Bird Flu Outbreaks In Bangladesh Require Long-term Strategic Response -Situation Remains Serious, FAO Will Increase … (Medical News Today) The bird flu situation in Bangladesh remains serious and the country will have to engage in a long-term strategic campaign against Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in order to get the spreading H5N1 virus under control, FAO said today. [click link for full article] [News Source]

Bird Flu Virus Samples Must Be Shared, Officials Say (Update1) (Bloomberg.com) May 23 (Bloomberg) -- Bird flu virus samples, which help scientists formulate vaccines against the disease, should be shared by countries to protect against a pandemic, government leaders said in Geneva today. [News Source]

Some health staff wouldn’t work during a pandemic. A survey of U.S. healthcare workers suggests that not all will be willing to be on the frontlines if there should be an outbreak of bird flu or other infectious disease. [News Source]

U.N. seeks bird flu vaccine for poor. The U.N. health agency on Tuesday reached a preliminary agreement that seeks to ensure all countries share their H5N1 virus samples with the World Health Organization and that poor countries get a portion of future pandemic flu vaccines. [News Source]

WHO reaches bird flu vaccine deal. The World Health Organisation says it has reached a framework agreement to ensure all countries share samples of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu. [News Source]

Health officials fail to agree on flu virus sharing. The swift development of new vaccines to protect against a future flu pandemic was threatened on Wednesday after countries failed to resolve differences over the rules for sharing virus samples. [News Source]

Some firms spreading risk in pandemic planning. Some large companies are starting to diversify their manufacturing bases in Asia and rely less on countries that are considered to be hotspots for an influenza pandemic, consultants said. [News Source]

FACTBOX-Bird flu’s spread around the globe (AlertNet) Source: Reuters May 23 (Reuters) - Vietnam on Wednesday reported its first suspected human case of bird flu since November 2005 after a series of outbreaks in poultry. Indonesia also reported on Wednesday that a 5- ... [News Source]

Over 6,000 poultry culled to control bird-flu outbreak (IANS via Yahoo! India News) Islamabad, May 23 (DPA) Authorities have culled more than 6,000 birds to control a new outbreak of avian flu at three poultry farms in this Pakistani capital, an official said Wednesday. [News Source]

Over 6,000 birds culled as new bird-flu outbreak hits Islamabad (EARTHtimes.org) Islamabad - Authorities have culled more than 6,000 birds to control a new outbreak of avian flu at three poultry farms in the Pakistani capital, an official said Wednesday. Laboratory tests confirmed the presence of H5N1, a strain of bird flu that ha... [News Source]

Indonesia bird flu death toll climbs to 77 after young girl dies (EARTHtimes.org) Jakarta- A 5-year girl Indonesian girl who died last week tested positive for bird flu on Wednesday, bringing the country's world-leading death toll from the H5N1 avian influenza virus to 77, a health official said. The child died in hospital in Solo... [News Source]

Indonesia reports 77th bird flu death (Disaster News Network) A 5-year-old girl has died of the H5N1 strain of bird flu in Indonesia, the 77th person to die in that country which has the highest avian flu death toll in the world, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). [News Source]