The bird flu

Everyone is so worried about the bird flu! I know we are. This topic has been popping up ALL over poultry message boards. One of our favorite discussions is taking place over at poultryOne where they are currently debating the bird flu (avian influenza) and what it means for chicken hobbyists. It's definitely an interesting read. The best part is that you can chime in!

One reader wrote in saying:

"It's good to read an intelligent article on the subject of A.I.
People have to remember that it is a disease of birds and to become sick with it, humans have to somehow get it directly into their systems. That's not easy but apparently 160 people have managed to do it. The precautions listed in this post are a little over the top but the W.H.O. has a responsibility to advise people to take precautions.
If I read one more time "the deadly bird flu which has killed millions of birds around the world"....people forget (or don't know) that the flu did not kill most of those birds, governments did! I'm not saying that gov'ts have handled the issue incorrectly but the media sure has. They are constantly reporting with unclear statements that leave the reader with assumptions that are misleading and often incorrect.
A.I. is a serious disease of birds, if it's a high pathogenic strain and the W.H.O. is acting and reporting with clear facts. It's important that this disease is not given an opportunity to mutate to a form that will infect humans and so far it hasn't. One unfortunate fact is that there is a High Path H5N1 and a Low Path H5N1 - that alone is confusing enough."

Agree? Disagree? Chime in on what you think about the bird flu.