Are Humans Ready For Next Bird Flu Pandemic

Bird flu, has caught the world attention during the last few years, but actually, it has a century old history. About hundred years ago, it was discovered in Italy. There are many types of bird flu viruses and if displayed in a laboratory, they will demand the space of a full gallery.

Many of the types have become deadly now. The reigning champion among them is H5N1 which is responsible for over 70 deaths in Asia alone in the two years. The scientists are already worried. It has the potentiality to become the 4th important pandemic in the word, according to their calculations!

Are you aware of the destructive power of the disease called Influenza? Just take the count of three of its major attacks:

1. Hong Kong Flu of 1968
2. Spanish Flu of 1918
3. Asian Flu of 1957

The casualty figures put together equals to 20 million people.

You always expressed a sense of awe, wonder and joy at the flying capacity of the migratory birds. You waited for their arrival during the particular season, in a particular part of your country. You see, what tricks these birds have played. They are the carriers of deadly diseases. It just takes 48 hours for the bird to fall ill and die, after contacting with this virus. The risk has already crossed the threshold of the human beings. The virus of the bird flu disease is found in the intestines of the migrant birds.

Scientists worry about the future of bird flu, the politicians and the people scurry for the cover against bird flu. Will it really become a pandemic? Yes, there are “bright” possibilities for this worst eventuality.

In that case, it is not survival of the fittest, but survival of the luckiest! The reasons are hereunder.

1.To meet the enormous challenge of bird flu, the third world countries do not have proper facilities or adequate resources. It will naturally spread fast there.

2.There is no finality about the vaccine. That is, there is no treatment for the prevailing bird flu in the human beings. Should the worst happen, the production of vaccine on a mass scale will take 4 months! What will happen during this period? It staggers one’s imagination.

3.The virus has already taken the air-route. Initially it affects pigs and birds. They mutate fast, and multiply even at a faster rate. The virus has many strains and it is difficult for the scientists to catch its true identity.

4.Those self-employed or employed in the poultry farming industry, do not posses modern and scientific equipments to protect themselves against this type of disease. They will be the sitting ducks for this pandemic.

The cold war is already on- what will happen to the humanity in case of a real bird flu war?