UN urges China to stay alert on bird flu spread (Gulf Times) BEIJING: A recent string of bird flu infections in humans in China posed no pandemic risk as the cases were unrelated, but authorities need to remain alert, UN experts said yesterday. [News Source]

Bird flu remains a threat to humans, U.N. says (The Charlotte Observer) (By TIM JOHNSON, McClatchy Newspapers) A handful of new human fatalities from bird flu underscore that the H5N1 virus has become entrenched in some countries, such as China, and that it still could mutate and flare into a global pandemic, U.N. officials said Wednesday. China has reported five deaths from eight cases of bird flu so far this year. U.N. advisers said that the victims had come into ... [News Source]

Bird flu remains a threat to humans, U.N. says (McClatchy Newspapers via Yahoo! News) BEIJING — A handful of new human fatalities from bird flu underscore that the H5N1 virus has become entrenched in some countries, such as China, and that it still could mutate and flare into a global pandemic, U.N. officials said Wednesday. [News Source]

China bird flu not pandemic, but be prepared: UN (AFP via Yahoo! News) A recent string of bird flu infections in humans in China posed no pandemic risk as the cases were unrelated, but authorities need to remain alert, UN experts said on Wednesday. [News Source]

Fresh outbreak of bird flu in West Bengal (New Kerala) Kolkata, Feb 18 : A fresh outbreak of bird flu was reported in West Bengal's South Dinajpur district prompting the authorities to start culling operations, an official said Wednesday. [News Source]

Fresh outbreak of bird flu in West Bengal (Hindustan Times) A fresh outbreak of bird flu was reported in West Bengal's South Dinajpur district prompting the authorities to start culling operations, an official said Wednesday. [News Source]

WHO: China’s bird flu cases don’t signal pandemic (AP via Yahoo! Malaysia News) China's eight bird flu cases last month do not constitute an immediate public health problem, U.N. health officials said Wednesday, but the country needs to step up its vigilance to combat the disease. [News Source]

WHO: China’s bird flu cases don’t signal pandemic (AP via Yahoo! Philippines News) China's eight bird flu cases last month do not constitute an immediate public health problem, U.N. health officials said Wednesday, but the country needs to step up its vigilance to combat the disease. [News Source]

Avian Flu Economics Expert Urges Vigilance In Monitoring Recent Outbreak (PRWeb via Yahoo! News) The recent reoccurrence of the avian flu in China, India and the Middle East should serve as a reminder that threats to the global economy can come from a variety of sources, cautions the leader of a task force that studied the avian flu threat and its potentially devastating impact on world financial markets. [News Source]

China needs better bird flu surveillance – experts (The Star) BEIJING (Reuters) - China needs to improve its surveillance of the bird flu virus after a recent rise in human cases, but there are no signs the country is on the verge of an epidemic, U.N. experts said on Wednesday. [News Source]

China needs better bird flu surveillance -experts (AlertNet) Source: Reuters BEIJING, Feb 18 (Reuters) - China needs to improve its surveillance of the bird flu virus after a recent rise in human cases, but there are no signs the country is on the verge of an epidemic, U.N. ... [News Source]

Bird flu hits eight provinces of Vietnam nationwide (People’s Daily) Bird flu is plaguing in eight provinces of Vietnam nationwide with a newly-reported Mekong Delta province Bac Lieu of the virus infection, according to Department of Animal Health under Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on Wednesday. In Bac Lieu province, bird flu has killed 30 ducks of an infected flock of 607 ducks of 30 days old, raised at a local farm, said the department, ... [News Source]