How can bird flu be prevented?
The World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are preparing for the possibility that bird flu could spread to people all over the world in what is called a pandemic. In 2007, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first vaccine for humans against bird flu. Immunization is not currently recommended for the public. The vaccine will be kept in the U.S. government stockpile.2 Officials are also storing up large supplies of antiviral medicines. The U.S. government has also developed a flu plan. This is a plan to prepare for a pandemic and to make sure that as few people as possible get the virus. International health organizations now require that all infected birds be killed. Some countries have programs to clean up poultry farms and to check that all birds are healthy before they are sold. In 2004, the United States stopped buying poultry from most Asian countries. Even though there is a lot of talk about bird flu, most people in t
