Bird Flu Fighters Need More Money to Help Contain Deadly Virus (Bloomberg.com) June 5 (Bloomberg) -- The bird flu fight being waged across Africa, Asia and Europe is draining the cash and human resources of international agencies, which may have to abandon some programs unless donor countries honor their funding promises. [News Source]

More on woitv.com (WOI-TV Des Moins) Centers For Disease Control and Prevention Key Facts About Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) and Avian Influenza A (H5N1) Virus The facts behind the myths are compiled by the CDC on this webpage. If you've ever wondered the truth about the virus, this site is sure to give you the answers. [News Source]

UN agencies face severe funding shortfalls in fight against bird flu: UN flu czar (CP via Yahoo! Canada News) (CP) - The UN agencies working to try to contain the spread of avian influenza and help countries prepare for a possible flu pandemic are facing a dire funding shortfall, with little in the way of flexible money that can be used to respond to unpredictable outbreaks, the UN's flu czar says. [News Source]

Human flu transfers may exceed reports. In the wake of a cluster of avian flu cases that killed seven members of a rural Indonesian family, it appears likely that there have been many more human-to-human infections than the authorities have previously acknowledged. [News Source]

Bird flu threat fuels fight over large chicken factory farms. Animal welfare groups are using the expected arrival of bird flu in the United States to step up long-running campaigns against large chicken and egg factory farms and persuade more Americans to stop eating meat. [News Source]

A world of worry. The big fear is that a cluster of cases with increased human-to-human transmission signals that the virus has changed in ways that enhance its ability to spread among the human population. WHO officials say that doesn't appear to have happened in Indonesia. [News Source]

Wild, free birds not to blame. Evidence that wild birds have infected free-range chickens with the deadly H5N1 virus is lacking. Yet governments worldwide and in some states are recommending restrictions or closure of backyard and free-range poultry production. [News Source]

World Bank: Bird flu spending lags pledges (CNN.com) WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Just $286 million has been spent to fight bird flu out of nearly $1.9 billion pledged last January by nations and organizations that said they wanted to make a "massive effort" against the virus, according to a World Bank report. [News Source]

Earthquake survivors at risk for bird flu (AP via Yahoo! News) The chicken coops in Indonesia's earthquake-flattened Pentong village are filled with salvaged TVs, cooking utensils, refrigerators — and scores of people. Aid workers fear they could also contain bird flu. [News Source]

Human bird flu transfers may be undercounted (International Herald Tribune) In the wake of a cluster of avian flu cases that killed seven members of a rural Indonesian family, it appears likely that there have been many more human-to-human infections than the authorities have previously acknowledged. [News Source]

Less than $300 mln spent on bird flu: World Bank (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Just $286 million has been spent to fight bird flu out of nearly $1.9 billion pledged last January by nations and organizations that said they wanted to make a "massive effort" against the virus, according to a World Bank report. [News Source]

Quake victims not at increased bird flu risk: WHO (AFP via Yahoo! News) Survivors of last week's earthquake in Indonesia are not at any increased risk of contracting bird flu, amid reports of people living in abandoned chicken sheds, the WHO has said. [News Source]