Avian flu really is nothing to sneeze at - Good Lord, did I REALLY just say that???
Seriously, I am a little concerned. I recall the near-panic that erupted in the US over the limited availibility of vaccine for the regular old flu
last year. A vaccine effective against h5n1 is still not proven to be effective and - if the flu mutates enough, the vaccine will be useless. See
www.cidrap.umn.edu... for more info on the vaccine.
The h5n1 flu is a close cousin to the avian flu responsible for the 1919 pandemic. This is currently the most lethal pandemic that ever afflicted
mankind. With modern travel technology, it is quite possible to spread a flu throughout the world in short order.
www.stanford.edu... is a site describing the 1919 pandemic.
I agree wholeheartedly that the breakdown of the social order in the aftermath of KAtrina and RIta is greatly overblown. This is not a regional
disaster, however. The basic premises fictionalized in the movie Outbreak is not too much in the realm of speculative science fiction.
I'm not saying that I'm laying in more ammo, but it does have me concerned. I do have an evacuation plan - but I live in a region that may be hit by
hurricanes, so I'd have a plan anyways.
Don't cash in your IRA's to buy weapons, but there's nothing wrong in being prepared....