UN says eradication of bird flu virus may be impossible

[DuctapeFatwa]

The United Nations food agency's director of animal health said on Tuesday it may be impossible to eradicate the spiralling bird flu virus that has ravaged the Asian poultry sector and killed 20 people.

Samuel Jutzi, director of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation's (FAO) animal health department, said some 80 million birds had been culled or died from the disease and that experts were still not sure of the source of the epidemic.

"We still hope that the countries in the region can get on top of the disease but we are less certain as to whether the virus can be pushed back or eradicated," Jutzi told Reuters in an interview.

"It may well be that the sector has to live with this virus as it tries to live with other diseases."

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N2W226887.htm

[Occulus]

1. Sigh.

Wouldn't that be bad news, now? As people die off and stronger and stronger people get it year after year, so too will the virus itself likely get stronger and stronger.

Just... take that thought to its logical conclusion.

Trickle indeed.

[blackcat77]

2. Bird flu has been around forever

And it probably will always be around. News organizatons are really hot on stories about pestilence lately.