While panic-stricken coverage focuses on the dire pandemic awaiting us, there are suggestions that avian flu may not be as deadly as currently thought and that many mild cases may be going undetected. (New York Times )

More: Bird flu might be less deadly than feared: “Many mild or symptom-free H5N1 infections may have gone undetected in humans, meaning the real fatality rate is lower, a Vietnamese study suggests.” (New Scientist)