The bird flu, which seemed to be fading away, has once again set off alarms. With the first death recorded in the United States and the virus detected in every state, the situation is becoming increasingly complex.

Current strains of bird flu are “poorly suited for pandemic potential,” said Dr. Shira Doron, a Tufts Medicine infectious disease expert.

The first person in the U.S. just died from a strain of the virus in Louisiana, but there’s still some simple ways to stay safe.

Samples taken from the first patient who died from bird flu show that a strain of the virus has “mutated” to infect humans more effectively. A patient - hospitalised last month in Louisiana - died after the H5N1 strain of avian influenza infected the individual.