Japanese zoos, poultry farms, and bird sanctuaries are on high alert after several deaths in the region being attributed to H5N1 influenza, better known as avian or bird flu. Though the virus has not mutated to spread among humans, it can still spill over from birds and may result in death- Egypt reported its 38th death due to avian flu last month. The implications of mutation enabling the virus to spread from human to human would be huge; control measures within the human population would be severely debilitated by the fact that the virus can spread through birds' migratory patterns through Asia, Europe, and Africa. Thus far, however, this kind of transmission has not been demonstrated.
full article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/04/health/04global.html
-Catalina
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