Bird flu emergency drill conducted (The Japan Times) Firefighters conducted a drill Wednesday based on a scenario involving the onset of the deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza in Japan. The drill, conducted at Kawasaki's fire department, was the first of its kind sponsored by the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, a unit of the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry. Read the full story [News Source]

Bird flu vaccine to hit the shelves. The European Commission has approved a new vaccine against the H5N1 bird flu virus — the first vaccine designed to ward off a future pandemic. But how the drug will be deployed by national governments remains unclear. [News Source]