Wow ther is a LOT there. Could you give us newbies a summary?
It's difficult to summarize, but I'll try.
Back in 1997, H5N1 appeared in Hong-Kong. It was only one or two mutations away from being the equivalent of the 1918 flu. Basically, it hadn't been through the swine phase yet. The authorities in Hong-Kong (pre-mainland ChiCom, still Commonwealth), got on it right away and killed nearly every bird in Hong-Kong.
It still survived.
Each year since, it has mutated and grown - and expanded its' host range. It has killed tigers, pigs, all types of birds, countless lab mice. It has been misdiagnosed due to the various forms it takes on in humans.
It can appear as a standard flu. It can be encephalitis. It can be meningitis. Pneumonia. Dysentary. Cholera. Dengue fever. It mutates nearly as rapidly as AIDS.
Now that it has the mutation at the HA cleavage site, it is freely transmitted between humans. Incubation times range UP TO 6 MONTHS!!!!
The goverment reporting on this is scandalous - at best. If you go to the links I provided above regularly you can stay informed pretty well. Pro-Med tends to be a little more cautious - they don't want to connect the dots as quickly.
Also as I said above, this is all just FYI. I've got nothing to sell, no dog in this fight. I don't want to alarm anyone, but the only way we can keep this in check is through some pretty drastic measures. Otherwise, we MAY be facing 30-40% fatality rate as early as this fall. Think about that - three to five people out of everyone you know DEAD.
Now, do you see why I want this info out in the open?