Former CDC director predicts bird flu pandemic

Former CDC Director Robert Redfield said he predicts a bird flu pandemic is inevitable, it's just a matter of when. Redfield warned of the potential for a high mortality rate associated with bird flu if it infects humans, estimating it to could be between 25% and 50%. He said certain changes in amino acids are necessary for the virus to gain the ability to bind to human receptors and spread from human to human, and he emphasized the need for vigilance in monitoring the virus, which has been detected in 40+ cattle herds across the U.S.