Wash your hands instead of wringing them over new superbugs. Precautionary hand washing is a useful defence against colds and flus, whether the ordinary virus du jour, or something with the potential of bird flu or SARS. [News Source]

Scientists play down fears over spread of disease in UK. The Government's chief scientist sought to reassure the public about the threat from avian flu yesterday as tests were carried out on birds across Britain following the outbreak of the disease's most deadly form. [News Source]

Factory farms in Asia blamed for pandemic. The insatiable demand for cheap food, the global poultry industry and the giant factory farms of south-east Asia have been blamed for spreading avian flu around the world. [News Source]

Britain rolls out bird flu crisis plan. Wildlife officers were keeping watch on 3 million birds and a dozen dead swans were being tested for the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus Friday, as the British government rolled out a crisis plan after the country's first confirmed case of the disease. [News Source]

FDA issues rules for bird flu test on humans. Federal guidelines rushed out yesterday should help companies develop tests capable of quickly singling out bird flu in infected humans, the Food and Drug Administration said. [News Source]

Bird flu panic across Britain after swan find. Britain has been gripped by a bird flu scare following confirmation that the deadly virus has completed its infectious flight across Europe. [News Source]

Man dies after plunging into sewage waters. A 34-year-old man died six days after plunging into sewage-contaminated waters at a Waikiki boat harbor and contracting a severe bacterial infection, officials said Friday. [News Source]