Avian flu spreading in California raises pandemic threat for humans

Health officials across the U.S. are working to prevent a potentially dangerous combination virus as avian flu rips through one of the nation’s largest milk-producing regions during the height of flu season.

Public health experts have long warned that avian flu poses a significant pandemic threat to humans, and the number of infections among dairy workers in California continues to grow. The timing of the outbreak will soon collide with the seasonal flu, complicating efforts to track bird flu and raising the risk that the two viruses could mix, potentially creating a virulent combo that could spread beyond dairy workers to the rest of the population.