Wanted: An eco prophet. People are drifting into a lethal slumber on climate change; more of the same won't wake them up. We need to be taught to believe by a true believer in a world where belief is the fatal, missing ingredient. [News Source]

In Brief: New plan to fight bird flu in Egypt (AlertNet) Source: IRIN Egypt is moving to curb the spread of avian influenza (H5N1) after a recent upsurge in infections, the Egyptian Health Ministry says. [News Source]

Nigeria : Bird Flu – FCTA Deploys Vet Doctors to Entry Points (AllAfrica.com) Abuja — Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Senator Adamu Aliero, has deployed trained veterinary doctors to man all entry points to the nation's capital, in a bid to forestall the outbreak of the deadly Avian influenzal flu, otherwise known as bird flu... [News Source]

Vaxart raises $12.5M to advance Phase I clinical trials on Avian flu vaccine (News-Medical-Net) Vaxart, Inc., a San Francisco biotechnology company developing oral-delivery vaccines, has closed a $12.5 million Series B financing, led by Care Capital of Princeton NJ. The funding will be used to advance the Company's lead product, an oral vaccine for Avian influenza, through Phase I clinical trials. [News Source]

Are vaccines safe? Drug makers are projecting $21.5 billion in sales in 2012 from vaccines. To reach this target they need legislation passed that will make vaccinations compulsory. Any attempt to introduce legislation of this nature should be challenged as a violation of our constitutional rights. [News Source]

Tough lessons from Dutch Q fever outbreak. The chief veterinary officer of the Netherlands has defended the country's decision to cull thousands of goats in an effort to control an unprecedented outbreak of Q fever. [News Source]

Inovio Biomedical H5N1 Avian Influenza DNA Vaccine Receives Korean Approval To Begin Clinical Trials (Medical News Today) Inovio Biomedical Corporation (NYSE Amex: INO), a leader in DNA vaccine design, development and delivery, announced that its affiliate VGX International Inc. (Korean Stock Exchange: 011000) has received approval in Korea to begin a Phase I clinical trial in healthy volunteers for Inovio's SynCon™ preventive DNA vaccine (VGX-3400) targeting H5N1 avian influenza. Inovio is co-developing VGX-3400 ... [News Source]

Vietnam reports two new human cases of bird flu (EARTHtimes.org) Hanoi - Vietnamese authorities announced two new human cases of avian influenza Wednesday, the second and third this year. Nguyen Huy Nga, head of the Health Ministry's preventive medicine and environment department, said the latest cases were a 17-y... [News Source]

Bird flu outbreak strikes Khanh Hoa (Vietnam Net) VietNamNet Bridge – A fresh outbreak of avian flu (A/H5N1) has been reported in central Khanh Hoa Province, killing nearly 10,000 birds. Affected areas have been decontaminated and poultry incinerated, said a spokesperson from the provincial Animal Health Unit. [News Source]

Bird flu epidemic returns (Vietnam Net) VietNamNet Bridge - The bird flu epidemic has recurred in five provinces including Ca Mau, Dien Bien, Soc Trang, Nam Dinh and Khanh Hoa. Khanh Hoa is the latest province struck by the epidemic, which infected 770 chickens in Ninh Hoa district and 6,000 birds in Van Ninh district. [News Source]

Inovio Biomedical H5N1 Avian Influenza DNA Vaccine Receives Korean Approval to Begin Clinical Trials (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance) SAN DIEGO----Inovio Biomedical Corporation , a leader in DNA vaccine design, development and delivery, announced today that its affiliate VGX International Inc. has received approval in Korea to begin a Phase I clinical trial in healthy volunteers for Inovio’s SynCon™ preventive DNA vaccine targeting H5N1 avian influenza. [News Source]

Bird flu kills woman in southern Vietnam (AsiaOne) HANOI - A Vietnamese woman who slaughtered and processed sick poultry has died from bird flu, the first fatality from the avian influenza virus this year in Vietnam, the Health Ministry said. [News Source]