U.N.: Bird Flu Will Cost Another $1.3B (RedNova) By PAUL BURKHARDT UNITED NATIONS - The U.N. on Tuesday reported progress in the fight against the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, but said that risks remain and at least $1.3 billion is still needed as the virus threatens poor regions like Africa. Dr. David Nabarro, senior U.N. [News Source]

Virginia officials monitor waterfowl for avian flu (Gene Mueller) (The Washington Times) In a nationwide effort to monitor a dangerous strain of avian flu, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries is collecting waterfowl samples. It's a smart call by wildlife officials who want to stay on top of something like the highly pathogenic Asian strain of H5N1 avian influenza. [News Source]

U.N.: Bird flu will cost another $1.3B (AP via Yahoo! News) The U.N. on Tuesday reported progress in the fight against the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, but said that risks remain and at least $1.3 billion is still needed as the virus threatens poor regions like Africa. [News Source]

China Bans Poultry From South Korea to Deter Bird Flu (Update2) (Bloomberg.com) Nov. 29 (Bloomberg) -- China banned the import of poultry from South Korea in six provinces to prevent an outbreak of bird flu from spreading across its borders. [News Source]

Indonesia reports 57th avian flu death (CIDRAP) Nov 28, 2006 (CIDRAP News) - A 35-year-old woman who was previously listed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as Indonesia’s 73rd person infected with H5N1 avian influenza died today, the country’s health ministry reported. [News Source]

Experts urge extra billion dollars to fight bird flu (AFP via Yahoo! News) World donors must extend around an extra billion dollars to fight bird flu as the deadly virus spreads to ill-prepared countries in Africa and the Middle East, experts said. [News Source]

South Korea culls 236,000 poultry to halt bird flu. South Korea expects to cull 236,000 poultry by the end of the week to prevent spreading of the highly virulent H5N1 strain of bird flu, after the country's first outbreak in three years, officials said on Monday. [News Source]

S. Korea to kill cats and dogs in flu fight. South Korea plans to kill cats and dogs to try to prevent the spread of bird flu after an outbreak of the deadly H5N1 virus at a chicken farm last week, officials said yesterday. [News Source]

Indonesian woman dies of bird flu. An Indonesian woman died of bird flu early Tuesday after being treated for almost three weeks in a hospital in Jakarta, raising the country's death toll to 57, a hospital official said. [News Source]

Migratory birds looked at as possible source of bird flu. There is a possibility that a virulent strain of avian influenza detected in South Korea was contracted from migratory birds, but it is too early to determine the risk. [News Source]

Sri Lanka confirms Chikungunya viral fever epidemic. Sri Lanka has confirmed an epidemic of the mosquito-borne Chikungunya viral fever, a top health official said on Saturday, infecting 5,000 people. [News Source]

Bird flu may cost poultry  sector huge financial losses (The Manila Times) KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato: The country’s poultry industry may suffer severe financial losses if the dreaded avian influenza or bird-flu disease should strike the country, an official of the Veterinary Quarantine Services said. [News Source]