The Bird Fur Virus Could Jump Into Humans

No one has immunity to bird forms of the virus. The disease could theoretically spread very rapidly, and trigger a pandemic. Fears intensified recently when scientists reported outbreaks of the virus among farmed mink in Spain. UK HSA reported detecting the virus in British wildlife including foxes. There were claims that the virus had also mutated in these animals to make spread more efficient. But with us to unpick this is virologist Wendy Barclay from Imperial College, London. She says we have not yet seen the second type of change which helps the virus transmit through the air or from one person to another.