Hahaha. Its great that you can contribute to discussions on science too. I was worried you’d give some pointless sarcastic reply but instead you’ve enlightened humanity instead. Kudos to you my good sir.
It doesn’t matter if the virus mutates to turn purple or yellow or inept. What matters is if the right mutations occur to combine the deadliness with the contagiousness of the human flu and bird flu. Got to love the dicks that this board attracts. Jesus christ.
FTR the issue can be addressed by googling the phrases ‘alpha 2,3 alpha 2,6 receptors bird flu’. The 2,6 receptors are in the upper aireways, 2,3 are in the lower ones.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/22/AR2006032202043.html
I remember someone telling me that computer simulations showed 10-11 amino acid mutations (specific mutations in specific places) needed to occur on the H protein to cause a pandemic. However that could be short circuited by mixing bird & human flu.
aruvqan. You’re out of line here. This is General Questions.
samclem General Questions Moderator
…or review the history of the many epidemics that did wipe out tons of folks and have occurred pretty regularly over the centuries. While you may think we, or “the media” are overreacting, the fact is that we are immensely under-prepared for such an inevitability of another catastrophic epidemic.
You know, Bosda, I never knew? And she’s gone now and I can’t ask. Sorry.
Why?
(By the way, as a longtime lurker and relative newbie, I’m all atremble that you spoke to me.)
Tremble not, mine kiddo! 
Nasty I’m not!
As for why, every account I’ve read suggested that Philly got the worst of it, worse than anywhere else in America.
Go to your local library, & look up a history book on the 1918 flu (there are several good ones), & you can read something fascinating…and nightmarish. The story of Philly & the Flu. Compelling, and it scared me.