REMEMBER the panic caused by the Hong Kong flu epidemic, which killed six
people in Hong Kong in 1997? It was caused by a new avian virus. To contain it,
the Hong Kong authorities slaughtered a million chickens.
Avian viruses caused widespread flu epidemics in 1957 and 1968, and most
experts believe there is a constant danger of another outbreak or even of a
pandemic. After New Scientist
(24 March, p 16) reported that closely
related strains of the flu virus had been found in pet birds, I asked the health
minister Yvette Cooper about Britain’s preparations for a flu…
