Hong Kong Flu again

[Guest guest]

H5, possibly H5N1. As far as we know it is still strictly an avian

influenza but the Hong Kong authorities are taking it seriously of

course. At least 200 birds have died. Besides slaughtering tens of

thousands more, they admit that they don't understand how the sick

birds got infected in the first place since many of the dead birds had

been vaccinated against H5. They think, reasonably enough, that the

virus might have mutated to make itself resistant to the vaccine.

Funny how that always seems to happen when you go wild with

vaccinations.

The scary thing about any bird flu occurrences in Hong Kong is that it

is in a major international nexus of transportation and commerce, with

thousands of flights leaving the country every day. This is not a

remote island in Indonesia. So, if the virus suddenly goes seriously

H2H here, chances are it will be in your home town by the time you

read that a pandemic has begun.

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking_news_detail.asp?id=10795 & icid=3 & d_str=200\

81210

Results to reveal how flu beat vaccine

Experts are awaiting test results that will reveal which bird flu

strain is responsible for killing about 200 chickens on a farm in Yuen

Long.

There are widespread fears that the anti-bird flu vaccine being used

by poultry farmers in the area had become obsolete due to the mutation

of the virus.

Microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung believes a new vaccine may be needed.

Meanwhile, government workers in full protective gear pressed ahead

with culling of remaining chickens in the Yuen Long farms and Cheung

Sha Wan wholesale market.

On the mainland, a health ministry spokesman did not rule out the

possibility of human beings contracting the bird flu in the coming year.