The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases will spend $23 million a year over the next seven years to establish a consortium of six research centers to investigate influenza viruses--including H5N1. The goal is to help government officials respond to seasonal flu as well as potential outbreaks of pandemics.

"There are a variety of viruses to monitor besides the well-known H5N1," St. Jude researcher Robert Webster said. "For example, H7N7 infected chicken industry workers in the Netherlands; and H9N2, which circulates in many global avian populations, also sporadically appears in humans."

The six centers and their primary researchers are: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital; University of California at Los Angeles; University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; Emory University, Atlanta; Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York and the University of Rochester, Rochester, N.Y.

- check out the release [1] on the funding

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