O Canada, we stand on guard for...H5N1

Over the weekend I participated in a GaSDF mission to assist US Public Health Service in preparing personal protective kits for field responders in areas hit by avian influenza. I was surprised and a little alarmed when the USPHS officer briefing us said that the bird flu virus was only 3-4 weeks from coming to North America. But actually this jibes with a posting last week by Dr. Niman at Recombinomics, in which he pointed out that the outbreak of H5N1 confirmed in Lagos last Thursday means that we will soon see the virus in northeastern Canada, since Lagos is well within the East Atlantic flyway used by migratory birds.

Now, this is cause for concern, not panic. At the very least however, it has serious implications for the poultry industry in North America and especially here in Georgia, which is the "Poultry Capitol of the World" - soon to be a dubious title, perhaps.