Non H5N1 Bird Flu Found In Arkansas

If you are one of those people who just read the headlines, I bet this one was a bit scary:

15,000 Arkansas Hens to be Killed after Postitive Test for Bird Flu

Of course, we haveto read into the second paragraph before we learn that it was not the deadly H5N1 strain, but the H7N3 strain which is much less virulent, and not nearly as deadly to humans.

Tyson Foods Inc. has begun killing and burying the carcasses of 15,000 hens from a flock that tested positive for exposure to a strain of the bird flu in northwest Arkansas, state officials said Tuesday.

Tyson said preliminary tests on the flock indicated the presence of antibodies for H7N3, a less virulent strain of the virus.

Wouldn’t it be nice if media outlets just reported the news and left the hype and such at the door? For once, I would like to read the headlines and find that the story inside matched the expectations delivered by that headline.

Stories like this remind me of the guys selling inflatable boats before the floods. It’s good to be prepared, but sometimes you can be a little bit overcautious.

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