Avian Flu

Study: Nursing homes unprepared for pandemics

Anne Zieger — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:33:51 -0400

If your hospital is counting on having help from nursing homes when emergencies hit, think again. A new study suggests that more than half of nursing homes won't be prepared to accept hospital overflow if an influenza pandemic occurs. For example, 52 percent of nursing homes in Michigan and Nebraska don't have a plan for any pandemic, according to an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Of those with a plan, only 10 percent have rehearsed it, researchers say. All told, out of 400 nursing homes in the study, only 23 percent had a specific plan for influenza pandemics. Researchers note that while any flu could result in a pandemic, the greatest threat comes from avian flu, which has killed at least 216 people worldwide since 2003.

To learn more about this study:
- read this Associated Press article

SPOTLIGHT: Disaster-proofing your hospital

Tue, 02 Jan 2007 19:01:32 -0500

If terrorism, avian flu, hazmat incidents or other calamities struck your community, would your hospital be ready to handle the challenge? According to a recent Institute of Medicine report, few hospitals are prepared. But there are strategies which can boost a hospital's readiness for disasters substantially. Dr. George Beranek, an emergency physician with Rockford Health System, suggests that hospitals are far more likely to manage disasters well if they plan collaboratively with other key players, such as health departments, emergency management agencies, fire departments and the police. Hospitals should include these parties in collaborative drills, as well, Beranek suggests. The bottom line, he argues, is that when catastrophes occur, hospitals should think of themselves as part of a disaster response system rather than facilities coping with the chaos alone. Article

ALSO NOTED: McGuire at risk in options probe?; Thomson acquires MercuryMD; and much more...

Sun, 04 Jun 2006 20:00:50 -0400

> Observers speculate that as the options-backdating scandal broadens, criminal charges become more likely. Could UnitedHealth Group's McGuire be at risk? Article

> Information services giant Thomson formalizes its deal with MercuryMD, the Research Triangle based maker of MData Enterprise. Article

> GE Healthcare is touting the Vivid e, its newest compact ultrasound system for cardiac imaging at the point of care. Release

> Barton Memorial Hospital in S. Lake Tahoe, CA will install MEDHOST's Emergency Department Information System. Release

> McKesson Specialty said it has won an agreement with Altos Solutions to distribute the software company's OncoEMR product to oncology practices. Release

And Finally... Following the discovery of the most recent bird flu cluster in Indonesia, International health officials are admitting that the number of cases of human to human transmission of avian flu is probably much higher than has been conceded. Article

SPOTLIGHT: Report says China H5N1 cases underreported

Tue, 25 Apr 2006 20:01:33 -0400

China said that local officials have withheld information on suspected cases of avian flu, raising concerns that the disease may be far more widespread in the country than Beijing has conceded. The Wall Street Journal quotes a source inside the country's Ministry of Health who says officials are furious after having learned that provincial authorities have been withholding information. Article (sub. req.)

Cancer funding fight shapes up on Hill

Thu, 30 Mar 2006 19:01:39 -0500

Cancer researchers and advocacy groups are fighting the Bush administration's plans to cut funding for the National Cancer Institute this year. Researchers have launched an Op-Ed campaign and cancer groups are planning an email and internet campaign to convince lawmakers to abandon the idea. The cuts themselves aren't particularly high--overall funding will drop from $4.75 billion to $4.5 billion, but critics say the move would be a symbolic defeat. Much of the money that could have gone to support research is moving to anti-terrorism programs and spending on avian flu preparedness, which has gone from virtually zero to a multi-billion dollar budget item in the course of a year. Officials at the National Cancer Institute say funding at a small number of cancer research programs could be impacted.

- read this article from the Baltimore Sun

Studies downplay avian flu threat

Wed, 22 Mar 2006 19:01:36 -0500

A pair of new studies suggests that the avian flu is unlikely to develop the ability to spread from human to human, a finding that could mean the risks of a pandemic are far lower than had been believed. The reports, published in Nature and Science, argue that the disease is unlikely to spread in its present from because it targets the deepest branches of the human respiratory tract. Yoshihiro Kawaoka, a virologist at the University of Tokyo and the University of Wisconsin, who authored the Nature report, concludes that the disease is many mutations away from acquiring the ability to move easily between humans.

- read this article from The New York Times

SPOTLIGHT: Kleiner Perkins starts pandemic fund

Wed, 15 Feb 2006 19:01:33 -0500

With H5N1 now officially in Europe and governments scrambling to develop effective response plans, expect to hear a lot more about the avian flu in weeks to come. A good indication that things are getting serious: Wall Street is starting to ante up. Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers said it has created a $200 million fund to invest in companies that develop technologies designed to fight pandemics. The fund will target late stage companies that are close to bringing a product to market, partner John Doerr told The Wall Street Journal. Article (sub. req.)

Study questions effectiveness of flu drugs

Wed, 18 Jan 2006 19:01:35 -0500

A new study raises doubts about the effectiveness of major flu drugs, particularly those being stockpiled to fight an avian flu outbreak. The report, which appears in the British medical journal The Lancet today, argues that the older generation of influenza drugs (rimantadine and amantadine) has largely lost its effectiveness. Lead author Dr. Tom Jefferson warns that newer drugs like Tamiflu and Relenza are likely to become less useful if they are used to fight seasonal influenza. Jefferson and his colleagues at the Cochrane Vaccines Field, an evaluation group, recommend stockpiling both drugs in the event to guard against a possible pandemic.

- see this article from The Guardian

ALSO: The FDA granted Biocryst fast-track approval for its flu drug Peramavir. The much-hyped drug is considered a potential competitor for Tamiflu. Article

ALSO NOTED: Physician-owned tech company could pose conflict of interest; St. Jude gaining from Guidant bidding war; and much m

Thu, 12 Jan 2006 19:00:50 -0500

> The Associated Press reports from Turkey that efforts to control the spread of avian flu in the country appear dangerously inept. Article

> On the other hand, there are encouraging signs as well. The WHO thinks one reason the fatality rate seems to be lower is that patients are being given Tamiflu. Article

> St. Jude is one company that will probably be sorry to see the Guidant bidding war come to a close. The company has benefited from the attention being paid the sector. Its stock is up nearly 50 percent. Article

> A decade ago, the stroke that felled Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon likely would have killed him. The Jerusalem Post examines recent advances in stroke care in a special section. Article

> In San Diego, a new physician-backed technology company that hopes to help seniors import prescription drugs from Canada poses ethical complications. Article

> Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina will give free PDAs to 1,000 physicians in an effort to encourage electronic prescribing. Article

> Canadian authorities rule that makers of statins must warn that the class of drugs can cause serious muscle damage in some patients. Article

And Finally... The Red Cross officially moves toward a new non-confrontational symbol. And yet, mysteriously, not everybody is happy. Article

Sanofi's H5N1 vaccine shows promise

Wed, 14 Dec 2005 19:01:35 -0500

French pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis said that early stage trials of its experimental avian flu vaccine have produced promising results, triggering a good immune response in trial participants. The latest version of the vaccine appears to work well at low dosages, a sign that plans to stretch the available supply developed by public health officials could work. Officials admit that the vaccine will need to be tweaked to offer protection against a new strain of the H5N1 virus if a pandemic does break out, but having a workable vaccine on hand will make the process much faster. Rival vaccines are under development at GlaxoSmithKline and Chiron.

- read this AP article

ALSO: An article in the New England Journal of Medicine examines an unusually high fatality rate among children during the 2003-2004 flu season. Article