Bird Flu Viruses Unlikely to Endure Water Treatment, Study Says (Bloomberg.com) Jan. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Bird flu viruses are unlikely to survive sewerage and drinking water treatment systems, making it doubtful contaminated feces could infect plant workers and spread through tap water, scientists at Cornell University said. [News Source]

Avian flu virus unlikely to spread through wastewater and drinking water treatment systems, Cornell researchers find (Cornell News Service) A close relative of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (H5N1) can be eliminated by waste and drinking water treatments, including chlorination, ultraviolet (UV) radiation and bacterial digesters. [News Source]

Avian flu program called model for nation (Post-Bulletin) RENO, Nev. -- The Rochester-Olmsted County story of preparedness for a possible avian flu pandemic is gaining national attention. A possible influenza pandemic has been like [News Source]

Vietnamese family showing signs of bird flu. Four members of a Vietnamese family have been admitted hospital with symptoms of bird flu after eating sick chickens in the country's south, where the disease re-emerged in poultry earlier this month. [News Source]

For Travelers: A Review Of The Avian Flu (Medical News Today) Though the transmission of the avian bird flu to humans is still considered rare, the threat of a global pandemic is enough for travelers to stay abreast of the latest news. Helping to provide this information is a new article that reviews the avian flu as well as the recommendations for travelers. The article is published in the latest issue of Wilderness and Environmental Medicine. [click link ... [News Source]

Human H5N1 Virus Replikin Count Overtakes That In H5N1 ‘Bird Flu’ (Medical News Today) A common question asked at current scientific conferences is: "Where did bird flu go?" The recent decrease in reported H5N1 human cases and bird outbreaks might indicate that the virus has become dormant. However, quantitative analysis by Replikins, Ltd. [click link for full article] [News Source]

Vietnamese family tests negative to bird flu (Moldova.org) Hanoi (dpa) - A Vietnamese family hospitalized with suspected avian influenza last week has tested negative for the H5N1 virus, suspending fears of a return of human deaths from bird flu after a year's respite, an official said Tuesday. Do Thi Hoa, 37, and her three sons turned out to be suffering from pneumonia, according to Dr Huyen Nhan Tai of the local medical centre in Ca Mau province. ... [News Source]

Government, businesses can prepare for bird flu (The Colony Courier-Leader) It might not be quite time to head for the hills, but it is time to prepare for the avian flu, according to an epidemiological researcher. [News Source]

There have been no known human cases of bird flu in Vietnam since November 2005 [AFP] (Aljazeera) A Vietnamese family suspected of having contracted avian influenza has been found to be suffering from pneumonia instead, hospital tests have shown. [News Source]