Well I can only hope it is scaremongering, but the NZ government is preparing itself as best it can, I think we are more concerned with the pandemic than the bird flue as our risk is very low for that, but still one cannot be too complacent IMO.

The media says it is not trying to panic people but prepare them, well I cannot say I am panicked but I do feel rather scared about it all,as it is going to be the very young, old and those with illness that will be affected most as always with all viruses.

People have been buying up large surgical masks in my City ,infact the pharmacy's have run out and some are trying to get the pills Tamiflue, which is not a cure but is supposed to help people from actually dying from it, so I guess a lot of people are taking it very seriously here it appears.

I do keep in mind though ,that often this happens and we all come out of it right in the end, like the Sars epidemic, people got worried about that here too and their was media hype and we never got it to my knowledge.

I think the pandemic is more of a threat to the world myself,if it really does happen NZ will close its borders down completely,as I am sure other countries will too, imagine the chaos it will cause, they reckon it will be way worse than a natural disaster like an earthquake.

I am glad some of you feel positive about it and are not worried like me, because half the time these things never come to anything much and you save yourself alot of un-necessary worry, signed Carole AKA as worry wart bigtime. P.S Gosh Kim I was shocked to hear you have never even heard of it,like here in NZ it is in the paper everyday almost, large articles about both, and on the TV all the time, amazing.