Yes, they were farmers or others who were handling fowl. And while this number is very small, it’s the virulent effects that have officials concerned. This is what public health is all about: watching diseases develop at very early stages and trying to figure out what to do if it becomes more serious.

Bird flus are quite common but the H5N1 strain is particularly deadly. So if there are precautions that can be taken before it becomes pandemic in humans, I believe we should.

Poultry farmers are very concerned. Those infected, as well as other area birds, would have to be euthanized to contain and prevent the spread of the virus. American farmers are taking appropriate precautions; keeping chickens indoors [away from migratory birds] and keeping a close eye on their flocks for any signs of disease.

I wouldn’t recommend it, but as long as it’s cooked properly, you’re not going to get bird flu. To date, there’s not been any evidence that cooked poultry products cause an infection. Some people think using antibacterial soap will help reduce the likelihood of contamination. Although advocate proper hygiene, this is not true — bird flu is a virus, not bacterial.

The virus would have to mutate, at least once and possibly twice, to enable such transmission. virus normally attacks the lower respiratory tract, making it difficult to transmit and acquire. It would have to mutate, enabling it to take hold in the upper respiratory tract like most human-types of flu. also likely to become less deadly at that point. However, once human-to-human contagion begins, that’s when there’s real trouble.

You would probably see typical flu symptoms — fever, cough and runny nose. You may see eye infections and pneumonia. Eventually, victims will experience acute respiratory distress. Fever, in particular, is a good warning sign. You also will see many normally healthy people stricken.

We’ll have to locate and isolate those with the virus to minimize its spread. Worldwide travel makes the spread of disease much easier. For instance, imagine that someone comes over from Asia, flies to New York, stays in a hotel, and then moves on to Washington, D.C., infecting hundreds who then go on to infect hundreds more. That’s when you’re looking at a pandemic developing.

Right now, I’d say the risk to the U.S. is relatively low ... but that could change.

It’s hard to develop a vaccine without having the disease. We don’t know what mutation will happen yet. Some are encouraging the use of Tamiflu but it may have limited effects if this virus mutates differently. Also it will take time to develop and distribute an effective vaccine. That’s why isolating and containing the virus is so important.

I think the actions are appropriate because we don’t know what will happen. Historically, there are usually three major flus each century. last three pandemics were caused by H1 viruses, not the H5 strains we have here. However, it’s good to be prepared. If large numbers of people are sick, it will be an incredible burden on businesses. People have a tendency to go in to work sick, especially those without sick leave. It will be up to businesses to enforce rules about health. If, in a worse case scenario, 40 percent of your workforce is out, there will be terrible repercussions. For instance, if 40 percent of farmers can’t farm and 40 percent of truckers can’t distribute food, how will we get our food?

If you want to prepare for a pandemic, I wouldn’t worry about facemasks and antibacterial soap. I would want a three-month supply of food and water.