Avian Bird Flu - A Possible Pandemic

Avian bird flu, often referred to as Avian influenza, is an infectious disease found usually in birds which is caused by A strains of the influenza virus. This influenza virus occurs naturally in the intestines of wild birds and usually does not cause them sickness.

Avian influenza, or influenza A, is chiefly found in animals, but a virus infection of this type could occur in humans. Although cases of human infection have been on the rise since 1997, risk from this virus to humans is considered mild. In most cases, humans have caught this disease by coming in contact with contaminated surfaces like water bowls and cages, and with infected birds.

Cases of transmission of this virus from an infected human to another human have not been recorded officially. Some human influenza viruses are known to be subtypes of the avian bird flu influenza. Influenza A is continuously changing and it is possible that subtypes may adapt over time to infect and spread among humans.

Migratory waterfowl, most notably wild ducks, are the natural reservoir of avian influenza viruses, which is very contagious among them. When passed on to domestic birds like chicken, ducks and turkeys, the virus can make them very sick and even result in their death.

Infected birds transmit the influenza virus through their saliva, nasal secretion and feces. Domestic birds can contract the sickness when they come in contact with food containers, cage bars, water bowls, floors or with material such as feed and water that has become contaminated with this virus.

There is an extensive number of influenza viruses potentially circulating in bird populations, due to the fact that there are over a dozen subtypes of the influenza virus that infect birds. To date, all outbreaks of avian influenza have been caused by influenza A viruses of subtypes H5 and H7.

The sickness caused by this virus often take two stages. The first is a mild stage which often goes undetected. Symptoms for this stage are ruffled feathers and a drop in egg production. The second stage is where the internal organs of infected birds stop functioning and ultimately results in the death of the bird within 48 hours.

Humans who become infected with influenza A show symptoms similar to human influenza virus, and they may suffer from fever, muscle aches, sore throat, cough and eye infections.

In severe cases, they may have pneumonia and other life-threatening diseases. Death is a possible outcome of the infection.

What can we do to try to prevent a world-wide pandemic? While the efficacy of vaccines is no sure protection, many are trying to get their hands on these, since there is a chance that vaccines might help. The Australian government, not unlike many other governments, have stockpiled vaccines such as Tamiflu to prepare themselves for a possible outbreak of avian influenza, even though the exact virus that causes influenza A in humans has not yet been identified.

Another point to remember is that these viruses often become resistant to vaccines so by the time they are used, the particular influenza strain might not react to the present vaccines.

So I would say that your best bet would be to get a huge immune system boost. Glyconutrients will give you a maximum potential on your immune system, as well as many other health benefits. I have decided to help my family get a good supply of these everyday and have researched the most potent, active, and cost effective form of it.

Spencer Hunt is a wellness consultant from Oregon, who recommends a balanced diet, with high quality vitamins, minerals, and glyconutrients products. Visit the site to see how glyconutrition can help you, http://www.ifoundhealth.com

Bird Flu and Illegal Immigration

A bird flu pandemic will change many things around the world, and one thing that the United States government must consider in its bird flu plans is the effect of illegal immigration.

When people are dying right and left, it's only human nature that people want to blame somebody for their problems. Therefore, a bird flu pandemic will likely spark ethnic violence around the globe. This most likely place for this to happen in the U.S. is in the southwestern states of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Texas where there is a high concentration of Hispanics, some of whom entered the U.S. illegally.

We do have plans in place to monitor and screen passengers coming into the U.S. through international jet travel, and this is good. We will likely try to keep obviously sick people from even boarding planes headed for U.S. destinations. We plan to monitor passengers during the flight (because during a long Asia to U.S. flight infected people can go from nonsymptomatic to coughing and sneezing), and we plan to isolate sick passengers and quarantine the rest of the passengers and crew.

That's all well and good, but what about the many thousands of people who daily cross our border without even permission, let alone observation for good health?

Mexicans are no more likely than anybody else to be infected with bird flu, but during a pandemic no less likely either.

It's also possible that Mexican hospitals and clinics will be overwhelmed by flu patients, and so some will head for the U.S. for treatment, in the mistaken belief that U.S. hospitals and clinics will be better prepared to treat flu patients.

However, it is true that it will be difficult for anybody with bird flu to cross the desert. It'll be difficult enough for them to breathe. However, it's possible that their relatives may try to reach the U.S. in the belief they can buy Tamiflu here to save their ill family member.

We are unlikely to have enough Tamiflu to treat more than a small percentage of influenza patients, and treatment must begin within 2 days of symptoms, so it's not practical for Mexicans to get Tamiflu by going to the U.S. for sick family members, but that may not keep them from trying.

In any case, there's the risk that illegal immigrants will be blamed for further spreading bird flu into the U.S.

Another border issue is simple security. Most illegal immigrants coming from Mexico are Mexicans who want to make money in the U.S. Some are non-Mexicans who just want to work in the U.S.

Some are no doubt terrorists who want to destroy the United States. During a bird flu pandemic, more terrorists may plan to come into the United States to take advantage of pandemic-related problems.

It's also possible that Mexican gangs who now smuggle marijuana, cocaine and other drugs into the U.S. may switch to smuggling fake drugs. They'll find a large market for counterfeit or poorly made Tamiflu.

Richard Stooker is the author of How to Protect Yourself and Your Family From Bird Flu and Bird Flu Blog

Worried About Bird Flu? Pest Birds Cause More Problems Than You May Know

Birds are beautiful, wild creatures of nature and most reside in rural environments that provide natural shelters for them. However, some bird species have successfully adapted to our urban environment. The pigeon, starling and house sparrow -- among others -- thrive in our buildings and on our food. Their adaptation to our communities has brought them into close proximity to humans, often conflicting with us in our cities and suburbs. Although there are many different problems associated with pest birds, they can generally be grouped into two main categories: damage and disease.

How Pest Birds Harbor and Spread Disease

Headlines scream of late about the spread of bird flu, encephalitis, salmonella and among other diseases, raising the public's awareness about the role pest birds play in the spread of disease. Yet, there are still many who underestimate the health risks associated with birds.

Birds are a perfect mechanism for spreading disease as they travel great distances, harbor a variety of parasites and can host internally a plethora of infectious diseases. While in general human interaction with most bird species is minimal, as more birds like pigeons, sparrows, starlings and gulls, become urbanized and we develop further into the suburbs (their natural habitat), they come into contact with humans more frequently, thus increasing the potential for the spread of diseases.

Diseases are carried by birds in several ways: 1) they are contained inside the bird and passed on through defecation, 2) they are present in the bird's nesting materials or droppings, and spread wherever these materials are left, and 3) the disease is inside a parasite the bird hosts.

The most common way a disease is transferred from bird to human is when a diseased bird directly defecates into a human food or water source. In the summer of 93, New York faced a health crisis when several hundred people came down with a mysterious ailment. The illness was traced to seagull droppings in an old city reservoir. Even if the feces are not dropped directly onto exposed food or water, airborne spores from drying feces in air ducts and vents or anywhere nearby can settle on exposed food and transfer disease. Several thousand cases of food poisoning (salmonella) every year can be attributed to this disease transmission route.

As bird droppings and/or the contaminated soil it rests on dries or is disturbed, microscopic pieces break off and become airborne. The airborne particles can contain dormant fungi and/or bacteria. When breathed into the lungs, the warm, moist lung lining provides a breeding ground for the infectious agents. Generally this infection lasts a few days, is flu-like in nature and the body's defenses contain the invaders before minor symptoms appear. However, in some cases, major infections cause long term disability and, in the extreme cases, death. An example of this occurred after the Northridge earthquake, when several thousand people came down with flu-like respiratory symptoms called Valley Fever, caused by breathing in dust and airborne debris filled with histoplasmosis spores and related fungal agents stirred up by the earthquake. It is important to note there is no known medical cure for internal fungal infections.

Direct contact with feces can also cause infections, such as when fecal dust or droppings get inside a wound or cut. The wound site becomes red, puffy and pus-filled. Antibiotics are often needed to cure the infection. In some rare cases, infection of the blood (septis) or internal infection can also occur, causing serious illness or death. Proper attire must always be worn around bird droppings, and special care used when cleaning a bird site or installing bird control products. If a cut or injury occurs, thoroughly wash and disinfect the wound and cover with a sterile bandage to minimize risk of infection.

Parasites harbored by pest birds like ticks, fleas, mites and mosquitoes, etc., are a key component in the spread of infectious diseases. Parasites transfer diseases by biting an infected animal and sucking in blood containing the germ, then passes the germ along when it bites its next victim. Over forty types of parasites often live either on birds, in their nests or in places they roost. They are responsible for the transmission of several hundred viral and bacterial agents including: plague, encephalitis, pox and meningitis. Paradoxically, this threat can be aggravated when bird control products are installed if the installer does not thoroughly clean and disinfect the site with a hospital-grade disinfectant to eradicate the parasites. If they do not clean the site when the birds are excluded, mites, fleas, ticks, etc., will seek a new host, often the human inhabitants in the area. Therefore, a proper bird control project will always include parasite extermination and thorough cleaning of the entire site.

Damage Caused by Pest Birds

Pest birds are responsible for tens of millions of dollars of damage every year to buildings, machinery, automobiles, roofs, ventilation systems and much more. Accumulated bird droppings and nesting materials cause a host of physical problems, sometimes very serious in nature, if not corrected immediately. Besides the liability concern of people slipping and falling on droppings that gather on walkways, bird droppings and nesting materials are responsible for a host of other types of property and structural damage as well.
Bird droppings are very acidic in composition and "eat" away at many substrates, especially tar-based roofing materials. Piled bird droppings on roofs can wear through many types of material, eventually causing leaks. The life expectancy of a composite roof can be cut in half by just a light, but continuous, application of bird droppings. Pigeon, starling and sparrow nests are often built in rain gutters, drains and the corners of roofs where drains are located. Each year buildings of all types experience damage and occasionally, in extreme cases, roof collapses, when drainage systems are blocked with bird nests and droppings and standing water rises to a level the roof cannot support.

Bird droppings and nesting materials frequently cause damage to air conditioning equipment, machinery, siding, insulation, etc. Besides damaging equipment, people around these areas are exposed to a potentially dangerous health-risk any time they work on or around the machinery. Nesting materials are often very flammable due to their construction of straw, twigs and dried droppings and when birds build their nests near air conditioning units and other machinery there is a definite risk of fire. Most bird droppings, especially pigeon and sea gull, fade automobile and other paint finishes by eating into the protective coating and the paint itself. The longer the droppings are allowed to sit on the paint, the more damage is done.

Chimneys and ventilation systems are favorite nesting spots for some birds and can potentially spread diseases through the air duct system, as well as blocking airflow. This can have horrible consequences like in 1995 when a family of five in Cleveland was killed by carbon monoxide poisoning when their fireplace exhaust was blocked by bird nests.

Attics of houses, apartments, and other buildings are favorite nesting places for many birds, especially pigeons. They enter through openings broken or never sealed off in the first place, and set up home in these protected areas, building nests and defecating. These areas have little or no exposure to sunlight or airflow, magnifying the potential spread of disease since bacteria harbored in the birds' excrement and nesting materials thrive under these conditions. Damage to the structure, insulation and any items stored in the vicinity can be costly, and often the foul odors that develop can be overwhelming. More than once the weight of droppings from a large number of resident birds has become so great that the ceiling has actually collapsed. In addition, droppings and nesting materials on or around a building send a message to neighbors that building is not properly maintained.

How to Handle Pest Bird Problems

First and foremost, bird infestations should be taken seriously, but not irrationally. When evaluating a health risk potential, look for the following: droppings or nesting materials inside air vents, birds around food or water containers/areas, or large amounts of droppings in enclosed areas. These are the types of situations where disease can spread. Remember, pigeons walking around a park bench is not necessarily cause for panic, but twenty birds living inside an attic could pose a health and damage concern requiring action.

Second, permanent barriers that actually deter birds from remaining at the site should be installed to keep birds from returning to the area. Examples of these products would be: bird netting, bird spikes, post & wire products, etc. Audio/ visual products such as screech owls, balloons, and audible sound products (not ultrasonic -- birds hear the same way humans do) can be effective against certain species (but not pigeons!) that are not nesting at the site. There are a number of companies and websites out there that specialize in bird control products such as Bird Barrier America, BirdSpikes.net and BirdBusters to name a few.

Third, when cleaning the site and installing bird control products, the proper precautions must be taken. Respirators, goggles and protective clothing should always be used when cleaning up bird sites, particularly in enclosed areas out of the sun with large amounts of droppings and nesting material.

Finally, once the birds are removed it is crucial to exterminate all the ectoparasites and thoroughly disinfect the site to prevent the migration of bacteria and parasites. Then you can be sure they will not move to a new host, like other animals in the area or even humans, once the birds are gone.

Bird control is something that should be planned in the budget if possible by building managers, as are other types of pest control. Generally, the earlier a problem is detected, the easier it is to solve, since the birds have not had a lot of time to become committed to the site. Control methods are available on the market that are effective and affordable, and installing them generally saves you time and money long-term, as it reduces the clean-up time and associated replacement costs which can mount quickly when a number of birds are present. Companies like Bird Barrier offer toll free phone consultations at (800) 503-5444 and have certified bird control product installers across the nation to assist in solving any bird problem.

With over 10 years of experience researching and documenting bird control problems and solutions, Monique Thorsell is considered an expert consultant for companies in the bird control industry like Bird Barrier America, Bird Busters and others.

Human to Human Transmission of Bird Flu- Is it Possible

The turn of the birds


It might have been the rats first and now it?s the turn of the birds; men are at constant war with the rest of the world. The war that includes more than what the human eyes could possibly endure; this time we are to deal with the H5N1 viruses which are on the edge of an outbreak. And for you layman, the message we wish to convey is this, birds are on the verge of spreading the flu and the possibility of treating Avian flu lies more in preventing the infection at first hand. You have options from Tamiflu to Amantadine, drugs which give you the chance to survive the disease if consumed within forty eight hours of the start of symptoms.


The micro level recombinations


What binds the success men have still against the reach of a pandemic is that H5N1 spreads only from a bird to a human. The need of the hour is take a quicker look to examine the nature of such a belief. True to the words, influenza A virus is specific to certain species other than birds. Birds have a craving for all subtypes of the virus. Animal to animal, bird to bird and between animals and birds the disease spread with ease. What the foresight of human fails to capture has more to be blamed on the reassorments that go past his eyes to the micro level. With the start of the flu symptoms, humans are at constant risk of the process that goes down further within their nerves. Genetic recombination?s could mould a H5N1 to dance intone to the genes within the human body resulting in something that is deadly, a strain that could cross over from a human to a human.


Rewriting the routes of history


So the possibility of exposure to the virus is the best way in which you could avert the disaster. Maybe a careful evaluation of the virus in human would take a year to produce an anti dose to save the species. However that would be the time more for bird flu to avenge the death that humans had spread between them. This is a suicide attack of the flyers. You have the options let bare as the need of the hour to escape the clutches of Avian flu is necessary to all. Get ready and equip yourself with the remedy. Get Tami flu and Amantadine by your side to seize the spread of the symptoms. The long road that stretches back to the routes of history has proved time and again that when men lagged to make the right decision he lagged to make the proper existence; this is the time to rewrite history, strive for the best.
 

Preparing For A Natural Disaster, Terrorists Attack Or Bird Flu Pandemic

How prepared are you? Will you be like thousands of others and wait until the last minute to stock up on food and water? Do you even have a working flashlight in your home or auto? As we have clearly seen, waiting until it is too late does not work. Grocery stores run out, gas stations run dry and we certainly can?t depend on the government to help.

You need to start planning today, preparing for the unexpected so that you and your family can survive. Official sources always recommend having a 72 hour or 3 day kit. While it certainly helps, it is nowhere near adequate for an extended survival situation. As we have seen a natural disaster can last for more than 3 days. A possible bird flu pandemic may keep you housebound for weeks or months at a time. So how much is enough and what do you need?

You should plan on meeting your family?s daily needs for a minimum of a month, preferably up to 3 months or longer. This can include:

Food?Stock up on the basics. Flour, sugar, non-perishable foods like macaroni products, rice (a 25lb bag of rice is around $6.00 at SAM?s club), dried milk. Canned goods usually are good for a year or two. Start adding to your pantry now by buying a few extra items every time you go to the grocery store. Take advantage of sales, coupons and store brands. Buy foods you can fix easily, don?t need a lot of water or don?t need to be cooked at all. You can also add to your supply long term dehydrated foods that you can supplement your other food stores. They are vacuumed sealed and have a shelf life of 20-30 years. MRE?s ready to eat meals can also expand your food stores. Buy food and supplies in bulk at Sams club or Costco. Rotate your stock so you always have the freshest food available. Also include things like high-energy bars. Don?t forget pet food.

Water?You can store water in large containers, 5-gallon mylar water bags, camping jugs and other containers. You should also own a good water purifier.

Tools?are you equipped to handle minor repairs around your home? Fix your auto? Repair or build needed survival supplies? Tools to turn off natural gas, shovels to dig out, chainsaws to cut up downed trees and other essential rescue tools may be needed.

Energy?there may be interruptions or outages in electrical and other utilities. Do you have an alternative way of heating your home? A way of supplying power to lights and other needed electrical devices? Stocked up on batteries? A portable generator can be used for emergency backup. You will need gas to run the generator. Solar panels are handy for charging batteries. Extra propane can be used for a stove, lights or heat. Have several flashlights on hand. Newer flashlights feature L.E.D. bulbs that burn brighter and last forever. Also look for hand cranked flashlights that don?t need batteries. Include lighting such as oil or propane lanterns.

Medical? a good first aid kit is a must have. Over the counter drugs such as ibuprofen, aspirin, antacids, etc. Also personal medications and other first aid supplies. Don?t forget spare glasses/contacts and contact lens solution. Brush up on your first aid skills.

Household supplies?everything from shampoo and toothpaste to toilet paper, soap, detergent, bleach, disinfectants and everything else you use on a daily basis. Don?t forget hair clippers if you can?t get out to the barber. Have supplies on hand to deal with sanitation and garbage.

Communication?Newer walkie-talkies that have a 10-12 mile range will help you stay in touch with your family in the event your cell phone stops working. Give each member of your family one and tune them all to the same channel. Buy an emergency battery for your cell phone. They are good for about 60 minutes of talk time. Portable shortwave radios will help you keep in touch with the world. A small portable tv will also help keep you informed if the power is out. A hand cranked radio is also a must have.

Camping equipment?stoves, tents, sleeping bags can all come in handy especially if you need to relocate. Pick up camping supplies on sale and used equipment at garage sales.

Bicycles?if you need to get around and there is no gas a bike is the best item to have.

Relocating?if you choose not to stay in your home, then you need a plan on how you will relocate-to another town or remote cabin, etc. You may want to stock your vacation home with supplies and be prepared to ?bug out? before travel is restricted.

Figure out how far you need to get away. Think about storing extra gas to provide a full tank and enough for your journey. 3 or 4?5 gallon gas cans, could be enough to get you several hundred miles away. Because of the fire danger it is very important that you store them safely and rotate them on a regular basis. Meaning, if you have 3 filled cans, week one dump that in your gas tank and refill that can. Week 2 dump the second can in your gas tank and refill that can. Week 3 dump can 3 into your gas tank and refill that can. Week 4 start over with can one. Using this system you will always have 15 gallons of fresh gas on hand in addition to gas that is already in your gas tank.

Plan your exit strategy from your city or town. Keep a map in your car with the roads out highlighted. Find all the alternative routes out of your city or town. Stay away from main highways if at all possible. Have copies of the map in other vehicles if other family members need to meet you later. Practice your escape route by driving it at least once.

Store your ?bug out? survival supplies in containers that can be quickly loaded into your vehicle. Keep a smaller version in your vehicle at all times.

Start today preparing for the unexpected and if it happens you won?t need to divert your time and energy away from caring for your family, waiting in long lines for essential goods and services or waiting for the government or other aid organizations to come to your rescue.

To stay up to date on avian influenza, bird flu and the h5n1 virus visit The Bird Flu Index http://www.birdfluindex.com Find links to bird flu websites, blogs, forums, official medical and government sites and full information about how the bird flu could turn into a global pandemic.The latest bird flu news at http://pandemiczone.blogspot.com

The truth about bird flu

There has been much written about the threat of a bird flu pandemic. Much of it is either alarmist or inaccurate. However the truth is not a great deal more digestible.

First I will examine the facts as they stand. The virus in this case has been labelled H5N1 and it is a fairly close relation to the virus H1N1 which caused the "Spanish" flu pandemic in 1918/19. That outbreak followed the Great War (aka World War I) and killed many more than that war itself. Most estimates of the death toll of H1N1 range from 50 million to 100 million!

H5N1 is currently decimating bird stocks around the world and is spreading alarmingly with recent outbreaks in Turkey, Cyprus and now Africa and Italy. In its current form H5N1 is not a great threat to mankind and those who have become infected with the virus have been in close contact with infected birds. But we must not underestimate or ignore the human misery caused by those who have died through infection and the loss to livelihood caused by the destruction of avian farming stocks.

So what is all the fuss about? Simply that viruses tend to evolve and, over time, it is likely that H5N1 will "learn" to infect humans far more easily. Viruses can learn in a variety of ways. One way is through normal evolution and they evolve far quicker than we do - indeed some strains of H5N1 are already showing resistance to Tamiflu - the current antiviral of choice. A quicker route is if the virus should find itself inhabiting the same body as a human flu virus - perhaps in a human being or perhaps in a pig - among other possibilities. When this happens the viruses often swap information.

The consensus of opinion among the great and the good of the scientific community is that it is only a matter of time before H5N1 becomes capable of human-to-human transmission - that it is inevitable!

Once that happens the pandemic begins.

But even then a great deal of uncertainty exists. There are two key statistics when it comes to a virus rather as there are two key statistics when it comes to marketing a web site. In the case of the web site the first key statistic is how many people reading your banner ad/your email promo click through to your web site. The second is how may of those actually buy.

In the case of the virus it is far more morbid. The two key statistics are the infection rate and the mortality rate.

There have been three recognised pandemics in the last 100 years. All three had infection rates of around 25%. The 1918/19 pandemic also had a mortality rate of between 2.5% - 5% which is why it was so deadly. The pandemics of 1957/58 and 1968/69 had mortality rates of around 0.37%.

These statistics are really the source of all the hype and concern because currently H5N1 is killing around 50% of those it infects!

Hence we get claims that 1.5 billion (sic) people will die. The mathematics is simple. We assume an infection rate of 50%, and some say "Spanish" flu infected 50% of people, and we apply the current mortality rate of 50% to the current world population in excess of 6 billion people. Result: one in four dies.

But this over looks a key point. Usually a virus that mutates to become capable of human-to-human transmission becomes much less deadly in the process.

The bottom line - we simply do not know what we might face.

The key question - how much time and money do we spend on a threat which may be a complete damp squib or may decimate human population?

John Piper is a freelance researcher and writer with four books under his belt. He specialises in stock markets and health. Feel free to contact the author at john@ttttt.freeserve.co.uk with any comments on this article or visit http://www.virusalert1.com for John's Book on bird flu.

Bird Flu: Diagnosis

Central to the problem of dealing with bird flu is diagnosis. A number of upper respiratory infections have similar symptoms?at least at the onset of the illness, including the common cold, seasonal influenza, and bird flu. Seasonal flu and bird flu have almost identical symptoms?including fever, cough, malaise (feeling unwell), nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. This is, needless to say, a gigantic problem in accurately diagnosing bird flu?which is critical to beginning appropriate treatment as well as initiating infection control procedures and public health measures.

Currently, accurate testing for bird flu and other vial infections that can cause similar symptoms is difficult and requires specialized testing. This testing is time consuming and only available in specialized reference laboratories, which are few and far between. Fortunately, this may change in the near future.

According to Richard Janeczko, Ph.D., executive vice-president and chief scientific officer, Tm Bioscience, located In Toronto, Canada, is feverishly working to complete the final stage of development of an amazing test?not only for bird flu, but for more than 15 other viral infections (including severe acute respiratory syndrome or SARS), many of which can mimic the symptoms of bird flu (personal communication). (Tm Bioscience is a DNA-based diagnostics company developing a suite of genetic tests. Tm Bioscience?s product pipeline includes tests for genetic disorders, drug metabolism, and infectious diseases.

The test, called the Multiplexed Respiratory Test, discriminates influenza A from influenza B and identifies the H5-subtype of influenza A (bird flu is ?H5N1?) from all other H subtypes. In addition, it can identify almost all the other common?and some uncommon?viruses that cause influenza-like illnesses. This is extremely important in managing patients, communities and economic issues. Other tests have lower clinical sensitivities and specificities which can lead to both false positives and false negatives.

By incorrectly identifying an outbreak as due to H5N1, patients could be treated with anti-virals unnecessarily (thus raising the chances of selecting for drug-resistant strains), unneeded vaccination programs in asymptomatic individuals could be initiated, and damage to local and national economies?through such measures as culling of commercial poultry operations?could occur. Conversely a false-negative test result could lead to catastrophic outcomes, including a pandemic.

The assay utilizes swab specimens taken from the nose and takes less than 5 hours to perform. It was developed for use as a diagnostic tool and for infection control in hospitals. The assay has been slated for expedited review by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and TM Bioscience is hoping to have an FDA-cleared test available by the end of January 2006. If this assay delivers what it claims, it will have huge applicability on a global basis and save many lives.

Bradford Frank, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A. The Frank Group. P.O. Box 138 Lakewood, NY 14750 http://www.AvoidBirdFlu.com