Bird flu (avian influenza), current evaluation of risks to humans from H5N1
In the last two weeks, avian influenza appears to have re-emerged in poultry in several countries in Asia. These outbreaks could either be new outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) virus or a continuation of the outbreaks first reported earlier in the year. These events, in addition to two new research reports -- about the virus becoming increasingly pathogenic and becoming more widespread in birds in the region -- fuel the World Health Organization's concern about the threat the virus poses to human health.
WHO has been concerned about this virus, influenza A(H5N1), because of its threat to humans both in farm settings in Asia and its greater, potentially global risk. Several countries in Asia have witnessed this virus crossing the species barrier, moving from infected chickens or ducks directly into humans in three documented outbreaks since 1997. These direct human infections have produced severe and sometimes fatal outcomes. Moreover, the virus has the potential to acquire the ability to spread easily from human to human, and thus, trigger a global influenza pandemic.
Article: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=10932#