Word: avian
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...What they have in common is that each victim took the influenza antiviral Tamiflu shortly before they died. According to the Japanese Health Ministry, 54 people have died after taking Tamiflu - the drug governments around the world have stockpiled for use against avian flu - since the drug was approved for use in Japan in 2000. Most suspiciously, in multiple cases people, including those cases above, acted erratically after taking Tamiflu. Though the Health Ministry has said there is no clear evidence linking Tamiflu to the deaths, there is growing concern among doctors and parents in Japan over the drug...
...most, has barely been used. It's only been in prescription drug-happy Japan, where the government effectively made Tamiflu free, that the drug became popular before bird flu made it a household word. But because Tamiflu has been one of the few drugs to show effectiveness against H5N1 avian flu, it has become the key pharmacological component in international pandemic preparation plans. If a pandemic were to strike tomorrow, tens of millions of people could soon be given Tamiflu. So while it is unlikely that the drug will be withheld due to the nebulous concerns out of Japan...
...weekends, it's fight time. Throughout the country, galleros - as folks who raise and fight roosters are known - bring their avian warriors to their neighborhood cockfighting arena. The wealthier galleros show up in pickup trucks and SUVs, carrying their roosters in wooden travel cases. The poorer ones show up on bicycle or by bus, carrying their birds in a plastic bag. After the weigh-in, the birds get razorblades strapped to their feet, the bets are cast, the beers are popped, and the fights begin...
...influenza, Dr. David Heymann has one of the most important jobs in medicine: coordinating international preparations for a possible virus outbreak that could threaten millions of lives. That job got much harder on Feb. 7, when Indonesia announced it had stopped sharing with the WHO the samples of H5N1 avian-flu virus it had isolated. Simultaneously, Jakarta announced an agreement with U.S. drug company Baxter International, which will develop a vaccine from the strains and give Indonesia technical assistance in manufacturing it. For 50 years, the WHO has received free influenza-virus samples from around the world, which it makes...
...used as sentinels in coal mines, Gayle said, and with today's terror and health threats they still serve as an early warning system. Hence the Congress Avenue shutdown was, in Gayle's opinion, appropriate. A more geographically widespread grackle kill in the city might have indicated a potential avian influenza outbreak, Gayle said...