Deadly Bird Flu ID'd on UK Farm

Concerns grow over H5N1 spread

(NEWSER) - Last month, two dead birds tested positive for the H5N1 virus, prompting Hong Kong authorities to kill some 20,000 more birds; now two more cases have been discovered. Two dead black-headed gulls—frequent winter visitors to the area and discovered separately—were found to have had the disease, fueling new concern over its spread, the AP reports. The new cases follow China's first human death from the disease in more than a year. More»

Virus is on the rise after declining for years

(NEWSER) - Get ready for a possible resurgence of bird flu: The UN is warning that wild bird migrations have brought the deadly virus to formerly virus-free countries, and adds that a mutant strain of H5N1 is spreading in Asia. The mutant strain can get around the defenses of current vaccines, the UN said in a statement calling for greater surveillance of any possible outbreaks. A 6-year-old girl died Aug. 14 in Cambodia of bird flu, the eight H5N1 death in that country this year, the AP reports. More»

(NEWSER) - Like all liberals, President Obama likes big, controlling systems. Like British politicians, he hopes to manage health care with a nationwide supercomputer. As Britain failed, so too will the United States, Fraser Nelson and Irwin M. Stelzer write in the Weekly Standard. Not only has Britain's medical database failed after years of hard work and $7.4 billion in taxpayers' money, it manages patients' health care in horrifying ways. More»

(AP) - Three dead chickens tested positive for bird flu in Hong Kong, prompting the city to suspend poultry imports for 21 days and begin slaughtering tens of thousands of birds, an official said today. "We feel that Hong Kong is facing a new alert for bird flu," said the secretary for food and health. More»

Findings help fight against avian flu

(NEWSER) - The flu pandemic that killed up to 100 million people in 1918 left survivors with a strong set of antibodies—strong enough to still be viable today, Reuters reports. Mice given survivor antibodies managed to fight off the deadly flu when they were infected with the virus extracted from exhumed victims. More»