Can avian influenza affect humans?
Yes, but rarely. The H5N1 virus has demonstrated a limited ability to spread from birds to humans. Despite circulating widely in bird populations in Asia for nearly two years, there have only been about 120 confirmed human infections, including 60 deaths (mostly in Vietnam). In all but a few of these cases, the infected patients have had close contact with infected birds. People are at risk of infection with H5N1 avian influenza if they have very close contact with infected birds, or excreta from infected birds.
