Just as we were wondering what ever happened to the bird influenza (aka H5N1), it missed us, too. H5N1 is back to haunt us some more. H5N1 made its first appearance in 2003 and by 2006, around 4000 cases were reported. It hasn’t been a huge problem in the U.S thus far and we hope it stays that way. But recent cases of the bird flu raised flags on how dangerous it may be in parts of Asia.
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported that the H5N1 virus has mutated the beginning of this week. The new strain is resistant to the current H5N1 vaccine, but Chinese health authorities are working on a new vaccine. The mutated strain has even traveled to many parts of Asia and even in some countries that were free from it for several years. Part of the reason for this mutation is because Vietnam has been using the same vaccine on their poultry flocks and chicken since 1996.
Now, I don’t want to get all science-microbiology-geek on you, but shooting up ineffective vaccine to ducks and birds will only make the virus easier to mutate. Health authorities are unsure of the impact of H5N1 in the upcoming season, but they are already taking precautions. Let’s hope it’s not another one of those SARS scenarios all over again.
