The H51N strain of influenza is very real, but what it seems like most people I know don't understand is that this is a bird virus- the people who have been contracting it have been people that are in close contact with these birds a lot. There is no human-to-human pandemic going on with it, and if we're lucky, this strain will burn out before anything like that can happen.
After all, the human mortality rate from it so far is about 50-60%, I think. I don't like the odds on that one should it start to be spread between humans.
H