Published by Australian Academy of Science
Useful sites | Bird flu – the pandemic clock is ticking

Department of Health and Ageing

• The Australian Health Management Plan for Pandemic Influenza
  If avian influenza were to pose a significant threat to Australia’s human population, the Australian government would activate 'The Australian Health Management Plan for Pandemic Influenza'.
  http://www.health.gov.au/internet/wcms/publishing.nsf/Content/ohp-pandemic-ahmppi.htm

• Frequently asked questions about avian influenza or bird flu
  Contains basic information about avian influenza.
  http://www.health.gov.au/internet/wcms/Publishing.nsf/Content/health-avian_influenza-faq.htm

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

• Drugs may be too late to fix bird flu (News in Science, 12 October 2005)
  Says that, apart from ordering vaccines and drugs, little has been done to prepare for an outbreak of bird flu.
  http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/health/HealthRepublish_1480222.htm

• Deadly markets (The Lab 8 July, 2004)
  Live animal markets provide the perfect trading place for microorganisms – such as the bird flu – to jump between species.
  http://abc.net.au/science/features/markets/

• Killer flu (Catalyst, 19 February 2004
  Investigates the threat of bird flu mixing with human flu to create a lethal new virus.
  http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/s1048895.htm

• Avian flu (Health Report, 9 February 2004)
  Whether H5N1 could cause the next flu pandemic depends on its ability to mutate into a fully-fledged human flu.
  http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/helthrpt/stories/s1041592.htm

• Avian flu (Earthbeat, 31 January 2004)
  Investigates how the avian flu outbreak is likely to influence other species in the environment.
  http://www.abc.net.au/rn/science/earth/stories/s1034853.htm

• Influenza fact file
  Part of the Health Matters Library, this site contains links to a fact file about influenza, news and transcripts from ABC sources of articles concerned with the flu and links to non-ABC sites containing information about influenza.
  http://www.abc.net.au/health/library/influenza_ff.htm

Avian influenza (Veterinary Education and Information Network, University of Sydney)
Provides links to a comprehensive list of resources on bird flu including the latest updates, Australian resources, Ausvetplan and overseas sites.
http://vein.library.usyd.edu.au/links/avianflu.html

How stuff works, USA

• What causes the common cold?
  http://science.howstuffworks.com/question38.htm

• How viruses work
  http://science.howstuffworks.com/virus-human.htm

• How the flu works (by Stephanie Watson)
  http://health.howstuffworks.com/flu.htm

• How your immune system works (by Marshall Brain)
  http://science.howstuffworks.com/immune-system.htm

Warnings of a flu pandemic (Web focus, Nature.com)

Provides up-to-date information on bird flu, including a timeline.
http://www.nature.com/nature/focus/avianflu/index.html

World Health Organization (WHO)

• Cumulative number of confirmed human cases of avian influenza A/(H5N1) since 28 January 2004
  http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/country/cases_table_2005_02_02/en/

• Communicable disease surveillance & response
  Provides a list of outbreaks for the year 2005.
  http://www.who.int/csr/don/archive/year/2005/en/

• Influenza
  Provides up-to-date information about influenza epidemics and vaccines. Australian information is available at WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza.
  http://www.who.int/csr/disease/influenza/en/

• Avian influenza ('bird flu') and the significance of its transmission to humans
  WHO has issued a fact sheet about the significance for human health of avian influenza.
  http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/avian_influenza

• Assessment of risk to human health associated with outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in poultry 14 May 2004
  http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/assessment2004_05_14/en/print.html

• Avian influenza frequently asked questions
  http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/avian_faqs/en/print.html

• WHO checklist for influenza pandemic preparedness planning
  http://www.who.int/csr/resources/publications/influenza/WHO_CDS_CSR_GIP_2005_4/en/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (USA)

• Key facts about influenza and the influenza vaccine
  Contains general information about influenza including symptoms, spread and prevention of the flu.
  http://www.cdc.gov/flu/keyfacts.htm

• Influenza: The disease
  Contains information about how the disease can affect people differently, the flu season and what to do if you get the flu.
  http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease.htm

• The influenza (flu) viruses
  http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/fluviruses.htm

• Influenza viruses
  http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/gen-info/flu-viruses.htm

• Avian influenza viruses
  http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/gen-info/avian-influenza.htm

• Spread of avian influenza viruses among birds
  http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/gen-info/spread.htm

• Recent avian influenza outbreaks in Asia
  http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/outbreaks/asia.htm

• Transmission of influenza A viruses between animals and people
  http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/gen-info/transmission.htm

• Avian influenza infection in humans
  http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/gen-info/avian-flu-humans.htm

The 'flu' (Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, USA)

Provides a useful summary of features of the flu virus, the infection process, viruses that have caused pandemics and prevention methods.
http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/I/Influenza.html

Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (University of Minnesota)

This site provides the latest news on bird flu.
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/avianflu/news/index.html

The Why Files (Science Behind the News, USA)

• Welcome to the zoonoses hall of fame
  Describes some of the most notorious zoonotic diseases.
  http://whyfiles.org/180zoonotic_disease/2.html

• Monkeypox is quelled for now
  Answers the questions 'Where do new infections come from?' and 'How do they spread into human populations?'.
  http://whyfiles.org/180zoonotic_disease/index.html

• Pandora’s box
  Predicts which zoonoses will emerge next.
  http://whyfiles.org/180zoonotic_disease/3.html

• Epidemiology’s eternal buzzword: Prevention
  Explains how to prevent infection of humans by viruses from animals, including pets.
  http://whyfiles.org/180zoonotic_disease/4.html

Microbes.info

Provides general microbiology information and links to a ‘Hot Germ News’ section that includes avian influenza, dengue fever, meningococcal disease, typhoid fever, yellow fever and other germs in the news.
http://www.microbes.info/