S. Koreans say chicken soup safe despite bird flu outbreak (Kyodo via Yahoo! Asia News) _ The South Korean Embassy in Japan and other groups held a tasting event for their traditional chicken soup Wednesday in Tokyo in a bid to show South Korean chicken meat is safe to consume despite a bird flu outbreak there last month. [News Source]

Researchers Debate Potential Path of Bird Flu (NPR) Many experts predicted the deadly bird flu would spread to North America this year. But some scientists now say it's not likely to happen the way many expected --- through wild migratory birds --- but instead through the global trade in live poultry. [News Source]

CDC calls on IQuum for bird flu test (BizJournals) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that Marlborough-based biotechnology firm IQuum Inc. is one of four U.S. companies to share in $11.4 million in contracts to develop technology with the ability to quickly test people for avian influenza. [News Source]

Battle of the bugs. The American market for substances and gadgets that keep the public as far away as possible from ghastly germs is growing all the time - and the gadgets are getting a foothold in the UK. [News Source]

Bird flu fight needs more cash – World Bank. Compensating poultry farmers fast and fairly is central to a global fight against bird flu that is projected to cost an extra $1.2-1.5 billion over the next 2-3 years, international experts said on Monday. [News Source]

US CDC contracts for new, faster bird flu tests. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Monday it had awarded $11.4 million for developing new, quick tests for influenza to four U.S. companies. [News Source]

Bird imports may spread bird flu: study. Infected poultry imported by Brazil, Canada or Mexico is the most likely route for bird flu to spread into the Americas, a group of researchers predicted on Monday. [News Source]

Scientists to Review Fight Against Bird Flu at Mali Conference (Voice of America) Representatives from more than 100 countries are preparing to attend the fourth international conference on avian influenza, Wednesday in Bamako, Mali. Scientists fear that the rapid spread of this highly contagious virus, combined with the lack of preparation in vulnerable countries, can lead to added economic and human losses. [News Source]

How bird flu could come to America. If avian flu makes its way to the U.S., it will most likely hitch a ride on migratory birds flying in from Latin America, having first entered the hemisphere through trade in infected poultry. [News Source]

Bird flu study: U.S. should look south. Birds from Latin America - not from the north - are most likely to bring deadly bird flu to the main United States, researchers said yesterday, suggesting the government might miss the H5N1 virus because biologists have been looking in the wrong direction. [News Source]

CDC Awards $11.4 Million To Develop New Rapid Diagnostic Tests For Avian Influenza (Medical News Today) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today announced $11.4 million in new contracts to four companies working to develop new diagnostic tests that doctors and field epidemiologists could eventually use to quickly and accurately test patients for avian influenza H5N1 and other emerging influenza viruses, as well as more common influenza viruses. [click link for full article] [News Source]