China’s Drought May Make Birds More Susceptible to Avian Flu (Bloomberg) Feb. 4 (Bloomberg) -- A drought in northern China that has limited drinking water to almost 4 million people may also be making birds more susceptible to the deadly H5N1 avian-flu strain. [News Source]

Hong Kong suggests that China could be hiding bird flu outbreak (Shanghaiist) Hong Kong is hinting that the Chinese mainland might be covering up a new outbreak of bird flu , after a number of dead fowl were found on Lantau Island. So far, 17 dead birds have washed up on Lantau's beaches in recent days, three of which had tested positive for the H5N1 virus. Lo Wing-Lok, a Hong Kong government adviser on infectious diseases, told Bloomberg : “There’s no ... [News Source]

Chinese Girl Infected With Avian Flu Discharged From Hospital (Bloomberg) Feb. 4 (Bloomberg) -- A three-year-old girl from northern China who contracted avian influenza has become the first of eight people diagnosed with the virus this year to be discharged from hospital, the Ministry of Health said. [News Source]

Bird flu spreads in Vietnam after culling delay (EARTHtimes.org) Hanoi - An outbreak of the H5N1 avian flu virus on a farm in Vietnam's Mekong Delta has spread to five neighboring hamlets because farmers and local officials waited two weeks before culling infected birds, a senior government official said Wednesday... [News Source]

Chinese infant recovers from bird flu infection (People’s Daily) A 3-year-old girl has become the youngest person ever in China to recover from bird flu infection. The girl, identified only by her surname Peng, was hospitalized last month in north China's Shanxi Province after being diagnosed with the H5N1 strain of avian influenza. She was discharged Tuesday from the No.4 People's Hospital in Taiyuan, the provincial capital of Shanxi. Holding the baby girl ... [News Source]

More dead birds found in Hongkong as China avian-flu fears grow (The Sun) HONGKONG (Feb 04, 2009): Nine more dead birds have been found on beaches in Hongkong, officials said on Wednesday, as fears grew of a major unreported avian-flu outbreak in mainland China. [News Source]

H5N2 virus behind avian influenza outbreak at B.C. turkey farm: CFIA (CNews) OTTAWA - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says the virus responsible for an outbreak of avian influenza in B.C.'s Fraser Valley is an H5N2 virus. [News Source]