Bird flu is still prominent; our hospital has had a lot of staff meetings and plans for an outbreak that is overdue... The scary thing about the specific strain of the bird flu virus, called H51N1, is that it's got an alarmingly high death rate. 60% of the cases have died so far- the virologists studying it says people with good immune systems near the ages of 20-40 are at the highest risk because with H51N1, your body' immune system goes into severe overdrive, and can literally fill your lungs with fluid because it overcompennsates.

MRSA is also a very real threat, but it can be destroyed (although it takes a good while) with heavy antibiotics. There is no vaccination yet for H51N1. While H51N1 is still in the infant stages of developing into a pandemic, the virus (which previously could only spread from avian livestock to other livestock) has mutated so that now, it is able to spread to humans. While it has not yet mutated that we know of spreading from human to human, if it does, we might be in some biiig trouble. Most of us don't spend lots of time in constant contact with chickens and ducks, but there are many people who do, who have families, friends, ect. It can spread much quicker than one thinks.

It's not gov't propaganda; if anything, a lot of defense branches aren't as concerned about the virus as they should be. I'm not saying we should go around screaming the end is near, but instead, to exercise good prevention habits and plan something in case we do get hit.

Good news is the virus mainly occupies the lower lobes of the lung, so it would require more force to spread, but it will.

mattisonfire- you're a student nurse? You had mentioned to Birdgirl you were in pre-med school. Are you doing both, or did you just get confused?