Wildlife officials will be checking gamebirds this fall for signs of avian flu. More than a million gamebirds are expected to be killed in Kansas over the next five months, with wildlife officials expected to take samples from some to

In an effort to speed flu research and set an example for other nations, the United States announced this week that it had placed the genetic sequences of about 650 flu viruses in a public database. But the sequences did

Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)Avian influenza in birdsAvian influenza is an infection caused by avian (bird) influenza (flu) viruses. These influenza viruses occur naturally among birds. Wild birds worldwide carry the viruses in their intestines, but usually do not get sick

We hope these initiatives will set the stage for other countries to adopt similar approaches to the release of influenza virus sequence data that they manage U.S. health officials have placed the genetic blueprints of more than 650 flu viruses

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday released genetic blueprints of over 650 genes of influenza viruses, including avian influenza H5N1, into a database accessible to researchers worldwide. The action marks "the beginning of a collaboration ...

Assessment of Current SituationThe avian influenza A (H5N1) epizootic (animal outbreak) in Asia and parts of Europe, the Near East, and Africa is not expected to diminish significantly in the short term. It is likely that H5N1 infection among birds

Although avian influenza A viruses usually do not infect humans, rare cases of human infection with avian influenza viruses have been reported since 1997. More recently, more than 200 confirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza A (H5N1) viruses

The Dutch Agriculture Ministry ordered farmers on Tuesday to keep their poultry indoors from Sept. 1 to protect flocks from the threat of avian flu from migrating birds. "During the forthcoming migration period, there is a risk that migratory birds

The annual bird migration from the cooling north to the warmer southern continents has begun. As migration begins, experts draw attention to the bird flu and stress the precautionary measures taken last year should be implemented more appropriately this year.

The National Institutes of Health on Monday awarded a $900,000 grant to Celera Genomics to develop and commercialize a test for bird flu. The diagnostic test that Rockville-based Celera plans to develop will be based on protocols used in a

It is being reported out of the UK that British scientists have made a breakthrough that will allow for a drug to be created to allow humans to successfully withstand the H5N1 virus. The breakthrough is based on the discovery

Vaccines being prepared for a possible influenza pandemic need to keep pace with changes in the bird flu virus being detected in Asia that may spark the next human outbreak, the World Health Organization said. New variants of the H5N1

The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu continues to spread throughout Asia, Africa and Europe, threatening people, animals and economies, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) warned on Monday. The spread of the virulent virus had slowed, the

Bird flu killed a 35-year-old woman in Indonesia, raising the number of cases worldwide this year to 95, the same number reported in the whole of 2005, as health authorities study whether the virus is spreading between humans. Tests on

Health authorities in Indonesia widened on Saturday an investigation into a potential bird flu cluster in West Java to include nine people, five of whom have already died. Forty-five people have already died of the H5N1 strain of bird flu

New data indicate that the H5N1 virus that causes bird flu has been quicky spreading and evolving through a process called recombination. Recombination occurs when viruses pick up new gene sequences to rapidly prolierate, and experts say both the bird

The World Health Organization recommended Friday that drug manufacturers use new strains of the bird flu virus in their search for a vaccine - the latest sign of the complexity in tracking the rapidly-evolving disease. Experts worry the H5N1 strain

United Nations officials in Bangkok Thursday confirmed that the recent outbreak of avian influenza along the Thailand-Laos Mekong River border area was due to a strain of virus not previously present in either country, and that it probably came from

Laboratory confirmation points to both old and new isolates of the bird flu virus as sources of recent HPAI outbreaks in Southeast Asia, FAO said today. Vigorous implementation of recommended control measures is needed to prevent a further spread of

Advanced X-ray technology has helped scientists spot a new target that drug designers might use to attack the dreaded bird flu virus.Though a new drug would still be years off, the new research being published Thursday offers hope of a