State to test avian flu and pandemic preparedness (WCAX 3) MONTPELIER, Vt. -- The state will test its plans to respond to avian flu and a flu pandemic. In a two-week exercise this month, the state will respond to the mock discovery of bird flu on a poultry farm in southern Vermont. The drill also will include the quarantine of students at two colleges. [News Source]

Early detection best to control bird flu (Reuters via Yahoo! UK & Ireland News) Immediate culling of infected birds and detecting the virus early are the best ways to control an outbreak of avian flu on farms, researchers said on Wednesday. [News Source]

State to test avian flu and pandemic preparedness (WCAX 3) MONTPELIER, Vt. -- The state will test its plans to respond to avian flu and a flu pandemic. In a two-week exercise this month, the state will respond to the mock discovery of bird flu on a poultry farm in southern Vermont. The drill also will include the quarantine of students at two colleges. [News Source]

State to stockpile bird flu treatment. California is purchasing over 3.7 million treatments of anti-viral drugs to treat a human form of avian influenza in the event of a pandemic. [News Source]

Bird flu 101. Starting this fall, the three R's will be joined by lessons on how to properly scrub your hands and blow your nose as schools study the possibility of a pandemic. [News Source]

City unveils a plan to identify, and contain, a flu pandemic. Responding to the growing threat of global illnesses like the avian flu, city officials announced a new plan yesterday to combat a flu pandemic that could sicken millions of New Yorkers. [News Source]

UK to buy 10m bird flu vaccines (BBC News) A further 10 million bird flu vaccines for use on poultry and captive birds are to be bought, ministers say. [News Source]

Romania’s Fowl-Culling Stems Spread of Bird Flu, U.S. Govt Says (Bloomberg.com) July 11 (Bloomberg) -- Romania culled almost 1 million fowl in May, stemming outbreaks of lethal bird flu that caused demand for poultry meat to slump by as much as 80 percent, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said. [News Source]

Health officials look to fight unlikely bird flu outbreak (Norwalk Advocate) Despite facing only a one in a million chance of contracting avian flu, people should still be prepared for an outbreak, state Department of Public Health officials said yesterday. [News Source]

Avian Influenza Still Expanding In Africa – Disease Widely Checked But Could Pose Threat For Years (Medical News Today) While avian influenza has been successfully checked in Western Europe and much of Southeast Asia apart from Indonesia, it is still expanding in Africa and will remain a threat for years to come, FAO Deputy Director-General David Harcharik told a high-level meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in Geneva today. [click link for full article] [News Source]

Final Epidemiology Report For Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H7N3) Outbreak In Norfolk, England, April – May 2006 (Medical News Today) The two restriction zones surrounding the three premises in Norfolk where low pathogenic H7N3 avian influenza was found were lifted at 10.00am on 26 May 2006. The decision was taken after all appropriate surveillance and tracing had been completed and clinical and laboratory testing had found no further positive results. 21 days had passed since the completion of cleansing and disinfection. [News Source]

Romania’s Fowl-Culling Stems Spread of Bird Flu, U.S. Govt Says (Bloomberg.com) July 11 (Bloomberg) -- Romania culled almost 1 million fowl in May, stemming outbreaks of lethal bird flu that caused demand for poultry meat to slump by as much as 80 percent, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said. [News Source]