The Bird Flu Pandemic

[4_2_it]

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SARS was a relatively new disease and simply did not acquire major transfection factors. The odds were in our favor.

Flu has a much better track record for pandemics. However, the odds for this year are still well in our favor. Remember, if it does not acquire good human-to-human transmissibility, you do not get a pandemic.

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I agree with you. I just think too many people are panicking when this thing has not mutated to human on human.

I think the scientific breakthroughs in medicine over the past 50 years along with increasing worldwide sanitation is something that is downplayed too often. These are two of the main reasons we have not a seen a pandemic similar to the Spanish flu of 90 years ago.

Wasn't swine flu supposed to kill millions in the mid-1970's? I think I even got vaccinated when I was 7 or 8. I just don't see a reason to get excited.

News has been slow lately so the press has to report something and this seems to be a story that will sell newspapers so they run with it.