If Florence was in the grip of an epidemic of colds, coughs and fevers, astrologers . . . declared that it was caused by the influence of an unusual conjunction of planets. This sickness . . . came gradually to be known as “influenza.”
Chronicles of a Florentine Family 1200-1470.Time, June 24, 1957, p. 80
Americans fearful of bird flu are peppering health officials with all sorts of questions: Is it safe to have a bird feeder in my yard? If I see a dead bird, should I report it? Is it still OK to have turkey at Thanksgiving?
The answers are yes, no, and yes.
Officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been handling an avalanche of phone calls from the public and the media.
“It’s been insane,” said Dave Daigle, a spokesman for the CDC, which has been getting an average of 447,000 hits a day on its avian flu information Web page.
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And bird flu isn’t even here. It is just now infecting poultry in eastern Europe. So far, it almost never spreads between humans and in two years has infected 117 people, all in Asia. More than 60 have died.
Influenza activity was reported as sporadic in 4 states (California, Hawaii, Michigan, and Pennsylvania), New York City, and Puerto Rico. Forty-four states reported no influenza activity, and 2 states and the District of Columbia did not report.
Do we have enough vaccine? The CDC will keep you posted.