I'm taking a cue from Anton today and dedicating this post (my last from dorm-purgatory!) to the avian flu.

The possibility of an avian flu pandemic, (it's medical name is Avian Influenza A, or the H5N1 virus) is something at the forefront of most China PCVs' brains, as that is one of the most likely causes of an evacuation. As you are probably aware, in the event of any serious emergency, PCVs are evacuated from a country until the emergency disapates. In the event of a health crisis, such as SARS in 1998 or a potential avian flu outbreak in humans, we might not get to come back to the country for years. PC China was shut down for five years after SARS, and I don't think I'd wait that long to come back to my assignment. That said, we have been vaccinated against the latest flu strain and are prepared with medication and evacuation plans in the event of a serious outbreak.

The epicenter of the flu risk is Asia, especially Southeast Asia. The risk for avian flu in the US remains pretty low, by all accounts. However, travellers are excellent carriers for influenza, and in our world of ever-increasing exchange between countries--especially the US and Asia--the possibility of an outbreak in the US isn't beyond possibility. While a human-to-human transmission hasn't yet been confirmed, it sounds like the folks at WHO and the CDC are just waiting for the virus to mutate to be able to do just that.

I'm hoping that the virus never figures that trick out, actually. I'd find it really disheartening to have to be evacuated--every day here presents its own set of challenges and trials, that I overcome little by little. It would be awful to be forced to leave after making a strong daily effort to stay. Not that every day is like this big battle to stay here, don't get me wrong--it's just that this really is a mental committment.

Hey, all you other bloggers out there: check out this link on how to get the word out about the avian flu. It can't hurt, right? (Thanks again Anton for the heads up..)

I'm out, literally! More soon from my new home!