Incidentally, they made the point that the 1918 Spanish Influenza had a mortality rate of under 2% - and still killed somewhere between 20 million and 40 million people worldwide.

The avian flu, in contrast, has been killing right around 50%.

One thing they didn't mention was the possible ameliorating effect of everyone wearing simple masks. All the health workers in the documentary wore them, so they obviously judge them to be of use.

Asia is evidently at much greate risk than is the western world because of its ubiquitous household habit of keeping a few ducks, geese and chickens, as well as pigs and goats, for their own use or for income. One of the control methods they are trying to inculcate in the populace is of keeping only one species on the premises, hoping to keep cross infection at bay.