Officials warn of catastrophic flu pandemic
Estimates of 'tens of millions' dead if virus mutates as feared
Posted: September 20, 20051:00 a.m. Eastern

A recently evolved avian flu virus could mutate and become transmissible between humans, touching off a massive global pandemic, agreed public health officials from more than 20 countries in the Western Pacific region who gathered yesterday.

With one small genetic adjustment in Influenza A, or H5N1, millions of people could die, warned World Health Organization Regional Director for the Western Pacific Shigeru Omi.

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