Avian influenza, avian flu, H5N1: the Bird Flu. This century's current epidemic hasn't yet swept away the human population, but it had taken the media by storm. Headlines shout warnings against a future mass plague; websites offer vaccine stores online; and politicians are panicking to protect their borders. But it wasn't until 2003 that the disease began to receive such widespread attention (Wikipedia 2005). Following the outbreak of Mad Cow Disease and SARS, the bird flu quickly established itself as the new epidemic of concern.

Avian influenza is an infectious disease that has killed thousands of birds, but fewer than 80 humans since its inception (Harris 2006). First identified in Italy before the 1900's, the bird flu has `migrated' worldwide (WHO 2004). The disease occurs naturally among wild birds within their intestines, but rarely amounts to harmful levels to the birds (CDC...