**AVIAN FLU Headlines (May 2, 2006 -- May 23, 2006)\
Rep. Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (TX-26)**

On Tuesday May 9^th^, ABC aired "[Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in
America](http://abc.go.com/movies/birdflu.html)" which portrayed a
number of difficulties and dilemmas that we in the federal government
are facing as we prepare for a potential pandemic. Some examples
included the hurdles of overcoming our current problems with vaccination
production in the United States, protection and for our first responders
during an on-going and infectious emergency, surge capacity, and general
communications during a crisis.

The program was book-ended with a statement clarifying that there is
currently no "efficient" human-to-human transmission of the H5N1 virus
and for more information, individuals should visit
[www.pandemicflu.gov](http://www.pandemicflu.gov/). Later that evening,
ABC's Nightline devoted its program to discuss how we are preparing for
a potential pandemic flu with special guest HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt.
Following the program, I went on several radio programs to discuss the
issue further. For more on these interviews, please visit this
[link](http://burgess.house.gov/Multimedia/).

Please feel free to forward this email to interested parties or have
them reply to this sender to be added to the distribution list. Should
you have questions concerning avian flu, please do not hesitate to
contact my office at (202) 225-7772.

Sincerely,\
![](media/image1.png){width="1.8090277777777777in"
height="0.7173611111111111in"}\
Michael C. Burgess, M.D.\
Member of Congress

[Will insurance firms get
sick?](http://www.startribune.com/535/story/430129.html),
Minneapolis-St. Paul Star-Tribune

The past five years have been a particularly volatile time for the
insurance industry. But an outbreak of avian flu will outdo them all.
Unlike hurricanes, a virus would not likely be confined to one
geographic area. Depending on the severity of the outbreak, a bird-flu
pandemic could cost billion, the life-insurance industry alone anywhere
from \$31 billion to \$133 according to a recent report by the Insurance
Information Institute in New York. By contrast, the 9/11 attacks cost
insurers \$20.7 billion for life, property and billion in other claims,
and Hurricane Katrina losses brought nearly \$38 claims.
Insurance-industry officials and experts are divided over the financial
effect of a bird-flu outbreak and even whether a pandemic actually will
occur.

[IBM, Public Health Groups Form Global Pandemic
Initiative](http://money.cnn.com/services/tickerheadlines/mw/06129037.htm),
CNN\
IBM and over twenty major worldwide public health institutions,
including the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, today announced the Global Pandemic Initiative,
a collaborative effort to help stem the spread of infectious diseases.
Among the technologies that will be used is a software framework IBM
developed to allow electronic health information to be more easily
shared and mined for trends, such as the outbreak of disease. Called the
Interoperable Healthcare Information Infrastructure (IHII), the
technology is designed to improve communication and collaboration among
medical professionals and researchers by helping them collect and share
health data. IBM will expand the role of IHII to include public health
issues, responding to global calls for pandemic preparedness by
facilitating the sharing of clinical data among medical facilities,
laboratories and public health agencies.

[Shorebirds In Alaska Tested For Avian
Flu](http://www.nbc5i.com/health/9250453/detail.html?treets=dfw&tid=2656022108813&tml=dfw_health&tmi=dfw_health_1_12150105222006&ts=H),
NBC/Associated Press

Wildlife experts said they hope to swab as many as 15,000 birds for bird
flu by setting up remote camps throughout Alaska. Some of the
backcountry areas are accessible only by float planes or boats. Alaska
is an ideal bird flu laboratory because it\'s at the crossroads of
migratory pathways between the United States and other countries. Some
of the birds arrive in Alaska each year from Asia. About \$4 million has
been allotted for the early detection project in Alaska alone.

[Area schools urged to prepare for
pandemic](http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/3868687.html),
Houston Chronicle\
"School-age children may have the highest illness rate in a pandemic
situation, some estimate up to 40 percent," said Elizabeth Love, chief
of the office of policy and planning for the Harris County Public Health
and Environmental Services. "Any of us who have any experience with
young children know they are very efficient and effective transmitters
of germs." In the event of an outbreak, Love said, public health
officials would have the authority to close schools, though such a
decision would not be made lightly or in a vacuum. Some studies have
shown that even though closing schools can be disruptive, doing so at
the outset of a pandemic could decrease the attack rate in the community
by up to 33 percent.

**\
**[Bird smugglers deepen threat of human flu
crisis](http://news.ft.com/cms/s/8829d92c-e4ff-11da-80de-0000779e2340.html),
Financial Times\
Chinese chicken is being illegally smuggled into Europe, increasing the
risk of a human bird flu pandemic.

There are two variants of the trade. One involves using fake papers
claiming that the meat comes from another country, typically Brazil. The
other involves putting boxes of poultry in consignments of legal
vegetables. Scanning a container by X-ray reveals the problem but the
fraudsters are becoming more sophisticated. Slovenian authorities seized
packets of poultry last year that had been hidden beneath same-sized
packets of broccoli and garlic. They could be found only by manual
search.

[Indonesia blames 5 deaths in family on avian
flu](http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/avianflu/news/may1506avian.html),
Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy

Academic Health Center \-- University of Minnesota\
In addition to the five fatalities that have tested positive, a sixth
family member died of suspected avian flu but was buried without being
tested, the AP reported. Kandun said all nine were members of the \"same
family tree,\" according to AFP. The WHO is paying close attention to
this cluster of cases, because it may indicate human-to-human infection,
according to a Reuters story. But even if human-to-human transmission
occurred, it is not necessarily evidence of viral mutation, WHO
spokesperson Maria Cheng told Reuters. It could be caused, as in some
cases in Vietnam and Thailand, by the close contact normal in families,
she said.

##### [***Avian Flu Wanes in Asian Nations It First Hit Hard***](http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/14/world/asia/14flu.html?_r=2&oref=login&oref=slogin), New York Times Even as it crops up in the far corners of Europe and Africa, the virulent bird flu that raised fears of a human pandemic has been largely snuffed out in the parts of Southeast Asia where it claimed its first and most numerous victims. Health officials are pleased and excited. \"In Thailand and Vietnam, we\'ve had the most fabulous success stories,\" said Dr. David Nabarro, chief pandemic flu coordinator for the United Nations.

##### [***Bird flu could close schools***](http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060513/NEWS01/605130325/1006), Pensacola News Journal An outbreak of avian flu could force Escambia County school closings and disrupt the educational system for a year or more. \"We basically may not have school for a year,\" said Steven Sharp, the district\'s division chief of security, safety and emergency operations. Every day, one-fifth of Escambia County\'s population \-- 50,000 students, teachers and staff \-- enter confined classroom and office spaces. Estimates are that 40 percent of schoolchildren and 20 percent of teachers and staff likely would be infected by the avian flu if an outbreak occurs. Health officials predict the flu would strike in three to four cycles of eight to 12 weeks each during an 18- to 24-month period.

##### [***DJIBOUTI: First human case of avian flu***](http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/7c0fd0f93522072ebbdfa4ba67752401.htm), Reuters The government, with the help of United States and French troops, and in collaboration with the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO), took several blood samples for testing. A sample taken from the child, who showed symptoms of fever, tested positive for H5N1 on 27 April. Three chickens were found to be infected with the virus as well. The confirmation of a human case is alarming, because Djibouti imports chickens from abroad and has no poultry farms.

##### [***City plans for Avian flu response***](http://www.richmond.com/news/output.aspx?Article_ID=4249058&Vertical_ID=23&tier=10&position=1), Richmond.com News Due to heightened public interest regarding Richmond\'s preparedness in addressing the Avian (bird) flu virus, city officials outlined numerous measures now in place in the event of a citywide outbreak. To facilitate prompt preventive treatment to the general population, nine sites have been established in strategically convenient areas across the city. Each site, typically in a school setting, will provide around-the-clock distribution of preventative medications during an epidemic. Similarly, other localities across Virginia have designated preventive treatment sites in their jurisdictions. 

[Airports would be a battleground for bird flu
fight](http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-healthy7may07,1,7951741.column?coll=la-travel-headlines),
LA Times\
If a bird flu pandemic hits the United States, travelers should expect
more scrutiny from customs officials worldwide, public health officials
say. Depending on the U.S. airport, you may be asked to undergo testing
if you appear sick. But beyond those steps, most public health agencies
and travel industry groups and agencies are taking a wait-and-see
approach. Implementation of additional protective measures depends on
whether the virus, called H5N1, shows up in the U.S.

[Avian flu claims another life; expert calls virus
\'worst\'](http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/avianflu/news/may0506human.html),
Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy

Academic Health Center \-- University of Minnesota\
Meanwhile, virologist and influenza expert Robert G. Webster, attending
an avian flu conference in Singapore, told the Associated Press (AP),
"I've worked with flu all my life, and this \[H5N1\] is the worst
influenza virus that I have ever seen." Webster, who works at St. Jude
Children\'s Research Hospital in Memphis, said that in poultry, the
virus invades the brain and destroys the respiratory tract, the AP
reported. Concerning the threat of a human pandemic triggered by H5N1,
he said, "If that happens, God help us." According to the story, he
predicted it would take at least 10 more mutations to give the virus the
ability to spread from person to person. He added there was no way to
know when or if that will happen.

[St. Jude scientists produce vaccine that could fight bird
flu](http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2006/05/01/daily15.html),
Memphis Business Journal**\
**Scientists at St. Jude Children\'s Research Hospital have hit the Holy
Grail of flu vaccines, successfully protecting mice and ferrets with a
commercial product expected to also protect humans against bird flu.
Researchers tested the vaccines against the most virulent version of
bird flu virus, which has killed people in Vietnam. By targeting the
proteins common to different versions of the virus, the vaccines provide
cross-protection.

Cumulative Number of Confirmed Human Cases of Avian Influenza A/(H5N1)
Reported to WHO

**19 May 2006**

<table>
<colgroup>
<col style="width: 20%" />
<col style="width: 8%" />
<col style="width: 7%" />
<col style="width: 8%" />
<col style="width: 7%" />
<col style="width: 8%" />
<col style="width: 7%" />
<col style="width: 6%" />
<col style="width: 7%" />
<col style="width: 6%" />
<col style="width: 8%" />
</colgroup>
<tbody>
<tr class="odd">
<td rowspan="2"><p>Country</p>
<p> </p></td>
<td colspan="2">2003</td>
<td colspan="2">2004</td>
<td colspan="2">2005</td>
<td colspan="2">2006</td>
<td colspan="2">Total</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td>cases</td>
<td>deaths</td>
<td>cases</td>
<td>deaths</td>
<td>cases</td>
<td>deaths</td>
<td>cases</td>
<td>deaths</td>
<td>cases</td>
<td>deaths</td>
</tr>
<tr class="odd">
<td>Azerbaijan</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>8</td>
<td>5</td>
<td>8</td>
<td>5</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td>Cambodia</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>4</td>
<td>4</td>
<td>2</td>
<td>2</td>
<td>6</td>
<td>6</td>
</tr>
<tr class="odd">
<td>China</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>8</td>
<td>5</td>
<td>10</td>
<td>7</td>
<td>18</td>
<td>12</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td>Djibouti</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>0</td>
</tr>
<tr class="odd">
<td>Egypt</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>14</td>
<td>6</td>
<td>14</td>
<td>6</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td>Indonesia</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>17</td>
<td>11</td>
<td>24</td>
<td>21</td>
<td>41</td>
<td>32</td>
</tr>
<tr class="odd">
<td>Iraq</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>2</td>
<td>2</td>
<td>2</td>
<td>2</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td>Thailand</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>17</td>
<td>12</td>
<td>5</td>
<td>2</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>22</td>
<td>14</td>
</tr>
<tr class="odd">
<td>Turkey</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>12</td>
<td>4</td>
<td>12</td>
<td>4</td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td>Viet Nam</td>
<td>3</td>
<td>3</td>
<td>29</td>
<td>20</td>
<td>61</td>
<td>19</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>93</td>
<td>42</td>
</tr>
<tr class="odd">
<td>Total</td>
<td>3</td>
<td>3</td>
<td>46</td>
<td>32</td>
<td>95</td>
<td>41</td>
<td>73</td>
<td>47</td>
<td>217</td>
<td>123</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

Total number of cases includes number of deaths.\
WHO reports only laboratory-confirmed cases.