By Steve Murphy, NewsRadio 830 WCCO

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Avian flu claimed 310 lives in 15 countries from 2004 to 2006, then the disease quieted down — until now.

“Actually, we’ve had as much activity in the bird side of it — meaning poultry flocks, wild birds and humans — in Asia and Africa over the past four months as we’ve really had at almost any time since H5N1 became a problem back in 2004,” said noted University of Minnesota disease expert Michael Osterholm.

Osterholm says the increased activity “has really got us concerned.”

WCCO’s Steve Murphy Interviews Michael Osterholm

Health authorities are on high alert for bird flu on the Thai-Cambodian border after two Cambodians, a 21-year-old mother and her 11-month-old son, reportedly died after consuming an infected chicken.