Official Bird Flu / H5N1 Virus Thread

[curdledvomit]

this from http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/20...nt_4074761.htm





HK finds H5N1-positive wild bird carcass

www.chinaview.cn 2006-01-19 21:44:26


HONG KONG, Jan. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- A dead wild bird in Hong Kong has been confirmed of positive to the virus of H5N1, announced the local authorities on Thursday, but they dismissed the fear that there is an outbreak of avian influenza in the city.

"In Hong Kong, it's the first time we have found the virus on the species," said an official from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

However, "there's no cause of alarm," said the official, for patrol conducted in a five kilometer-radius circle had found no avian influenza on poultry farms.

Neither did further survey over Hong Kong's other poultry farms find bird flu, caused by H5N1, or poultry abnormality, the official told a news conference broadcast live.

The authorities therefore decided to keep open a wetland park, where the body of the wild bird was found.

The body of the wild bird, magpie robin, was collected on Jan. 10 in the country area of Tai Po, northeastern of the Hong Kong Island.

Laboratory test had confirmed that the wild bird was positive to the virus of H5N1, which has caused the bird flu now epidemic around the world.

Previous to this case, Hong Kong has kept a zero-outbreak record and the authorities have launched aggressive campaign to prevent the disease from entering the territory. There has no clue as how and where disease affected the dead magpie robin, a common species in Hong Kong and the southern part of China, said the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. Though reiterating there's no need to panic, the authorities again reminded the public to pay attention to personal hygiene so as not to be affected. Enditem

[curdledvomit]

this from http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/con...mutations.html


Second mutation in Turkey H5N1 virus suggests adaptation to humans

Jan 19, 2006 (CIDRAP News) – A new report in Nature cites more evidence that mutations detected in H5N1 avian influenza viruses recovered from patients in Turkey may better equip the viruses to infect humans.

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced a week ago that a mutation in one virus sample could improve the virus's ability to spread from birds to humans. The mutation is believed to make the virus more likely to bind to human cell receptors and less likely to bind to avian cell receptors, the WHO said.

A news article published today by Nature says scientists have detected another mutation in the Turkish samples that may improve the microbe's ability to jump not only from birds to humans but also from human to human. However, a scientist quoted in the piece said the two mutations, on their own, are not likely to lead to efficient person-to-person transmission.

Virus samples from the first two Turkish children to die of avian flu have been analyzed at the National Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) in London. Last week the WHO announced that a sample from one of the patients had an amino acid change in hemagglutinin, the surface protein that enables flu viruses to bind to and enter host cells.

The same mutation was seen in two patients in Hong Kong in 2003 and in Vietnam last year, the WHO said. Previous research indicated that the Hong Kong 2003 viruses prefer human cell receptors over bird cell receptors, the agency said. But the WHO stopped short of suggesting that this would help explain the relatively high incidence of human cases in Turkey—at least 20 in about 2 weeks.

The Nature report, by Declan Butler, says the virus samples from both Turkish patients have a mutation in the polymerase protein, which serves to replicate the virus's genetic material. The change is a substitution of lycine for glutamic acid at position 627. The same mutation has been seen before, including in Eurasian poultry recently and in the one person who died in the 2003 outbreak of H7N7 avian flu in the Netherlands.

"The polymerase mutation is one of the ten genetic changes that gave rise to the 1918 pandemic flu virus," the story says. The mutation indicates adaptation to humans, said Alan Hay, director of the WHO flu laboratory at the NIMR, as quoted in the story.

The story goes on to say that the Turkish samples are the first in which the polymerase and hemagglutinin mutations have been found together. "They could make it easier for humans to catch the virus from poultry," it says. "But they might also favor human-to-human transmission." Together, the two mutations help the virus survive and infect cells in the nose and throat, increasing the chance that coughing would spread it via droplets, the story says.

However, Hay said it is hard to predict how the mutations will affect the virus's behavior and that "just two changes are unlikely to create efficient human-to-human transmission on their own," according to the report.

One other mutation—a change at position 153 of the hemagglutinin protein—also was found in one of the virus samples, the story said. Maria Cheng of the WHO told Nature it was unclear what effect that change has.

Michael T. Osterholm, PhD, MPH, director of the University of Minnesota Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, publisher of this Web site, said the findings point up how little is known about exactly what changes would be sufficient to produce a pandemic strain of virus.

"We know what changes occurred in the 1918 virus, but is that the example or is that the model?" he said. "In other words, does it have to be exactly like that, or can it be a series of changes somewhat like that? We don't know if some changes are more important than others or if some changes have to happen together."

While virologists have learned a lot, "there's more that we don't know than we do know," Osterholm added. "The thing I think is concerning about the situation in Turkey is we continue to see the potential for mutations to occur, which in turn leads us to the possibility that all the wrong mutations might occur and result in a 1918-like experience."

[Grazhoppa]

oh snap

[LentilSoup]

Originally Posted by curdledvomit

However, a scientist quoted in the piece said the two mutations, on their own, are not likely to lead to efficient person-to-person transmission.

That damned virus needs to get its act together.

[Tenacious N]

:giveafuck:

[explosivo]

Originally Posted by explosivo

A-well-a everybody's heard about the bird
Bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a don't you know about the bird?
Well, everybody's talking about the bird!
A-well-a bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird...

Surfin' bird
Bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb... [retching noises]... aaah!

Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-
Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow

Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Oom-oom-oom-oom-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow...

[Vienge.]

Originally Posted by LentilSoup

That damned virus needs to get its act together.

seriously....fucking Duke Nukem Forever will be released before this virus mutates.

lame.

[LentilSoup]

Originally Posted by IMNobody Jr

seriously....fucking Duke Nukem Forever will be released before this virus mutates.

[Vienge.]

Originally Posted by LentilSoup

[Queen Pee(nis)]

For those of you wanting to make money off this bird flu...take a look at these:

NNVC

HEB

NVAX

BCRX

CRXL

VRAL

[curdledvomit]

this from http://www.metimes.com/articles/norm...4-071255-8359r


London scientists discover H5N1 mutation
Kate Walker
United Press International
January 24, 2006

OXFORD, England -- London scientists have discovered a mutation that may make the Avian influenza virus H5N1 more transmissible.

The mutation was found in a sample taken from a patient in Turkey and could "signify the virus is trying different things to see if it can more easily infect humans", said World Health Organization (WHO) spokeswoman Maria Cheng. "So far, we haven't seen that the virus has the ability to do this. But it's important that we continue monitoring."

As it is normal for flu viruses to mutate, and it is possible for mutations to lead to increased rates of transmission with decreased virulence, there is no need for increased alarm.

"If we started to see a lot more samples from Turkey with this mutation and saw the virus changing, we'd be more concerned," Cheng said.

"For us to assign public health significance to a genetic change we need to match it to what is happening epidemiologically - how the virus is behaving - and clinically - if it's more or less virulent.

"We would be concerned if we were seeing successive generations of spread of the virus. We haven't so far. All these people [who have been infected] had a very clear history of contact with diseased birds."

Meanwhile:

- The WHO on Saturday confirmed that the deaths of two Indonesian children were a result of bird flu, bringing the country's death toll for the disease to 14.

The siblings from West Java, a four-year-old boy and his 13-year-old sister, died in hospital last week. Their father is believed to be undergoing treatment for avian influenza.

- China announced its 10th confirmed case of avian flu in humans on Monday.

The 29-year-old woman from Jinhua who ran a stall in a farm goods market fell ill on January 12 and is currently in critical condition in a Sichuan hospital.

H5N1 confirmation was made by local and national authorities, but the WHO has yet to corroborate the diagnosis.

- China's eighth human avian-influenza sufferer is said to be recovering.

The 6-year-old boy who suffered severe damage to both lungs and was using an assisted breathing apparatus is now said to be breathing unaided and walking around. The boy first reported flu-like symptoms on December 24 and was confirmed as having H5N1 on January 9.

- Two Turkish toddlers who had been hospitalized with avian influenza were released on Sunday, and a third child is said to be improving.

- A French woman who fell ill and was hospitalized after returning from a trip to Turkey was not infected with avian influenza, it was confirmed on Sunday.

The woman was tested for H5N1 as a precautionary measure, for while she had been traveling in non-affected regions, she experienced flu-like symptoms upon her return from a country known to have suffered a number of outbreaks in recent weeks.

- Seven Turkish poultry suppliers distributed free cooked poultry in Batman in an effort to boost poultry sales in the wake of the recent avian-flu outbreaks in the country. Crowds of Turks filled Meydan Square on Sunday, eating the free food.

[Vienge.]

I STILL DON'T SEE FIFTY MILLION PEOPLE DEAD YET

[f3lik]x[]

I'm bored

[drunk neck joe]

Bird flu is . H5N1 has existed for years, and it hasn't mutated yet. Just bomb the countries that contain H5N1 and kill all of their chickens and maybe then the media will STFU with their scare tactic .

[LentilSoup]

Originally Posted by IMNobody Jr

I STILL DON'T SEE FIFTY MILLION PEOPLE DEAD YET

qft