Bird Flu Remains Dangerous as It Continues to Mutate

The virus that causes avian influenza continues to mutate, with seven slightly different types now identified by researchers. So far human transmission is rare. The virus has killed more than 200 people in 14 countries, and millions more birds. “The fear is that the virus will change into a form that makes human-to-human transmission quick and easy,” writes Robert S. Boyd for McClatchy Newspapers. So far, the viruses that attack birds cannot readily fit into receptors of human cells. But the shapes could change quickly, considering the virus’s speed of evolution. – YaleGlobal