H5N1

India is one of 13 countries that have reported their first cases of H5N1 infection in birds since the beginning of February.

We do not know whether the H5N1 virus will cause the next pandemic.

This has led to concerns that the H5N1 virus might have changed substantially, although the nature of that change is unclear.

These projects will take place in two Latin American and four Asian countries, three of which have had human H5N1 influenza cases.

Two tests on the woman were positive for H5N1 avian influenza, said the ministry, which did not say how she might have contracted the virus.

The case fatality rate for H5N1 virus infections in people is much higher compared to that of seasonal influenza infections.

WHO says H5N1 virus is widespread in birds, particularly poultry which seems to be the source of the Asian infections.

Ironically, after years of concern about H5N1 bird flu, the new flu causing concern is a pig virus, of a family known as H1N1.

A ministry spokesman said officials are trying to determine whether it is the deadly H5N1strain of avian influenza.

We are ready to help all African countries take measures to reduce the risks of H5N1.

Of the South-East Asian countries hit by outbreaks of the H5N1 bird flu virus, Vietnam has perhaps had the hardest time of it.

In that position, she was initially criticised for downplaying Sars and H5N1, although she was vindicated by an official inquiry.

In Bangladesh, 21 out of 64 districts have been infected with H5N1 and the situation seems to be worsening.

But Yamada told SciDev. Net that "this is a whole new ballgame" because H5N1 was not the main concern in the current pandemic.

The disease in animals caused by the H5N1 influenza virus has resulted in the culling of at least 150 million birds in the last two years.

Virologists are trying to discover the mutations that could enable H5N1 to spread between people and go pandemic.

FAO has predicted that the H5N1 strain might find its way into the Middle East, North Africa and East and West Africa, she said.

Currently, H5N1's HA protein has a high affinity for sugars on the surface of bird cells, but is less able to lock onto human cells.

Health officials worldwide are carefully watching disease in Southeast Asia because H5N1 had not been seen in humans prior to 1997.

These improvements are a permanent strength, whether this H5N1 virus causes the next pandemic or not.

The scientists say that basic research is urgently needed to understand the risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus and how it spreads.

They said that the H5N1 virus must have come directly from Hungary, al-though the means of transmission remains uncertain.

Earlier, Israel's Agriculture Ministry said the bird flu virus found in poultry in southern Israel is the lethal H5N1 strain.

Currently science is contributing to these fears in the form of a highly contagious lab-made variant of the H5N1 virus.

Experts widely assumed that H5N1 would cause the next pandemic, and its severity was almost taken for granted.

"Second . . . the H5N1 avian influenza virus is endemic in poultry in some parts of the world, " she said.

But genetic mutations could make HA a better match for human cells, helping to turn H5N1 into a form that could spark a human flu pandemic.

In 2003, we had an H5N1 virus that jumped from birds into humans in a few isolated cases with an apparent mortality rate of 70 percent.

Three years later she had to deal with an outbreak of the H5N1 virus that included the first known cases in humans.

That's because H5N1 hasn't yet found a way of spreading from human to human as normal flus do.

"It's a pity that no virology and serology was carried out" to see whether those surveyed were infected with H5N1, he says.

The total number of human cases worldwide of H5N1 coming from contact with a wild bird is zero.

Prior to the revision, the cases did not meet the WHO case definition for serologically confirmed avian influenza H5N1 infection.

John Skehel of the UK National Institute for Medical Research and his colleagues characterised a key protein on the surface of H5N1.

A council reminds residents to be vigilant and look out for dead birds after the deadly H5N1 flu strain is found in Britain.

Evidence so far indicates a sporadic case of human influenza A(H5N1) infection without secondary spread.

Domestic and wild cats used to be considered resistant to disease from influenza A type viruses, of which H5N1 is a subtype.

Local agricultural officials have reported isolation of the H5N1 virus in samples from dead poultry in her neighbourhood.

Humans never have been exposed widely to the H5N1 virus and thus have no immunity to it.

Further tests will confirm whether the outbreak is the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain which can be passed on to and potentially kill humans.

H5N1 virus is now entrenched in several parts of Asia, and is moving further afield.

It is still unclear how effective the vaccines currently being developed would be if H5N1 changed and sparked a human flu pandemic.

The early symptoms of H5N1 infection mimic those of many other common respiratory illnesses, meaning that false alarms are likely.

The Ministry of Health of Indonesia has announced the death of a previously confirmed case of H5N1 infection.

Second, as all of you know, the H5N1 avian influenza virus is endemic in poultry in some parts of the world.

The confirmation of H5N1 avian influenza in England has caused renewed concern over the prospect of a global influenza pandemic.

As a precaution, samples have been taken and will be sent for H5N1 testing at a WHO collaborating laboratory in the United Kingdom.

The H5N1 virus is now considered to be endemic in birds in large parts of China.

H5N1 is a particular subtype of the avian influenza A virus, and is the current cause of bird flu in a number of countries.

We were expecting, and fearing, that the highly lethal H5N1 avian virus would spark the next pandemic.

Living alongside poultry is a way of life across the continent and six countries already have the H5N1 virus.

These years of experience have taught us just how tenacious this H5N1 virus is in birds.

Scientists are therefore keeping watch to see if H5N1 infects other animals besides birds.

Vaccinated rhesus macaques remained healthy after they were injected with H5N1 virus as the vaccine stops the replication of the virus.

The villagers themselves gave blood samples to test for H5N1 antibodies to determine whether they had been exposed to the virus.

To date none of the human contacts have tested positive for A (H5N1).

The Ministry of Health of Egypt has notified WHO of a new case of human infection with avian influenza A (H5N1) virus.

It is possible for H5N1 to evolve in another animal besides birds, to become more dangerous to humans.

Our trial suggests that an H5N1 vaccine manufactured and formulated with both of these approaches is well tolerated and immunogenic .

So far, experts say, there is no evidence that H5N1 has adapted itself to becoming easily transmissible from human to human.

These findings were further reviewed by a panel of experts, which concluded that the man's H5N1 infection was now laboratory confirmed.

The pathogenesis of avian influenza A (H5N1) virus in humans has not been clearly elucidated. Apoptosis may also play an important role.

A total of 45 people from Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia have died from the H5N1 strain in little more than a year.

The fact that the H5N1 avian influenza virus is firmly established in poultry in some parts of the world is another cause for concern.

This case coincides with a recurrence of a confirmed H5N1 outbreak in animals in the province.

Recent events make it likely that some migratory birds are now directly spreading the H5N1 virus in its highly pathogenic form.

The spread of H5N1 to poultry in new areas is of concern as it increases opportunities for further human cases to occur.

Indonesia last month started withholding samples of the H5N1 virus that has killed at least five people in the country this year.

The Ministry of Health of Egypt has announced a new human case of A(H5N1) avian influenza infection.

The pandemic threat is the h-five none influenza virus, also known as the bird flu.

These bird varieties then become carriers of the virus, transmitting it to more vulnerable bird populations.

It has no bearing on what might happen if an entirely new virus, such as H5N1 bird flu, mutated to cause a human pandemic.

Creating a safe vaccine from H5N1 is a difficult task as the virus has so far killed 75 per cent of those infected.

For several reasons, the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus is of the greatest concern at present.

Current approved vaccines against the H5N1 avian influenza virus require two doses to be fully effective.

Samples from these cases are being tested to determine whether they were also infected with the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

H5N1 influenza viruses have caused significant disease and deaths in various parts of the world in several species, including humans.

There is no evidence to suggest that the H5N1 virus can be transmitted to humans through properly prepared poultry or eggs.

So as a proxy, they argue, H5N1 should be immediately suspected and guarded against whenever unusual bird and cat die-offs happen together.

The United Nations has warned of a possible resurgence of a deadly bird flu virus, H5N1, and the spread in Asia of a new mutant strain.

Researchers in Singapore, for example, have developed a new test for the H5N1 virus. They call it a "lab on a chip. "

According to FAO, highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza is now endemic in poultry in many parts of Indonesia.

A panel of neutralizing, cross-reactive mans might be useful for prophylaxis or adjunctie treatment of human cases of H5N1 influenza.

At the hospital, medical staff suspected H5N1 infection based on his respiratory symptoms and a history of exposure to dead poultry.

This time, scientists were ready and waiting, conditioned by a nervous five-year watch over the lethal H5N1 bird-flu virus.

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed an additional case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

Contact with sick fowl is the most common way of contracting bird flu, which is endemic in bird populations in most parts of Indonesia.

Their infection with the H5N1 virus was subsequently confirmed by a WHO collaborating laboratory in the United Kingdom.

Researchers have discovered a detail of the H5N1 bird flu virus's structure that could be exploited to make new, targeted influenza drugs.

The Ministry of Public Health in Thailand has confirmed a further case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

Africa poses a specific challenge because of the poor capacity of its veterinary services to control H5N1 infection, Domenech said.

The cases are under investigation to determine whether the birds had the H5N1 strain.

When scientists infected the modified birds with lethal doses of H5N1, the virus latched onto the decoy form of polymerase.

Infection with the H5N1 virus is suspected for the 23-year-old male, but cannot be confirmed as no samples were collected for testing.

Alternately H5N1 may subside naturally as infected animals die off, or it may mutate to a less aggressive form.

It is vital to limit the risk of human exposure to the H5N1 virus and the consequent risk of an emergence of a new pandemic virus.

Unfortunately domestic fowl, which have borne the brunt so far of the H5N1 virus's spread, come under the ministry's aegis.

Because populations will be fully susceptible to an H5N1-like virus, rates of illness could peak fairly rapidly within a given community.

The Ministry of Public Health in Thailand has confirmed an additional case of human infection with H5N1 avian influenza.

The Ministry of Health in Cambodia has confirmed the country's seventh case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

The meeting will also identify and prioritize the technical and financial requirements for combating the H5N1 virus.

The move comes as Britain battles its worst outbreak of H5N1 bird flu, which yesterday led to several countries banning UK poultry imports.

The H5N1 virus can survive for at least one month at low temperatures.

The Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population has announced a new human case of avian influenza A(H5N1) virus infection .

Officials in Germany have today confirmed H5N1 infection in a second mammalian species, the stone marten.

The H5N1 avian influenza virus is firmly established among animals in Asia and has begun to extend its reach into Europe.

The Ministry of Health of Indonesia has announced a confirmed case of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N1) virus.

With the H5N1 virus now firmly entrenched in large parts of Asia, the risk that more human cases will occur will persist.

Karesh and a scientific team studied diseased birds in Mongolia after H5N1 was discovered among migratory swans, geese and ducks in August.

One of the nurses, a 34-year-old woman, experienced only mild symptoms and has subsequently tested negative for H5N1 infection.

No one can predict how the H5N1 virus will behave under the pressure of a pandemic.

Recognition that the mutations identified by the studies could be useful for H5N1 surveillance.

The possible spread of H5N1 avian influenza to poultry in additional countries cannot be ruled out.

The Ministry of Health of Cambodia has announced a new confirmed case of human infection with avian influenza A (H5N1) virus.

Indonesia, in contrast, has verified more human cases of H5N1 infection than any other country in 2006; another was confirmed June 15.

The Ministry of Health, Bangladesh has confirmed its first case of human infection with H5N1 avian influenza.

The Ministry of Health in Iraq has confirmed the country's second case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

So far no human-to-human transmission of the virus has been reported.

The Ministry of Health and Population of Egypt has announced a new human case of avian influenza A(H5N1) virus infection.

H5N1 was first reported in domestic cats in Thailand in 2004, and a later survey showed that some Thai cats carry antibodies to the virus.

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed a new case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

They said that chickens are no longer a "highly significant predictor" of the presence of the H5N1 virus for Vietnam and Thailand.

Medical authorities have confirmed she was infected with the H5N1 strain of bird flu, which now has killed a total of 132 people worldwide.

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has today confirmed a fatal case of human infection with H5N1 avian influenza.

He added that monitoring of the development of H5N1 has shown that mutation of the virus has not so far been as extensive as predicted.

And H5N1 has become entrenched in a way that no other form of bird flu has, WHO says.

Information provided to WHO indicates that these viruses are very similar to current avian H5N1 viruses isolated from birds in Turkey.

However, all evidence to date indicates that the H5N1 virus does not spread easily from birds to infect humans.

FAO official Samuel Jutzi stresses that H5N1 could turn into a virulent human strain at any time.

The live poultry trade appears to be the main factor in the spread of H5N1 in Asia and Africa.

The H5N1 virus is expected to be susceptible to the neuraminidase inhibitors.

H5N1 has so far killed 71 people in Asia, out of a total of 139 confirmed cases of infection.

Today, laboratory tests have confirmed the presence of H5N1 in an additional Vietnamese patient.

The secret of flu-proofing chicken flocks is an artificial gene that contains a snippet of genetic material from the H5N1 flu virus.

The Ministry of Health and Population, Egypt has announced a new case of human infection of H5N1 avian influenza.

Indonesia, which has had the most number of human deaths from the H5N1 virus globally, has had 114 confirmed human cases of the disease.

However, highly pathogenic viruses, such as the H5N1 strain, spread to virtually all parts of an infected bird, including meat.

Although evidence pointing to H5N1 infection is considered substantial by Chinese experts, WHO reports only laboratory-confirmed cases.

The Ministry of Health has also confirmed a new case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

The majority of human cases of H5N1 infection have been associated with direct or indirect contact with infected live or dead poultry.

Japanese officials have confirmed an outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu virus at a poultry farm in southwestern Japan.

Aided by the trade in live poultry and the migration of infected wild birds, H5N1 has spread through the Middle East to Europe and Africa.

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed another human case of H5N1 avian influenza.

Health authorities may consider vaccination against seasonal influenza for persons at risk of occupational exposure to the H5N1 virus.

These findings reinforce the need for rapid diagnosis and effective treatment with antiviral drugs.

Cambodia, China and Indonesia respond to outbreaks of the H5N1 bird flu virus by vaccinating poultry to protect them from infection.

However, this does not mean these birds are infected with an H5N1 strain.

The H5N1 virus was first detected in birds in South-East Asia and this year was reported in Europe, the Middle East, South Asia and Africa.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in India has informed WHO that no human cases of H5N1 infection have been detected to date.

Tests conducted in Turkish laboratories have confirmed the country's 15th case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

Tests conducted at Germany's Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut for Animal Health confirmed infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

Staff at the WHO country office in Niger reported today that no human cases are presently under investigation for possible H5N1 infection.

The H5N1 avian flu virus has become entrenched among birds in much of Asia and parts of Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

H5N1 is the only strain within the H5 subtype known to cause human infections.

The Ministry of Health of Indonesia has announced a new case of human infection of H5N1 avian influenza.

No cases of H5N1 infection have been linked to the consumption of thoroughly cooked poultry and egg products.

Current investigations in Indonesia have produced no evidence that the H5N1 virus is spreading easily from person to person.

Highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza A viruses are now endemic in avian populations in Southeast Asia, and human cases continue to accumulate.

Positive H5N1 results were obtained for seven of these patients.

Preparedness for a possible influenza pandemic caused by highly pathogenic avian influenza A subtype H5N1 has become a global priority.

The presence of H5N1 virus in nasopharyngeal specimens was confirmed by Institut Pasteur, the National Influenza Centre in Cambodia.

Since the end of 2003, the H5N1 virus has infected numerous species of birds in more than 60 countries in Asia, Europe and Africa.

But scientists say this would be more of a concern in South-East Asia, where there are high rates of H5N1 in poultry.

Unfortunately it's made against the current form of H5N1.

Several countries, including Thailand, Vietnam, China and Indonesia, report new infections in poultry with H5N1.

The high pathogenic strains of the avian influenza H5N1 virus isolated in Kazakhstan have NS of different genotypes.

The findings underline how difficult it is to control the H5N1 virus as different strains can become dominant in a short time.

Authorities in Germany have today announced detection of H5N1 avian influenza in a domestic cat.

Reports of human cases occur only very sporadically, apart from Egypt and Indonesia, following the progressive control of H5N1 in poultry.

Her symptoms were compatible with a diagnosis of H5N1 avian influenza.

The H5N1 avian influenza virus is not transmitted to humans through properly prepared and cooked food.

Specimens collected from other patients in this study are now being systematically tested for possible H5N1 infection.

Neuraminidase gene fragments of some H5N1 avian influenza viruses were used as an example to illustrate how the proteotyping method worked.

To immunize people against H5N1, two injections of the vaccine approximately one month apart are needed.

Early detection and rapid response mechanisms are essential to tracking the evolution of the H5N1 virus.

A statement from China's Ministry of Agriculture says the H5N1 strain of the virus was discovered at two farms in Jiangsu.

Others include new forms of epidemic cholera and meningitis, Hanta virus, Hendra virus, Nipah virus, and H5N1 avian influenza.

H5N1 is the only strain within the H5 subtype known to infect humans.

H5N1 subtype of avian influenza virus (AIV) has been prevailing in many countries over the world, which has threaten human health.

For cases of human infection with H5N1, the drugs may improve prospects of survival, if administered early, but clinical data are limited.

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed an additional four cases of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

More than 250 million chickens have died of H5N1 or have been destroyed to stop the virus's spread.

A possible H5N1 case in the southern part of the country has been officially reported to WHO by the Ministry of Health.

The risk that the H5N1 virus will acquire this ability will persist as long as opportunities for human infections occur.

The Ministry of Health of Indonesia has announced two new confirmed cases of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

All available evidence indicates that cat infections occur in association with H5N1 outbreaks in domestic or wild birds.

Experience in several other countries has shown how quickly the H5N1 virus can spread and become firmly established in poultry.

FOR most of the past three years, the highly pathogenic bird flu known as H5N1 has been found mainly in Asia.

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has today confirmed a further two cases of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

H5N1 avian influenza is still essentially a disease of birds.

Since 2003, the human disease due to highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus has elicited global concern.

The Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population has informed WHO of three new human cases of avian influenza A(H5N1) virus infection.

H5N1 is also found in pigs in Indonesia, raising fears that it might reassort with other human flu viruses that pigs can harbour.

Controlling circulation of the H5N1 virus in poultry is essential to reducing the risk of human infection.

Health chiefs sought to allay fears, saying the H5N1 virus found in the markets was not a mutant strain.

WHO has received informal reports of two additional cases of H5N1 infection in Viet Nam.

China has recently experienced a recurrence of outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in poultry.

Moreover, public health must pay close attention to any severe new disease, like H5N1 avian influenza.

Egypt reported the last confirmed case of H5N1 in July 2007.

The H5N1 avian influenza virus is not transmitted to humans through properly cooked food.

In severely ill H5N1 patients or in H5N1 patients with severe gastrointestinal symptoms, drug absorption may be impaired.

A confirmed outbreak of H5N1 in poultry began in late December in another part of the province.

In that country, four persons have been investigated to date for possible H5N1 infection.

The confirmation of H5N1 avian influenza in poultry in Africa is a cause for great concern and demands immediate action.

As his symptoms were compatible with a clinical diagnosis of dengue haemorrhagic fever, no testing for H5N1 was carried out.

Lessons were learnt from dealing with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the H5N1 bird flu virus, argues the editorial.

China's State Food and Drug Administration approved production of the country's first human vaccine for the H5N1 virus last week (2 April).

The case was detected through routine surveillance following an outbreak of H5N1 in poultry in the area in mid-November.

If the H5N1 virus changes to allow it to pass easily from person to person, and it goes unchecked, this could trigger an influenza pandemic.

They focused on species likely to encounter waterfowl such as geese and ducks, which are known to be particularly vulnerable to H5N1.

The Ministry of Health of Indonesia has announced two new confirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N1) virus.

One way in which this could happen is if a person is simultaneously infected with H5N1 and a common human flu virus.

Viruses are also being sent to WHO reference laboratories for comparison with human H5N1 isolates from Asia.

Tests conducted by the country's Central Public Health Laboratory were positive for H5N1 infection.

Latest World Health Organization figures put the known number of humans infected with the H5N1 bird flu virus at 217, with 123 deaths.

The greatest concentration of human H5N1 cases has occurred in Southeast Asia.

Some H5N1 samples from infected individuals have two mutations conferring this ability .

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed two additional cases of human infection with H5N1 avian influenza.

Officials say tests run on the bird show it tested positive for the H5N1 strain of the virus.

The following additional cases of human infection with H5N1 avian influenza have been confirmed.

The call comes after news that the bird flu virus H5N1 has spread from South-East Asia to Kazakhstan and Russia.

Laboratory tests confirmed the presence of the H5N1 avian influenza virus in both cases.

The first case of human infection with H5N1 avian influenza has been confirmed in Pakistan.

The deadly avian influenza virus continues to spread in poultry in Nigeria.

The virus made its first movement toward Europe in July and August with confirmations of H5N1 in Russia and Kazakhstan.

Samples from the girl tested positive for avian influenza H5N1 virus at the Pasteur Institute, Phnom Penh.

It will therefore never be known whether he may have died following co-infection with dengue and H5N1 avian influenza.

Subsequent investigation identified H5N1 in tissue samples.

H5N1 has so far reached level 3, indicating local regional outbreaks.

When human cases of H5N1 are identified, coordinated human and animal health investigations will be essential.

Although the H5N1 virus is highly infectious among poultry, it is not easily transmissible to humans.

This led researchers to suggest that H5N1 might need surface proteins more like those on human flu to trigger a pandemic.

Almost simultaneously, Mongolia reported the detection of H5N1 in dead migratory birds.

For both cases laboratory tests have confirmed infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

The Ministry of Health of Egypt has reported 3 new confirmed human case of avian influenza A(H5N1).

Three more people are reported to have died of H5N1 avian influenza in Viet Nam.

However, H5N1 influenza viruses have caused multiple disease outbreaks in ducks in recent years.

That trade needs tighter regulation, as does the movement of live birds from countries with H5N1 infections.

The H5N1 avian influenza virus was discovered in February in Nigeria, the first African occurrence in the current outbreak.

The spokesman said Tuesday three wild swans found last week have tested positive for the H5N1 virus.

Several published studies have demonstrated H5N1 infection in large cats kept in captivity.

The emergence of an H5N1 strain that is readily transmitted among humans would mark the start of a pandemic.

All evidence to date indicates that close contact with sick or dead birds is the principal source of human infection with the H5N1 virus.

The man is the seventh member of an extended family to become infected with the H5N1 virus and the sixth to die.

Also Monday, Malaysian authorities reported new cases of H5N1 bird flu among dead chickens in Penang state.

There is no present evidence that domestic cats play a role in the transmission cycle of H5N1 viruses.

The vast majority of H5N1 avian influenza cases in people follow direct contact with infected live or dead birds.

Agricultural authorities have detected the H5N1 virus in samples taken from poultry in the province.

The Ministry of Health in China has reported an additional laboratory confirmed case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

Even if H5N1 could be eradicated from domestic birds, it might still persist in wild birds.