How Avian Flu Virus Infects

In its current form, the H5N1 bird flu virus lacks essential properties that would allow it to spread easily among humans. But in the rare cases when it does infect a person, the virus is frequently lethal. Despite an alarming case recently in which six members of a family in Indonesia died from H5N1, scientists have not found evidence that the virus has mutated into a more transmissible form. Meanwhile, virologists are gaining a better understanding of what makes H5N1 so deadly to humans.

By Seth Hamblin And Cristina Rivero, The Washington Post - July 3, 2006

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