Flu pandemic controllable with multifaceted strategy. A government-funded project concludes that a flu pandemic could be controlled through widespread use of a weak vaccine. [News Source]

Health expert: Flu pandemic can hit anytime. A potential flu pandemic is like waiting for an earthquake along the San Andreas fault: It's just a matter of time before the next big one strikes. [News Source]

Legislation would boost state power to battle bird flu. A bill moving through the Legislature would expand the authority of the state veterinarian to quarantine or even kill sick animals to prevent the spread of infectious diseases that threaten to harm people. [News Source]

Wild birds tested for avian flu clues. In the nationwide dragnet for a deadly strain of bird flu, even the marble-size liver of a cedar waxwing can be an important clue. [News Source]

Travel bans won’t stop bird flu. Travel restrictions and school closures will do little to stop a pandemic of bird flu from marching across the United States, but they may slow it enough to distribute drugs and vaccines. [News Source]

Remote chance of bird-flu pandemic spawns murky outlook for life insurers. If a serial killer were on the loose, it might not make sense to hold stock in a company that has to compensate his victims. [News Source]

Even without a vaccine, existing drugs show promise in treating bird flu. Many of the life-threatening symptoms of the flu resemble other conditions that are occurring in thousands of patients now. [News Source]

Farmers brace for bird flu: Precautions in place to guard poultry flocks. Commercial poultry farmers know what to do to protect their flocks from the deadly Asian strain of bird flu, should it arrive in the US with fall-migrating wild birds. [News Source]

Vaccine best way to counter bird flu, even if imperfect. The most effective way to combat an outbreak of bird flu in people would require a rapid and aggressive vaccination campaign as soon as the outbreak began, even if the vaccine wasn't a perfect match, a study concludes. [News Source]