BOSTON -- If a flu pandemic were to hit Massachusetts, it would kill about 13,000 residents, according to a new report by the Trust for America.

NewsCenter 5's Heather Unruh reported Thursday that the avian flu is of particular concern because it is exceptionally strong and it is spreading.

The birds that become infected in Southeast Asia migrate through areas such as Siberia and Mongolia and then make their way to other parts of the world. A Plymouth, Mass., woman has just returned from documenting the spread of the disease.

Beth Murphy traveled a long way to chronicle what she says is a flu time bomb -- avian influenza.

"We were traveling with virus hunters. These Russian scientists were literally tracking the bird flu in the field to find out which migrating birds are carrying it and where they're taking it," she said.

The scientists are not focusing on domestic poultry in places like Thailand and Vietnam, where avian flu has already killed 60 people and thousands of birds. Instead, they are testing the wild birds that travel between Siberia and South East Asia -- birds that could potentially spread the disease across the globe.

"In a very real sense, we are watching this wave of infection coming our way," Murphy said.

Murphy is working with Massachusetts General Dr. Michael Callahan. He's received funding from the U.S. State Department to help track the bird flu and worked with Russian scientists in Siberia earlier this year.

"We've seen several cases where patients have been directly infected from the birds themselves, which is quite alarming for us," Callahan said.

Callahan said that with air travel and globalization, conditions right now are perfect for a large-scale epidemic. While the H5N1 virus is not spread human to human, it is learning how to infect more species.

"What we're critically concerned about is the patient that might be infected with another influenza virus at the same time -- one that's already adapted for infecting people," Callahan said.

The good news is that the team of scientists chronicled in Murphy's upcoming documentary have already identified two new strains of the bird flu.

"One of which is very deadly, highly pathogenic, one which isn't and that second one is actually a good candidate for a vaccine for the entire world," she said.

While scientists can do little but watch and wait, there is more we can do to help contain the spread of any influenza. Doctors say being extra diligent about washing your hands and keeping surfaces free of germs -- especially at work -- can go a long way in helping to stem the spread of any virus.

Video:
Heather Unruh Reports On Bird Flu