The Bird Flu--A Money Making Scam?

Why all of a sudden is there a concern about a pandamic a la World War I? There have been many flu outbreaks over the years aand though there was concern it wasn't hyped up to the extent that it is now; people talking about millions dying and a campaign promoting spending billions of dollars for research to produce a vaccine that may, or may not, prevent an epidemic.
The general rule of thumb people should apply is; anytime G.W. Bush proposes something you can be sure the greater benefit will go to an industry or corporation who just happens to be large political contributors of his.
Who would benefit in this case? Why the pharmeceutical industry of course. Why hasn't anyone in politics, or the media, public, picked up on this?
Probably because of the propaganda ploy "fear appeal". When fear is propagated critical thinking shuts down.
The "media" is mostly to blame for all of the hype that has gone on about the "bird flu epidemic, for they "obsess" about every catastrophe, large or small, that comes their way. They are hardly a discriminating bunch.
There are billions and billions of dollars out there just waiting to be snapped up by doctors, researchers, pharmeceutical corporations, as well as our politicians.
Any time this administration campaigns for anything follow the money.