H5N1 has been centred around South East Asian countries around 2003. For the first time, it is highly activated, and has moved well beyond those borders, and is now in Africa, and in the heart of Europe. H5N1 has now been reported in Switzerland, Italy, Germany and numerous other neighboring countries.
China has recently warned of the potential for a 'massive outbreak'.
What's happening now is an outbreak, followed by widespread culling, and then a few days or weeks later, another outbreak.
One of the problems with brid flu is certain countries, like Vietnam, have poultry as an integral part of daily lifestyle and culture. It is hard for them to survive without it. Many farmers make a living out of cockfighting, and admit to hiding their cockerels, which one man described as 'meaning more to me than my family'.
This creates a certainty for repeated infections, with the virus having the opportunity to become more efficient.
A good way to stay updated on this issue is to get google alerts on H5N1 mailed daily to your email address.
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