New flu pandemic could kill 81 million
(AP)


<p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061222/ap_on_he_me/flu_pandemic"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20061222/capt.sge.cru51.221206003134.photo00.photo.default-362x512.jpg?x=91&y=130&sig=tezWb5ToKWAqZvzFiZVlHg--" align="left" height="130" width="91" alt="A doctor treats a patient who is under observation for the bird flu virus at a hospital in Jakarta, October 2005. A global pandemic of a novel, contagious and lethal form of influenza could kill as many people in a year as died in World War II, according to an estimate in a new study.(AFP/File/Bay Ismoyo)" border="0" /></a>AP - A flu virus as deadly as the one that caused the 1918 Spanish flu could kill as many as 81 million worldwide if it struck today, a new study estimates. By applying historical death rates to modern population data, the researchers calculated a death toll of 51 million to 81 million, with a median estimate of 62 million.</p><br clear="all"/>