NEWS: China Says Bird Flu Five Times Worse Than Previously Thought

Just as the furore over bird flu in china was beginning to die down, the Chinese government has admitted that an outbreak of bird flu is five times worse than initially reported.
More than 1,000 wild birds in the northwest province of Qinghai have died from the H5N1 strain of the disease and scientists fear it may mutate into a form which spreads more easily to humans.



Could this be the beginning of the next pandemic? It seems like a remote possibility but if, as the scientists fear, this strain of bird flu mutates into one which is easily transmittable between species it is a real danger.

A bird flu pandemic could play havoc with the world economy and kill millions. Would we face the prospect of border closures in an attempt to contain the disease?

Related News Links:
news.bbc.co.uk

[edit on 27-5-2005 by Chris McGee]

I just wonder about human infections in China.
I find the information coming out of the country hard to rely on, particularly in light of how they handled the SARS crisis two years ago.

I don't believe China has reported any infections since H5N1 resurfaced 2.5 years ago, and I realy wonder if that is true, especially since early last year the same thing happened as in this article. Infections, suddently increased, sometimes 5 and 10 fold OVERNIGHT. I have a hard time believing that they suddenly discovered it, and am more apt to believe they'd just been covering it up.

Imagine if they 'lost' the 2008 Olympic's.

That prospect alone would be enough to cover up any 'storys'.

Sanc'.