Quick identification of avian influenza infection in poultry is critical to controlling outbreaks, but current detection methods can require several days to produce results.

H5N1 influenza, also known as avian influenza, is considered a major global threat to human health, with high fatality rates.

International agencies fighting the avian flu epidemic concluded a regional workshop with a renewed call for effective and comprehensive strategies in Africa.

Researchers at the Food Policy Institute at the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station have conducted a nationwide survey of public knowledge, attitudes, intentions and behaviors related to the threat of highly pathogenic avian influenza. The researchers conducted a total of 1200 telephone interviews on the topic between May 3 and June 5, 2006.

For avian influenza, the analyses show that there are two poultry-dense areas in The Netherlands where epidemic spread is possible, one in the central region and one in the south, close to the German and Belgian border (see attached figure). The authors suggest local control measures are unlikely to be able to halt an unfolding epidemic in these areas.

An important milestone in pandemic preparedness is reached as FDA approves the first human vaccine for avian influenza H5N1.