Thursday, September 22, 2005

BIRD FLU PANDEMIC

The New York Times is raising serious questions about the world's ability to deal with a flu pandemic. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/06/opinion/06obama.html?ex=1127534400&en=4263cb62c7352944&ei=5070&n=Top%2fNews%2fHealth%2fDiseases%2c%20Conditions%2c%20and%20Health%20Topics%2fEpidemics

However, there have been some alarming developments. In recent months, the virus has been detected in mammals that have never previously been infected, including tigers, leopards and domestic cats. This spread suggests that the virus is mutating and could eventually emerge in a form that is readily transmittable among humans, leading to a full-blown pandemic. In fact, according to government officials, a few cases of human-to-human spread of A(H5N1) have already occurred.

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