[afro-nets] Pandemic Flu Newsletter 03-09-06

[Jawad Asghar <jawad@alumni.washington.edu>]

Pandemic Flu Newsletter 03-09-06
--------------------------------

From: CDC Announcements
Sent: Thursday, March 09, 2006 11:27 AM
To: All - CDC & ATSDR and non-CDC & non-ATSDR
Subject: Pandemic Flu Newsletter 03-09-06

Public Health Prepares
March 9, 2006

Fast Facts

Currently, HHS's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases (NIAID) is testing a range of vaccine concentrations,
known as dosage levels, of the Sanofi Pasteur H5N1 vaccine to
evaluate safety and immunogenicity. The NIAID clinical trials
are testing a vaccine made with the H5N1 strain of influenza,
which mainly infects birds and other small animals. H5N1 has in-
fected 175 humans worldwide to date.

Persons interested in participating in a clinical trial of can-
didate H5N1 vaccines can monitor www.ClinicalTrials.gov for on-
going and upcoming clinical trials information.

If You Are Asked...

"We are seeing more and more countries with H5N1 in birds. What
is the most likely way for H5N1 or pandemic flu to arrive in the
United States?"

Migratory birds, the poultry trade, and human travel are among
the possible mechanisms that experts believe could introduce
H5N1 or pandemic flu into the United States. Public health offi-
cials are monitoring these and other possible mechanisms as pri-
orities for the health of the nation.

Based on concerns about highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI)
H5N1 virus and its potential to cause illness in humans, CDC and
the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have taken steps to
prevent importation of birds and bird products from countries
where the virus has been detected.

USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) works
to keep HPAI from becoming established in the U.S. poultry popu-
lation. For information about APHIS' avian influenza activities,
visit www.aphis.usda.gov

For more information about the pandemic flu visit
http://www.pandemicflu.gov

Public Health Prepares...

Citizen Voices on Pandemic Flu Choices: A Report of the Public
Engagement Pilot December 2005

In December 2005 the Public Engagement Pilot Project on Pandemic
Influenza (PEPPPI) report was published. This project was initi-
ated by Roger Bernier, PhD, MPH, and Senior Advisor for Scien-
tific Strategy and Innovation at the National Immunization Pro-
gram, along with other partners in July 2005. The objectives of
the project were to discuss and rank goals for a pandemic influ-
enza vaccination program and to pilot test a new model for en-
gaging citizens on vaccine-related policy decisions (The Vaccine
Policy Analysis CollaborativE, VPACE).

The anticipated major benefits from this public consultation
were 1) the development of an improved plan to combat pandemic
influenza and one more likely to gain public support, and 2) a
demonstration that citizens can be productively engaged in in-
forming vaccine related policy decisions.

Approximately 300 participants with diverse backgrounds and
points of view came together to: learn the basic facts needed to
have an informed discussion about pandemic influenza, engage in
discussions about potential goals for the use of limited sup-
plies of vaccine, weigh the tradeoffs between competing goals,
and select the goals considered most important to achieve with
scarce vaccine.

According to Dr. Bernier, one of the most important achievements
of the Pilot Project was the "proof of principle, and by that I
mean, being able to demonstrate that citizens really could learn
what they needed to know to have informed opinions about an im-
portant public health issue, exchange views respectfully, and
reach an agreement about the question at hand that was ulti-
mately considered and found useful by government decision makers
at the national level."

Dr. Bernier also stated that he learned a critical lesson " un-
derstanding that one cannot ask citizens for their input on a
predetermined question without at the same time respecting their
intelligence, judgment, and experience and being open to the
possibility that they will reframe or remold the question and
produce unexpected insights."

More public discussion of a similar type was called for in the
HHS pandemic influenza plan.

The full report can be found at: www.keystone.org/spp/health-
pandemic.html

Update on H5N1: Global Activity Humans and Birds

Humans: During recent outbreaks since 2004, there have been 175
confirmed cases in humans and 95 deaths. They occurred in the
following nations: Vietnam 93 cases and 42 deaths; Thailand 22
cases and 14 deaths; Indonesia 27 cases and 20 deaths; China 15
cases and 9 deaths; Cambodia 4 cases and 4 deaths; Turkey 12
cases and 4 deaths; and Iraq 2 cases and 2 deaths.

Birds Since December 2003, avian influenza A (H5N1) infections
in poultry or wild birds have been reported in the following
countries: Nigeria, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Ma-
laysia, Mongolia, Thailand, Vietnam, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bos-
nia, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy,
Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Switzerland,
Turkey, Ukraine, Egypt, Iraq , Iran, India, Kazakhstan, Pakistan

For the most recent reports, please go to the following link:
http://www.who.int/csr/outbreaknetwork/en/

CDC Recommends...

HHS Urges Americans to Stockpile Food, Water, and Medicines in
Case of Outbreak

The federal government recently urged Americans to stockpile
food and medicine in an effort to prepare for what officials
warn could be widespread disruptions in the event of an influ-
enza pandemic. An influenza pandemic is a global outbreak that
occurs when a new influenza A virus causes serious human illness
and spreads easily from person to person, according to CDC.

Experts inside and outside the government have warned of a pub-
lic health crisis if a highly pathogenic virus like the H5N1
avian influenza virus begins to infect large numbers of humans.
An influenza pandemic would likely interrupt nearly every aspect
of normal life, such as schools, workplaces, grocery stores, and
even utilities which may shut down.

Individuals may gain peace of mind by creating their own per-
sonal stockpiles of food, water, and basic medicine. This would
do little to stop the spread of a pandemic virus, experts ac-
knowledge; however, it could help lessen the social impact if
services and institutions are debilitated, officials say.

"Our goal here is to help people prepare, not to panic," says
Christina Pearson, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS), which urged the actions. "Through
preparation people can gain peace of mind knowing they've done
what they can do."

A checklist that calls on individuals to plan for transportation
disruptions as well as work and school closings has been pre-
pared. It also calls on households to store supplies of nonper-
ishable food, water, and medicines for use in the event of an
outbreak.

The checklist can be found at
http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/tab3.html

Pass this on...

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there is no
evidence that anyone has been infected with H5N1 influenza or
other bird flu viruses by eating properly cooked poultry or
poultry products (e.g., eggs) derived from infected birds. Cook-
ing food thoroughly as recommended by USDA will kill bird flu
virus and other infectious agents if they are present. Nearly
all of the more than 175 human cases of H5N1 influenza that have
been diagnosed recently have resulted from direct contact with
infected chickens, ducks, turkeys, or their environment. This
suggests that close contact with infected birds has been the
primary route of transmission for avian H5N1 virus infections
rather than eating food derived from infected birds. For more
information about food safety and avian H5N1 influenza, visit
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&contentid=2005/11/%200511.xml

Where to Find Out More...

The Department of the Interior is responsible for managing wild-
life, including migratory birds, under various laws and trea-
ties, and for ensuring public health on more than 500 million
acres of land across the country. To carry out these responsi-
bilities, the Department and its partners are investigating HPAI
in migratory birds and making plans to protect the health of em-
ployees and the 450 million people who visit Department-managed
lands each year. For more information
http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/disease_information/avian_influenza

For more than two decades, the USDA has worked to prepare for
and prevent an outbreak of dangerous strains of avian influenza
in our country. "Attacking the disease at its source overseas is
a main focus for USDA. We also have strict importation restric-
tions to prevent the spread of the virus in our country and an
elaborate surveillance system in place to monitor our bird popu-
lations," said Conner. For more information www.usda.gov

More Fast Facts (Week of Mar. 9, 2006)...

Vaccination is one of the most effective ways to minimize sick-
ness and death from influenza. However, there is currently no
vaccine available to protect humans against the avian H5N1 in-
fluenza virus, which commonly affects birds and has been trans-
mitted to humans in seven countries. Efforts to develop such a
vaccine a vaccine are under way (see Fast Facts).

The United States has been working closely with other countries
and the World Health Organization (WHO) to strengthen systems to
detect outbreaks of influenza that might cause a pandemic. For
more information see Global Activities.

A general rule, the public should observe wildlife, including
wild birds, from a distance. This protects you from possible ex-
posure to pathogens and minimizes disturbance to the animal.
Avoid touching wildlife. If there is contact with wildlife do
not rub eyes, eat, drink, or smoke before washing hands with
soap and water. Do not pick up diseased or dead wildlife. Con-
tact your state, tribal, or federal natural resource agency if a
sick or dead animal is found.
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/gen-info/qa.htm

Production Timeline 6-9 months Influenza Vaccine Production
Timeline

Pandemic Influenza Update: Reader's Feedback

NOTE: The Pandemic Influenza Update will be published once a
month beginning March, 2006. It is prepared by CDC's Priority
Communication System. Information in this newsletter is time
sensitive and evolving. Readers are welcome to comment by email
to mailto:PANUPDATE@CDC.GOV


--
Rana Jawad Asghar, MD, MPH
Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer
Surveillance, Epidemiology and Outbreak Investigation Branch
Division of Tuberculosis Elimination
National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC)
mailto:jawad@alumni.washington.edu
http://www.DrJawad.com
Typhoid Net http://www.typhoid.net