NVAX - Sector: Healthcare --- Industry: Biotechnology & Drugs

[LiveLife]

What a nice day for NVAX!  Good post La-onda, nice upgrade on NVAX!

13.5 million shares traded with a steady gains all day long!

Yes, I cancelled my limit sell of $3.50 early this morning before work.

Another day of accumulation of Institutional/money managers:

[LiveLife]

What a nice day for NVAX!  Good post La-onda, nice upgrade on NVAX!

SmartWrasse, I haven't seen black marks before.  Perhaps they are cancellations of requests.  If I find out, I'll post here.

13.5 million shars traded with a steady gains all day long!

Yes, I cancelled my limit sell of $3.50 early this morning before work.

Another day of accumulation of Institutional/money managers:

[LiveLife]

Still the volume leader for the week/month!

[LiveLife]

Still volume leader for the week/month!

[LiveLife]

50 MA broke through 200 MA!  Perhaps this was the reason for the analyst upgrade?

Then, more analyst upgrades to follow!  Thanks my_name_iz_earl for the charts!

[LiveLife]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20051021/sc_space/deadlyfluwillreachussaysbirdmigrationexpert

Deadly Flu Will Reach U.S., Says Bird Migration Expert

[LiveLife]

50 MA broke through 200 MA!  Perhaps this was the reason for the analyst upgrade.

Then, more analyst upgrades to come!  Thanks my_name_iz_earl for the charts!

[LiveLife]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20051021/sc_space/deadlyfluwillreachussaysbirdmigrationexpert

Deadly Flu Will Reach U.S., Says Bird Migration Expert

Robert Roy Britt
LiveScience Managing Editor
LiveScience.com Fri Oct 21,12:00 PM ET

An expert in bird migration patterns said today it is only a matter of time before the avian flu virus reaches the United States and the rest of North America.

No corner of the planet is immune, he said.

"By knowing the migratory patterns of birds and areas where species overlap while traveling between their breeding sites and winter grounds, one can predict precisely where problems will occur," said Thomas Van't Hof, an ornithologist at Wright State University in Ohio.

The avian flu, which has spread from Asia to Europe, has only grudgingly infected humans, killing an estimate 61 people.

But officials fear it may soon morph into a strain that could be passed easily between people. The
World Health Organization recently warned that "the world is now in the gravest possible danger of a pandemic."

"The disease will probably end up in Africa this year," Van't Hof told LiveScience. "This is very likely to happen."

It is harder to say when it will hop the Atlantic, he said, but that could happen next year, based on known migration patterns.

The flying flu

Birds migrating south from China likely made contact with species in Bangladesh and Burma that were migrating west through southern India to Turkey, Van't Hof explains. This is how the virus reached Russia and Eastern Europe.

Birds from Europe are now flying south through Turkey. Soon, Africa will be exposed.

Next spring, when infected birds migrate to the Arctic to nest, they will mix with birds from North America, Van't Hof explained.

The virus is carried by waterfowl, which migrate long distances, increasingly the likelihood it will spread around the globe. How quickly it reaches North America will depend on how many infected birds mix with other fowl in nesting areas, and how close the nests are to each other. But eventually, it will spread.

"There is really no populated area of the world that will be immune," Van't Hof said.

Poised to morph

There are many flu strains. The one topping health officials worry list right now is called H5N1.

Most of the cases of human infection by H5N1, dating back to 1997, have involved people who handled infected poultry or touched contaminated surfaces, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (
CDC).

But officials are now very concerned that it will morph into a variety that can be transmitted easily between people, thus fueling a potential pandemic like one that occurred in 1918, when up to 50 million people died worldwide.

"Because all influenza viruses have the ability to change, scientists are concerned that the H5N1 virus one day could be able to infect humans and spread easily from one person to another," according to a CDC statement. "If the H5N1 virus were able to infect people and spread easily from person to person, an influenza pandemic (worldwide outbreak of disease) could begin."

Watch the skies

The avian flu has shown up in at least 16 countries, killing more than 100 million birds.

Knowing what to expect, and when, should help officials plan for the inevitable, Van't Hof said.

He added that there is a good database of migration patterns available for health officials to study. They can look at specific marshes in the North where species mingle, then find the places those birds will return to when they fly south.

"The more precisely we know the migratory patterns of birds, the better we can predict where exposure will occur," he said. "We can then be better prepared if the virus should mutate to a form that will infect humans."

Currently, there is no vaccine to protect humans from H5N1, but scientists around the world are working on it, the CDC says.

    * Bird Flu Pandemic Imminent, Health Official Says
    * Scientists Recreate 1918 Flu Virus From Scratch
    * Trojan Ducks: One More Possible Flu Carrier

Visit LiveScience.com for more daily news, views and scientific inquiry with an original, provocative point of view. LiveScience reports amazing, real world breakthroughs, made simple and stimulating for people on the go. Check out our collection of Amazing Images, Image Galleries, Interactive Features, Trivia and more. Sign up for our free daily email newsletter today!

[LiveLife]

This is from Novavax website on vaccine pipeline:  Thanks mnecklstring for the link!

http://www.novavax.com/html/avian_flu_vlp.html

"Avian (Pandemic) Flu VLP Vaccine
   
Given concerns regarding the appearance of avian flu in Asia there is greater urgency to develop a vaccine to avoid a pandemic. So far the disease is largely contained to poultry. However, the few human cases reported were highly lethal.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has given Novavax a grant to develop an avian flu vaccine using our VLP technology. Using cloned genes, we have produced a VLP flu vaccine which we have sent on to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) for animal testing. The VLP vaccine findings in mice reported by the CDC in September 2004 showed that it was safe, immunogenic (created an immune response) and protective."

[LiveLife]

This is from Novavax website on vaccine pipeline:  Thanks mnecklstring for the link!

http://www.novavax.com/html/avian_flu_vlp.html

"Avian (Pandemic) Flu VLP Vaccine
   
Given concerns regarding the appearance of avian flu in Asia there is greater urgency to develop a vaccine to avoid a pandemic. So far the disease is largely contained to poultry. However, the few human cases reported were highly lethal.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has given Novavax a grant to develop an avian flu vaccine using our VLP technology. Using cloned genes, we have produced a VLP flu vaccine which we have sent on to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) for animal testing. The VLP vaccine findings in mice reported by the CDC in September 2004 showed that it was safe, immunogenic (created an immune response) and protective."

[LiveLife]

This is also from Novavax website on list of vaccines:

[LiveLife]

This is also from Novavax website on list of vaccines:

[LiveLife]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/birdflu/story/0,14207,1598102,00.html

Parrot that died in UK quarantine diagnosed with avian flu

[LiveLife]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/birdflu/story/0,14207,1598102,00.html

Parrot that died in UK quarantine diagnosed with avian flu

James Meikle and Robert Booth
Saturday October 22, 2005
The Guardian

The arrival of a highly pathogenic form of avian flu in Britain was confirmed last night as veterinary officials revealed that a parrot that died in quarantine had the disease.

The parrot, part of a consignment from Surinam in South America, was among birds sharing space in a biosecure unit with another consignment from Taiwan. A "small number" of people who had been in contact with the birds have been given anti-viral treatment.

Article continues
Debby Reynolds, the chief vet, said the case would not affect Britain's disease-free status as she revealed more than 360 birds had been culled. "It is very difficult for humans to contract avian influenza. However, the necessary actions to protect human health have been taken in this instance," she said.

Tests have yet to confirm whether the parrot, which was imported into Britain in September and died three days ago, succumbed to the feared H5N1 form, although it is known the virus was one of the H5 types.

Ms Reynolds said: "I don't intend to speculate on the N-type until I have formal, official confirmation of this." She moved to calm any possible panic, stressing that the incident confirmed the strength of Britain's quarantine rules, but questions were immediately raised about the danger from illegally traded pet birds.

Fears are growing the H5N1 virus, which has caused chaos among flocks in south-east Asia and killed more than 60 people in close contact with poultry flocks, might mutate into a deadly human pandemic strain.

In recent weeks the virus has been spreading westward across Russia, Turkey and into Europe. Last night, Croatia confirmed a case of the deadly form of the disease.

Bob McCracken, a former president of the British Veterinary Association, said: "The incidents of bird flu in eastern Europe have been a warning and this will be another. The virus is not too far away in migrating wild birds or the pet bird population. Pet birds must go through quarantine to make sure there is no illegal trade." He added that the presence of birds from Taiwan in the same unit as those from South America would suggest that authorities should work on the basis that the bird flu was a form of the H5N1 virus. "We have been very fortunate the system has worked," said Dr McCracken.

Ms Reynolds would not reveal where the quarantine unit where the parrot died was. She said it was part of a mixed consignment of 148 parrots and soft-billed birds although she could not say where they were headed. Another bird that died did not test positive.

[LiveLife]

Scenes like these will be the "daily ponder" for many as Avian flu spreads all over the world.  Migrating flocks of birds and disinfection of vehicles of affected/quarantined areas:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/conditions/10/22/birdflu.main/index.html