-The Indian Express In Gorakhpur, small successes in understanding - and conquering - the killer disease of children are undercut by a wily virus and administrative bottlenecks Gorakhpur: On August 18, five-year-old Vishal spent the evening playing with friends in Vanjhai village in Gorakhpur district's Bhathat block. He came home irritable, with a slight fever. His mother and grandmother gave him a little milk and sent him to bed. They were not...

-The Hindu     Cites "high risk" of occurrence of avian influenza after monsoon as in the past The Centre has alerted States on post-monsoon outbreak of highly contagious avian influenza or bird flu, which has the potential to be transmitted from birds and poultry to human beings (zoonotic risk). In an advisory to the governments, the Centre said that as in the past there was a "high risk" of occurrence of avian influenza after...

-The Economic Times What are the chances that a chicken infected with bird flu will land on your plate? Zero. What are the chances that a bird flu infection will increase the price you pay for chicken and eggs? 100%. A virulent and deadly infection called avian influenza or bird flu is present in our country. The virus usually affects wild fowl which then infect chickens. The virus can survive for...

United Nations body FAO has said the contagious Avian flu virus H5N1, which causes bird flu, still remains firmly entrenched in India and five other countries because of unhygienic trade practises. "...the virus remains firmly entrenched in Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia and Vietnam," Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said in a statement. "Eliminating the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus from poultry in the six countries where it remains endemic will...

While most countries have managed to stamp out bird flu, eliminating the virus from poultry in the six countries where it remains endemic will take at least 10 years, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says in a new report. The H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1 HPAI), which was reported in 60 countries at its peak in 2006, remains “firmly entrenched” in Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India,...