Why is H5N1 Bird Flu suddenly so much in the news?
Because its suddenly on the doorstep of industrialized nations -- and occasionally spreading person-to-person, in spite of what you may have read in the news.
Bird Flu had been an exclusively Asian problem since 1997, until very recently. Many Asian nations have: domestic birds living in contact with wild birds; and huge numbers of humans living in constant contact with domestic birds for consumption. Chickens, ducks and other fowl are purchased live at the market. Asians frequently contract the odd bird disease, its on of the things that frequently happens there, and the world doesn't care.
Asians dying of bird diseases is just like Africans dying of odd diseases, the world press simply yawns. If it is reported in American newspapers, people wonder why.
During the past two months cases of bird flu have shown up in Russia, Finland, and Turkey -- so Europe became very concerned. When it spread to Indonesia a few weeks ago - Australia, only 100 miles away, began to hold weekend drills for emergency and medical personnel in fighting a pandemic and they poured more money into developing a vaccine against bird flu.
What disturbed me and many others was the outbreak in Indonesia quickly involved many people who had simply visited a public zoo, apparently having no actual contact with the animals. Worse still relatives of the sick people, who did not visit the zoo soon became sick as well. Until this happened, Bird Flu was just another minor news item for me.
Much of the press coverage here does not accurately report these facts correctly, relying on language like - no confirmed human to human transmission has been confirmed. I have no idea what they mean by that. Human to human transmission has obvious happened, I have no idea what Deity has not yet confirmed the obvious facts. I can only assume that they don't trust Indonesian Doctors and health authorities because they look foreign. Australia certainly believes their reports of human-to-human transmission.
Days after human-to-human transmission was reported in Indonesia, sales of anti-viral medications started to climb in America. Why should this surprise you? I bought some myself that week. I think its only sensible.
George W. Bush is the only world leader who has suggested using troops and Martial Law in his country to "help control a pandemic." Using the military for civilian police duties has been specifically illegal in the U.S. since 1897.
This doesn't surprise me. George W. Bush is an alcoholic and drug addict whose thinking is both abnormal and disturbed. His solution for everything has been military, much to the horror of most other world leaders. Americans felt betrayed that many allies would not join the U.S. on its fools errand in Iraq. Instead they should have felt betrayed that their President was sending America on a fool's errand. If Bush created a new national education program, I'm sure it would involved inducting school children and infants into the military.
George W. Bush is mentally ill and this was plainly obvious when he ran for President. Why American's decided to elect, and re-elect, a mentally disturbed addict and alcoholic is a complete mystery to me. I actively investigated ways to obtain an Australian Residency Permit.
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