KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - A top U.S. health official says the threat of a flu pandemic remains high. And while the world has made great strides to prepare, it's not enough.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr. Julie Gerberding says bird flu fatigue among countries and the public is a growing concern.

Scientists have identified the H5N1 bird flu virus as a potential candidate that could mutate into a form that spreads easily among people.

''People have very short attention spans and when something is in the news for a while, it becomes old news and then it's no news,'' she said at a conference Saturday.

''We have to be very strategic to make sure that the leaders and governments fill in for the tendency toward complacency.''