Haraldur Briem, Chief Epidemiologist at Iceland’s Directorate of Health, this morning met with civil protection officers from the police. He is also meeting this morning with other health and public protection officials to decide what needs to be done to protect Iceland from the developing global swine flu pandemic. Read the full story

The doctor who invented the flu vaccine agrees that a major flu outbreak is likely but says the flu jab is powerless to stop it.
Dr Graeme Laver, who helped to create the flu vaccine more than 40 years ago, said that although the flu jab could offer some protection, it should not be relied on.
“If the seasonal flu is as bad as it was in Australia, you are in for a pretty bad time,“ said Dr Laver. “You could have a really severe epidemic. Thousands will be ill and many will die”.

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Up to 30,000 turkeys on five farms have been culled as a precaution, after the virulent H5N1 strain of bird flu was found in turkeys on a Suffolk farm in the UK.
The bird flu infection was initially discovered on Sunday at Redgrave Park farm in the east of the country and it was later confirmed that the virus was the highly-contagious H5N1 strain.

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A new flu remedy based on research into the black elderberry is being heralded as one of the most effective cures against the flu virus.

Sambucol elderberry extract is being launched in Europe after a series of clinical trials into the health-giving properties of the elderberry. The black strain of the elderberry has been proven to be effective against eight different strains of the flu virus, both Type A and Type B, as well as having an unusually high concentration of antioxidants.

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