Concerning bird flu mutations detected in Chile, but officials say risk to humans remains low

A Chilean man has been infected with a bird flu that has mutations that could make it more harmful to humans, but experts say the threat is still low.
The mutations were detected in a sample from the man, who may have gotten infected from birds or sea lions, but there's no sign the mutated virus has spread.
The mutations are in a gene that can help the virus better infect mammals, but probably aren't enough alone to create a virus that spreads easily between people.
This is the second known human case of this bird flu in South America and the 11th this year globally, but risks to the public are still considered low.
While concerning, the mutations don't change the assessment that the overall risk to humans from this virus remains low, according to health officials.