Remember recently that two separate groups of scientists artificially mutated the H5N1 flu strain in their labs to make it easily transmissible in mammals? And the government blocked the publication of their research because they considered the information too dangerous? Well, H7N9 is halfway to acquiring the mutations that the scientists found would make it easily transmissible.

A disease that spreads easily but kills 90% of the infected would burn out very quickly and not be a "good" pandemic disease. Anyone remember the mortality from Spanish Flu? Only three percent. Just three percent! So H7N9 can weaken dramatically and still be the worst thing since the Spanish Flu.

Although the numbers are small on an absolute scale, they are increasing rapidly. Since yesterday, the number of cases has increased by 20%. And the geographic area that the cases are coming from is expanding.