A Day At the Oprah


The past 24 hours has brought a fair amount of news. Some good, some not so good.

The best news is that on Tuesday, January 25th, Oprah will devote all or part of her show to the Avian Flu. The queen of daytime TV talk has more gravitas than all of our government officials put together. If she takes Avian flu seriously (early reports indicate she does), then the nation will, too.

It remains to be seen how informative the show will be, but it is a good sign that people are beginning to pay attention.

Meanwhile, in Turkey, and in Eastern Europe, the news (what little we get) is not so encouraging.

The Agriculture Minister of Turkey is accusing other countries in the region of hiding and covering up bird flu outbreaks, and even human infections. Countries on his list appear to include Syria, Iran, and Greece. These countries vehemently deny these charges.

A disturbing report from a newspaper in nearby Moldavia states that the government there is covering up an Avian Flu outbreak of 200 people, with 17 fatalities. This story has not been confirmed by any other source and remains suspect.

Sadly, internal politics, and intra-country rivalries play a big part in what we hear, and in the local response to the Avian flu threat. Many of the countries where H5N1 is now appearing have repressive governments, and little freedom of the press. It is nearly impossible to determine the validity of outbreak reports, or the veracity of governmental denials.

If these reports are true, and the governments are simply covering up, then the Avian flu is at an even greater risk of exploding into the human population.

Time will tell.