April 3, 2007

US government picks six universities, medical centres for bird flu research
 

The US government's work to prevent an influenza pandemic took on a more academic look when it selected six universities and medical centres to help lead research efforts.

The Department of Health and Human Services will spend US$23 million a year for the next seven years to establish six Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance.

These centres will research how flu viruses evolve and adapt, as well as identify factors that determine whether a virus causes mild illness or death. They will also determine the prevalence of bird flu in animals that come into close contact with people.

"The threat of an influenza pandemic is a major source of concern for the public health community," Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Monday.

Fauci said the centres would help the federal government's efforts in monitoring the virus and generating the tools necessary to prepare and respond to a pandemic.

The six new centres are: St Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, the University of California at Los Angeles, the University of Minnesota, Emory University near Atlanta, Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, and the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York.

In addition to research, the centres are tasked with tracking influenza in animals and people, both in the US and internationally. For example, the University of Minnesota will survey for avian influenza among people, poultry, pigs, dogs, cats, and wild birds in rural parts of Thailand. It will also monitor wild birds in Vietnam and Laos, as well as poultry operations in other Asian countries.