In The News

Genetic Analyses Suggest Bird Flu Virus is Evolving

Dennis Normile June 2, 2005
Genetic analyses of samples from avian influenza patients may suggest that new strains of the virus are developing in northern Vietnam. The samples, analyzed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, were compared with samples taken earlier this year, and scientists found several differences. What do the changes mean? Without further testing, scientists are unsure. A worrisome...

Indonesia's Canberra Embassy Shut After Scare

Michelle Nichols June 1, 2005
The Wednesday morning discovery of an envelope containing white powder left many nerves rattled in the Indonesian embassy in Australia. The toxin belongs to the same related to the bacteria that cause anthrax: "It is not an innocent white powder," said Australian Prime Minister John Howard. Authorities believe that the incident was likely a response to the recent conviction of an...

Bird Flu Spreads Among Java's Pigs

David Cyranoski May 27, 2005
International health experts have kept a wary eye on the avian influenza virus, identified as H5N1. Though transmission to humans has not been widespread, scientists in Indonesia have made an unsettling discovery. Earlier this year, a virologist found the H5N1 strain – though without symptoms of the disease – in pigs in western Java. Why the concern? According to the journal Nature, "...

Drug Deal

Kelly Hearn May 26, 2005
In coming weeks, the US Congress may ratify the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA), creating a new free trade area. One of the often-overlooked but controversial aspects of the agreement is its intellectual property protections. According to journalist Kelly Hearn, the new protections could halt production of the generic medications that AIDS patients depend on...

Preparing for the Next Pandemic

Michael T. Osterholm, Ph.D, M.P.H. May 5, 2005
Periodic influenza outbreaks over the past few centuries have resulted in high mortality and enormous damage. Unfortunately, according to Dr. Michael T. Osterholm, the world is still grossly under-prepared to cope with such pandemics. Recent concerns over the possibility of a large avian flu outbreak mean that this global lack of response capability to public health crises is an urgent problem....

More Creative Thinking Needed On Drug R&D

Priya Shetty May 4, 2005
Countries worldwide are investing more and more in research and development on diseases and drugs to fight them. But few of these projects are aimed at illnesses afflicting the world's poorest regions – illnesses which account for widespread death and devastation. A major reason for this neglect is the patent system, which prioritizes duplication over innovation; new global intellectual...

Brazil Spurns US Terms for AIDS Help

Sarah Boseley May 4, 2005
Washington's "global gag" – its refusal to fund any foreign-based organization with links to abortion – has caused a great deal of controversy in the international community. Brazil recently became the first country to publicly refuse to accept US funding for AIDS prevention and treatment programs, on account of the perceived strings attached. "I would like to confirm that...