|
|
Article: Bird-Flu Challenge; An avian-flu outbreak could kill millions. Will we have a vaccine in time to stop it?(Cover Story)
- Article from:
- Newsweek International
- Article date:
- December 13, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Newsweek, Inc. All rights reserved. Any reuse, distribution or alteration without express written permission of Newsweek is prohibited. For permission: www.newsweek.com. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Byline: Michael Hastings and Fred Guterl (With Sarah Schafer in Beijing and Joe Cochrane in Bangkok)
For Zhang Jianxin, a poultry farmer at the forefront of the virus wars, the threat of an influenza pandemic wasn't something that should be left to health officials a world away. Zhang's livelihood depends on the health of his chickens, and last winter 14,000 of them stood in the path of a deadly bird flu. When he had the chance to vaccinate his flock for $550--a small fortune in his village outside of Xinle city, where the average family earns $100 a year--he took it. "I thought the quality would be better if the price was high," says Zhang. But the medicine, it ...