RxPG News : Avian Influenza

Promising Flu Vaccine from Insects

Sat, 14 Apr 2007 11:39:57 PST

An influenza vaccine produced with the use of insect cells appeared safe and produced an immunogenic response in healthy adults, suggesting promise as an alternative to using embryonated eggs for the development of influenza vaccine, according to a preliminary study in the April 11 issue of JAMA.

Bird flu claims eighth victim in Egypt

Mon, 25 Dec 2006 05:20:43 PST

Cairo, Dec 24 - With the death of an Egyptian woman due to bird flu Sunday, the death toll by the deadly disease rose to eight since March this year, a World Health Organisation - official said.

Seoul reports second bird-flu outbreak in two weeks

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 23:32:59 PST

Seoul, Nov 28 - South Korea Tuesday reported its second outbreak in two weeks of the strain of bird flu that can be deadly in humans.

Are Flu Vaccines Worth the Effort?

Sun, 29 Oct 2006 21:21:00 PST

Each year enormous effort goes into producing influenza vaccines and delivering them to appropriate sections of the population. But a review of the evidence in this weeks BMJ suggests that they may not be as effective as we think.

Lessons from SARS may help prepare for bird flu

Sat, 19 Aug 2006 21:52:00 PST

Lessons learnt from SARS epidemics in China may help us prepare for new epidemics, such as human avian flu, say experts in this weeks BMJ. Mainland China experienced three outbreaks of SARS between November 2002 and May 2004. The first outbreak resulted in a pandemic and caused huge financial loss and social panic, but rigorous control policies prevented further pandemics.

Incomplete vaccination could worsen the spread of avian flu

Fri, 18 Aug 2006 18:40:00 PST

Incomplete vaccination of poultry flocks could make the spread of deadly strains of avian flu such as H5N1 worse, scientists at the Universities of Edinburgh and Warwick have found. The research shows that even though the available vaccines are effective on individual birds, the disease is likely to spread unless almost all of a flock has been protected. The study, published in Nature journal, is the first to quantify how incomplete vaccination of flocks can contribute to the undetected spread of the disease.

Scientists aim to thwart use of flu as bioweapon

Thu, 22 Jun 2006 05:15:00 PST

Flu is already a big killer, responsible for more than 35,000 deaths in the United States alone each year. And wild birds infected with the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu are gradually broadening the scope of that disease. This week in Rochester, scientists are discussing ways to better understand the flu and also how to prevent the possibility that terrorists could somehow modify flu as a bioweapon to make it even more lethal than it is already.

Pakistani poultry industry demands 10-year tax holiday

Sun, 07 May 2006 18:27:00 PST

Pakistani poultry farmers have sought a 10-year tax exemption to support their dwindling business after the detection of the H5N1 strain of bird flu triggered a fall in demand and prices, a poultry trader said.

Pandemic prevention plan approved for Asia Pacific

Sun, 07 May 2006 18:16:00 PST

Government officials from Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries Friday approved a regional plan to stave off a new influenza pandemic - or at least to keep the global economy running if millions of people die or fall ill with the disease.

H5N1 threat puts human flu back in spotlight

Sun, 07 May 2006 15:21:00 PST

The emergence of the avian influenza virus H5N1 that is currently devastating chicken flocks in many countries and threatening to unleash a worldwide epidemic among humans has triggered a renewed interest among scientists in studying influenza A viruses, according to investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. This renewed interest could lead to new discoveries of immune system response to viruses that could lead to better drugs and vaccines, the researchers write in a review article that appears in the May issue of Nature Immunology.

Bird flu hits ninth poultry farm in Pakistan

Wed, 03 May 2006 01:07:00 PST

The H5N1 strain of avian influenza has struck the ninth poultry farm in Pakistan as authorities struggled to contain the spread of the deadly virus at poorly maintained facilities, officials said Monday.

Conjunctivitis caused by H7 avian influenza in a UK poultry worker

Sun, 30 Apr 2006 23:43:00 PST

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has confirmed that a poultry worker is suffering from conjunctivitis caused by H7 avian influenza. The individual works on the Norfolk poultry farm confirmed as having an outbreak of (low pathogenic) H7N3 avian influenza.

Bird flu strain makes Britain slaughter chicken

Fri, 28 Apr 2006 01:16:00 PST

The British government has ordered the slaughter of some 35,000 chickens at a farm in the south-eastern county of Norfolk after dead birds tested positive for a strain of bird flu, it was reported Thursday.

China confirms new human case of bird flu

Fri, 28 Apr 2006 01:11:00 PST

An eight-year pupil in southwest China's Sichuan province was confirmed to be infected with H5N1 bird flu, the health ministry said Thursday.

Chhattisgarh chicken samples test negative for flu

Fri, 28 Apr 2006 00:57:00 PST

Chhattisgarh said Thursday that 5,500 chicken samples collected from poultry farms across the state have tested negative for bird flu.

EU for support to bird flu-hit poultry market

Wed, 26 Apr 2006 14:47:00 PST

European Union farm ministers Tuesday gave their backing to a plan under which European producers of eggs and poultry, hit by a slump in demand and prices over bird flu fears, will be eligible for partial compensation from the bloc's joint budget.

Pakistan culls 40,000 chickens to control the outbreak of H5 strain

Tue, 25 Apr 2006 20:15:00 PST

Pakistan has culled around 40,000 chickens at six farms near the national capital, where confirmed cases of bird flu have come to fore, officials said Sunday.

Pakistan suspects first human case of bird flu

Sun, 23 Apr 2006 19:32:00 PST

A man suspected to be Pakistan's first human case of bird flu was hospitalised near here Saturday.

Pakistan confirms fourth bird flu outbreak

Sat, 22 Apr 2006 17:56:00 PST

Pakistan Friday confirmed an outbreak of bird flu at a chicken farm near the capital and announced the culling of 10,000 chickens there.

Madhya Pradesh relaxes ban on transporting poultry

Sat, 22 Apr 2006 17:50:00 PST

With no fresh cases of bird flu being reported, Madhya Pradesh Friday relaxed a ban on transportation of poultry products except in one district in view of the losses suffered by poultry owners, officials said.

Fresh bird flu scare in Pakistan

Thu, 20 Apr 2006 22:54:00 PST

Pakistan Thursday ordered the culling of over 16,000 chickens in the vicinity of a poultry farm near Islamabad following reports of a poultry death due to suspected avian flu. The food and agriculture ministry ordered the culling around Tarlai after reports that a bird had died at a poultry farm there Wednesday night.

Thousand birds die in Orissa poultry farm

Tue, 18 Apr 2006 14:13:00 PST

Over a thousand chickens have died in a poultry farm in Orissa, a media report said Tuesday, though officials confirmed the deaths of only five birds and said it had nothing to do with avian flu.

Pakistan confirms bird flu outbreak near Islamabad

Tue, 18 Apr 2006 08:16:00 PST

Pakistan Sunday confirmed a second outbreak of the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain at a poultry farm near its capital Islamabad.

WHO confirms Indonesia's 33rd bird flu victim

Wed, 12 Apr 2006 13:34:00 PST

UN health officials confirmed that a poultry worker in West Sumatra is infected with the bird flu virus, bringing the number of human cases in Indonesia to 33, a health ministry official said Tuesday.

Bird flu small dark cloud on world economy: IMF

Wed, 12 Apr 2006 13:29:00 PST

Despite an upbeat report card on the workings of the world's financial systems, the International Monetary Fund Tuesday saw a few dark clouds on the horizon - including worries about the impact of a potential bird-flu pandemic. A global avian flu outbreak in humans could cause high absenteeism in the financial industry, interfering with payments, clearing, settlements, trading and communications, the IMF warned in its periodic evaluation of the international finance systems, the Global Financial Stability Report.

More donor money needed for bird flu: UN official

Mon, 10 Apr 2006 23:54:00 PST

Donor nations should be prepared to pledge hundreds of millions more dollars to combat bird flu as the H5N1 virus affects more developing nations, a senior UN official said Monday.

First case of H5N1 virus confirmed in Britain

Fri, 07 Apr 2006 03:45:00 PST

The first case of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu was confirmed in Britain Thursday following tests on a decomposed swan floating in the harbour of a Scottish town.

Bird flu scare: Bangladesh burns Indian chicks

Mon, 03 Apr 2006 07:05:00 PST

Bangladesh's paramilitary border police seized nearly 16,000 one-day-old smuggled Indian chickens and set them ablaze out of fear of bird flu epidemic spreading from across the border, officials said Saturday.

Avian flu lab likely in Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary

Mon, 27 Mar 2006 16:12:00 PST

Rajasthan, home to the sprawling Bharatpur bird sanctuary, plans to open a laboratory to test for the avian flu virus.

U.S. Unlikely To Have Enough Vaccines To Stop Avian Flu Pandemic

Wed, 22 Mar 2006 08:10:00 PST

A group of medical experts who attended a national avian flu conference last fall believe there is little chance the United States will be able to manufacture and stockpile enough vaccine or antiviral medication to stop a bird flu pandemic should the virus mutate into a form that can be spread easily from human to human, according to a survey led by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University. The results of the survey will be published in the June 2006 issue of the journal Global Public Health.

Third bird flu case among humans confirmed in Egypt

Wed, 22 Mar 2006 01:44:00 PST

Egyptian officials confirmed on Tuesday a third case of bird flu among humans three days after announcing the death of a woman by the deadly virus.

Pakistan confirms presence of bird flu

Wed, 22 Mar 2006 01:35:00 PST

Pakistan's authorities confirmed Tuesday the presence of deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in the country, an official statement said.

Attractive birds more immune against bird flu

Tue, 21 Mar 2006 02:37:00 PST

A research team at Uppsala University, Sweden has shown in a new study, published in the journal Acta Zoologica, that the size of the spot on a male collared flycatcher's forehead reflects how well the immune defence system combats viruses such as avian influenza. The white spot is also attractive to female birds searching for a mate.

Culling operations completed in Maharashtra

Tue, 21 Mar 2006 02:20:00 PST

Culling operations in four Maharashtra villages that reported India's latest cases of bird flu have been completed but house-to-house mopping up will continue for a few days, it was announced Monday.

Minor mutations in avian flu virus increase chances of human infection

Sun, 19 Mar 2006 20:26:00 PST

The H5N1 avian influenza virus, commonly known as "bird flu," is a highly contagious and deadly disease in poultry. So far, its spread to humans has been limited, with 177 documented severe infections, and nearly 100 deaths in Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, China, Iraq, and Turkey as of March 14, 2006, according to the World Health Organization.

Egypt reports second suspected human case of bird flu

Sun, 19 Mar 2006 20:22:00 PST

An Egyptian man has been suspected to be infected by the H5N1 bird flu virus, the second human infection reported in the north African country in two days, the Egyptian official MENA news agency reported Sunday.

Bhopal shrugs off flu scare

Sun, 19 Mar 2006 20:17:00 PST

The bird flu scare may have kept people away from chicken in many places, but not the residents of Bhopal, India who continue to relish on their favourite chicken dishes following slash in the poultry prices.

Egypt confirms first human death of bird flu

Sun, 19 Mar 2006 20:16:00 PST

Egypt announced Saturday that a woman had died of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of bird flu, the first human death of avian influenza in the populous north African country.

Poultry deaths raise concern in Tamil Nadu

Sun, 19 Mar 2006 20:13:00 PST

For the first time since the avian flu virus was reported in India in February, the death of poultry birds in Tamil Nadu has raised serious concerns with owners rushing to veterinary centres.

India takes proactive steps to contain bird flu

Fri, 17 Mar 2006 14:00:00 PST

The Indian government has launched proactive steps to contain the spread of bird flu in 38 districts in Maharashra after four villages in the state reported fresh avian flu cases this week, even as there were fears of the disease breaking out in Madhya Pradesh.

Migratory birds leaving India, bird flu fears recede

Mon, 13 Mar 2006 20:23:00 PST

Hundreds of thousands of migratory birds are starting to leave for their summer homes in Russian Siberia, China and Western Europe - and fading gradually with them is the bird flu scare in Jammu and Kashmir.

WHO confirms 21st human bird flu death in Indonesia

Fri, 10 Mar 2006 21:25:00 PST

The WHO has confirmed that a four-year-old boy was Indonesia's 21st bird-flu fatality, a senior health ministry official said Friday.

Bird flu outbreak confirmed in Russia

Fri, 10 Mar 2006 21:23:00 PST

A bird flu outbreak has been confirmed at a bird product processing plant in southern Russia, Itar-Tass news agency reported.

China reports 10th human death from bird flu

Wed, 08 Mar 2006 21:48:00 PST

China confirmed Wednesday that a nine-year-old girl had died from H5N1 avian influenza in the eastern province of Zhejiang, raising the human death toll from the virus to 10 in the country.

Chicken flies high on airline menus again

Wed, 08 Mar 2006 21:40:00 PST

With the threat of avian flu fading and no fresh case being reported in the last 15 days, many airlines in India are back with poultry products on flight menus.

Poland confirms H5N1 virus in wild swans

Wed, 08 Mar 2006 04:56:00 PST

European Union newcomer Poland Monday confirmed the presence of H5N1 bird flu virus in two dead wild swans.

Human bird flu deaths rise to 21 in Indonesia

Mon, 06 Mar 2006 17:26:00 PST

A four-year-old Indonesian boy who died this week was infected with bird flu, a health official confirmed Saturday, bringing the country's death toll from the disease to 21.

Hong Kong on alert following suspected bird flu death

Mon, 06 Mar 2006 17:23:00 PST

Hong Kong was on alert against human cases of bird flu after a man Saturday died of suspected H5N1 infection in southern China, close to the border with the territory.

Novavax, Bharat Biotech to develop pandemic flu vaccine

Mon, 06 Mar 2006 17:11:00 PST

Amid growing concern over avian influenza, two major pharma companies - Novavax Inc. and Bharath Biotech International - announced Monday a tie up to develop a pandemic influenza vaccine for India and Southeast Asian markets.

Hong Kong bans Chinese chickens after bird flu death confirmed

Mon, 06 Mar 2006 17:10:00 PST

Hong Kong has banned live chicken and pet bird imports from China after confirmation that a 32-year-old man died of bird flu after visiting a market near the border, officials said Monday.

Bird flu reaches sixth German state

Mon, 06 Mar 2006 17:08:00 PST

Bird flu reached a sixth German state after the H5NI virus was found in a wild goose in Lower Saxony where a large chunk of the country's poultry breeding farms are located.

Chemotherapy may help bird flu victims

Fri, 03 Mar 2006 12:43:00 PST

Chemotherapy for an immune system disorder might also be effective in treating people infected with the H5N1 strain of bird flu, scientists say.

Human bird flu fatality rises to 20 in Indonesia

Sun, 26 Feb 2006 17:21:00 PST

A 27-year-old Indonesian woman, who died in a Jakarta hospital early this week, has been confirmed positive for bird flu, a health official said Saturday.

Europe's bird flu strain most dangerous: experts

Sun, 26 Feb 2006 17:19:00 PST

The bird flu found this month in the shadow of the Alps is the most virulent sort, German animal infection specialists said Saturday as signs mounted that the H5N1 influenza virus must have reached Europe some time last year.

China announces two more human cases of bird flu

Sun, 26 Feb 2006 17:16:00 PST

A nine-year-old girl in east China's Zhejiang province and a 26-year-old woman farmer in east China's Anhui province were confirmed to be infected with the H5N1 virus of bird flu, the health ministry said Saturday.

Bird flu confirmed in 8 EU countries

Sun, 26 Feb 2006 17:10:00 PST

With the deadly H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus surfacing in France Saturday, the dreaded disease has been detected in a total of eight European Union countries since it first appeared in the union Feb 11.

1,000 chickens dead in Assam, alert sounded

Sun, 26 Feb 2006 17:03:00 PST

The Assam government in India Sunday sounded a health alert after some 1,000 chickens died over the weekend in two villages, officials said.

Panic recedes as flu suspects test negative in India

Sat, 25 Feb 2006 10:01:00 PST

Panic over the avian influenza receded in India Friday after tests showed no human had been infected by the virus even as a clean-up exercise continued in the Maharashtra region that reported the country's first case of bird flu.

Dead turkeys in France test positive for bird flu

Sat, 25 Feb 2006 09:56:00 PST

The deadly H5N1 bird flu virus was present on dead turkeys found on a farm in the southeast of France, officials confirmed Saturday.

Bird flu could have jumped to humans: official

Fri, 24 Feb 2006 02:29:00 PST

The Indian government said Wednesday it could "not rule out the possibility" of avian influenza spreading to human beings in a village in Maharashtra.

Avian influenza contained: India

Fri, 24 Feb 2006 02:21:00 PST

Indian officials confidently asserted Thursday a bird flu outbreak in the western region had been contained and that no cases of human avian influenza had been reported.

Indian government defends avian flu test procedures

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 16:09:00 PST

The Indian government Monday defended its testing procedures for avian flu, saying they were of international standards, even as it brushed aside suggestions that bias was involved.

No commercial sale of Tamiflu: India

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 16:08:00 PST

There will be no retail sale of Tamilflu in India, the antidote for human avian flu, as this could be counterproductive, a senior official said here Monday.

Bulgaria reports first suspected human case of bird flu

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 16:02:00 PST

A Bulgarian man suspected of having caught bird flu has been put into an isolation chamber for close observation and tests.

Bird flue scare turns Delhiites to mutton

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 15:55:00 PST

As the dreaded H5N1 strain of avian flu struck India, residents in the national capital Sunday started shying away from chicken and flocking counters selling mutton.

Alerting people on bird flu through sand sculptures

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 15:54:00 PST

Sand artist Sudarsan Patnaik Sunday created sculptures in a beach in Orissa to make tourists aware of the bird flu - a day after the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus surfaced in Maharashtra.

Chicken cooked Indian way safe

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 15:53:00 PST

Chicken cooked the Indian way - at high temperatures and in gravy - is absolutely safe notwithstanding the country's first reported cases of avian flu but steaks should be avoided, a health official said Sunday.

Bird Flu Scare: Restaurants in Indian Capital Stop Serving Poultry Dishes

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 15:46:00 PST

Close on the heels of some airlines keeping chicken dishes out of their menu, numerous restaurants in the capital too have stopped serving these with people reluctant to order poultry dishes.

Bird Flu Scare: Ravens at Tower of London kept indoors

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 15:43:00 PST

The ravens in the famous Tower of London are being kept indoors to protect them from the bird flu threat, as legend has it that the 11th century fortification and the kingdom itself will fall if they leave the tower. Special aviaries have been created for the six birds within one of the towers of the fortress on the Thames, as the deadly disease spreads across Europe. However, it has not yet reached Britain.

Uttar Pradesh on alert after poultry deaths

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 15:38:00 PST

The Uttar Pradesh government in India has ordered extensive measures against any incidence of avian flu following the death of 1,400 chickens in Etawah district. State chief secretary R. Ramani, who convened a late evening meeting here Monday in this regard, however denied that the mass death of chicken in the district had anything to do with avian flu.

Sri Lanka bans Indian poultry imports

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 15:36:00 PST

Sri Lanka banned the import of poultry products and bird food from India following reports of an avian flu virus threat in the country, the Daily News newspaper said Tuesday. A Health and Nutrition Ministry spokesman said Sri Lankans are "unnecessarily frightened" after reports about the virus in India. All measures have been taken to prevent the entry of the virus into the country. Laboratory officers were being trained in Hong Kong in the use of new surveillance technology. They would return to Sri Lanka by the end of February and train officers of all hospitals to combat the virus, he added.

Bird flu confirmed in Kuala Lumpur, chickens culled

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 15:35:00 PST

Malaysia has confirmed that the death of 40 free range chicken found in the capital was caused by the deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza, a report said Tuesday. "Tests have confirmed that the birds, which died last week were caused by the H5N1 strain," Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister, Muhyddin Yassin told the Star newspaper.

Soybean industry hopes bird flu won't hit poultry feed

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 15:33:00 PST

Soybean producers in Maharashtra, India hope that the domestic demand for poultry feed will not be impacted if the bird flu is contained in Nandurbar in Maharashtra. Even if the H5N1 avian influenza does spread beyond Nandurbar, the dip in demand for poultry feed is not expected to be too serious in the long run. What is giving them a degree of comfort is the large export demand this year, far in excess of the domestic demand, according to Rajesh Agarwal, chairman of the Indore-based Soybean Processors Association of India.

Bird flu impels Christians to turn religiously vegetarian

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 15:31:00 PST

The bird flu scare is impelling Christians in Kerala, India to religiously observe the 50-day Lent, a period of frugality beginning Feb 27 leading up to Easter, by becoming pure vegetarians, according to several members of the community.

Italy records 16 cases of bird flu

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 15:29:00 PST

The deadly H5N1 strain of the avian influenza virus has been confirmed in a total of 16 wild birds in Italy, media reports said Monday. The latest cases involve a wild duck found dead near a pond in the central Italian region of Umbria and a buzzard and a wild cock hosted at an animal care centre in Sicily, Italy's bird flu reference laboratory in Padua said.

Land of chicken tikka butter masala in flap over bird flu

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 15:25:00 PST

To eat or not to eat chicken these days is the million-dollar question for people in Punjab, India - traditionally known as the land of butter and tandoori chicken. Chicken sales across Punjab have dropped 30-50 percent in the last three days since reports of avian flu in chicken in a Maharashtra village. Chicken rates have dropped too - from Rs.75 (USD 1.50) to Rs.65 (USD 1.30) per kg in the retail market.

Chicken Prices Plummeted in Indian Capital with Bird Flu Scare

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 15:21:00 PST

The bird flu scare sent prices of poultry products plummeting by about 60 percent Wednesday with the birds being sold for as low as Rs.12 per kg (USD 0.25) in the Gazipur wholesale market in east Delhi.

Indian drug makers gear up to combat bird flu

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 15:20:00 PST

Indian pharmaceutical firms, known globally for their capacity to produce cheap generic or unpatented drugs, are bracing to supply bird flu medicines.

Maharashtra to widen bird culling operations

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 15:18:00 PST

The area for culling of birds in the region of Maharashtra that reported India's first case of bird flu will be extended as authorities Tuesday went on the overdrive to check against the spread of the disease.

223,000 birds culled in India, avian flu contained: officials

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 15:17:00 PST

Indian authorities Tuesday claimed to have stopped the possible spread of avian flu from the country's western region with the culling of 223,000 chickens, saying the focus would now be on cleanup operations and the rehabilitation of poultry farmers.

Bird-Flu: Indian Parliament canteen takes chicken off its menu

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 15:15:00 PST

Even as the government said the avian flu situation was under control, Indian Parliament House canteen Tuesday stopped serving chicken, raising eyebrows among MPs and other regular clients.

Pakistan bans poultry imports from India, Iran

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 15:14:00 PST

Pakistan has imposed a ban on imports of poultry products and live birds from India, Iran and France due to the bird flu scare in those countries, Online news agency reported.

Northeast states in India sound bird flu alert

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 15:12:00 PST

The bird flu scare across India has led to prices of fish and mutton in the northeast skyrocketing as sales of poultry and eggs plummet to an all time low.

Indian drug makers prepared to combat bird flu

Wed, 22 Feb 2006 15:10:00 PST

Indian pharmaceutical firms, known globally for their capacity to produce cheap generic or non-patented drugs, says they are well prepared with bird flu medicines after the first confirmed case of the potentially fatal strain was reported over the weekend.

First case of deadly bird flu confirmed in France

Tue, 21 Feb 2006 16:05:00 PST

The first case of bird flu has been reported in France with a duck found dead with the H5N1 virus infection in southeastern France, the French agriculture ministry announced.

Bird Flu Scare: Swimming pool evacuated as bird flies into water

Tue, 21 Feb 2006 16:03:00 PST

Hundreds of panicked swimmers were evacuated from a Hong Kong swimming pool when a bird flew into the water, a news report said Sunday.

No human casualties from bird flu in India

Mon, 20 Feb 2006 16:01:00 PST

India, which confirmed its first bird flu infection in poultry Saturday, has so far had no human casualties although tests on 12 "active cases" are currently underway in Pune, a top official said here Sunday.

India launches war against bird flu

Mon, 20 Feb 2006 15:59:00 PST

India was on high alert Sunday, a day after the deadly H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus surfaced in Maharashtra, with authorities taking determined steps to effectively isolate the affected region.

Maharashtra poultry farm owner dies in Gujarat

Sun, 19 Feb 2006 15:57:00 PST

A poultry farm owner from Maharashtra's Nandurbar district, where India's first case of bird flu was confirmed Saturday, has died in a Gujarat hospital, though authorities Sunday said they were confirming whether he had died of the dreaded disease.

New bird flu case detected in central Italy

Sun, 19 Feb 2006 15:51:00 PST

A wild duck found dead in central Italy was confirmed to be carrying the lethal H5N1 strain of bird flu, raising to 11 the total number of such cases found in the country, the Italian health ministry said Sunday.

Delhi sounds bird flu alert, urges against panic

Sun, 19 Feb 2006 15:50:00 PST

In the wake of a discovery of the dreaded H5N1 strain of avian flu in Maharashtra, the national capital Sunday sounded an alert but advised Delhiites not to panic.

Poultry to get vaccines after bird flu strikes India

Sun, 19 Feb 2006 15:49:00 PST

India's Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss has said the government would vaccinate poultry in Nandurbar district of Maharashtra where the deadly H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus has struck.

China announces 8th human bird flu death

Sun, 12 Feb 2006 18:12:00 PST

A woman in Central China's Hunan province has died of bird flu, bringing the country's death toll in the disease to eight, China's Ministry of Health confirmed.

Two more suspected bird flu deaths in Indonesia

Sun, 12 Feb 2006 17:55:00 PST

A woman and a chicken industry worker have died in Indonesia with symptoms of bird flu, officials said Saturday.

Italy, Greece record EU's first avian influenza cases

Sun, 12 Feb 2006 17:45:00 PST

The lethal bird flu virus has been found in dead swans in Italy and Greece, in the first recorded avian cases of the disease in European Union countries.

WHO warns of avian flu pandemic in poultry

Sat, 04 Feb 2006 21:25:00 PST

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that new outbreaks of the deadly bird flu virus in poultry are expected this year, but the incidence will be only sporadic in humans.

Hong Kong people cross border for chickens despite bird-flu

Fri, 03 Feb 2006 15:38:00 PST

Hong Kong residents were continuing to buy poultry from across the border in southern China despite a smuggled chicken testing positive for bird flu earlier this week, a news report said Friday.

Experimental US vaccine blocks bird flu in mice

Fri, 03 Feb 2006 15:38:00 PST

US researchers have genetically engineered a common cold virus to produce a vaccine they say protects mice from weight loss and death when exposed to the lethal H5N1 bird flu strain, medical journal The Lancet reported Thursday.

Another wild bird dies of avian flu in Hong Kong

Tue, 31 Jan 2006 18:48:00 PST

Hong Kong people were warned Monday to avoid wild birds after a second magpie robin within a month was found dead with the H5N1 avian flu virus.

Two more Indonesians dead from bird flu

Sun, 22 Jan 2006 17:56:00 PST

Two Indonesians from the same family have died from bird flu, bringing the death toll from the H5N1 virus in the country to 14, a senior health ministry official said Sunday.