bird flu

Today's top BBC story is bird flu. Like most of the world's problems, this is a disease for humans in poverty. (The west is only at risk if it mutates into something that rich people can catch.) For a domestic bird to catch the virus, it needs to be in extended contact with wild birds, and for a person to catch the virus, they need to be in extended contact with the birds. Both situations require dry conditions. (The virus relies on droppings landing, drying out, and then the dust being inhaled.) In wealthy countries, domestic birds are kept separately from wild birds, and people do not spend much time with their flocks.

Since this is a disease of poverty, the solution to this and a thousand other problems is to cure poverty. Land rent is the fastest solution to poverty - see www.answersanswers.com for details.

Preventing bird flu - another advantage of land rent.