Bird flu on state’s agenda. California officials said they are working with local agencies to prepare for the avian flu, which has the potential for coming to the state later this year. [News Source]

A ‘dirty boot’ was enough to breach bird flu defences. Infected faeces from a wild bird carried into a chicken shed on a workman’s boot are thought to be the most likely source of a bird flu outbreak on a farm in Norfolk. [News Source]

Panic could overwhelm communications in pandemic. Telephone and Internet services could be overwhelmed and shut down in the early stages of a bird flu pandemic as people panic and try to work from home, according to a report released on Thursday. [News Source]

Report says flu masks may not help. If a worldwide flu epidemic strikes, face masks should be considered a defense of last resort since there's little evidence about whether the masks can prevent influenza infection. [News Source]

Avian flu scare may involve less lethal strain. Vets and government officials investigating Britain's third avian flu scare in just over six months were last night preparing to begin culling up to 35,000 chickens on a poultry farm in Norfolk. [News Source]

Doctors check poultry farm staff in latest bird flu crisis. Workers at a poultry farm were being monitored by doctors last night as experts tried to trace the source of the latest bird flu outbreak to hit the UK. [News Source]

Vietnam to unveil advanced plan to fight bird flu. Vietnam, the country hardest-hit by avian flu but free of the disease for six months, will present a model plan on containing the virus at an Asia-Pacific conference next week. [News Source]

Experts see hurdles to reusing masks in event of a flu pandemic. If a flu pandemic strikes, there will be no safe way to decontaminate a disposable face mask so it can be reused, a panel of medical experts said yesterday. [News Source]

Amid food scares, companies target health-conscious eaters. With bird flu and mad cow disease fuelling food scares across Asia, companies are plugging "safe" alternatives such as liquid eggs and ostrich meat to tempt health-conscious consumers. [News Source]

Confusion over bird flu warnings (Powys County Times) THERE was confusion this week over bird flu notices warning the public not to feed water fowl in Mid Wales. The signs, which have been put up by Severn Trent Water around Lake Vyrnwy, appear to state that due to concerns over avian influenza visitors should “not feed the ducks or geese.” [News Source]

Vietnam to unveil advanced plan to fight bird flu (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Vietnam, the country hardest-hit by avian flu but free of the disease for six months, will present a model plan on containing the virus at an Asia-Pacific conference next week, international officials said on Friday. [News Source]

Indonesian Man Died From Bird Flu, Tests Show, Official Says (Bloomberg.com) April 28 (Bloomberg) -- A 30-year-old Indonesian man who died this week was killed by avian influenza, tests carried out by the government showed, raising concerns for the country's struggle to arrest the H5N1 virus. [News Source]