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Avian flu facts

Avian influenza (also called "bird flu") refers to the strains of the virus that infect birds. Bird flu can cause widespread illness and death among birds, though there are many different strains, which vary in strength.

1 Jun 2006

Australia all set to tackle bird flu

Australia is one of only a few countries well prepared for an outbreak of bird flu in it's poultry population.

31 May 2006

Seven new cases of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus in Indonesia

The Ministry of Health in Indonesia has confirmed an additional seven cases of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. Six of the cases were fatal.

18 May 2006

Europe-wide study into the role of genetics and the environment in the development asthma

Previous investigations have fallen short of proving cause-effect due to the complexity of human genetics and varying lifestyles. But the EU-funded GABRIEL study has pooled the very best in the field from all over Europe and can draw on the latest genomic and environmental data and approaches.

11 May 2006

Fictional bird flu accounts point to need for emergency preparations - not panic

Highly publicized made for television dramas about fictional outbreaks of Asian Bird Flu highlight point to the need for preparation, not panic, Arizona state officials said.

11 May 2006

Europe wide study to examine causes of asthma

The GABRIEL project, funded through an EC Framework 6 grant, involves over 150 scientists from 14 European countries and Russia, using the latest research across a variety of disciplines, including genetics, epidemiology and immunology, to identify key factors in the development of asthma bronchiale.

9 May 2006

US bird flu plan puts the onus on local communities

In the event of a bird flu pandemic hitting the U.S. the government has released a pandemic response plan defining specific tasks for each federal government agency in order to help minimize disruptions.

8 May 2006

American women and girls not getting enough calcium

A University of Maryland study shows that while calcium intake is going up in some groups of Americans, teenage girls and young women, especially African Americans, are not getting enough calcium at the time in their lives when calcium is most critical to building bone density.

25 Apr 2006

Research puts something extra in your grapes

Researchers at the University of Adelaide have discovered a potential way to increase the amount of Vitamin C in grapes.

20 Apr 2006

Activity levels - not food intake - most strongly correlates with weight gain in adulthood

Research conducted at the Oregon National Primate Research Center reveals that an individual's activity level is the most constant factor in predicting weight gain over adulthood.

20 Apr 2006

Calcium supplements may be little help for healthy kids

There's little question that most kids get too little calcium, but a new review of evidence casts doubt on the value of supplements and calcium-fortified foods to build stronger bones.

19 Apr 2006

Calcium supplementation for improving bone mineral density in children

There's little question that most kids get too little calcium, but a new review of evidence casts doubt on the value of supplements and calcium-fortified foods to build stronger bones.

18 Apr 2006

Federal monitoring system underestimates work-related injury and illness

The current national surveillance system may miss two-thirds of the total number of occupational injuries and illnesses, suggests a study in the April Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).

17 Apr 2006

Mad cow disease appears again in Canadian cattle

According to Canada's Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), tests have confirmed that a six-year-old dairy cow in the Canadian province of British Columbia suffered from mad cow disease.

16 Apr 2006

Pakistanis on alert as bird flu crops up on another farm

According to authorities in Pakistan there has been another outbreak of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus on a poultry farm.

16 Apr 2006

Scientists step closer to new treatments for river blindness

Veterinary scientists in Liverpool have found that some African cattle have natural immunity to a parasite, similar to that which causes river blindness in humans.

13 Apr 2006

Bird flu case # 33 in Indonesia

The World Health Organization has confirmed that a 23-year-old male poultry worker currently undergoing treatment in Sumatra has bird flu.

12 Apr 2006

Swine disease in China caused toxic shock syndrome

A large and deadly outbreak of Streptococcus suis disease, in Sichuan province in China last year alarmed health officials worldwide and now scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and other Chinese institutions have published the first scientific details of the outbreak.

12 Apr 2006

Burma struggling to cope with over 100 bird flu outbreaks

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), says the situation concerning the bird flu virus in Myanmar (Burma) now appears far more serious than first thought.

11 Apr 2006