Preparing to battle a crisis in the future

Haunted by the knowledge that influenza killed 50 million people in 1918, scientists and public health officials continue to seek ways to head off the next great pandemic.

They are focused mostly on the lethal avian influenza that's spreading among birds and some of their human caretakers from Asia to Europe and Africa.The virus is killing humans at a rate of one every four days - 73 this year - or twice last year's pace. And its spread increases the chance it will swap genes with a human flu virus, producing a hybrid that will be easily spread and deadly among people.

So far, the human toll has been relatively small in a global context. The bird flu virus seems to have a difficult time jumping from birds to people.

But scientists are on alert for signs of a genetic shift that could transform the bird disease into something capable of killing millions, disrupting daily life and commerce across the globe.

Others are looking for the best way to construct a vaccine, or antiviral drugs, to prime our immune systems to grapple with the more dangerous virus that may evolve from the avian flu.

And public health officials are working to devise the most effective ways to slow the spread of a pandemic, to hold mass vaccinations and keep essential services running despite absenteeism.

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