Antibodies protect against bird flu and more (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Researchers have discovered human antibodies that neutralize not only H5N1 bird flu but other strains of influenza as well and say they hope to develop them into lifesaving treatments. [News Source]

NEWS SCAN: H5N1 death and outbreaks, sharing vaccine technology, smallpox drug, Ebola in pigs (Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy) Vietnamese woman dies of avian flu A 23-year-old Vietnamese woman died of H5N1 avian influenza on Feb 21, marking Vietnam's first death from the virus this year, according to several media reports. [News Source]

VGX Pharmaceuticals Avian Influenza DNA Vaccine Delivered with Electroporation Provides 100% Protection of Non-Human … (Centre Daily Times) VGX Pharmaceuticals Inc. (VGX), a leading developer of DNA vaccines and therapies for infectious diseases and cancer, announced today preclinical results indicating that its avian influenza DNA vaccine delivered using intramuscular or intradermal electroporation provided 100% protection of non-human primates against the H5N1 avian influenza virus. The vaccine also provided protection against ... [News Source]

VGX Pharmaceuticals Avian Influenza DNA Vaccine Delivered with Electroporation Provides 100% Protection of Non-Human … (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance) BLUE BELL, Pa.----VGX Pharmaceuticals Inc. , a leading developer of DNA vaccines and therapies for infectious diseases and cancer, announced today preclinical results indicating that its avian influenza DNA vaccine delivered using intramuscular or intradermal electroporation provided 100% protection of non-human primates against the H5N1 avian influenza virus. [News Source]

Antibodies offer a new path for fighting flu. In a discovery that could radically change how the world fights influenza, researchers have engineered antibodies that protect against many strains of the virus, including even the 1918 Spanish flu and the H5N1 bird flu. [News Source]

New antibodies block a range of influenzas. Researchers have identified a group of antibodies that neutralize a wide range of influenza viruses, including the H5N1 avian influenza, the 1918 Spanish flu and some seasonal strains. These molecules may one day be used therapeutically to protect patients against a broad array of strains [News Source]

Scientists close to universal vaccine for flu. If further research works out, the vaccine could fight many types of conventional flu, as well as avian influenza, and even the virus that caused the 1918 flu epidemic that killed 50 million people. [News Source]

Woman dies of bird flu in Vietnam. A 23-year-old woman in Vietnam has died of bird flu, medical officials told reporters on Sunday, in the country which has the world's second-highest death toll from the virus. [News Source]

Woman succumbs to bird flu (Việt Nam News) QUANG NINH — A 23-year-old woman from Quang Ninh Province was reported dead on Saturday after having tested positive for bird flu. [News Source]

Scientists identify human monoclonal antibodies effective against bird flu (News-Medical-Net) Researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Dana-Farber), Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have reported the identification of human monoclonal antibodies (mAb) that neutralize an unprecedented range of influenza A viruses, including avian influenza A (H5N1) virus, previous pandemic influenza viruses, and some seasonal ... [News Source]

Bird flu hits 10 provinces of Vietnam (People’s Daily) Bird flu continues plaguing in ten provinces of Vietnam nationwide with a newly-reported northern province Ninh Binh of the virus infection, according to Department of Animal Health under Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on Monday. In Ninh Binh province, bird flu has killed 70 fowls raised at three local farms, said the department, Vietnam watchdog of bird flu. Samples of dead ducks ... [News Source]