Japan Flocks to Ostrich Masks to Help Fight Swine Flu Paranoia (Bloomberg) June 1 (Bloomberg) -- Japanese researcher Yasuhiro Tsukamoto’s flock of 500 ostriches are being enlisted into the global fight against swine flu by exploiting Japan’s practice of wearing masks in public to ward off allergies and colds. [News Source]

Experts said unprepared for swine flu (redOrbit) This year's swine flu outbreak refuted many of the predictions about how the next large-scale flu pandemic would originate and spread, experts say. The world's medical community had based much of their pandemic planning on the 2004 H5N1 bird flu outbreak in Southeast Asia, which proved to be a poor model for predicting how the latest novel flu strain, H1N1, would play out, The Washington Post ... [News Source]

Bird flu hits Bengal again (Business Standard India) Even as the threat of swine flu continues, a fresh outbreak of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (bird flu) has been reported from West Bengal. [News Source]

Swine flu spurs experts to rethink definition of pandemic. Influenza experts are acknowledging that they were almost completely surprised by the way the current swine flu outbreak unfolded, so much so it is forcing the world to rethink what a pandemic is and what pandemic preparedness means. [News Source]

Farms feeding us a side of disease? The so-called swine flu, a mix of human, pig and bird flu strains, is a reminder that people and animals share much, including disease and infection. [News Source]

Swine flu spurs experts to rethink definition of pandemic. Influenza experts are acknowledging that they were almost completely surprised by the way the current swine flu outbreak unfolded, so much so it is forcing the world to rethink what a pandemic is and what pandemic preparedness means. [News Source]

Bird Flu Virus Remains Infectious Up To 600 Days In Municipal Landfills (Medical News Today) Amid concerns about a pandemic of swine flu, researchers from Nebraska report for the first time that poultry carcasses infected with another threat - the "bird flu" virus - can remain infectious in municipal landfills for almost 2 years. Their report is scheduled for the June 15 issue of ACS' semi-monthly journal Environmental Science & Technology. Shannon L. [News Source]

Over 15,510 Bird Flu A(H1N1) Human Cases Confirmed Worldwide, Including 99 Deaths (Medical News Today) The WHO (World Health Organization) reported yesterday evening that the total number of swine flu A(H1N1) confirmed human cases of infection has exceeded 15,510, including 99 deaths. The real figure is higher because there is a delay between local health authority reports and the WHO global report. [News Source]

Don’t let zoonosis bug you (News Interactive) MAD cow disease, swine and bird flu - it seems species - hopping diseases are on the rise. But there's no need to panic. [News Source]

New details on virus’s promiscuous past. An international team of scientists working at breakneck speed has provided the most detailed description yet of the origins of the novel H1N1 swine flu virus now causing a global outbreak. [News Source]

This pathogen has potential to be deadly. As the tally of Australians infected with swine flu grows, so does the likelihood the virus will pick up a deadly kick. If so, it may not be treatable with existing antiviral medication. [News Source]

A British first for carbon capture? Carbon dioxide has been captured from a British coal-fired power station for the first time today. [News Source]