Chertoff: Bird flu could appear in U.S. in months

WASHINGTON -- A deadly strain of bird flu could appear in the United States in the next few months as wild birds migrate from infected nations, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Thursday.

Chertoff said "there will be a reasonable possibility of a domestic fowl outbreak" as migrating birds mix with ducks, chickens and other birds in the U.S. But he cautioned against panic, noting that the Agriculture Department has dealt with other strains of bird flu for years.

"If we get a wild bird or even a domestic chicken that gets infected with avian flu, we're going to be able to deal with it, because we've got a lot of experience with that," Chertoff said, speaking to newspaper editors and publishers.

"I can't predict, but I certainly have to say that we should be prepared for the possibility that at some point in the next few months, a wild fowl will come over the migratory pathway and will be infected with H5N1," he said.

The H5N1 strain has killed at least 95 people since 2003, mostly in Asia, according to the World Health Organization, and has devastated poultry stocks. Scientists are concerned that the virus could mutate into a form easily spread among people, sparking a pandemic.

If a bird flu case is confirmed in the United States, Chertoff said the Homeland Security Department would have specific plans to deal with it, including watching to see if it developed human health characteristics. "But it would not be time to push the panic button," he said.

Chertoff has been widely criticized for attending a bird flu briefing in Atlanta on Aug. 30, the day after Hurricane Katrina hit, instead of rushing to the disaster scene in the Gulf Coast.

Because much of the U.S. poultry business is kept indoors, there is a lesser chance that chickens, turkeys and other birds meant for human consumption will mix with infected wild fowl, Chertoff said. "But you know, there will be a reasonable possibility of a domestic fowl outbreak," he said.