Apologies for the headline, but I've been tracking H5N1's evolution closely (see my submission history for ongoing coverage). What makes this notable is the sp

Apologies for the headline, but I've been tracking H5N1's evolution closely (see my submission history for ongoing coverage). What makes this notable is the speed and scope of adaptation: In January this was just another bird virus. By March it was in cows, then infected a dairy worker, and now we're seeing it maintain airborne transmission in ferrets while being 100% lethal to them. Yet the human case was mild. This ties directly to what we're seeing now with 8 poultry workers infected in Washington and 15 dairy workers in California. In less than a year, H5N1 has gone from a bird problem to widespread mammalian spread with increasing human spillover. When one of the leading researchers calls it 'one of the most pathogenic viruses' he's seen in ferrets, while it remains relatively mild in humans, it's a clear sign of ... something Worth watching where this Bird Flu thing goes if nothing else. I expect not to hear much about it until after the election though.