Bird flu confirmed, culling starts in Murshidabad (The Times of India) SDO (Kandi) Utpal Bhadra confirmed that serum samples of two birds from Nagar and Hazrabati villages, sent to the Bhopal laboratory, had tested positive. [News Source]

Bird flu outbreak (The Telegraph) Behrampore, Jan. 14: A fresh outbreak of bird flu was reported in Murshidabad district today, prompting the authorities to announce a culling drive in the area from tomorrow. [News Source]

Bird flu breaks out in West Bengal district (New Kerala) Kolkata, Jan 14 : A fresh outbreak of bird flu was reported in West Bengal's Murshidabad district Thursday, prompting the authorities to immediately start a culling drive in the area. [News Source]

Bird flu breaks out in West Bengal district (Calcutta News) A fresh outbreak of bird flu was reported in West Bengal's Murshidabad district Thursday, prompting the authorities to immediately start a culling drive in the area. [News Source]

Swine flu: Crisis communicator. Richard Besser led the United States' top public-health agency as swine flu broke out on its doorstep. And his communication shaped the early days of a pandemic. [News Source]

Too much flu vaccine? Shot push this week to tell. Get ready for a huge flu-shot push as health officials try to rekindle interest in protection against this new influenza strain that, despite plummeting cases, still is threatening lives - even as they reassess just how much more vaccine needs to be shipped. [News Source]

Lessons from a pandemic. Governments and scientists would do well to redouble efforts to reinforce our pandemic defences, and to draw what lessons they can from this outbreak as a dry run for a more severe pandemic. [News Source]

New Research Findings Can Improve Avian Flu Surveillance Programs (Medical News Today) Genetic analyses of avian influenza in wild birds can help pinpoint likely carrier species and geographic hot spots where Eurasian viruses would be most likely to enter North America, according to new U.S. Geological Survey research. Persistence of the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 (HPAI H5N1) virus in Eurasia and Africa, and concerns that the virus might be transported among continents ... [News Source]