“Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America,” an ABC made-for-television movie, airs May 9, just as scientists are to begin testing of wild birds in Alaska that could herald the arrival of bird flu in North America. Scientists fear the bird flu virus could evolve so it could be passed from human to human, sparking a global pandemic.

The two-hour movie plays up that notion to the fullest, with a running ticker that tallies tens of millions of victims worldwide. In one scene, the bodies are thrown on a pyre, like the carcasses of cows torched in the 2001 foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in Great Britain. The producers of the movie, from the writer of 2002’s “Atomic Twister,” bill their work as a “thinking man’s disaster film.”
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A UK poultry worker was infected with bird flu virus through close contact with birds on Saturday at a farm in Norfolk, where an outbreak of the disease has occurred earlier this week.

The worker is suffering from conjunctivitis after contracting the H7N3 strain of bird flu but (more…)

The human death toll from bird flu rose to at least 113 with the death of a 30 year old man from Indonesia.

“Infectious diseases continue to be one of the most acute problems in health care,” said Russian Health Minister Mikhail Zurabov. (more…)

Indonesia reported its 25th death from the H5N1 strain of bird flu on Friday and China said an 8-year-old girl had contracted the disease

– Since the beginning of January, 2006, more than 30 countries have reported outbreaks, in most cases involving wild birds such as swans.

– The virus has killed 113 people since 2003 in nine countries and territories, according to the WHO. Countries with confirmed human cases are: Azerbaijan, Cambodia, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam.

– In total, the virus is known to have infected 204 people since 2003, according to the WHO. Many of those who have died are children and young adults.

– Vietnam and Indonesia have (more…)

There are 4 influenza drugs: amantadine and rimantadine which help fight certain strains of H5N1 infections, and Tamiflu and Relenza which are both drugs classified as neuraminidase inhibitors are said to help against most strains of H5N1.

These 4 influenza drugs show promise for bird flu protection. More tests are being done to help with bird flu protection, as well as more drugs being made to help with bird flu protection.

Alarm is spreading across Europe after the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu apparently killed a cat in Germany, the first time the virus has jumped species on the continent.

Scientists said they did not believe the case of the German cat increased the risks to human health from a virus which is known to have killed at least 106 people since late 2003.

However, one expert advised cat (more…)