Scientists claim they have found a new strain of avian flu, the H9N2 virus, which could mutate to become more easily transmissible among humans and trigger a possible bird flu pandemic.

According to a study published in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS ONE, the avian influenza strain found in Nigeria is genetically different from previous African outbreaks

There is a prevalence of parasitic diseases among poor urban families in the U.S., according to Dr. Peter Hotez of the George Washington University. Other ailments like dengue fever and Chagas disease associated with developing nations may also become more common in America due to climate changes.

While these ailments do not claim lives, they negatively affect the development of a child, his intellectual development, hearing and could cause heart disease. As the malady affects poor people, it perpetuates their state of poverty since the infections could last for years or lifetimes

Bangladesh health authorities confirmed on Thursday that a 16-month-old boy who became infected with bird flu had recovered after treatment. The south-Asian country has become the 15th country to have a human case of H5N1 avian influenza, according to news services.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta confirmed on Wednesday that child is from Dhaka, the capital; an Agence France-Presse (AFP) report quoted Saluddin Khan, a government official, as saying

Health authorities in South Korea have placed under quarantine a soldier who developed high fever while culling chickens and ducks to contain an outbreak of bird flu in the country.

The Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention found the 22-year-old corporal to be infected with an H5 strain of the deadly avian influenza virus on Sunday, when he suffered high fever, a symptom of bird flu, according to the JoongAng Daily. He will remain under quarantine until further laboratory tests confirm whether or not the virus is the deadly H5N1 strain

The World Bank Group has approved a US$6 million grant to help Cambodia carry out its national plan to counter threats from avian and human influenza, and to strengthen its health system to respond to any possible outbreak in the future.

The grant, provided by the International Development Association (IDA), will be used to finance the Avian and Human Influenza Control and Preparedness Emergency Project (AHICPEP), a World Bank (WB) press statement said