Tropical storm pounds Central America

MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — Tropical Storm Alma slammed into northwest Nicaragua Thursday as the first such storm of the eastern Pacific season, forcing evacuations and flooding low-lying areas along Central America's coastline.

The storm hit land near the colonial city of Leon, whose Mayor, Transito Tellez, said houses had been destroyed and power knocked out by the storm.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g7SrJEtIusy1CL9hZksX8nIEbRIAD90VKPH00

Hot at the U!!

Today was so hot the grass wasn't even sweatin'!

http://www.wunderground.com/US/TX/Willis.html

Death toll rises after tropical storm pummels Philippines

Rescuers have unearthed more bodies in remote parts of northern Philippines after a tropical storm battered the region over the weekend.

The Philippine disaster agency on Wednesday said the death toll from tropical storm Halong more than tripled to 37.

Many of the dead were discovered after rescuers managed finally to reach distant villages in some of the worst-hit areas.

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/05/21/tropical-storm-halong.html

New storm deepens misery in cyclone-hit Myanmar

YANGON -- Torrential tropical downpours lashed Myanmar's Irrawaddy delta on Friday, deepening the misery of an estimated 2.5 million destitute survivors of Cyclone Nargis and further hampering the military government's aid efforts.

In the storm-struck town of Kunyangon, around 100 km (60 miles) southwest of Yangon, thousands of men, women and children stood in mud and rain, their hands clasped together in supplication at the occasional passing aid vehicle.

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=519992

Battling Bird Flu With Better Public Information

As bird flu spreads, restaurants serving chicken and ducks have lost all customers. At the 371 restaurants in Korea that serve chicken, consumption fell from 13,356 chickens on April 1 to just 3,339 by May 12. That's down to just a quarter of previous consumption levels. Restaurants are about to put up signs saying they do not use eggs in their food.

City residents are running away from pigeons. In Yongcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, where bird flu was detected, a provincial sporting event was postponed amid worries over possible human infections. At this rate, fears of avian influenza may escalate to levels we are seeing now with the groundless rumors about mad cow disease.

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200805/200805150023.html

2.5m Burmese may be homeless

The UN says as many as 2.5 million people in Burma have been severely affected by the cyclone that ravaged the country 12 days ago.

John Holmes, the UN humanitarian affairs chief, told reporters that between 1.6 million and 2.5 million people were without shelter following the storm.

The Red Cross today said it believed up to 130,000 people may have been killed by cyclone Nargis. Official figures are significantly lower, reporting 34,273 killed and 27,838 missing.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/may/14/cyclonenargis.burma2

Season's first tropical storm goes by name of 'Oops'

A mistake Monday night at a National Weather Service office in North Carolina accidentally broadcast a National Hurricane Center warning covering much of the Carolina coast.

According to the advisory, a tropical storm was about 150 miles off the coast from Charleston and was expected to make landfall today as a Category 1 hurricane.

http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/may/14/seasons_first_tropical_storm_goes_by_nam40753/

Bird Flu Medicine Toxic for Teens

Concerns are rising over side effect of bird flu drug Tamiflu on teenagers.

Tamiflu is Swiss-based Hoffman-La Roche's antiviral for general influenza A and B but is also used to combat bird flu. However, worries have surfaced about the possibility of the medicine causing mental disorders among teenagers.

With fear of the H5N1 virus sweeping the nation, the government has doubled the quantity of the drug in storage, as it is the most effective treatment against avian influenza.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/05/117_24103.html

Tropical storm Ophelia

Tropical storm Ophelia is forecast to strike the United States as a hurricane at about 12:00 GMT on 14 May. Data supplied by the US National Hurricane Center suggest that the point of landfall will be near 33.7 N, 77.8 W. Ophelia is expected to bring 1-minute maximum sustained winds to the region of around 120 km/h (74 mph). Wind gusts in the area may be considerably higher.

http://www.alertnet.org/thefacts/reliefresources/TSR/200816N_AL16.htm

Earthquake kills thousands in China

CHENGDU, CHINA -- An earthquake devastated southwestern China, killing close to 10,000 people and trapping hundreds of others under schools, factories and houses, while the worst-hit area was still cut off from rescuers today.

The 7.8 magnitude quake, centred in Sichuan province, struck in the middle of the school day yesterday and toppled at least eight schools. Chemical-laden factories and at least one hospital collapsed, trapping hundreds more, state news media said.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080513.CHINA13/TPStory/TPInternational/Asia/

Bird flu library

An international group of American and Turkish research scientists, led by Sea Lane Biotechnologies, has created the first comprehensive monoclonal antibody libraries against avian influenza (H5N1) using samples from survivors of the 2005/2006 bird flu outbreak in Turkey.

These antibody libraries hold the promise for developing a therapy that could stop a pandemic in its tracks and provide treatment to those infected, as well as potentially pointing the way towards the development of a universal flu vaccine, Sea Lane said.

http://www.biotechnews.com.au/index.php/id%3B78209535%3Bfp%3B16%3Bfpid%3B1

Myanmar believes 13,000 dead, missing from cyclone

YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar's military junta believes at least 10,000 people died in a cyclone that ripped through the Irrawaddy delta, triggering a massive international aid response for the pariah state in southeast Asia.

"The basic message was that they believe the provisional death toll was about 10,000 with 3,000 missing," a Yangon-based diplomat told Reuters in Bangkok, summarizing a briefing from Foreign Minister Nyan Win. "It's a very serious toll."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080505/wl_nm/myanmar_dc

More Than 350 Dead in Myanmar Cyclone

YANGON, Myanmar — A powerful cyclone killed more than 350 people and destroyed thousands of homes, state-run media said Sunday. Some dissident groups worried that the military junta running Myanmar would be reluctant to ask for international help.

Tropical Cyclone Nargis hit at a delicate time for the junta, less than a week ahead of a crucial referendum on a new constitution. Should the junta be seen as failing disaster victims, voters who already blame the regime for ruining the economy and squashing democracy could take out their frustrations at the ballot box. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354088,00.html

8 die in severe storms in Arkansas, raising 2008 toll to 24

SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. (AP) - With a pep talk from Gov. Mike Beebe, emergency workers fanned out across Arkansas to help residents cope with another bout of violent weather that pushed the state's storm death toll to 24 for the year.

"You can see the bags under the eyes of the people who consistently over and over again are called on to respond," Beebe said. "That's their job and that's our job and we'll do it, no matter how many hours it takes or how many days it takes."

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080503/D90E5FEO1.html

Two deaths linked to C. Diff bug

Two more deaths have been linked to the hospital bug Clostridium difficile in hospitals in the Northern Trust area.

It brings the provisional total for the number whose deaths have been linked to C. difficile to 48.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/7379994.stm

A Bad Germ Gets Worse

In January 2005, weeks after giving birth to her daughter, the Ohio mother of two knew only that she was in pain, suffering cramping so severe she felt like she was still in labor. Then came the diarrhea, uncontrollable bouts up to 50 times a day, which left Warren weak and raw and stranded in her Maineville home.

"I was so sick; I thought I had colon cancer and was dying," Warren recalled.

http://www.nbc11.com/msnbchealth/16136023/detail.html