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Measured by body count, the bird flu that scared Hong Kong did not come close to the Spanish Flu of 1918 that felled 20 million. Six people suc
cumbed to the H5N1 strain of avian flu. Not to mention 1.4 million chickens that died to make the world safe. After a series of false starts, Hong Kong authorities launched a fowl-cull on Dec. 28, 1997. Officials vowed to get the job done in three days. B
y Jan. 4, however, chickens were still running around, breaking free from garbage bags and becoming wild dog food. Still, the drastic measures halted the outbreak, and in December the World Health Organization credited Hong Kong for saving the planet from
an influenza pandemic.
Photograph by Marcus Oleniuk - Sygma for Asiaweek |
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