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Avian flu: Anticipated and closely watched

The potential for a pandemic has pushed avian flu to the top of official agendas. That's good.

Although we're in the middle of another flu season, the influenza on most people's minds is not the usual seasonal flu. For years, health experts have predicted the reemergence of a deadly influenza strain that could spread easily from person to person — in other words, a pandemic. The most likely candidate is the avian influenza A (H5N1) virus, which first appeared almost 10 years ago in wild birds in Asia. The virus has already devastated the East Asian poultry industry, and infected migratory birds have carried it to Romania, Russia, and Turkey. A relatively small number of people have been infected, half of whom have died. Most were individuals who lived and worked around poultry and came in contact with bird feces and respiratory fluids.