Contrary to initial reporting from corporate media, the WHO, and the apocalyptic mutterings of Dr. Peter Hotez, there continues to be no evidence indicating the circulation of a highly pathogenic version of bird flu in either animal or human populations.

Sometimes I feel like a broken record when writing about infectious disease-based public health threats.

There are real threats, such as multi-drug resistant Tuberculosis, but these are rarely discussed. And then there is the psychological (eg. information) bioterrorism, the fear porn, a hyped narrative concerning an existential threat repeatedly injected into public discourse and then intentionally amplified to the point that it becomes a perverse and, in some cases, disabling obsession for many.