Vietnam Reports 2nd Bird Flu Death in a Month



A Vietnamese official on Thursday confirmed the country's second human death from bird flu in less than a month, after it went nearly two years with no reported fatalities.

Test results confirm that a 26-year-old woman died of the disease Jan. 28 after being hospitalized in southern Soc Trang province, said Truong Hoai Phong, director of the provincial health department.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wir ... h-15494589



Dead falcon, gull in HK test positive for bird flu

THE Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government said yesterday that preliminary testing of a dead peregrine falcon and a dead black-headed gull have returned positive for the H5 avian influenza virus.

A spokesman for the city's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said that further confirmatory tests are being conducted.

According to the AFCD, the dead peregrine falcon and black-headed gull were found and collected at two separate locations on January 30.

Peregrine falcons are rare winter visitors to Hong Kong, while the black-headed gull is a common visitor.

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?i ... e=National



HPAI Reported in Commercial Ostriches

SOUTH AFRICA - Dr Bothle Michael Modisane, Chief Director of South Africa's Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Animal Production and Health has reported a new outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the Western Cape Province

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/poultryne ... -ostriches



Mysterious infection kills 1 soldier; 19 in quarantine .


Wednesday, 01 February 2012 07:40

Nineteen Bogota-stationed soldiers were put in quarantine after a mysterious infection killed a soldier of the presidential guard, newspaper El Tiempo reported Wednesday.

The soldier died Saturday of a lung infection caused by an undetermined type of flu, a doctor at the Military Hospital in Bogota told the newspaper.

According to the medic, the quarantined soldiers who shared a dorm with the deceased presidential guard show no suspicious symptoms and are in good health, but are kept in quarantine just to be safe.

The doctor denied the lethal infection that killed the soldier is swine flu, which killed hundreds in Colombia over the past few years.

Army commanders in Bogota were instructed to be on alert for possible flu symptoms among soldiers.

http://colombiareports.com/colombia-new ... ntine.html


Flu Season Begins In Spokane(Washington State)

The Spokane Regional Health District says flu season has begun. Since the start of last week six people have been hospitalized because of the virus.

"We're seeing an increased number of hospitalizations," said Kim Papich, Spokane Regional Health District. "But we're actually a little below average."

That is good news, but the Spokane Regional Health District doesn't want to the public to get too comfortable with the lower numbers.

"We still want people to be getting their flu shots, and practice their respiratory etiquette," said Papich.

The health district says January and February are the peak months of the year for the flu. If you got a flu shot last year you will need to come in for another one this year, and they encourage everyone to schedule some time to get vaccinated

http://www.khq.com/story/16655857/flu-s ... in-spokane



Tuesday, January 31, 2012 | 13:20 pm
Bird Flu Found In Brebes [Central Java]

TEMPO.CO, Brebes - DVO Brebes, Central Java, ensure that the findings of poultry deaths types of chickens in some villages in recent days due to the H5N1 virus or bird flu. The local government immediately establish control procedures, termination of traffic, and penning up of all types of poultry.

"This is to avoid the spread of the H5N1 virus that has killed a number of chickens that had we studied," said Head of Animal Health and Veterinary Public Health DVO Brebes, Jhoni Murahman, Tuesday, January 31, 2012.

According to Jhoni, the assurance of the existence of bird flu in his territory was related to results rapid test against several chickens that died suddenly last Sunday January 29, in the Terlangu and Kemaron Villages, Brebes Regency, as well as Kutamendala and Purwodadi in the Tonjong Subdistrict that the amount reached hundreds of tails.

Jhoni claimed the characteristics of the death of the chicken resulting from the virus that could spread to humankind be different from when early was found several years ago. "Now the chicken that died as a result of bird flu still does not turn blue, but looked fresh," said Jhoni.

According to him, this condition was caused by the uniting of the virus H5N1 that became endemic in Brebes, so as in the certain condition could kill without leaving the characteristics like early was found.

http://www.tempo.co/read/news/2012/01/3 ... ten-Brebes



3 changes to children's vaccine recommendations announced

The nation's largest pediatrician group today released its new schedule of recommended childhood vaccinations. It made three major changes to its previous recommendations, after a federal advisory panel of experts reviewed recent evidence from vaccine studies.

The biggest change is the new recommendation that boys should be vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV). Since 2006, the HPV vaccine has been recommended for girls, primarily to help prevent cervical cancer, and in 2009, the experts advised that boys "could" be given the shots, too.

The stronger wording in the new recommendations, that boys "should" be given the shots, came about because new data showed giving boys the vaccine can help lessen the odds of HPV-associated cancers in men and in women, said Dr. H. Cody Meissner, chief of pediatric infectious disease at the Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center in Boston.

Meissner was part of the group of experts updating this year's recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics; the panel also included experts from the Centers for Disease and Prevention, which had previously recommended the HPV vaccine for boys.

The new vaccination schedules are published today (Feb. 1) in the journal Pediatrics.

Routine HPV vaccinations for boys

The new guidelines call for boys to get the first of the three doses of HPV vaccine at age 11 or 12, the same age the shot is recommended for girls.

HPV vaccinations are also advised for young men ages 13 to 21 if they've not yet had all three shots. It may be given to boys as young as 9 and to men between 22 and 26.

Young people are encouraged to get all three shots, given over a 6-month period, before they become sexually active.

"Every parent likes to think their child is not sexually active in their early teen years," Meissner said. "But if you wait until they're sexually active, you miss the benefit of the vaccine."

The vaccine has been known to protect against genital warts in males and females, and recent evidence has shown it can prevent anal cancer in men and women. The HPV vaccine has also been shown to be protective against penile cancers, as well as head and neck cancers.

Updates to meningococcal and flu vaccines

The meningococcal and flu vaccines are the focus of the other two changes to the guidelines.

A booster dose of the meningococcal vaccine is now recommended for children at age 16. The previous schedule recommended children be routinely immunized against meningococcal disease, which prevents most types of meningitis, when they are 11 or 12.

Infectious disease experts had thought that one dose of meningococcal vaccine would protect a young person through the college years, Meissner said. "But data became available that the vaccine doesn't last that long, and the risk goes up late in the teen years," he said.

Teens are now advised to get a booster dose to make sure that protection is maintained through the high-risk window, which occurs between 16 and 21 years, when many are living in close quarters, such as in college dormitories.

Some slight tweaks were also made to flu shot recommendations. This was the second year the AAP is recommending that children 6 months and older need to get the annual flu shot, Meissner said.

The new schedule clarifies the guidance for giving the flu shot to kids with egg allergies. Studies have shown the amount of egg protein in the flu vaccine is not enough to produce an allergic reaction in those with mild allergies, who can eat cooked eggs, Meissner said. Still, the flu shot may not be appropriate for people with a severe egg allergy, he said.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/02/0 ... z1lDRSw5qZ

Snow-stranded Europeans rescued as deaths rise to 79

Cold snap continues in Eastern Europe


Rescue helicopters evacuated dozens of people from snow-blocked villages in Serbia and Bosnia and air-lifted in emergency food and medicine as a severe cold spell kept Eastern Europe in its icy grip.

The death toll from the cold rose to 79 on Wednesday and emergency crews worked overtime as temperatures sank to –32.5 C in some areas.

Parts of the Black Sea froze near the Romanian coastline and the rare snow fell on Croatian islands in the Adriatic Sea. In Bulgaria, 16 towns recorded their lowest temperatures since records started 100 years ago.

In central Serbia, choppers pulled out 12 people, including nine who went to a funeral but then could not get back over icy, snow-choked roads. Two more people froze to death in the snow and two others are missing, bringing that nation's death toll to five.

"The situation is dramatic, the snow is up to five metres high in some areas, you can only see rooftops," said Dr. Milorad Dramacanin, who participated in the helicopter evacuations.

One of the evacuees was an elderly woman who had fallen into a coma. She survived after being airlifted to a hospital.

Two helicopters were also used Wednesday to rescue people and supply remote villages in northern Bosnia.

"We are trying to get through to several small villages, with each just a few elderly residents," said Bosnian rescue official Milimir Doder. "All together some 200-300 people are cut off. We are supplying them for the second day with food and medication."

Villages still left without electricity

Some villages have had no electricity for two days and crews were working around-the-clock trying to fix power lines.

"The snow is about two metres high and we have cleared off paths that look more like tunnels," Doder said. "It is going well but if there is more snow coming, then the situation may get critical."

Ukraine alone reported 43 deaths, mostly of homeless people. The country's Emergency Situations Ministry said 28 people had been found dead on the streets, eight died in hospitals and seven in their homes. Over 720 others were hospitalized with hypothermia and frostbite.


http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012 ... tions.html

Temperatures drop to dangerous lows in Russia


Severe frost hit many regions in Russia, from Siberia to the central part of the country, including the Yakutia, Altai, Khakassia, Irkutsk, Chelyabinsk, Tyva, Rostov and Belgorod regions, as well as the North Caucasus.



Strong frost and temperatures as low as minus 45 degrees Celsius are forecast to last until the end of the weekend in the south Siberian Khakassia region, local authorities said. Bus companies cancelled several routes, causing pedestrians on the street to endure the harsh conditions on their way to work, school or back home.

"I dress as (best) I can. Well, it's true that I'm not wearing a hat like most students, but the cold is horrible," a pedestrian told Russian television, which reported severe frost in many Russian regions.

Abnormal frost will last in Khakassia's neighbouring Siberian Tyva region until Friday (February 2) with temperatures falling to minus 50 degrees Celsius, the Russian emergencies ministry said on Tuesday (January 31).

Local authorities recommended citizens stay at home if possible, and local authorities worked to strengthen control on local energy supplies and heating networks. Schools cancelled lessons.

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/s ... _category2



Heavy snow forces closure of Bosphorus Strait


Turkey's Bosphorus Strait was forced to close on Tuesday (January 31) after a snowstorm caused reduced visibility.
Passage for vessels longer than 200 metres and those carrying dangerous cargo was already suspended on Monday (January 30), but the Istanbul channel was closed on Tuesday for all vessels, coast guard officials said. It was unclear when the strait would be re-opened for tankers, they said.

The strait is one of the world's busiest waterways and is a vital artery for oil trade.

As well as the closure, Istanbul residents said life generally had been turned upside down by the severe weather.

"It has completely affected daily life in Istanbul. No shops are open, and there is no traffic," said Suleyman Yilmaz.

While the Dardanelles Strait at the other end of the Sea of Marmara remained open to traffic, authorities have issued a strong gale warning for the area, shipping agent GAC said.

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/s ... _category2


15 die in Poland due to cold weather

Five people were reported dead in Poland overnight, bringing to 15 the number to have died since temperatures dropped at the weekend. Several suffered carbon monoxide poisoning from old or faulty heaters, the Interior Affairs Ministry said, but most of the dead were homeless.
"During the cold snap over the last four days we unfortunately had 15 deaths. These people died of hypothermia. They mostly were either homeless people or those under the influence of alcohol, people who are not aware of what's going on around them," said Polish police spokesperson, Inspector Mariusz Sokolowski.

"These are the people who spent time outside, some of them fell asleep on park benches or at bus stops or maybe tried to find shelter inside a garden or a garbage shed and they hoped they would survive in that place. In most cases the body reaches such a low temperature that it is impossible to recuperate," Sokolowski added.

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/s ... _category2



Temporary shelters for homeless as Greece temperatures plunge.

Freezing temperatures struck Greece late on Monday (January 30) sending municipal workers scrambling to take care of the increasing numbers of homeless in the Athens capital.
A cold front has swept through the country and is expected to remain for days, forcing temperatures below zero degrees celsius and as low as minus 24 degrees in some parts in the north of the country.

Snow has begun to fall in several areas and sparse snowflakes were even seen falling in Athens, where temperatures late on Monday fell to minus one degrees celsius.

Municipality workers from the City of Athens Homeless Foundation took to the streets to hand out blankets and sleeping bags to people sleeping rough and inform them of temporary shelters where they could seek some protection from the biting cold.

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/s ... 31_01_2012

Congressional budget chief offers dim outlook on economic growth, jobs

Congressional Budget Office Director Doug Elmendorf on Wednesday projected that economic growth will slow by next year and unemployment will rise before that -- a forecast that Rep. Paul Ryan called ominous, grim and alarming.

Elmendorf laid out the latest projections on the economy and deficits before the House Budget Committee on Capitol Hill.

Ryan, R-Wis., who is chairman, raised alarm given projections that 2012 "will mark the fourth straight year of trillion-dollar deficits."

"Trillions more dollars will be added to debt in the years ahead, putting a chilling effect on jobs creation today and committing the next generation to a diminished future," he said.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/02 ... z1lDQgd6Ma


butt butt butt all the news about the economy was sooooo good yesterday



Greece nears debt deal with banks but EU clash looms

Greece was on the brink of a deal with private creditors on Wednesday night after weeks of brinkmanship.


But the simmering clash with EU officials and the International Monetary Fund has yet to be resolved and remains a larger threat.


"We are just one step, just a formality, from completion," said Evangelos Venizelos, the Greek finance minister.


The deal will slice €100bn off Greece's debt and leave banks, pension funds, and other bondholders nursing effective losses above 70pc, but it does not in itself avert the risk of a Greek default in March.


Greece must reach a deal over coming days with Troika officials from the IMF, EU, and European Central Bank, who are demanding further austerity cuts equal to 1pc of GDP before disbursing fresh loans.


Poul Thomsen, the chief IMF negotiator, said there would have to be a cut in the minimum wage and more job losses in the public sector, but acknowledged that the country cannot take much more pain.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/fina ... looms.html

Threat from new virus-infected emails which take over your PC even if you DON'T open their attachments


A new class of cyber attack is threatening PCs - emails which infect PCs without the user having to open an attachment.

The user will not even be warned this is happening - the only message that appears is 'loading'.

The email automatically downloads malicious software into your computer from elsewhere the moment a user clicks to open it.

The mails themselves are not infected - and thus will not 'set off' many web-security defence packages.

Security experts say that the development is 'particularly dangerous'.

'This sort of spam also affects cautious users which would never open an unknown attachment or link,' say security experts Eleven Research Team.

Previous generations of email-borne viruses and trojans required users to click on an attachment - often an office document such as a PDF.

The new emails - dubbed 'drive-by emails' - have been detected 'in the wild' by computer researchers Eleven Research Team.
'This driveby spam automatically downloads malware when the e-mail is opened in the e-mail client,' says Eleven Research Team.
'Previous malware e-mails required the user to click on a link or open an attachment for the PC to be infected.'


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/ ... z1lDTtrdpr

Silicon Valley braces for Facebook millionaires


As Facebook goes public, Silicon Valley is buzzing in anticipation of the "instant millionaires" that may soon be looking for ways to spend their newfound wealth.

Eight years after Mark Zuckerberg founded the company in a Harvard dorm room, the stock market debut is expected to value the social media giant at as much as $100 billion.

While Zuckerberg and other longtime staffers stand to benefit the most, the initial public offering on Wednesday could also make millionaires out of much of the company's rank-and-file.

Local real estate agents say they expect the IPO -- at $5 billion easily the largest ever by a technology company -- to boost already high home prices as newly wealthy staffers at the social media giant begin shopping.

"It's going to have a great effect," said Pierre Buljan, a Silicon Valley real estate agent who shows homes to young technology executives. "I believe with 1,000 new millionaires, they're going to need a place to live."

Buljan said his typical client often seeks "modern, high-tech structures" close to the airport and good schools.

"They don't like the stuff their parents used to live in," he said.

Typically clients pay cash for the homes, he said, which can range anywhere from 4,000 to 15,000 square feet (372 to 1,393 square meters) depending on the size of the family.


http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/silico ... 31538.html

6 big Canada Pension Plan changes coming in 2012

New rules could affect retirement planning.


Last week in a speech in Davos, Switzerland, Prime Minister Stephen Harper lit a political powder keg when he hinted at possible changes to Old Age Security benefits.

He was quick to point out that the Canada Pension Plan is "fully funded, actuarially sound and does not need to be changed," but a close look at the plan shows some alterations to the CPP are already under way.

The rules governing the Canada Pension Plan are updated regularly, but most years the changes are limited to simple increases to benefit payments and premiums. Not this year.

Ottawa is bringing in a raft of new or tweaked policies to reflect that retirement these days is more of a gradual transition for many people rather than a single event. Many of these changes either begin in 2012 or are entering the next phase-in period, and they'll have a direct impact on the retirement plans of Canadians.

http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/6-big- ... -2012.html




Insight: Borrowing spree pushes Canadians to edge of debt cliff


The two giant jars on Randolph Taylor's windowsill are filled with shards of credit cards, chopped up by the clients whose staggering indebtedness drove them to the front line of Canada's household debt crisis.

"I used to cut them up myself, but then I saw that having them do it themselves was a huge symbolic act," Taylor said, pulling out a pair of scissors from his desk drawer in the Toronto headquarters of debt counseling agency Credit Canada.

"I tell them this card is the reason they are here. This card is the reason they haven't been able to sleep."

The growth of household debt in Canada to levels approaching those seen in the United States before the 2008-2009 crash seems to be keeping a lot of people awake - from central bankers to economists, lenders, real estate agents and the indebted consumers.

Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney has warned that the ratio of debt to income will rise from the already alarming 153 percent record reached last year, and many think it will approach the landmark 160 percent hit by the United States before the U.S. tipped into crisis more than three years ago.

While Canada has spent the last few years boasting of its escape from the global credit crisis and its quick recovery from recession, both Carney and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty are sounding the alarm on household debt, warning it has become the biggest home-grown risk to the financial system.

"Obviously the biggest concern is taking extreme levels of debt for those who are most vulnerable," Carney said in mid-January, pointing to a "potentially overvalued" housing market that has roared higher for years, barely pausing when the U.S. market collapsed.

more at link

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/insight-borrow ... 25019.html

Target announces first 24 stores in Canada; initial openings all in Ontario



Minneapolis-based Target Corp. (NYSE:TGT - News) on Thursday announced the location of the first 24 of the 125 to 135 stores it plans to open in Canada beginning next year.

All of the first two dozen are at malls in various communities in Ontario.

"We are excited to announce the location of these first 24 Target stores . . . ," said Target Canada president Tony Fisher.

"In addition to providing Canadian guests with an exceptional shopping experience, Target looks forward to continuing our strong reputation of being a good neighbour in the Canadian communities in which we will do business."

Target has purchased the leasehold interests of 189 sites currently operated by Zellers Inc. and about $10 million to $11 million will be invested to remodel each facility.

Each location will employ between 150 to 200 workers, with hiring slated to being in 2012.

The announcement came on the same day that Target lowered its earnings expectations after a disappointing December in which U.S. consumers waited until the last minute to shop.


http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/Target ... 38642.html

Bernanke to testify on economy and deficit

Bernanke may testify more Fed action could be needed to aid economy, warn against deficit cuts




Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will likely tell members of Congress on Thursday that the slowly improving economy may need more help from the Fed and that cutting the deficit too fast could backfire.

Bernanke is testifying before the House Budget Committee a week after the Fed signaled that a full recovery could take at least three more years. As a result, the Fed said it doesn't plan to raise its benchmark interest rate from a record low before late 2014 at the earliest.

The Fed chief is appearing two days after the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the deficit will top $1 trillion for a fourth straight year and could stay around that level for years.

Republicans have been critical of the Fed's efforts to support the economy. Many have argued that keeping rates too low for too long could escalate inflation. And they've stressed that cutting government spending and lowering taxes are necessary to boost growth.

The hearing is sure to be contentious, and the toughest questions could come from Chairman Paul Ryan, a Republican from Wisconsin.

At a hearing last year after Republicans won control of the House, Ryan told Bernanke that "many of us fear monetary policy is on a difficult track."

Monetary policy refers to the Fed's use of interest rates to try to boost or slow the economy.

At the time, Ryan also expressed concern that the Fed's bond-buying programs could trigger inflation or fuel speculative buying of stocks or other assets. The Fed's bond purchases were intended to further drive down long-term rates to encourage more borrowing and spending by consumers and businesses.

Ryan made his comments at a time when energy and food prices were rising quickly. Inflation has moderated since then, and Bernanke has maintained that it doesn't threaten the economy.


http://finance.yahoo.com/news/bernanke- ... 42797.html

Doomsday Preppers

Doomsday Preppers explores the lives of otherwise ordinary Americans who are preparing for the end of the world as we know it. Unique in their beliefs, motivations, and strategies, preppers will go to whatever lengths they can to make sure they are prepared for any of life’s uncertainties. And with our expert’s assessment, they will find out their chances of survival if their worst fears become a reality.


http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/c ... -preppers/

Starts Feb 7th 9pm