H5N1 avian influenza can cause a human pandemic

Heyn July 14y US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Center for Disease Control) Five new cases recorded H5n1 bird flu virus in humans, bringing the total number of cases reported since April to nine. All five were involved in the cull of infected poultry in Colorado, and appear to carry the same strain that has been spreading in dairy cows across the country since December. So far, there is no evidence that the virus has adapted to spread between humans, a prerequisite for an influenza pandemic. But things can change quickly: the more the virus spreads in animals that come into close contact with humans, the greater the risk of a pandemic strain emerging.