Russia’s avian flu containment effort expands
Aug 17, 2005 (CIDRAP News) – Russian workers were slaughtering thousands of birds today in an effort to contain avian influenza, while another possible outbreak was reported to the south in Kazakhstan.Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry said that more than 13,000 birds have died of avian flu and another 112,000 have been killed in the containment effort, according to an Associated Press (AP) report. The story said veterinary workers were burning thousands of slaughtered birds today.In Kazakhstan, more than 120 birds died of suspected avian flu in the village of Talapker in the north-central part of the country, but it was not known if it was the H5N1 strain, according to a Reuters report today.Kazinform, a Kazakh online news service, said the village is in the Yesil area, which lies several hundred miles west of the Pavlodar area, where the country’s other recent outbreaks occurred. Kazakhstan borders southwestern Siberia, where Russia’s outbreaks have been reported.Other reports today said an avian flu outbreak was initially suspected in the southern Russian region of Kalmykia, near the Caspian Sea, about 1,200 miles from the Siberian province of Novosibirsk, where Russia’s first outbreak surfaced. But the AP story, quoting the ITAR-Tass news agency, said the bird deaths in Kalmykia had been caused by a parasitic worm.According to the AP, a Russian emergency official, Sergei Vlasov, blamed the Russian outbreaks on mallard and pochard ducks that migrate to Russia from Southeast Asia. The Novosibirsk outbreak was discovered in late July, and outbreaks in five other areas of southwestern Siberia and along the southeastern fringe of the Ural Mountains followed.Meanwhile, Vietnamese officials have called for an acceleration of their nationwide effort to vaccinate poultry against avian flu, according to an Agence France-Presse report published today.The story said Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung called on the committee in charge of the vaccination campaign to begin widespread immunizations in September so that the effort can be finished in November at the latest.Vietnam launched a pilot vaccination program in two provinces on Jul 30 and Aug 4. Earlier plans called for launching nationwide vaccinations in October, but the government has decided to move the start to September, according to the story.
Nov 27, 2007 (CIDRAP News) – The US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Pediatric Advisory Committee voted today to recommend stronger label warnings for two antiviral influenza medications—oseltamivir and zanamivir—that have been linked to reports of neuropsychiatric problems in children and teens, mainly in Japan.Oseltamivir already carries a warning, but zanamivir currently carries no warning about reported neuropsychiatric effects.”Anything that elevates awareness is probably not a bad call,” said committee member Michael Fant, an associate professor at the University of Houston Medical School, according to a Bloomberg News report published today.The FDA typically follows though on the recommendations of its advisory committees, though it is not required to do so.In briefing materials posted on the FDA’s Web site in advance of today’s meeting, the committee said it is unclear if the two drugs play a role in reported neuropsychiatric events, but because reports of adverse effects are still occurring, labeling changes are needed for both drugs to urge healthcare providers to monitor children closely when they begin taking the medications.”While there have not been noticeable changes in the types or pattern of neuropsychiatric AEs [adverse events] reported in association with the use of Tamiflu, the number of cases continued to increase,” the committee wrote in reference to the last flu season.Oseltamivir and zanamivir are neuraminidase inhibitors, used both to prevent and to treat seasonal flu. Oseltamivir is considered the most promising available drug for dealing with a potential pandemic influenza strain. The United States and many other countries are stockpiling it because of the pandemic threat. Zanamivir is a powder that is inhaled by mouth with a “Diskhaler” device.Since 2005, US regulators have been concerned about reports of self-injury and delirium linked to oseltamivir in children and adolescents from Japan, where use of the drug is much more prevalent than in the United States.Today’s meeting is the FDA’s third review of oseltamivir’s reported neuropsychiatric events. At the first meeting, in November 2005, the committee concluded that the deaths of 12 Japanese children were not related to their use of the antiviral medication. The committee said it would monitor adverse-event reports over the next two flu seasons to determine if further precautions are needed.In November 2006, the advisory committee said it still found no evidence that the oseltamivir contributed to the neuropsychiatric events, but it recommended a labeling change to reflect the increasing number of reports, which included a small number of patients from the United States. Roche, the maker of oseltamivir, revised the drug’s packaging insert.Several theories have been proposed about why reports of neuropsychological effects in children who have taken the drug are much more common in Japan than elsewhere, according to the committee’s recent briefing report. Reasons could include differences in the rate of oseltamivir use, methods of adverse-event reporting, and manifestations of the disease in Japan as compared with the United States.The FDA said that as of May 31, 2007, it had received reports of 25 deaths from all causes in patients aged 21 or younger who were taking oseltamivir. Twenty-one were in Japan, three occurred in the United States, and one was in Egypt. Five of the deaths, all from Japan, involved adolescent patients who died after falling from windows or balconies or running into traffic.Meanwhile, GlaxoSmithKline, the company that produces zanamivir, said in its briefing report to the FDA that the company received 145 reports of neuropsychiatric events associated with zanamivir during the 2007 flu season, all from Japan. Nearly all (99%) were reported in children and adolescents aged 6 to 14 who had flu or flu-like illness. None were fatal.The increased reports of neuropsychiatric events in young people who took zanamivir coincided with a warning issued by Japan’s health ministry about abnormal behaviors in Japanese youth who took oseltamivir, Glaxo wrote in its report to the FDA committee. Japan also had a fivefold increase in zanamivir use over the past 2 years, the company added.Both Roche and Glaxo said in their reports that they don’t believe the evidence warrants labeling changes. However, Roche spokesman Terry Hurley said the company would be “open” to considering a labeling change if the FDA thinks more details should be added, the Washington Post reported on Nov 24.See also:Roche briefing informationRelenza briefing informationFDA advisory committee background summaryNov 14, 2006, CIDRAP News story “Tamiflu may pose risk of mental side effects”
Feb 5, 2009 (CIDRAP News) – Egypt’s health ministry reported today that a 2-year-old boy from the northeastern part of the country has been hospitalized in stable condition with an H5N1 avian influenza infection, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) statement.The boy, from Suez governorate’s Ganain district, got sick on Feb 2 and was hospitalized at Suez Fever Hospital the next day, the WHO reported. His healthcare team started the boy on a course of oseltamivir (Tamiflu) on the day he was hospitalized, according to an additional report yesterday from the WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office. His illness raises Egypt’s H5N1 case count to 54 cases, 23 of them fatal.An investigation into the boy’s illness suggests he had contact with dead poultry, according to the WHO statement. Egypt’s Central Public Health Laboratory confirmed the boy’s H5N1 infection.Egypt has had three H5N1 cases this year, and all were children age 2 or younger who were found to have had contact with sick or dead poultry. So far, none of them have died from their infections. According to previous WHO statements, all of the children received prompt hospital care after they got sick.Egypt’s new H5N1 case pushes the WHO’s global count to 405, of which 254 were fatal.See also:Feb 5 WHO statement
Ministry of State Property (MDI) based on the Decision of the Government of the Republic of Croatia on determining the conditions and publication of a public call for binding bids for the implementation of the catering and tourism project Czech Villa in Vis on the island of Vis and the appointment of a commission to evaluate bids and monitor the implementation / 022-03 / 17, REGISTRATION NUMBER: 04-213 / 50301-26-09 dated 17 June 2.By publishing this public call, MDI invites domestic and international investors with financial capacity, as well as experience in designing, building, marketing and operating tourist complexes, to submit bids and implement the construction of the Catering and Tourism Project “Czech Villa” on the site of St. Juraj in the town of Vis.The new added value of the old barracks, which has been decaying for years, is especially important because the barracks are located on the island of Vis, and the islands have long been endangered by themselves due to lack of economy, emigration and all other problems due to their isolation. The decision to launch an international public tender is a historic step forward in the management of state property, said Minister of State Property Goran Maric, adding that such a project would revive and give life on the island of Vis and directly affect economic activity and employment and youth retention on the islands.Until now, some islands owned by the Republic of Croatia have been used illegally for leisure and private hedonism, without a kuna fee, and now parts of the islands that have been neglected for over twenty years will get a completely new picture in a short time.”Concluded Minister Marić.The lease agreement will be concluded for 50 years and the concession on the maritime domain for the purpose of construction and economic use will be awarded for a period of up to 50 years with a fee of 1.430.000,00 per year. The estimated total revenue is HRK 84.300.000,00 in the budget of the Republic of Croatia, with the construction of new catering and accommodation units at a level of at least four stars. The deadline for the realization of this project is 3 years from the day of concluding the contract, said Minister Marić, emphasizing the role of local government in this entire project. The Commission for the selection of the most favorable bid will include representatives of the Ministry of State Property, the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, the Ministry of Tourism and the Mayor of the City of Vis.The deadline for submission of bids is October 16, 2017 at 23:59. hours, and you can download the entire public call hereArticle in English version
The ULTRA Europe Festival will remain in Croatia until 2022, which is certainly great for our tourism as a whole, and especially for Split and the Split-Dalmatia County. And thanks to Ultra, all eyes will be on Split again these days.After more than two months of work, Croatia received another invaluable video postcard and news that will travel to all parts of the world – Ultra After movie 2018. The biggest and most important summer event in Croatia and its three magnificent days in Split are documented in an emotional ten-minute film ULTRA Europe 2017 Aftermovie, directed by world masters of Final Kid production, also known for producing music videos for many world DJs and a film for the FIFA European Football Championship held in France two years ago.The value and importance of the promotional video, as well as the impact on the image of Split, Split-Dalmatia County and Croatia in the world is sufficiently evidenced by the fact that more than ten million people have seen the films released so far, and this number will undoubtedly be much higher in the coming days.The video is a school presentation on how to make a viral video, and the main ingredients are emotions, experience, story and top production. Admittedly, this video is more focused on the festival itself than on the entire destination, because it is an “Aftermovie” concept, but the message is clear – Come to Split. Surely the announcement video for 2018 will be more focused on the whole destination, as well as the previous video materials, of course because Ultra is much more about the festival. When you watch a video you just want to be a part of that story, even if you don’t like that kind of music. It is not enough to sell a good program but it is important to sell the whole story, a story that is different and that is full of emotions and experiences. Apart from the main motive for the arrival of tourists at Ultra (quality program and production), the whole experience is important – the whole package, from the first arrival of the guest in Split to departure.”The main idea of this year’s film was to show Split and our fans and capture and record what makes us so special compared to other festivals. We tried to convey the atmosphere from all the folk stages to show all the variety of music and a truly special experience of visitors on each of them. Also, we focused on only one destination, and the reason for that is that we have prepared many more surprises in the coming monthsSaid Branimir Karačić, director of the digital agency Envy Croatia, which takes care of the photo and video team and is in charge of communication on all official social channels of the ULTRA Europe festivalThe importance of the effort to record such a video is sufficiently shown by the fact that the production took several days and more than twenty people to record the most attractive locations in Split and record the most impressive moments of the birthday festival edition. On that occasion, helicopters and speedboats, state-of-the-art equipment and state-of-the-art technology were also used, which resulted in more than 100 hours of recorded video material and, finally, a film in which more than 100 euros were invested. “More than 20 cameramen and 10 official photographers arrived in Split four days earlier to capture the destination before the festival began. We used state-of-the-art cameras that can record in resolutions up to 8K, and there were also cranes, steadycam, glidecam that goes down the wire, to make the shots as dynamic and attractive as possible. We are proud to have two big world faces with us when it comes to photography, Rudger and Rukes”Concluded Karacic.Count the flags of all the countries in the picture from which tourists come to the Ultra Europe festival / Photo: FB Ultra EuropeUltra Festival has changed the tourist image of Split from a transit to a real tourist destination. For years, Split has struggled to keep guests for more than three days, and today is an absolutely different story. The Ultra Festival was certainly a “game changer” that put Split on the European Youth Map, attracted a large number of tourists (just remember the panic for accommodation during the Ultra, generated high consumption and most importantly, launched the investment cycle of small and medium private individuals in tourism.It was the private sector that saw the opportunity that it took advantage of, and in the last few years various new bars, clubs, restaurants, hostels, hotels and a wide range of private accommodation have opened in Split. Of course, there are always those who complain about noise, garbage, or something third. Funny, a matter of organizing a utility company. But then the real question needs to be asked do they want tourism at all? Paradoxically, we should be happy that there is garbage, in fact, let it be as much as possible. Because if there is garbage – there are tourists as well as consumption.Thank you to the organizers of the Ultra Europe festival for being ambassadors of our tourism and I ask them to make us more and more garbage.&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;<br /><br />
Continued investment in raising the quality of accommodation In Crikvenica’s Jadran dd, each employee was paid a stimulative salary supplement of one thousand kuna net for June and July, and workers in hotels and camps were paid an additional 6 percent higher salary for the results achieved in those two months of this year’s main tourist season. All accommodation units of the Omorika hotel, together with the new annexes and the Ad Turres pavilion complex, have been given a completely new look this spring. About 130 million kuna has been invested in the renovation and arrangement of the facilities so far, and according to the President of the Management Board of Jadran dd Goran Fabris, in the fall, after the end of the main tourist season, investments in the facilities will continue. Despite the reduced number of tourists and overnight stays in June and July this year compared to the same period last year, which is recorded by the entire Croatian tourism industry, Jadran dd recorded a fifth better business results, with a significant increase in efficiency. In June, the revenue was 21 percent higher, and in July 23 percent. This positive trend continues in August. “This positive shift is the result of our joint work and all those activities that have been undertaken in preparation for this year’s main tourist season. In the renovation and arrangement of most of our hotel facilities and camps, we have invested about 130 million kuna in improving the conditions of accommodation and comfort for our guests and raising the level of services and accompanying facilities. We have organized the organization of work and business towards the satisfaction of guests and increasing the efficiency of all our employees“Stated the President of the Management Board of Jadran dd Goran Fabris. Photo: Hotel Katarina, Jadran dd Last year, the hotel company Jadran dd from Crikvenica took over two mandatory pension funds, PBZ Croatia osiguranje dd and Erste plavi dd, entrusted the management to the new management, and provided around HRK 450 million for the development of the company.
This is the decision of the Management Board of Jadran dd, which wanted to reward employees for the achieved business results at the beginning of this year’s main tourist season. This year’s season, part of the facilities was renovated and refreshed, such as the luxury hotel Katarina in Selce, which renovated the southern facade, and the wellness center completed with a newly built indoor pool. Another novelty are the renovated outdoor swimming pools of the Katarina Hotel, whose total area exceeds 1.000 m2, which makes them one of the largest on this part of the Riviera and are also open to outdoor guests. Jadran dd manages ten hotels of different categories and three camps in the area of Crikvenica and Makarska. Add to that the pavilions and annexes of some of the hotels, and guests are offered more than 1.600 accommodation units, and more than 1.100 pitches are available in the camps. Photo: Hotel Omorika, Jadran dd
The City of Novalja reacted with the mentioned session at which they pointed out that no electronic music festival has been organized in the area of Zrce beach in agreement with the owners of clubs and festivals, and stressed that the City of Novalja does not want to issue any consent for music events on Zrce beach. . Namely, clubs on Zrće they announced they would open their doors in the first week of July and the clubs Kalypso, Papaya and Nomad, while the club Noa has been operating for the last ten days, of course with adherence to all recommendations and measures. News that raised a lot of media dust, even in Slovenia. Photo: Noah Zrce It was proposed that the same Conclusion be forwarded to the Municipality of Kolan, where the Noah Club and other smaller clubs are located, and which was accepted, and an identical conclusion was agreed upon during the day at the session of the Civil Protection Headquarters of the Municipality of Kolan. Yesterday (June 29, 2020) the Civil Protection Headquarters of the City of Novalja held a session via video conference to discuss the current situation in the City of Novalja regarding the COVID-19 virus pandemic with an emphasis on events planned to be held in nightclubs on Zrće beach . There is no festival on Zrće this year Given the recent events in the Republic of Croatia, and related to the appearance of coronavirus in some nightclubs, the Headquarters decided that this summer tourist season will not issue approvals to clubs and concessionaires on Zrce beach for festivals, after parties and similar parties. The same goes for party boats. By the way, there are no people infected with coronavirus in the area of the City of Novalja. According to the e Visitor system, until June 28, 5 tourists (without occasional visitors or weekenders) were registered in the City of Novalja, which is 293% compared to the same day last year. Most tourists (53,28%) stay in the Straško camp. Furthermore, the Headquarters has decided that no further concerts, festivities and outdoor parties will be held until further notice, where a larger number of visitors can be expected.
From 1 September, Hungary closes the borders for all travelers who do not have a residential address in that country (entry is only possible for so-called justified cases). All Hungarians returning must be in 9-day quarantine or will have to be tested twice. Although foreign nationals are generally not allowed to enter Hungary from 1 September, there are exceptions, such as business trips between affiliated companies, business and diplomatic trips, military convoys, humanitarian workers and the like. As of September 1, only three border crossings to Croatia are open: Udvar, Barcs (only for citizens from Croatia and Hungary) and Leteneye. How to direct 5 million tourists, who pass here, to spend the remaining kuna in their pockets before returning home or to stop and visit Međimurje. Or to get to know our tourist regions. VIDEO / LOUD THINKING: The northern gate of Croatia at the old border crossing Goričan. Why not? We have the Adriatic Gate, why not the North Gate? 