Dr. Julie Gerberding, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) said that Avian Flu currently poses the biggest
threat to the world. Bird Flu (H5N1) has been spreading in Southeast Asia over the past couple years beginning with an outbreak in Hong Kong in 1997. The disease has led to culls of chickens, ducks and other birds to try and stop the spread. In humans the disease has killed at least 45 people to date -- according to the latest numbers from the World
Health Organization. Reuters reported that Gerberding also said that 72% of those diagnosed with Avian Flu have perished. What is most worrying is that lately the disease has shown possible signs of spreading from person to person -- although only through close contact. Also, BBC reports that Oxford Scientists found that the Avian Flu can ravage many organs in the body and not just the lungs as previously thought. CDC and WHO officials are concerned that the virus will mutate and spread rapidly from person to person like the flu does during flu season. If this were to happen Bird Flu could potentially kill hundreds of millions worldwide according to some experts -- like the Spanish Flu outbreak in 1918 which killed tens of million. Read The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague In History by
John M. Barry for more information about the deadly influenza outbreak of 1918.
