Why avian flu is a big deal

The CDC has a fact page explaining avian flu and what we know so far about this virus. The reason that it's the WHO is so concerned about this virus is the extremely high fatality rate. So far 50% of people who have contracted avian flu have died. To put it into perspective the official fatality rate for SARS was 4%. A common influenza pandemic would be forecast to have a 1% fatality rate. Avian flu, when it comes to the US, with our medical care and vaccines could still have a fatality rate of around 20% of those infected. Even if only 10% of the US population contracts the virus, it would have a similar affect to simultaneously dropping atomic bombs on New York and Los Angeles.