Dick Thompson Animals Quotations

Surveillance and response of H5N1 in both animals and humans needs to be strengthened in all regions bordering countries where outbreaks have been identified.

Bird flu is a disease among animals; it's very difficult for this virus to move from poultry into humans. Our concern is that it will change in a way that will allow it to easily move between humans, and that will trigger a pandemic.

The widespread concern may be bad communication on our part. Millions of animals have been infected and very rarely have humans been infected,

Tens of millions of birds have been affected. But there have been only about 117 human cases in two years, ... This is a very difficult disease to move from animals to humans.

It was not unexpected, ... There will be sporadic human cases as long as the virus is circulating in animals.