Though the bird flu virus has reared its head amongst impoverished rural people with poor hygiene habits until now, one cannot ignore the potential for sudden spread amongst other sections of international society. Consider that the smallest particle of discharge from any orifice in a head may have sufficient inoculums of avian influenza virus to threaten innocent lives. The indefinite gap between infection transfer and its detection makes effective surveillance almost impossible. Open air, adequate space for people at all times and clean habits keep the probability of infection low. However those of us who have to take long aircraft flights and those who commute in packed trains are at risk. Those who work in popular banks, busy medical institutions and shopping malls are also vulnerable. Working dogs at offices with air-conditioning and heating are a hazard, to say nothing of an exotic avian pet, gifted from abroad! It helps, in terms of keeping bird flu at bay, if you are an introvert and keep social interaction to a minimum!
The risk rises exponentially as Americans travel back and forth between other countries. China is a major concern with a considerable number of avian influenza episodes. India, now an important destination for business people from the US, has the world’s highest recorded child mortality from encephalitis and rotavirus. The pathogens that cause these terrible illnesses are different from bird flu, but it is possible that people in India are carriers of air borne infective agents against which people in the US have poor resistance. Christopher Columbus is said to have brought new bugs to North America in his ships and through his crews. Native Indians were decimated by such intrusion, as their immune systems had never encountered these organisms before. This unfortunate phenomenon now hangs over our heads as a sword that can repeat history in fearsome manner! Nations and people have lived with threats of international transfer of infection since the days of intrepid explorers. We now encounter such danger every time an aircraft or a ship brings people from lands of the bird flu to the United States.