avian influenza

The first case of avian influenza in England in six years was confirmed on a duck farm in Yorkshire, authorities said, a day after a highly contagious strain of bird flu was discovered at a poultry farm in the Netherlands, said the BBC.

The World Trade Organization agreed with U.S. complaints and ruled that India's restrictions on imports of hogs, poultry meat and chicken eggs violate world trade rules.

A new strain of avian influenza called H5N6 is spread across southeast Asia and threatens animal health as well as the livelihood of farmers, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, in calling for close monitored of the disease. H5N6 was found in China in April and has been detected in Vietnam and Laos since then. FAO said the "bird flu" was highly pathogenic among chickens and geese, making it a peril for farmers.

A resident of southwestern Louisiana was hospitalized with what appeared to be the state's first case of bird flu in a person, said state health officials. Sixty people in seven states have contracted mild cases of the viral disease this year, according to the CDC.