h5n1 virus news from FierceHealthcare

Press Release: FDA Licenses First U.S. Vaccine For Humans Against Avian Influenza

The World Health Organization says that a sample of the H5N1 virus collected in an Indonesian village where a family of seven people died appears to have mutated, but agency officials are stressing that there are no signs that the virus has spread any farther. Skeptical experts at the agency's Geneva headquarters call the changes "minuscule." The official WHO report on the cluster argues that the family members may have shared "a common genetic predisposition to infection with H5N1 virus …

> World Health Organization officials said yesterday that a suspicious cluster of deaths at a remote Indonesian village were probably not caused by human transmission of the H5N1 virus. Article

> Officials in New Jersey are on the defensive after this week's Dartmouth study on the cost of end of life care for the chronically ill. …

The White House released its much-anticipated plan for responding to an outbreak of pandemic influenza. As expected, the strategy calls for local officials to play a key role in responding to any outbreak, on the assumption that a pandemic would spread before it could be contained. Critics complained that strategy does not include enough details, leaving up in the air, for example, who should receive vaccinations first.

The report estimates that if the H5N1 virus does go "human to …

The new head of Google's philanthropic wing said he is organizing an initiative that will use information technology to provide early warning in the event of a possible outbreak of pandemic influenza or other communicable disease. Dr. Larry Brilliant, who was named head Google.org last week, announced the International Networked System for Total Early Disease Protection at a meeting of the Technology, Entertainment and Design Conference in Monterey California. The initiative has early …

> Despite growing alarm in countries where the H5N1 virus has been detected, WHO officials said there is no evidence that it has mutated into a form capable of human to human transmission. Blog

> The Carlyle Group equity fund is buying MultiPlan, the largest independent PPO. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. …

After a brief respite, the H5N1 virus is back in the news, as documented cases are confirmed in Africa and the European Union by international health officials. Over the weekend Greece and Italy said they detected cases of the virus, but for now experts are more worried about Africa. International health experts warn that the continent may be the perfect breeding ground for a stronger variant of the virus, noting the continent's weak governments and dilapidated central health systems may …

> The President's 2007 budget proposal calls for $169 million in funding for healthcare IT initiatives. The National Coordinator for Health Information Technology gets $116 million. Article

> Houston-based medical device maker Cyberonics reported lower-than-expected first quarter numbers, sending its shares into a tailspin. The company markets an implantable pacemaker-like device for the treatment of depression. …

> Humana shares fell on Friday after a prominent Credit Suisse analyst said the company's problems enrolling recipients into Medicare Part D may cause potential customers to move to other plans. Article

> The Center for Science in the Public Interest released a report that concludes that most of the top hospitals in the country are doing little anything about high levels of trans fat in the …

Iraqi health officials announced Monday that a 12-year-old girl died from the H5N1 virus in Northern Iraq last month, raising fears that Turkey's outbreak could spread into the war-torn country. Infectious disease experts have warned that Iraq is at particular risk from an H5N1 because of the precarious condition of the country's healthcare infrastructure after nearly three years of heavy fighting. The Iraqi health ministry says tests are being conducted on samples from 30 patients. …