What's Surprising and Scary About Avian Influenza Right Now?

Send a text Bird flu – aka avian influenza – is doing what it does best yet again – surprising scientists, public health officials, farmers, and wildlife experts. It’s been spreading among dairy cattle in the United States, something that startles even long-term observers of the virus. The H5N1 strain of avian influenza was first noticed in the late 1990s and it immediately worried experts, who saw its potential to cause a pandemic. It infects many wild birds without causing them too much tro...