Chicken Little WHO panicked by bird flu pandemic

CFP ^ | December 3, 2004 | Judi McLeod

[MikeEdwards]

The often-melodramatic World Health Organization (WHO) is ringing alarms that bird flu will trigger an international pandemic that could kill up to seven million people.

One month before Christmas, WHO issued a press release saying that the influenza pandemic could occur anywhere from next week to the coming years.

With a human vaccine for the bird flu virus not expected until March 2005 at the earliest, urgency is being placed on containment.

According to WHO Pooh-Bahs, two to seven million people will die.

"The number of people affected will go beyond billions because between 25 percent and 30 percent will fall ill," predicts Who’s Dr. Klaus Stohr.

Before duck hunters converge on the marshes, WHO has resorted to the release of information bordering on hysteria before. . . . .

[KarlInOhio]

Are they bucking for a budget increase?

[Cicero]

It may be a false alarm. Or it may not. The worst flu epidemics have generally come along when the virus went from pigs to birds to humans in China. Usually pigs and domesticated ducks, although evidently other kinds of birds can be involved.

I'd feel better if hillary clinton hadn't virtually destroyed America's ability to make flu vaccine in timely fashion.

[Nathan Zachary]

In Vancover, they killed thousands of chickens because of this scare. Yet not one person got sick from this bird flu. I think it was that Hong Kong cat flu (sars) that started all this panick. Besides, if all the old people on pensions get the flu and die, we won't have these UN calls for more immigration to support our old age wefare systems. We don't need more immigrants anywhere in North America period. Look what they are doing to Europe Eurabia.

[Wayne07]

A flu pandemic is a bigger risk than AIDS to 95% of Americans.