Vical stock rises after company’s bird flu vaccine shown effective in ferrets (San Diego Daily Transcript via Yahoo! News) Shares of Vical Inc. (Nasdaq: VICL, News) climbed Friday after the gene-therapy drug developer said its lead bird-flu vaccine candidate provided 100 percent protection in ferrets against a lethal strain of the H5N1 avian influenza virus. [News Source]

Vical Stock Rises on Bird Flu Vaccine (KiplingerForecasts.com) Shares of Vical Inc. climbed Friday, after the gene-therapy drug developer said its lead bird-flu vaccine candidate provided 100 percent protection in ferrets against a lethal strain of the H5N1 avian influenza virus. [News Source]

Bird flu: Who’s next? Bangladesh!The Role of Public Administration (News From Bangladesh) In comparison to malaria and diarroeal diseases, which together kill over 3 million people every year, bird flu has killed very few people. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the H5N1 virus may mutate into a new human flu virus against, which humans have no immunity. [News Source]

Vical Stock Rises on Bird Flu Vaccine (AP via Yahoo! Finance) Shares of Vical Inc. climbed Friday, after the gene-therapy drug developer said its lead bird-flu vaccine candidate provided 100 percent protection in ferrets against a lethal strain of the H5N1 avian influenza virus. [News Source]

UN praises Myanmar’s efforts against bird flu (AFP via Yahoo! News) The United Nations has praised Myanmar's efforts against bird flu as "impressive" as the military-run country declared itself free from the deadly virus after reporting no human infections. [News Source]

Nigeria: 700,000 Birds Culled Since Bird Flu Outbreak - WHO (AllAfrica.com) Around 700,000 birds have been culled to date in Nigeria since the outbreak of Avian flu in February this year, according to a WHO official. [News Source]

Deadly bird flu not forgotten by U.S health officials. Though media coverage of avian flu has declined that doesn't mean the treat of a pandemic has passed. [News Source]

Single Injection of Vical’s Avian Flu DNA Vaccine Provides 100% Protection in Ferrets (RedNova) VIENNA, Austria, Oct. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Vical Incorporated today announced that a single injection of the company's lead avian influenza (flu) DNA vaccine candidate provided 100% protection in ferrets against lethal challenge with a highly virulent H5N1 virus (Vietnam/1203/2004). [News Source]

Australian bird flu fears downplayed (The Australian) AN Australian animal health expert has downplayed fears migratory birds from Indonesia may bring the avian flu virus to Australian shores. [News Source]

Prepare now for bird flu, state warns. Businesses and households need to prepare now if they are going to survive a bird flu pandemic, a new Queensland Government plan warns. [News Source]

Preparing to battle a crisis in the future. Haunted by the knowledge that influenza killed 50 million people in 1918, scientists and public health officials continue to seek ways to head off the next great pandemic. [News Source]

Australian bird flu fears downplayed (The Australian) AN Australian animal health expert has downplayed fears migratory birds from Indonesia may bring the avian flu virus to Australian shores. [News Source]