Another cause for concern: flu season is underway in the U.S., and as seasonal influenza virus goes around, “humans, ourselves, could be a mixing vessel,” Davis says. If a person were simultaneously infected with bird flu and seasonal flu, the two viruses could theoretically combine to create a more transmissible strain.

A teenager in British Columbia was hospitalized in critical condition with the disease, and officials were working to find out how the person was exposed to the virus.

A teenager in Canada, hospitalized with the country's first case of the H5N1 bird flu, is in critical condition. Health officials report his condition deteriorated rapidly despite having no prior health issues.