The swan did have a form of the bird flu, but it was a mild strain:
WASHINGTON (AP) – Bird flu found in a wild swan in Michigan was not the deadly Asian strain that has ravaged poultry and killed at least 141 people worldwide, the Agriculture Department said Monday.
Final tests confirmed the swan had a mostly harmless, low-pathogenic strain of the H5N1 virus, officials said.
Authorities found bird flu in two mute swans Aug. 14, but only one of the samples had high enough levels of flu to allow confirmatory tests. Earlier genetic analysis ruled out the more virulent Asian strain in both birds.
The low-grade strain has been found many times in North American wild birds and poses no threat to people, the department said. Confirmatory tests were done by the department’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa.
The question not answered is does this low-pathogenic strain of the H5N1 virus offer any immunity from the deadly Asian strain of H5N1? Being they are both H5N1 strains, I would expect it does and that it’s significantly more contagious than the Asian strain in birds. This is how nature solves the problem of a new deadly virus strain. It simply develops a faster spreading low-pathogenic strain of the deadlier virus. That strain spreads through the host population leaving them with some immunity to the deadlier virus. It could be that most wild birds have already developed some immunity to the Asian strain of H5N1.
You got that right Mac. Somehow, life on this planet has survived for millions upon millions of years with out media fear mongering.
What a surprise. What I want to know is what is Bush doing to protect us? Boy, the media is right, this is one of the scariest things ever! EVER! Its all the administrations fault for not rounding up all the birds and killing them.
OK, joking! One more:
No chickens for oil!
Swan sniffles, snow goose-job or duck-and-cover?