Recent article in Le Monde looks at whether H5N1 is an artificially created and spread virus.
via babelfish.altavista.com, includes:
In the same way, the researcher adds, who does not exclude a minor contribution from wild fauna to the propagation of the virus, “the second wave of contaminations which touched Turkey seems related to human activities – trade, displacements, etc. – that with movements of wild birds.” In addition, known as Pascal Orabi, ornithologist with the League of protection of birds (LPO), “Australia and New Zealand, places of wintering of certain species which fly over Asia, remained unscathed”.
A strong argument in favour of the implication of migrating remains the discovery in China, on the Lake Poyang (the World of February 
, of healthy wild ducks carrying the viruses, i.e. able to transfer it onto long distances. But wild fauna cannot be held for only culprit, according to Ward Hagemeijer, one of the persons in charge for Wetlands, the organization of study of the water birds based in the Netherlands, which undertook a study with the FAO and the international Center of research for agronomy and the development (Cirad). “We took nearly 7 000 wild birds in Africa, and no operational carrier of the virus was detected, specifies Mr. Hagemeijer. Even thing in the European Union, where 10 000 apparently healthy birds were tested, without positive result.” The official results of these taking away, which continue, should be known in the next weeks.