'Coronavirus epidemic awaits'

The doctor who discovered a new Sars-like virus says it will probably trigger an epidemic at some point, but not necessarily in its current virulent form.

• France reports first case of new Sars-like virus
• 2 new diseases may spark global outbreaks
• Tamiflu May Thwart Pneumonia in 'Swine Flu' Patients: Study

Panic grips Saudis amid fears of Sars-like virus

Panic gripped Saudis in the country's east where most cases of the deadly Coronavirus have been detected.

• H7N9 bird flu strain shows worrying traits
• New bird flu doesn't seem to pass between people
• Sars-like virus may cause deep lung infection

Sars-like virus in Saudi has killed 15

Fifteen people in Saudi Arabia have died from a Sars-like virus out of 24 people who contracted it since last August.

• New virus hits 12 globally with new British case
• 4 fascinating flu maps
• Current bird flu can't cause pandemic - expert

No ‘sustained’ transmission of bird flu

A World Health Organisation official says there is still no evidence that a new strain of deadly bird flu is passing in a "sustained" fashion from person to person, despite fears some family members may have infected one another.

• H7N9 vaccine may take months
• H7N9 bird flu strain shows worrying traits
• China bird flu mutated "under the radar"

China probes the deaths of pig, dogs

Chinese health officials and police have been probing the mysterious deaths of hundreds of pigs and dogs whose carcasses were discovered in a central Chinese city.

• 1 000 dead ducks found in China river
• China pig carcasses tally up to 7 545
• China: Pig carcasses rise to 14 600

Bird flu vaccine 'many months' away

US public health experts say developing a vaccine for the H7N9 strain of bird flu could take "many months", as China seeks to control an outbreak which had killed 11 people.

• China to vaccinate 90 000 pigeons
• Vietnam boy first H5N1 fatality this year
• Residents in China ordered to cull birds

China bird flu threatens KFC success

Yum Brands, the biggest foreign fast-food chain in China, is in danger of breaking its 11-year winning streak as it scrambles to deal with food scares.

• KFC investigated after food scare
• KFC firm to expand African footprint
• Yum forecasts profit rise led by China
• More KFC stores on the way - report
• Yum acquires 68 KFC restaurants
• Afgri to supply chickens to KFC

New bird flu' no immediate threat'

There's been no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission in Chinese outbreak, say experts.

• No sign of sustained spread of bird flu between humans
• China boosts bird flu response as cases rise
• 4 new rare bird flu cases

New avian flu in W Cape

A new bird flu has been detected on an ostrich farm near Oudtshoorn, Western Cape agriculture says.

• Poachers ripping ostrich feathers
• Bird flu hits Southern Cape farm
• Western Cape ostriches to be killed

Vietnam boy first H5N1 fatality this year

A 4-year-old boy has been reported to have died of the bird flu strain H5N1 in the Mekong Delta, authorities say, the country's first fatality from the virus this year.

• Bird flu 'devastates' poultry business
• Two new bird flu cases in China
• 'No bird flu transmission between people'

Scientists race to gauge new bird flu pandemic risk

New genetic sequence data shows that the H7N9 flu virus has already acquired some mutations that might make it more likely to cause a human pandemic, scientists say.

Two new bird flu cases in China

Two more people have contracted bird flu in Shanghai, as authorities closed live poultry markets and culled birds to combat a new virus strain that has killed six people.

• China steps up response to bird flu
• Sixth bird flu death in China
• Shanghai culls poultry over bird flu

Shanghai culls poultry over bird flu

Authorities in Shanghai have closed all poultry markets and have begun culling birds at a major wholesale market, after the death toll from the H7N9 strain of bird flu rose to six, say reports.

• Sixth bird flu death in China
• China reports another H7N9 bird flu death
• Dutch create deadly new bird flu virus

Sixth bird flu death in China

A sixth person has died of the H7N9 strain of bird flu in China, state media says, after authorities carried out a cull of poultry at a Shanghai market where the virus has been detected.

• China reports another H7N9 bird flu death
• Chinese woman dies of bird flu
• Bird flu kills 2nd victim in China

China reports another H7N9 bird flu death

A man in the Chinese province of Zhejiang has died of the H7N9 strain of bird flu, says state media, bringing the total deaths attributed to the virus to three since the first human cases.

• China bird virus likely silent threat
• Chinese woman dies of bird flu
• Bird flu kills 2nd victim in China

4 new rare bird flu cases

Four more people have been reported to have a bird flu virus new to humans in China.

• New case of deadly virus confirmed in Saudi Arabia
• New virus hits 12 globally with new British case
• 4 fascinating flu maps

SA officials to get bird flu training

More South African officials will be trained in the United States to deal with bird flu in poultry, an official said.

• Work resumes on bird flu studies
• Bird flu mutation studies dangerous
• Scientists make 'no bird flu' chickens

Chinese woman dies of bird flu

A woman in southwestern China has died of bird flu, state media says, a rare case in the country of a fatality from the H5N1 virus since a major outbreak a decade ago.

• China reports two human cases of bird flu
• One in five infected by pandemic flu
• India: Swine flu outbreak kills 95 people

Bird-flu kills boy, 4, in Indonesia

A 4-year-old Indonesian boy has died from bird flu, bringing the death toll to 160 in the country hardest-hit by the deadly virus, a health official says.

• Bird flu mutation studies dangerous
• WHO 'deeply concerned' by mutant bird flu
• H5N1: 17 000+ birds killed in Hong Kong

Vietnam man catches bird flu

A man in south Vietnam is in critical condition after catching bird flu from a meal of duck blood, authorities say.

• Bird flu common, study finds
• Bird flu kills Malaysian woman
• Editor backs change to bird flu policy

Bird flu kills Malaysian woman

Tests on a 19-year-old woman who has died show she had contracted the bird flu virus, Indonesia's third human death from the deadly disease this year, say officials.

• Cambodian toddler dies from bird flu
• China says man dies of bird flu
• 2 more HK birds test positive for H5N1

2 more HK birds test positive for H5N1

Hong Kong authorities say two more dead birds have tested positive for a dangerous strain of bird flu, adding to health worries in the city.

• H5N1: 17 000+ birds killed in Hong Kong
• WHO 'deeply concerned' by mutant bird flu
• China says man dies of bird flu

H5N1: 17 000+ birds killed in Hong Kong

Hong Kong health authorities are slaughtering more than 17 000 chickens at a market after a chicken carcass there was found to be infected with bird flu.

• Ostriches culled in Eastern Cape
• UN group warns of new bird flu strain
• Children die of bird flu in Bali

New virus: India to start culling birds

Authorities in India will start culling chickens and destroying eggs to contain a new outbreak of a mutant strain of H5 bird flu that is spreading throughout Asia.

• UN group warns of new bird flu strain
• Bird flu narrowed down to 1 farm
• Bird flu hits Southern Cape farm