1 Birds are fun to watch. Geese fly in a V formation across the sky. Ducks waddle along lake banks nibbling on breadcrumbs. Not everyone welcomes the arrival of migrating birds. Migrating birds can carry a virus called bird flu. Bird flu is also called avian flu.
2 Bird flu virus, or H5N1 as scientists call it, is an infection that kills millions of birds. Some people have also caught bird flu. If this virus mutates, or changes, it might be able to spread from person to person. This could cause many people to get sick. An illness that affects many people over a large area is called a pandemic.
3 A bird flu pandemic could start in Asia. Wild ducks and water birds carry the bird flu virus. In Asian countries, chickens often get close to waterfowl. They eat the same food on the wet rice paddies. The chickens live close to people. If the chickens get sick, people can get sick, too. As of February 2008, the H5N1 virus has been in Asia, Europe, and Africa. It has not come to the United States.
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