Bush takes pandemic seriously

Bird flu, page 1 died, and there are currently anti-viral treatments, primarily the drug Tamiflu.

Flu. Common Flu symptoms include high fever, cough, sore throat and muscle aches, and in severe cases, acute respiratory distress, and other life-threatening complications. Avian Flu symptoms are very similar, including fever, sore throat, cough and in some fatal cases, severe respiratory distress along with to viral pneumonia. Everyone could be at risk if an outbreak occurred, even healthy adults who have been affected by past complications of the virus.

For a bird flu outbreak to occur in humans, the virus must first learn how to mutate into a state that will affect the species. It is rare that this particular virus spreads from person to person, and substantial precautions have been taken already. Medicine is now more sophisticated than it was during the 1997 bird flu outbreak in Hong Kong, and the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, in which 50 million people

Experts say there is currently no cause for panic due to the precautions that have been taken along with the steady attention that has been issued to this topic. With the proper preparation and awareness of this preventable tragedy, the bird flu can be beaten this winter season. The Bush administration is taking the issue seriously, and experts say to cook your chicken thoroughly this year. Also, focus on avoiding the seasonal flu while the bird flu threat continues to be studied and vaccines continue to be improved.

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