September 27 - Avian flu is spreading throughout Indonesia, with increasing numbers of people under observation. The World Health Organization has sent a delegation to Indonesia to help deal with the outbreak.

Indonesia promised victims free medication and has stockpiled 10,000 tablets of Tamiflu, which was effective against avian flu in clinical trials and has been recommended by WHO. Other countries are also preparing for an outbreak. The United States is stockpiling an experimental avian flu vaccine that is currently being tested at the National Institutes of Health.

A number of recent Institute of Medicine reports address pandemic influenza. The Threat of Pandemic Influenza: Are We Ready?, a summary of a workshop hosted by the Forum on Microbial Threats, discusses what steps the United States and other countries have taken and need to take to prepare for the next pandemic, and examines gaps in readiness.

Two additional companion reports -- Microbial Threats to Health: The Threat of Pandemic Influenza and Microbial Threats to Health: Emergence, Detection, and Response describe ways America can better prepare to deal with influenza. The published proceedings of the John R. La Montagne Memorial Symposium on Pandemic Influenza Research outlines research gaps and priorities that need to be taken to advance research on pandemic influenza.

• The Threat of Pandemic Influenza: Are We Ready? Workshop Summary (2005)
• Microbial Threats to Health: The Threat of Pandemic Influenza (2005)
• Microbial Threats to Health: Emergence, Detection, and Response (2003)
• John R. La Montagne Memorial Symposium on Pandemic Influenza Research: Meeting Proceedings (2005)
• Searchable Microbial Threats and Emerging Infections Collection

• World Health Organization Avian Flu Fact Sheet
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention