Scientists meet in Rome to discuss bird flu mysteries (PhysOrg) Scientists from some 100 countries began a two-day conference in Rome on Tuesday to try to define the exact role of migratory birds in the spread of avian flu, one of several mysteries puzzling researchers nearly three years after the first outbreaks. [News Source]

Scientists meet in Rome to discuss bird flu mysteries (AFP via Yahoo! News) Scientists from some 100 countries began a two-day conference in Rome to try to define the exact role of migratory birds in the spread of avian flu, one of several mysteries puzzling researchers nearly three years after the first outbreaks. [News Source]

FluWrap: Avian flu causes havoc in Indonesia (World Peace Herald) OXFORD, England -- Indonesia this weekend saw further deaths from avian influenza among increased reports of suspicion and poor health practices in the North Sumatran village that has seen the largest infection cluster confirmed thus far. [News Source]

ASU lab seeking to get batch of bird-flu virus (The Arizona Republic) The H5N1 avian-flu virus sweeping westward from Asia may land at a research lab at ASU. Researchers at ASU's Biodesign Institute in Tempe are seeking permission to store and manipulate the bird virus, with an eye on making a vaccine against the strain. {b} ASU seeking fast way to make vaccine [News Source]

Athens research lab ready to fulfill bird flu mission. Avian flu H5N1, the Asian strain named for two proteins on the surface of the virus, is one of the most highly pathogenic viruses the world has seen, but it remains a pandemic in birds, not humans. [News Source]

Sole bird flu survivor shuns treatment. The sole survivor in a cluster of Indonesian relatives infected with bird flu lies in an open-air hospital room, still very weak but seemingly unconcerned. [News Source]

WHO will clarify stages of pandemic-alert system. The WHO plans to clarify its influenza-pandemic alert system after a cluster of human bird-flu cases in Indonesia, and the WHO's response to it, sent ripples through markets and media around the world last week. [News Source]

Officials aim to fine-tune strategy on pandemic. Should a flu pandemic roar through New Jersey in the coming days, experts agree the state is not ready to handle the crisis, especially during its earliest stage when a vaccine will not be available. [News Source]

Earthquake, volcano and bird flu plague Indonesia. Indonesia is struggling to deliver aid to people who survived an earthquake that killed more than 5,400 people over the weekend. At the same time, Indonesian authorities continue to watch for the eruption of an active volcano in the area. [News Source]

Funding relief in Indonesia. Saturday's 6.3 quake in Indonesia killed at least 5,000 people, with many more injured and some 200,000 homeless. Will there be enough aid? And will it get there in time? [News Source]

Another kind of quake in Indonesia. In Indonesia, a disaster-prone nation that's only had a directly elected president since 2004, the learning curve has been as steep as a tall volcano. [News Source]

Avian-flu scares boost biotech stocks (The Philadelphia Inquirer) Investor concern about the spread of avian flu, after reports that six members of a family in Indonesia died of the virus, buoyed biotechnology stocks yesterday, including those of Novavax Inc. in Malvern. [News Source]