**AVIAN FLU Headlines (July 5, 2006 -- July 25, 2006)\
Rep. Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (TX-26)**

On a recent CODEL, I went to Geneva to meet with the World Health
Organization about global efforts to combat avian flu. The following is
a brief summary of the visit.

The WHO has created the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, a
combined effort of the WHO, CDC, and DHHS, to deal with the threat of
epidemic disease. Currently, the public health systems that would manage
a pandemic are not all interconnected, and even small outbreaks have
shown weaknesses in the various systems. Because no single institution
has the capacity for the degree of constant vigilance now required,
controlling outbreaks at their source has become mission-critical. To
this end, cooperating countries have agreed to unite in epidemic
detection and share information throughout the organization. This
requires intelligence, verification, assessment of the threat, and
response, all occurring on a daily basis in real time. The decentralized
structure of this system will serve member nations more effectively by
allowing public health services to be delivered quickly and responsively
in the field.

Avian flu is essentially a new infectious disease with the potential for
global effects. It is currently a significant agricultural threat with
the potential to develop into a pandemic. The WHO is now putting primary
focus on countries that are perceived to be the weakest link and are
coordinating assistance to these areas. Direct assistance is being
provided in the establishment of training personnel locally and more
rapid vaccine development. Secondary goals include reducing human
exposure, employing early warning systems, achieving rapid containment,
and building up country capacity.

The United States has been a leader in the world on the illness and will
likely continue to do so. We will benefit in the long run from building
national capacity for disease management and vaccine production within
our country. The role of the WHO will be to provide access to data
specimens and curb some of the vulnerability present as a result of
worldwide globalization.

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

[HHS Announces Additional \$225 Million for Pandemic
Preparedness](http://www.cq.com/display.do?fL=3&dockey=/cqonline/prod/data/docs/html/hbnews/109/hbnews109-000002329988.html@allnews&metapub=CQ-HBNEWS&productId=5),
CQ HealthBeat\
The recently announced funding will go toward all 50 states, the
District of Columbia, five U.S. territories and freely associated states
in the Pacific. Three major urban areas within the United States are
slated to receive funding separate from the state allocation, according
to the release. New York City will receive almost \$6 million in
preparedness funding, Chicago will receive about \$2 million and Los
Angeles County will receive almost \$7 million.

[Plans take initiative in disaster planning through
partnerships](http://www.managedhealthcareexecutive.com/mhe/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=357660),
Managed Healthcare Executive\
Some health plans are partnering with public health departments and
statewide services to develop disaster plan to help avert the potential
catastrophic effects of a flu pandemic. As an integrated delivery
system, SelectHealth in Salt Lake City is working with the Utah
Department of Health, which developed the Utah Pandemic Influenza
Response, a preparedness plan in coordination with efforts by WHO and
the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. The state\'s primary
goals are to minimize serious illness and deaths, societal disruption
and economic loss.

[Nation's Public Health System Weakening Despite Bioterror, Pandemic
Threats](http://www.cq.com/display.do?fL=3&dockey=/cqonline/prod/data/docs/html/hbnews/109/hbnews109-000002334105.html@allnews&metapub=CQ-HBNEWS&productId=5),
CQ HealthBeat

Several recent journal articles suggest the nation's public health
system may be weakening just as concerns about bioterrorism, pandemic
disease and other health threats are on the rise. The warnings came in
three separate articles published in the July/August issue of the
journal Health Affairs. One found that budget pressures have squeezed
funding for public health workers at the state and local levels, even as
federal funding has increased. Another said that the public health
system has taken on new targets in addition to its traditional ones, but
resources have not increased accordingly. The third article raises
concerns that cuts in Medicaid, low wages and poor benefits might spark
an exodus of the skilled health workers needed to care for an elderly
population that is expected to more than double by 2050.

[Public Health Security Reauthorization Would Move Crisis Control to
HHS, CQ
HealthBeat](http://www.cq.com/display.do?fL=3&dockey=/cqonline/prod/data/docs/html/news/109/news109-000002335956.html@allnews&metapub=CQ-NEWS&productId=5)

A Senate panel is scheduled to consider legislation Wednesday that is
intended to help Americans better prepare for a public health crisis or
pandemic flu. The bill would build on current law by designating the
secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) as the lead federal
official in charge of emergency public health and medical response, and
would transfer the National Disaster Medical System from the Department
of Homeland Security to HHS.

[Quigley Unit Tests Flu Drug in Chickens, Houston
Chronicle](http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/4057368.html)

Medical products company Quigley Corp. said Wednesday its antiviral
treatment for avian flu in poultry showed positive results in a
tolerability study. If an avian flu outbreak were to occur, there would
most likely be \"hot zones\" set up, where infected chickens would be
slaughtered. But just outside of the zone there would be chickens at
high-risk of contracting the virus, which is what QR-441 is being
designed to fight.

[Comprehensive Health Crisis Preparation Bill Sails Through Senate
Panel](http://www.cq.com/display.do?fL=3&docid=2336722&productId=5&binderName=healthbeat-20060719),
CQ HealthBeat

Legislation intended to bolster the capacity of the public health system
to deal with disease pandemics or bioterrorism won swift approval
Wednesday from a Senate committee.

[Southeast Asian Nations Step Up Bird Flu
Assistance](http://voanews.com/english/2006-07-13-voa13.cfm), Voice of
America News

Five Southeast Asia nations are stepping up cooperation to fight bird
flu. Under their agreement, Thailand and Vietnam will share their
expertise in containing flu outbreaks through training programs and
mobile laboratories to improve detection. Vietnam has recorded 42 human
deaths, making it one of the hardest hit countries. Thailand has had 14
fatalities. However, they have reported no human cases so far this year.
Flu experts say that record is the result of new surveillance programs
and education campaigns in both countries. These are relatively low-cost
and effective ways of teaching farmers how to prevent bird flu and how
to spot outbreaks quickly.

[From CQ Homeland Security: States Eyeing Regional Strategies for
Dealing With Avian Flu
Pandemic](http://www.cq.com/display.do?fL=3&docid=2336891&productId=5&binderName=healthbeat-20060719),
CQ HealthBeat

States are looking to partner with one another and create regional
approaches to handling an avian flu pandemic, understanding that much of
the burden for containing and treating the outbreak will fall to them.
The National Governors Association released a primer Tuesday for state
leaders to determine how to utilize human resources if the avian flu
becomes a pandemic. It stresses strong relations with the private sector
and partnerships with other states and the federal government.

[USDA and FAO Launch Animal Disease Crisis Management
Center](http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal?contentidonly=true&contentid=2006/07/0251.xml),
USDA

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will send four veterinary
specialists to Rome to assist the United Nations\' (UN) Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) in launching a new crisis management
center that will enhance worldwide response to animal disease. The
Crisis Management Center, a facility run by the FAO in close
collaboration with the OIE (World Organization for Animal Health) will
provide animal disease analysis and information and deploy international
resources to prevent and contain dangerous animal diseases. The current
focus will be on highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza that continues
to spread throughout the world.

[Bulgaria finds avian flu in domestic
birds](http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L20296093.htm), Reuters

Bulgaria said on Thursday it had detected bird flu in three farms in a
village in the south of the country near the Turkish border and
suspected it was the feared H5N1 strain of the virus. \"It\'s proven
that it\'s bird flu, we don\'t know the exact strain yet. We are working
on the presumption that it is a highly pathogenic strain of H5N1,\"
Agriculture Minister Nihat Kabil told reporters. Bulgaria reported four
cases of H5N1 infection in wild swans earlier this year, but has not
suffered to the same extent as neighbours Turkey in the south and
Romania in the north. This is the Balkan country\'s first avian flu case
in domestic birds.

[Federal gov't will buy Glaxo's inhaled flu
vaccine](http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/business/15083241.htm),
Philadelphia Inquirer

GlaxoSmithKline P.L.C. said today that the federal government has
promised to buy at least \$16.8 million worth of its inhaled influenza
vaccine, Relenza, for distribution to U.S. states and territories over
two years. The purchase guarantee with London-based GlaxoSmithKline will
subsidize up to 15.5 million treatment courses, the company said. \"This
agreement signals another critical step in preparing America for the
threat of a possible flu pandemic,\" said David Stout, the
Philadelphia-based president of GlaxoSmithKline\'s pharmaceutical
operations. Relenza is FDA-approved for both the prevention and
treatment of influenza A and B in children and adults, the company said.
The vaccine is inhaled.

[EU agency backs first avian flu vaccines for
birds](http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L21881785.htm), Reuters

European regulators have given a green light to the first two avian
influenza vaccines for use in birds, the European Medicines Agency said
on Friday. The decision means vaccines will be available to control
avian flu in chickens and ducks in the high-risk autumn and winter 2006
period. Both vaccines \-- from Intervet, a unit of Akzo Nobel, and Fort
Dodge Animal Health, part of Wyeth \-- reduce mortality and virus
excretion in vaccinated birds exposed to infection. The agency\'s expert
veterinary committee said they should only be used in disease control
campaigns carried out by government-appointed authorities, adding that
their use would be reviewed annually.

[Gaps in bird flu plan leave US
vulnerable-senators](http://today.reuters.com/News/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-07-21T220346Z_01_N21191394_RTRUKOC_0_US-BIRDFLU-CONGRESS-LETTER.xml&pageNumber=1&imageid=&cap=&sz=13&WTModLoc=NewsArt-C1-),
Reuters

The U.S. Agriculture Department\'s failure to develop a
\"comprehensive\" program to monitor for bird flu could leave the
country unprepared if an outbreak happens, a bipartisan group of
senators said on Friday. In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Mike
Johanns, six lawmakers said some states were not as prepared as they
should be for the disease. To better protect public health, they said,
the department should provide states with a protocol for developing
avian influenza response plans. The letter also expressed concern that
the U.S. Agriculture Department has not done enough to prepare for an
outbreak in multiple states or raise awareness among backyard poultry
owners for symptoms of the virus. The letter also was signed by
Democratic Sens. Harry Reid, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Charles
Schumer and Republican Charles Grassley.

[Bird deaths \'will be avian flu\'; Expert doubts the accuracy of
official reports on tests, The Nation
(Thailand)](http://nationmultimedia.com/2006/07/22/national/national_30009304.php)

Amid mounting reports of irregular poultry deaths in many areas, leading
virologist Professor Prasert Thongcharoen expressed strong doubts
yesterday about the accuracy of official reports of avian-flu tests on
dead birds by livestock authorities. \"From my experience, when they say
\'no, nothing\' it means \'yes, it is\' \[bird flu\],\" he told The
Nation in a telephone interview after returning from a trip to
Phitsanulok, one of the provinces where mass deaths of poultry have been
reported recently.

[Cumulative Number of Confirmed Human Cases of Avian Influenza A/(H5N1)
Reported to
WHO](http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/country/cases_table_2006_07_14/en/index.html)

**14 July 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>11</td>
<td>7</td>
<td>19</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>36</td>
<td>30</td>
<td>53</td>
<td>41</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>86</td>
<td>56</td>
<td>230</td>
<td>132</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

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