Bird Flu epidemic prediction

Australia should take a leading role in Asia's fight against any widespread outbreak of avian flu, opposition foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd said.

Mr Rudd called on the federal government to make the issue of dealing with any major avian flu outbreak in Asia a "top foreign policy priority".

Cambodia reported bird flu had killed a 28-year old Cambodian man, while authorities in Vietnam were carrying out tests on dozens of people with fever in the central province Chau Hoa.

The Cambodian man became Asia's 48th bird flu victim and Cambodia's second, with the virus having claimed 34 Vietnamese and 12 Thais since the outbreak began in late 2003.

Mr Rudd, who attended a security forum in Cambodia and had earlier met with Thai security and foreign affairs officials, said Thailand viewed a potential outbreak of avian flue as a matter of national security.

He told AAP Thai authorities are legitimately concerned of this becoming a real concern for national security in Thailand and said Thai authorities were concerned this could have profound implications for the economy as well as the community.

Mr Rudd said Australia needed to adopt a much higher profile in supporting efforts in the region to deal with an outbreak of avian flu and not just pretend "we can handle this in isolation from the region.

Mr Rudd said officials from the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the Cambodian forum also expressed deep concern over the recent outbreak reported in Vietnam and were particularly concerned over the extent of regional preparedness to deal with a potential pandemic.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned the avian influenza strain H5N1, which is endemic among poultry in parts of Asia, is capable of mutating and infecting humans.

Mr Rudd said despite ASEAN setting up an avian flu working group, the real problem was ensuring infected flocks were identified as early as possible and destroyed.

He said the discussions left him deeply concerned that as a matter of Australia's national and regional security there is no adequate comprehensive strategy in place for dealing with what may turn into being a significant threat to Australian.

Right on the button Rudd.

The humble mosquito becoming mans worst enemy.

A three-year-old Territory boy has contracted the potentially fatal Murray Valley encephalitis.

He is believed to have become infected with the mosquito-borne disease in Darwin's rural region, says the Northern Territory News.

The news prompted the Health Department to repeat warnings about the risk of mosquito bites.

Centre for Disease Control senior medical entomologist Peter Whelan said Easter weekend campers should use mosquito-proof tents, protective clothing and repellents.

Sentinel chickens at Katherine and Howard Springs have contracted the disease this year.

Chickens at Howard Springs also tested positive to the Kunjin virus in February.

Both viruses are transmitted by the common banded mosquito, which breeds in grass reed swamps, lagoons, seasonally flooded areas, pools along creeks and rivers, and in storm drains and waste water ponds.

Mosquito numbers rise when large swamp and river levels decrease, leaving shallow vegetate areas ideal for breeding. The warning is in force until July.

"There is no need for anyone to panic but parents should pay particular attention to ensure children are protected," Mr Whelan said.

Murray Valley encephalitis symptoms range from severe headache, high fever, drowsiness, tremor and seizures - especially in young children - to delirium and coma, resulting in permanent brain damage and death.

Mr Whelan said the case of the three-year-old boy indicated there was considerable "virus activity" in the Top End and increased protection from mosquitoes was needed.

Super Bacterias - Looking for more hope.

 Seven children have contracted a life-threatening kidney infection that health officials said may be the result of a rare infection picked up at petting zoos.

Five of the seven were hospitalised in critical condition, including one on dialysis, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

Another had been upgraded to stable condition, said Dr Mehul Dixit, who is treating some of the children at Florida Hospital Orlando.

One child was treated at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children & Women and released several weeks ago.

The children all touched animals recently at area fairs, including the Central Florida Fair in Orlando and the Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City. They might have been exposed to the bacteria through the animals' faeces, officials said.

Health officials are also investigating whether they contracted the disease from contaminated food or beverages.

The potentially dangerous kidney condition - hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS - is a rare complication arising from an infection most commonly associated with E coli, a bacterium found in undercooked beef or contaminated food.

Bill Toth, a spokesman for the Orange County Health Department, said not all the children showed signs of E coli exposure, and investigators were running additional tests.

Officials said three of the children tested positive for a different bacterium - Staphylococcus aureus - that can sometimes lead to the kidney problem.

Central Florida Fair manager Charles Price said petting zoo exhibits are inspected by health officials and veterinarians.

"We have hand-washing stations everywhere," he said.

"A fair today is not like it was 15 years ago. We are under extreme scrutiny."

An official with the Strawberry Festival wouldn't comment.

Last northern autumn, 15 children developed the life-threatening kidney ailment in North Carolina, and a petting zoo exhibit at the state fair in October was determined to be the likely source.

In all, 108 people, more than half of them small children, were affected by E coli traced to the fair, though most had far milder symptoms than the 15.

About 73,000 cases of E coli infection are reported in the United States each year; an average of 61 prove fatal.