The avian flu virus is coming, and we're not ready to deal with it:

If the virus were to start spreading in the next year, the world would have only a relative handful of doses of an experimental vaccine to defend against a disease that, history shows, could potentially kill millions. If the vaccine proved effective and every flu vaccine factory in the world started making it, the first doses would not be ready for four months. By then, the pathogen would probably be on every continent...

The public, conditioned to believe in the power of modern medicine, has heard little of how poorly prepared the world is to confront a flu pandemic, which is an epidemic that strikes several continents simultaneously and infects a substantial portion of the population.

Since the current wave of avian flu began sweeping through poultry in Southeast Asia more than 18 months ago, international and U.S. health authorities have been warning of the danger and trying to mobilize. Research on vaccines has accelerated, efforts to build up drug supplies are underway, and discussions take place regularly on developing a coordinated global response.

Meanwhile, an 8-year-old Indonesian girl who died probably had avian flu, it is being reported. Her father died of avian flu and her sister probably did. It is not clear whether all three were exposed to the virus by by a bird or its wastes, or whether it spread between the three, which would be ominous indication that the virus has acquired human to human spreading capability - the nightmare scenario.

Human to human spread may have already happened in Vietnam.

Despite the World Health Organization's opinion that mass culling of animals is the best weapon against an avian flu outbreak, Indonesia will not carry out the action because of lack of funds to compensate farmers.

In Russia, a strain of the avian flu virus that has been plaguing fowl can infect humans.

Also, an editorial in the Washington Times entitled "Vigilance against the avian flu."

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Related:

Avian Flu Is Spreading
Are We Ready For The Avian Flu?
Flu Pandemic
WHO Warns Of Avian Flu Pandemic

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