Faculty Bibliography

''The tests clearly indicate that the viruses from Vietnam and South Korea are very closely related,'' said Dr. Klaus Stohr, a W.H.O. influenza expert. But he said they were distinct from the strain found in Hong Kong last year. That strain infected 18 people in Hong Kong in 1997, killing 6, and was found in duck meat in South Korea in 2001. In a new development, the birds have been found to be producing large amounts of type A virus, of the H5N1 strain, in respiratory secretions and saliva. In the past they usually excreted the virus only in feces, Dr. Stohr said. Developing a vaccine is a complex process. Because the H5N1 strain kills chickens, scientists cannot use chicken eggs in the initial stage of making the vaccine, as they do for human strains of influenza virus. Instead, scientists working with the health agency -- in London, at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, and elsewhere -- are using a newer laboratory technique known as reverse genetics

Though influenza continued to decline around the nation last week, it was still widespread in five states --..

Thailand reported that two boys from different provinces had become infected with the bird flu and that six more people were suspected of having it. Vietnam already has reported five confirmed fatal cases in people near Hanoi, and the country is testing seven additional suspected cases. Chickens from South Korea, Japan, Vietnam and Thailand have been dying from the same disease. The Thai government has vehemently denied for the last week that there was any avian influenza in Thailand, insisting that it was bird cholera. But Jakrapob Penkair, the government's chief spokesman, said in a telephone interview on Friday night that the government had known for a few weeks that chickens were dying of avian influenza. The Thai operations, conducted jointly with the country's biggest agricultural businesses, involved killing chickens at farms where there were infections or halting the sale of these chickens, while quietly testing Thai chickens going to the country's main export markets, Penkair said. Japan buys half of Thailand's chicken exports and the European Union buys a third

The Thai government has vehemently denied for the last week that there was any avian influenza in Thailand, insisting that it was bird cholera. But Jakrapob Penkair, the government's chief spokesman, said in a telephone interview on Friday night that the government had known for a few weeks that chickens were dying of avian influenza. ''It was kept from the public, but full-scale operations have been under way'' to control the problem, he said. The Thai operations, conducted jointly with the country's biggest agricultural businesses, involved killing chickens at farms where there were infections or halting the sale of these chickens, while quietly testing for bird flu all Thai chicken going to the country's main export markets, Mr. Penkair said. Japan buys half of Thailand's chicken exports and the European Union buys another third. Cambodia confirmed Friday that bird flu had been killing chickens there. Laos said earlier this week that it was investigating chicken deaths but believed them to be bird cholera. Agence France-Presse reported from the Indonesian island of Bali on Friday that a provincial official had acknowledged the death of thousands of chickens, but blamed it on the Newcastle virus

Thailand reported that two boys from different provinces had become infected with the bird flu and that six more people were suspected of having it. Vietnam has already reported five confirmed fatal cases in people near Hanoi, and the country is testing seven additional suspected cases. Chickens from South Korea, Japan, Vietnam and Thailand have been dying from the same disease. The Thai government has vehemently denied for the last week that there was any avian influenza in Thailand, insisting that it was bird cholera. But Jakrapob Penkair, the government's chief spokesman, said in a telephone interview on Friday night that the government had known for a few weeks that chickens were dying of avian influenza

New tests have turned up a disturbing problem with the avian influenza virus that is spreading in Asia: The strain appears resistant to one of the two main classes of drugs used to fight influenza viruses, a World Health Organization official said Saturday. The number of human cases is small, and the A(H5N1) strain contains only avian genes. But WHO officials said they were concerned that the bird strain might pick up genes from a human virus to create an entirely new virus that could spread easily among people. It would take a combination of events, each of low probability, to produce a large outbreak. But the health agency said the implications for public health were so important that precautionary measures must be taken. [Klaus Stoehr] said that Friday night, his agency learned that initial genetic tests showed that the A(H5N1) was resistant to the less expensive class of anti-influenza virals. The class includes amantadine (Symmetrel) and rimantadine (Flumadine)

Immediate health threats include wounds from stepping on nails and broken glass; dehydration and heat stroke from exposure in hot muggy weather; electrical shocks from downed wires; and diarrhea and respiratory diseases caused by various bacteria and viruses that can spread rapidly because of poor sanitation and a lack of clean water. Doctors Without Borders said it had to delay until Wednesday a shipment of 32 tons of relief materials to Sumatra from Ostende, Belgium, because of the lack of an available airplane. The cargo includes generators, water bladders and tanks, plastic sheeting, mosquito nets, chlorination kits, a hospital tent and medical supplies. Dangers also loom from eating spoiled food. Infectious diseases like dysentery, cholera, hepatitis A and leptospirosis that are present in an area can spread through sewage, said Dr. Maria Connelly, a WHO expert on emergencies

The Central African Republic, polio-free since 2000, has confirmed a new case, the World Health Organization said

Developing a vaccine is a complex process. Because the H5N1 strain kills chickens, scientists cannot use chicken eggs to make the vaccine, as they do for human strains of influenza virus. Instead, scientists working with the health agency in London, at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, and elsewhere are using a newer laboratory technique known as reverse genetics. The tests clearly indicate that the viruses from Vietnam and South Korea are very closely related, said Dr. Klaus Stohr, a WHO influenza expert. But he said the two viruses were distinct from the strain found in Hong Kong last year. In 1997, that strain infected 18 people in Hong Kong, killing 6; it was found in duck meat in South Korea in 2001

The World Health Organization said a 5-year-old boy in Nam Dinh Province died this month of avian influenza, bringing the country's total of confirmed deaths from bird flu in recent weeks..