Importance of New H5N1 (Bird Flu) Variant Downplayed

Importance of New H5N1 (Bird Flu) Variant Downplayed

www.worldpoultry.net

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) have downplayed the …FAO (warning).

…(FAO) said a new H5N1 strain …emerged recently in Vietnam and China and that existing poultry vaccines were ineffective against it. …(and) warned about a possible major resurgence of the virus.

"…this evolution of the H5N1 virus poses no increased risk to public health," the WHO statement said. "…influenza viruses are constantly evolving…"

(visit the link for the full news article)


Related News Links:
www.who.int
www.oie.int

Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
Mutant, deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu emerges in Asia and could sweep the globe this fall

The WHO and OIE have challenged the FAO in a major way - it's a HUGE story, involving global conflicts between government-corporate-agency agendas, planned pandemics and vaccine profits, global food production interests, depopulation and our Global Corporate Government. This thread is about who the major players are, their agendas - sorting out how the conspiracies work and intersect - and figuring out who's with us and who's against us. So I think it belongs in Breaking News, but will defer to staff decisions.

Our world is facing major crises from new animal diseases that can infect humans, called zoonoses. There are 3 major organizations responsible for preventing, monitoring and responding to zoonotic threats:

1. United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO),
2. World Health Organization (WHO), and
3. World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)

The FAO sounded the alarm about the new H1N1 Bird Flu strain a few days ago - the new strain is spreading in China and Vietnam - existent animal vaccines do NOT protect domestic flocks - and the new mutation is closer to spreading human-to-human.

U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization Warns of 'Possible Major Resurgence' of Avian Flu (H5N1) in Asia and a New Vaccine-Evading Strain in Vietnam and China

The possible combination of influenza strains H1N1 (high infectivity) and H5N1 (high lethality) is a matter of global concern …the Replikin Counts of the two virus strains have risen simultaneously …to their highest levels in 50 years (H1N1, 16.7; H5N1, 23.3) …clinical outbreaks of each strain are now occurring. These simultaneous conditions may increase the risk that the two virus strains might come into contact with each other more frequently, facilitating transfer of genomic material to form a hybrid.

See figures: www.ereleases.com...

The FAO is pushing for prevention - the kind that will interfere with corporate profits. It's worth noting that our industrialized food production industry is controlled by a few multi-national corporations.

The WHO and OIE say there is NO danger to humans, on the grounds that H1N1 Bird Flu's mutation and evolution is perfectly normal.

"Based on available information, this evolution of the H5N1 virus poses no increased risk to public health," the WHO statement said. "It is not considered unusual because influenza viruses are constantly evolving…

Who is protecting industry and the global corporate economy?

Seems the WHO and the OIE are happy to let a pandemic evolve, to protect global food production industries, create a market for vaccines, anti-virals and other health-related products - and preserve the global economy and our Global Corporate Government.

Who is protecting people?

Seems the FAO wants to prevent the human pandemic, and stop it before it starts by blocking the animal pandemic that's already spreading around the world.

What's the problem?

* Pandemic prevention threatens global industries, the global corporate economy and our Global Corporate Government.

* The risk-benefit analysis says the consumer market actually may strengthen if a pandemic wipes out a chunk of the human population.


The pandemic threat is real - a result of industrialized factory farming. Scientists have seen the writing on the wall for a long while now. Along with public health officials and others, they have been begging for prevention for years, most recently in mid-August:

World must invest equally in bird flu prevention and response

The "reports during the past two weeks of two recent infections and another death" from H5N1 (avian) influenza "raised little concern except among public health officials," ..."[t]he fact that bird flu in developing nations receives little public attention reveals that the world has become complacent about this threat."

"Even more telling is how the focus of international giving has shifted from prevention to response strategies. … [but] the world cannot afford to be complacent about prevention," he writes. "Each infection is a warning that the species barrier will not prevent human infections," Gatter notes, concluding, "On the theory that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, all nations must recommit to the strategies that will prevent infections in the first place. At the very least, we must invest just as heavily in prevention strategies as we do in response planning" (8/16).

Ain't happenin. The focus has shifted from prevention to response strategies because prevention would cut into corporate profits - pre- and post-pandemic - and besides, TPTB are counting on the opportunity for a bit of population reduction.

On the profit side, if steps aren't taken to prevent zoonoses from evolving to spread human-to-human, the only option left is "response" - after TSHTF - which in this case will be a highly profitable vaccine, funded with our tax dollars, and offered up with zero liability for the manufacturer. Not to mention anti-virals, viricides, masks and a host of other health-related products.

So if you're into profiting from disaster, look at "the heavyweights of vaccine manufacturing." Barry Cohen is long NVS and AZN. And don't forget - disaster is just an opportunity to profit and prosper.

In Event of Bird Flu Pandemic, Vaccine Producers Likeliest to Prosper

Given this week’s news that bird flu is showing signs of returning and a mutant strain of the deadly H5N1 virus could be spreading in Asia, investors might want to keep their eyes some of the heavyweights of vaccine manufacturing.

They include Sanofi-Aventis (NYSE:SNY), Novartis (NYSE:NVS), GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK), AstraZeneca (NYSE:AZN), Baxter (NYSE:BAX), Novavax (NASDAQ:NVAX) and China-based Sinovac Biotech (NASDAQ:SVA).

The mutant strain could be spreading to previously virus-free countries by wild bird migrations, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. It appears existing avian influenza vaccines aren’t effective against the new strain.

QUESTIONS

1. What do you think is worse for our planet's environment: a) global industries that pollute and contaminate our air, water and food; or b) environmental stress from overpopulation?

2. Do you think it's smart to let animal diseases mutate in factory farms and create human pandemics to:

a) deal with "overpopulation";

b) protect global food production industries and the global economy;

c) preserve our Global Corporate Government;

d) create consumer markets for vaccines and new drugs;

e) all of the above; or

f) none of the above ?


www.worldpoultry.net
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by soficrow


Thank you for posting this thread. I've been following the bird flu thing pretty closely myself over the past few days, and I've seen pretty much the same things that you have. I find it very odd that this is being downplayed.

Could it be that they don't want people to panic because there's no vaccine for this new form of H5N1 yet? I think they'll magically announce that the FAO was right in a couple of months when they do have a vaccine ready for it.

Of course, if this thing makes the jump to easy human-to-human contraction, it'll probably be too late. I mean, we all know how fast the regular flu spreads.

reply to post by soficrow


when have they EVER told us the truth.

reply to post by AnIntellectualRedneck

Could it be that they don't want people to panic because there's no vaccine for this new form of H5N1 yet? I think they'll magically announce that the FAO was right in a couple of months when they do have a vaccine ready for it.

There's no human vaccine yet, but that's not it.

The FAO is fighting to prevent human pandemics before they start - and has been all along. ...Factory farming is responsible for many of our civilized ills - new diseases, antibiotic resistance, anti-viral resistance, ad nauseum. ..The FAO wants controls on global food production industries to prevent zoonoses from developing and causing human pandemics.

So the FAO is for the people, and by default, against global food production industries, and Global Corporate Government.

The WHO and OIE on the other hand, seem to be coming out in support of the corporate agenda - no controls, let the pandemics happen, let the corporations profit before and after the pandemics, protect the global economy and Global Corporate Government. And oh yeah, it's okay if people die because the world is overpopulated anyway.

...Unfortunately, many -if not most- of these zoonoses are already causing chronic disease pandemics - and in the long run, fatalities are the least of our problems.

reply to post by Solsthime331

when have they EVER told us the truth.

They don't tell us the truth, but some of their minions do and besides, they don't control everyone and everything.

The truth is out there.

We just need to look, and sift, and sort - and think.

No vaccine, no way to make money...no fear mongering from the WHO.

I think it's easy to see where their priorities lie.

reply to post by Ghost375

No vaccine, no way to make money...no fear mongering from the WHO.

You did notice the WHO says "No problem here, move along now" right? It's the FAO saying if we don't take preventive action now and control food production industries better, there will be a human pandemic.

I think it's easy to see where their priorities lie.

Me too. ...

The WHO and the OIE want a pandemic to evolve, to protect global food production industries, create a market for vaccines, anti-virals and other health-related products - and preserve the global economy and our Global Corporate Government.

The WHO and OIE do NOT want controls on global food production industries. And they do NOT want us to there's a major problem brewing.

Could you please direct me a statement from the FAO (Food and Agricultural Orginization of the United Nations) saying anything along the lines of "if we don't take preventive action now and control food production industries better, there will be a human pandemic." All I can find are statements about needing to heighten surveillance and about uncertain risks to humans. --www.fao.org...

The idea of H5N1 mutating to allow human to human transmission while maintaining such a high rate of mortality is very grim to say the least. Thankfully, that hasn't happened yet.

The links you have provided are very informative. Thank you. I honestly didn't consider any options other than the culling of flu infected bird populations to control the spread of a virus that hasn't made that much feared jump. I guess, in this day and age when we are fighting the food industry to get put an end to the injecting of our food supply with hormones and the needless administration of antibiotics, we neglect to see the possible good effect that vaccinating the poultry against viruses that hold the potential to cause massive loss of human life.

This is another good link that ties in nicely with the OP replikins.com...

I would really appreciate the link from the UN/FAO so that I can see what they recommend to prevent that mutation from occurring and, if it does occur, what steps they believe we should take after the fact.

Good post, OP! Thanks!

reply to post by NiteNGale2

Could you please direct me a statement from the FAO (Food and Agricultural Orginization of the United Nations) saying anything along the lines of "if we don't take preventive action now and control food production industries better, there will be a human pandemic."

I applaud the friendly diplomatic relations between the FAO, WHO, OIE, governments and all the corporate players. In no way do I wish to obstruct productive negotiations to protect global public health.

I meant to clarify the difference between prevention and response - between acting now to prevent a human pandemic and allowing one to occur through neglect (benign or otherwise) - which would leave only the emergency response option (human vaccination).

But - it should be noted that the diplomatic process and language has allowed global corporate industry to inaccurately blame migratory birds and unfairly condemn small farmers for the current state of affairs. In fact, regulations that should be focused on factory farming in the USA are targeting small and organic farmers. It's a really bad joke.

…What I said above was, "Scientists have seen the writing on the wall for a long while now. Along with public health officials and others, they have been begging for prevention for years, most recently in mid-August:

World must invest equally in bird flu prevention and response

…"Even more telling is how the focus of international giving has shifted from prevention to response strategies. … [but] the world cannot afford to be complacent about prevention," he writes. "Each infection is a warning that the species barrier will not prevent human infections," Gatter notes, concluding, "On the theory that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, all nations must recommit to the strategies that will prevent infections in the first place. At the very least, we must invest just as heavily in prevention strategies as we do in response planning" (8/16).

Scientists say killer viruses are not born - they are made - and agricultural industries like livestock operations are creating antibiotic-resistant bacteria too.

Avian Influenza: Flu Factories

In our efforts to streamline farming practices to produce more meat for more people, we have inadvertently created conditions by which a harmless parasite of wild ducks can be converted into a lethal killer of humans.

- Johns Hopkins University neurovirologist R.H. Yolken and Stanley Medical Research Institute director E.F. Torrey.

How does naturally occurring, innocuous waterfowl flu mutate into virulent, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI)?

According to the World Health Organization's 2005 assessment of the pandemic threat, HPAI viruses aren't born, they're made. "Highly pathogenic viruses have no natural reservoir. Instead, they emerge by mutation when a virus, carried in its mild form by a wild bird, is introduced to poultry. Once in poultry, the previously stable virus begins to evolve rapidly, and can mutate, over an unpredictable period of time, into a highly lethal version of the same initially mild strain." Scientists have demonstrated this transformation in a laboratory setting.

***

Scientists find threat in livestock feedlots

Growing so large that they are now called "factory farms," livestock feedlots are poorly regulated, pose health and ecological dangers and are responsible for a deteriorating quality of life in America's and Europe's farm regions, according to a series of studies published this week by scientists.

Animal feedlots are contaminating water supplies with pathogens and chemicals, and polluting the air with foul-smelling compounds that can cause respiratory problems, but the health of their neighbors goes largely unmonitored, the reports concluded.

The international teams of environmental scientists also warned that the livestock operations are contributing to the rise of antibiotic-resistant germs, and the proximity of poultry and hogs could hasten the spread of avian flu to humans.

continued...

...Continued from above

Vaccinating animals is only one measure. Much more can -and should- be done. For example:

...researchers outlined the need for more stringent regulations and surveillance of water and air near feedlots.

"There was general agreement among all that the industrialization of livestock production over the past three decades has not been accompanied by commensurate modernization of regulations to protect the health of the public or natural, public-trust resources, particularly in the U.S.," wrote Thorne, a professor of toxicology and environmental engineering.

But international corporate industry does NOT want people to know how serious the situation really is - so they finance pseudoscientific "debates" to question the science, conclusions and recommendations, and to twist the evidence.

Here is an FAO academic overview from 2007:

Industrial Livestock Production and Global Health Risks

…To elucidate the linkage between livestock production and global public health, this paper draws upon recent experiences provided by different influenza A virus (IAV) incursions into domestic livestock populations, the most notable one being the ongoing HPAI H5N1 epidemic that originated in Asia, which now also affects Africa and which has led to outbreaks in the Near East and in Europe.

Livestock production has significantly changed over the past decades with industrial systems and their associated value chains being dominant in developed countries and becoming increasingly important in developing countries… This paper provides evidence suggesting that without commensurate private and public investments in bioexclusion and biocontainment measures these industrial systems can result in increased animal and public health risks.

…Concentration of food animal production and the unregulated ‘evolution’ of densely populated livestock production areas not only result in major environmental burdens, but also generate significant animal and public health risks. Recent experience has shown that disease containment in these areas is extremely difficult, and in the case of outbreaks can result in the ethically rather questionable destruction of millions of healthy birds. An unrecognized aspect of industrial food animal production concerns worker exposures (Price et al, 2007) to zoonotic diseases. Saenz et al. (2006), using mathematical transmission models, show that when CAFO workers comprise more than 15 percent of a community they may act as IAV amplifiers for the community as a whole.

Clearly, the problem is with industrialized operations. But here's the kicker - TPTB twist the facts to blame small and organic farmers, and get them regulated. Thus proving regulatory control is a bad thing.

Policy makers in both developing and developed countries appear to accept that large-scale industrial farms have higher standards and self-discipline in biosecurity, while smallholders need more rigorous public oversight.

Whaaaat!!!

And recent news reports are again trying to blame migratory birds!

Anything and anyone but the real culprits: factory farms.

…In 2009, while the USDA's chief was busy protecting the pork industry, the Swiss group Avaaz.org launched a petition demanding that the WHO and the UN’s FAO take action to investigate links between industrial hog operations and swine flu.

Europeans demand investigation of the CAFO/swine flu link

… USDA chief Tom Vilsack has been much more zealous about protecting the pork industry than investigating its potential for incubating deadly pandemics. In a Congressional heating last month, he cravenly defended the safety of industrial meat production - even though U.S. regulatory agencies have no mechanism in place to test the U.S. herd for H1N1.

Few outside of a few bloggers seems outraged by this state of affairs here in the U.S. Over in Europe, things are different. The Swiss group Avaaz.org has launched a petition demanding that the WHO and the UN’s FAO take action to investigate links between industrial hog operations and swine flu. Their demand is simple and direct - and it’s a sign of our deregulated times that it has to be made in the first place:

We call on you to investigate and develop regulations for factory farming in accordance with public health safety standards. Food production must be regulated to ensure global health security.

PS. You're welcome NiteNGale2 - and thanks to you too!

Oh here we bloody go again 3rd or 4th year of this now. Well I for one won't be taking the vaccine as it nearly killed me last year- First and last one I'm taking as its full of sh&t...and how many people around you or near you really caught the flu?
A lot of the pharma companies are in it for the money- I mean fancy putting Neomycin and the brisbane flu into the vaccine I had...Neomycin is well renowned for shutting down kidneys in people....
I spoke to several medical people including Dr's and they were recommending patients didn't have the shot because they weren't happy about it being tested properly and that included my 82 yr old mothers Dr in UK...If the flu doesn't get you...the vaccine might!

I will never be 100% with kidney function and also I nearly had heart failure because they had to pump me so full of iv to restart my kidneys. Otherwise I would have been on dialysis. Fortunately they then had to slowly take the fluid out and my heart is fine....12 days of hell.....

reply to post by Jools

Oh here we bloody go again 3rd or 4th year of this now. Well I for one won't be taking the vaccine

Hmm. If you'd bothered to read instead of jumping to conclusions, you'd know this thread is about:

a) how industrial food production creates diseases and pandemics;

b) preventing new diseases from going pandemic;

c) the economics of the situation, and policies blocking prevention for profit and depopulation;

...and that

d) I do NOT advocate taking vaccines either.


As far as the warnings and calls for prevention, I've been writing about that here since 2004-05. Here's a quick sample:

2/4/05 Bush Signs Quarantine Orders for Bird Flu

9/12/05 The Quarantine Solution

The only alternative measures were international: world wide animal quarantines in the agricultural sector and huge environmental clean-ups, funded by developed nations - plus major restrictive environmental regulations. It didn't happen, because even if taxpayers footed the bill, international corporate profits would have fallen big time. And that just was not on the global agenda.

23/3/06 Spin and Counterspin: New Bird Flu Mutation has 91% Fatality Rate in Humans

6/3/06 US Medical Care for H5N1 Bird Flu: Your Options

20/2/06 Is Bird Flu Killing All Those Whales?

11/06 Is H5N1 Bird Flu a Bioweapon that Targeted Asia's Economy?

The WAR here is about Prevention versus Response.

It's well-known that factory farms and other industrial polluters create new diseases - that spread into our water, air and food, and threaten to go pandemic. In fact, we're already dealing with major hidden pandemics - many resulting from long term flu-related effects. But -

The same mother corporations who control the industries that create disease also control: the Big Pharmaceutical companies that manufacture the treatments (not cures); the insurance companies that cover corporate liability AND environmental health effects.

They've got the perfect win-win situation: NO liability for creating disease; NO medical coverage except to keep you working; when disease progresses to debilitation and disability (which it does and will), NO coverage - it ends on the grounds that your disease is genetic or age-related, if not lifestyle-related and therefor a "personal liability."

NOTE: Many flu-related and environmental diseases have effects that can be passed on - the inherited diseases are not really "genetic," just familial, but they are commonly considered "genetic," despite all evidence to the contrary.

The Global Corporate Government's goal is to keep the population working but dependent on treatment, and get rid of the "useless eaters" as soon as they succumb or become too costly to keep going.

reply to post by Jools

Hello Jules, sorry to hear about your nasty ordeal and I'm sure you are not the only one to have suffered, I would never ever have the vaccination I've heard that they put nano microchips in them and David Icke recons that one day after the cia have infected as many people as they can you will not be able to fly unless you can prove that you've had the vaccination, well I live in Lanzarote and I also have family in the UK so it looks like i won't be flying anywhere when this happens, then of course when they have millions of us scared to death of the flu, any kind of flu, they will then get rid of all paper money and we'll all be supplied with cards, then they can really monitor us can't they, the cia made the Spanish flu and that killed millions, they know exactly what they are doing B*******S glad to hear you recovered Jules,btw this is my first ever post due to password problems so i'm thrilled to be a participating member now

reply to post by soficrow

.......I am a newbie and have been searching for a place to offer up an area of speculation and conversation regarding a few topics such as the flu - H5N1 - the push for vaccination of children and others, the OWS around the US and the possiblity of economic calapse. In connecting the above topics I have been contemplating how/what the government is doing regarding todays unrest, the healt of other's as far as healthcare and the "EKG" of our economic environment.

I am inquisitvie regarding the facts about the upcoming draw down of troops; the release of 50,000 Army troops by "2016" (actually will probably be a lot sooner because they are going to offer buy outs and a large amount involutary releases); the current recruitment of more Navy personnel with more than half of their deployment at sea and the OWEbama administration's desire to recruit new police officers. I have just read about the UN's ability to take of the US via a pandemic per Bush's admin and document signing of Presidential directives listed above in 2005 giving the permission to the UN - with WHO, and other's agreeing without any large splash to the public, to no surprise. There is a thread speaking on this portion of the topic within ATS...

www.abovetopsecret.com...

I also found within the thread details from anoither site about this written up '09

www.infowars.com...

I find the above article quite relevant for TODAY - and if you take the above talking points, the current talking points of the original OP and responses, congress on recess during November 6 - 13th, a national broadcast of the EAS, G20 meeting in Novemeber (thread about Nov 5th G20 meeting www.abovetopsecret.com... ), finally including the OWS movements around the globe and the reaction that is evolving - I have to ask What is about to go down - come down?

I hope that I displayed my thought processes well and in the appropriate manner and area. My thoughts seem to be convoluted but I see them more as trying to connect the dots. Another thought that "hovers" above this area and may seem of subject but I find it on point; to take in the current weather situation(s) baseball size hail in Ohio, snow in Tx, snow in the northeast, flooding in Thailand and Vietnam. The first flu outbreaks occured in Vietnam....add unsanitary conditions and pandemics can follow.

Lastly - PLEASE do not berate my "lack" of knowlege on any manner - like I said I am new and as my mind is processing a lot of what is happening these days I have tried to be as brief as possible to enable me to try and attempt to stay on topic without making essay. I would greatly appreciate if there is another thread that I may have overlooked or other areas that I might further my insight of the topics above in my post and the OP.

L & L!

reply to post by mcsandy


Thanks for posting, and welcome.

UPDATE

GREAT article - worth reading:

Global epidemic: A plague waiting to happen

Two recent outbreaks – the 2009 H1N1 “swine flu”, which originated in Mexico (and is expected to be in circulation again in Britain this winter), and the H5N1 “bird” or avian flu, which emerged in several locations in the middle of the last decade – failed to become global killers, despite the hype at the time. In the case of swine flu, although the virus was highly transmissible and millions were infected, the mortality rate was very low, probably less than one per cent. ….Bird flu was much more virulent, killing about half of the people infected. ….Although the number of outbreaks has fallen since its peak in 2006, the UN recently warned of a possible global resurgence.

The nightmare scenario – and the reason for the WHO’s concern when a new strain emerges – is a strain that combines the virulence of H5N1 with the transmittability of swine flu.

….Perhaps the oddest thing about pandemics is how sanguine we are about them. After all, this is a threat with the potential to kill tens, if not hundreds, of millions of people. And, yet, we worry far more about less substantial or even non-existent threats – terrorism, crime, paedophiles, even mobile-phone radiation. Why the complacency?

“[It is] because we think infectious diseases can be handled,”….

But, inevitably, one day, probably in a slum in Jakarta or Manila, a microscopic ball of RNA and proteins will shuffle its genes around in the body of a chicken or perhaps a pig (or even, as in the case of Contagion, a bat) and a killer of biblical proportions will emerge. It won’t be the end of the world, but it will feel like it for anyone unlucky enough to be around at the time.

FYI on this one - you know I don't agree with the recommendations to "reduce regulatory barriers to bring new vaccines already in development to market."

Researchers Believe Influenza Vaccines Need Improvement

Critical gaps exist in the evidence for the effectiveness of licensed influenza vaccines in the United States, researchers report in an article published online October 25 in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. Individuals who are at risk for medical complications or people who are aged 65 years or older are especially affected by the gaps, ……

They recommend that industry and government form partnerships to accelerate research and reduce regulatory barriers to bring new vaccines already in development to market.

And this just reported a few minutes ago from Indonesia

Indonesia: Chickens die of H5N1, people with flu symptoms
Via Ida's Bird Flu Information Corner, a translated report from MetroTV News: Jember, East Java ::: Hundreds of chickens die of H5N1. People develop flu signs. Excerpt:

Jember – Hundreds of chickens had died suddenly in Karang Baru village, Silo sub-district, Jember, East Java. A total 76 chickens from 17 households are H5N1 positive.

Those people developed flu signs following to contact with dead chickens. Health Service has distributed masks for people living near the outbreak

reply to post by Seagle


Thanks. Things are getting pretty bad in Asia these days, especially Indonesia. Looked like it was spreading person-to-person last week. Lots of culling too. Too much and too far away for me to keep posting though. So any updates you've got are much appreciated.

....Not sure if we'll see another, more serious pandemic this season - impossible to predict - but I do know authorities are sweating. ....I'm always more concerned about the long term impacts with chronic disease - and we're already in big trouble there.

reply to post by soficrow


The FAO has been pushing prevention for years - because industrial and factory farming practices are creating new diseases that jump species barriers and even kingdom barriers with increasing regularity.

There is a new case in China that looks to be the tip of the pandemic iceberg - but even if it's not, even if a pandemic does not emerge this winter, we're still in deep doodoo. Check it out:

Notification of a Human Case of H5N1 Bird Flu in Shenzhen