Hoping for the best, preparing for the worst – January 1, 2006

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With the recent arrival of the “Asian bird flu” in the Balkans, public health officials across the globe are hastily laying plans for the possibility—indeed, the inevitability, to many—the lethal virus will mutate into a new strain capable of sustained, person-to-person transmission.

For now, however, human infection by H5N1 avian influenza virus is uncommon. Moreover, the virus isn’t particularly adept at passing from birds to people. Nevertheless, experts warn H5N1 has all the makings of a worldwide public health crisis, and the World Health Organization is sounding the alarm that a major flu pandemic could be imminent.