HARTFORD, Conn. -- A new Web site dedicated to preparing the state's residents for an avian and pandemic flu outbreak was launched Friday.

The site, Connecticut Flu Watch, includes information about how to prepare for a potential health crisis and information for government and schools, health care providers and the business community. Links located on the site provide information about the seasonal flu and where to get flu shots.

"Health officials here in Connecticut and across the globe are carefully watching avian influenza, also known as bird flu, because of concerns it may develop into a pandemic," Gov. M. Jodi Rell said.

The Web site also has an online system to report sightings of dead wild birds. Current scientific evidence indicates that outbreaks of the avian flu usually involve the death of a large number of waterfowl or shorebirds.

According to the Department of Public Health, an influenza pandemic occurs when a new influenza virus emerges for which people have little or no immunity and there is no vaccine.

Visit the state's flu preparation Web site."

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