As of April 17, World Health Organization (WHO) stats show there have been 381 human cases of avian influenza in 14 countries. Of those, 240 resulted in death, a 63% mortality rate. In 2008, there have been 30 human cases and 23 deaths, with most of the cases in Indonesia and Egypt. Meanwhile, outbreaks in poultry continue in several countries throughout April, in warmer temperatures than in previous years. This has raised concern about mutations that are pushing the virus closer to being able to be passed between humans.
April 19 — South Korea confirms a new outbreak of H5N1 avian flu in poultry, the 25th cluster of cases in the country since late March and the worst outbreak in 4 years.
April 18 — The World Health Organization (WHO) confirms another case of H5N1 avian flu in Egypt, raising the country's human case count to 50.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that this year's influenza season has been marked with more illness and death than the last 3.
April 15 — In a report in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, scientists from Purdue University and the CDC report successful animal trials with a human vaccine against avian flu. They say it has several advantages over traditional vaccines because it can be produced quickly in large quantities, stored for long periods of time and protect against mutated forms of the virus.
Japan announces it will become the first country in the world to try to vaccinate people against avian flu, with a plan to inoculate 6000 medical practitioners and quarantine officers.
April 14 — American and Turkish researchers report they have developed the first collection of antibodies that could work against avian flu. The samples were taken from survivors of Turkey's bird flu outbreak in 2005 and 2006.
April 12 — Russia reports a new outbreak of H5N1 in bird populations in the eastern part of the country, its first outbreak since December 2007.
April 8 — It is revealed that Health Canada is investigating Relenza for potential links to fatal reactions or abnormal behaviour in children. Relenza is one of the antivirals provinces have stockpiled in case of a pandemic flu outbreak.
In an article in The Lancet, Chinese officials report that human-to-human transmission likely occurred in a small cluster of H5N1 avian flu cases in China late in 2007.
March 31 — Three new cases raise the number of human cases of avian flu in Indonesia to 132.
March 27 — A US company reports trials with an adjuvant patch, which, when used along with a dose of H5N1 vaccine, boosts the protective levels of antibodies against the virus more effectively than with a vaccine alone.
March 18 — The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) expresses concerns that high viral loads circulating among birds in Indonesia are creating fertile grounds for H5N1 mutation leading to a human pandemic.
March 10 — New outbreaks of H5N1 infection in poultry are reported in both India and Vietnam.
