This Is Probably Bush's Fault Too

The feared bird flu epidemic seems to be drawing closer as more human cases emerge.

Adding to the sense of alarm, researchers in Vietnam say the H5N1 avian flu virus has mutated allowing it to replicate more easily inside humans and other mammals. Taiwan said it had detected another bird flu strain that can infect people.

Avian influenza is known to have infected 125 people in Asia, killing 64, and is endemic in most poultry flocks in the region.

There are at least a dozen other suspected cases as governments in Asia struggle to control outbreaks in poultry to prevent more people from catching the virus, which experts fear could trigger a pandemic.