In The News

Migrant Birds "Should Not Be Bird Flu Scapegoats"

Mike Shanahan October 26, 2005
Since the avian flu broke international headlines again this year, most reports have focused on the poultry business and how governments can best tighten health standards within the industry. Many scientists are now concerned about the spread of the potential pandemic in the wild, beyond the control of health officials and government regulators. Worse still is the possibility that migratory birds...

The Spreading Bird-Flu Menace Reaches Europe

October 21, 2005
After killing millions of fowl and more than 60 people in Asia, the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus has arrived uninvited on Europe's doorstep. Outbreaks in Turkey, Romania, Russia, and possibly Greece threaten to sweep through the European Union, forcing EU ministers to think about how to tackle an epidemic that could decimate the poultry industry – or worse, set off a global flu epidemic that...

Emergency Measures Set on Dengue Fever

Wayne Arnold September 29, 2005
Avian influenza might claim more headlines, but dengue fever is claiming more victims, killing at least 990 people across Southeast Asia this year alone. First identified three centuries ago, dengue fever spread throughout Asia during World War II – one of the more insidious forms of globalization to stem from that conflict. The prohibition of DDT for use against mosquitoes in the New World...

Containing a Pandemic

August 5, 2005
For quite some time, virologists have been issuing warnings about the possibility of an outbreak of pandemic influenza. Now they are focused on the strain of avian influenza (bird flu) currently endemic in Asia and are investigating measures to prevent widespread deaths, should the virus mutate and attain human-to-human transmission capability. Two papers recently published in Science and...

Africa After the Music Stops

Susan E. Rice August 2, 2005
From the Live 8 concerts to the lofty agenda of the G-8 summit, the world's wealthiest nations have been charged with the daunting task of combating African poverty. On the surface, writes Brookings scholar Susan E. Rice, the Gleneagles Summit accomplished more than many expected. Member nations pledged to double African aid, provide debt relief for certain countries, and address the...

China Bug – Is It Ebola-like Bird Flu?

Andy Ho July 28, 2005
China’s official Xinhua news agency recently ascribed the deaths and illnesses of 68 people in Sichuan province to a common swine bug called streptococcus suis. A close examination, however, raises speculation that provincial authorities may be prevaricating. Not only is this infection rare in human beings, but the bacterium can be readily treated and seldom leads to mortality. China’s...

Unlike Africa, Crisis in Asia Not Yet on Political Radar

Eric Johnston July 6, 2005
As the recent Live 8 concerts and G-8 summit shed light on Africa's lingering problems, Asia's AIDS crisis is struggling to attract public attention. With the media focused on Africa, the 7th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific, held last weekend in Japan, failed to raise the profile of the crisis in Asia, leading some to criticize the bad timing of the conference....