Avian Flu; U.S., Wisconsin Must Be Vigilant

Summary

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Despite the 24/7 attention the media has given it recently, misinformation still abounds about avian flu. Last month, state health officials heard that some Wisconsinites were foolishly neglecting to get their flu shots because they were confusing the strain of influenza that usually makes the rounds every winter with the far more deadly type that has scientists on edge across the globe.

Since there is no vaccine yet for the bird flu strain, which as far as scientists know has not yet mutated to the form in which it can be transmitted easily from human to human, these folks mistakenly concluded that getting a flu shot didn't matter anyway. That kind of fatalistic thinking can be just as counterproductive as people who err on the other side by overreacting and trying to stockpile anti-viral drugs such as Tamiflu.

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Avian Flu; U.S., Wisconsin Must Be Vigilant

Even physicians aren't all on the same page. A national survey of 662 physicians released last week showed that while nearly half thought the threat of a flu pandemic was justified, an identical number disagreed. The doctors couldn't even agree on wheth...

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