9 more bird flu cases detected: 2 patients reach hospitals (Dawn) RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD, April 21: The outbreak of bird flu in the federal capital’s poultry farms is on the rise as two more patients were admitted to the hospitals of the twin cities on Friday to test the incidence of avian influenza taking the total number of such cases to nine. [News Source]

Addition of Egyptian cases raises avian flu tally to 204 (CIDRAP) Apr 21, 2006 (CIDRAP News) – The World Health Organization (WHO) today recognized eight human cases of H5N1 avian influenza previously reported in Egypt, pushing the global case count to 204, with 113 deaths. [News Source]

Yolo gets ready for bird flu (The Davis Enterprise) Published Apr 16, 2006 - 18:30:13 CDT. It seems almost every year, there’s a new disease that might have the ability to threaten humanity. For the last several years, H5N1, or bird flu, has been waiting in the wings, watching as SARS and West Nile virus took their turns on the stage. [News Source]

Many in US don’t trust government to handle avian flu (CIDRAP) Apr 21, 2006 (CIDRAP News) – About half of Americans lack confidence in their government's ability to handle an outbreak of avian influenza in humans, but few have prepared for the threat, according to a survey taken this week. [News Source]

Canada to test market bird flu insurance (AFP via Yahoo! News) A Canadian insurance firm will soon begin offering what is believed to be the world's first indemnity against bird flu and other contagious diseases, the company told AFP. [News Source]

As fears grow, scientists race to battle bird flu (MSNBC) With news that migratory birds could carry avian flu to the United States sometime this spring, people across the nation have stepped up their worrying. And scientists are scrambling to come up with new tests, drugs and vaccines to beat the virus. [News Source]

Bird flu strain could be hard to spot. Ducks have a flu season just like people do - and they're more likely to be sick in the fall than in the spring. [News Source]

China reports 12th death from bird flu. The virulent H5N1 strain broke out in Asia and has now spread to Europe and Africa, killing 110 people who had close contact with sick birds. [News Source]

U.S. Bird Flu Threat May Be Overstated, Experts Say (HealthDay via Yahoo! News) FRIDAY, April 21 (HealthDay News) -- As the Bush administration puts the final touches on a massive response plan for a potential avian flu pandemic, experts -- including top-level administration officials -- are predicting that if and when the avian flu reaches American shores, it's not likely to be the disaster most once feared. [News Source]

Cameron calls for carbon levy. Conservative leader David Cameron will pledge to scrap Labour's climate change levy and replace it with a more effective way of dealing with harmful CO2 emissions. [News Source]

Fear a foe in disease fight. Fear was Australia's worst enemy in the fight against bioterrorism and infectious disease such as Avian Flu, a federal scientist said. [News Source]

Red Cross seeks $13,7m to combat bird flu. The world's largest disaster relief agency appealed on Thursday for $13,7-million to train tens of thousands of Red Cross volunteers to shore up defences against any bird flu pandemic. [News Source]