Why are people concerned?

There is a small chance that the virus could attach itself to a human flu virus, creating a new virus which could spread from person to person. That would make it easier to catch.

If more people get bird flu, the chances of a new virus forming are increased. At the moment everything possible is being done to stop the spread of the disease in birds. By doing this we can make it less likely that there will ever be a human version of bird flu.