So it was good to read that the poor birds which fly over our archipelago may actually be saved from hunting if bird flu does strike, as it is not being excluded that hunting could be banned if the worst does happen.

And again, it was good to read that Malta is apparently one of the most prepared countries on earth. Many of us are dutifully having the normal flu vaccine. Many others have ordered the elusive Tamiflu, and generally, compared to the rest of Europe, Malta is on high alert.

Some people are already reluctant to eat chicken, although chicken is only a problem if you live in Vietnam, say, where they apparently eat pudding made with raw duck blood. Normally cooked chicken is fine but raw chicken, if that’s your thing, is definitely out...

Of course, the real problem is that you cannot actually protect yourself against something that does not yet exist. What experts are worrying about is not bird flu per se, although it is the most horrific bird flu virus to emerge for years.

This latest strain first appeared in 1997 and infected 119 people, about half of whom died, usually within 48 hours of getting the symptoms. It kills by attacking the lungs, so I would have thought that people suffering from respiratory diseases should have been the focus of special attention in terms of preventative policy here, although I have heard little so far.

An autopsy of one little person in Thailand showed that her lungs had actually been “torn apart”, in the words of the report and as quoted in the UK’s Sunday Times.

What is making health experts extremely worried is when this virus mutates to cause a new virus, a new kind of flu which, as we all know, spreads as quickly as the common cold but which could kill, unlike the normal flu which just puts you out of action for a few days.

But this has not happened yet. It could happen this winter or the next or the one after. It has to happen for a vaccine of sorts to then be developed, so until then, although it is wise and cautious to have the normal flu vaccine, and perhaps wise to have your Tamiflu stock waiting at your chemist (the truth is no one is sure), there is little in the way of prevention.

The normal vaccine will do little to help you if a new killer flu hits the globe. It’s the same with Tamiflu. Tamiflu is one of a series of anti-viral drugs. It is given to those who acquire the disease and is thought to lessen the symptoms.

But, again, because we are talking of a fear of a virus that does not yet exist, the true effect of Tamiflu is as yet untested. It may help but the new virus that experts really fear will emerge does not yet exist – at least we think not – so its effectiveness is a real leap of faith or a leap in the dark. Nobody knows for sure.

Of course if it does emerge, Malta and other countries are going to be in shock. The impact of such a virus on the economy, on the health system and on society in general could be severe.

Wherever it hits, the virus will force governments to do all they can to protect their own countries.

It sounds severe, but nobody is going to take any chances.

The poor Turkish farmer, a man called Eksen, who first found nine of his 2,000 turkeys could not walk, suddenly had nine dead birds the following day and then all his birds were gassed to death by the relevant authorities. This could be repeated here if bird flu does strike.

As far as we know, only two humans worldwide have caught it from other humans. The rest worked with or came into contact with infected birds, so again, I hope that all our poultry workers are being well looked after and vaccinated to increase their resistance to the

disease.

We are being told that there is little chance of infection here because we keep our birds indoors. But still, health workers are a vulnerable group and should be targeted. The health authorities should continue to insist that as many people as possible receive the vaccine.

Nobody wants to be alarmist, but it has been an incredibly bad year for natural disasters. Tsunamis,

hurricanes and earthquakes are occurring with almost monotonous regularity.

Bird flu, or anything which mutates between bird flu and ordinary flu, could change all our lives forever. It is probably a case of when it happens, not if, and all fowl will be looked at foully.

Let’s just hope the worst does not happen.

There have been three flu pandemics in the last century and the worst killed millions. Hopefully, this state of high alert and coordinated response will prevent such a tragedy being repeated.