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Health Officials Keep Close Watch on Bird Flu An especially virulent strain of the bird flu has spread from Asia to Europe and Africa. Known as H5N1, the virus can infect humans as well as birds. World leaders and health officials are taking the threat of a pandemic seriously, and pressure is on to develop effective containment measures and treatments.
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Special Series

Health Officials Keep Close Watch on Bird Flu

A pandemic is feared if the virulent strain, now in Asia, Europe and Africa, jumps to humans.

Sunday

Companies Prepare for Possibility of Pandemic

More than 2,500 banks and insurance companies recently participated in a United States Treasury Dept. computer exercise that simulated the effects of an avian flu pandemic in an effort to evaluate their preparedness in the event of widespread emergency. Valerie Abend of the Department of Treasury speaks with Liane Hansen about the exercise.

Companies Prepare for Possibility of Pandemic

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Friday

Weighing the U.K. Avian Flu Outbreak

Agricultural workers in the United Kingdom kill thousands of turkeys, seeking to block the spread of bird flu. Meanwhile, investigators try to trace the source of the infection. How should the United State react if faced by an outbreak of influenza on the scale of the 1918 epidemic?

Weighing the U.K. Avian Flu Outbreak

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Tuesday

Experts: Use 1918 Methods to Fight Pandemic

When the next pandemic strikes, Navy researchers suggest reviving a treatment used during the deadly pandemic of 1918. Back then, military doctors injected severely afflicted patients with blood or blood plasma from people who had recovered from the flu. Studies show the treatment reduced mortality rates by as much as 50 percent.

Experts: Use 1918 Methods to Fight Pandemic

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Friday

Thursday

Human Transmission Feared in Bird-Flu Deaths

The so-called avian flu virus scientists have dubbed H5N1 has reportedly killed seven members of a family in Indonesia. World Health Organization officials are concerned the infection was passed through human contact. Alex Chadwick talks about the outbreak with Wall Street Journal reporter Nicholas Zamiska.

Human Transmission Feared in Bird-Flu Deaths

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Wednesday

WHO Monitors Bird-Flu in Sumatra

The World Health Organization says it will not raise its flu pandemic alert level, despite reports of several cases of bird flu in an Indonesian family. But the agency is watching the situation closely to determine whether bird flu is being passed from human to human in North Sumatra.

WHO Monitors Bird-Flu in Sumatra

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Romania Maintains Bird-Flu Quarantines

Quarantines meant to halt the spread of bird flu in Bucharest have been scaled back, but some neighborhoods on the outskirts of the city are still under lockdown. On Monday, city officials quarantined thousands of residents in response to growing numbers of bird-flu reports centered about 100 miles north of the capital. Melissa Block talks with Radu Tudor of Romania's Jurnalul National newspaper.

Romania Maintains Bird-Flu Quarantines

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Friday

Researchers Fan Out to Find Bird Flu in Alaska

In Alaska alone, the goal is to test and screen more than 15,000 birds this summer and fall. Despite the looming danger, the surveillance effort is still somewhat of a work in progress.

Researchers Fan Out to Find Bird Flu in Alaska

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Friday

Protecting Chickens from Avian Flu

Are backyard chickens the great American bird flu threat? A poultry expert weighs in on how people who keep flocks of chickens at home in the United States can protect their birds -- and their families and neighbors -- from the threat of avian flu.

Protecting Chickens from Avian Flu

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Wednesday

Feds Announce Flu Plan, But Will It Work?

The Bush administration on Wednesday announced a national strategy for dealing with a potential influenza pandemic. Madeleine Brand talks to Laurie Garrett, senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations, about how the government can plan for and fight deadly health threats.

Feds Announce Flu Plan, But Will It Work?

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On the Front Lines of a Bird-Flu Pandemic

Madeleine Brand talks with Eddie Hedrick, an epidemiologist and the emerging infections coordinator for the Missouri Department of Health, about how people on the front lines of a potential avian-flu pandemic should be prepared to respond.

On the Front Lines of a Bird-Flu Pandemic

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U.S. Releases Second Phase of Bird-Flu Plan

The White House presents a new plan for implementing its national strategy in the event of an avian-flu pandemic. Phase one was released in November. Guests examine the administration's action plan.

U.S. Releases Second Phase of Bird-Flu Plan

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Vital Businesses Prepare for Flu Pandemic

One goal of the White House's flu plan is to help businesses that provide necessities such as food, power and cash stay up and running during a pandemic. But business experts say that keeping the supply lines open could be a major challenge.

Vital Businesses Prepare for Flu Pandemic

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Pandemic Flu Plan Suggests a Limited Federal Role

A draft flu-pandemic response plan from the federal government says a worst-case scenario could kill as many as 2 million people in the United States. The draft Bush administration plan is an update to the $7.1 billion in pandemic preparations that it proposed last fall. The plan outlines exactly which government agency is responsible for about 300 tasks.

Pandemic Flu Plan Suggests a Limited Federal Role

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Monday

Scientists Look for Signs of Bird Flu in Alaska

Alaska is considered the most likely source of entry for the avian flu into the United States. Elizabeth Arnold reports on how scientists there are working with the federal government to check migratory birds for signs of the avian flu virus.

Scientists Look for Signs of Bird Flu in Alaska

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