BIRD FLU STRAIN ON THE RUN

The bird flue in Hungary

Bird flu strain on the run

While during the first months after the first appearance of the bird flu strain it only had effects in Asia, lately certain signs show that it has also arrived to Europe and Hungary. There are news of infestation from the surrounding countries, Romania, and Croatia for example. The latter is particularly important because the strain was found in a dead swan that was in Hungary just a few weeks earlier. So the question arises: is the bird flu already here in Hungary? How will we notice? Will we notice at all? First of all, since Hungary is not a country of nationwide conspiracies, we should believe that if the infestation arrives, the people would be told, so they can do the necessary countermeasures. Second, the "countermeasures" mostly involve not eating raw bird meat - because cooking, just like in the case of many other strains, kills the virus. But in reality it is quite possible that we will not notice the arrival of the virus for some time, maybe even for weeks. It is likely to come from east, see the aforementioned infestation reports from Romania (Romania is considered east in Hungary). Moreover, people in rural areas of Hungary might not report a few dead birds, fearing they would have to kill the rest they have. Also, it is very hard to use precautions against a virus that is carried by birds from one place to another, especially as most farmers do not have the money and means to properly lock away their animals. The aspect of Eastern-European mentality is the way people react. Money comes before health. We are outraged, but not surprised when at the Romanian border they clean vehicles leaving Hungary, instead of cleaning the ones coming from the other side. The public media is no better. Instead of teaching people how to prepare for a possible outbreak of the virus, there are TV-ads where a famous chef tells us that the Hungarian chicken is not only the best, it is also completely safe. Late December, early January is the usual time for the outbreak of human flu. The biggest fear worldwide is that bird flue might mutate with human flue and become contagious for humans. This will be the time when people will not care anymore how their chicken tastes. N. Life in Budapest Traditional gypsy music in Budapest Learning languages in Hungary Popular cinema in Hungary Hungarians learning Spanish Hungarian wages Hungarian salaries Hungarian attitudes towards Gypsies Austria from Hungary Gypsy stereotypes in Hungary Getting a job in Hungary Foreign language bookstores in Budapest Creative competition in Budapest during the war Foreign languages in Hungary Winter sports in Budapest Traditional Gypsy music in Budapest Beggars in Budapest Gypsies in Hungarian media