Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Imagine

Imagine if the war in Iraq is not won by Insurgents, or even Americans, but by the pernicious effects of disease - Bird Flu. It's in Iraq and given the crumbling infrastructure, one wonders where it will go from there.

I have to say, the H5N1 appears to be exceptionally mobile now. It appears to be popping up all over, despite for months and years being localised in south east Asia.

It's a concern.

Associated Press
Update 7: First Bird Flu Death Confirmed in Iraq
By YAHYA BARZANJI , 01.30.2006, 04:49 PM

Battered by rampant violence and political instability, a new threat in Iraq was confirmed Monday - the first case of the deadly bird flu virus in the Middle East.

A 15-year-old Kurdish girl who died this month had the deadly H5N1 strain, Iraq and U.N. health officials said. The discovery prompted a large-scale slaughter of domestic birds in the northern area where the teen died as the World Health Organization formed an emergency team to try to contain the disease's spread.

"We regretfully announce that the first case of bird flu has appeared in Iraq," Iraqi Health Minister Abdel Mutalib Mohammed told reporters.

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