Well that was bird flu then

[ll_billym]

Anyone disagree?

[johnlambert]

Nope, I agree

[Lonnie]

I agree up til now, the danger is still not past yet.

[PhilBy]

Funny enough I just caught a snippet the other day about new confirmed cases of humans contacting the disease were reported, this was in the country where it first originated..... I believe it may of been Egypt.

[jake-the-peg]

Oh I hate this week! First I agreed with Loosehead in the News forum and now Lonnie.

Any moment now the world will be coming to an end!

Given that 1918's flu that killed so many people was a bird flu, the thing we need to take on board is:

a) Some bird flus kill people

b) They are pretty much unstoppable

c) It's unlikely we'll ever irradicate it

The current wave is not a great human health threat unless you're in close contact with bird faeces but it is a major agricultural threat and it may be back in 6 months or a year depending on bird migrations.

I still have not heard a convincing answer to the key question "How likely are flu mutations to human-human transmissible forms"

I think we have a breathing space - It's probably important not to waste it.

Don't get the Egypt bit how did it get from there to East Asia without anybody noticing?

[ugly_bob]

I don't think the dangers are any less now than they were 6 months ago. Still fairly small.

[4getmenot]

I live near where it was found in England and we are getting all the stuff through our doors now on how to avoid it. And on one bit it says dont touch bird poo. There goes my plans for the wkd :-)

[qapmoc]

Don't relax just yet, there are other countries in the world apart from the UK and avian influenza virus has only just started to take hold in Africa which has the lowest availibility of financial and technical resources to do anything against the spread across the continent, add to that the fact that the majority of the populations are very poor and will have to choose between culling (killing) any domestic birds or starving without them I dont think that the chances to control the spread is very high.
And the one thing the scientists are worried about is bird flu spreading through a bird population which is in close contact with the human population as this will give the best chances for a bird->human jump.

[mata hari]

I still think the whole 'bird flu' thing was a set up, especially as it miraculously happened exactly the same time as they were rehearsing a dummy run for the same thing!! and didn't it all go smoothly!

[ianess]

The tourist industry in Cellardyke hit an all-time high this month and the summer hasn't started yet.
Just along the road at Leven though, just to be serious for a minute, the local swan population has virtually disappeared.
Very strange.