Well, maybe not:

“..an unsettled question is whether an epidemic of atypical pneumonia that appeared in Guangdong province early in February might also be avian flu. At least five people have died and more than 300 others have reportedly been infected, more than 100 of them medical workers. The province's population is about 80 million. Guangdong health authorities have attributed the disease to Mycoplasma…”
 http://www.the-scientist.com/news/20030227/04/


What are the symptoms?

“The most serious presentation of Mycoplasma fermentans infection is that of a fulminant systemic disease that begins as a flu-like illness. Patients rapidly deteriorate, developing severe complications including adult respiratory distress syndrome, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and/or multiple organ failure.” - (The Journal of Degenerative Diseases, vol. 5, no. 2, p. 28)


So, are we facing an avian flu or mycoplasma pandemic?

“Now, please note: this is not influenza, but is a ‘flu-like illness’ which anyone could honestly mistake for the influenza – but it is not the flu, and it is not caused by the H5N1 strain of the avian flu virus. It is caused by a pathogen patented by the United States government!” – (Donald W. Scott, MA, MSc and William L.C. Scott)


A Patented Pathogen?

Yes, it’s true, a man pathogen.
 http://www.gulfwarvets.com/micopat.htm


What are Mycoplasma?
Mycoplasma are the smallest of free-living organisms, and can reproduce outside of living cells. They can cause chronic inflammatory diseases of the respiratory system, urogenital tract, and joints. The most common human illnesses caused by mycoplasma are due to infection with M. pneumoniae, which is responsible for 10-20% of all pneumonias. This type of pneumonia is also called atypical pneumonia, walking pneumonia, or community-acquired pneumonia. Infection moves easily among people in close contact because it is spread primarily when infected droplets circulate in the air (that is, become aerosolized), usually due to coughing, spitting, or sneezing. (Source: Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine online)
In his Jan. 29, 2002 Congressional testimony, Dr. Garth Nicolson writes: "...the types of infection caused by Mycoplasma and Brucella species that have been found in GWI patients, can cause complex problems found in GWI [reviews: 23,40,41]. These microorganisms are now considered important emerging pathogens in causing chronic diseases as well as being important cofactors in some illnesses, including AIDS and other immune dysfunctional conditions [23,40,41]."
"Historically, mycoplasmal infections were thought to produce relatively mild diseases limited to particular tissues or organs, such as urinary tract or respiratory system [23,40,41]. However, the mycoplasmas detected in GWI patients with molecular techniques are highly virulent, colonize a wide variety of organs and tissues, and are difficult to treat [23,45,46]. The mycoplasma most commonly detected in GWI, Mycoplasma fermentans (found in >80% of those GWI patients positive for any mycoplasma), is found intracellularly. It is unlikely that this type of infection will result in a strong antibody response, which may explain the DoD's lack of serologic evidence for these types of intracellular infections [47]."
 http://www.mvrd.org/showpage.cfm?ID=69


Why have I not heard of mycoplasma before now?

“Many doctors don't know about this mycoplasma because it was developed by the U.S. military in biological warfare experimentation, and it was not made public. This pathogenic mycoplasma disease agent was patented by the United States military by Dr. Shyh-Ching Lo, who was the top researcher for the military biological warfare research facility.”  http://www.consumerhealth.org/articles/display.cfm?ID=20000830164126