Some common sense talk about the Bird Flu...

[SaveElmer]

An objective appraisal, advocating preparedness, but not panic....

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5183999

Here's a snippet of a much longer interview...

What are the chances of bird flu getting me?

Right now, the chances are almost nonexistent for anyone who does not have intimate contact with birds in Asia. And even for Asian bird handlers, the chances are very slim. The concern about the disease itself is based on the fact that the H5N1 pathogenic avian influenza is a very aggressive killer of birds, and as it spreads in birds, it increases the worldwide viral load of this particular virus.

Because flus change rapidly, it is feared that the more virus there is, the greater the chance it will mutate spontaneously or acquire the necessary genetic material from exchange with another flu virus inside a pig or a human.

But the chances of this occurring are very small for any given period of time and are not directly proportional to the number of infected birds. In the meantime, it is important to realize that not a single bird in the United States has been found to have this pathogenic avian influenza. As of this writing, no migratory birds have yet brought it to Alaska, and even if that dreaded event were to happen, most of America's poultry is not killed in the open where H5N1 can easily spread. And even in Asia, where birds freely walk the streets of many villages and towns and outbreaks in birds continue to occur (twenty-four outbreaks in China this year alone, and in May H5N1 killed 10 percent of the world's bar-headed geese), eating cooked poultry is safe.

Casual contact with birds will not give you the flu. You are protected by a species barrier; it is very difficult for you to get this virus from birds, even in parts of Asia where the virus is endemic in birds.

[BushOut06]

1. Even if it does mutate and spread, chances are it will be less deadly

I read some article awhile back that actually examined what usually happens when these viruses mutate and spread to humans. It would still be awful and kill millions of people worldwide - but its mortality rate would be nowhere even close to what it is now. But of course, that doesn't quite fit in with the popular mass hysteria - and that's what sells more newspapers and magazines.