By Theodora Filis On Saturday, December 31, 2011, China's state media reported that a 39 year old man, identified as Xinhua, died on Saturday in Shenzhen, Southern China, from what appears to be a contagious strain of avian flu. Xinhua Chen was hospitalized, in Shenzhen, on December 21 with a fever. According to China's official news agency, the provincial health department came out with a statement saying Xinhua had tested positive for the H5N1 avian influenza virus. Perhaps most disturbing of all is that the man had not traveled outside the city, and had no contact with poultry. Last summer, the United Nations (UN) warned of a possible resurgence of the virus, which peaked in 2006 – infecting people in 63 countries. The UN warned there were indications a mutant strain may be spreading in Asia. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported that a variant strain of H5N1, which could bypass the defenses of current vaccines, appeared in late August 2011,
It is imperative we all pay attention to the impact of our collective and personal actions on the environment. During the next decade, our global community will be unable to deal effectively with the formidable environmental challenges posed by decades of environmental mismanagement. There are many environmental issues I write about in this blog, some will scare you, and it is my hope, these articles will give you a reason to question and search for answers.