Indonesia reconsiders vaccinations for children, citing mistrust of drug companies. Indonesia's controversial health minister says she wants to end vaccinating children against meningitis, mumps and some other diseases because she fears foreign drug companies are using the country as a testing ground. [News Source]

DA halts importation of birds and poultry from Japan, Czech Republic (GMA News) MANILA, Philippines - The importation of birds and poultry from Japan and the Czech Republic will be temporarily suspended as part of efforts to keep the Philippines free of Avian Influenza or bird flu, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Wednesday. [News Source]

Bird flu drug hope from Indian trees (The Telegraph) New Delhi, March 24: Indian scientists have identified trees in the Western Ghats that might serve as an alternative source of raw material for the standard drug against bird flu currently supplied to the world mainly by China. [News Source]

Bird flu quarantine on British Columbia farms ends (AG Weekly) VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) _ A bird flu-related quarantine has been lifted on 22 poultry farms in the Fraser Valley east of Vancouver. The restrictions were lifted after three weeks of surveillance and testing by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. [News Source]

Woman’s death raises bird flu fears in Vietnam (The Malay Mail) HANOI: Vietnamese authorities believe a woman who died last week may have been infected with avian influenza, state media said yesterday. [News Source]

Egyptian woman contracts bird flu (Gulf Times) A 38-year-old Egyptian woman has contracted the H5N1 strain of bird flu and is in a stable condition, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said yesterday. [News Source]

NEWS SCAN: Avian flu, pandemic guidance for cargo haulers, receipts track E coli , cholera outbreak, oysters and … (Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy) WHO confirms Egypt's latest H5N1 case The World Health Organization (WHO) today confirmed H5N1 avian influenza in a 38-year-old Egyptian woman from Asyut governorate who is in stable condition. [News Source]

Egypt reports new human case of bird flu: WHO (AFP via Yahoo! News) A 38-year-old woman has been hospitalised after contracting bird flu in Egypt, where some 23 people have been killed by the disease since 2006, the World Health Organization said on Monday. [News Source]

Egyptian woman contracts bird flu: WHO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) A 38-year-old Egyptian woman has contracted the H5N1 strain of bird flu and is in a stable condition, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday. [News Source]

Egyptian woman contracts bird flu – WHO (AlertNet) Source: Reuters GENEVA, March 23 (Reuters) - A 38-year-old Egyptian woman has contracted the H5N1 strain of bird flu and is in a stable condition, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Monday. The woman, from ... [News Source]

Drug-resistant flu strains throwing doctors a curve. Even as this year's flu season winds down, doctors say the implications of the spread of drug-resistant flu strains could resonate in seasons to come, affecting treatment and highlighting the need for faster flu tests, new drugs and global monitoring of flu viruses. [News Source]

China’s feed output grew in 2008 despite melamine scandal. Wang Xiaohong, a division chief with the ministry's feed office, told a conference the ministry was still investigating the impact of the chemical additives on livestock. [News Source]