Running rampant throughout Asia the bird flu has killed less people in 18 months than the regular flu has killed in any major city during the same time period. Hysteria.
When the region you live in loses a huge chunk of it's economy when this thing comes through, tell me it's hysteria.
When your nearest neighbors are a couple 100,000 chickens, tell me this is hysteria.
Sorry if I sound tinfoilish, but the threat of this stuff is nothing to sneeze at or about (pun intended). Even if it never mutates to a human to human strain the decimation of the poultry industry and the trickle down effect on agriculture in general will be a major blow to the US economy.
Just one bird in one flock on one farm testing positive for any strain of avian influenza causes the entire flock to be destroyed. One modern chicken house holds upwards of 30-35,000 birds and there are some farms with 15-20 of those houses. One infected bird can ruin a family farm. I've seen it happen.