Avian flu chips go commercial (EETimes) Avian flu chips validated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could soon be showing up at U.S. medical clinics. [News Source]

Avian Influenza 2006 – From Asia To Africa, From Europe To The Mediterranean (Medical News Today) Previously, the H5N1 virus had been confined to Asia; however, in February it reached Africa, more precisely Nigeria. Dogubayazit (Turkey- January), Irbil and Suleimaniya (Iraq- February), Salyan (Azerbaijan- March), Qaliubiya (Egypt-March) and Arta (Djibouti - May). What do they have in common? In 2006, each of these countries experienced its first case of H5N1 avian influenza. [click link for ... [News Source]

It’s a wash — businesses use hand sanitizers to attract customers. No longer the province of hospitals and health clinics, hand sanitizers are being offered from health clubs and schools to restaurants and groceries. [News Source]

Tests on dead bird in Hong Kong point to avian flu (AFP via Yahoo! News) Early results of tests being carried out on the carcass of a wild bird found in Hong Kong indicated it was infected with H5 avian influenza, the government has said. [News Source]

Avian Flu Virus Unlikely To Spread Through Water Systems (Science Daily) Cornell researchers studied a virus related to the avian influenza virus to see whether a hypothetical mutated form of H5N1 could infect people through drinking and wastewater systems. [News Source]

DNA Vaccine For H5N1 Avian Influenza Enters Human Trial (Science Daily) The first human trial of a DNA vaccine designed to prevent H5N1 avian influenza infection began on December 21, 2006, when the vaccine was administered to the first volunteer at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center in Bethesda, MD. Scientists from the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of the NIH Institutes, ... [News Source]

Avian flu virus can’t spread through drinking and wastewater systems (New Kerala) Washington, Jan 4: A collaborative study by researchers at Cornell and the US Military Academy has shown that 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]