Indonesia takes steps to contain bird flu: minister (People’s Daily) Indonesian Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie said Tuesday that his country has taken six strategic steps to contain the spread of bird flu virus in accordance with UN recommendations. "In general, the six strate ... [News Source]

What’s hatching? (Indian Express via Yahoo! India News) What is avian flu? Avian influenza (also known as bird flu) is a type of influenza virulent in birds. It was first identified in Italy in the early 1900s and now exists worldwide. Causes * H5N1 virus in birds * Human infection comes from contact with sick fowl or their faeces Symptoms Fever, cough, sore throat, and muscle aches, eye infections, pneumonia, severe respiratory diseases (such as ... [News Source]

A first in region, avian flu care unit at NRS by mid-September (Indian Express via Yahoo! India News) An avian flu care centre, the first of its kind in the eastern region, is all set to come up at Nil Ratan Sarkar Medical College and Hospital in a week. The centre is a joint initiative of Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the state Health department and will cater to cases with reports of bird flu coming from Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand. Apart from sophisticated ... [News Source]

U.S. not ready for bird flu, other disasters: reports. An incident in which a tuberculosis-infected man walked past U.S. border controls in May shows how poorly the country is defended against importing infectious diseases, according to a new report. [News Source]

Indonesia seeks Russian help in fight against bird flu - minister (Russian Information Agency Novosti) NUSA DUA (Indonesia), September 11 (RIA Novosti) - Indonesia, which accounts for over 40% of the worldwide human death toll from avian influenza, hopes for Russia's assistance in the fight against the disease, an Indonesian minister said Tuesday. [News Source]

Indonesia resumes sharing bird flu samples (Straits Times) NUSA DUA (Indonesia) - A UN official and Indonesian minister said on Tuesday that Indonesia had resumed sending samples of the bird flu virus infecting humans to the World Health Organisation. [News Source]

Bird flu conference to start in Bali (The Jakarta Post) JAKARTA: An international conference on bird flu, titled Key Partners on Avian Influenza and Pandemic Preparedness, will be held in Jimbaran in Bali on Tuesday. [News Source]