Just what we all need. According to Time a woman has been confirmed to have H5N1, the first case in seven years:

(HONG KONG) — Hong Kong has confirmed its first case of human bird flu in seven years.

Health Secretary York Chow said late Wednesday that a 59-year-old woman had tested positive for H5N1 bird flu after returning to Hong Kong from the Chinese mainland, and is in serious condition in a local hospital.

With the announcement, the government raised the bird flu alert to “serious,” meaning there is a risk of contracting the disease within the territory.

Chow said Hong Kong officials were meeting Thursday and would determine whether additional measures are needed to safeguard local residents.

The bird flu virus first struck Hong Kong in 1997. Six people died in that outbreak and all chickens in the territory were culled.

Time to stock up on masks again? Maybe. New diseases are not the only problems we have as illnesses once thought extinct in the civilized world make a comeback. Florida is now reporting a Cholera infection as well as an outbreak of Dengue Fever both of which have not been seen in the area in decades:

TAMPA, Florida — State health workers say it’s official: Florida is now witnessing incidents of two diseases we haven’t experienced in years, if not decades.

“It’s of course important for Floridians in all parts of the state, but especially South Florida,” says Dr. Carina Blackmore with the state’s health department.

The diseases being discussed are cholera and dengue fever. Cholera is spread by unsanitary conditions. Dengue fever, by mosquitoes.

[…]

The other disease being watched closely is dengue fever, which is transmitted through mosquitoes. Dengue fever can cause severe headaches, muscle pain – and in some cases, even death.

Miami-Dade confirmed its first locally-acquired case of dengue fever this week. That means the disease did not come from a foreign source into the U.S., but rather it originated here.

The state of Florida has seen six times as many cases of dengue fever this year as in 2009. So far, 120 cases.

Seven of those cases were in Hillsborough County. All seven, say officials, were people bringing the disease from another country. In each case, the person was identified and spraying in that person’s neighborhood was intensified to kill mosquitoes.

Only about one percent of the mosquito population is the type of mosquito capable of carrying the disease. But officials warn, that still is enough for them to be concerned.

I bet. Aside from the usual precautions studies have shown that green tea aids in antibiotics in combating resistant infections and light therapy has shown promise. Dengue and H5N1 are viruses so their treatment is different , but because both can require hospitalization it is likely that we will sufferers pick up secondary infections of “superbugs” like MSRA if these outbreaks get large enough.