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Article: Curbing avian flu at the source.(COMMENTARY)
- Article from:
- The Washington Times (Washington, DC)
- Article date:
- November 18, 2005
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 The Washington Times LLC. 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)
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Byline: Peter D. Bell, SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON TIMES
I could be the carrier. Just as SARS was brought to Canada by unsuspecting airline passengers, I could carry the H5N1 virus. I just returned from Vietnam and Thailand, where avian flu is endemic in birds.
Fortunately, I am doing fine - and avian flu is still found mainly in birds. Almost all the 125 people who have caught the flu have had close contact with poultry. Unfortunately, when and if this virus becomes easily transmissible between persons, it will spread rapidly unless early outbreaks are contained. When most travel was by ship, flu pandemics reached all corners of the world in nine months. ...