Turkish health officials have confirmed a new case of avian flu, bringing its total to 15. But an official for WHO warned against panicking, saying that the spread of the lethal virus appeared to fit the same pattern seen in Asia, where only people who were exposed to sick birds were infected. So far, WHO adds, there is no direct evidence of human-to-human infection--the nightmare scenario for a global pandemic.
- read this article from the Calgary Sun for more
PLUS: A cluster of bird flu cases in Turkey involves patients who tested positive for the virus but show no symptoms of the disease. Some experts say that the cases may indicate that the virus isn't as deadly as is generally believed. Report
ALSO: Bad news about avian flu is a clear plus for the biotechnology industry. Analysts at Intersuisse say that a combination of avian flu news and a general realization that Australian biotech stocks were undervalued in the first half of 2005 helped drive the sector up in the last half of the year. Biota Holdings, an influenza drug maker, saw its stock surge 250 percent. Report