The ABC network will broadcast a made-for-TV movie about a fictional outbreak of bird flu in people on May 9, during its May "sweeps" rating period.

An ABC news release says that in the movie's plot, the avian influenza H5N1 virus "has mutated into a version that can spread from human to human -- shown in eye-opening detail whenever the microbes start to permeate the atmosphere -- across races, nationalities, genders and ages."

When concerns became widespread last fall about the threat of a human pandemic of avian influenza, UC Davis developed an informative public Web site on the subject. UC Davis has extensive scientific expertise on avian influenza in birds and people, and its experts have advised citizens groups, lawmakers, health-care providers and public-health agencies on planning for and responding to flu outbreaks.