NEW YORK, July 31 (UPI) -- An avian flu circulating in birds since 2002 jumped to baby seals in New England and this jump to mammals may threaten humans, U.S. researchers say.
Scientists at the Center for Infection & Immunity at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, New England Aquarium, U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center, SeaWorld and EcoHealth Alliance first became concerned in September 2011, when seals with severe pneumonia and skin lesions suddenly appeared along the coastline from southern Maine to northern Massachusetts.