New Bird Flu Strain Seen Adapting to Mammals, Humans
A genetic analysis of the avian flu virus responsible for at least nine human deaths in China portrays a virus evolving to adapt to human cells, raising concern about its potential to spark a new global flu pandemic.-

Milwaukee Health Department Issues Bird Flu Bulletin as Fears of Potential Pandemic Grow
Anyone who travels to China and comes down with a respiratory illness within 10 days of returning should be screened for a bird flu virus that has killed at least 11 people in central-eastern China, a Milwaukee Health Department official … Continue reading →-

Recipients of Companion Animal Fund, Equine Health Fund Research Grants Announced
Faculty in the UW School of Veterinary Medicine will launch eight new research projects aimed at improving animal health care thanks to grants from the school’s Companion Animal Fund and Equine Fund. The Companion Animal Fund is supported by donations from … Continue reading →-

UW Researcher Prepares to Study New Chinese Bird Flu Strain
The groundbreaking work of a University of Wisconsin-Madison scientist remains on hold as he awaits access to a new bird flu virus that is killing people in central-eastern China amid fears that it could leap to other countries.-

Scientist Shows How He Tweaked Bird Flu to Infect Humans
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Flu Transmission Studies Could Resume Soon
After a voluntary hiatus of more than a year, avian influenza transmission studies may soon resume at UW-Madison’s Influenza Research Institute (IRI) as the National Institutes of Heath (NIH) last week issued a new framework for vetting such experiments. The … Continue reading →-

Study Advances Treatment of Respiratory Failure in ALS Patients
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a neurological disorder that affects 5 out of every 100,000 people worldwide and proves fatal in most patients within 3 to 5 years of diagnosis. The most frequent cause … Continue reading →-

Amid Massive Security, Bird Flu Virus Research Awaits Approval
MADISON - A bird flu virus at the center of an international debate sits in a padlocked freezer, deep inside a University of Wisconsin-Madison lab, waiting for new government guidelines that will allow researchers to continue unlocking its secrets.-

Unexpected Survival of Damaged Nerve Fibers Challenges Prevailing View of Multiple Sclerosis
MADISON – Multiple sclerosis (MS), a brain disease that affects over 400,000 Americans, causes movement difficulties and many neurologic symptoms. MS has two key elements: the nerves that direct muscular movement lose their electrical insulation (the myelin sheath) and cannot … Continue reading →-

H5N1: Flu Transmission Work is Urgent
Yoshihiro Kawaoka explains that research on transmissible avian flu viruses needs to continue if pandemics are to be prevented.-