Comments on: Bird Flu Hype http://the-health-gazette.com/85/bird-flu-hype/ Your interactive source for health news, views and reviews Thu, 29 Mar 2012 17:48:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Health Gazette http://the-health-gazette.com/85/bird-flu-hype/comment-page-1/#comment-67 Health Gazette Tue, 11 Apr 2006 06:47:09 +0000 #comment-67 Sir David King, the U.K. government's chief scientific adviser, has said there is a "very low" chance of the virus mutating to a form that spreads between humans. The H5N1 virus cannot pass easily from one person to another and therefore currently does not pose a large-scale threat to humans. Sir David King has said suggestions of an inevitable global human pandemic were "totally misleading" and says the virus has been in the bird population since 1996, and in Asia in particular there has been a lot of contact between human beings and the birds that have the virus. King says despite that, a human virus has not developed. Finally, without hype or fanfare, a U.K. health spokesman has said "the disease remains one of birds, not humans." We are well into April 2006 now so the Human "Bird Flu" Pandemic profiteers have already made their killing. One wonders whether Sir David lacked courage to speak out earlier, lacked the media space amidst the hyped-up 'promotion' or perhaps is politically wise enough to know when to hold his tongue while powerful people make money. Who knows? In any event, I welcome his current comments but am disappointed they were so late in coming. Peter ________________ Dr Peter Tylee Editor Sir David King, the U.K. government’s chief scientific adviser, has said there is a “very low” chance of the virus mutating to a form that spreads between humans.

The H5N1 virus cannot pass easily from one person to another and therefore currently does not pose a large-scale threat to humans.

Sir David King has said suggestions of an inevitable global human pandemic were “totally misleading” and says the virus has been in the bird population since 1996, and in Asia in particular there has been a lot of contact between human beings and the birds that have the virus.

King says despite that, a human virus has not developed.

Finally, without hype or fanfare, a U.K. health spokesman has said “the disease remains one of birds, not humans.” We are well into April 2006 now so the Human “Bird Flu” Pandemic profiteers have already made their killing.

One wonders whether Sir David lacked courage to speak out earlier, lacked the media space amidst the hyped-up ‘promotion’ or perhaps is politically wise enough to know when to hold his tongue while powerful people make money. Who knows? In any event, I welcome his current comments but am disappointed they were so late in coming.

Peter
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Dr Peter Tylee
Editor

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