Fatal Bird Flu Cases Increase in China

Image: forbes.com

A story getting little attention in the American media is the outbreak and spread of bird flu in China. It's not a celebrity tale, it's not a story about glamorous criminals, it does not have a movie tie-in. So why would the media bother, when we can worry about the LA-power clan Kardashians?

However, bird flu is serious business, with the potential to become a grave pandemic. The Chinese government has taken draconian action to stop bird flu H7N9, as this strain is characterized. It might not be enough to stop the mutation of the virus into an unstoppable plague. So far, 24 people have died from the disease. One case has been reported in Taiwan.

According to a report in today's online edition of the BBC, scientific experts find H7N9 worrisome. The main area of concern is whether the disease can be spread from person to person. So far, H7N9 can jump from poultry, where the disease originates, to humans. Ironically, the virus is not fatal to poultry.

The last time a major pandemic spread across Pacific Asia -- the SARS nightmare -- travel within and to the region virtually ground to a halt. This time around, Pacific Asia hopes to duck from H7N9. When it comes to bird flu, we're all chickens.