You will not be protected in anyway whatsoever against Avian flu by having the standard NHS Flu jab. That is something of the misunderstanding that I was trying to highlight (GUEST ED)

That quote I gave from The Observer suggests that that may not actually be true - but that even if it is, it reduces the likelihood of a pandemic: "There is also confusioin about whether the conventional flu jab will protect against avian flu. There is a fair chance that it will not, but the NHS wants to limit 'normal flu' in the population because if the bird flu mixes with a common strain it could produce a hybrid that could spark a pandemic." (Observer, 16th October)