For those who have fogotten, Bird Flu (specifically the H5N1 strain) is a major threat to the world's population. The last major pandemic in WWI killed about 100 million and there is really no better treatment today if/when a pandemic strikes. About the only good treatment is supportive - that is, putting patients on breathing assistance, but in a pandemic there will only be a few machines to share out among each 1,000 patients. Bird Flu is most dangerous to the young with strong immune systems. For the latest information on the situation in China and Viet Nam, see http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/en/ China has reported that a young woman recently contracted and died from Bird Flu after buying and cooking some ducks. WHO report: "The Ministry of Health in China has reported a new case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus. The case is a 19-year old female from Chaoyang District, Beijing. She developed symptoms on 24 Dec 2008, was hospitalize...