Bird flu likely in U.S. this year

The Bush administration warned Monday that bird flu will probably arrive in the United States this year. Officials announced plans to test 75,000 to 100,000 birds for early signs of the disease. The most likely route into the country for the disease is believed to be along the Pacific flyway, the path followed by migratory birds as they cross into the country. The flyway stretches the length of the West coast from Alaska to California.

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said that the public should not overreact to news that the virus is spreading, as it has yet to evolve into a form capable of spreading among humans. "At this point, if you're a bird, it's a pandemic. If you're a human, it's not a pandemic," he said.

- see this AP article [1]

PLUS: Are public health officials "selling pandemic flu with the language of fear?" Harvard's Peter Doshi examines the question in The Christian Science Monitor.  Article [2]