| Bird or H5N1 flu represents a spreading mortal danger | | | | disease can be put under control is to get at the |
| globally. Millions and millions of people traverse the | | | | actual root source of the disease. If the disease is |
| globe each and every day, crossing borders both | | | | controlled at its initial base it cannot be prevalent and |
| legally and illegally. If does not matter if the spread is | | | | then spread from an initial base. Controlling the |
| sea, air, train or donkey in the end. In the end a virus | | | | growth and cultivation of H5N1 avian virus is the |
| at one small village in a remote geographical door can | | | | most effective way of seeking control of this most |
| be spread to hundreds if not thousands of potential | | | | lethal agent. |
| victims of the malady. The fortuitous nature all | | | | Overall from year to year the "flu" has a mortality of |
| depends in the end on chance - on the cunning | | | | between quarters of a million to half a million people |
| nature of the influenza virus to mutate - in this to | | | | worldwide each year. Major flu outbreaks are |
| mutate so that it can spread from avian or even pigs | | | | referred to as "pandemics". A pandemic is a large |
| to human beings. On top of that a most lethal virus | | | | scale outbreak of a disease over a large area. |
| strain may mutate so that it passes a number of | | | | In the case of the 1918 post World War 1 "Spanish |
| hosts before doing its final toll and damage to | | | | Flu", a pandemic might have been said to attack the |
| humans - crippling international trade and economies. | | | | population of the city of Baltimore. 3100 people alone |
| Imagine how we could function in our economy | | | | perished in Baltimore. |
| without goods from China, not only those goods but | | | | With modern methods of transportation the area of |
| smaller components and pieces of work on item | | | | the pandemic would include the whole world. By the |
| simply marked "Made in the United States" | | | | time the 1918 "Spanish flu" had run its course it is |
| The H5N1 "bird flu' strain that worries most of those | | | | estimated that between 50 and 100 million people |
| who study the statically spread of diseases | | | | were killed - many of them in isolated areas of |
| (epidemiologists) at present, caused a nasty shock in | | | | country. |
| Hong Kong. Approximately ten ago this peril struck | | | | If a pandemic of flu occurs the effects would be |
| killing six people and forcing the Hong Kong authorities | | | | catastrophic for the globe - and not only for |
| to in essence slaughter its entire flock of chicken , | | | | countries directly affected. Normal commerce and |
| ducks and all other forms of poultry. Remarkably and | | | | business functions would grind almost to a halt. By |
| amazingly the virus lay "dormant" in the field, only to | | | | this stage of a spread of the flu virus most of the |
| resurface to do its damage in 2003. | | | | spread is from person to person. People would stay |
| Since, that point, according to the experts at the | | | | at home and not go work, where they might be |
| United Nations, avian flu has spread to over 65 | | | | infected by other people at work or along the normal |
| countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. | | | | course of the day. Even countries not directly |
| Untold millions of birds have been taken down and | | | | infected would be affected. Not only would |
| culled, some according to the books, others | | | | communications not be at high levels of service but |
| unreported .What worries the experts as well is the | | | | international trade would shut down as countries lock |
| birds not taken down - that are in isolated remote | | | | their borders to keep out the spread of the H5N1 |
| areas off the beaten track, infected wild birds, and | | | | avian flu. |
| poultry whose demise would cause financial hardship | | | | We live in a highly interdependent world where most |
| to the farmers or storekeepers and although | | | | products and services come from a number of |
| reported as officially destroyed in the culling process | | | | sources and steps around the globe. Just one vital |
| are not. | | | | choke point of a step in a process of manufacturing |
| It appears that most of the cases reported in the | | | | or delivery of a products or services would be |
| spread of H5N1 flu have been mainly in the area of | | | | limited, restricted or even curtailed. |
| Vietnam, China (including Hong Kong), and Indonesia. | | | | Luckily we live in a modern world today, not only |
| However in a worrisome trend Burma and Pakistan | | | | with modern transportation and communication but |
| have reported their first spread of human infections. | | | | the ability to plan ahead and coordinate efforts for |
| Nearby to Pakistan both Bangladesh and India are not | | | | both the treatment and most importantly the |
| reporting major outbreaks of this scourge. | | | | prevention of the spread of the H5N1 avian flu virus. |
| Experts warn that the only way the spread of the | | | | |