Meanwhile, bird flu is showing signs of mutating

to become more infections to humans, according to a Chinese respiratory disease expert Zhong Nanshan.

Experts are worried about seasonal flu, because it could get mixed up with a deadly novel strain, such as the H5N1 bird flu virus. Such a hybrid would not only become easily transmissible between people, but packed with great killing power.

“The bird flu virus has shown signs of mutation. If infected people don’t get treatment in a timely manner, they can die easily,” Zhong was quoted as telling reporters on the sidelines of the Chinese parliament’s annual meeting.

According to Crofs H5N1 blog Zhong is a ‘titan’ in the field of respiratory disease, was at the forefront of dealing with SARS, and ‘even the Beijing government doesn’t try to push him around’.

Update: here - from respected public health blogger Effect Measure - is what happens when seasonal flu is on the ‘worse’ side of the bell curve.