February 25, 2005
U.S. to Test Bird Flu Vaccine as Warnings Spread
Government stockpiling antiviral drugs in case of epidemic.
WASHINGTON - Amid dire warnings of an Asian pandemic, the government is preparing to test an experimental bird flu vaccine and is increasing disease surveillance in hopes of reducing the toll from any eventual American outbreak.
~A microbiologist inspired by the above story commented: "This avian flu crap is being overhyped by the media big-time! It's really shitty journalism and these guys should be sued for calling "wolf!"
I watched CSPAN as the director of the CDC desperately tried to cool down the media by stating that avian flu is of no threat to humans and that there's no danger at present time of something killing Americans. Unfortunately, in the same series of comments, the director stated: (paraphrased) However, we are keeping watch in SE Asia in order to identify whether there has been, or will be, species cross over from birds to humans. And this article is bleeding this misinformation to dead and is just more of the same overblown stuff..."
~If the CDC can't periodically help major drug manufacturers scare up superfluous funding, what good are they?
[photo not w/story]