What ever happened to the bird flu ? A while back it was a big deal on the news and on forums like this . Did it just go away ? Has it been brought under control ? Have we , and the news media , been distracted by other world events like Global warming , Iran , Iraq etc . ? Or is it that our attention spans are so short ?

Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, the counties just published a booklet on coping with a flu pandemic. In addition, I see signs up in public places reminding people to wash their hands, cover their mouth when they cough, etc. These appeared in the last two months or so. Lines for flu shots here have been longer than normal. Locally, at least, there seems to be an effort not to get "the flu", which would also help contain a new flu outbreak.

Link to San Mateo County pandemic flu information: Flu

The media has found other things to scare people with. It is still out there, there is still no cure, it still has a super high morbidity rate (although that figure is based diagnosed cases- no one knows how many people just thought it was a normal flu and toughed it out without seeking medical attention), and it is still awfully hard to catch, so it still is as much a concern as nuclear war- out there, but not imminant.

You've just gotta love the "Left Coast" idealogy: "Here's a great idea. Let's use our taxpayer dollars to put up signs teaching people to wash their hands and cover their mouths when coughing and sneezing!" "All in favor? Great. Passed"

[No offense intended to those who have to live, nationwide (wouldn;t that be all of us?), with the march toward PHRASECENSOREDPOSTERSHOULDKNOWBETTER. and complete dependance on government.]

It's still out there, killing people. I haven't been following it, but just the other day, there was a brief mention on the TV news that someone in Egypt had just died of it--and that was the third bird flu death in Egypt that week.

Since I haven't been following the news, I have no idea if the virus continues to mutate as it spreads further. But since there hasn't been any big news stories on it for a while, I think this particular strain seems to have dead ended. Then again, there's no reason why it couldn't suddenly become easily communicable tomorrow.

I'm curious if economically painful measures like mass cullings of birds are still going on, for example, in Southeast Asia. When the international spotlight is off you, I imagine the pressure not to eliminate people's livelihoods or inflict undue economic hardship on the people is high.

Bird flu still exist out there. Indonesia had 2 deaths a few months ago directly caused by bird flu virus.

The media is just too busy with Iraq war that they just don't find enough bodies count in bird flu death. Iraq war coverage will get more rating for the major networks instead of bird flu. One day this disease will bite us in the ass.

What ever happened to going to war with Albania?
I just watched "Wag the Dog". <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Left Coast huh?

Nicodemus,
It's possible you misinterpreted my posting....or that I wasn;t clear to begin with...

I was not inferring that the "left coast" was wrong in taking precautions for the flu, or that they "made up" the flu, or anything else that would prompt that link. Certainly, the left coast, as well as the east coast, and all points in-between need to take precautions and steps to prevent any outbreaks.

My point was concerning some of the crazy ideas coming from that area, as well as other areas, such as: the Government convincing itself that the populace was so utterly helpless and ignorant that they, the Government, needed to spend tax dollars to remind people to do something that is second nature.... like the good adoptive mother that it aspires to be.