How Big Is The Risk Of A Pandemic Breaking Out?
The world had to face a Bird Flu Pandemic, thrice in the twentieth century. In 1918-1919, “Spanish Flu” killed anywhere between 20 million to 50 million people (exact figures not known), including half a million in the United States alone. The “Asian flu” in 1957-58 killed 70,000 in the United States and in 1968-1969, the “Hong Kong flu” killed 34,000 in the USA. Currently the risk of H5N1 strain leading to a Pandemic is high. The virus is spreading fast to new areas and the efforts made to curtail it have proved inadequate. Domestic ducks have now become a “reservoir” for the virus. They are acting like a carrier for the virus – their bodies carry the virus without showing signs of any infection. Infected ducks then release large quantities of the virus in pathogenic form in their excretions spreading the virus to other birds or humans. This has made detection of the virus difficult especially in rural areas. According to health experts, the virus has already met the first two prerequ
