18 December 2013 (09:59 UTC-07 Tango)/14 Safar 1435/27 Azar 1392/16 Jia-Zi (11th month) 4711

According to the United Nations’ World Health Organization (WHO), there have been 648 reported Influenza A-H5N1 cases.  384 people have died, that’s a 59% kill rate!

The countries being hardest hit are Indonesia, Egypt and Cambodia.  But wait!  I checked on these misleading news media reports; the 648 cases being reported are from 2003 to 2013!

However, that 59% kill rate still applies.  Example: So far this year, Cambodia reported 26 people infected, 14 of them died.

UNWHO officials did point out that a change in the subtype of H5N1 is being observed in Cambodia.

In the United States, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration has approved a H5N1 vaccine.  But seeing as how the virus is already evolving subtypes, the new vaccine probably won’t be that effective.

Government health officials say the new vaccine is only for use if the H5N1 begins spreading from human to human: “This vaccine could be used in the event that the H5N1 avian influenza virus develops the capability to spread efficiently from human to human, resulting in the rapid spread of disease across the globe.”-Karen Midthun, U.S. FDA

Vietnam’s Health Ministry reports they’ve created their own H5N1 vaccine, as well as a H1N1 vaccine.  Their research was funded by the UNWHO.

Back to Indonesia; employees with the Health Ministry have been charged with political corruption (graft).  Police say the health officials used the 2007 H5N1 outbreak to rip off the government by overcharging taxpayers for medical equipment.    Those officials kept the difference between the actual costs of the equipment, and the inflated costs they reported to the Supreme Audit Agency  and the State Finance Development Comptroller.

One health ministry director has been convicted and sent to prison.  But she insists she was following orders, orders that came from the very top of the Health Ministry.