The avian flu now spreading though Southeast Asia, Russia and parts of Europe has the hallmarks of a pandemic in the making. What should we do to prepare for the possibility of a widespread outbreak?

Ira Flatow talks with public health expert Michael Osterholm about the flu. He says private companies need to do more to prepare for the possibility of quarantines and a disruption in the global economy.

Plus, the death toll from the recent earthquake in South Asia has topped 20,000. Predicting such deadly quakes would surely spare lives. Ira talks with two seismologists about progress in quake prediciton.

Guests:

Avian Flu

Michael Osterholm
 Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.
School of Public Health
University of Minnesota

Earthquake Prediction

Donald Turcotte
Professor of Geology
University of California, Davis

William Bakun
U-S Geological Survey
Menlo Park, California. 

Books/Articles Discussed

Parkfield Project

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This segment produced by Ann Marie Cunningham.