By B.B
For Horizon

It was a fantastic sight. While getting fresh air and enjoying the early morning scenery from T-Dock, I saw a huge flock of white birds flying from Babeldaob toward the mangrove trees below Dngeronger hamlet. There must have been over 200 birds in that awesome flight. There were so many of them that when they finally found their perches they transformed the green tops of the mangrove trees from Delui to the area below Kumangai Bakery into white dots.
While looking at these birds, a disturbing thought occurred to me. What were these birds? They looked like white herons (Sechou), but were they local herons (Becheleleu l’ Sechou) or were they migrants from somewhere in Asian or from the countries south of us such as Malaysia and Indonesia? At this time of the year, it is not unusual for migrating birds from the Northern Hemisphere, where it is now the winter season, to pass through Palau on their way to warm areas in the Southern Hemisphere.
If these birds were local species, we probably do not have anything to worry about, but if they were migrants from somewhere in the Asian mainland or Southeast Asia, they could be carrying the deadly "bird flue virus", which is prevalent in those parts. The virus would be devastating for Palau if it were to pass from infected migrating birds to local birds. Domesticated chickens and ducks are most susceptible to the deadly Avian Flue Virus. Authoritative reports say that infection from migrating birds is the most common way the disease is transferred from infected areas to other parts of the World. They say this was how the deadly virus moved from East Asia to Europe and Africa.
Do we have methods or procedures to keep infected migrant birds from passing their deadly "cargoes" to resident chickens, ducks, and other local birds? If we do have such preventive measures, we hope the officials handling them would look into that big flock of herons (Sechou) that was seen in the Mangroves below Dngeronger, if they’re still there, to see if they’re dangerous. By now, however, that flock must have dispersed so it is now a matter of observing individual birds to determine if they are local or migrants. The officials should also check for bird flue virus the many "fighting roosters" we see around town. These roosters might have been imported from somewhere. And if they were imported, there’s a chance that one or two may be infected with the deadly virus. A check in time could save a lot of worries at a later time!
The people in the Dental Section of the Hospital are doing fantastic jobs
I recently had to see (very reluctantly) our dental people about a tooth problem that had been giving me many sleepless nights. Like most people, I did not relish going to the dentist and would have put the visit off on the slightest excuse. But I had no choice so I steeled myself for the grim task ahead. I need not have worried too much. The people in the dental office, from the receptionist at the front desk to the nurses and the doctors in the treatment rooms, knew and performed their works perfectly. Instead of worrying about being drilled through the head, I found myself relaxed and enjoying the visit. Yes, a visit to the dental office could be a very enjoyable trip.