 (DC Protest Days) Tularemia Is Highly Infectious; Can Cause Pneumonia and Systemic Infection 30 Sep 2005 A relatively rare biological agent has been detected in air filters serving Washington D.C. in recent weeks, ABC News has learned — but current evidence does not show any indication whatsoever of terrorism [?!?]. The federal government found six air filters around the nation’s capital checked on Sept. 24 and 25 contained “trace amounts” of tularemia, a type of bacteria. No additional traces have been detected since Sept. 24 and 25. [Gee, how blatant can they get? We need to start fighting back. Tolerating their terrorism is becoming the greater crime. –Lori Price.]

Biohazard Sensors Triggered 01 Oct 2005 Biohazard sensors showed the presence of small amounts of potentially dangerous tularemia bacteria in the Mall area last weekend as huge crowds assembled there, but health officials said they believed the levels were too low to be a threat. Health authorities in the Washington area were notified yesterday that the bacteria were found in and near the area between the U.S. Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial, where crowds gathered Saturday for an antiwar rally and a book festival.

Pandemic ‘could kill 150m people’ 30 Sep 2005 A leading United Nations official has warned there could be a new influenza outbreak at any time which could kill up to 150 million people.

50 Indonesia bird flu cases suspected 29 Sep 2005 Indonesia faces more than 50 suspected cases of deadly bird flu, Indonesian health ministry officials said on Thursday, while lowering their figure on deaths from the disease to five from an earlier estimate of six.

Senate approves $4 bln to fight bird flu 29 Sep 2005 The Senate passed legislation on Thursday to add $4 billion to the U.S. fight ‘against’ deadly avian flu by stocking up on anti-viral drugs and increasing global surveillance of the disease.

50 Indonesia bird flu cases suspected 29 Sep 2005 Indonesia faces more than 50 suspected cases of deadly bird flu, Indonesian health ministry officials said on Thursday, while lowering their figure on deaths from the disease to five from an earlier estimate of six.

Avian Influenza A (H5N1) Infection in Humans –The Writing Committee of the World Health Organization (WHO) Consultation on Human Influenza A/H5 (The New England Journal of Medicine) 29 Sep 2005 “An unprecedented epizootic avian influenza A (H5N1) virus that is highly pathogenic has crossed the species barrier in Asia to cause many human fatalities and poses an increasing pandemic threat.”

Unease over bird flu pecking order 29 Sep 2005 (AU) The Federal Government should roll back the “culture of secrecy” surrounding how life-saving drugs will be rationed in the event of a bird flu pandemic, Labor says.

Bird flu: 54 Indonesians ill 28 Sep 2005 At least 54 people were being treated on Wednesday for suspected bird flu in Indonesia, where the disease had already claimed six lives, said officials.

Fifth Indonesian dies of bird flu – hospital official 26 Sep 2005 A fifth Indonesian has died of bird flu, a hospital official said, one week after the country declared it was facing an ‘extraordinary’ outbreak of the virus.

Growing bird flu fear sparks alert 24 Sep 2005 The Torres Strait and Cape York have been put on high alert for deadly bird flu ahead of widespread testing of migratory birds in the region.

Tourists warned about bird flu deaths 24 Sep 2005 Health officials in Indonesia have warned that the country could face a bird flu epidemic after the deaths this week of two girls suspected of contracting the disease.

A New Deadly, Contagious Dog Flu Virus Is Detected in 7 States 22 Sep 2005 A new, highly contagious and sometimes deadly canine flu is spreading in kennels and at dog tracks around the country, veterinarians said yesterday.

Indonesia says 16 under observation for bird flu 23 Sep 2005 The number of Indonesians under observation for bird flu symptoms has risen to 16, the Health Ministry said on Friday, but added that tests confirmed a five-year-old girl who died this week did not have the virus.

Indonesia Braces for Bird Flu Epidemic –Health Minister Issues Warning as Two More Suspected Cases End in Death 22 Sep 2005 Indonesia’s health minister warned Wednesday that the country could face a bird flu epidemic if the number of suspected cases of the virus continued to mount.

Ten under bird flu watch in Indonesia hospital 22 Sep 2005 Indonesian doctors are observing 10 patients with bird flu-like symptoms, a senior health official said on Thursday, amid fears a deadly avian influenza outbreak is spreading.

Deaths spark epidemic fears 22 Sep 2005 The suspected bird flu deaths of two young girls in Jakarta has set off a flurry of political activity. Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari called the re-emergence of bird flu “a sporadic epidemic”, adding to concerns that the virus could mutate into a deadly human-to-human form.

World has slim chance to stop flu pandemic 20 Sep 2005 The initial outbreak of what could explode into a bird flu pandemic may affect only a few people, but the world will have just weeks to contain the deadly virus before it spreads and kills millions.

Bird flu epidemic could kill millions worldwide: experts 18 Sep 2005 Millions of people could die around the world if bird flu spreads out of control, and most countries are totally unprepared for such an event, the UN’s World Health Organisation says. [No worries – FEMA will take care of us. *NOT.*]

Two more human bird flu cases suspected in Indonesia as Jakarta closes zoo 18 Sep 2005 Two more Indonesian children are suspected of having been infected with bird flu as authorities closed the Jakarta zoo after 19 birds there were found to be carrying the deadly virus, officials said.

Bird flu’s human transmission high on agenda at WHO meeting 18 Sep 2005 Stemming a possible deadly outbreak of bird flu in humans will be high on the agenda during a World Health Organization meeting this week in the South Pacific nation of New Caledonia.

Avian Flu: Is the Government Ready for an Epidemic? 16 Sep 2005 Already, officials in London are quietly looking for extra morgue space to house the victims of the H5N1 virus, a never-before-seen strain of flu. Scientists say this virus could pose a far greater threat than smallpox, AIDS or anthrax.

Oops! Mice infected with deadly plague are missing in N.J. 15 Sep 2005 Authorities are searching for three mice infected with bubonic plague that disappeared from a research laboratory about two weeks ago. The mice went missing from the lab of the Public Health Research Institute, which is located on the UMDNJ campus and conducts bioterrorism research for the federal government. [Oh, I’m sure they’ll emerge in a Blue state pretty soon.]

Australia joins global fight against bird flu 16 Sep 2005 Australia has joined a new international partnership set up by the United States to try to ‘prevent’ [foment] an avian flu pandemic.

U.S. Buys $100 Million of Bird Flu Vaccine 15 Sep 2005 Mass production of a new vaccine that promises to protect against bird flu is poised to begin, as the government on Thursday agreed to stockpile $100 million worth of inoculations. The new contract with French vaccine maker Sanofi-Pasteur marks a major scale-up in U.S. preparation for the possibility that the virus could spark an influenza pandemic.

Indonesia Reports 4th Human Bird Flu Death 15 Sep 2005 Indonesia on Friday confirmed its fourth human death from the bird flu virus, and warned that more cases in the sprawling country were inevitable.

Warnings on bird flu pandemic 14 Sep 2005 A bird flu pandemic in Australia could be more deadly for the nation than almost any sort of terrorist attack, Health Minister Tony Abbott has warned.

Europe races to shore up bird flu defences 12 Sep 2005 Europe is racing to bolster its defences against bird flu, fearing it could be winging its way to the continent with migrating wildfowl via countries too poor to check its spread.

First bird flu death in Jakarta 13 Sep 2005 An Indonesian woman is almost certainly the first known bird flu fatality in densely populated Jakarta…

Police focus on bird flu and disasters 12 Sep 2005 Being prepared to manage a crisis such as bird flu or natural disasters are areas police must see they have proper skills for, says (Fiji) Police Commissioner Andrew Hughes. The conference will see the adoption of a Pacific framework for natural disasters where police form a regional network where help can be procured when any big natural [or Bush-engendered] disaster strikes anywhere in the region.

Indonesian authorities suspect bird flu outbreak 12 Sep 2005 Health officials in Jakarta suspect there has been another deadly outbreak of bird flu in the Indonesian capital. Preliminary tests show a woman who died in hospital overnight was infected by the H5N1 virus which killed three others in the city two months ago.

“Very strange bird flu” or is bird flu – American bio-weapon? By Vladimir Ivanov 22 Aug 2005 “In view of all this the fact of unexpected even for US allies refusal in 2001 by the administration of George Bush to sign the draft of new multilateral agreement on toughening the prohibition of bacteriological weapons, already signed by 140 countries, must not be ignored. And in 2002 the group of prominent scientists-microbiologists of the USA and England publicly accused authorities of the USA of development of the new generation bacteriological weapons, in particular special cluster bombs which represents a gross violation of international agreements.”

Bird flu pandemic inevitable, says WHO 08 Sep 2005 The World Health Organisation (WHO) yesterday warned that a pandemic of the bird flu strain lethal to humans is inevitable, and would likely kill between one and seven million people worldwide, Reuters reports. [We really need to eliminate the Bush regime before bird flu ‘mysteriously’ arrives, as a Weapon of Mass Distraction for Bush’s Katrina and Iraq. Outside of forced quarantines and utilizing FEMA’s concentration camps on a grand scale, I really can’t foresee any other actions that Bush and Halliburton will take during the pandemic. –Lori Price]

Bird flu pandemic a question of when, not if -WHO 07 Sep 2005 The world is going to face a pandemic of the bird flu strain lethal to humans and Thailand is the only nation in South and Southeast Asia ready to deal with it, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Wednesday.

Europe races to shore up bird flu defences 06 Sep 2005 Europe is racing to bolster its defences against bird flu, fearing it could be winging its way to the continent with migrating wildfowl via countries too poor to check its spread.

Bird flu confirmed in 45 Russian villages — report 05 Sep 2005 The bird flu virus has been confirmed in 45 Russian villages, and 80 villages are still being tested for the virus as of September 5, Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Inspection reported Monday.

Bird flu risks spreading to Europe 05 Sep 2005 The bird flu virus that had leapt to Russia and Kazakhstan after causing deaths and huge economic losses in Asia risked spreading further, borne by migratory birds criss-crossing the globe, experts said today. Wild birds are widely credited with spreading avian influenza far beyond its epicentre in the backyard farms of Asia, where the mingling of species gives virologists nightmares about the risk of mutation into a far deadlier form.

Nations on alert as bird flu likely to spread around globe 01 Sep 2005 The bird flu virus that has hit several Asian countries is likely to spread to Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, the U.N. food agency warned on Wednesday, urging nations at risk to step up surveillance and prepare emergency plans.

U.N. warns deadly bird flu is likely to migrate west 01 Sep 2005 The bird flu virus that has hit several Asian countries is likely to spread to Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization warned Wednesday, urging nations at risk to step up surveillance and prepare national emergency plans.

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France reinforces defences against bird flu 30 Aug 2005 France said on Tuesday it would toughen defences against the potential arrival of bird flu in the country, reinforcing checks at airports and building stockpiles of vaccines in the event of a human pandemic.

Ministers leave ‘2m lives at risk from bird flu’ –University professor accuses government of creating ‘new BSE’ in bird flu –Professor dismisses government claims that bird flu threat to UK is remote — 29 Aug 2005 Government complacency over the risk of the Asian bird flu epidemic reaching Britain is endangering the lives of up to two million people, according to Professor Hugh Pennington. The emeritus professor of microbiology at Aberdeen University, who is Britain’s leading expert on the H5N1 sub-virus, yesterday accused health officials of creating “the new BSE”.

Suspected bird flu hits Finnish gulls 28 Aug 2005 Finland reported Friday its first case of bird flu, found in gulls in the northwest of the country, but said the strain did not carry any risks for humans.

Britain’s elite get pills to survive bird flu 28 Aug 2005 Members of Britain’s elite have been selected as priority cases to receive scarce pills and vaccinations at the taxpayers’ expense if the country is hit by a deadly bird flu outbreak. Workers at the BBC and prominent politicians — such as cabinet ministers — would be offered protection from the virus.

Deadly flu: ‘The only question is when’ –Avian’s arrival called inevitable Experts fear global pandemic –Not if, but when for outbreak of disease: Experts Avian flu virus is possible candidate for global infection 27 Aug 2005 The deadly avian flu virus is slowly but surely making its way around the world.

Possible Case of Bird Flu First in Finland 26 Aug 2005 Finnish authorities said Friday they had found a suspected case of bird flu in the north of the country. An Agriculture Ministry official said it was unlikely to be a case of the H5N1 strain, which scientists fear might spark a human pandemic.

Bird Flu: Intensified Checks At Fiumicino 27 Aug 2005 The morning after the urgent order signed by Health Minister, Francesco Storace, checks on passengers and baggage have been intensified at Fiumicino for passengers coming from (China, Russia, and now also Finland), for bird flu, HSN1.

Bird Flu Spreads to New Species 26 Aug 2005 Bird flu has killed three rare civets born in captivity at a national park in Vietnam, marking the first time the virus has been reported in the species, officials said Friday.

Bird Flu Discovered in Vietnamese Civet Cats 27 Aug 2005 Bird flu has killed three rare civet cats at a national park in Vietnam, officials said Friday, the first time the virus has been reported in the species. The Owston civets died in late June at Cuc Phuong National Park, about 75 miles south of Hanoi.

Fears grow over arrival of bird flu in UK 26 Aug 2005 Britain’s public health experts are losing sleep over the threat posed by bird flu to Britain’s health and economy, one of them revealed yesterday.

Spread of bird flu virus is a ‘national emergency’ 25 Aug 2005 Veterinary experts from across Europe are meeting today to develop a strategy to stop the spread of a deadly strain of avian flu, which one British scientist has declared a national emergency.

Avian flu “undoubtedly” will hit UK 25 Aug 2005 Avian flu will “undoubtedly” be carried to Britain by migrating birds, the president of the British Veterinary Association warned today.

Britain on alert as bird flu heads towards Europe 25 Aug 2005 Britain is to begin testing wild birds for avian flu as EU officials meet today to discuss the growing health threat from a deadly strain of the virus. Scientists fear that a lethal form of bird flu that can infect humans may be brought into the country this autumn by migrating waterfowl.

Bird Flu Again Detected in Japan Poultry –Bird Flu Again Detected in Japanese Poultry, Agriculture Ministry Says 22 Aug 2005 Authorities have detected another outbreak of bird flu at a poultry farm near Tokyo, the Agriculture Ministry said Monday.

Flu measures urged for UK 22 Aug 2005 The government is under pressure to bring in emergency measures to protect poultry in this country from bird flu.

Lock Up Your Chickens [LOL!!] 23 Aug 2005 Warning as bird flu spreads west –Britain’s chickens should be kept indoors to stop them catching bird flu, it was claimed yesterday. The warning came as Holland told farmers to move their flocks inside – with Germany set to follow next month. A strain of the H5N1 virus – which infects poultry and has been linked to the deaths of 57 people – has spread into Russia and could soon reach Europe.

Airport guards against bird flu 20 Aug 2005 The Rome-Fiumicino international airport has begun implementing precautionary measures involving passengers and merchandise originating from regions affected by bird flu, the airport said on Saturday. Passengers travelling to the Rome airport from China or Russia may be immediately hospitalised in an infectious diseases clinic if they shows signs of respiratory problems, airport authorities said in a statement.

Flight H5N1 is approaching Britain. Brace for impact 21 Aug 2005 Some scientists are already drawing parallels with the so-called Spanish Flu outbreak of 1918, in which another bird flu virus – code-named H1N1 – hit the right genetic combination needed to trigger human-to-human transmission. The resulting pandemic led to at least 20 million deaths, double the number of people killed in the First World War. “The population is higher now, so we could be talking about 100 million deaths or more,” says Prof Neil Ferguson, an expert on virus epidemics at Imperial College, London. “The 1918 scenario is within what people should be planning for.”

Migrating birds could bring deadly flu to UK this winter 21 Aug 2005 Migratory ducks and waders could bring bird flu to Britain this winter, experts have warned, after the disease was found in wild flocks in Russia.

Bird Flu Suspected at Big Russian Farm –Presence of Deadly Virus, if Verified, Would Be the Nation’s Biggest Outbreak 21 Aug 2005 Russian officials have quarantined a large poultry farm in Siberia because of a suspected outbreak of bird flu, news reports said Saturday. If confirmed, it would be the first major occurrence of the lethal virus among birds in Russia, and international health officials expressed concern that the disease had spread closer to Western Europe.

Bird flu virus: A crisis waiting to explode It is spreading fast and nations are stockpiling antidotes 20 Aug 2005 Health experts claim bird flu is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. Initially, it was seen as a few isolated cases in South-East Asia, may now be the beginnings of a global pandemic.

‘Bird flu may cause global economic mayhem’ [We’ve got Bush already doing that] 19 Aug 2005 Canadian financial analysts predicted that an avian flu pandemic would have dire consequences on the global economy, its impact comparable to the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Progress of bird flu across Russia tracked by European scientists 19 Aug 2005 A highly infectious form of bird flu which appears to be moving westwards across Russia towards Europe is being tracked by teams of scientists in Germany and the Netherlands.

Germany considering measures to prevent bird flu 18 Aug 2005 Germany is considering special measures to prevent bird flu entering the country, Agriculture and Consumer Protection Minister Renate Kuenast said on Thursday.

Bird flu case detected at chicken farm in east Japan 18 Aug 2005 Chickens at a farm in Konosu, Tokyo’s neighboring Saitama Prefecture in east Japan, have tested positive for bird flu virus, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said Thursday.

Russia: Bird flu deadly to humans 16 Aug 2005 Russia says an outbreak of bird flu in Chelyabinsk is dangerous to humans, as teams of sanitary workers destroy birds in Siberia in an attempt to prevent the westward spread of the deadly virus.

Dutch told to keep birds indoors over fear of flu 16 Aug 2005 Dutch farmers are being ordered to keep poultry indoors in the toughest measures yet imposed by a European Union country against bird flu.

Deadly bird flu virus is closing in on Europe 16 Aug 2005 An outbreak of avian flu among wild and domestic birds in Russia is spreading west and starting to approach Europe, public health officials said yesterday.

World on alert as bird flu reaches the Urals 16 Aug 2005 Russia warned the world yesterday that migrating birds could export the bird flu virus to Europe and the Middle East within months.

Russia says bird flu may spread to Europe 15 Aug 2005 Russia, which is scrambling to contain a bird flu outbreak in Siberia, warned the world on Monday that migrating birds may export the deadly virus to Europe and the Middle East in coming months.

Bird flu may spread to southern Russia – physician 15 Aug 2005 Bird flu may spread to the Astrakhan, Rostov and Volgograd regions, Stavropol and Krasnodar territories in southern Russia this fall, the country’s chief sanitary doctor said Monday.

Bird-flu pandemic just ‘plane ride away’ –Officials watch state for signs of outbreak 14 Aug 2005 Though avian flu has been confined to Asia so far, public health officials in Washington state are taking the threat seriously. They’re preparing for the worst even as the Bush regime has proposed cuts in federal funding for agencies already cash-strapped because of ‘bioterrorism responsibilities’ in the wake of Sept. 11.

Asian doctors attack western hoarding of key bird flu vaccine 12 Aug 2005 Doctors in Asia fear western countries will grab the lion’s share of vaccines and other drugs needed to fight an avian flu pandemic.

WHO Warns Global Bird Flu Pandemic 11 Aug 2005 A World Health Organisation official warned of a possible global bird flu pandemic on Thursday, and urged governments and health workers around the world to prepare for a possible worst-case scenario.

Deadly bird flu strain spreads in Kazakhstan 11 Aug 2005 A deadly strain of avian influenza that can infect humans has spread to three more Kazakh villages, a senior official at the Central Asian state’s Agriculture Ministry told Reuters on Thursday.

Bird flu virus found in Kazakhstan could kill humans 11 Aug 2005 The recent bird flu outbreak found close to Kazakhstan’s northern border with Russia was caused by the deadly H5N1 strain that can be transmitted to humans, a statement by Kazakhstan’s Agricultural Ministry read on Thursday.

Britain prepares for bird flu death toll of thousands 07 Aug 2005 The government is to mount an exercise to help emergency services prepare for any potential bird flu pandemic that could kill thousands of people in Britain. Estimates of deaths in the first six weeks of the outbreak range from 20,000 up to 710,000, after which the disease would begin to subside… Officials are looking for sites for mass mortuaries.

A Successful Vaccine Alone Is Not Enough to Prevent Avian Flu Epidemic 07 Aug 2005 Health officials, who over the weekend announced success in an initial test of a human vaccine against avian influenza, cautioned Sunday that the existence of a vaccine in itself would not be enough to avert a worldwide pandemic. [Dictator Bush will *still* give billions to the pharma-terrorists.]

U.S. to order millions of bird flu vaccine doses –Government says mass distribution of drug could start by mid-September 08 Aug 2005 The government is optimistic about a new vaccine to protect against [sic – *foment*] an outbreak of potentially deadly avian flu, and distribution could start as soon as mid-September, a senior federal health official says.

Europeans warned as bird flu heads west 06 Aug 2005 Russian authorities, struggling to contain an outbreak of avian flu that has killed thousands of birds in Siberia, have admitted that a spread of the virus into Europe seems inevitable.

Russia finds more bird flu cases 06 Aug 2005 Russian authorities say they have found evidence of the bird flu virus in two more regions of the country. The disease has been confirmed in wildfowl in the regions of Kurgan and Omsk.

Bird Flu Spreads to Another Russian Region 02 Aug 2005 Russian veterinary officials said Tuesday that an outbreak of an avian flu strain that can infect humans has spread to another region in Siberia, while authorities were struggling to contain the virus.

Man hospitalized with bird flu symptoms in Kazakhstan 31 Jul 2005 A 20-year-old man showing bird flu symptoms has been hospitalized in Kazakhstan’s Pavlodar region, where 600 domestic geese died between July 20 and July 30 as a result of an outbreak of the disease in the area.

Bird flu moves towards Europe –Migratory birds may have caused outbreaks in Russia and Kazakhstan. 01 Aug 2005 The H5NI avian influenza virus has broken out in poultry flocks in Russia and in Kazakhstan, where a suspected human case is also being investigated.

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WHO baffled as pig-disease toll rises –The World Health Organization suggested that the rarely seen bacterium may have mutated if it was indeed responsible for the death toll in China, now up to 31 29 Jul 2005 A mysterious pig-borne disease has spread to six more towns in southwest China and the number of people killed has risen to 31, the Chinese government said yesterday as it scrambled to reassure the public.

Russia: Outbreak of Bird Flu Confirmed In Siberia 27 Jul 2005 Russia’s chief epidemiologist, Gennadii Onishchenko, confirmed at a Moscow news conference on 25 July what had been suspected for several days: the first cases of bird flu ever recorded have now hit Russia… Authorities say the virus was probably brought to Russia by migratory birds from Asia.

After bird flu, pig bug human toll rises to 24 27 Jul 2005 The death toll from infection with a bacteria commonly found in pigs has reportedly risen to at least 24, with 21 people in critical condition and nearly 40 new cases in south western China’s Sichuan province.

Killer flu linked to bird feces 26 Jul 2005 Three family members who died of bird flu earlier this month were infected by chicken droppings that contained the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus, Indonesia’s agriculture ministry has said.

Health experts still bracing for deadlier bird flu strain 26 Jul 2005 Medical experts are bracing for a new and deadlier virus mutating from bird flu and the common human influenza, according to a top official of the Department of Health.

Mystery Chinese disease toll now 17 25 Jul 2005 death toll from an unidentified disease has risen to 17 with 41 other people affected in southwest China’s Sichuan province, state media said overnight.

Bird Flu Deaths Sow Panic In Wealthy Jakarta Suburb –Officials Have Not Found Source of Outbreak 25 Jul 2005 When Iwan Siswara Rafei, a government auditor, and his two young daughters died suddenly this month, there was panic in their middle-class suburb along with reports that they were Indonesia’s first casualties of bird flu.

Unknown Illness Kills Nine Chinese Farmers –Deaths Could Be Linked to Outbreaks of Bird Flu in Nine Asian Countries 24 Jul 2005 An unidentified disease has killed nine farmers and sickened 11 others in a rural part of China’s western Sichuan province, prompting the government to dispatch an emergency team of researchers to investigate whether the deaths are related to bird flu, a Health Ministry spokesman said Saturday.

Massive flu outbreak could happen at any moment, WHO warns 22 Jul 2005 The world could at any time be faced with a massive flu outbreak like those in 1918 or 1968 that killed tens of millions of people, the World Health Organization warned, urging countries to be prepared.

Signs point to global influenza outbreak–WHO warning 22 Jul 2005 Indonesia’s first human bird flu case, coupled with more birds dying elsewhere including Russia, are signs a long-dreaded global influenza pandemic may be approaching, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday.

Indonesia on alert after bird flu deaths 22 Jul 2005 Indonesia is preparing 44 hospitals across the archipelago for treatment and detection of bird flu after the country recorded its first deaths from the virus.

Evolving Catastrophic H5N1 Bird Flu Pandemic in 2005 (Recombinomics Commentary) 17 Jul 2005 “The latest boxun report describes 10 strains of H5N1 circulating in China. Eight of the ten have some evidence for human infections, but there is no direct independent confirmation of the data. The data suggest that the 2005 pandemic is well underway and a wide range of catastrophic events will continue to make news. The report also suggests H5N1 in China is diverse and evolving, expanding a trend that will likely culminate in an event that may make the 1918 flu pandemic look tame.”

Bird flu a national security issue, Rudd says 16 Jul Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd (AU) says avian influenza represents a national security challenge. He says he agrees with world health experts who say the bird flu will cause a pandemic if it mutates, allowing human to human transmission.

Fresh fears over spread of bird flu 16 Jul 2005 A man and his two daughters have died of suspected bird flu in Indonesia, and initial investigations showed they had no contact with poultry, raising concerns of possible human-to-human transmission.

‘No defence against bird flu’ 14 Jul 2005 Assurances from South Africa’s Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang that South Africa has well advanced plans to contain a bird flu outbreak are not backed up by the facts, says official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) spokesperson Diane Kohler-Barnard.

Vietnam bird flu toll hits 40, more infected 14 Jul 2005 Bird flu has killed another Vietnamese and infected three more, taking the country’s toll to 40 — half of them killed since the H5N1 virus returned in December, the media reported on Thursday.

Defense Logistics Agency Spends $58m on Tamiflu 12 Jul 2005 –Roche Laboratories Inc., Nutley, N.J., is being awarded a maximum $58,000,000 firm fixed price contract for Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps for Oseltamivir Phosphate Capsules [Tamiflu, which is used to treat Avian flu]. This is a requirements contract with a base year and one option period. Performance completion date is Feb. 28, 2006.

Killer bird flu virus erupts again in Thailand 11 Jul 2005 The deadly bird flu virus which has killed 55 Asians has erupted again in Thailand despite a major campaign to eradicate it, the government said on Monday.

Japan finds fresh case of bird flu 11 Jul 2005 A fresh case of bird flu has been confirmed on a chicken farm neighbouring earlier outbreaks discovered in eastern Japan late last month, a local government official said on Monday.

Bird flu could spread to Europe, say scientists 09 Jul 2005 A virulent outbreak of avian flu among migrating geese at a wildlife refuge in China has raised fears that the disease could spread to India and Europe, according to studies published this week by the journals Science and Nature.

Flu virus confirmed in migratory birds 07 Jul 2005 China has confirmed the deadly avian flu virus was found for the first time in migratory birds, raising fears the disease could spread to other regions.

Bird flu ‘global threat’ 08 Jul 2005 Asia’s bird flu may be poised to spread through migrating birds to India, Australia, New Zealand and eventually on to Europe, scientists warned yesterday.

Bird flu: World is on the edge 05 Jul 2005 Asia’s bird flu outbreak is at a critical stage where it could easily become a human pandemic, health experts warned yesterday, urging mass poultry vaccinations to prevent a crisis.

Bird flu pandemic ‘just a matter of time’; nations must be better prepared-WHO 06 Jul 2005 A World Health Organization (WHO) scientist said it is ‘probably just a matter of time’ before a bird flu pandemic breaks out among humans.

Health Experts at Bird Flu Summit Call for Urgent Measures 04 Jul 2005 Health and animal experts Monday called for the mass vaccination of poultry in Asia to stop the spread of the virulent H5N1 bird flu virus, which has claimed dozens of human lives in the region.

Experts to plan bird flu strategy 04 Jul 2005 Health, food and animal experts plan to hammer out a strategy this week to ensure that the bird flu virus does not spread from humans to humans — a possibility that has raised fears of an influenza.

U.S. bird flu effort lags, Congress told 01 Jul 2005 Although avian flu may be only “a few mutations away” from becoming a pandemic that could kill 500,000 Americans, the United States lags behind other countries in planning for the disease, health officials told Congress on Thursday.

Japan detects new bird flu outbreak 01 Jul 2005 Another outbreak of bird flu, H5N2 strain, has been found near a farm proven infected earlier this week, the Ibaraki prefecture authorities announced on July 1.

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Vietnam confirms 60 bird flu patients 28 Jun 2005 Vietnam Health Ministry on Monday confirmed 60 human bird flu cases in the country in the latest outbreak since late December 2004, including 18 fatalities, local Tuoi Tre newspaper reported.

Bird Flu Outbreak in Japan 27 Jun 2005 Bird flu has been detected in chickens at a farm in north-eastern Japan, and restrictions have been imposed on shipments of poultry and eggs from the area, the government said yesterday.

Bird flu virus detected in Japan 27 Jun 2005 The H5N2-type avian influenza virus has been detected in chickens at a poultry farm in Mitsukaido, east Japan’s Ibaraki Prefecture.

Bird flu ‘as grave a threat as terrorism’ 26 Jun 2005 Bird flu is now as much of a danger to Britain as terrorism, ministers have been told by the Government’s official emergency body. Plans are being made to close schools and cancel sporting fixtures in an attempt to limit the spread of the virus, and official advice on how to try to avoid being infected will be ready for publication this summer. [Looks like the deaths of the forty-plus microbiologists (since 9/11) are about to pay off big-time for the Bush junta: the quarantines and the tag-along full-blown police state, all managed by Vice President Bill Frist. Bush’s approval rating for the Iraq war just hit 28% in California… even Rove and Diebold can’t pull this one out of the sewer. When the (‘expected’) avian flu pandemic hits, do you think we will all be sitting around, discussing the Downing Street Memo? Bush now needs his bioterror chickens to come home to roost. Remember, you read it here first. –Lori Price]

Chance of bird flu between humans increases-Vietnam 25 Jun 2005 Vietnam’s agriculture ministry was quoted as saying on Saturday that the mutation of a bird flu virus was increasing the infection possibility between humans. State-run media cited a ministry report as saying laboratory test results overseas and at home showed the antigen structure of the virus is changing.

Flu pandemic could kill half million in U.S.-report 24 Jun 2005 Half a million Americans could die and more than 2 million could end up in the hospital with serious complications if an even moderately severe strain of a pandemic flu hits, a report predicted on Friday.

Pandemic could create serious and sustained food shortages, expert warns 20 Jun 2005 An influenza pandemic would dramatically disrupt the processing and distribution of food supplies across the world, emptying grocery store shelves and creating crippling shortages for months, an expert warned Thursday.

Indonesia says has 50 polio cases, one bird flu 20 Jun 2005 Indonesia has found 50 polio cases since the disease re-emerged in the country last month [right along with the presence of the US], and one human carrier of the bird flu virus after an outbreak hit the nation’s fowl in March, the health minister said on Monday.

Oops! It’s dead scientist #78… Russian Investigators Probe Biological Weapons Link to Hepatitis Outbreak 09 Jun 2005 An investigation is checking whether the mass outbreak of hepatitis A in the Tver region near Moscow could be linked to the biological weapons sector. At the moment 363 people are in hospital, NewsRu.Com reported Thursday. Some newspapers have linked the outbreak to the recent murder of Russia’s leading specialist in bio weapons. Some sources link Wednesday’s murder of Anti-Microbe Therapy Institute director Leonid Strachunsky, who specialized in creating microbes resistant to biological weapons, to the hepatitis outbreak, NewsRu.Com added. [See: Steve Quayle’s List of Dead Scientists.]

Bird Flu Drug Rendered Useless 18 Jun 2005 Chinese farmers, acting with the approval and encouragement of government officials, have tried to suppress major bird flu outbreaks among chickens with an antiviral drug meant for humans, animal health experts said. International researchers now conclude that this is why the drug will no longer protect people in case of a worldwide bird flu epidemic.

Where they’ll bury us if bird flu hits Bay 18 Jun 2005 Burial grounds have been earmarked in Hawke’s Bay (NZ) for a deadly flu epidemic that could kill thousands of the region’s people. The nightmare scenario is part of health authorities’ planning for an event they say is “a matter of when – not if”. The first suspected case of human-to-human transmission of bird flu was reported in Vietnam two weeks ago.

Vietnamese bird flu doctor has bird flu 17 Jun 2005 A Vietnamese doctor who treated bird flu patients has contracted the disease himself, a state newspaper reported on Friday.

How pigs could be launchpad for bird flu pandemic 18 Jun 2005 A virologist from Hong Kong has warned that pigs could provide a launchpad for bird flu, even if birds carrying the virus, which is causing havoc in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand, failed to do so.

WHO confirms new bird flu cases in Vietnam 15 June 2005 The World Health Organisation (WHO) says three more cases of bird flu have been recorded in Vietnam.

Indonesia Reports Human Bird Flu Case 15 Jun 2005 A farm worker in eastern Indonesia has tested positive for bird flu, marking the country’s first human case of the virus that has already killed at least 54 people elsewhere in Southeast Asia, health officials in Indonesia said Wednesday.

New Asian Flu Outbreaks in China Raise Fears of a Mutant Virus 11 Jun 2005 Two reported new outbreaks of avian flu among birds in western China have raised fears that the virus is being spread widely by migrating birds and mutating rapidly. [Avian flu will finish mutating and become a full-blown pandemic the day the hearings begin on the ‘Downing Street Minutes’ (i.e., the beginning of the end of the Bush regime). Forty-plus microbiologists dead since 9/11 . . . cui bono?]

As the ‘Downing Street Memo’ heats up: WHO urges bird flu vigilance, warns virus unstable 10 Jun 2005 The World Health Organisation urged vigilance against a deadly strain of bird flu on Friday, warning that the disease scientists say could cause a global pandemic was moving in new and unpredictable ways. [Gee, it sure looks like the mysterious deaths of over forty-plus microbiologists since 9-11 is about to pay off *big time* for the Bush regime.]

Three more contract bird flu in Vietnam 09 Jun 2005 Vietnam has reported three new human cases of bird flu, bringing the total number of cases in the country since late 2003 to 79.

Marburg virus has claimed more than 350 lives 08 Jun 2005 The death toll in the Marburg outbreak in Angola has climbed past 350 since it broke out last October, with a dramatic rise since March, the health ministry and the World Health Organisation said on Tuesday.

Bird flu: we’re all going to die –by Charles Arthur 02 Jun 2005 “But if – when – a flu pandemic comes, and millions of people die around the world over a period of months, the reality will be one of two alternatives… Or else governments will impose a police state that will make all the ID cards and airport checks look like a tea party. You’d not be allowed to move anywhere without showing off a vaccination certificate. (Sure, you’d get those on the black market, and they’d cost more than £300, but would you really want them? If you’re not vaccinated would you really want to travel among people who might be carriers?)” [a must read]

National exercise prepares for bird flu 03 Jun 2005 –Australia’s preparedness for a bird flu outbreak will be tested in a national exercise between 29 November 29 and 01 December, 2005. Agriculture Minister Warren Truss and Health Minister Tony Abbott announced that Exercise Eleusis will involve a hypothetical scenario [we hope] to test how well agriculture and health departments can work together to identify, contain and ‘eradicate’ an animal disease which can be transferred to humans.

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Bird flu endemic in Indonesia, says World Health Organization 31 May 2005 While the Indonesian government talks about eradicating bird (avian) flu by the year 2007, WHO has stated that bird flu is endemic in the country.

New Mexico preparing plan for potential flu pandemic 31 May 2005 The state Department of Health is devising a plan to deal with any potential flu pandemic. State epidemiologist Mack Sewell says the plan probably should be in place by late this summer.

Vietnam Pledges Not to Pursue Human Vaccine for Bird Flu on Its Own 28 May 2005 Vietnam has promised it will not unilaterally develop a human vaccine for bird flu, abandoning plans that international health experts had complained were hazardous and could themselves trigger an epidemic, the World Health Organization said Friday.

China’s bird flu outbreak worse than thought 28 May 2005 New figures from authorities in China show that an outbreak of the deadly bird flu in the west of the country is five times bigger than originally thought. Chinese officials say more than 1,000 migratory birds have been found dead from the H5N1 virus in a remote area of Qinghai province, which is on the edge of the Tibetan plateau.

U.S. Criticized Over Bird Flu Plans 26 May 2005 U.S. efforts to counter a possible influenza pandemic, including an outbreak of bird flu, are moving slowly and may be inadequate in an emergency, several witnesses told lawmakers Thursday.

Medium level flu pandemic could kill up to 207,000 in USA, says CDC Director 27 May 2005 Julie Gerberding, CDC Director, said a mere medium-sized flu pandemic could kill up to 207,000 people in the USA and place nearly three-quarters of a million people in hospital. Experts fear we may be sitting on a flu-pandemic time bomb. The culprit – the bird flu H5N1 virus.

US braces for flu pandemic 27 May 2005 US health authorities are taking urgent precautions against a ‘flu pandemic’ that experts warned could erupt at any time and claim tens of thousands of lives.

Bird flu virus ‘close to pandemic’ 26 May 2005 Expert warns estimate of 7.5m global deaths is optimistic –A leading scientist warned yesterday that the avian flu virus is on the point of mutating into a pandemic disease and says that current estimates that such a pandemic could cause 7.5m deaths may understate the threat.

Flu pandemic looms, experts warn world –Many millions will die if Southeast Asian bird virus mutates to lethal form, spreads 26 May 2005 A lineup of leading infectious disease experts warned Wednesday that the world is unprepared for the health and economic consequences of an outbreak of pandemic influenza that could spring from a lethal strain of bird flu now ravaging poultry flocks in Southeast Asia.

Bird flu threat urgent, medical journal says 26 May 2005 –In an attempt to draw attention to what it believes is an underappreciated threat, the scientific journal Nature is devoting most of today’s issue to the likelihood that the avian influenza circulating in Southeast Asia could spawn an international epidemic that would kill millions.

Flu pandemic ‘could hit 20% of world’s population’ 25 May 2005 –A global taskforce should be urgently formed to tackle a potential influenza pandemic that could affect 20% of the world’s population, trigger economic disaster and kill millions, experts warned today.

Bird flu plan calls for airport screening –Hawaii officials want to test people arriving at Honolulu Airport 25 May 2005 –As nations prepare for a possible avian flu virus pandemic, state and federal health officials are working on a proposal to screen travelers who arrive at Honolulu Airport with influenza-like illness. The state Health Department began developing the proposal a few months ago with the federal quarantine office [?!?] at the airport, said Dr. Paul Effler, state epidemiologist.

Bird-flu crisis plan –City sees lethal bug’s arrival as inevitable 22 May 2005 –Convinced it’s only a matter of time before a new flu strain capable of killing millions reaches New York, city health officials have started drawing up a crisis plan, the Daily News has learned. Infectious-disease experts at the Health Department have been meeting every two weeks to prepare a strategy for protecting the city against diseases such as the Asian bird flu, or H5N1.

Vietnam Bird Flu Death Toll Reaches 53 20 May 2005 –Bird flu has killed another person in Vietnam bringing the regional death toll to 53, the World Health Organization said as it continued to warn of a potential pandemic.

Bird flu death toll up to 37 20 May 2005 –Vietnam’s death toll from bird flu since January 2004 has risen by one to 37, bringing to 17 the number who have died since a surge in mid-December, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Biologists Advocate Study On Marburg Origin [Uh, Fort Detrick?] 20 May 2005 –The Association of Biologists of Angola today in Luanda defended the need to carry out a thorough study to find out the agents which favour the appearance of the haemorrhagic fever by the Marburg virus in the country, which already claimed 311 deaths in a universe of 337 cases registered.

Bird flu early warning system planned 19 May 2005 –The European Union will tomorrow take another step towards creating an early warning system to prevent, or at least to limit, an influenza pandemic by the launch of a new continent-wide monitoring system.

Bird Flu Could Be Capable of Human-to-Human Transmission 19 May 2005 –Bird flu may be capable of human-to-human transmission, the World Health Organization is warning. A strain of bird flu in Southeast Asia is blamed for more than 50 deaths, and so far the virus has only jumped from animals to humans, but the health agency says “the viruses are continuing to evolve and pose a continuing and potentially growing pandemic threat.”

Bird flu virus mutating, posing bigger threat -WHO 19 May 2005 –The spate of human bird flu cases in Vietnam this year suggests the deadly virus may be mutating in ways that are making it more capable of being passed between humans, the World Health Organisation said.

WHO report charts disturbing changes in avian flu virus, urges preparations 18 May 2005 –The World Health Organization urged countries to make full haste with pandemic influenza preparations Wednesday as it released a report outlining disturbing changes to the H5N1 virus circulating in Asia.

Health chiefs fear flu may kill millions 19 May 2005 –Health chiefs warn they may be unable to detect and tackle a more deadly flu strain before it causes millions of deaths worldwide.

Vietnam Bird-Flu Pattern Suggests Virus Is Evolving, WHO Says 18 May 2005 –The pattern of human bird flu infections in Vietnam, the nation hit hardest by the disease, suggests the H5N1 virus that causes the illness is evolving in ways that make it more contagious, according to the World Health Organization.

Marburg milestone shocks Angolans 18 May 2005 –The world’s worst outbreak of the Ebola-like Marburg virus has claimed 311 lives in Angola, a joint statement by Angola’s health ministry and the World Health Organisation said on Wednesday.

Threat of Bird Flu Pandemic Dominates World Health Assembly 17 May 2005 –Avian influenza is the most serious known health threat the world is facing, World Health Organization Director-General Lee Jong-wook told opening of the 58th World Health Assembly on Monday.

Indonesia tests more pigs for bird flu virus 16 May 2005 –Indonesia is testing pigs in several regions for bird flu after discovering the virus in swine on densely populated Java island, an official said on Monday.

Vietnam reports 2 more bird flu patients 17 May 2005 –Two men from Vietnam’s northern region have fallen victim of bird flu virus strain H5N1, Vietnam News on Tuesday quoted a doctor at the Institute of Tropical Diseases as saying.

Angola: Marburg outbreak not under control 16 May 2005 –As the death toll from the Marburg virus in Angola creeps up to the 300 mark, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has expressed concern at the current situation and is warning that the outbreak is not yet over.

Bush’s bioterrorists running amok: US scientists push for go-ahead to genetically modify smallpox virus 16 May 2005 –US scientists are awaiting World Health Assembly approval to begin experiments to genetically modify the smallpox virus, one of the most lethal organisms the planet has known.

Indonesia Finds Bird Flu in Pigs 14 May 2005 Indonesian researchers have found a strain of bird flu in pigs on the densely populated island of Java, raising fears the virus could more easily spread to humans, the government and scientists said Saturday.

Vietnam reports its second bird flu patient in two days 15 May 2005 Doctors have confirmed a case of the deadly avian flu in a man, the second human case reported in the last two days in northern Vietnam, hospital officials said yesterday.

New Outbreak of Deadly Ebola Virus Is Feared in Congo Republic 16 May 2005 Nine people have died in the Congo Republic since late April from what appears to be an outbreak of the Ebola virus, the second episode of a deadly hemorrhagic fever to strike the region this year, a spokesman for the World Health Organization said Friday.

Vietnamese man tests positive to bird flu 13 May 2005 Initial tests by doctors from the Institute of Tropical Diseases in Hanoi have found that a man in northern Vietnam has the H5N1 virus, the first human case in more than three weeks.

RPT-Cambodian bird flu suspect hospitalised in Vietnam 13 May 2005 A young Cambodian woman has been hospitalised in Vietnam after showing symptoms of the bird flu virus that has killed 52 people in Asia since 2003, a doctor said on Friday.

Tamil Nadu orders probe into bird flu virus report 12 May 2005 The Tamil Nadu government has ordered an inquiry into reports that a strain of bird flu was found [planted?] in this south Indian state by an American laboratory. A media report said two days ago that the Atlanta-based Centre for Disease Control and Prevention had confirmed that it found the H5N1 bird flu virus in samples sent by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) when the disease was raging in many Asian countries last year.

Number of cases of deadly Marburg virus in Angola climbs to 316 12 May 2005 The number of cases from an outbreak of the rare Marburg virus in the northern province of Uige, Angola, has climbed to 316, the World Health Organization said.

Bird flu strain found in three Chennai poultry workers 11 May 2005 Scientists from a partner laboratory of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) have found the first signs of an Avian influenza virus in three workers from a poultry farm near Chennai. Only specific protein signatures of the “highly pathogenic” H5N1 strain were spotted at ICMR’s influenza referral laboratory in Chennai’s King Institute of Preventive Medicine-the disease itself has not been detected.

Marburg outbreak now devastating all age groups 10 May 2005 The outbreak of the deadly Marburg haemorrhagic fever sweeping across northern Angola is now devastating all age groups – and no longer predominantly young children – say epidemiologists on the ground.

Marburg Toll in Angola Rises to 327 (Recombinomics Commentary) 09 May 2005 The Marburg toll in Angola rose to 327 on Friday when 8 new cases were recorded in the Ministry of Health’s daily report.

Virus fear over smuggled bushmeat 08 May 2005 Diseases that pose a threat to humans, such as Ebola, may be entering UK through the illegal food trade –Seizures of illegal meat smuggled into the UK from ‘high-risk’ countries where infectious animal diseases can pose a risk to human health have spiralled by almost 20 per cent, according to new figures.

Bird flu tests out-of-date, may have missed cases 08 May 2005 A diagnostic test designed by Canadian researchers and used in Vietnam to detect H5N1 avian flu is out of date, scientists from the National Microbiology Laboratory admit — raising the possibility some human cases may have been dismissed in error.

Less lethal bird flu more likely to become pandemic 08 May 2005 Vietnamese doctors are reporting that the mortality rate from avian influenza in their country has dropped substantially. But while this is good news for survivors, it could mean the outbreak of bird flu in Southeast Asia is taking an ominous turn. If a disease quickly kills almost everyone it infects, it has little chance of spreading very far, according to international health experts. The less lethal bird flu becomes, they say, the more likely it is to develop into the global pandemic they fear, potentially killing tens of millions of people.

Zimbabweans get Marburg warning 08 May 2005 Zimbabwe is warning its citizens against travelling to Angola following the outbreak of the Ebola-like Marburg virus which has claimed 280 lives, the health minister said on Sunday.

Canada sends 3rd team to help combat Marburg outbreak, readies 4th rotation 06 May 2005 Canada has sent a third team of scientists to Angola to help contain the worst outbreak of Marburg fever on record and is readying a fourth team to go later in the month if needed.

Bird flu virus in Vietnam has not mutated yet: newspaper 06 May 2005 Bird flu virus strain H5N1 has yet to change into a new form that allows human-to-human transmission, but there is still a risk of mutation, according to local newspaper Saigon Liberation on Friday.

Action needed over avian flu threat 05 May 2005 Governments around the world must stop burying their heads in the sand as the threat of a global avian flu outbreak grows, GP Nigel Higson, writing in the British Medical Journal, said today.

Indonesia to vaccinate 5 million children against polio outbreak 06 May 2005 Indonesia was yesterday struggling to contain its first polio outbreak in a decade. …The latest reports came as the government announced plans for a mass immunisation programme in which about 5.2 million children will be vaccinated against [sic] the virus in a single day.

Cambodia confirms fourth bird flu death 04 May 2005 Cambodia’s health ministry on Wednesday officially confirmed that the woman died in Vietnam last month was killed by bird flu.

Indonesia finds second polio case, more suspected 04 May 2005 Indonesian health officials said on Wednesday they had found a second case of polio and feared more would be uncovered on Java island, amid fears of an outbreak of the deadly disease.

Polio alarm as virus spreads to Indonesia 04 May 2005 Outbreak a blow for global eradication programme [But, a financial windfall to Bush’s pharma-terrorists – and more deadly vaccines paid for by U.S. taxpayers] –The battle to eradicate polio from the globe received another serious setback yesterday with news that the disease has spread to Indonesia as well as Yemen, both of which had been polio-free for nearly 10 years. [Yeah, until the U.S. showed up to ‘help’ after the tsunami.]

Marburg virus has fatality rate of 89%, officials say 03 May 2005 The rare Marburg virus has killed 280 people in Angola over the past six months, at a fatality rate of 89 per cent, authorities said.

Marburg kills 280 03 May 2005 The death toll from the outbreak of the Ebola-like Marburg virus in Angola has reached 280, most of whom succumbed to the disease in the northern Uige province, the health ministry and the World Health Organisation said late on Monday.

Polio Detected in Indonesia, Indicating It Crossed an Ocean 02 May 2005 A case of polio has been detected in Indonesia [Gee, right after the U.S. military showed up to ‘help,’ in the aftermath of the tsunami. Holy coincidence, Batman! (But, not at all unexpected…)], World Health Organization officials said today. The virus, found in a village in Java, is most closely related to a strain that was found in Saudi Arabia in December, they said, and the most likely explanation is that it was brought back either by an Indonesian working there or by a pilgrim [?!?] who went to Mecca in January. [Yeah, the pilgrim from Fort Detrick.]

Mutated virus raises bird-flu danger level 03 May 2005 Deadly bird flu is mutating to spread from person to person, bringing a disastrous global pandemic closer, experts fear. The bird flu virus – codenamed H5NI – has crossed the first two barriers, and experts fear it is now about to breach the third.

Avian flu pandemic could be massive disaster – and few are noticing 01 May 2005 by Tom Saler “Experts are unsure if the bird flu virus will mutate enough to facilitate easy person-to-person transmission. …According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, even a ‘medium-level’ pandemic in the United States could infect about one-third of the population and cause up to 200,000 deaths. If that same infection rate were applied globally, roughly 2 billion people would fall ill; assuming a mortality rate of just 1% (down from the current 67%), that translates to 20 million fatalities.”

Nation ‘prepared’ for flu pandemic 02 May 2005 Preparations for any potential flu pandemic were not perfect but the federal government was doing all it could, Health Minister Tony Abbott said today. Speaking at an Communicable Diseases Control Conference in Sydney, Mr Abbott said the next flu pandemic could be a “worldwide biological version of the Indian Ocean tsunami”.

Bird flu mutates and now more infectious 01 May 2005 Deadly bird flu is mutating to spread from person to person, bringing a disastrous global pandemic closer, experts fear. Evidence from South-east Asia suggests that the virus, which could kill tens of millions of people worldwide, is becoming less virulent, but at the same time more infectious to people.

*****

Bird flu may spread in Samarinda 30 Apr 2005 Samarinda, East Kalimantan: Poultry breeders have to be more vigilant over possible outbreaks of bird flu, a senior official has warned. The warning was issued after 30 chickens were found dead recently in Sidomulya subdistrict, Samarinda.

Marburg virus death toll climbs to 257 in Angola 30 Apr 2005 The death toll from an outbreak of the rare Marburg virus in Angola has climbed from 244 to 257, Angola’s deputy health minister said.

Outbreak of Viral Haemorrhagic Fever: Marburg Virus 29 Apr 2005 The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is monitoring an outbreak of Marburg, a viral haemorrhagic fever disease, in Angola. … A suspected case of Marburg virus in a patient in the Democratic Republic of Congo is currently under investigation.

Vietnam expert warns bird flu may break out again 28 Apr 2005 There was likely to be another full-blown outbreak of bird flu this year in Vietnam, where 36 people have died from the disease since late 2003, a health expert warned in state media Thursday.

Experts: Smallpox could be sent in mail 26 Apr 2005 The anthrax letter attacks in 2001 are not the first time an infectious agent has been spread through the mail. A recent article in a scientific journal describes two outbreaks of smallpox in 1901 that were attributed to infected letters, and bioweapon experts said it is possible terrorists could spread the deadly disease in this manner today.

Holy Fox guarding the henhouse, Batman! U.S. Company Wants to Help Fight Deadly Marburg Virus 26 Apr 2005 Luanda – A United States of America firm, GenoMed, expressed today its interest in helping Angola to fight [spread?] the heamorrhagic fever of Marburg virus, mostly hitting the northern Uige province, the company’s chairman said today.

Bird flu looking more like a pandemic 23 Apr 2005 Public health officials in Vietnam fear the South Asian outbreak of bird flu is becoming less virulent and, thus, more likely to spawn a pandemic.

In Vietnam, A Dark Side To Good News On Bird Flu 23 Apr 2005 More than a year after avian influenza emerged in East Asia, killing more than two-thirds of the people with confirmed cases, Vietnamese doctors are reporting that the mortality rate in their country has dropped substantially. This news could mean the outbreak of bird flu in Southeast Asia is taking an ominous turn. The less lethal bird flu becomes, international health experts say, the more likely it is to develop into the global pandemic they fear, potentially killing tens of millions of people.

Marburg haemorrhagic fever in Angola, 266 cases, 244 deaths 23 Apr 2005 As of 20 April, the Ministry of Health in Angola has reported 266 cases of Marburg haemorrhagic fever. Of these cases, 244 were fatal.

Angola at Critical Stage in Marburg Battle -WHO 23 Apr 2005 Angola is at a critical stage in its fight against an outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus and must step up its drive to bring the disease under control, the U.N. World Health Organization (WHO) said Saturday.

All samples of killer flu virus outside USA are now found [What about the samples *inside* the US? We have a stark-raving serial terrorist (Bush) running amok – we need to find and destroy the US samples before the Bush regime spreads bioterror, as they did in October 2001 with the Fort Detrick anthrax!] 20 Apr 2005 All samples of the killer influenza virus sent outside the United States have been destroyed except for one in Lebanon, the U.N. health agency said Wednesday. The sample that had gone missing in Beirut “was found at the airport,” [?!? LOL!] said Maria Cheng, spokeswoman for the World Health Organization.

Bird flu kills Cambodian woman 20 Apr 2005 A Cambodian woman suspected of contracting bird flu has died in a hospital in southern Vietnam, a doctor says.

More bird flu cases in Vietnam, H5N1 strain 18 Apr 2005 Vietnamese authorities say that a 21-year-old woman and two other patients from northern Vietnam are infected with bird flu (H5N1). The H5N1 strain is the more deadly one.

Experts still baffled by bird flu 18 Apr 2005 The bird flu virus which has killed 36 people in Vietnam may not be contained until 2007 because the way it is spreading still baffles experts, officials said on Monday.

Marburg toll up to 235 17 Apr 2005 Luanda – The death toll from the Marburg virus epidemic in Angola rose to 235 on Sunday with about 500 people under surveillance after coming in contact with the Ebola-like virus, the health ministry and the World Health Organisation said.

Mutated avian flu may kill millions 17 April 2005 –The threat of a killer flu pandemic is greater than ever because of the spread of the bird flu virus in south-east Asia, the World Health Organisation has warned. The WHO said avian influenza was still spreading across south-east Asia despite efforts to block it, and there was more than a 50 per cent probability it would become a global pandemic that could kill millions of people.

Saudi Arabia, Israel, U.S. Have Missing Vials of Pandemic Flu 16 Apr 2005 Most of the samples of a deadly flu virus sent to laboratories around the world by Meridian Bioscience have been destroyed, health officials said yesterday. Bermuda, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Lebanon, South Korea, Mexico, Singapore and Taiwan confirmed that they had neutralized all their samples, along with a newly identified U.S. military lab in Britain, WHO said… Israel, Japan, Saudi Arabia and the United States were the only countries still tracing samples, said Klaus Stohr of the World Health Organization.

Deadly flu virus unaccounted for in Lebanon 16 Apr 2005 Beirut: Samples of a deadly flu virus sent by the College of American Pathologists to more than 3,700 laboratories around the world appear to have gone missing on their way to Lebanon and Mexico, according to the World Health Organization on Friday.

Samples of pandemic flu virus sent to Lebanon, Mexico and Chile missing: WHO 15 Apr 2005 Three of the vials of pandemic flu never reached their destinations and are still missing, a UN official says. Klaus Stohr, influenza chief for the World Health Organization, said late Friday that vials of H2N2 virus shipped to certain labs in Lebanon, Mexico and Chile could not be accounted for. [Note: The Washington Post reported on 16 April “Officials also determined that samples sent to labs in Lebanon, Chile and Mexico that never arrived had either been secured or already destroyed.”]

Bird flu outbreak leads to fears of pandemic 16 Apr 2005 The threat of a killer flu pandemic is greater than ever because of the spread of the bird flu virus in south-east Asia, the World Health Organisation said yesterday.

New Plague Vaccine Agreement Signed 15 Apr 2005 A joint, multi-nation project arrangement between the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), the Department of National Defence of Canada, and the Secretary of State for Defense of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was announced today for the cooperative development of a vaccine to protect against plague. Under this agreement, the three nations will work together to develop and produce a plague vaccine that will ultimately be licensed for human use.

Feds at Loss on How Flu Strain Got to Labs 14 Apr 2005 Federal officials are still at a loss to explain how a potentially deadly strain of influenza could be sent to more than 4,000 labs around the world. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is operating under the presumption that the H2N2 strain was purposefully included in the panels designed to test the labs’ proficiency in identifying viruses. [Only a gullible *twit* with narrow vision and a brain the size of a lima bean would, by now, when all the pieces of the puzzle are nearly assembled, all the Neo-conmen’s ducks are in a row – would *not* suspect the US government’s complicity in fomenting bioterror! Every piece of legislation spewed by the GOP-controlled congress and Hitler-incarnate himself (that would be *Bush*) have buried in bills submerged in Orwellian monikers, deep in crevices that the Penta-Post dare not cover – full authority to commence quarantines, force inoculations, imprison citizens in internment camps, etc. Hell, the Bush regime is *dying* for it. 70 million+ deaths solves all of the Bush regime’s problems (just like their 9/11 attacks paved the way for the illegal invasion of Iraq); they can then seize the last of the world’s resources and divvy it up between themselves. In the meanwhile, the Halliburton whores can continue to get rich by building more prisons and internment camps, to house future malcontents. As for me… “We want either a hammer or a fire, to break the spell or dissolve the ice.” — artisan radical freethinker, George Jacob Holyoake, Reasoner V (1848): 2. –Lori Price]

Asian Lab Worker Opened Flu Vial: Report 14 Apr 2005 Hong Kong media is reporting a lab worker in that city opened vials containing a fatal flu strain before health experts worldwide were warned to destroy the sample.

Killer flu samples shipped via FedEx, DHL 14 Apr 2005 Every day, deadly germs are shipped across the country and around the globe, right alongside the books, gourmet foods and birthday presents sent through FedEx and similar couriers.

Flu Strain Samples Remain at Large –Health Officials Race to Tighten Rules [Oops! I think the horse has left the barn on that one.] 14 Apr 2005 At least four countries and more than 1,500 U.S. laboratories reported they had destroyed all their samples of a dangerous flu virus that had been shipped around the world, but thousands of others remained unaccounted for yesterday as health authorities in 18 countries intensified efforts to prevent a deadly outbreak. [$5.6 billion was allocated in May 2004 for Project BioShield . . . useless is as useless does. –Lori Price]

U.S. Seeks Cause of Flu Virus Mix-up 14 Apr 2005 U.S. health officials were still trying to determine Thursday how a lethal flu virus had been ‘mistakenly’ [LOL!] shipped to thousands of laboratories around the world. Meanwhile, health officials in 18 countries continued to destroy the virus, which had fueled a 1957-58 pandemic that killed between 1 million and 4 million people worldwide, including 70,000 people in the United States.

Local Hospitals Receive A Deadly Flu Virus 14 Apr 2005 At least four hospitals, including the Ohio Valley Medical Center and Wheeling Hospital, accidentally received a deadly flu virus from 1957. The Hospitals were among nearly five thousand labs in 18 countries to get the mistaken shipments.

FDA Had Slammed Company That Shipped Flu 14 Apr 2005 A company that shipped samples of a deadly flu virus to thousands of labs in testing kits was criticized by the government in 2001 for alleged lax controls that led to a product recall.

Flu alert as killer strain is sent to labs by mistake 14 Apr 2005 Public health agencies around the world have been put on alert for an outbreak of lethal influenza after samples of the deadly virus were sent out ‘mistakenly’ in testing kits.

Killer flu ‘unwisely’ shipped to labs 14 Apr 2005 Scientists are frantically trying to locate and destroy a deadly strain of flu “unwisely” shipped to 3,700 laboratories worldwide. The Washington Post said the problem arose when Meridian Bioscience Inc. of Cincinnati sent a panel of H2N2 virus samples to about 3,700 laboratories, to be tested as part of routine quality-control certification conducted by the College of American Pathologists. [‘Unwisely.’ Does that imply an element of ‘decision-making,’ in the decision to ship the flu pandemic to the labs?]

Several Minnesota labs received 1957 pandemic flu strain 13 Apr 2005 Ten labs in Minnesota were among the thousands of sites that received a potentially dangerous flu virus that was mistakenly inserted in routine testing kits, state officials said today.

Labs Urged to Destroy Pandemic Flu Strain 12 Apr 2005 Thousands of scientists were scrambling Tuesday at the urging of global health authorities to destroy vials of a pandemic flu strain sent to labs in 18 countries as part of routine testing. The rush, urged by the World Health Organization, was sparked by a slim, but real, risk that the samples, could spark a global flu epidemic. The vials of virus sent by a U.S. company went to nearly 5,000 labs, mostly in the United States, officials said.

Company Thought Flu Virus Was ‘Innocuous’ –The company at the center of distress over its shipment of samples of a killer flu virus to thousands of labs apparently wasn’t even aware it had sent such a deadly virus. The College of American Pathologists, which helps labs do proficiency testing, had asked Meridian Bioscience Inc. in suburban Cincinnati to send test kits of germs to about 4,700 labs – mostly in the United States, but also in 17 other countries. [Insert *bleeping morons* comment here.]

How “Socialist” Medical Lab in Canada Saved the World from a New Flu Pandemic –A Sickening Error –by Dave Lindorff “It’s enough to make you sick isn’t it? Some $40 billion spent on ‘Homeland Security’ in 2004 and another $50 billion going into the same sinkhole in 2005, with billions of those dollars specifically targeting ‘bio terror,’ and a mistake (or stupid decision) by a biological lab made last fall had a deadly flu virus capable of creating a global pandemic getting mailed out to several thousand unsuspecting testing labs… And how was this accidental terror ‘device’ detected? Not by the alert folks at Tom Ridge’s or Mike Chertoff’s Homeland Security Department, but by an alert technician working for the ‘socialist health care system’ in Manitoba, Canada, who tested the virus in the kit and determined that it was the same strain of flu virus that caused a worldwide flu pandemic in 1957 and who immediately alerted the World Health Organization and the U.S. Center for Disease Control.”

71% of ducks in southern Vietnam infected with bird flu 13 Apr 2005 Initial testing showed that 71 percent of ducks and 21.4 percent of chickens in Vietnam’s 11 southern localities in the Mekong Delta are infected with bird flu virus strain H5. Up to 80 percent of 2,000 samples taken from ducks raised in Can Tho city alone, which is home to some 1.5 million poultry, were tested positive to H5… citing results by the country’s Regional Veterinarian Centeras.

Legislators hear about possibility of a major flu outbreak 12 Apr 2005 It is not a question of whether a major flu pandemic like the three that killed millions of people in the 1900s will surface, but when it will strike, public health experts warned at a State House forum (Boston) yesterday.

Nobel scientist warns on bird flu 13 Apr 2005 Avian flu – caught directly from birds, and which kills in seven cases out of 10 – could suddenly sweep through the human population, killing 70 million people according to World Health Organisation estimates, a Nobel laureate warned yesterday.

EU mulls bird flu pandemic fund 13 Apr 2005 The European Union should be able to dip into a 1 billion euro (680,000 million pound) disaster fund to buy emergency vaccines and anti-viral drugs if there were bird flu pandemic, the EU executive Commission says.

Indonesia detects bird flu virus in pigs 11 Apr 2005 The Compas newspaper in Indonesia on April 10 reported that the country has detected the bird flu virus in pigs. This is a new development concerning bird flu in Indonesia as the avian virus has traditionally been found only in poultry.

Fear bio-terrorists may spread plague –Diplomats pull out of Angola, ravaged by Ebola-like Marburg 11 Apr 2005 While the death toll continues to rise in Angola from an outbreak of the deadly Ebola-like Marburg disease, there are intelligence reports that ‘Islamic terrorists’ [Bush terrorists] might deliberately infect themselves to spread the plague to the West, according to a report in the premium, online, intelligence newsletter Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin. Information collected on the disease is behind a decision by a number of diplomatic delegations to pull out of the country, according to G2 Bulletin.

Toll from Marburg virus nears 200 11 Apr 2005 The death toll in Angola from the world’s deadliest outbreak of the Ebola-like Marburg virus has inched towards the 200 mark with nine more deaths, according to the health ministry and the UN World Health Organisation. “As of noon, the total number of cases nationwide is 218 and 193 people have died,” a joint statement said.

Teams Back In Panicked Virus Zone 10 Apr 2005 The World Health Organization has resumed operations in a western Angolan province hit by a deadly Ebola-like virus, after suspending work last week when residents attacked its teams, the WHO said Sunday. Residents in Uige province had feared the WHO teams were spreading — instead of helping contain — the rare Marburg virus, which has killed 184 people out of a total 200 people infected, WHO’s spokesman in Angola said.

Marburg team assaulted in Angola, WHO halts campaign 10 Apr 2005 Members of the World Health Organization were assaulted in Uige, Angola by residents. The residents feared the team may be spreading the Marburg virus. Marburg virus was first recognized in 1967, when outbreaks of hemorrhagic fever occurred simultaneously in [US bioterror?] laboratories in Marburg and Frankfurt, Germany and in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (now Serbia).

Angola Med-Aid Workers Attacked 10 Apr 2005 The World Health Organization has halted a campaign against a Marburg virus outbreak in Angola after residents assaulted its teams in apparent fear that they could be spreading the deadly infection. The medical team’s vehicles were set upon Thursday in the Uige district of northwestern Angola, the outbreak’s epicenter, the WHO said on its Web site.

Cambodia confirms third bird flu death 10 Apr 2005 Cambodia has confirmed its third fatality from the deadly bird flu virus, with an eight-year-old girl becoming the latest victim to die in the kingdom.

Attacks briefly halt WHO campaign in Angola 10 Apr 2005 World Health Organisation (WHO) teams fighting [fomenting?] an outbreak of Marburg virus in Angola were forced to temporarily suspend work in one area after scared residents stoned their vehicles, officials say.

To Contain Virus in Angola, Group Wants Hospital Closed 10 Apr 2005 An international medical charity battling a hemorrhagic fever that so far has killed 181 Angolans has urged the government to close the regional hospital here, at the center of the outbreak, saying the medical center itself is a source of the deadly infection. Doctors Without Borders, the global relief organization that runs an isolation ward at the hospital for victims of the deadly fever, Marburg virus, told Angolan officials on Friday that the hospital should be closed if the rapidly spreading epidemic was to be contained.

Marburg virus death toll hits 180 08 Apr 2005 2005 cases have been reported — The World Health Organization is investigating an outbreak of hemorrhagic fever in northwestern Angola, it said Friday.

Marburg spreads as death toll hits 174 08 Apr 2005 The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday called for stepping up measures in Angola to halt the further spread of the deadly Marburg virus, which has killed 174 people mainly in the north of the country.

CDC Moving to Double Quarantine Stations 07 Apr 2005 CDC officials told lawmakers Wednesday that they are moving to more than double the number of quarantine stations used to evaluate and detain travelers from overseas who enter the country ill with potentially dangerous contagious illnesses. The agency currently operates 11 of the stations near major ports of entry but expects to have 18 operational by the end of 2005 and eventually expand the number to 25, they said.

Delta Handing Over Passenger Lists to CDC 07 Apr 2005 Although privacy experts worry about the government gathering personal information on airline travelers, Delta Airlines (DAL) is handing over electronic lists of passengers from some flights to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [sic].

Delta giving passenger lists to government to prevent spread of diseases 06 Apr 2005 Delta Air Lines agreed to give the government electronic lists of passengers on some flights – not to help track down terrorists, but to try to head off the spread of deadly infectious diseases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [sic] told a congressional panel Wednesday that the lists will allow health officials to more quickly notify and advise travellers who might have been exposed to illnesses such as dengue, flu, plague, SARS or biological agents. [?!?] …Last week Dictator George W. Bush signed an executive order authorizing the government to quarantine people to deal with any outbreak of new strains of flu, including bird flu.

WHO Expert: Bird Flu Strains Could Combine 06 Apr 2005 Two strains of bird flu in Asia may combine to create a highly lethal and easily transmissible virus, a U.N. health official warned Wednesday, amid widespread fears that the disease could cause the next human pandemic.

Bird flu claims 50th Asian victim, officials say 06 Apr 2005 Asia’s death toll from bird flu rose to 50 on Wednesday when health officials and a hospital doctor confirmed two additional deaths in Vietnam.

Vietnamese doctor dies of unidentified disease 05 Apr 2005 A doctor from Vietnam’s northern Quang Ninh province has died from acute pneumonia caused by an unidentified disease, although several treatment procedures including those for bird flu and SARS patients were used.

Doctors investigate ‘flu-like symptoms’ in “TOPOFF 3” terror drill –Biggest ever terror drill in United States begins 05 Apr 2005 The largest anti-terror drill ever undertaken in the United States started on Monday with police officers investigating a fake car accident on a college campus and health officials on the lookout for a mock biological attack. Reporters, briefed by officials as though a real attack were happening, were told that a phone tip led officers to a motor vehicle accident where car registrations did not match the vehicles. Meanwhile, doctors were expected to try to connect the incident to a fake patient who had been admitted to a hospital Sunday night with “flu-like symptoms.” The $16 million, weeklong drill is named “TOPOFF 3” for top state and national officials. In addition to the New Jersey attack, it is to include a fake [we hope] chemical weapons attack in New London, Connecticut, starting later Monday.

Two States Are ‘Attacked’ in a Major Terrorism Drill 05 Apr 2005 Hundreds of actors writhed in simulated pain in Connecticut after staged terrorist attacks on Monday, and thousands more went to New Jersey hospitals complaining of mysterious flulike symptoms, as the Department of Homeland Security began the largest terrorism drill ever conducted in the United States.

North Korean bird flu outbreak not the feared strain 05 Apr 2005 An outbreak of bird flu on three large poultry farms in North Korea has been tentatively identified as the H7 strain of the virus – not the H5N1 strain that has been killing people and poultry across east Asia for more than a year. But UN officials have revealed to New Scientist that the evidence for this is only indirect.

N Korean bird flu ‘different’ 05 Apr 2005 A strain of bird flu infecting poultry in North Korea is different from that which killed scores of people in other parts of Asia, a UN expert has said. Hans Wagner, an official for the Food and Agriculture Organization, said the birds were infected with the H7 strain.

Bird flu strain detected in North Korea “first for Asia” 05 Apr 2005 A strain of bird flu previously undetected in Asia has been found in North Korea, a top U.N. expert said on Tuesday. Hans Wagner, a senior official with the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), told Reuters Television in Beijing after a week-long visit to North Korea the strain was H7.

Two Bird Flu Suspects in Hospital in Vietnam 05 Apr 2005 Two more Vietnamese, a 12-year-old girl and a woman, are in hospital with suspected bird flu, the official Vietnam News Agency said on Tuesday.

New bird flu case reported in Vietnam 04 Apr 2005 Vietnamese authorities on Monday confirmed another human bird flu case, but said the patient in central Vietnam was recovering from the disease which has killed at least 48 people in the region.

Angola Marburg death toll climbs 03 Apr 2005 The death toll in Angola from an outbreak of the rare Marburg virus has risen sharply to 146 people, the country’s health ministry has said. The outbreak, which began last October in Uige province, is the most serious ever recorded of the virus, a fast-spreading haemorrhagic fever.

Is Marburg Virus in Angola a Recombinant?* 02 Apr 2005 (Recombinomics) “Comments by WHO on the recent Marburg outbreak in Angola, cited some historical information of Marburg that does not match the current data from Angola. The Marburg virus is acting much more like Ebola than with Marburg associated characteristics seen in prior outbreaks. Although both viruses are closely related Filovirdae, they are readily distinguishable. Initial data on the isolates from Angola indicated that they were not Ebola. This was confirmed by sequence data showing that the Marburg was in the samples from Angola.” [*Recombinant DNA is DNA that has been created artificially. DNA from two or more sources is incorporated into a single recombinant molecule.]

Flu Pandemic Coming, U.S. Not Prepared 01 Apr 2005 Immediate action is needed to prepare the United States for a deadly pandemic of influenza, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) is telling policymakers.

Hong Kong Stadium may be used as clinic if bird flu hits 01 Apr 2005 Hong Kong Stadium could be turned into a huge outpatient clinic in the event of a major outbreak of bird flu, health authorities said. The 40,000-seat stadium in Causeway Bay is an option because it could house hundreds of doctors, nurses and other medical personnel in one location.

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Bird flu could put Britain in quarantine, warns scientist 27 Mar 2005 Offices and schools across Britain could be closed to protect workers if bird flu arrives, the Ministry of Defence’s chief scientist has warned. Professor Roy Anderson, a leading infectious diseases expert, said politicians will face difficult decisions about how far to close down Britain if it is struck by a highly contagious form of the disease.

Cirebon city locked down over bird flu outbreak 31 Mar 2005 Following the uncontrolled spread of bird flu, West Java authorities have stopped all poultry traffic into the area to prevent the problem from getting worse after the disease hit poultry farms in the province, an official said on Wednesday. The isolation of Cirebon, which has been declared an epidemic area of bird flu in West Java, is expected to prevent a further spread of the disease, which has also hit several other regencies in Central Java.

Bird flu spreading fast in Asia 30 Mar 2005 South Korea has sent a message to rival North Korea offering to help it contain its first acknowledged outbreak of bird flu. The South’s Yonhap news agency said North Korean authorities were struggling to control the outbreak, and the disease was spreading quickly to provinces without adequate quarantine controls.

Four More Vietnamese Suspected to Have Bird Flu 29 Mar 2005 Vietnam has four more suspected human cases of the bird flu which has killed 49 people in Asia since the end of 2003, medical officials and a doctor said on Wednesday.

5 in Vietnamese family infected with bird flu 29 Mar 2005 A five-person family from Vietnam’s northern Hai Phong city have been infected with bird flu virus strain H5N1, local newspaper Labor reported Tuesday.

CDC sending team to Angola virus outbreak 29 Mar 2005 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans to send a team to the Republic of Angola to help control [spread?] what appears to be one of the worst outbreaks of the Marburg virus ever reported, United Press International has learned.

Ebola-like virus kills 122 in Angola 29 Mar 2005 The toll from the Ebola-like Marburg virus in Angola rose with the death of a baby to 122, just one fatality short of the most serious outbreak recorded anywhere, a health ministry spokesman said yesterday.

Emergency services plan for 750,000 deaths in flu pandemic 27 Mar 2005 Mortuaries and emergency services are to be put on alert and told to prepare for up to three-quarters of a million deaths from a bird flu pandemic, The Independent on Sunday can reveal. Emergency planners have begun to look for sites for special mortuaries, each capable of storing 1,000 bodies, and the Home Office is to hold an exercise this summer to practise coping with mass fatalities. The instruction, to go out from the Civil Contingencies Secretariat, the Cabinet Office body in charge of emergencies, explodes the Government’s public position that the pandemic could be expected to kill only “around 50,000” people in Britain.

Killer flu hits North Korea 28 Mar 2005 North Korea yesterday acknowledged an outbreak of bird flu for the first time, saying hundreds of thousands of chickens were killed to prevent its spread, and that the disease wasn’t passed on to humans.

One killed by avian flu 26 Mar 2005 HANOI —Three more cases of avian flu were reported yesterday including one fatality in the northern and central regions.

Ebola-like virus deaths rise in Angola, travel warning issued 27 Mar 2005 Another young woman died of the Ebola-like Marburg virus in Angola, officials said, as the death toll in the deadly outbreak rose to almost equal the most serious outbreak ever recorded. Some 121 people died since the haemorrhagic virus first broke out in the northern town of Uige in October, while five more people have been hospitalised, bringing the toll of sick to 132.

Ebola-like virus death toll rises 27 Mar 2005 People have been warned against travel to Angola after the death toll from the Ebola-like Marburg bug rose to 121.

Cda sends unique lab to test for fatal virus in Angola; more than 100 dead 26 Mar 2005 Canada is sending a one-of-a-kind portable laboratory to Angola to help contain an Ebola-like fever that has killed more than 100 people since October.

SARS may spread in air, new studies warn 25 Mar 2005 New research suggests the SARS virus, which killed 800 people after emerging in China in 2003, may spread through the air, and not just through human contact, making it more dangerous than previously thought.

Ebola-Like Virus Death Toll Up in Angola 25 Mar 2005 The death toll from an Ebola-like fever in Angola rose to 112 on Friday, with three deaths reported in Lusaka for the first time.

Cambodia confirms village bird flu outbreak 26 Mar 2005 Cambodia on Saturday confirmed an outbreak of bird flu at a village near the Vietnamese border but cleared one suspected human case of the deadly disease.

Two New Bird Flu Cases Found in Vietnam, One Dead 25 Mar 2005 Two more Vietnamese have caught bird flu, one of whom who has died, local health officials said, as the World Health Organization met with the government to discuss reports of a flu-like illness in central Vietnam.

US starts bird flu vaccine test in humans 23 Mar 2005 The US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) said Wednesday it has started human tests of a vaccine against H5N1 bird flu in efforts to prepare to respond to [create?] a possible bird flu pandemic.

Vietnam Flu Outbreak Sparks Fresh Concerns 24 Mar 2005 Health experts are rushing to investigate reports of a widespread flu outbreak in central Vietnam. The reports come just two weeks after a five-year-old boy in the same area was found to have avian flu.

Influenza vaccine uses insect cells to speed development 21 Mar 2005 Using a strategy involving a genetically modified baculovirus and caterpillar cells scientists from Protein Sciences Corporation have been able to speed up a key step in the development of an experimental cell-based influenza vaccine. They report their findings today at the 2005 American Society for Microbiology Biodefense Research Meeting.

Vietnam Flu Outbreak Sparks Fresh Concerns 24 Mar 2005 Health experts are rushing to investigate reports of a widespread flu outbreak in central Vietnam. The reports come just two weeks after a five-year-old boy in the same area was found to have avian flu.

Bird flu kills 48th victim 24 Mar 2005 Bird flu had killed a 28-year-old Cambodian man, officials said today, the 48th Asian victim of a virus experts fear could unleash a global influenza pandemic capable of killing millions of people.

Bird flu spreading in Makassar, C. Java 24 Mar 2005 In the Central Java town of Boyolali, thousands of quails have reportedly died in Klego district over the last 10 days due to a suspected outbreak of bird flu.

Spread of Deadly Flu Virus Imminent? 23 Mar 2005 Clouds of uncertainty are gathering over whether this coming winter will bring with it the deadly Avian Flu Virus which could claim lives if serious preventative measures are not taken.

Myanmar Asked to Check Bird Flu Report – FAO 23 Mar 2005 The United Nations food agency has asked Myanmar authorities to check a report of a possible outbreak of Asia’s deadly bird flu in the military-ruled country, a U.N. official said on Wednesday.

Angola: Health officials identify Marburg virus, 96 dead 23 Mar 2005 A deadly hemorrhagic fever which has claimed the lives of 96 people, mainly children, in Angola’s northern Uige province has been identified as the rare Marburg virus, officials from the Ministry of Health and World Health Organisation (WHO) said late on Tuesday. The illness was first spotted in Uige and is from the same family as the deadly Ebola virus.

Rare virus blamed for 96 deaths 23 Mar 2005 An illness that had killed nearly 100 people in northern Angola was identified today as the rare Marburg virus, which is from the same family as the deadly Ebola disease, state and UN officials said. Described as “very virulent” and “very contagious” and transmitted through bodily fluids, the haemorrhagic fever threatens to spread from the northern Uige province to other parts of the country.

Bird Flu Pandemic Coming, U.S. Not Prepared, Infectious Diseases Society of America 23 Mar 2005 Immediate action is needed to prepare the United States for a deadly pandemic of influenza, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) is telling policymakers.

Bird flu epidemic could kill as many as 750,000 in Britain: estimate 22 Mar 2005 Hundreds of thousands of people may die and one quarter of the work force could be absent if Britain were hit by a bird flu pandemic, a senior government official said. “It may be somewhere between 20,000 and 750,000 extra deaths and it may be 25 percent of the population off work,” the government official, speaking on a non-attributable basis, told a conference in London.

Vietnamese man suspected to contract bird flu 23 Mar 2005 A middle-aged man from Vietnam’s central Quang Binh province has been hospitalized for being suspected of contracting bird flu virus strain H5N1, according to local newspaper Youth on Wednesday.

Vietnamese commune under scrutiny over suspected flu epidemic 22 Mar 2005 A Vietnamese commune where a five-year-old boy tested positive to avian flu last week is under scrutiny after local inhabitants reported a flu epidemic, doctors said. Health authorities were investigating after a local newspaper said 200 people had flu symptoms at the Chau Hoa commune in central Quang Binh province, 400 kilometers south of Hanoi.

Expert: Asia flu cases may be undercounted 21 Mar 2005 The incidence of a particularly lethal variation of influenza in Southeast Asia is probably greater than has been reported so far, a flu expert at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday.

Death of Vietnamese girl attributed to bird flu 21 Mar 2005 A 13-year-old girl from Vietnam’s central Quang Binh province, who died on March 9, has just been found to contract bird flu virus strain H5N1, local newspaper Young People reported Monday.

Bird flu a big security challenge: Rudd 20 Mar 2005 Bird flu was emerging as a large scale security concern for Australia, opposition foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd said. …Health officials are concerned that avian influenza strain H5N1 could spark a deadly global pandemic if the virus mutates into a form that spreads easily from person to person. Mr Rudd, who heads off on a visit to South-East Asia later on Sunday, said he would be discussing the issue with officials in Thailand and Cambodia and canvassing the effectiveness of quarantine and border controls.

Bird flu hits central province, 195 locals show symptoms 20 Mar 2005 A commune in central Vietnam has been severely hit by the bird flu, with 195 patients showing symptoms and two children testing positive with the virus, reported a top provincial official.

EU official warns of deadly flu pandemic 19 Mar 2005 EU officials are already preparing for the possibility that a global flu epidemic, which could cause up to 30 million deaths, might break out in the next few years, Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection Markos Kyprianou said during a press conference in Athens yesterday.

Angola: Death toll from mystery fever rises to 77 18 Mar 2005 The number of people killed by a mystery illness in Angola’s northern Uige province has risen to 77, health officials said on Friday. The cause of the outbreak, characterised by fever, coughing and vomiting, sometimes with blood, is still unknown. But the government is so concerned it has sent blood samples to the Centres for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, the officials said.

Acute Hemorrhagic Fever in Angola and Bird Flu Similarities 18 Mar 2005 (Recombinomics) “There are a number of parallels between the mystery Ebola/dengue hemorrhagic fever-like disease in Angola and bird flu. Like the hemorrhagic fever disease in Angola, H5N1 in Vietnam began as a mysterious disease primarily infecting children…”

Vietnam detects new bird flu patient 18 Mar 2005 Specimens from a five-year-old boy from Vietnam’s central Quang Binh province has just been tested positive to bird flu virus strain H5N1, raising the total number of infection in the country to 25 since mid-December 2004, the newspaper Saigon Liberation reported Friday.

US plans for plague, flu and nuclear bomb attack 17 Mar 2005 A nuclear bomb in a big city, plague released into an airport washroom and food stocks laced with anthrax are three of fifteen doomsday scenarios inadvertently published by American security chiefs yesterday. One of the most deadly of the 15 scenarios is a flu pandemic, which begins in southern China and spreads within months to four leading American cities, claiming the lives of 87,000 and putting 300,000 in hospital, the plans estimate.

Vietnam detects one more suspected bird flu case 17 Mar 2005 A person from Vietnam’s northern Bac Ninh province has just been hospitalized for being suspected of contracting bird flu virus strain H5N1, according to local newspaper Pioneer on Thursday.

Bird flu may have hit N Korea 16 Mar 2005 The World Health Organisation (WHO) was investigating on Wednesday reports of a bird flu outbreak last month in North Korea that may have killed thousands of chickens, a news report said.

South Korean scientists say kimchi could cure bird flu 15 Mar 2005 An extract of South Korea’s famed spicy fermented cabbage dish known as kimchi could cure bird flu and other chicken diseases, scientists said. Researchers at Seoul National University said chickens infected with the deadly bird flu virus began recovering a week after they were fed with fermented bacilli extracted from kimchi.

WHO fears bird flu will be the next pandemic 15 Mar 2005 (ABC Radio, PM) Reporter: David Mark “MARK COLVIN: The Great Flu epidemic of 1918 killed more people than had died in the entire four years of the First World War. No other statistic can convey so starkly why health authorities now are so worried about the potential of avian influenza, or bird flu. H5N1 is its scientific name, and the World Health Organisation says it could be the next great pandemic. The virus has killed 46 people in South East Asia in the past year, but WHO believes it could kill 100-million.”

Doctors Suspect Bird Flu Killed Vietnamese Man 15 Mar 2005 A Vietnamese man who died at the weekend may have been killed by the bird flu virus that has claimed the lives of 46 people in Asia since 2003, a doctor said Tuesday.

WHO warns of human bird flu mutation 04 Mar 2005 The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the bird flu virus may be changing into a form that humans can pass on. The WHO is worried that bird flu, which has killed 47 people in Asia, could mutate into an easily spread form that sparks the next influenza pandemic.

Bird Flu Clusters May Signal Virus Change – WHO 14 Mar 1005 A cluster of human bird flu cases among relatives and possibly health workers in Vietnam may show the virus is changing into a form that can be passed on by humans, the World Health Organization said. The WHO is worried that bird flu, which has killed 47 people in Asia, could mutate into an easily spread form that sparks the next influenza pandemic, killing millions.

Flu bigger threat than 9/11 13 Mar 2005 Britain’s capital city is “more at risk” from bird flu than a terrorist atrocity on the scale of the September 11, 2001 attacks on Washington and New York, London mayor Ken Livingstone said on Sunday. “We’re more at risk of dying from bird flu that we are of being blown up by a terrorist,” he told BBC television.

Bird flu greater risk than terrorists, says Livingstone 13 Mar 2005 Ken Livingstone, the London Mayor, has hit out at the new anti-terror laws, saying people were at more risk from bird flu than al-Qa’eda.

Scientists slams UK bird flu plans 13 Mar 2005 A leading scientist has attacked the government’s preparations to deal with a potential human bird flu pandemic.

Bird flu could kill 2 million Britons 13 Mar 2005 Two million Britons could die in the bird flu pandemic that experts warn is both imminent and inevitable, one of the country’s leading authorities has told The Independent on Sunday.

Scientist attacks UK bird flu preparation 13 Mar 2005 A leading scientist has attacked the government over its contingency plans to deal with a human bird flu pandemic, saying over two million Britons could die. Professor Hugh Pennington, president of the Society for General Microbiology, told the Independent on Sunday a pandemic was both imminent and inevitable.

Anger at MSPs’ priority for life-saving flu drug 13 Mar 2005 Scottish ministers and their civil servants are set to be issued with the antiviral drug that will be used to combat the impending flu pandemic – ahead of children, pregnant women and the elderly. The Sunday Herald can reveal that Jack McConnell’s colleagues in the Executive will be among the first workers providing “essential” services to be protected from a health threat that could kill up to 50,000 Scots. News of the special treatment has angered opposition MSPs who believe that politicians should not be jumping the queue for vital treatments.

Pandemic fear as bird flu infects nurses 13 Mar 2005 Health experts are watching the spread of deadly bird flu among humans with increasing concern after doctors reported a second suspected case yesterday among medical staff treating a victim. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has given a warning that the flu, which has killed 47 people in Asia, could mutate into a form that spreads quickly between humans and trigger a global pandemic.

Bird flu epidemic a matter of time, CDC says 12 Mar 2005 Fear-Mongering? After making predictions using computer models, the Center for Disease Control warned that an outbreak of bird flu is not a matter of if but when. Amid rising fears of a spread of bird flu to humans, the Center for Disease Control yesterday fleshed out plans to battle a potential flu epidemic that could hospitalize as many as 75,000 people, according to some estimates.

Bird flu infections in north Vietnam prompt new concerns over virus 12 Mar 2005 A string of bird flu infections in northern Vietnam involving several families has raised troubling questions over whether the deadly virus that has killed 46 people in Asia may be changing, health experts said Thursday.

Vietnam provides new numbers on avian flu cases, breaking information logjam 11 Mar 2005 The Vietnamese government reported 10 human cases of avian influenza to the World Health Organization on Friday, breaking a five-week silence on the human toll the strain known as H5N1 has taken in that country.

Vietnam detects new bird flu patient 09 Mar 2005 A healthy 81-year-old man from Vietnam’s northern Thai Binh province, maternal grandfather of two bird flu patients, has just been confirmed to contract H5N1, while the World Health Organization (WHO) found the virus in samples from seven local people, according to local newspaper Youth Wednesday.

WHO: 7 Vietnamese Patients Have Bird Flu 08 Mar 2005 The World Health Organization said Tuesday that seven Vietnamese patients who initially tested negative for bird flu have been found to be carrying the virus after their samples were retested.

4 New Human Cases of Avian Flu Are Reported in Vietnam 08 Mar 2005 Vietnam has reported four new cases of human avian influenza, including those of a 21-year-old man and his 14-year-old sister, the World Health Organization said yesterday.

Author airs conspiracy theory on Im’s death –Someone stabbed 72-year-old retired research Professor Jeong Im multiple times in the Maryland Avenue parking garage at the University of Missouri-Columbia, put him in the trunk of his Honda and set the car on fire. A national radio talk-show guest has theorized the killing was part of a plot to kill off key microbiologists in the world before unleashing “the ultimate epidemic.” Steve Quayle, a self-published author and newsletter writer from Bozeman, Mont., told listeners of “Coast to Coast AM” that Im was the 40th microbiologist to die under suspicious circumstances in four years and was perhaps among those specializing in vaccines and bio-weapons research.

Simulated smallpox terror attack conducted in Washington –Former US secretary of state Madeleine Albright and former French health minister Bernard Kouchner were among the dignitaries playing the role of president of their respective countries in an exercise conducted here to explore how governments around the Atlantic would react to a biological terrorist attack in the region. An unknown group called the “New Jihad” [Actually, it will be the Bush-Rove terror team that attacks. Let us now discuss the… ? 19 dead microbiologists since the (Fort Detrick-generated anthrax) murders in 2001. What *were-are* they working on???] was scripted as claiming responsibility for the attack, saying it was revenge for the West’s oppression of Muslim countries… The scenario continued with stock markets collapsing, and thousands trying to flee cities where the outbreaks were being reported.

UK ‘Societal Disruption’ doc: ‘mass casualties, maintenance of public order, role of police and armed forces’ Emergency warning as global flu epidemic fears grow –Planning advice warns of disastrous effects –UK emergency services have been put on alert as the World Health Organisation (WHO) warns that a potentially deadly from of bird flu that affects humans could spark a global epidemic this winter. An emergency planning document spelling out the disastrous likely consequences of such an epidemic has already been distributed to government agencies. …The UK government believes high levels of death and illness could lead to public disorder. Quarantine, travel restrictions and the issuing of face masks are all being considered as protective measures. Under the heading “Societal Disruption” the document says the government “needs to consider maintenance of essential services such as … utilities [and] communication; management of mass casualties; maintenance of public order; the role of police and armed forces”.

Microbiologist Death Toll Mounts As Connections To Dyncorp, Hadron, Promis Software & Disease Research Emerge –A Career In Microbiology Can Be Harmful to Your Health (Revised/Updated) by Michael Davidson and Michael C. Ruppert 03 Mar 2002 In the four-month period from Nov. 12 through Feb. 11, seven world-class microbiologists in different parts of the world were reported dead. Six died of ‘unnatural’ causes, while the cause of the seventh’s death is questionable. Also on Nov. 12, DynCorp, a major government contractor for data processing, military operations and intelligence work, was awarded a $322 million contract to develop, produce and store vaccines for the Department of Defense. DynCorp and Hadron, both defense contractors connected to classified research programs on communicable diseases, have also been linked to a software program known as PROMIS, which may have helped identify and target the victims. In the six weeks prior to Nov. 12, two additional foreign microbiologists were reported dead. Some believe there were as many as five more microbiologists killed during the period, bringing the total as high as 14. These two to seven additional deaths, however, are not the focus of this story. This same period also saw the deaths of three persons involved in medical research or public health.”

Scientists’ deaths are under the microscope by Alanna Mitchell, Simon Cooper and Carolyn Abraham – compiled by Alanna Mitchell 04 May 2002 “It’s a tale only the best conspiracy theorist could dream up. Eleven microbiologists mysteriously dead over the span of just five months. Some of them world leaders in developing weapons-grade biological plagues. Others the best in figuring out how to stop millions from dying because of biological weapons. Still others, experts in the theory of bioterrorism… Suspicious deaths –The sudden and suspicious deaths of 11 of the world’s leading microbiologists [list].”

The Very Mysterious Deaths of Five Microbiologists by Ian Gurney 20 Dec 2001 “It is a story worthy of a major conspiracy theory, the script for a Mel Gibson ‘Who dunnit?’ action movie, or a blueprint for a contrived and unbelievable episode of ‘The X Files’. …Over the past few weeks several world-acclaimed scientific researchers specializing in infectious diseases and biological agents such as Anthrax, as well as DNA sequencing, have been found dead or have gone missing.”

http://www.legitgov.org/flu_oddities.html