Wars? Check. Natural Disasters? Check. Plague? Well …

(AP)

Today:

Laos has confirmed an outbreak of H5N1 bird flu among chickens at a farm near the capital Vientiane, a foreign ministry spokesman said. About 2,580 chickens were found dead last week at the poultry farm in Xaythany district, 15 miles south of Vientiane.

Thailand confirmed that a 16-year-old boy who died this week was infected with bird flu, and the prime minister blamed the boy's relatives for his death, saying they had tried to hide an outbreak among their chickens. Thai health officials said that Yongyuth Daengmeesri of the northern province of Phichit, who died on Monday, became infected after helping his family bury some of their chickens that had died.

China reported a bird flu outbreak in its far northwestern region of Xinjiang, the Agriculture Ministry said. Emergency measures had been taken and the outbreak was under control, Reuters reported. China has reported about 40 outbreaks of bird flu in birds across a dozen provinces and regions over the past year and, since November, 12 people are known to have died from the virus while six have recovered. The latest human case of bird flu was confirmed on June 15 in the southern city of Shenzhen. State media have said that the man, previously in a critical condition, was improving.