'US Ill Prepared for Disaster'

Asks WHO, CDC to investigate

(AP) - Vietnam has asked international health experts to help investigate a mystery illness that has killed 19 people and sickened 171 others in an impoverished district in the central part of the country, an official said today. The infection has mostly affected children and young people. It begins with a high fever, loss of appetite, and a rash that covers the hands and feet. Patients who are not treated early can develop liver problems and eventually multi-organ failure. The illness responds well to treatment if detected early, but 29 patients have been reinfected. More»

US warns of risk, but scientists say flu is bigger danger

(NEWSER) - Two months after leading science journals decided to self-censor articles about experiments to alter the bird flu virus and make it more dangerous, the WHO is recommending the journals publish the research after all, reports the New York Times . Well, publish it some time. The moratorium is in place for now, but WHO panel agreed that the research should be published in the future, probably in a few months, after further discussion of biosecurity and biosafety. The US opposes the move because it fears terrorists could use the information if made public. More»

WHO investigates claim that H1N1 arose from human error

(NEWSER) - The World Health Organization is investigating a claim by an Australian researcher that the swine flu virus may have been created in a laboratory as a result of human error. Adrian Gibbs, who helped develop Tamiflu, said in an interview with Bloomberg that the new strain may have evolved in eggs that drug makers use to make vaccines. "One of the simplest explanations is that it’s a laboratory escape," he said. More»

(NEWSER) - The US swine flu count hit 2,254 yesterday and a Costa Rica man died of the disease, the first fatality outside of North America, the Wall Street Journal reports. In the US, 3,000 people are likely infected across 45 states and Washington, DC, including unconfirmed cases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. "We think this virus is in most parts of the United States," said an official. More»

Watchdog discovered threat in daily Web scan; notified CDC

(NEWSER) - A company that specializes in biosurveillance issued a warning about swine flu more than two weeks before the World Health Organization announced the possible threat, McClatchy reports. The Washington state firm, Veratect, scans tens of thousands of Web sites every day in search of potential medical concerns. It reported a respiratory disease emerging in Mexico April 6 on its website, then e-mailed CDC workers 10 days later when the outbreak appeared to be spreading. More»