THE northern hemisphere is facing its worst flu season for years. Paul Glezen, head of influenza research at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, says deaths from flu in the US might double to 70,000 this winter. Children could be hit worse than usual: already 12 in the UK, Ireland and North America have died of the Fujian flu strain.
The outbreak shows how unprepared we are for a full-scale influenza pandemic, which could kill millions. New flu vaccines are made every year for the strains expected the following winter, but it takes eight months. The Fujian strain…
