Don’t underestimate bird flu

We should not underestimate bird flu even if the strain may not be as dangerous for now. Once it mutates and is transmitted from bird to human host, and spread between humans, it can be very dangerous.

Please remember the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918 that infected 500 million people and killed 50-100 million, which at the time was around 5 percent of the world population. More people died from this pandemic than soldiers from countries involved in World War I.

Sure, some of us would like to have an effective bioweapon, but it is a natural disease coming from birds or swine as scientists suspect. Until today, we cannot mess with nature.

It reminds me of a children’s song: “I had a little bird, its name was Enza. I opened the window, and in-flu-enza.” Sometimes humor is the only weapon people have.

JÜRGEN SCHÖFER, PhD, [email protected]