Britain is bracing itself after a second case of the deadly H5N1 virus was confirmed in eastern England by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Monday.

The virus was found at Hill Meadow Farm on the border of Norfolk and Suffolk counties and is very near the first outbreak detected November 11 in nearby Redgrave Park Farm

The Saudi government has temporarily banned the importation of live chicken and chicken products from Canada to prevent the spread of bird flu.

The Agriculture ministry said the import freeze is in response to confirmed reports that there was a bird flu outbreak in the Regina province in Canada

"The risk of an avian influenza pandemic is still with us," World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Margaret Chan warned Friday, saying a pandemic is still possible.

"Don't let your guards off," Chan told reporters after discussing with Chinese officials plans for next year's Olympic Games in the capital

Leptospirosis, also known as seven-day-fever, has taken toll of nine lives in Nicaragua. The waterborne disease, which spread through animal urine, has also sickened more than 1,600 in the country, health officials said Monday.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega said Sunday that the bacterial disease was spread by flooding caused by a month of intense rains and category-5 Hurricane Felix. Felix hit northeastern Nicaragua last month

A 3-year-old boy has become 111th person in Indonesia to have a confirmed case of avian influenza. The boy became sick on Oct. 22 but was not hospitalized until Saturday and his condition has been listed as good.

He had been around chickens that suddenly died later. Officials say that two tests have confirmed that the boy is positive for the virus