Ministries conduct 1st communication drill for bird flu (Kyodo via Yahoo! Asia News) _ The Japanese government conducted Tuesday a drill to check if ministries and agencies and their staff are ready to work together and communicate with each other to handle the situation in the event of an outbreak of bird flu. [News Source]

Probing the Mysterious Migration of Swans Suspected in Spread of Avian Flu (New York Times) The migration patterns of whooper swans are poorly understood, but they may have played a role in the brief appearance of avian flu across Europe early this year. [News Source]

‘Better’ bird flu test developed (ic Birmingham) A more effective test for identifying bird flu in humans is now available across the UK, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) announced. The test detects the H5 type, of which the deadly strain H5N1 has caused 62 deaths worldwide, as well as normal seasonal flu. [News Source]

‘Better’ bird flu test developed (ic Birmingham) A more effective test for identifying bird flu in humans is now available across the UK, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) announced. The test detects the H5 type, of which the deadly strain H5N1 has caused 62 deaths worldwide, as well as normal seasonal flu. [News Source]

‘Better’ bird flu test developed (PA via Yahoo! UK & Ireland News) A more effective test for identifying bird flu in humans is now available across the UK, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) announced. [News Source]

‘Live’ bird flu vaccine shows promise: scientists (CTV.ca) A vaccine against H5N1 avian flu made with live but weakened viruses showed considerable promise when tested in animals, U.S. researchers report. [News Source]

Live virus bird flu vaccine promising in animal testing, researchers find (CP via Yahoo! Canada News) TORONTO (CP) - A vaccine against H5N1 avian flu made with live but weakened viruses showed considerable promise when tested in animals, even protecting against strains that had mutated or "drifted" significantly from the one contained in the vaccine, U.S. researchers reported Monday. [News Source]

Live bird flu virus vaccine protects animals-study (Reuters via Yahoo! Asia News) WASHINGTON, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Three experimental vaccines using live but weakened versions of the H5N1 bird flu virus appeared to protect animals from infection, and might offer a way to stockpile vaccines ahead of a pandemic, U.S. researchers said on Monday. [News Source]

Instant treatment vital for bird flu cases, says study (Bangkok Post) Avian flu kills in much the same way the global flu pandemic of 1918 did, by drowning victims in fluid produced in their own lungs, a new study has found. [News Source]

Bird flu triggers high, sustained virus buildup (CTV.ca) The severe disease that H5N1 avian flu provokes in people appears to be caused by the virus's ability to replicate at unusually high levels for a prolonged period, a new scientific paper suggests. [News Source]

Study Sheds Light on How Bird Flu Affects Humans (Fox News) When bird flu infects people, the virus is more concentrated in the throat than the nose, the opposite of human flu. This finding may help doctors more quickly diagnose the bird flu in people. [News Source]

EU OKs 2 veterinary bird flu vaccines. The European Commission said Monday it has approved two vaccines to be used against the bird flu virus in the EU member states. [News Source]