Largest Global Bird Flu Outbreak ‘In History’ Continues To Show No Sign Of Slowing Down

France 24: Largest global bird flu outbreak ‘in history’ shows no sign of slowing 

A highly contagious and lethal strain of bird flu has killed millions of wild and farmed birdlife in the past year. As global infections show little sign of slowing down, scientists, wildlife protectors and legislators are looking for new solutions to a global pandemic. 

A lethal bird flu outbreak that has been circling the globe since 2021 peaked in Japan this week, as an agriculture ministry official said on Tuesday the country plans to cull more than 10 million chickens at risk of exposure to the virus.  

Flu is a common annual illness among wild birds yet the H5N1 strain now sweeping Japan is uniquely contagious and deadly. It poses such high risk to farmed birds, such as chickens and turkeys, that a single infection on a farm condemns the entire flock to be killed. As outbreaks in Japan have reached a record high, the cull is the largest ever planned for the yearly flu season that runs from October to May.    

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WNU Editor: As mentioned just a few days ago. This is a story that much of the main stream media continues to ignore .... Record Waves Of Avian Influenza Is Setting Off Alarms That It Will Spread In The Human Population (January 14, 2023).

Record Waves Of Avian Influenza Is Setting Off Alarms That It Will Spread In The Human Population

Micrograph of avian influenza, also known as bird flu (Credit: CDC/F.A. Murphy)  

The Guardian: ‘Pandemic potential’: bird flu outbreaks fuelling chance of human spillover  

Experts say record waves of avian influenza have been setting off alarms, with fears virus could adapt to spread among people 

Multiple waves of avian influenza have left a trail of devastation across the globe, leading to the deaths and culling of more than 300 million chickens, ducks and geese and an unknown number of wild birds between 2005 and 2021. 

Today, with parts of Europe and North America in the midst of the worst outbreak on record, a global cohort of researchers is keeping cautious watch amid concerns about the impact the disease could have on humans. 

“There is concern about it having pandemic potential,” says Wendy Blay Puryear, a molecular virologist at Tufts University. “Before Covid was on anybody’s radar, this was the one that we were all watching very closely.”  

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WNU Editor: This avian flu spread is getting more and more frightening and it is being under-reported. Cases of bird flu transmission to humans are already being reported in China .... China Confirms Another Bird Flu Case (Precision Vaccinations), and in Ecuador .... Ecuador confirms first human bird flu infection in 9-year-old girl (Reuters). More here .... Ecuador reports South America’s 1st human case of bird flu (BNO News).

Gates, Johns Hopkins, WHO Simulated Another Pandemic - 'Catastrophic Contagion'

 

Defiant Amercia: Gates, Johns Hopkins, WHO Simulated Another Deadly Pandemic In 2023 – The Virus Is A Lot Deadlier And The Main “Target” Of The Virus Will Scare Everyone (Video)  

The next pandemic will be much more devastating… 

This post is just there to raise awareness of the looming and coming threat that could wipe out the majority of the population. “Catastrophic Contagion” was another simulation recently conducted by Bill Gates and the WHO. 

The group of participants consisted of 10 current and former Health Ministers and senior public health officials from Senegal, Rwanda, Nigeria, Angola, Liberia, Singapore, India, Germany, as well as Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.  

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WNU Editor: This is a fictional scenario. But it shows what many in the "health community" are focused on.

President Biden Says There Will Be A Second Pandemic

 

FOX News: 'Second pandemic'? Biden alarms Twitter with his cryptic comments: 'Here we go again' 

Some conservatives accused the president of trying to interfere with the midterm elections 

During presidential remarks on COVID-19 vaccines for children under 5 years old, President Joe Biden alarmed Twitter users when he spoke of the government preparing for a "second pandemic." 

A reporter prompted Biden’s head-turning remarks with a question on what spending the U.S. government is still prepared to do in order to manufacture and distribute more vaccines and maintain the infrastructure necessary to combat COVID-19 as it lingers throughout the country.  

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Update: Biden says U.S. needs more funding for next pandemic (Reuters)  

WNU Editor: Here we go again.

WHO Says Covid-19 Pandemic Is 'Not Necessarily The Big One'

 

The Guardian: WHO warns Covid-19 pandemic is 'not necessarily the big one' 

Experts tell end of year media briefing that virus is likely to become endemic and the world will have to learn to live with it 

World Health Organization experts have warned that even though the coronavirus pandemic has been very severe, it is “not necessarily the big one”, and that the world will have to learn to live with Covid-19. 

The “destiny” of the virus is to become endemic, even as vaccines begin to be rolled out in the US and UK, says Professor David Heymann, the chair of the WHO’s strategic and technical advisory group for infectious hazards. 

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WNU Editor: Talk about sending a blunt message. The World Health Organization is basically that the world will have to learn to live with Covid-19. 

 More News On WHO Saying The Covid-19 Pandemic Is 'Not Necessarily The Big One' 

Pandemic Severe, But "Not Necessarily The Big One": WHO -- NDTV/AFP 

Covid pandemic very severe but ‘not necessarily the big one’, warns WHO -- The Independent 

Pandemic Severe, But 'Not Necessarily the Big One', Says WHO -- News 18 

WHO warns COVID-19 pandemic is ‘not necessarily the big one’ -- NYPost 

Current coronavirus pandemic ‘very severe’ but ‘not necessarily the big one’ – WHO -- RT 

COVID-19 will not be last pandemic: WHO -- DW 

WHO chief warns coronavirus crisis "will not be the last pandemic" -- Axios

This Is Where The Next Pandemic May Emerge

Image: University of Sydney 

Fast Company: This is where the next pandemic is likely to emerge 

COVID-19 won’t be the last time a virus jumps from animals to humans and threatens humanity. Now scientists are trying to determine what factors are most likely to incubate the next deadly virus. 

Roughly a year ago, it’s likely that the new coronavirus made the jump from a wild animal to the first infected human in Wuhan, China, before spreading throughout the city, and then leaping quickly to the rest of the world. If 2020 seemed like an anomaly, it isn’t: Scientists say that another pandemic will follow at some point in the future. A new study tries to identify where it might emerge. 

“Essentially, this work is trying to identify the biggest gaps in the modern, globalized world where pathogens may be most likely to slip through and lead to extensive global dissemination,” says Michael Walsh, the lead author of the new study and an epidemiologist at the University of Sydney’s School of Public Health. 

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WNU Editor: Bottom line. The next pandemic can come from a lot of places.

Will The Covid-19 Coronavirus Pandemic Trigger Massive Societal Shifts?

© CC BY 2.0 / Bryan Ledgard / Goth weekends 

Andrew Latham​, The Conversation: How 3 prior pandemics triggered massive societal shifts 

Before March of this year, few probably thought disease could be a significant driver of human history. 

Not so anymore. People are beginning to understand that the little changes COVID-19 has already ushered in or accelerated – telemedicine, remote work, social distancing, the death of the handshake, online shopping, the virtual disappearance of cash and so on – have begun to change their way of life. They may not be sure whether these changes will outlive the pandemic. And they may be uncertain whether these changes are for good or ill. 

Three previous plagues could yield some clues about the way COVID-19 might bend the arc of history. As I teach in my course “Plagues, Pandemics and Politics,” pandemics tend to shape human affairs in three ways. 

First, they can profoundly alter a society’s fundamental worldview. Second, they can upend core economic structures. And, finally, they can sway power struggles among nations. 

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WNU Editor: The Covid-19 pandemic will not only be remembered for its health impacts, but also its economic and financial ones. How bad and how deep these economic and financial impacts will be is still unknown. But printing money and assuming massive debts never ends well for governments and countries who pursue it. And we are now in the mother of all printing money and assuming debt crisis.

President's Trump's 2017 National Security Strategy Had A Section Dedicated To Pandemics. So What Happened?

U.S. Air Force photo by SrA Milton Hamilton

Thomas Spoehr, RCD: Even Expected Pandemics Are Problematic. Still, We Can Learn From Them.

The Trump administration’s 2017 National Security Strategy differed markedly from that of its predecessor. The greatest difference was a shift in focus, now concentrated more heavily on competing with China and Russia.

Perhaps the most pronounced change came in the view of China. The Obama administration’s final 2015 National Security Strategy had set the goal of a “rise of a stable, peaceful, and prosperous China.” That goal was deep-sixed in the new administration’s strategy.

Another key difference: the new strategy articulated a more direct link between America’s security and its economic prosperity.

Reviews of the strategy focused on these novelties and were largely favorable. Little noticed was the prominence given in the strategy to the threat from pandemics.

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WNU Editor: Unlike President Obama's final 2015 National Security Strategy that made little mention of pandemics, President's Trump's 2017 National Security Strategy dedicated an entire section to it (on page 9). Quoting the above article ....


.... dealing with biothreats and pandemics, putting them on the same structural level as strengthening border control and immigration policy.

....  It called for the ability to “detect and contain biothreats at their source,” to “support biomedical innovation,” and to “improve emergency response.” To contain threats early, the strategy describes the need to “work with other countries to detect and mitigate outbreaks early.” Unfortunately, because of China's intransigence, this part of the strategy was impossible to carry out.

Yup. Washington made the mistake that China would cooperate and be open at the beginning of this pandemic. Unfortunately, this mistake is costing everyone dearly right now.

Hat tip John for this article.

The Pentagon Knew Years Ago That a Novel Influenza Pandemic Was Coming

The Pentagon Press Briefing Room before Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper briefs the media about the department’s coronavirus response, March 17, 2020. The Pentagon reported its first two positive coronavirus cases Friday for personnel who had recently been inside the building. Department of Defense photo by Lisa Ferdinand Office of the Secretary of Defense

Ken Klippenstein, The Nation: Exclusive: The Military Knew Years Ago That a Coronavirus Was Coming

The Pentagon warned the White House about a shortage of ventilators, face masks and hospital beds in 2017—but the Trump administration did nothing.

Despite President Trump’s repeated assertions that the COVID-19 epidemic was “unforeseen” and “came out of nowhere,” the Pentagon was well aware of not just the threat of a novel influenza, but even anticipated the consequent scarcity of ventilators, face masks, and hospital beds, according to a 2017 Pentagon plan obtained by The Nation.

“The most likely and significant threat (enemy) is a novel respiratory disease, particularly a novel influenza disease,” the military plan states. COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by the novel (meaning: new to humans) coronavirus. The document specifically references coronavirus on several occasions, in one instant saying, “Coronavirus infections [are] common around the world.”

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WNU Editor: Warnings that another pandemic was coming have been around for years (if not decades). I just finished reading this 2018 Canadian report that is an update from 2006 .... Canadian Pandemic Influenza Preparedness: Planning Guidance for the Health Sector. And then there is this excellent 2015 pandemic lecture by Bill Gates .... The next outbreak? We’re not ready (TED, YouTube). And while it is always easy to say "I told you so", that debate should be for later on. The focus should be on what is happening now, what needs to be done to minimize the impact of this pandemic in the days and weeks to come, and to take care of those who are on the front lines and/or the sick and vulnerable.

Update: This is a fair analysis .... Ian Bremmer breaks down Trump's response to the coronavirus crisis — where he has been a profound failure and where he has been among the best in the world (Business Insider).

Comparing The Covid-19 Coronavirus Pandemic To History's Deadliest Pandemics

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

Daily Mail: How coronavirus compares to history's deadliest pandemics: Visual timeline pits COVID-19 against Black Death, smallpox and AIDS - as experts warn current crisis could rival Spanish flu 'in its lethality and scale'

* Shows bubonic plague, also known as Black Death, killed 200million people and most lethal of all pandemics
* 1918 Spanish flu outbreak claimed lives of almost 50million people in just one year after racing around globe
* By comparison, COVID-19 killed more than 7,000 people and infected 182,000 since outbreak in December
* Scientists say the 'scale' and 'lethality' of the virus is on the scale of Spanish flu and warn of lack of vaccine

The true scale of the coronavirus outbreak currently sweeping the world has been laid bare in a visual timeline comparing it to history's most deadly pandemics.

It shows the bubonic plague, also known as the Black Death, was the most lethal of all diseases, killing roughly 200million people in the 14th century.

Smallpox, the second deadliest pandemic in history, claimed the lives of 56million people over more than 400 years before it was finally eradicated in 1980.

By comparison, COVID-19 has so far killed 7,000 people and infected more than 180,000 since December. But it is still in its early stages.

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WNU Editor: The Black Death's 200 million deaths occurring when the global population was just a fraction of what it is today is a sobering number.

WHO Says The Wuhan Coronavirus Outbreak Is Not A Pandemic

The Hill: WHO: Coronavirus outbreak not yet pandemic

The World Health Organization says the coronavirus outbreak is not a pandemic, but an epidemic with multiple foci.

* The coronavirus has spread to at least two dozen other countries since December.
* Some experts warned earlier this week a pandemic situation is likely.
* A pandemic is a worldwide spread of a new disease, according to WHO.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says the deadly coronavirus outbreak that has ravaged China and spread to several other countries is not yet considered a pandemic.

“Currently we are not in a pandemic,” Dr. Sylvie Briand, head of WHO’s Global Infectious Hazard Preparedness division, told reporters in Geneva Tuesday.

“We are at the phase where it is an epidemic with multiple foci,” Briand said.

A pandemic is a worldwide spread of a new disease, according to WHO.

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WNU Editor: Other experts are issuing warnings .... Coronavirus pandemic 'likely' if China, worldwide infections increase, experts say (ABC News Online). More here .... Scientists say the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak could soon be declared a pandemic. Here's what that means. (Business Insider)

More News On WHO Saying The Wuhan Coronavirus Outbreak Is Not A Pandemic

Coronavirus Has Not Reached Pandemic Status, Says WHO -- VOA
WHO says Wuhan coronavirus outbreak is not yet a pandemic -- CNN
WHO Says Coronavirus Is Not A Pandemic, Despite Increase In Cases And Deaths -- Forbes
WHO: Wuhan virus outbreak not 'pandemic' yet -- New Straits Times/AFP
Top WHO official warns world may be ‘dangerously unprepared’ for next pandemic as coronavirus outbreak spreads -- CNBC

Should The Military Be Responsible For Battling A Pandemic?

Military medical personnel arrive in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, to fight the novel coronavirus pneumonia, Jan 24, 2020. [Photo by Huang Shifeng/chinadaily.com.cn]

James Stavridis, Bloomberg: Battling a Pandemic Is a Job for the Military

Even if coronavirus fizzles out, the world’s armies need to prepare for the next deadly global outbreak.

Even with China taking extreme measures to contain the spread of coronavirus — effectively quarantining 50 million people in the center of the country — at least 130 Chinese have died and it is beginning to pop up around the globe, including at least five cases in the U.S.This is one of the few times when there are advantages to being an authoritarian society where people are used to immediately obeying commands from higher authority; imagine the reaction if the U.S. government shut all transportation in and out of Chicago, a step the Chinese government has taken in a similarly sized metropolis, Wuhan.

Still, the unfortunate timing of Chinese New Year means that hundreds of millions are on the move, and the ubiquity of air travel means the virus will be difficult to contain. Are we facing another Spanish Influenza, which a century ago infected more than a third of the world’s population with a 20% mortality rate? Probably not. But Mother Nature has a nasty habit of throwing deadly pandemics at us every couple of centuries, despite all medical progress – and we are increasingly due. And if this or a future virus truly goes global, the world’s militaries are going to have to take a lead role in containing it.

As commander of U.S. Southern Command I oversaw the responses to several cholera outbreaks in Haiti – easier to contain a than coronavirus, but more than half a million Haitians were infected and nearly 10,000 died in the aftermath of a 2010 earthquake. The U.S. military and allied partners were crucial to halting the spread of the disease. American troops -- working with counterparts from Brazil and Chile — were able to bring water purification, electrical generation and basic civil order. No civilian agency could have done so given the scale of the emergency.

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WNU Editor: It is the health professionals who must be in the lead to battle a global pandemic. The military is there to support their actions.

Pandemic Simulation Predicts 65 Million Could Die. Disturbing Videos Now Coming Out Of China

Business Insider: Health experts issued an ominous warning about a coronavirus pandemic 3 months ago. Their simulation showed it could kill 65 million people.

* A coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China, has killed 18 people and infected more than 630.
* The virus has been reported in at least eight other countries, including the US, where a man in Washington who recently visited China was confirmed to have the illness.
* A scientist at Johns Hopkins last year modeled what would happen if a deadly coronavirus reached a pandemic scale. His simulated scenario predicted that 65 million people could die within 18 months.

Eric Toner, a scientist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, wasn't shocked when news of a mysterious coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China, surfaced in early January.

Less than three months earlier, Toner had staged a simulation of a global pandemic involving a coronavirus.

Coronaviruses typically affect the respiratory tract and can lead to illnesses like pneumonia or the common cold. A coronavirus was also responsible for the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome in China, which affected about 8,000 people and killed 774 in the early 2000s.

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WNU Editor: Disturbing videos are now coming out of China .... Coronavirus outbreak: Video shows dead bodies in halls of China hospital (NYPost). My friends and contacts in China are also now starting to express worry and alarm on what is happening. And some of these guys are in the government.

The Wuhan Coronavirus Has Now Spread To A Number Of Asian Countries

SCMP: Asian health officials fear Wuhan coronavirus outbreak is larger than China’s letting on

* As the number of people infected on the mainland leapt from 41 to more than 300 this week, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand have all reported cases
* The surge has raised concerns over Beijing’s transparency and rekindled mistrust generated during the deadly 2003 Sars outbreak

Health authorities across Asia are concerned the outbreak of the mysterious new coronavirus is larger than Chinese authorities have stated, amid a surge in the number of people infected in mainland China and as three other countries in the region confirm cases.

The number of people confirmed to have contracted the disease on the mainland jumped from 41 to more than 300 this week, with six deaths so far, while Thailand has reported two cases and Japan, Taiwan and South Korea have reported one case each of the virus – which is in the same family as the deadly severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers) viruses.

“It is hard to believe [the official number of] cases, but there are all these cases popping up in so many neighbouring countries,” said Piotr Chlebicki, an infectious disease expert at Mount Alvernia Hospital in Singapore
who worked on the nation’s Sars epidemic. “China has a track record of under-reporting cases, so the true picture may be completely different.”

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WNU Editor: My red flags went up when I read this .... China virus spreads to health workers; six patients dead (Bloomberg). When health workers start to get sick, that is when you know you have a serious disease that is now spreading through the general population. Bottom line. This could quickly escalate into a global pandemic.

More News On The Wuhan Coronavirus

Other countries join China in responding to new coronavirus -- AP
As virus spreads, anxiety rises in China and overseas -- AP
China mystery virus claims sixth victim as holiday travel stokes risk -- Reuters
China on alert as deadly coronavirus threatens to spread -- France 24
China coronavirus: Philippines and Australia investigating suspected cases after Wuhan visits -- SCMP
Taiwan reports first case of new SARS-like virus -- AFP
China virus spreads to Taiwan as island authorities confirm first case in woman who travelled from Wuhan -- SCMP
6 people dead, 300 infected as China confirms Wuhan virus can be spread by humans -- CNN
Australia to screen some China flights, warns new virus difficult to stop -- Reuters
China is trying to stop the spread of a deadly new virus at the worst possible time of year -- CNN
Wuhan coronavirus: 20 other cities in China affected by outbreak, Hong Kong academics say -- SCMP

Deadly Coronavirus From China Has Global Health Officials On Alert

CNBC/Reuters: China confirms 139 new cases of pneumonia over weekend as coronavirus spreads to new cities

  * An outbreak of coronavirus in China is spreading to more cities, Chinese authorities reported on Monday, with 139 new cases found over the weekend, including a third death.
  * The new cases, the first inside China outside the central city of Wuhan where the virus was first reported, come as the country gears up for the Lunar New Year holidays later this week, when hundreds of millions of Chinese travel domestically and abroad.
  * The new virus belongs to the same family of coronaviruses that causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which killed nearly 800 people globally during a 2002/03 outbreak that also started in China.

An outbreak of a new coronavirus in China has spread to more cities, Chinese authorities said on Monday, as the number of patients tripled and a third person died, stoking concerns about the containment of the virus.

The Daxing health commission in the capital Beijing said it had confirmed two cases of coronavirus, while the southern Guangdong province’s health commission confirmed one case in Shenzhen. They mark the first cases in China beyond the central city of Wuhan where the virus first emerged.

The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said 136 new cases of pneumonia caused by the coronavirus strain had been found in the city over the weekend, adding to 62 already known cases. A third death occurred on Saturday, the authority said in a statement.

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WNU Editor: China is saying that disease is under control. But the cases continue to increase, and it has now spread to other Asian countries.

More News On The Spread Of The Deadly Coronavirus

China counts sharp rise in coronavirus cases, 2 in Beijing -- AP
China coronavirus: Number of cases jumps as virus spreads to new cities -- BBC
China Mystery Illness Cases Soar Past 200 People Infected -- Bloomberg
Rapidly spreading: Chinese authorities confirm 136 NEW cases of deadly virus in 2 days -- RT
Japan confirms first case of coronavirus that has infected dozens in China -- Japan Times
China's coronavirus cases likely grossly underestimated, study says -- CNN

African Swine Fever Is Projected To Kill One Quarter Of The World's Pig Population

The Guardian: Quarter of world's pig population 'to die due to African swine fever'

World Organisation for Animal Health warns spread of disease has inflamed worldwide crisis.

About a quarter of the global pig population is expected to die as a result of an epidemic of African swine fever (ASF), according to the intergovernmental organisation responsible for coordinating animal disease control.

In the last year the spread of the disease has taken policymakers by surprise, and has been particularly devastating in China – home to the world’s largest pig population. The disease is also established in other Asian countries such as Vietnam and South Korea, and continues to wreak havoc in eastern Europe, where the current outbreak began in 2014.

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WNU Editor: This disease once introduced into a herd has a fatality rate of almost 100%. The impact on people's diet, especially in countries like China, has been devastating. In the past few months I have received requests from some of my contacts in China if I can refer them to someone in Canada so that they can import some pork products.

Plague Fears Grow In Africa As The 'Black Death' Continues To Spread

More than 1,300 cases have now been reported in Madagascar, health chiefs have revealed, as nearby nations have been placed on high alert

Daily Mail: Plague fears grow as Malawi becomes tenth African nation put on alert for the spread of the killer disease

* At least 143 people have died of the plague following an outbreak in Madagascar
* Another 2,000 people have been infected since the spread in August this year
* Malawi's Dr Dan Namarika warned 'porous borders' may help spread the disease
* The last reported case of the plague in Malawi were reported in 2002

Malawi is bracing itself for an outbreak of the plague after the deadly disease continues to spread across the island nation of Madagascar.

At least 143 people have died and more than 2,000 others have been infected in Madagascar since an outbreak in early August this year.

Yet Malawi's health secretary confirmed the country is ready for any reported cases of the disease amid mounting concerns of Africa's 'porous borders'.

Dr Dan Namarika, principal secretary in the ministry of health, said the country were working in conjunction with Mozambique to help best prepare for a possible outbreak.

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More News That The Plague In Madagascar May Spread To Africa

Madagascar plague outbreak tops 2,000 cases: WHO -- Outbreak News
Madagascar’s grave dilemma -- Mail & Guardian
Plague Fears Grow As New Virus With No Cure Appears: "This Is Worse Than The 'Black Death'" -- Zero Hedge
Eastern Africa Warned of Plague Outbreak -- The Epoch Times

World Health Organization: Deadly Airborne Plague In Madagascar Is Now At 'Crisis' Point

Daily Mail: Deadly airborne plague in Madagascar is now at 'crisis' point and the 'worst outbreak in 50 years' as cases rocket by almost 40% in just 5 DAYS and could hit a further 20,000 in weeks

* The World Health Organization now states there are 1,801 suspected cases
* This is significantly higher than the 1,309 the agency reported last Thursday
* Professor Robin May, an infectious diseases expert at Birmingham University, told MailOnline that the outbreak is 'concerning definitely'
* Analysis of figures by MailOnline show the epidemic could strike a further 20,000 people in just a matter of weeks, if current trends continue
* The 'unprecedented' outbreak has prompted warnings in 9 nearby countries

The deadly airborne plague spreading rapidly across Madagascar is now at 'crisis' point as cases have rocketed by 37 per cent in just five days, official figures reveal.

The outbreak, the 'worst in 50 years', is being fueled by a strain more lethal than the one which usually strikes the country off the coast of Africa.

The World Health Organization (WHO) now states there are 1,801 suspected cases - significantly higher than the 1,309 it reported last Thursday.

Academics have revealed such a jump in cases over the period of five days is concerning and have predicted it could get worse. The most recent statistics show there have been 127 deaths.

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More News On Madagascar's Plague Outbreak

‘Unusually Severe’ Plague Strikes 1,800 in Madagascar -- NBC
Madagascar plague outbreak has killed 133, may be slowing down -- CNN
Madagascar: UN health agency sees drop in cases of plague; remains vigilant as risk of spread remains -- UN News Centre
Madagascar's Black Death: Indian Ocean island hit by worst outbreak of plague in 50 years -- International Business Times
Four reasons why deadly airborne plague is spreading in Madagascar -- Yahoo News UK
Why plague caught Madagascar unaware -- Tulip Mazumdar, BBC

World Leaders Prepare For The Next Pandemic

Influenza victims crowd into an emergency hospital near Fort Riley, Kansas in this 1918 file photo.

Washington Post: World leaders rehearse for a pandemic that will come ‘sooner than we expect’

The government ministers were facing a new infectious disease outbreak. The mysterious virus was sickening and killing people with alarming speed. Some patients had to be placed on ventilators to help them breathe. The new virus seemed resistant to antibiotics and antiviral medicine.

Within a week, officials had closed a major hospital and schools and quarantined thousands of people. Fear and panic spread quickly as people in neighboring countries became infected and died.

That scenario was part of a pandemic simulation held during the World Bank’s annual meeting in Washington this month. It’s not the kind of event that people would typically associate with the World Bank. But it’s the fourth such exercise the bank has helped organize in the past year, reflecting what experts say is the growing awareness outside the traditional global health sector of the increasing threat and economic disruption posed by a global pandemic.

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WNU Editor: My brother is in the biotech field in Silicon Valley, and this is his biggest fear. He tried to raise VC money a few years back to research and develop new antibiotics and antiviral drugs .... he was not successful. I helped him by getting some Russians willing to invest in such a venture, but he had to set up shop in Saint Petersburg, Russia (a no go for him because the wife and kids want to stay in the Bay area). We as a species have been incredibly lucky to have not experienced a full blown pandemic in the past few decades. Unfortunately .... I am in agreement with my brother .... if history is any indication it is only a question of time before our luck runs out. And when that happens .... trust me on this one .... there will be no opposition to travel bans and closed borders.

The U.S. Is Not Ready For A Pandemic

U.S. News And World Report: If a Pandemic Hits, the U.S. Isn’t Ready

The federal government hasn’t adequately implemented what was learned from the recent Ebola outbreak, a former Air Force Chief of Staff says.

The threat of a global pandemic is growing at a time when the U.S. government is not adequately prepared to respond to one, according to a recent study.

Misinformation about vaccines, the absence of a clear plan for coordination among federal agencies such as the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Defense Department, and a need to improve public awareness about the threat posed by a biologic outbreak are among the factors that make the possibility of large and deadly pandemics increasingly likely, according to the study from Texas A&M University's Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs.

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WNU Editor: No one can ever be ready for a pandemic.