Bird flu makes a return, dead birds test positive in Murshidabad (The Times of India) Eight months after India reported its last case of bird flu in poultry and two months after India declared itself free of the deadly H5N1 virus, avian influenza has returned to haunt the country. [News Source]

Bird flu strikes West Bengal again (Express India) Less than just three months of being declared as bird flu free, the dreaded disease has again struck India and this time the epicenter is Khargram block of Murshidabad district of West Bengal. [News Source]

Fresh outbreak of bird flu in West Bengal (The Hindu) NEW DELHI: Barely three months after India declared itself free from bird flu, the Centre has notified a fresh outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5 strain of Avian Influenza (bird flu) in Murshidabad district of West Bengal. ... [News Source]

Questions abound in Q-fever explosion in the Netherlands. A burgeoning goat-farm sector appears to be behind the worst outbreak ever recorded in humans of a rare zoonosis that until now has been seen primarily as a rare occupational disease for farmers, veterinarians, and slaughterhouse workers. [News Source]

WHO official denies exaggeration about dangers of swine flu pandemic. A top WHO official dismissed charges Thursday that the agency exaggerated the threat posed by the H1N1 virus and that it had been unduly influenced by the pharmaceutical industry to issue dire warnings about the pandemic. [News Source]

Facing inquiry, WHO strikes back at “fake pandemic” criticism. The WHO today defended itself against criticism that the H1N1 swine flu pandemic was "fake," that its threat to human health was hyped, and that WHO's policies were influenced by vaccine manufacturers who benefited from the pandemic virus. [News Source]

H1N1 death rates higher for some ethnic and racial groups in California. California Latinos have been nearly twice as likely as whites to die of H1N1 flu since the pandemic began last spring, according to statewide figures released Thursday by the California Department of Public Health. [News Source]

The air up there. Spending hours on a crowded plane seems like the perfect way to pick up a cold or flu. But research shows that airliners pose less of a health risk than you might think—and new technology promises to make flying even healthier. [News Source]

Swine flu was as elusive as WMD. The real threat is mad scientist syndrome. Remember the warnings of 65,000 dead? Health chiefs should admit they were wrong – yet again – about a global pandemic. [News Source]

Fresh outbreak of bird flu reported in Bengal (rediff.com) A fresh outbreak of bird flu was reported from Murshidabad district of West Bengal on Friday, prompting the authorities to launch a culling operation, as the Union health ministry rushed a central team to the state. Culling of poultry began at Khargram and Nabagram areas of the district, which were the worst-affected when the avian flu hit the state last year. Over 1,000 chicken and ducks have ... [News Source]

Bird flu scare: Culling starts in Murshidabad villages (Press Trust of India) Behrampore (WB), Jan 15 (PTI) Culling of poultry began today at Khargram and Nabagram areas in Murshidabad district after hundreds of chicken died in the past few days. [News Source]