If avian influenza doesn’t usually affect people, why is there concern about avian influenza?
Flu viruses have the capacity to mingle with one another and morph into a new strain. This partly explains why health officials keep a close watch on outbreaks of avian flu. If someone with human influenza also becomes infected with avian influenza, there is a chance that the viruses could mingle and turn into a new virus that spreads easily from person to person. This could lead to a worldwide epidemic (or pandemic) of influenza.
