Via the Taipei Times, an opinion piece by a pediatrician. He's worried about H5N1 because direct air links have been opened between the Chinese mainland and Taipei. Excerpt:
Now that deaths from the virus have been reported in Beijing, Taiwanese businesspeople and tourists must take extra precautions.
In the past, Hong Kong was a checkpoint for Taiwanese transferring to China, but with the opening of the direct links, the spread is no longer dependent on wild geese.
In addition, it took more than one month for the Council of Agriculture to investigate the sudden death of chickens in Kaohsiung County. This is ridiculously inefficient and the public would probably be better served praying for protection.
The H5N1 virus can invade Taiwan in four hours and it is more powerful than missiles. The misery created by the SARS outbreak in 2003 should be sufficient to focus the mind.
If the authorities are not alert to this situation, or if the media continue to ignore the situation intentionally or unintentionally, it is not impossible that deaths will occur in Taiwan. Should this happen, the country’s already ailing economy would suffer yet another blow.
The Ma administration’s lopsided promotion of the benefits of the three direct links makes one wonder if the government is prepared for that possibility.
