IOWA CITY – While a deadly strain of a bird flu is still a world away, universities in Iowa are beginning to prepare for the virus that has killed 80 people.

So far the virus that moved only from infected birds to humans, but health officials fear it could mutate to spread between people.

Christopher Atchison, associate dead of the University of Iowa College of Public health, said universities need to be prepared should the virus spread to the United States.

“Any institution that assembles and houses thousands of people needs to have this as a concern,” said Atchison, chairman of a task force studying the university’s preparation for bird flu.

Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa also have started planning for a response to bird flu.

“We’re revamping our plans to address a pandemic,” said Jim O’Connor, UNI spokesman.

An outbreak of bacterial meningitis in 2003 in which two students died from the illness gave the university experience in dealing with disease outbreaks, O’Connor said.

Iowa State’s Critical Incident Response Team, which developed a response to SARS a few years ago, has been working on a response plan for bird flu since last fall, said Annette Hacker, program coordinator for ISU university relations.