The United States has sent an emergency shipment of the anti-viral medication Tamiflu to Asia, said US Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, to help the region prepare for an outbreak of pandemic bird flu.
Leavitt would not reveal how many courses of the anti-virals has been sent, or where they were going to, but it seems pretty obvious that after the familial cluster outbreak in Indonesia - that killed six family members in eight days - that this is where the Tamiflu is heading
Leavitt revealed this information during the World Health Organisation annual assembly, where pandemic bird flu prevention is at the top of the agenda.
Washington has committed more than $US330 million for at-risk countries to prepare for a bird flu pandemic, and to act towards its prevention.
Leavitt also revealed that the US is on track to meet its goal of securing 75 million courses of Tamiflu which would be used to treat 25 percent of the US population in the event of a human pandemic.
In amongst this latest news, there is a swirl or reports across the world's media reporting a storm of conflicting information. Pandemic fears? Or pandemic averted? Human to human transmission now a reality? Or does the WHO deny this is possible for now?Take your pick :
More H5n1 Infectoins And Deaths In Indonesia
WHO Says No Evidence Bird Flu Virus Has Mutated
Indonesia Cannot Rule Out Human To Human Spread Of Virus
Massive Intervention Needed In Bird Flu Fight
No comments:
Post a Comment