[lambersley]

As a lay person, when I read of viruses, I look for ways I can contract such a thing. In the example of West Nile, I know to stay away from mosquito-prone places. For creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (variant of mad cow), I knew to cut down on my intake of beef. I think its important to distinguish between humans and other animals for this reason.

And having lived through SARS in Toronto, I can tell you that many people didn't have chicken on their tables during that summer.