Faddish food scares often a mix of hype, reality. You've heard the catchphrases such as mad cow disease, bird flu and E. coli. But how much do you really know about these health scares? [News Source]

Battle against mad cow disease being won. Cases of mad cow disease have halved each year wordlwide over the past three years, showing farmers were beating the deadly malady, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said on Thursday. [News Source]

Hormone horror. Your daughter may turn out to be an `unrealised male' trapped in a female body, no thanks to environmental pollution. [News Source]

Quirk of bird flu virus uncovered. Two research teams have independently discovered explanations for the chief features of the H5N1 bird flu virus - its difficulty infecting humans, and the deadly effects when it does. [News Source]

As bird flu spreads, experts are keeping an eye on Montana. Secretaries of Agriculture Mike Johanns, Interior Gale A. Norton and Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt have unveiled an enhanced national framework for early detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza in wild migratory birds in the United States. [News Source]

Scientists fear increase in animal diseases jumping to humans. Animals have become the leading source of new human disease, and fighting them will take more trained professionals and resources, health officials said at a meeting in Atlanta this week. [News Source]

Working to keep flocks disease-free. Bird flu's always been around, says farmer Bill Woods, but precautions and safety measures are key to prevention. [News Source]

Taking a gamble on bird flu. Drugmakers such as Sanofi-Aventis SA and Chiron Corp. are racing to prepare for a possible pandemic as the avian influenza virus has spread from Asia to Europe, Africa and the Middle East. [News Source]

Bird flu likely to hit here by fall. By fall, Southwest Florida is likely to see the bird flu. [News Source]

Bird flu confirmed in West Bank. The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu virus has been found in poultry in a Jewish settlement the West Bank, the Israeli agriculture ministry has said. [News Source]

Why bird flu doesn’t spread between humans. So far, patients infected with the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus have rarely passed the virus to others. There is a molecular explanation for this, according to new research. [News Source]

Bird flu likely to spread slowly. An international research team has identified the biological roadblock that prevents the avian influenza virus, H5N1, from transmitting easily between people. [News Source]