Spain has recorded its first case of H5N1 bird flu, the Agriculture Ministry said Friday. The deadly strain was found in a water fowl in a marsh area outside the northern city of Vitoria. (seattlepi.com)

June 23, 2006

The World Health Organization has detailed the first evidence that a person likely caught the bird flu virus from a human, then passed a slightly mutated version to another person. But experts said Friday the genetic change does not increase the threat of a pandemic. (excite.com)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Bird Flu

June 17, 2006

A case of H5 avian flu has been detected in a gosling from a small backyard flock in the western end of Prince Edward Island.

Further testing on the bird will be conducted over the weekend to determine the exact strain and virulency of the virus. (canada.com)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Bird Flu

June 16, 2006

The death of a 38th person from avian flu in Indonesia was confirmed yesterday by the World Health Organization and the situation in that country continued to worsen. (nytimes.com)

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June 04, 2006

In the wake of a cluster of avian flu cases that killed seven members of a rural Indonesian family, it appears likely that there have been many more human-to-human infections than the authorities have previously acknowledged. (SFGate.com)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Bird Flu

May 23, 2006

All seven people infected with bird flu in a cluster of Indonesian cases can be linked to other patients, according to disease trackers investigating possible human-to-human transmission of the H5N1 virus. (Bloomberg.com)

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May 07, 2006

The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) had announced in Paris last week that two outbreaks of bird flu had occurred in Abidjan, making Ivory Coast the seventh country in Africa to report the disease. (NEWS24.com)

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May 01, 2006

Authorities have discovered a mild form of avian influenza at a live bird market in New Jersey, but it is not the deadly H5N1 strain governments around the world are trying to contain, the state's agriculture department said. (REUTERS)

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April 30, 2006

U.S. officials are worried that birdflu may enter the United States via smuggled pets and animals.

"We're very concerned about it coming into the U.S. by whatever means," Assistant Secretary of State Claudia McMurray said.

The deadly H5N1 virus that has spread through Asia, Europe and Africa but has not arrived in the U.S. Scientists fear the virus could evolve into a form that would pass easily from person to person, sparking a global epidemic. (Washington Post)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Bird Flu

A 12-person panel of experts has announced that, in the event of a bird flu pandemic:

form-fitting molded "respirators" would be better than clothlike surgical masks, and surgical masks would be better than handkerchiefs and scarves. But how much protection any would provide is largely unknown -- as is the question whether they could be safely washed and reused if there were not enough new ones in a pandemic. (Washington Post)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Bird Flu

April 20, 2006

An ordinary handwash costing just £2.99 can kill the bird flu virus in 30 seconds, tests have found.

No-Germs, a simple hand spray, has been on sale over the counter for two years. But when the H5N1 avian flu outbreak gathered pace among birds, No-Germs owners decided to test it against the virus. (dailyrecord.co.uk)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Bird Flu

April 06, 2006

A CASE of the H5 strain of the bird flu virus has been found in a dead swan in Scotland, the Scottish Executive says.

In a statement yesterday, officials said preliminary tests had found "highly pathogenic H5 avian flu" in a sample from the bird, which was discovered in the Fife region, north of Edinburgh. (The Advertiser)

Posted by news editor | Filed under: Bird Flu