This bird flu panic is beginning to get me down. Yes, we know the H5N1 bird flu virus has the potential (POTENTIAL) to perhaps mutate and combine with the human flu virus and then the result would be CATASTROPHE...a fate worse than DEATH for the human race.

Really? Well, we're so busy collectively freaking out about that possible future menace we're conveniently ignoring the last time that happened, and (as was pointed out to me by a vaccine specialist), it was a biggie. Remember that old HIV/AIDS virus? Which we don't even remotely have a cure for, despite working on it for more than 20 years?

Which is killing millions in this country though the government would like to hush up the figures...and please don't confuse a misplaced sense of morality (oh no we shouldn't talk about AIDS because Indians aren't promiscuous what will the world think?! shock horror)...BS to your ill-advised morality, which gives you a cover to spread ignorance. It's criminal.

And the media's no less. AIDS isn't a sexy, new hysteria-inducing story anymore. So unless Clinton is in town to talk about AIDS we don't give a sh**. I mean we all KNOW about AIDS right, so who cares? Right?

It's making me sick to the stomach, this blase "it doesn't affect us so who cares" attitude. (Actually I think I might have bird flu, which is what's making me sick to the stomach, esp. after that stunt at the chicken coop!)

Instead of mass hysteria over a new killer virus, can governments and Big Pharma (who after all have the MOST to gain from all the potential deaths and the panic they're more than happy to spread) get their acts together?

Pump more money into research, less on adverts, maybe? Make these treatments possible? And then affordable? Wishful thinking, huh? Ah well...it was worth a shot (no pun intended).