Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:

Niger Is 2nd African Country to Confirm Bird Flu

The deadly H5N1 bird flu virus has been found in birds in Niger, making it the second African country to have confirmed cases of the disease, the Associated Press reported.

The virus had previously been confirmed in Nigeria, which is Niger’s southern neighbor. The virus in Niger was detected in a small village about 45 miles from the border with Nigeria. There was no information available on how many birds may have died, a senior Health Ministry official said.

Confirmation of the H5N1 virus in a second African country is cause for increased concern among health experts who fear it may be a prelude to the virus becoming widespread in Africa, which is poorly equipped to deal with such a crisis.

In France, a program began Monday to give nearly a million domestic free range ducks and geese vaccinations to protect them against bird flu, BBC News reported.

The inoculation effort comes after 15 dead swans in France were found to have the H5N1 virus. The swans were found in the same district where a turkey farm was found to be contaminated with bird flu. The virus killed about 400 of the 11,000 turkeys on the farm and the rest were slaughtered. It was the first known bird-flu outbreak in commercial poultry in the European Union, BBC News reported.

The French geese and ducks — destined for production of foie gras — are being vaccinated because it’s not practical to move them indoors to protect them against bird flu.

Since 2003, the H5N1 virus has spread from Asia to Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. It has decimated poultry flocks in many countries and has killed more than 90 people. Experts worry that the continued spread of the virus increases the likelihood that it will mutate into a form that’s easily transmitted between humans, resulting in a pandemic.

In other news:

• China reported two new human cases of bird flu, bringing to 14 the known number of human infections in that country, Bloomberg news reported.
• Pakistan reported its first cases of bird flu, but tests have yet to confirm whether it’s the H5N1 virus.
• Switzerland said it had identified its first case of bird flu, in a wild duck in Geneva.
• In Kenya, officials are testing for bird flu in hundreds of dead chickens found dumped in the capital Nairobi.
• Three days of house checks in Indonesia turned up 37 poultry infected with the H5N1 virus, which as killed at least 20 people in that country.
• There’s seo services no word yet on whether bird flu killed about 1,000 chickens in India’s northeastern Assam state. Bird flu led to the slaughter of about 250,000 fowl in two other Indian states earlier this month.

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Campaign Targets Obesity and Diabetes Among U.S. Veterans

U.S. veterans are about three times more likely than the general population to have diabetes, which is one of the major health complications of being overweight and obese.

The rate of diabetes among veterans receiving VA health care is 20 percent, compared to a rate of 7 percent in the overall U.S. population, says the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

That’s why the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Health and Human Services have launched a coordinated campaign to educate veterans and their families about how to prevent obesity and diabetes.

The seo tips HealthierUS Veterans campaign will promote healthy eating and physical activity. VA medical centers will be the hubs of the program.

“Inactive lifestyles and unhealthy eating habits can cause needless suffering for America’s veterans. Obesity and diab