The international scientific community has been monitoring the bird flu virus (known as H5 N1) since 1997 when seven people died in Hong Kong after contact with live bird markets. Dr. Guan Yi, a professor at the University of Hong Kong, explains the path of infection in Southeast Asia (with Vietnam as the epicenter) in 2003 and 2005 when wild birds infected poultry on small farms. The poultry was then handled by humans who became infected.

Bird Flu Wars recounts the diverse plans explored at the emergency meetings held in 2006 at the World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva to prevent the virus from becoming a pandemic. Some of these plans call for the massive destruction of areas infected by the virus, preventive vaccinations of poultry and the industrialization of breeding. Many countries have stockpiled Tamiflu, the only recommended antiviral medication. Unfortunately, some countries like Vietnam cannot cope economically with what is required to suppress H5 N1. For now, the Swiss pharmaceutical company La Roche is producing Tamiflu vaccine in huge quantities in their 13 closely guarded factories. To date, they refuse to release the formula so that the vaccine can be produced generically.

If in the future the virus mutates to a human flu, it could be easily transmitted from human to human, endangering a huge population. At that point, the world would have to wait for a vaccine that could be put into production quickly. Would there be enough antiviral medicine for everyone in need?