New Research Helps Explain Why Bird Flu Has Not Caused A Pandemic (redOrbit) Bird flu viruses would have to make at least two simultaneous genetic mutations before they could be transmitted readily from human to human, according to research published today in PLoS ONE.The authors of the new study, from Imperial College London, the University of Reading and the University of North Carolina, USA, argue that it is very unlikely that two genetic mutations would occur at the ... [News Source]

Nothing to sneeze at: Doctors’ neckties seen as flu risk. The list of things to avoid during flu season includes crowded buses, hospitals and handshakes. Consider adding this: your doctor's necktie. A debate has emerged in the medical community over whether they harbor dangerous germs. [News Source]

Doctors say most Britons reject swine flu vaccine. More than half of Britons being offered vaccination against pandemic H1N1 flu are turning it down because they fear side-effects or think the virus is too mild to bother, a survey of doctors showed on Wednesday. [News Source]

1.5M per day getting swine flu vaccine in China. China's health minister said Wednesday his country is vaccinating 1.5 million people a day against swine flu, part of a mammoth effort to reach nearly 7% of inhabitants of the world's most populous country by year's end. [News Source]

Experts say radical measures won’t stop swine flu. Health experts say extraordinary measures against swine flu — most notably quarantines imposed by China, where entire planeloads of passengers were isolated if one traveler had symptoms — have failed to contain the disease. [News Source]

Regulation, suspicion slow US flu response. Vaccine makers praised the U.S. response to the swine flu pandemic on Wednesday but said regulatory delays and public suspicion have held up innovative ways to speed and stretch the U.S. influenza vaccine supply. [News Source]

HHS to warn consumers of flu drug price gouging. The Department of Health and Human Services will issue consumer warnings about price variations for a scarce liquid form of the flu-fighting drug Tamiflu, a spokesman said Wednesday. [News Source]

Why bird flu has not become a pandemic (New Kerala) Washington, Nov 19 : A new study by American and British scientists has tried to explain why bird flu has not become a pandemic disease. [News Source]

Why avian flu virus has not caused a pandemic? (News-Medical-Net) Bird flu viruses would have to make at least two simultaneous genetic mutations before they could be transmitted readily from human to human, according to research published today in PLoS ONE. [News Source]

‘Genetic hurdle’ halted bird flu (Press Assoc. via Yahoo! UK & Ireland News) A genetic hurdle that proved too great may have prevented deadly bird flu causing a terrifying pandemic, researchers have learned. [News Source]

Man-made swine-bird flu supervirus: What’s French for “apocalypse”? (Shanghaiist) Since up until now, we've only seen the third case of serious swine flu emerged in Shanghai , you may well be wondering, “how bad could all this hullabaloo get anyway?" Pretty bad. Do you remember Avian Flu ? The one that had a high mortality rate but was difficult to contract? What would you say about the creation of a supervirus that was as contagious as the swine flu and as deadly as the ... [News Source]